The last link didn't go anywhere. What would it mean to say that on a regional basis it does not appear to be "average"? Of course if you look at things on a regional basis, you'll find anomalies. That always happens.

The number of earthquakes greater than magnitude 4.0 in Southern California and Baja California has increased significantly in 2010. There have been 70 such quakes so far this year, the most of any year in the last decade. And it's only April. There were 30 in 2009 and 29 in 2008.

Seismologists said they are studying the uptick but cannot fully explain it. Major earthquakes tend to occur in cycles, and experts have said the region in recent years has been in a quiet cycle when it comes to sizable temblors.

There is to be such a time of trouble as there never was since there was a nation. Already nations are angry, already Satan is working with signs and lying wonders, and this will increase until the end. God will use his enemies as instruments to punish those who have followed their own pernicious ways whereby the truth God has been misrepresented, misjudged, and dishonored. These enemies of God are living evidences of the truth of His word; they are fulfilling that which holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. God does not forewarn His people of trifles; the repetition of caution and warnings shows that there is importance in that which was spoken. Do those who claim to want light, treat the light with the respect which is due? {PC 136}

As I hear of the terrible calamities that from week to week are taking place, I ask myself: What do these things mean? The most awful disasters are following one another in quick succession. 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 seemingly disorganized, unregulated forces, but in them God's purpose may be read. They are one of the means by which He seeks to arouse men and women to a sense of their danger. {CCh 355.4}

At this time [during the flood] immense forests were buried. These have since been changed to coal, forming the extensive coal beds that now exist, and also yielding large quantities of oil. The coal and oil frequently ignite and burn beneath the surface of the earth. Thus rocks are heated, limestone is burned, and iron ore melted. The action of the water upon the lime adds fury to the intense heat, and causes earthquakes, volcanoes, and fiery issues. As the fire and water come in contact with ledges of rock and ore, there are heavy explosions underground, which sound like muffled thunder. The air is hot and suffocating. Volcanic eruptions follow; and these often failing to give sufficient vent to the heated elements, the earth itself is convulsed, the ground heaves and swells like the waves of the sea, great fissures appear, and sometimes cities, villages, and burning mountains are swallowed up. These wonderful manifestations will be more and more frequent and terrible just before the second coming of Christ and the end of the world, as signs of its speedy destruction. {PP 108.2}

The depths of the earth are the Lord's arsenal, whence were drawn weapons to be employed in the destruction of the old world. Waters gushing from the earth united with the waters from heaven to accomplish the work of desolation. Since the Flood, fire as well as water has been God's agent to destroy very wicked cities. These judgments are sent that those who lightly regard God's law and trample upon His authority may be led to tremble before His power and to confess His just sovereignty. As men have beheld burning mountains pouring forth fire and flames and torrents of melted ore, drying up rivers, overwhelming populous cities, and everywhere spreading ruin and desolation, the stoutest heart has been filled with terror and infidels and blasphemers have been constrained to acknowledge the infinite power of God. {PP 109.1}

Greater wonders than have yet been seen will be witnessed by those upon the earth a short period previous to the coming of Christ. "And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke." "And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent; and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great." {1SP 84.2}

The bowels of the earth were the Lord's arsenal, from which he drew forth the weapons he employed in the destruction of the old world. Waters in the bowels of the earth gushed forth, and united with the waters from heaven, to accomplish the work of destruction. Since the flood, God has used both water and fire in the earth as his agents to destroy wicked cities. {1SP 84.3}

In the day of the Lord, just before the coming of Christ, God will send lightnings from heaven in his wrath, which will unite with fire in the earth. The mountains will burn like a furnace, and will pour forth terrible streams of lava, destroying gardens and fields, villages and cities; and as they pour their melted ore, rocks and heated mud, into the rivers, will cause them to boil like a pot, and send forth massive rocks, and scatter their broken fragments upon the land with indescribable violence. Whole rivers will be dried up. The earth will be convulsed, and there will be dreadful eruptions and earthquakes everywhere. God will plague the wicked inhabitants of the earth until they are destroyed from off it. The saints are preserved in the earth in the midst of these dreadful commotions, as Noah was preserved in the ark at the time of the flood. {1SP 84.4}

