As most are now well aware, a devastating 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck south-central Turkey near the border with Syria last Sunday, February 5th. It was the single most powerful quake in the entire Middle East since at least 1939, when another 7.8 struck. That earthquake came just a few months after the official start of World War II. Last Sunday's quake shook all of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Cyprus, most of Israel and Jordan, and parts of Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia. Most of the regions mentioned in the Bible were shaken. The earthquake was so massive that a large portion of Turkey moved as much as 10 feet westward (source), and the result is that the entire region has been swarmed with aftershocks—nearly 3,000 actually, including a 7.5-magnitude quake that hit the very next day just a bit north of the first mega-quake (source). 

And the most devastating news of all is that authorities now estimate upwards of 50,000 people have perished in the disaster. Many are still trapped, but time is quickly running out. The Church should be fervently praying.

When earthquakes of this magnitude strike, typically hundreds or thousands of aftershocks will follow for an extended period of time—weeks, months, even years. Jesus' words in the Olivet Discourse have now taken on sudden urgency and relevance like never before. Remember, he spoke to his Jewish brethren about life in Israel leading up to his return. While earthquakes in distant places like New Zealand or Chile get our attention, nothing is quite as relevant as when the big one hits smack dab in the heart of prophetic ground zero—the Holy Land itself. And now there has actually been a trigger for ongoing earthquakes across the Middle East for the foreseeable future. Moreover, this quake may have put into motion tectonic activity leading up to the bigger ones to come, as prophesied in the pages of Holy Writ. Again, consider Jesus' words:

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Mt. 24:7, NIV)

Looking at my search criteria here, you can confirm that this mega-quake was the largest to strike not only the Middle East, but large swathes of Europe, Africa, and Asia beyond the Middle East, since 1939. You can see the search region below:

Now something of international concern happened the day right before this earthquake: the U.S. shot down the 200-foot-wide Chinese reconnaissance/EMP test balloon near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Myrtle Beach happens to be near where the Great American Solar Eclipse of 2017 terminated. More ominously, Myrtle Beach brings to mind Zechariah 1 and the rider on a red horse amidst the myrtle trees.

During the night I had a vision, and there before me was a man mounted on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in a ravine. (Zech. 1:8a, NIV)

Note that the rider on a red horse in Revelation 6 represents global war (i.e., World War III) that breaks out shortly after the rapture. All of this is happening right as Russia is about to re-invade Ukraine with a massive 500,000-man army, very possibly triggering World War III in the process.

The Myrtle Beach-myrtle Tree connection is deepened by the fact that the very next day, the day of the mega-quake, was Tu BiShvat—the Jewish New Year of Trees. Trees often represent nations in Scripture: the fig tree is of course Israel, and the other trees are the surrounding nations (cf. Lk. 21:29: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.") Nation-states are a relatively recent invention, more or less a product of the breakup of the great colonial empires in the 20th century. The British, French, and Ottoman empires all splintered at various rates, leading up to the emergence of the countries of North Africa and the Middle East in the first half of the 1900s. Israel, the fig tree, was among the emergent nation-states, but so were Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, and so forth. The fig tree put forth leaves, but so did the surrounding nations. Before then, most of human history involved either city-states or vast, multi-ethnic empires.

The closest town to the earthquake's epicenter was Atalar. Atalar means "forerunners" or "forefathers." Note again that the quake's magnitude was 7.8. Alphabetically, the 78th word in the New Testament is "forefather"—a forefather of Jesus (Lk. 3:28). This earthquake was a major forerunner of things to come. Atalar is also an anagram of "altar." The altar is a major item of significance in the Bible, including in the Book of Revelation (Rev. 6:9; 8:3, 5; 9:13; 11:1; 14:18; 16:7).

The fact that the quake was the largest in 83 years is also quite telling: Psalm 83 is viewed by many as a prophetic pointer to a war Israel will face in the opening stages of the tribulation.

At the moment it's looking like things are finally boiling over. Until we're gone, the Restrainer will restrain, but His restraining hand appears to be lifting this year. Putting all of this in perspective (and more):

• The largest Middle East earthquake in at least 83 years shakes the whole Middle East and thousands of aftershocks are continuing across the region, and they will continue for the foreseeable future. Jesus' prediction in Matthew 24:7 has never been more applicable than right now.

• Putin is about to invade Ukraine with 500,000 troops, and if NATO responds, there's nothing left but World War III.

• The Iran-Israel standoff is finally boiling over this year. Israel recently struck several facilities given Iran now has the materials to build somewhere between four and six bombs. Time has run out.

• Next month will witness a Babel 2.0 moment: the first orbital flight of the SpaceX Starship. It's the first spacecraft capable of sending colonists to the moon or Mars. It is the author's opinion God will not allow this in mankind's current fallen state.

• The five red heifers are apparently still kosher and will be ready for slaughter this year.

• The U.S. and Canadian governments are now claiming three "unidentified objects" were shot down over the U.S. and Canada and the wreckage is being retrieved. While these may end up being claimed to be advanced craft from Russia or China, this could also end up being a final unveiling of the alien deception so key to explaining away the removal of the Church from the earth (cf. 2 Thess. 2:9-12). This story is now at the top of most national news sites (see here, here, and here).

• Finally, the new Israeli government is the first religious government in the history of the modern state of Israel. Previous conservative coalitions were reliant on secular nationalists (e.g., Avigdor Lieberman). The significance is this: given the various political parties in Israel today, this is the exact coalition you would expect to be in place for rebuilding the Temple and stewarding the nation as it enters the tribulation.

Two months ago I wrote in "The Final Four" that we could very well be entering the last four years of the Church Age. Indeed, I still stand by that [extremely self-evident] possibility. Perhaps, though, it's really the final one. If you would prefer not to experience the worst seven years in human history, it is my fervent plea that you instead believe the best news that could ever conceivably be told. In the words of Han Solo: "It's true. All of it."