Hail in the Bible and Bible Prophecy

The incidences of Hail in Bible Prophecy

The Word "Hail" occurs 34 times in the Bible and hailstones occurs 5 times, but of those some are used as a salutation rather than an actual extreme weather event, but still it is mentioned enough times for it to be significant. This is a follow on article from a previous article called "Giant Hail. Is it business as usual on Planet Earth?" which looked at Hail from a more Meteorological and Extreme Weather real world aspect rather than from a Biblical viewpoint. This article will be focusing on more of a Biblical view point.

Hail seems to be yet another one of God's judgements that occur throughout the Bible and the hail will not be the normal size, say up to the size of a marble but at least orange in size or beyond. This is the sort of hail that is mentioned in the Bible as "very grievous" and is not a normal hail weather event, but one that is capable of large scale damage. In modern day Weather terms Severe Hail is classed as one inch or larger as stated by the National Weather Service.

Recent events in Sydney Australia show the power of extreme hail when it got battered by a huge storm that produced giant hail that pummelled the area which were up to 8cm in diameter. Hail essentially in normal circumstances is not really a Biblical event as it happens frequently around the globe and has done since the beginning of time. However when it starts striking areas that are not known for such extreme weather events with another indicator being the size of the hail normally called "Giant Hail" occurring, then this is no ordinary weather event. These extreme weather events seem to be happening more frequently and happening in increasingly strange places not known for such weather.


Hail mentioned in The Bible

The first instance of Hail mentioned in the Bible is with Moses in the Book of Exodus as one of the many plagues that were handed out to Pharaoh and Egypt



Exodus 9:18-19
18: Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
19: Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
Exodus 9:22-25 23: Hail descends. One of the plagues of Egypt
22: And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
23: And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
24: So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
25: And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
26: Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

A hail-storm destroyed the army of the Amorites when they fought against Joshua. The hail must have been intense in nature and the size must have been at least softball in size to kill an army....probably larger.

Joshua 10:11 God Uses HAIL to destroy the army of the Amorites In Battle
And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Bethhoron, that the LORD cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died: they were more which died with hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

The Prophet Ezekiel states that the wall daubed with untempered mortar will be destroyed by great hail-stones

Eze 13:11
Say unto them which daub it with untempered morter, that it shall fall: there shall be an overflowing shower; and ye, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall rend it.

Eze 38:22
And I will plead against him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.

In the Book of Job quote below, God challenges Job in effect asking him does he know where the treasures or storehouses of snow and hail are? There is mention here of the "Time of Trouble" which again many say could be "Jacobs Trouble" as in The Great Tribulation

Job 38:22-23
22. Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23. Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

The Book of Psalms mentions Hail many times and often in connection with fire as well.


Psalms 18:12-13
12: At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
13: The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

Psalms 78:47-48
47: He destroyed their vines with hail, and their sycomore trees with frost.
48: He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts.
Psalms 105:32
He gave them hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.

Psalms 148:8
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

Hail is mentioned as judgement many times by the Prophets.

Isaiah 28:2 God uses HAIL in judgement
Behold, the Lord hath a mighty and strong one, which as a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, as a flood of mighty waters overflowing, shall cast down to the earth with the hand.

Isaiah 28:17 Hail as Judgement
Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Isaiah 32:19 Hail as Judgement
When it shall hail, coming down on the forest; and the city shall be low in a low place.

Haggai 2:17 It is mentioned by Haggai as a divine judgment
I smote you with blasting and with mildew and with hail in all the labours of your hands; yet ye turned not to me, saith the LORD.


Hail Mentioned in the Book of Revelation
Hail is mentioned in a judgement context three times in the Book of Revelation, two times it is mentioned as a "Great Hail" as shown below in Times 2 and 3. Time 1 is the most interesting as the hail is not just hail but it is mingled with fire and blood. This is not the first time that this has been mentioned, it was mentioned as Hail and Fire in Exodus as a judgement on Egypt and as prophecy in Ezekiel 38:22 as pestilence and blood and also great hailstones, fire and brimstone and in Psalms as hailstones and coals of fire.

Here are the 3 instances of Hail mentioned in the Book of Revelation the last book of the New Testament

Time 1: Revelation 8:7 The First Trumpet of Revelation
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Time 2: Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Time 3: Revelation 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

Many if not most interpreters of the Book of Revelation state that many if not all the occurrences in this Book of Revelation prophecy are not literal but are symbolic in nature. However Joel 2:30 below illustrates otherwise. If these things literally happened in the past as mentioned in the Old Testament then these things can and will happen in the last days as mentioned by St John the Divine in the Book of Revelation and are mentioned by other Prophets in the Old Testament as well!