Preceding the great sign of the coming of the Son of man, there will be signs and wonders in the heavens. {3MR 311.4}

I expect that during the year 1890 there will be great mortality. There will be crimes greater than any now on record. There will be weeping and lamentation and woe. During the past year, 1889, there has been brought to us almost daily the news of disasters by sea and by land--unusually destructive fires; earthquakes burying cities and villages with their inhabitants; railway accidents most terrible; tornadoes and floods that destroyed an immense amount of property, including the terrible Johnstown and Williamsport floods, which destroyed more than two thousand lives. {3MR 312.1}

The disasters of the past year in America have caused hearts to tremble, and similar disasters have fallen upon other countries. Already sprinklings from the vials of God's wrath have been let fall upon land and sea, affecting the elements of the air. The causes of these unusual conditions are being searched for, but in vain. {3MR 312.2}

God has not restrained the powers of darkness from carrying forward their deadly work of vitiating the air, one of the sources of life and nutrition, with a deadly miasma. Not only is vegetable life affected, but man suffers from pestilences. Cholera and unexplainable diseases have broken out. Diphtheria, raging to a limited extent, is gathering its harvest of precious little ones, and seems to be almost uncontrollable. {3MR 312.3}

These things are the result of drops from the vials of God's wrath being sprinkled on the earth, and are but faint representations of what will be in the near future. Earthquakes in various places have been felt, but these disturbances have been very limited. This year we may expect to have more. During the year that has just closed, whole cities have become nearly extinct. Thousands of people have been buried in the bowels of the earth. Premonitory convulsions have been felt in many places, giving warning of what may come as a surprise when the earth shakes and opens. Terrible shocks will come upon the earth, and the lordly palaces erected at great expense will certainly become heaps of ruins. The earth's crust will be rent by the outbursts of the elements concealed in the bowels of the earth. These elements, once broken loose, will sweep away the treasures of those who for years have been adding to their wealth by securing large possessions at starvation prices from those in their employ. And the religious world, too, is to be terribly shaken; for the end of all things is at hand.--Ms 24, 1891. {3MR 312.4}

John the Revelator represents the forces of the earth as four winds, which are held in check by angels delegated to do this work. He declares: "I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads" [Revelation 7:1-3]. {19MR 279.1}

From this vision we can learn why so many are preserved from calamity. If these winds were allowed to blow upon the earth, they would create havoc and desolation. But the world's intricate machinery is running under the Lord's supervision. Hurricanes, threatening to break forth, are held under control by the regulations of the One who is the Protector of the trembling ones that fear God and keep His commandments. The Lord holds back the tempestuous winds. He will not suffer them to go forth on their death-mission of vengeance until His servants are sealed in their foreheads. {19MR 279.2}

Frequently we hear of earthquakes, of tempests and tornadoes, accompanied with thunder and lightning. Apparently these are capricious outbreaks of seemingly disorganized, unregulated forces. But God has a purpose in permitting these calamities to occur. They are one of His means of calling men and women to their senses. By unusual workings through nature God will express to doubting human agencies that which He clearly reveals in His Word. He will answer the question, "Who hath gathered the wind in His fists?" He will reveal Himself as the One who "maketh the clouds His chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind." "He bringeth the wind out of His treasuries." "The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever." "He gave to the sea His decree, that the waters should not pass His commandment: when He appointed the foundations of the earth." "He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: He toucheth the hills, and they smoke." {19MR 279.3}

Local disturbances in nature are permitted to take place as symbols of that which may be expected all over the world when the angels loose the four winds of the earth. The forces of nature are under the direction of an Eternal Agency. Science, in her pride, may seek to explain strange happenings on land and on sea; but science fails of tracing in these things the workings of Providence. Science fails of perceiving that intemperance is the cause of most of the frequent accidents so terrible in their results. {19MR 280.1}

