I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake. Revelation 6:12.
Prophecy not only foretells the manner and object of Christ’s coming, but presents tokens by which men are to know when it is near. . . . The revelator thus describes the first of the signs to precede the second advent: “There was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood.”
These signs were witnessed before the opening of the nineteenth century. In fulfilment of this prophecy there occurred, in the year 1755, the most terrible earthquake that has ever been recorded. Though commonly known as the earthquake of Lisbon, it extended to the greater part of Europe, Africa, and America. It was felt in Greenland, in the West Indies, in the island of Madeira, in Norway and Sweden, Great Britain and Ireland. It pervaded an extent of not less than four million square miles. In Africa the shock was almost as severe as in Europe. A great part of Algiers was destroyed; and a short distance from Morocco, a village containing eight or ten thousand inhabitants was swallowed up. A vast wave swept over the coast of Spain and Africa, engulfing cities, and causing great destruction.
It was in Spain and Portugal that the shock manifested its extreme violence. At Cadiz the inflowing wave was said to be sixty feet high. Mountains, “some of the largest in Portugal, were impetuously shaken, as it were, from their very foundations.” . . .–Sir Charles Lyell, Principles of Geology, p. 495. . . . “The earthquake happened on a holy day, when the churches and convents were full of people, very few of whom escaped.”– Encyclopedia Americana, art. “Lisbon,” note (ed. 1831). . . It has been estimated that ninety thousand persons lost their lives on that fatal day.
How frequently we hear of earthquakes and tornadoes, of destruction by fire and flood, with great loss of life and property! Apparently these calamities are capricious outbreaks of disorganized, unregulated forces of nature, wholly beyond the control of man; but in them all, God’s purpose may be read. They are among the agencies by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger.
Maranatha p. 149
Prayer Requests
—–Prayers for my dear friends Dwain and Delores. They lost their son to a heart attack last Friday nite. They lost their other son to a car accident about a year ago. Vickie
—–Joann just called and asked for prayer for her brother in law Don he had a heart attack Friday and they just took him off the ventilator he had a triple by pass this weekend. and needs our prayer. her mother Linda is also in need of prayer she was hit by a car. while in a wheel chair and not doing good. please keep Joann’s sister Toni in prayer while she deals with her husband’s heart problems and her mother being hit by a car. Thanks, M.
—–My newest great grandson born three weeks ago, “Christian Gabriel”, has been in the hospital for three days. He stoped breathing. Very scary for all. April, his Mom, stays with the baby, so her other kids are with their grandma, and aunts. Baby has something called rsv disease. Also a hole in his heart. I don’t know what happens next. Marilyn
—–Please keep me in your prayers. My daughter is taking me to trial to day for custody of my grandchildren. So from nine on your prayers that the Lord’s Will will be done for these children and that the judge will have wisdom in regards to these proceedings. Martha
—–A new most urgent prayer request for little Abigail, now 3 years old: This precious one that has endured so much in the past months since August is reported by her mother to be going downhill in the past few days. She remains in critical condition in an ___ hospital. Our Heavenly Father has mercifully kept this little one alive through a lot. May our prayers be that in His compassion and longsuffering mercy, He strengthens this wee one and restores her to complete health. Wouldn’t that be an utter conundrum to the medical staff! Abigail’s liver transplant has failed. Her bone marrow transplant has failed. The anti-rejection drugs that she was administered after her liver transplant have decimated her immune system down to almost zero. It turns out now that she never did have hepatitis; however, her liver had stopped functioning and so the liver transplant was necessary. She has not had solid food for almost 5 months. It truly is only by the grace of God that she has survived to this point. Many of us believe that it is for a purpose, and that God will bring good out of this tremendous trial. As was voiced to me in church today, when Abigail gets through this, because of the young age she is at, she will not remember most of the ordeal (again, the mercy of God). Please step up your prayers for Abigail over the next few days, as your heart is impressed to. She remains in the hands of our Father in Heaven and His Son, Who hold the Universe under Their control. May Their life be breathed into this little girl that she, tiny and weak though she is, may bring honour and glory to the name and character of our God. I genuinely hope that complete healing is the plan of our Heavenly Father for Abigail. And please do not forget to include her mother and father in your prayers. Though exhausted, they are appreciative of each and every prayer that is ascending on behalf of their sweet, precious only child. They yearn for a miracle. Thank you for your interest and your prayers. May our prayers move the arm of Omnipotence, Whose heart is so full of love and grace. Debby
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Due to the length of the prayer request for Abigail, there will be no “dear friends” section today.
The Violent Earth