What Would a Shemitah Judgement Look Like? Altering the Landscape

The Mystery of the Shemitah

In several posts now, we've been taking a closer look at the list of manifestations author Jonathan Cahn wrote in his book, The Mystery of the Shemitah, that would take place in a Shemitah judgment. On page 243, Jonathan Cahn wrote:

"The judgment will alter the landscape of nations and powers."

The very next manifestation Cahn lists is this:

"The judgment will involve and affect the rise and fall of great powers."

At first the landscapes I thought of were "political landscapes," meaning the political powers we see in the world today. (Tweet that!)  His next statement, the rise and fall of great powers, seems to confirm that.

But upon further thought, I wonder, could it be literal landscape? By that I mean, of the land? Could the landscape actually be altered, as in a large earthquake? (Tweet that!) 

Nothing says it couldn't be both.

I'm just thinking out loud. What do you think?

Related Articles:

• August 13: Wouldn't Leveling Imbalances and Erasing Accounts Be a Good Thing?

• August 15: The Shemitah: When the World Ceases to Function Introduce the Mark of the Beast

• August 18: The Entanglements, Attachments, and Bondages of American Politics 

• August 20: Could a Shemitah Judgment Involve a Shaking of the U.S. Supreme Court?

• August 22: What Would a Shemitah Judgement Look Like? Wiping Away Physical Realities

Want more information? Wish you had a review or a summary of all this information? Then get my new e-book today: The Shemitah. Includes a new Leader's Guide!

The Shemitah 

What it is, When it is, and Why it's Important in Light of Bible Prophecy 

(#1 in the Best of Bible Prophecies Fulfilled Blog Book Series) 

"There will be... Earthquakes in Various Places" - Part 3 - Recent Earthquakes and Resources

Pacific Ring of Fire where about 90% of the world's
earthquakes and 81% of the world's largest earthquakes
occur.  Wikipedia (Public Domain)

In our discussion of Jesus' prophecy of earthquakes, there was so much information to discuss that I've divided it into three posts running all this week. We're continuing a discussion about Jesus' prediction that before his coming, in the "End Times," he said.

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places (Matthew 24:7b, NIV).

In the first post this week we talked about earthquake statistics from the USGS. In the second we discussed fracking and man-made earthquakes.

Today we'll talk about recent earthquakes and a couple of my favorite resources to stay abreast of what's happening with Bible prophecies being fulfilled. (Tweet that!)

RECENT EARTHQUAKES

It seems this year there have been a lot of earthquakes. Here is a clip from NBC's Nightly News on April 2, 2014, (clip offered by NBC Nightly News).

Video:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Even in the two months since that video, more quakes have taken place. Here is just a sampling of the more major earthquakes from this year alone. I've only listed a few because there are so many. Find the full list on Wikipedia "Earthquakes in 2014": 

• 7.1 Offshore Chiapas, Mexico, July 7, 2014
• 6.7 Papua New Guinea, July 4, 2014
• 6.0, 6.3 Alaska, June 23-24, 2014
• 6.2, 6.3, 6.9 New Zealand, June 23, 2014
• 6.9 Aegean Sea, Greece/Turkey, May 24, 2014
• 8.2 Iquique, Chili, April 1, 2014 (with several more through the month)
• Four 6.0 to 6.7 Iquique, Chili, March 16-23, 2014
• 6.8 northern California, USA, March 10, 2014
• 6.9 Hotan, Xinjiang, Chinga, February 12, 2014

Here are two more resources for up-to-date information on earthquakes:

• List of "Significant Earthquakes Past 30 Days." 
• Daily list of 2.5+ earthquakes worldwide.

Personally I've had a theory for some time that when one quake occurs on one side of the world, another might occur on the opposite side. This just makes sense to me. Think about it: if you place several solid objects together, such as bricks or dishes which could mimic tectonic plates of the earth, then if you shift one on one side, something necessarily has to shift on the other side.

Apparently someone at the USGS agrees with me. <insert wink and smiley face here> David Oppenheimer with the USGS talked about just such a possibility in this article from CBS San Francisco dated June 23, 2014:  "USGS Scientist Says Alaska, New Zealand Quakes Might Be Linked."

RESOURCES:

Here are two of my favorite resources if you'd like to read more about earthquakes and prophecy, and if you'd like to follow earthquakes in real time: (Tweet that!)