Men on whom devolve grave responsibilities in safeguarding their fellow men from accident and harm, are often untrue to their trust. Because of indulgence in tobacco and liquor, they do not keep the mind clear and composed as did Daniel in the courts of Babylon. They becloud the brain by using stimulating narcotics, and temporarily lose their reasoning faculties. Many a shipwreck upon the high seas can be traced to liquor drinking. Time and again have unseen angels protected vessels on the broad ocean because on board there were some praying passengers who had faith in God's keeping power. The Lord has power to hold in abeyance the angry waves so impatient to destroy and engulf His children. {19MR 280.2}

The same Hand that kept the fiery serpents of the wilderness from entering the camp of the Israelites until God's chosen people provoked Him with their constant murmurs and complaints, is today guarding the honest in heart. Were this restraining Hand withdrawn, the enemy of our souls would at once begin the work of destruction that he has so long desired to accomplish. And because God's long-continued forbearance is not now recognized, the forces of evil are already, to a limited degree, permitted to destroy. How soon human agencies will see blotted out of existence their magnificent buildings, which are their pride! {19MR 281.1}

How often have those in danger of being destroyed by terrible outbreakings of winds and waters been mercifully shielded from harm! Do we realize that we have been spared from destruction only because of the protecting care of unseen agencies? Although many ships have gone down and many men and women on board have perished, God has mercifully spared His people. But we should not be surprised if some of those who love and fear God were to be engulfed in the tempestuous waters of the ocean. They would sleep until the Lifegiver comes to give them life. We are not to cast one word of reflection upon God or upon His manner of working. {19MR 281.2}

All these symbolical representations serve a double purpose. From them God's people learn not only that the physical forces of the earth are under the control of the Creator, but also that under His control are the religious movements of the nations. Especially is this true with reference to the enforcement of Sunday observance. He who gave His people, through His servant Moses, instruction in regard to the sanctity of the Sabbath--as recorded in Exodus 31:11-18--will in the hour of trial preserve those who keep this day as a sign of loyalty to Him. God's commandment-keeping people believe that He will fulfill His promise to protect them. By actual experience they know that the Lord sanctifies them and grants to them the seal of His approval as commandment keepers. Those who read the Scriptures with an intense desire to know what the Spirit saith unto the churches, know that God lives and reigns. {19MR 281.3}

In the last days Satan will appear as an angel of light, with great power and heavenly glory, and claim to be the Lord of the whole earth. He will declare that the Sabbath has been changed from the seventh to the first day of the week; and as lord of the first day of the week he will present this spurious sabbath as a test of loyalty to him. Then will take place the final fulfillment of the Revelator's prophecy. [Revelation 13:4-18, quoted.] {19MR 282.1}

In connection with this scripture, the entire fourteenth chapter of Revelation should be studied much by God's people. Verses nine to eleven bring to view the special message of warning against worshiping the beast and his image, and receiving his mark in the forehead or in the hand. This warning is to be given to the world by those who are mentioned in the twelfth verse as keeping "the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." {19MR 282.2}

Christ is the first and the last, the beginning and the end of the creation of God. Those who sincerely work for the salvation of souls will improve their capabilities to the utmost; and as they work unselfishly, they will have Divine assistance.--Ms 153, 1902.

Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. . . In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. {CH 461.1}

God will use his enemies as instruments to punish those who have followed their own pernicious ways whereby the truth God has been misrepresented, misjudged, and dishonored. These enemies of God are living evidences of the truth of His word; they are fulfilling that which holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

The passages above make two things very clear - 1) God sometimes uses the forces of nature to cause death and destruction...

It was generally believed by the Jews that sin is punished in this life. Every affliction was regarded as the penalty of some wrongdoing, either of the sufferer himself or of his parents. It is true that all suffering results from the transgression of God’s law, but this truth had become perverted. Satan, the author of sin and all its results, had led men to look upon disease and death as proceeding from God,—as punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin. (DA 471)

Kland, I believe God has used His enemies on many different occasions to execute justice and judgment. Ancient Babylon is a prime example. "Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations." Evil angels, of course, are the ultimate example of God using His enemies to mete out punishment.

