In Matthew 24:7-8, Jesus Christ foretold signs that would mark the time
leading up to His return: "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom
against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in
various places …"
We have certainly seen devastating earthquakes in recent years. The December
2004 earthquake off Indonesia was the most powerful in decades, unleashing
a massive tsunami that took some 300,000 lives. Less than a year later,
an earthquake in southern Asia killed another 30,000.
In Matthew 24:7, the Greek word translated "earthquakes" is seismos, from
which we derive such English words as "seismology," referring to the study
of earthquakes. Strong's Lexicon defines it as "a commotion, i.e.
(of the air) a gale, (of the ground) an earthquake—earthquake, tempest" (Strong's
No. 4578).
So seismos has a broader meaning than just the earth shaking.
Matthew 8 records how a violent storm overtook Jesus and His disciples
on the Sea of Galilee, threatening to capsize their boat and drown them—until
Jesus miraculously calmed the winds and waves.
The word used in verse 24 for this powerful storm is seismos,
here translated "tempest." So we see that seismos can also refer
to violent storms and isn't limited strictly to earthquakes. When Jesus
foretold "famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places," His
words encompass natural disasters that include earthquakes, but
can also apply to hurricanes, tornadoes and other such deadly storms.
