“At that same hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand men were killed in the earthquake, and the remnant were frightened and gave glory to the God of heaven” (Rev. 11:13).
In Revelation 11, we learn about the two witnesses who will come to earth to prophesy for 1,260 days (three and a half prophetic years). We are told that after they are killed, a great earthquake hits Jerusalem. It causes tremendous damage and kills 7,000 people.
You may not be aware of this, but the nation of Israel sits on a large fault line. The last major earthquake to hit Israel was in 1927, which killed around 500 people and damaged every house in Jerusalem or Hebron to some degree. In the last 12 months, we have seen an increased seismic activity near or in Israel. Consider the following seismic activity:
April 15, 2016 – tremor (unmeasured)
May 16, 2016 – 5.0 earthquake
Nov. 20, 2016 – 3.6 earthquake
Nov. 29, 2016 – 4.4 earthquake
Dec. 2, 2016 – 3.8 earthquake
Jan. 17, 2017 – 5.5 earthquake near Crete; felt in Israel
We can clearly observe an increase in seismic activity in Israel and the Mediterranean region. Does this point to something larger in the near future? Revelation 11 tells us a larger earthquake is coming. Israel is so convinced a major earthquake is coming that they are conducting studies to prepare for it.
A Knesset sub-committee of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee recently convened to discuss Israel’s readiness to handle a major earthquake. The sub-committee found that “based on an assessment that in the event of such a catastrophe, the country could face up to 7,000 casualties and damages of up to NIS 200 billion ($52.5 billion).” It could leave as many as 8,600 seriously injured and 170,000 homeless.
The non-Messianic Jewish people do not read the book of Revelation, as it is not part of the Tanakh (what Christians call the Old Testament). However, their own findings are consistent with what God prophesied to happen in the future. This only confirms the prophecy and affirms that God is working in the heart of Jewish people before this powerful prophetic chapter comes to pass.
May this article remind us to prepare ourselves for the return of the Messiah to rule and reign. {eoa}
Kelly McDonald Jr. is an ordained evangelist at Hungry Hearts Ministries in Jackson, Tennessee. He has written over 40 books and booklets on pursing Christ, Hebrew roots and end-times prophecy. He is currently president of the Bible Sabbath Association (BSA). You can follow him at: kellymcdonaldjr.com.
