Global SITREP A4-23: Middle East Earthquakes

 

NEW UPDATE 08 February 2023: Jesus' Olivet Discourse was in response to His Apostles wanting to know the signs that would herald His return. Earthquakes in diverse places was one of key signs He gave. Yet how many are aware that the prophet Ezekiel was explicit in the seismic prophecy he passed on to us living in this day?

At the same time also when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord God, my wrath shall arise in mine anger. For in mine indignation, and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken it: surely at that time there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel, So that the fishes of the Sea, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the field, and all that move and creep upon the earth, and all the men that are upon the earth, shall tremble at my presence, and the mountains shall be overthrown, and the stairs shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. - Ezekiel 38:18-20 (Bold lettering mine for emphasis) 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV).

As most have noticed of late, all of the earth's tectonic plates as well as the major and minor faults around the entire globe have been extremely active. This activity will continue, progressively increasing in severity and frequency. The recent massive back-to-back earthquakes in Turkey and along the Syrian border momentarily caught global media and our attention. Even in Israel there is much news about just three earthquakes occurring from the Golan in the north to Eilat in the south in the past two days. Three earthquakes.

Three earthquakes in Israel is nothing when one looks at the details found on the Geological Survey of Israel webpage. Over the past two days there have been ten times that number of quakes throughout Israel. 30 earthquakes in just the past two days (7 and 8 February). Tomorrow's tally will certainly increase. But the important fact is that all of these quakes are preparatory or leading up to the really "big one" that will occur at the time when Gog comes against Israel. 

And folks, some still wonder having read this same passage in Ezekiel umpteen times, how it is that the muslim sites on the Temple Mount would come to their end so that the third Temple could be built? It seems to Eschatology Today that God has has had something else in mind in that regard, even in far more ancient times (Ezekiel 38:17). If you'll use the above geological survey link, you can clearly see the north-south axis or bearing of the Levant quakes from Israel and northward through Lebanon. That line of axis points directly at the Turkish-Syrian quakes of the past week. They're all related as the illustration below the latest update attests.

NEW UPDATE - 13 February 2023: The earthquakes and recent rains in Israel have caused new damage to Muslim structures on the Temple Mount. An article appeared this morning at https://www.israel365News.com/366818/more-damage-reported-at-the-muslim-structures-on-the-temple-mount/ which contains considerable historical detail in this regard. The bottom line is this: "Muslim structures standing on Judaism's holiest site have a long history of collapse due to the earthquakes that are common to the region." This gets to the point made in the last paragraph above. The article is worth your time to read from an educational standpoint.

However, it is the historical data that has the most relevant interest to add as an update to this SITREP: 

The Dome of the Rock was constructed in 692 A.D. 117 years later (808 AD) the structure was severely damaged by an earthquake. This was repeated by a second quake 38 years later (846 AD). 187 years later a third earthquake collapsed the Dome (1033 AD). In July 1927 a quake resulted in severe cracking of the walls and other parts of the structure to collapse. The Al-Aqsa mosque was built circa 700 AD but destroyed by an earthquake 46 years later. It was destroyed in the same 1033 AD quake that collapsed to Dome. An 1847 quake caused additional damage, and 90 years hence the July 1927 quake also caused severe damage to the mosque. More recently there was the 2004 quake which resulted in new cracks in the Dome of the Rock and the nearby Marwani mosque. The Waqf refused Israeli experts to repair the damage.

To sum up the seismic situation on the Temple Mount in early 2023, as noted by Israeli archeologist Eilat Mazar, "It is just a matter of time... It is pure stupidity to think if we do nothing that nothing will happen."  Eschatology Today's bottom line: Unquestionably, the Islamic structures on Temple Mount will be coming down. It is far less likely such destruction will occur due to human warfare than seismic forces mankind has no control over. This puts due emphasis on the quake described by Ezekiel and the timing factor entirely within an appointed time ordained by the LORD God.

09 February 2023: The time when Ezekiel 38/39 takes place is prior to Israel's 70th Week of Years. This has always been the position of Eschatology Today. Ezekiel in receipt of the prophecy from God in ancient times make no mention of either Jerusalem or Temple Mount or of a standing 3rd Temple on the Mount. These details speak to a time that is immediately prior to the 70th Week of years, as does the deliberate past tense of Ezekiel 39:29.