We cannot know how much we owe to Christ for the peace and protection which we enjoy. It is the restraining power of God that prevents mankind from passing fully under the control of Satan. The disobedient and unthankful have great reason for gratitude for God's mercy and long-suffering in holding in check the cruel, malignant power of the evil one. But when men pass the limits of divine forbearance, that restraint is removed. God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown. (GC 36)

Thomas, do you believe evil angels are at liberty to cause death and destruction at will?

God destroys, but how? Like Satan does? By actively taking violent action against His enemies? Is violence an integral part of God's government? Or does He destroy by permitting those who have chosen to act contrary to Him and His principles to experience the results of their choices?

Let's look at Elijah and the bands of fifty. How did their sins cause fire to come down from above and burn them alive?

While I agree that most all the problems and disasters, sickness and destruction have come upon the world as a result of mankinds sinful doings, I cannot dismiss the Biblical revelations that at times God does step in to stop wickedness in its tracks.

Kland, I believe God has used His enemies on many different occasions to execute justice and judgment.

So, would you say that God works together with Satan to cause destruction towards those He deems necessary? Kind of like a partnership?

QUOTES

"The signal manifestation of God's power had removed all uncertainty. {PP 401.2}

...the people, who the day after the destruction of Korah and his company came to Moses and Aaron, saying, "Ye have killed the people of the Lord." Notwithstanding they had had the most convincing evidence of God's displeasure at their course, in the destruction of the men who had deceived them, they dared to attribute His judgments to Satan, declaring that through the power of the evil one, Moses and Aaron had caused the death of good and holy men. It was this act that sealed their doom. They had committed the sin against the Holy Spirit, a sin by which man's heart is effectually hardened against the influence of divine grace. {PP 404.4}

However, there are times when God does act --
When the earth opens and swallows the three ring leaders in rebellion in Moses time, I don't think it was chance, or satan. In fact if you read the story in PP the people said it was satan's power, but it was made very plain that it was NOT satan.

M: Let's look at Elijah and the bands of fifty. How did their sins cause fire to come down from above and burn them alive?

T: Let's consider Jesus Christ. When He was urged to destroy His enemies with fire, how did He respond? Jesus Christ was the revelation of the Father, not Elijah. Let's start in the right place! Let's also remember that all that we can know of God was revealed in the life and character of His Father. We don't need to go to Elijah to learn what God is like.

M: Kland, I believe God has used His enemies on many different occasions to execute justice and judgment.

K: So, would you say that God works together with Satan to cause destruction towards those He deems necessary? Kind of like a partnership?

T: Let's consider Jesus Christ. When He was urged to destroy His enemies with fire, how did He respond? Jesus Christ was the revelation of the Father, not Elijah. Let's start in the right place! Let's also remember that all that we can know of God was revealed in the life and character of His Father. We don't need to go to Elijah to learn what God is like.

M:Jesus rebuked John's spirit. He did not speak against the act of punishment.

Luke 21:11 "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven.

Even if earthquakes are increasing, statistics say famines and wars decreasing. What conclusion could be drawn from one of the signs increasing in intencity if all other signs are decreasing in intencity?

The number of wars is different from the size of any single war.

Will not pastors and politicians, when the time is right, eventually agree enforcing Sunday laws is necessary to appease the wrath of God?

I've been thinking that if we need to closely inspect a graph of only thirty years to determine if there is an increase of earthquakes, are we missing something? And this isn't to say I believe there is an obvious increase of earthquakes, just saying that using statistics to determine signs, is something wrong there?

By the way, if a tsunami hits an unpopulated island and no one is aware of it, does it count? As in, before 1000 AD, how does one know these things happen?

And would they have the same view of God as you do excepting for which day is the Sabbath?

