A Great Earthquake: Part 2

To the Christian, the complexity and specifics that make up this prophecy show us that this is more than a historically significant book.

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In April of this year, I wrote an article titled A Great Earthquake that focused on two articles that talked about a possible devastating future earthquake in Israel that could leave 7,000 people dead, seemingly mirroring Revelation 11:13 of a great earthquake that will kill 7,000 people. “In the same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. In the earthquake seven thousand people were killed, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Rev. 11:13, NKJV).

An article by The Times of Israel on August 12th, 2019 reported on one of the largest Israeli naval exercises, dubbed “Mighty Waves 2019.” The simulation brought together representatives from 10 other nations as well as NATO.

The United States, France, and Greece fully participated in the exercise, sending ships and personnel to Haifa to take part in drills alongside their Israeli counterparts. Representatives from Cyprus, Chile, Italy, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom and NATO observed and took part in non-physical aspects of the drill.

It was also the nation’s first exercise solely dedicated to earthquake response.

The naval drill had two main goals: to practice setting up a “sea gate,” through which the majority of the humanitarian aid Israel would need in the aftermath of a massive earthquake would pass, and, more generally, to learn how to more efficiently work with the various national and international organizations that would be involved in the disaster relief work.

The article cited that part of the reason for the earthquake exercise was due to the fact that Israel currently lies on the Syrian-African rift. The last major earthquake in the region occurred in 1927, “a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 people and injured 700.”

The specific type of earthquake they were simulating was a “7.5-magnitude quake striking the Beit Shean Valley in northern Israel, killing 7,000 people, injuring thousands more, damaging hundreds of buildings and leaving over 150,000 homeless.”

 

A Great Earthquake

As stated earlier in the article, this isn’t the first time the number 7,000 has been mentioned when talking about the casualties that may result in a devastating earthquake in Israel. In an article titled After tremors, experts warn a huge quake is the greatest threat facing Israel posted by The Times of Israel last year, they stated, “Col. Itzik Bar from the IDF’s Home Front Command, put expected casualties from a major quake at 7,000 dead and 200,000 homeless.”

Similarly, an article posted by The Jerusalem Times last July titled Comptroller: Israel is not ready for a Major Earthquake gave a similar warning:

The State Comptroller’s Office stated that according to information received by the government, the situation it needs to prepare for could result in an estimated 7,000 people killed, another 8,600 seriously injured, 37,000 lightly injured, 9,500 trapped in rubble and 170,000 left homeless.

Below are 3 more sources I discovered while doing some extra research for this article that gives the same numbers.

  1. The Guardian, Israel earthquake could kill 7,000, disaster forecasts claim (October 25th, 2013) – “An estimated 7,000 people could be killed, tens of thousands injured and a further 200,000 left homeless if a powerful earthquake struck Israel, a government minister has warned following six separate tremors over the past week.”
  2. Haaretz, Israel Is Hundreds of Years Overdue for a Massive Earthquake (February 13th, 2019) – Here are more statistics: “Once every 1,000 years, Israel is shaken by a quake bad enough to leave 70,000 people homeless and could kill several thousand. And once every 2,500 years, we can expect a quake that leaves 200,000 homeless and could kill at least 7,000 people, estimate the statisticians.”
  3. Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), Israel feels ramifications of 4.8 magnitude earthquake (May 16th, 2019) – “In 2016, the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s Home Front Readiness Subcommittee estimated that a 7.5 magnitude earthquake would kill 7,000 people, injure another 8,600 and leave 377,000 homeless, causing approximately NIS 200 billion ($56 billion) in damages.”

My goal for this article is to communicate the fact that this is not a coincidence. This recent article makes 6 articles now that have given the same figures. It would be one thing if all 6 articles gave varying estimates for the casualties, but, instead, what we’re seeing is all the articles are getting the same number of 7,000 people dead while also reporting on various estimates for those injured and homeless.

For example, the Times of Israel’s latest article lists the injured as “thousands” and the homeless at 150,000. Their article from 2018 gives an estimate of those homeless at 200,000, while Haaretz’ article written early this year gives an estimate of 70,000 people homeless. The Jerusalem Post’s article also written in 2018 gives an estimate to the number injured at a combined figure of 18,100 and 170,000 left homeless while the JNS’ article puts the number of injured at 8,600 and homeless at 377,000. Despite some of these fluctuating estimates, all six somehow get to the same conclusion that 7,000 people died from such an earthquake is a possible figure. Let me repeat myself when I say this isn’t a coincidence.

 

A Closer Look at Revelation 11:13

As stated in the beginning of the article, we see that all six articles give a number of 7,000 people dead, which mirrors what the Bible tells us in Revelation 11:13 to the exact number. So now we can see the exact same message both in the Bible and six separate news sources listing the same casualty count for an earthquake, but some questions many may have is how do we know the Bible is telling us this will occur in Israel? Couldn’t this just be a generic prophecy we’re just re-interpreting into our time period?

