Messianic Perspectives

Liz Aiello: On May 14th, 1948, the Jewish National Council proclaimed the birth of the modern state of Israel. Was this unprecedented event foretold by the ancient prophets, or was it merely an accident of history? We'll find out today, right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom, and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinct first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Today, Gary Hedrick is leading our discussion about whether or not the modern state of Israel is a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. And now, with today's installment, here's Gary.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Welcome, listening friend, to another edition of the program. It's good to have you with us today as we continue our series of studies dealing with the question of whether or not the rebirth of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy. And we've said that the issue of whether or not the establishing of the state of Israel in 1948 was a fulfillment of Bible prophecy is really part of the larger issue of whether or not prophetic signs apply to the church age. Some people say they don't. But do they? Well, we've been finding some interesting things here in this remarkable passage in Matthew chapter 24, where our Lord outlines a series of prophetic trends, T-R-E-N-D-S, that will signal the approaching end of the age.

Today we want to get to number five of these prophetic trends in Matthew 24, and that is earthquakes. Look what he says in verse seven: "And there shall be earthquakes in divers places," in various places. And again, earthquake activity alone is not a sign of the end. There have always been earthquakes. As a matter of fact, there were 13 major earthquake-related disasters prior to the 20th century. And I brought a copy of Grolier's Academic American Encyclopedia into the studio with me today so we could summarize these 13 ancient earthquake disasters. Let's take a look.

The first major recorded ancient earthquake-related disaster occurred in 373 BC in Helice, Greece. It was mentioned in Strabo's Geography of the Ancient World. Then the second one occurred in AD 365 in the Eastern Mediterranean. The third ancient earthquake disaster took place in AD 476 in Italy and completely destroyed the city of Rome. The fourth one happened in the year 526 in Antioch, or what is now Turkey. The city was destroyed, and 250,000 people died.

Number five took place on January 24th, 1556, in Northern China. It had the worst earthquake-related death toll in history; 830,000 people dead. Number six happened on June 7th, 1692, in Jamaica and destroyed the city of Port Royal. Number seven happened on October 28th, 1707, in Tokyo, Japan; 200,000 people were killed. Number eight was on November the 1st, 1755, All Saints' Day, in Lisbon, Portugal; 60,000 people killed.

Number nine was on February 5th, 1783, in Calabria, Italy; 181 villages were leveled, and 30,000 people were killed. Number 10 was on December 16th, 1811, in New Madrid, Missouri. Number 11 was on March 26th, 1812, in Venezuela and leveled the city of Caracas. Number 12 was on August 23rd, 1868, in Peru. A tsunami, or tidal wave, was so large it reached three miles inland at some points. And number 13 was on June 15th, 1896, in Honshu, Japan; 27,000 people died in another tsunami, or tidal wave.

So there have always been earthquakes, 13 major ones prior to the 20th century. But remember what we said? These prophetic trends don't become signs of the approaching end until two things happen. First, there's a convergence of all the signs mentioned in Matthew 24; that is, they all begin happening simultaneously. And number two, each sign begins to increase in frequency and intensity. And in the case of earthquakes, there is no question that earthquake activity has increased noticeably in frequency and intensity.

Now bear in mind that the encyclopedia lists 13 major earthquake disasters prior to the 20th century. Now here are the major earthquake disasters that have occurred just in this century. And remember, this is straight out of Grolier's Academic American Encyclopedia. This is not Gary Hedrick's imagination or invention. Let me just summarize the major earthquake disasters of the 20th century. Here they are: April 4th, 1905, Kangra, India, 157,000 people dead, 8.3 on the Richter scale.

April 18th, 1906, San Francisco, California, 700 people dead, 8.3 on the Richter scale. December 28th, 1908, Messina, Italy, or Sicily, 160,000 people dead, 7.5 on the Richter scale. December 16th, 1920, Gansu, China, 100,000 people dead, 8.6 on the Richter scale. September 1st, 1923, Sagami Bay, Japan, 100,000 people dead, 8.3 on the Richter scale. February 3rd, 1931, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 255 people dead, 7.9 rating. March 10th, 1933, Long Beach, California, 120 people dead, 6.3 rating.