Joel 2:30
And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.

It seems hard to fathom the hail that is mentioned in prophecy in Revelation 16:21 which quite clearly states that each hail stone will be the weight of a talent, which in modern measures varies depending on what time period you use but on average seems to be around a rather horrific 60-70lbs

A Greek, or Attic talent, was 26 kilograms (57 lb)
A Roman talent was 32.3 kilograms (71 lb)
An Egyptian talent was 27 kilograms (60 lb)
A Babylonian talent was 30.3 kilograms (67 lb)
The heavy common talent, used in New Testament times, was 58.9 kilograms (130 lb)

For comparison purposes the largest officially recognized hailstone on record to have been 'captured' in the U.S. was one which fell near Vivian, South Dakota on July 23rd 2010. It measured a whopping 8.0” in diameter, 18 ½” in circumference, and weighed in at 1.9375 pounds. That can cause serios structural damage and can kill a person or animal on contact to the skull.

Taking the Biblical Hail mentioned in Revelation 16:21 the weight would be equivalent to 15 x 2kg bags of potatoes and of a similar size of those combined OR 30 times the weight of the South Dakota hail from 2010. To avoid damage from such a hail you would probably need to be in an underground facility with many feet of concrete overhead. A house, in fact any building would provide very little protection from such a hail. Anything outside and exposed would not survive even if wearing protective gear. This sounds like a very similar hail judgement that was given to Pharaoh via Moses in the land of Egypt way back in Exodus where it was mentioned as a "very grievous" hail.

Exodus 9:25 And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.

Many say Hail that is baseball or softball in size can kill if travelling at the right speed. It usually takes hail the size of a hen’s egg to dent a car and smash windscreens, but hail the size of baseballs can kill animals who can't find a sheltering tree that breaks the fall of the falling hail that size. Which raises the question what size hail can break a tree?



Summary

This is yet another demonstration that times may change over thousands of years but God's word and his judgements never change. As mentioned many times in Videos over at The Twelve Gates You Tube Channel, God always uses the same judgements. They have worked before so why shouldn't they work again. Many times the "Sword" and "Pestilence" and "Famine" and "The Beasts" are used as judgements throughout the Bible either in isolation or in severe cases all four of them combined. The Hail or as it is mentioned "Grievous Hail" or mentioned as a "plague" is just another form of judgement that was used way back in Exodus and will be used yet again in Revelation literally and not symbolically. The first instance being The First Trumpet of Revelation in Revealtion 8 which it can be safely said........... has not yet occurred.

Giant Hail. Is it business as usual on Planet Earth?

Is Giant Hail on the increase?

A recent headline sparked this article it read "8 killed as severe storms lash northern Myanmar"?

On further investigation this is not the first time this has happened, although at present it is not a common occurrence. It seems with the recent change in the world weather verging on the bizarre, "massive hail" seems to be on the increase, not only in the places you would expect it, but increasingly around the world in places that you would not. It's not quite the headline grabber as say Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Earthquakes or Volcanic eruptions but with recent headlines it begs the question "How large can hail get?"

VID: Insane Giant Hail around the Globe. Is it getting bigger? via The Twelve Gates You Tube

Normal sized hail is the size of a pea or maybe marble sized in the extreme, but the latest hail seems to have jumped up in size with hail the size of a baseball or tennis ball being quite common and hail the size of a grapefruit in rarer cases. These sizes do occur but are more a rarity.

Something that size dropping out of the sky at a rapid rate of knots being rock solid in composition can easily damage vehicles and buildings but also when hail gets that size and travelling at that speed, has the potential to cave your head in and potentially kill people as the previously mentioned headline demonstrates! Walking around in a crash helmet whilst walking the streets becomes a rather mad, laughable but very feasable proposition when these sort of situations occur. With these sot of headlines those sort of thoughts start entering your head, you know that we are living in changing times and more to the point........ something is not quite righ here!

Massive Hail is the new Natural Disaster headline in terms of frequency and deadliness, starting to head up their with the other big natural disasters. Large Hail is nothing new, it's been around for a long time but the larger biblical/apocalyptic stuff is rare, that is until recently. Hail stones originate from a Hail Storm, but what exactly is a Hailstorm and what causes hail to form and why do you get these weird occurrences sometimes in the middle of summer?

What is a hailstorm?
Any thunderstorm which produces hail that reaches the ground is known as a hailstorm. Hail has a diameter of 5 millimetres (0.20 in) or more. Hailstones can grow to 15 centimetres (6 in) and weigh more than 0.5 kilograms (1.1 lb). Unlike ice pellets, hailstones are layered and can be irregular and clumped together.

