THE DEAD SEA
IN PROPHECY
By E. E.
WORDSWORTH
The eyes of the whole world are on Palestine,
and if you will look at a map of the Holy Land in your Bible you will see a
picture of the Dead Sea. It is a vast body of water. It covers an area of 340 square miles, and
its depth varies from twelve feet at the south end to 1,300 feet at the deepest
part of the northern end. It occupies a
sink the altitude of which is 1,292 feet below sea level. This great inland Sea has no outlet and into
it for long centuries all the hills and upper plains have
drained. Because there is no outlet, and
the rate of evaporation being rapid, the mineral content is astonishingly
high. In fact it is the heaviest
concentration of certain soluble salts known to occur anywhere in the entire
world. This Sea is forty-seven miles in
length, and it reaches a width of nine and a half miles at its widest
expanse. The name Dead Sea was given to this mighty
inland lake in the second century of our era.
Formerly it was called The Salt Sea, The Sea of the Plains, and Josephus calls it The Asphalt Lake.
Modern Arabs still refer to it as Lots Sea. We recall seeing a picture in a religious
periodical of a woman sitting upright on this Sea holding an open umbrella with
both hands, over her head for protection from the sun - not in a boat but on
the water itself. The temperature in the
area is often 120 degrees Fahrenheit. The
heat is unbearable at times.
Chemical engineers have discovered that the waters of this
strange lake contain vast quantities of many of the substances most valuable to
industry, agriculture and warfare. They
found that from the depth of 200 feet down the waters were
practically a saturated solution of various salts. Consequently a pipe line thirty inches in
diameter and 2,800 feet long was laid, terminating at a depth of 200 feet below
the surface of the Sea. By the use of
enormous pumps this water is lifted for use. The soil on the shore is a
heavy clay, which does not permit the water to escape by filtration.
The wind blows all day from the south and from the north all
through the night. Under these
conditions the water in shallow pans is quickly evaporated, leaving behind a
residue of chemicals. At certain stages
of evaporation the water is drained off into lower pans and the process
continued. The top pan condenses to a
certain stage, and is then allowed to flow down into pan number two. When the water in pan number two is
sufficiently evaporated, it is again drained off into pan number three, leaving
behind the double salt known as carnallite: this is
composed of magnesium and potassium, which are easily evaporated. The process of evaporation is continued and
when the water is once more drained
into pan number four it contains magnesium bromide from which pure bromide is
obtained cheaply. This fourth and last
pan is completely evaporated, and the process is finished. The final stage yields another salt. This is known as potassium chloride. Evaporating pan number one produces sodium
chloride. Pan number two, magnesium and
potassium (carnallite). Pan number three, magnesium bromide. Pan number four, potassium chloride.
What God hath wrought! Across
the centuries He has been storing up these valuable salts for the last days,
these priceless ingredients for the use of our day. The total value of these deposits is
inestimable. Thousands of millions of
tons, there is at the very least right now forty-one thousand million tons of
these wonderful and precious chemicals available, and still the streams are
constantly pouring into this Sea forty thousand additional tons yearly. It is said that all the money minted since the
days of Julius Caesar would not equal the cost price of this chemical treasure,
if it had been purchased in the mass.
Why is this enormous wealth stored up? God provided it for Israel, and the mechanism for its
recovery is brought to light. He
arranged the slope and nature of the soil and also put artesian water near by
for the use of those employed. But will
the Jews keep these deposits for themselves, or will some other power seek the
spoils?
We are plainly told in Ezekiel that Russia will undertake a campaign
for the sake of the spoils. Nations are
fast bankrupting themselves by bloody wars, famine grips the earth with clammy
hands and the godless powers are desperate for money, materials, and food. Their eyes turn to Palestine,
the Dead Sea, and they reach out with
rapacious hands to seize these treasures. The unquestioned source of Palestines
future wealth is the Dead Sea. Even now the Holy Land is blossoming as the rose and industry and
agriculture are stimulated because of this vast wealth. The bleak and barren hills are changed to
fruitful groves and orchards. Soon the Palestine grab will be on. Kaiser
Wilhelm wanted it. Mussolini cast wistful eyes in that
direction, and now the Kremlin, with
intent gaze would seize it for a prey. The
Russian invaders will enter Palestine
for the spoils, but God will bring about complete defeat and rout of the foe. Five-sixths will die. This will be a casualty list hitherto unknown
in the annals of war. For seven months
the victors will be burying the Lords slain. God is going to rain fire, hail and brimstone
upon these godless Communists, and the Revelation
tells us that hailstones will be the size of a talent, about 125 lbs. in
weight, thus bringing about their utter destruction. A missionary told me about seeing in Africa
hailstones the size of a baseball, and the demolishing power was terrific, but
these will be much larger yet when God undertakes to win this battle against
the cruel, heartless, barbaric, God-hating, Christ-rejecting, diabolical Communists. So Lift up your head, Christian believer, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape those things that shall come
to pass, and to stand before the Son
of Man.
The Midnight Cry.
-------