GREAT ARTICLE : Recent earthquakes in Israel Five Days – Five - TopicsExpress

GREAT ARTICLE : Recent earthquakes in Israel Five Days – Five Earthquakes Joel Rosenberg in his Blog of October 22, noted that every 80 years or so, Israel has a major, disastrous earthquake. That being the case, Israelis surely know they are due for a big one. The Bible describes major earthquakes occurring in the last days, although they are not necessarily all in Israel, as Rosenberg seems to indicate. A major earthquake recently struck the Philippines --7.2 on the Richter scale--causing many injuries and deaths. Israelis have been rattled lately, as a series of earthquakes have shaken various parts of the country. Of course the Levant is a quake-prone area, and we ourselves experienced a few of them in the 22 years we lived in Israel. As I recall, none of them were larger than a 4.0 or so, on the Richter scale. The recent ones have also been fairly small, but the frequency of them has Israeli experts concerned. Though certainly no expert on earthquakes, I have heard that many small earthquakes can be viewed in one of two ways: (1) they may indicate that the seismic plates are getting ready for a major shift, or (2) the small quakes serve to drain off the energy, so that a large quake is prevented. Israel is not properly prepared to deal with a major earthquake, Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan warned Thursday (October 24). He called on the state to allocate funding for earthquake and natural disaster protection. “The state has not yet provided an optimal solution” in terms of earthquake protection and readiness,” Erdan said. He added that such precautions are “as important as airbags in an automobile” (Times of Israel, October 24). “Israel’s last major earthquake rattled the region in 1927″ reports the Times. It was a 6.2-magnitude tremor that killed 500 and injured another 700. Before that, “an earthquake in 1837 left as many as 5,000 people dead.” “A small earthquake shook the Sea of Galilee area on Tuesday morning (October 22), the fifth such tremor in less than a week,” noted the Times. “The quake, measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale, caused no reported damage or injuries. On Sunday, two minor earthquakes, both measuring 3.6 in intensity, were reported in the north, which followed similar quakes on Saturday and Thursday,” the Times said. “No injuries have been reported, although some buildings in Tiberias were lightly damaged by the tremors. Last Sunday, a 6.4-magnitude quake, centered in the Mediterranean Sea near Crete, was felt in Athens, Egypt and Israel….” In response to the string of temblors, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a special cabinet meeting Monday to discuss the state’s earthquake preparedness, and, on Sunday, the Home Front Command and emergency services representatives held a meeting to discuss emergency procedures in the case of a more major earthquake. “According to a special ministerial committee convened to address the issue, a major 7.0 Richter scale earthquake in Israel could leave some 7,000 people dead, 8,600 wounded, almost 10,000 trapped in rubble and around 170,000 people homeless. A large quake could totally destroy 28,000 buildings and leave 290,000 buildings with light to moderate damage” (Times, October 24). Of course this is just conjecture, but something to take very seriously. Jesus predicted earthquakes in various places as being part of the “birth pangs” that would usher in His return and the end of the age. For the not-yet-saved, these things represent a terrifying prospect. For the saved, they are the signal to “look up,” for redemption is drawing nigh. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near (Luke 21:31). Reporting for CFI Jerusalem, Lonnie C. Mings