The Sea of Galilee, where Jesus performed many of his miracles, is reportedly drying up.
According to Israeli officials, the lake's water level has fallen to its lowest level and is already 20 centimetres below the "red line," according to Catholic Online.
This was brought about by four consecutive years of drought, said Amir Givati, an official of Israel's Water Authority. "The situation is serious," he said, adding that the loss of water has already affected the environment and wildlife in the area.
Givati assured though that the Sea of Galilee is not about to dry up completely—unless Israel is hit with a decades-long drought.
The lake is a unique body of water. For one thing, its surface is "68 stories lower than the surface of nearby Mediterranean Sea and the rest of the world's oceans," according to Christian Answers.
The lake is about 13 miles long and 7 miles wide, but only 150 feet deep, and it lies 650 feet below sea level, according to Got Questions ministry.
But the Sea of Galilee's biggest attractions is its rich Biblical history. Jesus Christ lived in the city of Capernaum along the shores of this lake.
The area is also the place where Jesus performed many of his miracles. One of them is when He calmed a raging storm as mentioned in Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:35-41, and Luke 8:22-25.
According to the Gospels, Jesus and His disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee in a boat one night when they suddenly found themselves in the midst of a furious storm. Jesus was sleeping at that time, but His disciples woke Him up and told Him, "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?"
As written in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!"
Then the wind died down and the sea became calm again.
Jesus then told His disciples, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?"
What happened terrified the disciples who asked each other, "Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!"
Jesus walked along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and sailed on its waters. It's the place where he taught people the truth about God, according to Christian Answers.
The apostles Peter, Andrew, James and John also lived on the shores of this lake where they made their living from its abundant source of fish. Jesus later turned these fishermen into "fishers of men."