I was pointed to Adam and Eve in Eden. They partook of the forbidden tree, and were driven from the garden, and then the flaming sword was placed around the tree of life, lest they should partake of its fruit and be immortal sinners. The tree of life was to perpetuate immortality. I heard an angel ask, "Who of the family of Adam have passed the flaming sword, and have partaken of the tree of life?" I heard another angel answer: "Not one of Adam's family have passed that flaming sword and partaken of that tree; therefore there is not an immortal sinner. The soul that sinneth, it shall die an everlasting death, a death that will last forever, from which there will be no hope of a resurrection; and then the wrath of God will be appeased. {CET 108.2}

Protestantism shall give the hand of fellowship to the Roman power. Then there will be a law against the Sabbath of God's creation, and then it is that God will do His "strange work" in the earth.--7BC 910 (1886). {LDE 130.1}

Satan puts his interpretation upon events, and they [leading men] think, as he would have them, that the calamities which fill the land are a result of Sunday-breaking. Thinking to appease the wrath of God, these influential men make laws enforcing Sunday observance. They think that by exalting this false rest-day higher, and still higher, compelling obedience to the Sunday law, the spurious sabbath, they are doing God service. Those who honor God by observing the true Sabbath are looked upon as disloyal to God, when it is really those who thus regard them who are themselves disloyal, because they are trampling under foot the Sabbath originated in Eden. {Mar 176.4}

I saw that the slave-master would have to answer for the soul of his slave whom he has kept in ignorance; and all the sins of the slave will be visited upon the master. God cannot take the slave to heaven, who has been kept in ignorance and degradation, knowing nothing of God, or the Bible, fearing nothing but his master's lash, and not holding so elevated a position as his master's brute beasts. But he does the best thing for him that a compassionate God can do. He lets him be as though he had not been; while the master has to suffer the seven last plagues, and then come up in the second resurrection, and suffer the second, most awful death. Then the wrath of God will be appeased. {1SG 193.1}

I have no doubt that in my short 50-year life I have seen an increase in these natural phenomena

MM, what is the wrath of God?

The law of God is made void. We see and hear of confusion and perplexity, want and famine, earthquakes and floods; terrible outrages will be committed by men; passion, not reason, bears sway. The wrath of God is upon the inhabitants of the world, who are fast becoming as corrupt as were the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah. Already fire and flood are destroying thousands of lives and the property that has been selfishly accumulated by the oppression of the poor. The Lord is soon to cut short His work and put an end to sin. Oh, that the scenes which have come before me of the iniquities practiced in these last days, might make a deep impression on the minds of God's professing people. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be when the Son of man shall be revealed. The Lord is removing His restrictions from the earth, and soon there will be death and destruction, increasing crime, and cruel, evil working against the rich who have exalted themselves against the poor. Those who are without God's protection will find no safety in any place or position. Human agents are being trained and are using their inventive power to put in operation the most powerful machinery to wound and to kill. {8T 49.3}

Every act of resistance makes it harder to yield. Being the leaders of the people, the priests and rulers felt it incumbent on them to defend the course they had taken. They must prove that they had been in the right. Having committed themselves in opposition to Christ, every act of resistance became an additional incentive to persist in the same path. The events of their past career of opposition are as precious treasures to be jealously guarded. And the hatred and malignity that inspired those acts are concentrated against the apostles. {TM 74.1}

The spirit of God revealed its presence unto those who, irrespective of the fear or favor of men, declared the truth which had been committed to them. Under the demonstration of the Holy Spirit's power, the Jews saw their guilt in refusing the evidence that God had sent; but they would not yield their wicked resistance. Their obstinacy became more and more determined, and worked the ruin of their souls. It was not that they could not yield, for they could, yet would not. It was not alone that they had been guilty, and deserving of wrath, but that they armed themselves with the attributes of Satan, and determinedly continued to be opposed to God. Every day, in their refusal to repent, they took up their rebellion afresh. They were preparing to reap that which they had sown. The wrath of God is not declared against men merely because of the sins which they have committed, but for choosing to continue in a state of resistance, and, although they have light and knowledge, repeating their sins of the past. If they would submit, they would be pardoned; but they are determined not to yield. They defy God by their obstinacy. These souls have given themselves to Satan, and he controls them according to his will. {TM 74.2}

How was it with the rebellious inhabitants of the antediluvian world? After rejecting the message of Noah, they plunged into sin with greater abandon than ever before, and doubled the enormity of their corrupting practices. Those who refuse to reform by accepting Christ find nothing reformative in sin; their minds are set to carry their spirit of revolt, and they are not, and never will be, forced to submission. The judgment which God brought upon the antediluvian world declared it incurable. The destruction of Sodom proclaimed the inhabitants of the most beautiful country in the world incorrigible in sin. The fire and brimstone from heaven consumed everything except Lot, his wife, and two daughters. The wife, looking back in disregard of God's command, became a pillar of salt. {TM 75.1}

