Civil defense officials in Hawaii have been going – literally — door to door telling residents in parts of Hawaii’s Big Island to evacuate their homes and businesses over growing concerns more than a week after Kilauea, one of the world’s most active volcanoes, erupted. Officials have reported more than 17 fissures — which are basically cracks in the earth — have opened and are spewing molten hot magma. Cracks along the highways 132 and 137 have worsened in the last few days, with authorities fearing even more fissures could form. Residents have said they fear getting cut off when, not if, the major roadway gets shut down. The Hawaii National Guard is prepared to use ground convoys and helicopters to help evacuate hundreds of residents stuck in the southeast corner of Hawaii’s Big Island should Kilauea make it impossible to get out, authorities said.

Evacuations Could Occur on Short Notice

“Because there may be little to no advance notice to evacuate, you should be prepared to evacuate at short notice,” authorities said. “Take this time to prepare.” Since it began erupting on May 3, Kilauea has destroyed at least 36 structures including 26 homes. The fissures, or lava vents, extent up to 25 miles from the center of Kilauea’s crater. Geologists warned Wednesday that Kilauea could soon experience explosive eruptions from its summit, and launch “ballistic” rocks and ash miles into the air. The next explosion could hurl ash and boulders the size of refrigerators miles skyward. This could potentially shut down airline traffic and endanger lives in all directions. Charles Mandeville, volcano hazards coordinator for the U.S. Geological Survey said, “If it goes up, it will come down. You don’t want to be underneath anything that weighs 10 tons when it’s coming out at 120 mph.” In 1924 Kilauea showed similar eruptions and fissures that resulted in a major eruption that threw pulverized rock, ash and steam as high as 5.4 miles into the sky, for a couple of weeks. If another blast happens, the danger zone could extend about three miles around the summit, land all inside the national park, Mandeville said.

Ring of Fire

As we have reported to you previously, a great concern with events such as this is its proximity to the “Ring of Fire” — a vast area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a disproportionately large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur. This is primarily the result of plate tectonics; the collisions that occur between the plates that the major continents rest upon. Basically, this area is a giant ring that runs around the outer perimeter of the Pacific Ocean. The “Ring of Fire” is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and / or plate movements. More than 75% of the world’s active and dormant volcanoes are located in this region (452 volcanoes have been identified in this seismic belt) including the Hawaiian Islands that were originally formed by underwater volcanoes that erupted enough to break the surface of the ocean.

Relevant Bible Passages

Luke 21:11 teaches us as the end times approach “great earthquakes shall be in divers places … and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven” (KJV). Also important in this situation is that at other passages in the Bible predict that God will destroy the earth in the future using fire. Many Bible teachers identify the “fervent heat” and the earth being “burned up” in 2 Peter 3:4-14 as being indicative of either nuclear war or a world-wide conflagration such as could be ignited by a series of massive volcanic eruptions. Likewise, the dire warning of Isaiah 24:6, that the LORD will destroy the earth and all the inhabitants of the earth will be burned, could also be fulfilled by a series of large volcanic eruptions. If such eruptions were to occur in the Ring of Fire region it would undoubtedly trigger a series of tremendous earthquakes that could be those described in Revelation 16:18, 20  “a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake … and every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (KJV). Also reported with the eruptions of Kilauea, there have been 10 recent earthquakes on the Hawaiian Islands including one that registered a 6.9 of the Richter scale. Doubtlessly, we should keep this situation in prayer.

PRAY: Pray for the safety of the residents and tourists of Hawaii. Pray that the Lord would use these events as a reminder of the awesome power of His creation and that people would come to accept the Gospel through this frightening series of events.