Yes, in Matthew 24. I've been thinking a lot about that passage lately, because I never really put together until a few months ago why Jesus used the phrase "birth pains." Birth pains increase in magnitude over time and also happen closer and closer together.
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.
It takes a very selective reading of Matthew 24 to say it means that there will be a surge of eartquakes, etc., right before the end of the world.
Here's more context:
6. You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, BUT IT WILL NOT BE THE END.
7. Nations will rise up against nation, and Kingdom against kingdom, there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place
8. All these things are but birthpangs
9. Then they will hand YOU (i.e., the disciples) over to persecution, and kill you. (N.B.: All the disciples except John were murdered by anti-Christians) You will be hated by all nations, because of my name.
10. And THEN (as in, after the slaughter of the disciples) many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another.
11. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many.
12. And because of the increase of evil doing, the love of many will grow cold.
13. But the one who perseveres till the end will be saved.
14. And this good news of the Kingdom shall be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end of the world shall come.
Notice the timelines:
1. The birthpangs of earthquakes and war begins. (The Temple altar was destroyed by earthquake as Jesus died on the cross, the end of Pax Romana came as nation turned against nation, and the Temple itself destroyed by war within a couple decades. These birthpangs -- the birth of the Church Triumphant -- did not mean the end of the world.)
2. The disciples were hunted down and murdered.
3. False prophets arose (Gnostics, Manicheus, Mohammed, Palagius, various other heresies)
4. Because of evil-doing, men's love would grow cold (present age?)
5. But the one who perseveres is saved. Perseveres what? Persecution? Or the growing cold of human love in an age of technology?
6. THEN, the Kingdom of Heaven is preached to every corner of the globe. (Telecommunications? Or an opening up of closed societies, such as the USSR and Islamofascists?)
7. AND THEN comes the end of the world.
Revelations 20 suggests a final war after 1,000 years of the rule of Christ. Did the 1,000 years begin with the fall of Rome (Babylon), or will they begin after step 6? The disputes among Premillennialists, Postmillennialists and amillennialists are too complicated to get into, and to uncertain to be of much help in defining Matthew 24. But we do know this:
The earthquakes and wars occur BEFORE the millennium of Revelations, and begin BEFORE the killing of the disciples. Therefore, they do not signal the end of time, but rather are mentionned specifically to say that such things will NOT mean the end of time.