In my article Examining Prophecy: The Two Witnesses, I break down Revelation 11:1-14. I assess at it as many skeptics see the Bible – as just a historical work. I will reference some familiar points from the article here, but I encourage you to go through the article yourself for an in-depth look and specifics. There are some facts I believe we need to understand regarding what’s written in Revelation 11 about these two witnesses and the earthquake that follows them.

  • The book of Revelation was written in the late 1st century AD
  • The author of the book is believed to be John the Apostle
  • The author – John – claims his revelations originate from a divine source outside of human understanding, an angel who was sent by Jesus
  • Around six events are prophesied to occur before the actual earthquake, including the fact that they will preach for 1,260 days exactly, they will be killed after the 1,260 days, their bodies will lie on the street for 3 1/2 days exactly, and during this 3 1/2 day period, people all over the world will see their bodies and send gifts to each other
  • John states that the bodies of the two witnesses will “lie in the street of the great city… where also our Lord was crucified” (Rev. 11:8, NKJV)
  • Jesus was crucified outside Jerusalem at a place called Golgotha. Although the exact location is disputed today, the location of said dispute centers around Jerusalem, Israel and whether it was inside or outside city walls.

Did you catch all of that? Whether you believe the Bible to be God’s Word or you believe the Bible is a book of fairy tales, the fact remains that the book of Revelation was written almost 2,000 years ago, and that the author claimed during a future seven-year period of time – known as the tribulation – after a series of specific events concerning specific people in a specific location during a specific duration of time, an earthquake will occur 3 1/2 years into the tribulation and kill 7,000 people. He also claimed this earthquake will occur where Jesus was crucified – Jerusalem, Israel.

Again, the point I want to drive home is that this is not a coincidence. The main question I want to leave you with is: Is this just a big coincidence that what was written almost 2,000 years ago which talks about an earthquake that will occur in Israel and kill exactly 7,000 people has now seemingly been confirmed to be possible in the near future by six different articles?

If John was incorrect about the source of his writings and it, instead, originated from a human source, then logically his attempt at making a claim of an earthquake in the distant future in a specific area of the world killing an exact number of people would be doomed to failure.

However, despite these facts, how is it possible we’re seeing not just similarities but the exact number (7,000 people killed) in the exact location (Israel) of the alleged future earthquake? What are the odds that an author of an ancient text that claims to get his “revelations” from a divine source wrote about an exact number of people that will be killed in some future terrible earthquake and it’s now in our current day that this is seen in our headlines?

 

“Things Which Must Shortly Take Place”

After briefly examining John’s claim that he received his information from a divine source, we can see that it’s simply not possible for a finite human being to provide specific information for future events (people, location, actions, numbers, duration of time) and for it to come to pass or seemingly be lining up without the aid of something beyond human nature and comprehension.

To the Christian, the complexity and specifics that make up this prophecy along with the numerous confirmations we’re getting outside of the Bible show us that this is more than a historically significant book but, rather, God’s Word. To the skeptic that still believes this may be nothing more than coincidences Christians are reading too much in to, I leave you with several questions:

  1. If the book of Revelation, at the most, only holds historic/religious value but isn’t from a supernatural source as some claim, how was John able to write about an earthquake that specifically occurs in Israel and kills 7,000 people to the number despite this being written almost 2,000 years ago? Also, keep in mind the six above articles that state an earthquake in Israel that will kill the same number of people.
  2. Is it a coincidence that not just one but six articles all state 7,000 people are likely to be killed by this earthquake in Israel matching what’s written in Revelation 11:13?

At the end of the day, this information concerning the future earthquake in Israel is important because it shows us how close the tribulation period is and, even closer, the rapture of the church. It’s a warning to those who have yet put their trust in Christ and a signpost to those eagerly waiting for His return. If this earthquake occurs 3 1/2 through the 7-year tribulation and we’re already seeing articles regarding an earthquake in Israel that could kill 7,000 people, then logically how close are we?

I challenge you to consider what’s been presented in this article. If you’re interested in other articles like this, navigate to my commentary page and follow me on my social media platforms to stay up to date with the latest news. These are amazing times we’re living in as we see Bible prophecy unfolding right before our eyes and the world stage being set up for the fulfillment of many prophecies. Time is short and tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. Make sure you’ve made the right decision about Jesus today! It will be the most important decision of your eternal life.

Navigate to the original post below for the original sources.

 

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on himitsustudy.com

Featured Image by Robert Bye

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Ayo is an energetic blogger striving to use his insights and God given talents to share the Gospel. Through his blog, he aspires to point skeptics of the bible to the truth of the Gospel using apologetics. His aspires to also inform others - both believer and non-believer - regarding the times we're living in preceding the Lord's soon return through the study of prophecy. He hopes to both inform his readers with facts, equip them with tools to communicate the Gospel, and offer hope and encouragement through God's Word.

  1. […] One of the more notable signs of the looming tribulation is what seems to be a confirmation of the great earthquake in Revelation 11:13 that the Bible says will occur in Israel during the midpoint of the […]