Another key aspect to this is found in the narrative given by God, to Jesus to John on Patmos that we read in The Apocalypse (Revelation) of Jesus Christ, Chapter 11. This chapter opens to a view of the Third Temple standing on the mount at the very beginning of the 70th Week of years. The measured Temple itself is where Israel worships God, performed daily sacrifices and oblations are occurring there, and the unmeasured outer court and the city itself is an international city (i.e. given to the gentiles) for the first 42 months or exactly 1,260 days of the Tribulation (Thlipsis).

And there we have the Two Witnesses of God performing their ministry and prophesying for that exact period of time in the first half of the Thlipsis. At the termination of their ministry they are overcome and killed by Antichrist who is indwelt by the beast from the pit (Abaddon/Apollyon). They lie dead on the street in Jerusalem for three and one-half days when the Spirit of God resurrects both of the Two Witnesses and they are harpazoed into heaven with the command "Come up hither" just as the bride of Christ was harpazoed approximately 42 months previously. 

And in that same hour, as the world beholds this harpazo with their own eyes, a great earthquake (megas seismos) occurs in Jerusalem destroying ten percent of the city and killing seven thousand residents. Witnesses to this incredible scene in Jerusalem, despite the destruction and death around them will give glory to God. 

These two prophetic earthquakes, the first in Ezekiel 38:18-20 virtually marking the start of the 70th Week of years, and the second of Revelation 11 marking the ascension of the Two Witnesses and the start of the Great Tribulation (Megas Thlipsis) are distinct signposts on the prophetic Road to the Revelation of Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of Lords and the establishment of the Kingdom on God on this earth. 

Marana'tha! 

Global SITREP C8-22: Temple Mount (Tisha b'Av)

Rainbow over the Temple Mount (Moriah) and Mount of Olives

UPDATE 02 August 2022: In keeping with the theme of the SITREP, an item written by Rabbi Hagai Lundin (linked below) appeared in today's edition of Arutz Sheva (7 Israel National News) caught my attention, mostly because I've been expecting something along these lines to appear in Israeli media in conjunction with Tisha B'Av: Will the Temple Be Built This Year?  

The image above heads the Rabbi's article. I find it to be exceptionally appropriate in that its a type of canopy over both the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives; it encompasses a scene of tremendous prophetic importance for both the children of Israel and Christians. If only the Jews were to realize what exactly it is they pray and fast so fervently for. They will, eventually, come to that realization but it will take the tragic events of Israel's 70th Week of Years to bring them, for the most part, to that realization. 

The land under this rainbow will be the prophetic scene of Revelation 11. Long-time readers will recall that we've covered some of this before. Almost exactly six years ago I made a re-post of what had originally appeared on Eschatology Today five years prior to that date in December 2011 regarding the text of that prophecy about The Two Witnesses. The nearness of the fulfillment of Revelation 11 begs for a re-visitation, and what better time than during the days of mourning and fasting in Israel. 

The point to re-emphasize here is that the 3rd Temple, which the word of God makes very explicit, is standing, completed and in use as the Two Witnesses begin their prophetic one thousand two hundred sixty day ministry.

To be continued shortly...

28 July 2022: Today marks the first day of the month of Av. As most know very well, the 9th of Av has historically been a day of mourning, deprivation, prayer and fasting in commemoration of the calamities that have befallen the Israel on Tisha B'Av due to a manifest lack of faith and failure to observe the ordinances of God. 

Tisha B'Av is the culmination of the first nine days of Av, and which extends to the previous three weeks as that is when several Roman legions began their siege of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount in 70 AD. While this date has no real significance of Christians, it marks 3,335 years since the first of several tragic events dating back to the time of the Exodus and the deliverance of Israel from bondage in Egypt.

As Christians we should recognize that these events in Israel's history are a progression, a process that eventually will lead to all Israel being redeemed in the Blood of our Messiah, Jesus Christ. We recall what occurred during the Exodus that caused Moses to break the first set of tablets, inscribed by the Divine finger of God Himself. How utterly priceless were those tablets! No one knows what truly became of them even though oral tradition says that were carried in the Ark of the Covenant. Purely speculative, but the breaking of those tablets when Moses saw the golden calf and Israel worshipping its as their god might seem as the initial in a multiple millennia long series of Tisha B'Av tragedies. 

Today this day Israel remains under the terms of the covenant God told Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab (Deuteronomy 29:4). Read the entire chapter for context, and Paul's reference to this in Romans 11:8.

Further, we're told that the first Tisha B'Av event occurred in 1313 BC when the spies returned from scouting the land and the children of Israel balked at entering the Promised Land due to the bad report and that God's response was for that generation to wander in the wilderness for 40 years, to die there and their children would be the first to enter Eretz Israel.