How God bore with the Jewish nation while they were murmuring and rebellious, breaking the Sabbath and every other precept of the law! He repeatedly declared them worse than the heathen. Each generation surpassed the preceding in guilt. The Lord permitted them to go into captivity, but after their deliverance His requirements were forgotten. Everything that He committed to that people to be kept sacred was perverted or displaced by the inventions of rebellious men. Christ said to them in His day, "Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you keepeth the law?" And these were the men who set themselves up as judges and censors over those whom the Holy Spirit was moving to declare the word of God to the people. (See John 7:9-23, 27, 28; Luke 11:37-52.) {TM 75.2}

In infinite mercy a last warning message has been sent to the world, announcing that Christ is at the door and calling attention to God’s broken law. But as the antediluvians rejected with scorn the warning of Noah, so will the pleasure lovers of today reject the message of God’s faithful servants. The world pursues its unvarying round, absorbed as ever in its business and its pleasures, while the wrath of God is about to be visited on the transgressors of His law. {BLJ 197.4}

The triumph of the wicked is short. The pleasures of sin are ever purchased at a tremendous cost; for the wrath of God is continually hanging over the sinner, and in the end, he will learn indeed that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Every corrupt passion, every wrong feeling, or sinful act, not only dishonors God, but brings guilt and misery upon ourselves. Only in the strength of God can we succeed in subduing the enemies of our souls. While the foes of Christ are continually at work as Satan's agents to entice us into sin, we must firmly resist their advances, looking to God for counsel and assistance. Every sinful desire must be repressed, every wrong trait overcome, or they will prove our ruin. {ST, January 13, 1881 par. 10}

God bears long with the perversity and stubbornness of men. By warnings and reproofs he shows them their true condition. Again and again he calls them to repentance. Though the multitudes wax bold in sin, trampling upon his mercy and defying his justice, still he pours his blessings upon them. Oh, how infinitely beyond human comprehension are the Lord's mercy and forbearance toward the children of men! Yet there is a limit, beyond which men may not go on in sin. When the fullness of iniquity is reached,--as with the Amorites, and the children of Israel who fell in the wilderness,--then the wrath of God is visited upon the transgressors of his law. {ST, December 15, 1881 par. 11}

There are many who teach that man may violate God's law with impunity. These men seek to conceal the hideous character of sin, by clothing it with garments of righteousness. They may observe all the forms of religion, but their hearts are at enmity with God. They look upon his law as a yoke of bondage, because it forbids them to indulge their sinful desires. "Thou shalt not," placed at every avenue of sin, is the restriction of the just and holy One. Those who, like Hophni and Phinehas, disregard the commandments of God, and lead others to transgress, are Satan's agents to destroy souls. They say to the sinner, "It shall be well with thee," when God says, "I will punish the transgressor with my wrath, I will take him away in my hot displeasure." {ST, December 15, 1881 par. 12}

God may bear long with the sins of men, but in his own time he will vindicate his authority. Although the wicked may say, "My way is hid from the Lord," yet when his interposition is needed, he will show that he beholds all the works of the children of men. In the days of Noah, the wickedness of man became so great that it was necessary for God to assert his authority and punish the transgressors of his law. A crisis had come, and the Lord declared the limits of his forbearance toward that guilty race. He sent his faithful servant with a message of warning, giving them one hundred and twenty years in which to turn from their sins. They rejected and despised God's love, and when the measure of their iniquity was full; when the boundaries of divine mercy were passed, the Lord swept that wicked race from the earth by the waters of the flood. {ST, December 15, 1881 par. 13}

There are a lot more people living in dangerous situations than in the past. If we consider recorded history, there are events that are likely not to have been recorded because of a limited impact.

What if you had said, I have no doubt that in my long 50-year life...?
If you had used "long", it might make more sense, but you say, "short" indicating not long enough? Such as, The small sample size conclusively indicates such-and-such, is not usually used in scientific papers. Put another way other than what Tom elaborated, do you think those in Jesus' day would know about any tsunamis happening in India regardless of what the damage was?

