As 46 volcanoes go active this week, scientists are reminded that eruptions account for four major extinction events in the earth’s history.

Caribbean Volcano Alert

An orange alert has been announced as over 100,000 residents of St. Vincent and the Grenadines were warned that they may need to evacuate their homes within 24 hours as the La Soufrière volcano began spewing lava.  

Last Tuesday, the volcano began spewing gases and ash, forming a new dome, changing the lake that had formed in its crater. The volcano has been dormant since 1979 but an eruption in 1902 killed 1,680 people, just hours before the eruption of Mount Pelée on Martinique killing more than 30,000 people.

A yellow alert was also raised for the island of Martinique, an overseas French territory, on Tuesday due to increased seismic activity under the mountain observed last month.

Seventeen of the eastern Caribbean’s 19 live volcanoes are located on 11 islands, with the remaining two underwater near the island of Grenada, including one called Kick ‘Em Jenny that has been active in recent years.

Scientists have assured the public that the simultaneous increase in seismic activity of La Soufriere and Mount Pelee is not linked.

Prayers Called For

Mark Brantley, the Premier of nearby West Indies Nevis Island, said he is praying for the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines and called on all the people of the Caribbean to join in prayer. n a statement issued on December 30, Premier Brantley who is also the Foreign Affairs Minister of St Kitts and Nevis said:

 “With the devastation already caused by COVID-19 and its disastrous impact on our small vulnerable states, our region cannot afford another disaster. I urge us all to pray for the continued safety and security of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”

46 Volcanos Around the World

But the Caribbean is not the only region of the world experiencing volcanic eruptions. Lava erupted from vents in Mount Kilauea, Hawaii last week. Three volcanoes in Japan have just started rumbling. A total of 300 earthquakes were recorded under the Kirishimayama volcano earlier last month. A total of 423 explosions were recorded last week at Suwanosejima’s Ontake Crater and the Minamidake Crater at Aira Caldera’s Sakurajima volcano has been emitting alarming levels of sulfur dioxide, indicating increased activity. Other eruptions were reported at Lewotolo and Tengger Caldera in Indonesia, Ruapehu in New Zealand.

In total, 46 volcanos are currently rumbling or erupting with seven of them waking up in recent weeks. Although detailed statistics are not kept on daily activity, the Smithsonian Institution Global Volcanism Program reported that there are generally around 20 volcanoes actively erupting on any particular day, making the current activity exceptional indeed. 

Scientist Warns One Huge Volcano Could Set Off Chain of Apocalyptic Eruptions

American author Stephen Petranek revealed during a TedTalk in 2014 how one huge eruption in the future could lead to a chain reaction, potentially marking the end of the world.

“We do not live on a nice, stable solid planet,” Petranek said. “It is mostly molten rock and iron and it has a nuclear reactor in the center of it that keeps it hot. We’re, like, on these life rafts floating overall this molten rock. Earth’s crust is so constantly folding in on itself that we cannot find a stone on the surface of the Earth that is as old as the planet. 98 percent of all the species on Earth have gone extinct and volcanoes are the biggest reason why. Of the 11 biggest extinctions, four were caused by volcanoes”

“Studies link the late Triassic extinction to volcanic eruptions and outflows, and a new study links this amazing extinction of life – 95 percent of life on Earth – to volcanoes that essentially stretched and all went off at the same time. They essentially stretched from what is now New Jersey to what is now Morocco.”

In our past, Earth has opened up many times and flowed out for centuries – India is an outflow of volcanism.”

Mr. Petranek detailed the after-effects of such an event and how it could spark a nuclear winter.

He added: “Volcanic activity fills the sky with soot and hot ash and buries every living thing and blocks the sun for so many summers, the plants on land and plankton in the sea die, and when they die, we die. Volcanoes can also produce so much carbon dioxide that they will massively warm the planet and create a runaway greenhouse effect, which is the opposite of what we often expect from them.

Prophets Warn Volcanos Mark End-of Days

Volcanoes are explicitly mentioned by the prophets as playing a role in the end of days, preparing the world by burning away impurities as a crucible is used in metallurgy to purify metal. This process is described in Zechariah.

And I will bring the third part through the fire and will refine them as silver is refined and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on My name and I will answer them; I will say: ‘It is My people’ and they shall say: ‘Hashem is my God.’ Zechariah 13:9

This type of cataclysmic seismic activity is mentioned specifically by the prophets as an aspect of the End-of-Days process.

But Hashem God is the true God, He is the living God, and the everlasting King; at His wrath the earth trembleth, and the nations are not able to abide His indignation. Jeremiah 10:10