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Instead of being only literal, Jesus' references to wars and earthquakes are likely to also be symbols for catastrophes of a spiritual nature. In fact, if we assume that these prophecies can also be symbolic, a spiritually relevant picture quickly emerges. Such outward signs can be seen as metaphors representing the decline of the Church. Assuming that Jesus' message is ultimately concerned with the salvation of the human soul, it follows that the wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes are symbols for upheavals which will occur in humankind's spiritual life. It is such inevitable upheaval and darkness which necessitates the return of Christ and the renewal of God's eternal, changeless Faith. (48:1) The first calamities to occur are the 'wars', meaning disputes in the Church. In the first centuries of Christianity there were disagreements over the meaning of Christ's message and over the Church's leadership. These disputes grew and some even led to schisms, persecutions and bloodshed - literal wars. The disputes gradually obscured much of the real message of Christ by embittering Christians towards each other and dividing the Church, and this brought on 'famines'. Famine means a famine of the spirit as spoken of by the Old Testament Prophet, Amos: (48:2) Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord God, -- That I will send a famine on the land,-- Not a famine of bread,-- Nor a thirst for water,-- But of hearing the words of the LORD. (Amos 8:11 ) (48:3) Included in these catastrophes are 'pestilences', that is, plagues and diseases. These are not plagues of the body but of the spirit; they are heresies and idolatries. History records a succession of such pestilences since early times: the sectarian battles of Arianism, Gnosticism, and many others. (48:4) Finally, with such violent disagreements raging in the Church, the absence of Christian practices and the spread of erroneous beliefs, it is only inevitable that the institutions of the Church would begin to crack and tumble down. This shaking down of Church leadership and Church institutions can be very effectively represented by 'earthquakes'. Earthquakes could thus be a symbol for any period when the Church is racked by controversies and disagreements. Baha'u'llah indicates that the earthquakes mentioned in the Scriptures are symbolic (Certitude 44-8) and have come to pass in this day:
(48:5)
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