December 26th, 1939, Anatolia, Turkey, 30,000 people dead, 6.0 on the Richter scale. August 15th, 1950, Assam, India, 30,000 people dead, 8.4 on the Richter scale. February 29th, 1960, Agadir, Morocco, 15,000 people dead, 5.9 rating. May 22nd, 1960, Arauco, Chile, 2,000 people dead, 8.4 rating. September 1st, 1962, Iran, 12,000 people dead, 7.3 rating. March 27th, 1964, Anchorage, Alaska, 114 casualties, 8.5 rating.

December 23rd, 1972, Managua, Nicaragua, 10,000 people dead, 6.2 rating. February 4th, 1976, Guatemala City, Guatemala, 23,000 people dead, 7.5 on the Richter scale. July 28th, 1976, Tangshan, northeastern China, 695,000 people dead, 7.9 on the Richter scale. September 16th, 1978, Northeast Iran, 25,000 people dead, 7.7 on the Richter scale. October 10th, 1980, Algeria, 20,000 people dead, 7.5 on the Richter scale.

November 23rd, 1980, Southern Italy, 3,000 dead, 6.8 on the Richter scale. September 19th, 1985, Mexico City, Mexico, 7,000 dead, 8.1 on the Richter scale. March 5th, 1987, Ecuador, 4,000 dead, 7.3 on the Richter scale. December 7th, 1988, Armenia, 25,000 to 45,000 people dead, 6.9 on the Richter scale. October 17th, 1989, Northern California, 67 casualties, 7.1 on the Richter scale. And June 21st, 1990, Northwest Iran, 40,000 people dead, 7.7 on the Richter scale.

That's from a chart here in the encyclopedia. Now, isn't that incredible? In other words, there have been more in this century alone than in all other centuries combined. And the Lord Jesus Christ told us in Matthew 24 that one of the signs of the approaching end would be a noticeable increase in the frequency and intensity of earthquakes. And there can be little doubt that we're seeing this sign in our generation.

Not only that, but seismologists are warning us that the worst earthquake disasters of all time may be in the immediate future. Scientists have pinpointed several geographical areas that are likely to experience severe earthquake activity, that is 6.5 or above on the Richter scale. The first area is Japan. For the last 300 years, a major earthquake has struck the Tokyo area every 69 years. The last one occurred on September 1st, 1923. It was called the Great Earthquake by scientists, and it devastated Tokyo and took 140,000 lives.

Now, if the scientists are correct and another major quake strikes Japan, the consequences will be felt around the world. In the aftermath of the Great Earthquake in 1923, Japan's gross national product fell by 65 percent. Japan was devastated financially and took years to recover. In the event that this tragic scenario is repeated, a massive withdrawal of Japanese capital and foreign investments could leave the United States and the Western world at the brink of total economic collapse.

Economists are already telling us that if the Japanese called in all of their notes and investments, we simply do not have the cash to cover it. We would be bankrupt. Sometimes we wonder how the Antichrist will be able to dominate the world scene during the tribulation period, like the scriptures say he will. A total collapse of the American economy could be part of the answer. That could be why the United States isn't even mentioned as playing a major role in the events of the end time. By that time, the Antichrist's European Confederacy may be the only major viable economic entity remaining in the world.

Well, that's all the time we have for today. Next time we'll continue our discussion of this fifth prophetic trend, and we'll see what may be ahead for the United States. I'll see you then. Take care. Bye-bye.

Liz Aiello: Thank you, Gary. And thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. With everything that's been happening recently in the Middle East, it's vital that Christians understand what the Bible says about this important piece of real estate. Has God given up on His people, Israel, like the replacement theologians would have us believe? Is God finished with the Jewish people as some people claim? Absolutely not. In fact, nearly 2,000 years after the destruction of the temple, God is now beginning to deal with His people, Israel, in a very specific way.

All the information you need on this timely subject is right here on one convenient CD. It's available for a gift of just $6 or more to the ministry of Messianic Perspectives. Just ask for series number GT12. The title is simply "The Rebirth of Israel in 1948 - Was It a Fulfillment of Prophecy?" Just visit our secure online store at messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas 78292.

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And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that, too. This is Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series on "The Rebirth of Israel in 1948 - Was It a Fulfillment of Prophecy?" right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Guest (Male): Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries of San Antonio, Texas, and is made possible on this station by the free-will contributions of our listeners in this area.