Southwest Radio Church

One of my favorite resources for information on prophecy is the radio program Southwest Radio Church. They have been around for a long time and credit themselves as the longest running Christian radio program. They cover topics other than prophecy, but they talk about prophecy more than anyone else I know. I've learned a ton from this organization and I am eternally grateful for all they've taught me. Must I issue a disclaimer to say I don't agree with everything they teach? Of course I don't—that's just normal. But I find most of their information solid and interesting.

I hope you will tune in to Southwest Radio Church for their prophecy programs (Tweet that!) or whatever else interests you. Find Southwest Radio Church's broadcast schedule on this page. There you can also download and listen to their programs at your convenience.

If you're able, I'd appreciate it if you'd send a donation their way so they can keep the great information coming.

Here are some articles Southwest Radio Church (SWRC) has linked to about recent earthquakes. I found these articles on the Signs of the Times page. Then click on the "Weather" link. 

• 7.9 Earthquake Rattles Alaska, Triggers Tsunami Warning
• 6.0 Earthquake Shakes Pakistan
• 4.2 Earthquake Rattles Lost Angeles

Track Earthquakes with your Cell Phone

Because I'm a prophecy geek, I'm constantly watching for possible fulfillments of End Times prophecies. That's why I love having an earthquake overlay on the weather bug ap on my cell phone. (Tweet that!) I can see when an earthquake occurs and keep abreast of what's shaking out there. You might want to add a similar ap to your phone. (However my ap seems to sometimes show the magnitude of earthquakes much lower than is stated on the news. I'm still trying to figure out why.)

I use a weather bug from WSI Corporation. Search for their ap on your device and hopefully you'll find it or a similar one. Then find the "Setting" and look for and "earthquake overlay."

BEING PREPARED

There were many earthquakes noted in the Bible. Some people say that when God moves in judgement on nations, His judgement is always accompanied by earthquakes. (I'm not sure I can verify the "always" part without a ton of research.)

But for one example, we know from the Bible that the earth shook in Jerusalem when Jesus died (Matthew 27:54).

For years we've waited and wondered whether "The Big One" is imminent to hit southern California. With all this expected activity increasing, what are we to do? (Tweet that!)

The best preparation any of us can take for the coming increase in "earthquakes in various places" (Matthew 24:7b, NIV) which Jesus predicted is to know Jesus as our Savior and Lord. If you have not prepared in this way yet, why not prepare your soul for eternity by telling him you accept him as your Savior today? For those who do, the earth can shake and the mountains can fall into the sea, but we will not be shaken. (Tweet that!) We know we look forward to eternity with Jesus, where no harm will ever be able to reach us again.

Related Articles:

• July 8, 2014 "There will be… Earthquakes in Various Places" – Part 1 – USGS Statistics
• July 10, 2014 "There will be… Earthquakes inVarious Places" – Part 2 – Fracking and Man-Made Earthquakes

Tentative schedule for coming posts: 

• July 15, 2014 Hurricanes and Tsunamis
• July 17, 2014 Pestilences 
• July 19, 2014 "The Beginning of Birth Pains"

"There will be... Earthquakes in Various Places" - Part 2 - Fracking and Man-Made Earthquakes

Image from "Induced Earthquakes"
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/induced/

In the previous post, there was so much information to discuss about earthquakes that I decided to divide it into three posts for this entire week. We're continuing a discussion about Jesus' prediction that before his coming:

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7b, NIV)

In the previous post we talked about earthquake statistics from the USGS. In this post, let's explore whether activities we humans are doing on the earth, such as fracking, can cause earthquakes.

IS FRACKING CAUSING INCREASED EARTHQUAKES?

We seem to be noticing increased earthquake activity in places like Oklahoma and Colorado where we don't usually have many earthquakes. (Tweet that!) Although we do have faults running through these states, earthquakes are pretty unusual. But we're having more. Some people blame this on Fracking for oil in those areas. The USGS is studying that process. You can read about their findings in their article "Induced Earthquakes."

Interestingly that page includes this statement:

Hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as "fracking," does not appear to be linked to the increased rate of magnitude 3 and larger earthquakes. (Tweet that!)

While that statement says fracking is not to blame, it also clearly implies there has indeed been an increase of magnitude 3 and larger earthquakes. (Tweet that!)

