These are some of today’s headlines:
“Tsunami waves hit Hawaii as next tsunami warning threat eyes California coast.”
“One of the largest earthquakes ever recorded strikes off coast of Russia.”
“Tsunami hits Japan’s coast following Russian earthquake.”
Do you see the story they tell? These are not just isolated events on a news ticker. Geographically, politically, culturally—these nations couldn’t be more different. Yet one earthquake ripples across oceans, affecting multiple coastlines, multiple governments, and millions of lives.
It’s a reminder that creation doesn’t answer to politics. It doesn’t bend to our cultural agendas. It doesn’t pause for elections or hashtags. The earth shakes, and the waves rise, and suddenly the petty arguments we thought were so important don’t mean a thing.
Jesus warned us 2,000 years ago that signs would come before His return. Matthew 24 tells us there will be wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, famines, pestilences, and yes—earthquakes in various places. He said these were the “beginning of birth pains.”
And the earth is contracting. Groaning. Warning. Romans 8:22 says creation itself is “groaning as in the pains of childbirth” waiting for redemption. Pull up a live earthquake map sometime—dozens of quakes hit every single day. Most of them never make the news. But the ground beneath our feet is constantly trembling.
Meanwhile, what are we busy doing?
We’re arguing about who can use which bathroom.
We’re boycotting or supporting Starbucks or Chick-fil-A depending on its latest political stance.
We’re fighting over flags, slogans, and social media hashtags.
All the while, millions are on the edge of eternal condemnation. The warning signs are here. The ground is shaking beneath us. The seas are rising around us. Yet we’re numb to the shortness of life and blind to the reality that every headline is another reminder: this world is not permanent.
The Creator gave us commands—not suggestions. He told us to be one, to love one another, to point each other toward eternity. But instead, we’re distracted by temporary arguments while eternal souls slip away.
You see, when the tsunami comes, it doesn’t ask if you’re liberal or conservative. When the earthquake hits, it doesn’t care about your bank account, your social media following, or your political stance. Death and judgment aren’t impressed with our man-made arguments.
The question is this: are we ready? Not ready for the next election, not ready for the next trending outrage, but ready to stand before Jesus Christ. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”
The signs are here. The warnings are loud. The earth itself is crying out.
The question is—are we listening?