Then came the destruction of the First and Second Temples on Mount Moriah, by the Babylonians and Romans respectively in 586 BC and 70 AD. This was followed by the revolt against Rome led by Simon Bar Kokhba and which ended with Simon Bar Kokhba and his Jewish Army in the town of Betar being utterly slaughtered by Roman legions on Tisha B'Av 135 AD.

Again, this is all part of an ongoing process, a process which will ultimately culminate with the prophetic verse in Ezekiel 39:29. This is how Eschatology Today thinks of the meaning of Tisha B'Av. 

Revelation 11:3-13 The Two Witnesses

1 August 2016: This is not an update, but a re-post of one of my favorite posts on Eschatology Today.  Nearly five years within the Eschatology Today archive realm, it's about time we looked at the prophecy of the Two Witnesses again. Thanks and a hat tip to Miriam for the reminder!

5 December 2011: I believe that most of Revelation 11 is very literal with just a few, fleeting symbolic references. With that in mind let’s look at the Two Witnesses. The Two Witnesses are God’s personal representatives on Earth who are active in Jerusalem during the first 1260 days of the 70^th Week. They are anointed by God with tremendous supernatural power for all of those 1260 days. This is the same kind of anointed power that Moses and Elijah (Eliyahu in Hebrew – my God is YHWH)) both wielded in performing the will of God in ancient times. Their attire of sackcloth is symbolically important to Israel; both Moses and Eliyahu wore sackcloth and it is the attire of Israel’s prophets.

The Two Witnesses are human beings, they are Jewish and they may well be alive right now somewhere in Israel, or at a minimum are soon to be born. If alive now they are young and most likely unaware of their future calling from God or of each other. While many speculate that the Two Witnesses will be Moses and Elijah returned to the Earth, this is not at all likely because those servants of the Lord were long ago transfigured into their eternal bodies. This is known because both were seen to be present at the transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:3-4). Therefore, the Two Witnesses are quite probably going to be two of the 144,000 Jewish male evangelists who will receive an exceptionally special calling from the Lord. This calling will likely be like that which Moses and Elijah received; both were literally called and began their missions for God abruptly.

In self defense of their persons their supernatural power will consume their human enemies with fire, the kind of fire that water cannot extinguish and consumes utterly and completely. Like Elijah’s fire. Their power will cause the cessation of any precipitation for the entire 1,260 days in which they prophecy. In the arid Middle East this is bad enough, but it gets worse. They will then turn other consumable water sources into blood making them non-potable, and strike anywhere on Earth with all manner of plagues whenever they desire, like Moses did to Egypt prior to the Exodus. No wonder the whole world of deceived peoples will hate them with such a passion. The Two Witnesses’ only friends will be each other, the 143,998 Jewish evangelists and the Tribulation Saints.

And then their time is finished. At the end of the 1,260 days the demon king Abaddon/Apollyon is freed from the abyss, indwells and reanimates the Antichrist who has suffered a mortal head wound and he promptly kills the Two Witnesses to the delight of all the deceived around the world. Given the nature of their immense supernatural power manifest over the previous three and one half years the people of Jerusalem will leave their bodies lay where they will fall in the street upon death, refusing them any burial. These events will in all probability be seen live on satellite broadcast around the Earth in real-time. There will be unbridled celebration and gift-giving by the deceived, Antichrist worshipping millions around the world.

And then it happens, three and one-half days after their death these rotting street corpses will suddenly be resurrected and transfigured, confounding and terrorizing those who will see them standing alive once again. Suddenly the celebrating stops as this breaking news flashes around planet earth at the speed of light. The people will hear a voice from Heaven calling them upwards and they will witness a Harpazo ascension just like that which the disciples saw upon Jesus’ ascension. Up into Heaven on a cloud the Two Witness shall go while the world watches in thunderstruck awe. Within that same hour an earthquake strikes Jerusalem, a tenth of the city crumbles to the ground and 7,000 souls are killed. Many of those who survive will repent on the spot and give all praise and glory to the God of Heaven.

It’s going to be a non-stop breaking news cycle from Jerusalem in the middle of this 70^th Week, and the worst of it is yet to occur. The Antichrist, the False Prophet and their forces are now about to enter the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies of the Temple that John the Revelator just measured with a reed in the opening verses of Revelation 11. They are there to halt the worship services and stand up the Abomination of Desolation. The return of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God on Earth is now just 42 months away.