Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Gulf Crisis and Biblical Prophecy

Many people are wondering of the Gulf oil crisis is part of the overall prophetic picture that we find ourselves in during these last days. The short answer is "who knows?". There is no specific prophecy relating to an oil spill, nor is there a specific prophecy relating to this type of specific prophecy. We know that during the Tribulation, water will be affected in different ways:

"The second angel sounded his trumpet and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed. The third angel sounded his trumpet and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the waters and on the springs of water - the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter." (Revelation 8:8-11)

Later, during the Tribulation, during the "Bowl Judgments" we see this:

The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood. Then I heard the angel in charge of the waters say:

"You are just in these judgments,
you who are and who were, the Holy One,
because you have so judged;
for they have shed the blood of your saints and prophets,
and you have given them blood to drink as they deserve."


(Revelation 16:3-6)


Several thoughts. First of all, these "judgments" occur during the Tribulation, and we are not currently in the Tribulation - that is clear. Secondly, the first scriptures above - where the waters are affected - appear to result from a meteor or perhaps a huge volcano blowing out, or perhaps missiles re-entering the atmosphere. None of that is consistent with the current events in the gulf. Thirdly, some folks have noticed that aerial photos of the gulf, where the spill is present, appears to be the color of blood. But note the scriptures above - the biblical commentary indicates that they are given (literal) blood to drink (via the waters changing to "blood") - because of the bloodshed caused by persecution. That, to me, seems like literal blood, not something that looks like blood.

For these reasons, I do not see any specific prophecy being fulfilled in the Gulf. However, it could be fulfillment of Genesis 12, where the nations are strongly warned not to "curse" Israel, or they will be cursed. That scenario has to be a possibility, as the U.S. administration does everything in its power to divide Jerusalem and weaken Israel to a point that they are vulnerable to the surrounding enemies. But even that is highly speculative.

Having said all of that - there are some very ominous developments in this golf oil crisis, developments that aren't being covered by the MSM:

"How the ultimate BP Gulf disaster could kill millions"

Below are some highlights, but the entire article is worth reading:

Disturbing evidence is mounting that something frightening is happening deep under the waters of the Gulf of Mexico—something far worse than the BP oil gusher.

Warnings were raised as long as a year before the Deepwater Horizon disaster that the area of seabed chosen by the BP geologists might be unstable, or worse, inherently dangerous.

What makes the location that Transocean chose potentially far riskier than other potential oil deposits located at other regions of the Gulf? It can be summed up with two words: methane gas.

More than 12 months ago some geologists rang the warning bell that the Deepwater Horizon exploratory rig might have been erected directly over a huge underground reservoir of methane.

Documents from several years ago indicate that the subterranean geologic formation may contain the presence of a huge methane deposit.

None other than the engineer who helped lead the team to snuff the Gulf oil fires set by Saddam Hussein to slow the advance of American troops has stated that a huge underground lake of methane gas—compressed by a pressure of 100,000 pounds per square inch (psi)—could be released by BP’s drilling effort to obtain the oil deposit.

Current engineering technology cannot contain gas that is pressurized to 100,000 psi.


According to worried geologists, the first signs that the methane may burst its way through the bottom of the ocean would be fissures or cracks appearing on the ocean floor near the damaged well head.


Evidence of fissures opening up on the seabed have been captured by the robotic submersibles working to repair and contain the ruptured well. Smaller, independent plumes have also appeared outside the nearby radius of the bore hole itself. (My note: This would explain the continuing increase in the flow of escaping oil from the ruptured seabed.)

With the emerging evidence of fissures, the quiet fear now is the methane bubble rupturing the seabed and exploding into the Gulf waters. If the bubble escapes, every ship, drilling rig and structure within the region of the bubble will instantaneously sink. All the workers, engineers, Coast Guard personnel and marine biologists measuring the oil plumes’ advance will instantly perish.

As horrible as that is, what would follow is an event so potentially horrific that it equals in its fury the Indonesian tsunami that killed more than 600,000, or the destruction of Pompeii by Mt. Vesuvius.


The ultimate Gulf disaster, however, would make even those historical horrors pale by comparison. If the huge methane bubble breaches the seabed, it will erupt with an explosive fury similar to that experienced during the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in the Pacific Northwest. A gas gusher will surge upwards through miles of ancient sedimentary rock—layer after layer—past the oil reservoir. It will explode upwards propelled by 50 tons psi, burst through the cracks and fissures of the compromised sea floor, and rupture miles of ocean bottom with one titanic explosion.

While the entire Gulf coastline is vulnerable, the state most exposed to the fury of a supersonic wave towering 100 feet or more is Florida. The Sunshine State only averages about 6 inches above sea level. A supersonic tsunami would literally sweep away everything from Miami to the panhandle in a matter of minutes. Loss of human life would be virtually instantaneous and measured in the millions. Of course the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and southern region of Georgia—a state with no Gulf coastline—would also experience tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Loss of property is virtually incalculable and the days of the US position as the world’s superpower would be literally gone in a flash…of detonating methane.


It is interesting that we are already beginning to see huge, epic events on the planet - the type of events which will be common during the Tribulation.

We are only beginning to see a brief glimpse of what is to come.

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