Did Israel use a nuke at Damascus (likely not). And other news

Here are a few things I thought were interesting. First, the USGS list of earthquakes over the last 7 days. I know the disclaimer at the top of their page says they are going to stop updating the page at some point, but I keep using it until they do, because it is easier to read, has larger print, and has the major quakes in red so you can spot them easier. The new page has none of that. I noticed a cluster of smaller quakes in unusual places, occurring close in time. I list them here

2.9 WESTERN TEXAS
2.6 WESTERN MONTANA
2.8 WESTERN MONTANA
2.7 OREGON
2.6 WESTERN TEXAS
3.6 SOUTHERN IDAHO
4.2 SOUTHERN IDAHO
2.8 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, WYOMING

The Australian reports 'Lost continent' found off Africa
"SCIENTISTS believe they've discovered the remains of a lost continent on the floor of the Indian Ocean off Africa. The research team from Norway, South Africa, Germany and the UK identified the ancient “microcontinent” after analysing beach sands from the island of Mauritius. They believe Mauritius was split from the larger island of Madagascar, 900 kilometres to the west, by volcanic eruptions between 61 and 84 million years ago. The beach sands were deposited by subsequent eruptions within the last nine million years. But the analysis found a smattering of zircon grains up to 2 billion years old, suggesting the recent volcanoes had spewed out fragments of an ancient continental crust."

OK, this has the geological world pretty excited. They love anything that they believe supports an old earth construct. The earth is not billions of years old, despite what scientists and Jack Kelley say.

It seems likely that at some point however, the continents were joined, and during the flood the massive geological upheaval separated them. (source). That event was tremendously stressful to the earth. Remember the 9.0 quake at Japan two years ago. A short amount of shaking during that earthquake moved the earth's axis and shortened the day! What did the Flood do to the lands? Peter says that the earth at that time was deluged with water and perished. (2 Peter 3:6). And as Gill's Exposition says, 'whatever alteration there might be in its form and position.' Not that the earth passed away, but everything on it and in it died. One can only wonder at God's power. Therefore though the earth is not billions of years old, it is interesting to wonder about a lost continent or two!

A few days ago, Israel carried out two strikes in Damascus. Foreign Policy magazine reports,
"Top news: The Syrian government charged Sunday that an overnight airstrike that targeted what is believed to be a military research center in Damascus was carried out by Israel, a development that marks the most significant international military action in the ongoing Syrian conflict and raises the specter that the conflict will spread beyond Syrian borders."

The enemies of Israel are claiming that the massive explosion at Damascus the other night was in fact a nuclear blast. In viewing the video posted of the explosion from different angels, they say that the cloud that arise from the massive fireball looked like a mushroom cloud. The explosion happened at night and Israel is mum on the entire operation, so due to the fog of war it will likely be impossible to nail down whether a nuclear missile, a nuclear-type missile, or simply a powerful rocket destroyed the facility atop the Damascus mountain.

However that doesn't matter a bit. Whether or not Israel used a low-level nuke (and I think that they did not) the enemies of Israel will simply claim that they did and run with it. This will provide them grounds to call for a retaliation, and also obscure the fact that there is evidence that the rebels used sarin gas (a deadly poison).

John McTernan wonders if WWIII has broken out, and though sometimes he gets a bit over-excited, I admit I wondered the same thing myself when I saw that blast. You can view the Youtube eyewitness video of the massive explosion, here, and/or search Youtube for other angles to view. When I saw how large that explosion was, like McTernan, I wondered, "Is this it?"

I was reading Zechariah last night, tears coming to my eyes at the sweep and scope of the LORD'S work upon the earth. We often settle into reading the same chapters which point to last days prophecy- Matthew 24, Revelation, Psalm 83, Ezekiel 38 & 39, and Isaiah 17 and 19. But the bible holds so much more, of course. Obadiah is interesting, if difficult. Zechariah enhances Revelation, being an almost parallel. Ezekiel 40-48 gloriously describe the Millennium kingdom. The last third of Isaiah points to Israel's restoration. And so on. Don't be afraid to branch out in reading Old Testament passages from the major and minor prophets. The Lord is great to behold, no matter what passage you read and no matter how much or how little one understands it at the time. Continual reading opens the passageways of understanding. And don't forget Peter, Paul, Jude and other NT writers had stuff to say about the last days, too. So don't get stuck in a rut, read, read, read- widely and often!

Comments

  1. I think it's possible that Isaiah 24 - 26 are also speaking of end times / millennial kingdom events. As you said, the book of Isaiah is full of fascinating treasures.

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  2. It was brought to my attention just last week that Genesis 10:25 indicates when the continents were divided and it was post flood which makes sense because the animals would have had to repopulate the lands before they divided.

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  3. The size of the explosion was probably due to the ammunition stored with the weaponry. Maybe like the fertilizer plant that exploded. Once the initial fire started, then the big explosion came.
    Also, over at Bible Prophecy Blog, Tom Ice has a really good article on what the words end times, latter days, etc. point to, and when they begin.

    Pam

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    Replies
    1. Great point, Pam.

      I've been reading Dr Ice's essays, they are all wonderful, and timely. I've enjoyed,

      Are We Living in the Last Days?
      Why a Gap in Daniel's 70 Weeks
      Who Are the 24 Elders of Revelation?

      People can get the links all in one place, their twitter stream
      https://twitter.com/bpblog2

      or go to BPB here (and I do not agree with all the writers at Bible Prophecy Blog)
      http://www.bibleprophecyblog.com

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    2. A very good point. It probably was a secondary explosion caused by ordinances. I've seen videos of non-nuclear explosions before and sometimes they do take the general shape of a mushroom cloud.

      Also, if it were a nuclear weapon, what happened to the electromagnetic pulse? Those cameras would almost certainly have been destroyed along with most or all of the memory and/or magnetic tape the footage was recorded on.

      This is yet another smear campaign designed to make Israel look bad.

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    3. Hi Chris,

      You're absolutely right about the EMP. I agree that Israel's enemies will use anything to smear Israel.

      However I also found this online at Jerusalem Post and also Russia Today. Again, note that the charge is from a source that hates Israel, an anonymous Syrian official, but FWIW, here is the excerpt

      http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Syria-Israel-used-depleted-uranium-shells-in-Syria-strike-312189
      Israel used "a new type of weapon", a senior official at the Syrian military facility that came under attack from the Israeli Air Force told RT.

      “When the explosion happened it felt like an earthquake,” said the source, who was present near the attack site on the outskirts of Damascus on Sunday morning.

      “Then a giant golden mushroom of fire appeared. This tells us that Israel used depleted uranium shells.”

      Depleted uranium is a by-product of the uranium enrichment process that creates nuclear weapons, and was first used by the US in the Gulf conflict of 1991. Unlike the radioactive materials used in nuclear weapons, depleted uranium is not valued for its explosiveness, but for its toughness – it is 2.5 times as dense as steel – which allows it to penetrate heavy protection.

      Countries using depleted uranium weapons insist that the material is toxic, but not dangerously radioactive, as long as it remains outside the body.

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    4. Thanks for posting this article. I read it through, but am skeptical considering the source and the new weapon/nuclear implication seems dubious at best. It's an interesting explanation, but it doesn't seem to make sense from a science perspective. Considering the source which, as you said, hates Israel, I'll take the wait-and-see approach, assuming there is at least a 50% chance it's all lies. Skepticism at its healthiest. :)

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