Sorry, Tom, but I disagree here. As I said, shorelines have always been densely populated regions, so the occurrence of a tsunami can hardly be missed.

I don't know what you consider as small tsunamis - those which cause few deaths, those which aren't very tall or those which don’t cause a great destruction?

Anyway, take for instance the years 1950 to 2000, in which the Wiki mentions 11 tsunamis. Obviously if the 11 mentioned were not the only ones, they were at least the bigger ones. The number of dead people ranged from zero to 7,000.

NOw, since you said most of the 2000's tsunamis were "small," let's consider only the bigger ones in this period:

2004: Indian Ocean tsunami - 300,000 people were killed; the initial surge was measured at a height of approximately 33 m (108 ft)

2006: South of Java tsunami - height varied from 2 meters at Cilacap to 6 meters at Cimerak beach, where it swept away and flattened buildings as far as 400 meters away from the coastline. More than 800 people were reported missing or dead.

2007: Solomon Islands tsunami. In the Solomon Islands the wave was up to 5 m (17 feet) tall, 39 people were killed, and the sweeping water travelled 300 meters inland in some places. On the island of Choiseul, a wall of water reported to be 9.1 m (30 feet) high swept almost 400 meters inland, destroying everything in its path. Officials estimate that the tsunami displaced more than 5000 residents all over the archipelago.

2009: Samoa tsunami - the waves measured 14 m (46 ft) at their highest on the Samoan coast; 189 people were killed, especially children.

2010: Indonesia tsunami, the day before yesterday – 272 dead, 412 missing.

Even reducing the tsunamis in the 2000’s from 8 to 5, if you compare 11 tsunamis in 50 years with 5 in 10 years, there is a substantial increase.

I meant, 50 years is not very much in view of thousands of years of history, but it is a reasonably long time for one to observe a change in certain trends.

Not all shorelines are densely populated, even today, when there are billions more people on earth than there used to be. Also, for vast periods of times, tsunamis in places such as the Americas or Africa would have been "missed."

First of all, you'd have to assume that Wiki recorded all of the tsunamis from 1950 to 2000. Wiki didn't make this claim.

Also, this way of analyzing data is inherently flawed. For example, look at the 6 year period from 1958 to 1964. Wiki mentions 5 tsunamis for that period. That's more frequent than 5 in 10 years.

Is it?

T:Not all shorelines are densely populated, even today, when there are billions more people on earth than there used to be. Also, for vast periods of times, tsunamis in places such as the Americas or Africa would have been "missed."

R:I don't believe there were any substantial change from the 18th century till now in the areas occupied, just in the number of people who inhabit them. Today more than half of the world population lives in shorelines.

First of all, you'd have to assume that Wiki recorded all of the tsunamis from 1950 to 2000. Wiki didn't make this claim.

As I said, if there were others beside these, they were very small, right?

Also, this way of analyzing data is inherently flawed. For example, look at the 6 year period from 1958 to 1964. Wiki mentions 5 tsunamis for that period. That's more frequent than 5 in 10 years.

Not in fact, because there were 8 from 2004 to 2010 (7 listed by Wiki and 1 which occurred this last week).

This is 5 in 6 years against 8 in 6 years. But you might have a point. Let's see what happens in the next few years.

The Wiki article went back for centuries.

Take just the last 300 years and you will see an obvious increase. Tsunami data are more objective than earthquake data. Since ancient times, most coastline areas have been densely populated, both because of their rich fauna and flora and because of commercial routes. The obvious increase in the number of tsunamis didn't occur because of better monitoring nor because regions previously unpopulated are now populated.

From a statistical standpoint, to make any conclusions from the data that Wiki has seems not worth much. This isn't to make a statement one way or the other in terms of whether or not earthquakes or tsunamis are increasing in frequency; just that to make some sort of conclusion from the Wiki data seems unwarranted.

Even reducing the tsunamis in the 2000’s from 8 to 5, if you compare 11 tsunamis in 50 years with 5 in 10 years, there is a substantial increase.

