A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck southern Iran on February 19, 2026, at 7:13 a.m. local time, with its epicenter 35 kilometers southwest of Mohr in Fars province. The quake hit at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers, sending strong shakes through rural villages and key natural gas fields like Tabnak, Homa, Shanol, and Varavi that fuel Iran’s economy and its support for terrorist groups. Seismologists from the German Research Centre for Geosciences and the U.S. Geological Survey confirmed the details, noting no immediate casualties or widespread destruction, though the event disrupted operations at the nearby Parsian Gas Refinery. This tremor erupted from the ancient core of Persia, the very region where Cyrus the Great launched his empire in 559 BCE, conquering Babylon and issuing the decree that rebuilt Jewish life in Jerusalem after decades of exile.

What message does this quake carry when it rumbles from Cyrus’s birthplace on the brink of Purim, as Israel contends with Iranian-backed terrorists seeking its destruction?

The Bible delivers the insight through Isaiah’s prophecy, written centuries before Cyrus’s time. “Thus says the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to subdue nations before him and loose the loins of kings, to open before him the double doors, so that the gates will not be shut: I will go before you and make the crooked places straight; I will break in pieces the gates of bronze and cut the bars of iron” (Isaiah 45:1-2). God called Cyrus His mashiach (anointed one) to end the Babylonian oppression.

In 539 BCE, Cyrus captured Babylon without a fight, then proclaimed freedom for the exiles. The full decree stands in Ezra: “Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel (He is God), which is in Jerusalem. And whoever is left in any place where he dwells, let the men of his place help him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, besides the freewill offerings for the house of God which is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2-4). Cyrus supplied timber from Lebanon, returned 5,400 gold and silver vessels looted from the First Temple, and appointed Sheshbazzar to lead the returnees. By 516 BCE, the Second Temple rose on its foundation, a direct result of this Persian king’s command.

President Trump mirrors this role in modern times as Israel’s staunchest defender. His 2017 recognition of Jerusalem as the capital echoed Cyrus’s charge to rebuild the city and Temple. Trump declared in his White House speech, “We finally acknowledge the obvious: that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. This is nothing more or less than a recognition of reality.” He relocated the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem in 2018, affirming the city’s unity under Israeli control. In 2019, he extended sovereignty recognition to the Golan Heights, securing Israel’s northern border against Syrian and Iranian threats. The Abraham Accords, signed in 2020 under his watch, normalized ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco, creating a coalition that boxed in Iran’s aggression. Trump withdrew from the 2018 Iran nuclear deal, reimposing sanctions that dropped Iran’s oil exports from 2.5 million barrels daily to under 300,000, choking funds for its terrorist networks. In January 2020, he ordered the strike on Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s top general responsible for arming Hezbollah and directing attacks on Israeli soil. Trump stated plainly after the operation, “Soleimani was plotting imminent and sinister attacks on American diplomats and military personnel, but we caught him in the act and terminated him.” Since resuming office in 2025, Trump has expanded sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missiles and designated more Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units as terrorists, ensuring no nuclear weapon reaches Tehran’s hands.

The parallels extend to family influence in the corridors of power. Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior advisor, spearheaded the Middle East strategy much like Mordecai guided events from the Persian court in the Book of Esther. Kushner negotiated the Abraham Accords directly, traveling to capitals and forging deals that bypassed Palestinian vetoes. Ivanka Trump, who converted to Orthodox Judaism in 2009 under Rabbi Haskel Lookstein and adopted the Hebrew name Yael, worked alongside him on initiatives that advanced women’s economic empowerment in the region, tying into the peace process. She joined delegations to Morocco in 2019, where she met with leaders to promote education and business opportunities for women as part of the normalization push. Ivanka attended the Jerusalem embassy opening and participated in White House ceremonies for the Accords, her presence underscoring the family’s commitment. Through Kushner’s efforts, the deals isolated Iran further, with signatory nations committing to counter Tehran’s influence. This dynamic recalls how Esther, with Mordecai’s counsel, revealed Haman’s plot to King Ahasuerus, saving the Jews from annihilation.

Haman’s spirit lives on in Hamas terrorists and their Iranian sponsors. The October 7, 2023, atrocities saw Hamas murder 1,200 Israelis, rape women, and seize hostages, all with rockets and training from Tehran. Khamenei has vowed repeatedly to erase Israel, labeling it a “fake regime” in speeches as recent as 2025. The United Nations amplifies this bias, passing resolutions like 2334 that condemn Jewish homes in Judea and Samaria while ignoring Palestinian incitement. Yet Esther shows the reversal: “So it came to pass on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month of Adar, that a copy of the document was published as law in every province, being revealed to all peoples, that the Jews should be ready on that day to avenge themselves on their enemies” (Esther 8:13). The Jews armed themselves and defeated their foes, leading to widespread conversions: “And many of the people of the land became Jews, for the fear of the Jews fell upon them” (Esther 8:17). The Sages in the Talmud (Megillah 7a) teach that this fear stemmed from seeing God’s hand in the turnaround. Iran’s Jewish remnant, numbering 8,000 to 10,000 in cities like Tehran and Shiraz, endures under surveillance but reads the Megillah (Scroll of Esther) each Purim. Protests against the regime, sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022 and swelling again in 2025 over economic woes, signal cracks that could lead to the same biblical shift.

The quake in Fars province awakens more than memory. It signals the urgency to fulfill Cyrus’s unfinished work. The Temple Mount, site of the First and Second Temples, now hosts foreign structures and trees planted to obscure its sanctity. Jewish law demands the area be cleared of all alien elements, from domes and mosques to the cypress and olive groves that dot the plateau, to prepare for reconstruction. The Bible commands in Deuteronomy: “You shall utterly destroy all the places where the nations which you shall dispossess served their gods, on the high mountains and on the hills and under every green tree” (Deuteronomy 12:2). Groups like the Temple Institute have already crafted the vessels, the red heifer program advances, and architects draw plans based on Ezekiel’s vision. President Trump’s policies have set the stage by strengthening Israel’s position globally, making the moment ripe. Jerusalem rises when Jews act on the divine mandate, building the Third Temple as the house of prayer for all nations. The enemies plot in vain; the land promised to Abraham endures. The tremors from Persia declare it: the time for restoration has arrived, and Jerusalem will shine as the eternal capital with its Temple rebuilt.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)