Bible Studies

MEANING OF THE WORD SEISMOS

by Jeff Van Hatten
11/07/20
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Matthew 24:7 – “For peoples will fight each other, nations will fight each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various parts of the world; all this is but the beginning of the ‘birth-pains’.”
Luke 21:11 – “There will be great earthquakes, there will be epidemics and famines in various places, and there will be fearful sights and great signs from Heaven.”

Earthquakes
The word translated earthquakes is the Greek word seismos [G4578], which means the shaking of the earth. The word earthquake(s) is found in: Matthew 24:7; 27:54; 28:2, Mark 13:7-8, Acts 16:26, Luke 21:11, Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13;11:19, and 16:18.
Each year we look at the total number of earthquakes and have discovered that beginning in 2012 those numbers have risen exponentially from circa 30,000 to just under 180,000 in 2019. Luke specifically tells us to look for “great” earthquakes to appear.

Seismos / Seio / Saleuo
While earthquakes is the most common meaning of seismos, this word, taken from seio [G4579] has a much broader meaning. Seio /seismos are similar to another Greek word saleuo [G4531] which means shaken as well, and are equivalent to the Hebrew word ra`ash [H7493] which also means to quake, shake, or cause to quake or shake (Judges 5:4; 2 Samuel 22:8). Seismos / Seio / Saleuo can be translated as follows:
1. a shaking [of heaven or earth] (Hebrews 12:26-27; Matthew 27:51-52)
2. a commotion, a gale, a tempest/storm [i.e. of the air] (Matthew 8:24; Revelation 6:13)
3. to shake, agitate, cause to tremble (Matthew 21:10)
4. to agitate the mind to be thrown into a tremor, to quake for fear (Matthew 27:54; Matthew 28:4)

Conclusions
Isaiah 17:12 – “Oh, the terror-stricken uproar of many peoples, roaring like the roar of the seas, and the rushing about of nations, rushing and surging like wild, wild waters!”
Luke 21:25 – “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring.”
Yeshua warned us to be aware and alert to the many seismos that would prevail just before his return. Indeed, the seas and waves are roaring:
1. The number and intensity of both earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is on the rise. Asteroids and other space born objects are impacting or nearly impacting the earth. Today, it is not just the earth that is quaking, so are the heavens, felt by many.
2. Wind related events were minimal before 1949 and hit 1267 in 2019. The gales, storms, and tempests are being felt by many, too.
3. Natural disasters of all types, including famines and pestilences, have risen from just a few each year to over 800 in 2019. Wars and rumors of wars are a daily news item, causing many to tremble.
4. Fear of all kinds is agitating people’s minds, spurred on by the rantings and ravings of politicians, media outlets, and movie productions on an almost daily basis.

Final Thought
Yahweh does nothing without first giving advance notice (Amos 3:7). Tom Horn, along with several scientists have set the impact of Wormwood on the Earth in April 2029. If this date corresponds with the mid-tribulation period described in Revelation 8:10-11, then time is incredibly short, and advance notice has been given – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon – Be sure he is your Redeemer, King, and High Priest.