Televangelist Pat Robertson suggested Wednesday that cracks in the Washington Monument caused by the August 23 earthquake could be a sign from God, and the natural disaster “means that we’re closer to the coming of the Lord.”
To explain the rare east coast quake, Robertson pointed to the Biblical prophecy of the end of the world, which claims there could be potential devastation from natural disasters leading up to Jesus' return to Earth.
On his television show, "The 700 Club," Robertson said:
"I don't want to get weird on this, so please take it for what it's worth, but it seems to me the Washington Monument is a symbol of America's power. It has been the symbol of our great nation, we look at that monument and we say this is one nation under God. Now there's a crack in it."
"Is that a sign from the Lord? Is that something that has significance, or is it just the result of an earthquake?" Robertson asked his viewers.
WATCH:
Robertson went on to say the crack was symbolic, likening it to a Biblical story of a large curtain tearing as Jesus cried out during his crucifixion.
This is not the first time Robertson has suggested that religion played a role in causing a natural disaster. In 2010, he suggested that earthquake-ravaged Haiti was "cursed" by a "pact to the devil."