The USGS web site links to an article on its "Science Features" area titled "Man-Made Earthquakes Update." That article opens with this statement:

The number of earthquakes has increased dramatically over the past few years within the central and eastern United States. Nearly 450 earthquakes magnitude 3.0 and larger occurred in the four years from 2010-2013, over 100 per year on average, compared with an average rate of 20 earthquakes per year observed from 1970-2000.

Even if mankind's activities on the earth are causing more earthquakes, wouldn't this still be a fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy? (Tweet that!) Of course it would. Nowhere did he say only "natural" earthquakes would increase. He said …

There will be…earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7b, NIV)

… implying something unusual about earthquakes in the End Times just before his return to earth.

I can't help thinking that in Jesus' day the thought of man-made earthquakes would have sounded crazy. To anyone else but Jesus, that is, since he, being God, already knew the future. But anyway...

His words imply an increase in frequency, intensity, and locations in earthquake activity. (Tweet that!) Any man-made earthquakes caused by fracking or any other activities also fit that prophecy.

In the next post we'll take a look at recent earthquakes that have occurred this year, in 2014, and some of my favorite resources for information on watching earthquakes as well as information on fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

Related Articles:

• July 8, 2014 "There will be… Earthquakes in Various Places" – Part 1 – USGS Statistics
• Coming next: July 12, 2014 "There will be… Earthquakes in Various Places" – Part 3 – Recent Earthquakes and Resources

"There will be... Earthquakes in Various Places" - Part 1 - USGS Statistics

USGS.gov "Earthquake Facts and Statistics Graphs

In the same sentence where Jesus told us there would be famines in the End Times as we discussed in the previous post, he also said there would be "earthquakes in various places." (Tweet that!)

There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. (Matthew 24:7b, NIV)

The thing is, there have always been earthquakes. So how will we know if or when this prophecy is being fulfilled? (Tweet that!)

While I'm gathering information for this post, I'm finding so much information I want to share with you that it would be best to divide it into more than one post. So I've made an executive decision: we're going to spend all three posts this week talking about earthquakes.

Most prophecy buffs I've heard speak or have read think there will be an increase in earthquake activity in the End Times, which means an increase in both frequency and intensity. (Tweet that!) Jesus' words 'in various places' also seem to indicate earthquakes in locations where we don't normally see or expect them.

Of course when we want information on earthquakes, the authority we turn to is the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

INCREASE IN EARTHQUAKE ACTIVITY?

In the discussions I've listened to about prophecy and the increase of earthquakes, I've heard that the experts like those at the USGS deny there has been an increase of frequency and intensity of earthquakes in recent years or decades. I thought I'd go right to the source and see what the USGS is really saying. You'd think simple statistics could answer this question, right? Well, there's so much information to sift though I'm not finding it quite so simple.

In years past I've seen a chart that shows a dramatic increase in earthquakes in recent years, and when I searched the internet for that chart I saw it and it was linked to many sites -- everything from Bible prophecy sites to Mayan calendar 2012 sites. If you want to see that chart, do a search and you'll find it. But I'm not using it here because I'm skeptical about that chart. The source citation, which links to the USGS, doesn't bring up that chart. On my blog I'm endeavoring to post only information I can verify, and I can't verify that chart.

The link cited is this: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/historical.php

It takes you to an old page of the USGS site which says that page is being phased out and is no longer maintained as of 04/12 and that a replacement is under development.  Whatever replacement is being or has been developed, I'm not finding a new chart that makes the statistics on earthquake activity in recent decades easy to see at a glance.

I did find this page with graphics of earthquake activity by decade: "Earthquake Facts and Statistics Graphs" I grabbed an image off that page for the image on this post. There's a lot of great information there.

Are earthquakes increasing in intensity and frequency in various locations globally? It sure seems so. The statistics appear to say yes. (Tweet that!) As a matter of fact, as I'm preparing this post to go live, news is airing that there has been a 6.9 magnitude earthquake that has killed at least three people along the border between Mexico and Guatemala.

I hope you enjoy exploring all the links and information in this post. In the next post on Thursday we'll talk about the debate over man-made earthquakes and fracking.

Related Articles:

Coming this week:

• July 10, 2014 "There will be... Earthquakes in Various Places" - Part 2 - Fracking and Man-Made Earthquakes
• July 12, 2014 "There will be… Earthquakes in Various Places" - Part 3 - Recent Earthquakes and Resources