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The Israeli Ministry of Health distributed a letter in which it warned Israeli hospitals to prepare for a major earthquake.

Since February, abnormal seismic activity has been noted in southern Lebanon, which had suffered some 500 minor earthquakes in a three-month period, health ministry director-general Avi Yisraeli said in the letter.

"In May, the tremors have become more intense and were felt in northern Israel," he said adding that "should an earthquake of such magnitude hit northern Israel, it may cause substantial infrastructural damage in the area.

"All medical facilities and organisations must do everything they can to enhance the level of readiness," Yisraeli said in the letter published by the ministry on Monday.

Lebanon's National Scientific Research Center (Lebanon has an infrastructure? Who knew?) is also warning of an impending major quake.

Moueen Hamz, the director of the center, told the AFP that the 800-plus tremors ranging between 2.3 and 5.1 on the Richter Scale since mid-February are increasing in frequency and intensity.

"The tremors increased significantly in May and June," he said, urging the Lebanese authorities to take "serious prevention measures."

Israeli seismologists note that the Holy Land suffers a major quake every 80 years or so -- and that last major temblor struck 81 years ago.

The 1927 earthquake was centered in the sparsely populated area between Jerusalem and Jericho. Three hundred people were killed in the quake, and more than one thousand homes were leveled.

If there is any one particular 'sign' associated with the last days and the return of Christ, it is earthquakes.

Four times in Scripture we are reminded that: "the earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof. " (Exodus 9:29, Psalms 24:1, 1st Corinthians 10:26,28)

It is therefore fitting that the Lord would choose earthquakes to demonstrate His sovereign control over creation.

One of the great signs of the last days given by Jesus Christ is "great earthquakes in divers places" (Luke 21:11, Matthew 24:3, Mark 13:8).This sign is so important that whole ministries have dedicated themselves to proving the link between increasing seismic activity and the Times of the Signs.

Until recently, the evidence was somewhat ambiguous; earthquakes appeared to be on the increase, but there was some question as to whether it was real or merely perceived.

In other words, were they actually on the rise, or are we just getting better at detecting them? It was a question in the 80s, somewhat less questionable in the 90's -- since the turn of the 21st century, the question has been answered.

The earthquake swarms of the 21st century have shot off the charts.

Both the Crucifixion and Resurrection were marked by earthquakes: "Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God." (Matthew 27:54)

"And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." (Matthew 28:2)

The Prophet Zechariah says that, at the Lord's Second Coming, when His Foot touches down on Mount of Olives, it will generate an earthquake that will split the Kidron Valley from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea. (Zechariah 14:5)

While the Lord spoke of earthquakes in 'divers' places, the Bible also speaks to earthquakes in the Holy Land -- not as signs, but as weapons of war against invaders.

The Prophet Joel, speaking of the "great northern (Gog Magog) invaders" predicted: "The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining." (Joel 2:10)

Revelation speaks of earthquakes as an instrument of Divine judgment five separate times: (Revelation 8:5, 11:13, 11:19, 16:18).

Earthquakes symbolize judgment, not grace---so it is not surprising that great world-wide earthquakes will characterize the end of the age in which we live. Most importantly, the Bible indicates that it will be through the agency of an earthquake that He will restore the Temple Mount to Jewish control.

"For thus says the LORD of hosts; 'Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, says the LORD of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, says the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace,' says the LORD of hosts." (Haggai 2:6-9)

The al-Aqsa Mosque currently occupies the Temple Mount, but according to the Apostle Paul, during the Tribulation, the Temple will be restored and in operation. More than that, it's legitimacy will have been restored.

"Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2nd Thessalonians 2:4)

Note that Paul refers to the Third Temple as "The Temple of God" and not merely the 'Temple' or the 'Temple of Antichrist'.

To legitimately be the Temple of God, four things are necessary:

1) It must be located on Mount Moriah over the Holy of Holies, on the place where Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, currently under the al-Aqsa Mosque;

2) It must be ritually cleansed by ritually purified cohanin priests;

3) The Ark of the Covenant (the "Mercy Seat") must be restored.

4) It must take place after the Age of Grace has come to an end with the Rapture and the 70th Week of Daniel had begun.

The first of these difficulties is the fact that the Temple Mount is currently occupied by the al-Aqsa Mosque. No human power could eliminate that problem. The destruction of the mosque by the Jews would bring the world's Muslim population to its feet in fury.

On the other hand, the global reaction to its destruction by an 'act of God' is somewhat less predictable.

I don't know if the anticipated earthquake activity forecast by Israeli seismologists will be the 'Big One' that brings down the mosque -- but I know that the Bible says that something does -- both Daniel and Paul forecast the existence of a Jewish Temple on Temple Mount in the last days.

Israeli scientists forecast the Big One is just around the corner and the epicenter is expected to be near Jerusalem. I don't know for sure if one is related to the other, but, given the time frame we're working in, it certainly could be.

And in any case, the Promise isn't that the Lord will return for His Church AFTER the Temple Mount has been reconstructed, the abomination of desolation accomplished and the onset of the Great Tribulation. What the Lord said was this:

"And when these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemption draweth nigh." (Luke 21:28)

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