• Earthquakes—A Sign of the End?
    The Watchtower—1983 | May 15

    • Was there a first-century fulfillment of Jesus’ words? Yes. Biblical and secular history record a great number of earthquakes between the year of his prophecy, 33 C.E., and the devastation of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. Two earth tremors shook Jerusalem within days of Jesus’ prophecy. (Matthew 27:51; 28:2) Seventeen years later an earthquake occurred in the city of Philippi, as Bible writer Luke noted. (Acts 16:26) In addition, non-Biblical historians point to at least six major earthquakes in that part of the earth during that period. (See Chart I.)

      What made earthquakes special in the first century? And was the report of an earthquake unusual news to first-century Christians? Answering those questions can help us understand the significance of earthquakes in our day.

      Since the earth’s crust around the Mediterranean, including Jerusalem, lies in a moderately active earthquake zone, and therefore would suffer from crustal instability, earth tremors would not be uncommon to first-century inhabitants of the area. For example, the Great Rift Valley of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea and the transverse faults that form the Plain of Esdraelon (Jezreel) between Galilee and Samaria were associated with earthquakes even before the first century.​—Amos 1:1; Zechariah 14:5.

      Earthquakes in themselves would not give any special significance to Jesus’ prophetic “sign” of Jerusalem’s approaching end, any more than a high fever would give indication of a specific illness without other symptoms being present. Therefore, what added special meaning to Jesus’ prediction of earthquakes was that they occurred in combination with all the other features of “the sign.” And it was this composite “sign” of predicted events that first-century Christians witnessed and to which they responded.