This isn't to make a statement one way or the other in terms of whether or not earthquakes or tsunamis are increasing in frequency; just that to make some sort of conclusion from the Wiki data seems unwarranted.

It is important that in defending the doctrines which we consider fundamental articles of faith we should never allow ourselves to employ arguments that are not wholly sound. These may avail to silence an opposer but they do not honor the truth. We should present sound arguments, that will not only silence our opponents, but will bear the closest and most searching scrutiny. Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 707,708

I meant, 50 years is not very much in view of thousands of years of history, but it is a reasonably long time for one to observe a change in certain trends.
I think I answered your second question in my answer to Tom.

From what I can understand, the only thing noteworthy about that minor fall of stars over northeastern US almost 200 years ago was that it happened to come while a bunch of disillusioned people were wondering what to do after Christ failed to return at the specified date around 1844.

Falling stars of that kind are a regular event and have been calculated and observed since the first astronomer climbed a zikkurat in Uruk (or wherever this event happened first). To qualify for an endtime event of the kind described in Mat 24, in my view, it would have to be something extraordinary which was observed all around the world and which goes way beyond the annual events which are regularly reported in newspapers. And I am here stressing ALL AROUND THE WORLD. The endtime prophecies are not specifically or exclusively directed at or reporting on the north American continent.

Earth passes through the Leonid cloud every year, with clockwork accuracy.
So the 1833 shower was the most impressive one between 1833-1934. What happened since? And what does Fisher mean by "hitherto recorded"? How far back does he draw his history?

So when the sun goes dark, it will be reignited within less than 12 hours (if any longer, this would be seen all around the world), and the moon will at this time be very close to the sun in the sky (otherwise this would give away for the half of earths population on the dark side what happened).

And what about the comming of Jesus? Will this also only be visible in Washington and New York? Surely this would be the case if Hollywood wrote the script. But now when God is doing the scriptwriting?

If these phenomena happen just before Christ's coming, they will be no signs, right? The purpose of the signs is to warn people of the need to prepare for Christ's coming. After people have been sealed or marked, there is no need for that.

Well, the Bible says that every eye will see Him, although we cannot know how this will happen. It doesn't say the same thing about the signs, though. It mentions wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences. Nobody expects this to occur on the whole earth at the same time.

Interesting, the nasa webpage reports on up to 5 events including 1833 which include major Leonid meteor showers. The Spacescience quote mentions that the 1833 shower took up to 4 hours, thereby equalling the 1799 shower according to the Humboldt quote found on the nasa page.

R: If these phenomena happen just before Christ's coming, they will be no signs, right? The purpose of the signs is to warn people of the need to prepare for Christ's coming. After people have been sealed or marked, there is no need for that.
V: May I here point out that the sun going dark together with the moon is described in the SAME sentence as the stars falling. If "stars" falling 177 years ago happen just before Christ's coming, ... I do not think you can separate these astronomical signs in this way.

R: Well, the Bible says that every eye will see Him, although we cannot know how this will happen. It doesn't say the same thing about the signs, though. It mentions wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, pestilences. Nobody expects this to occur on the whole earth at the same time.
V: Rumors of the wars on terror has efficiently reached all but the most remote and obscure corners of the world. Earthquakes hit, if not every nation, still citizens of every nation in this day of mobility. Pestilence does not recognise any borders and is every day moving towards the day when there is no longer a difference between rich and poor countries when our cures turn worthless. Pig flue comes to mind.

The Dark Ages seems to have been the most intense period of religious persecution.
I'm referring to the persecution described in Revelation, during which the church is referred to as being "in the wilderness:"

Rev. 12
13 And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child.
14 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time.

This is the same persecution carried out by the leopardlike beast:

Rev. 13
5 And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months;
6 it opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
7 Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them.

This persecution is also described in Daniel, as being carried out by the little horn:

Dan. 7
25 He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time.

The persecution begun just after Christ's ascension, and which would extend a little beyond the 1260 days, would have its climax during this period.

Which is followed by verses 15 and 16, which are in standard SDA apocalyptology identified with the Mayflower reaching America in 1620 with its cargo of English persecuted christians..

13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach. 15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.