What causes hail to form?
Hail is caused when raindrops are lifted up into the atmosphere during a thunderstorm and then supercooled by temperatures below freezing, turning them into ice balls, says Dr. Dick Orville of Texas A&M University. "The faster the updraft on these balls of ice, the bigger they can grow," he adds.

Vid: 10 seconds Hail Explainer from CBS11 Dallas Fort Worth from Chief Meteorologist Larry Mowry

El Nino is usually the explanation for such strange biblical or apocalyptic weather, but according to meteorologists we are heading out of El Nino?

What does The Weather Channel have to say? A comprehensive article delves a little bit deeper with some interesting facts:

When it comes to severe weather, tornadoes dominate the headlines and are generally the most feared. This is for good reason as they are one of the most violent weather forces on earth. That said, severe storms also come with other hazards that can be a significant threat to people and property. One of those "underrated dangers" is large hail.

The costliest hailstorm in U.S. history hit the Phoenix metro area on Oct. 5, 2010. As estimated $2.8 billion in damage was caused by that storm, according to NOAA's storm data. Hailstones up to three inches in diameter were measured in the West Chandler area.

Typical damage from hail-

Quarter-size (1 inch) - Damage to shingles
Golf ball (1.75 inches) - Dents on cars
Baseball (2.75 inches) - Windshields smashed
Softball (4.5 inches) - Holes in roofs

What sort of damage can a baseball sized hail do to a person?
According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL), a hailstone the size of a baseball falls at a speed comparable to a baseball thrown from a major league pitcher - near 100 mph. A good indication of why injuries to a person's body from large hail can be so severe.

Giant Hail Deaths
Deaths from Giant Hail are thankfully fairly rare. the deadliest hailstorm occurred on April 30, 1988 in India when 246 people were killed! But see the recent headline only days ago where 8 people died and another in South Africa in Feb 2016 that killed one.

More Hail Facts:
1. Hailstones 98% of the time are golf ball size or smaller
2. The largest ever Hailstone fell in Vivian, S.D. on July 23, 2010. It measured eight inches in diameter and weighed 1.93 pounds
3. Large hail (at least 1 inch in diameter) is most frequently observed firstyl across an area called Hail Alley ranging from Denver to Rapid City, South Dakota, and east into parts of Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri. These areas average more than 10 days per year according to reports from 2003 to 2012.
Secondly Hailstorm Alley is an area of south and central Alberta, Canada where hail storms are frequently produced. These storms frequently produce hail that is damaging to property. This area stretches from High River in southern Alberta, northward through Calgary, through Red Deer to Lacombe and then westward to Rocky Mountain House.

Comforting to know but doesn't explain The Freak Giant Hail in Russia, China, Myanmar, Brazil, Italy and many other places. What The Twelve Gates Website looks for is unusual occurrences and events that are out of the ordinary, occuring more frequently in areas not normally known for such events. Recently there has been increasing occurrences along with increasing size in areas known for hail but not of such a huge size.

Recent News:

Nov 2014: Giant Hail kills 200 in Himalayas via The Telegraph

Sep 2015: Hundreds of flamingos battered to death during giant hailstone storm via The Local ES

June 2015: Sheep herders mourn loss of sheep to giant hail stones via Rapid City Journal

Mar 2016: Violent hail storm kills exotic birds at Fort Worth Zoo in Texas via CBS News

Sep 2015: Baseball-Sized Hail Pummels Parts of Italy This Weekend via Weather.com

A compilation video will be accompanying thia article

Biblical References:
The Bible references hail on many occassions in the Old and New Testament but in relation to End Times Prophecy for our times the Book of Revelations mentions hail three times and twice there is mentioned a Great Hail. Hail doesn't have to be ice, it could be stone or rock or even meteorites! Rev 16:21 even mentions the weight of the hail, a talent. A talent is about 75 pounds or about 33kg! If the prophecy of Revelation is correct, what we are seeing now which is only at maximum a pound or 0.5kg and the damage that can cause, 33kg doesn't bear thinking about. You would need to be in a concrete bunker of some considerable thickness or similar undeground facility to have a chance of survival. Buildings would be flattened if such a hail did arrive in our modern times.

The three Book of Revelations quotes below to ponder over:

Revelation 8:7
The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.

Revelation 11:19
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

Revelation 16:21
And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.

The costliest and deadliest hailstorms around the world History courtesy Wikipedia