Earthquake, Did anybody feel it? I did

[BeauJangles]

4 hours ago, Jostler said:

Observations since He refocused my attention on earthquakes last July through this thread...beginning with a general overview of the global situation into which upcoming earthquakes will fit:

 2019 saw some very significant inroads into global food security. 

Australian drought turned Australia into a net importer of wheat for the first time in many years. Australia has been a bread basket to much of SE Asia for years.  She still exports a good bit of her lower protein wheat used for feeds and some products other than bread, but has had to import much of the higher protein wheat for bread for Australians to eat.  The loss of Australian wheat in the international markets has not reached crisis proportions, but it has significantly reduced the world's reserve "cushion" for wheat production.

US grain farmers had a horrific year, with excessive rain and floods preventing planting on millions of acres until VERY late in the season and some 1 million acres never got planted at all.  Early snow at the end of the season left unharvested crops standing in the field on hundreds of thousands more acres.  The US exports about 50% of the grains we grow, so the losses are not at crisis proportions here yet either, but our reserves also took a hit.  We're much less able to cope with another bad year than we were. 

China lost a full 50% of their ability to produce pork.  Their breeding herds and animals headed for the table were wiped out by another swine flu epidemic ....fully half their herds.  It would have taken 2 years to get back up to the same production levels if nothing else had gotten in the way.  It takes time to raise sows to bearing age, and needing so many new sows is also cutting further into the amount of meat they can produce while rebuilding those breeding herds.  And this virus has certainly slowed down progress on that front.  In addition to many reports since the virus showed up, of farmers forced to liquidate chicken flocks due to supply chain disruptions and inability to feed their flocks.  30% of the protein in the Chinese diet came from pork....production of chickens was being ramped up massively to try to replace some of that protein lost when the pig herds got wiped out.  Much of that effort has been disrupted by the virus.  China has been buying pork from South America hand over fist in record amounts....again....global reserve capacity for food production is much less resilient to further shocks this year should they come, and exactly what effect this pandemic will have on food production is not clear yet.  Something to watch.

Australia had a literally unprecedented bushfire season last year.  The first fires were in July and they only got worse until December when the devastation simply reached mind blowing levels.  Property destruction came in at horrific levels.  I was there in 2009 for the last record breaking fire season...and that was horrific.  The loss of life in 2009 was much greater, but the number of acres burned and the economic cost were far, far less than Australia absorbed this year.  I remember the shock of the 2009 season....i can't imagine what last year must have felt like for our friends down under.  Intense fires continued all the way through January and into February....finally all fires were out in NSW in early March and what fires remained in Victoria were contained.  But Australia took it on the chin economically and financially in a wildly unprecedented way.  And some 34 lost lives was also inflicted on her.  Something to reflect on related to this.  In both 2009 and this year, MANY fires were the result of arson.  There' an indicator of the social degradation and lawlessness the Bible warns us would increase and dominate at the end of this age.

 

All of the previous was building up to what turned into a crescendo that seemed to just move rapidly from one disaster to another as 2020 opened up.

These are some pretty dismal events that have occurred. I wasn't aware of some of them and they were sad to have them come to my understanding. I know the severity of the bushfires in Australia in particular had some carry over effects in New Zealand also, and posted an article about how the glaciers had darkened them into a brown colored haze. The pictures were a sorry sight to gaze upon. 

How that may have made any adverse results on the ecology is uncertain, but it's not a good thing. There were also a lot of loss to the rain forest fires in the Amazon jungle as well last summer. The pollution in the atmosphere was more than bleak and people were forced to wear masks in a good part of Brazil alone. 

 The devastation left behind will probably never be able to recover from either of these regions. We had our losses here in California, but in 2018 it was worse in many years previously. Whether it's substantial on the alleged global warming effect will no doubt be argued amongst scientists, and no particular group of them ever come to an agreement on the matter. Many doubt it even exists at all, but records indicate otherwise.  

4 hours ago, Jostler said:

All of the previous was building up to what turned into a crescendo that seemed to just move rapidly from one disaster to another as 2020 opened up.

 

January

1.  2020-01-03  General Soleimani, Iranian commander of the Quds Force is assassinated in Bagdhad.  Tensions in Northern Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Libya and of course Israel, already rising almost daily, ramped up to a whole new level.  

2.  2020-01-07 6.4 mag earthquake near Indio Puerto Rico.  Which was preceded by a 5.8 the day before.  Both caused significant damage with the 6.4 causing numerous injuries and one death.

3.  2020-01-07   At least 15 Iranian missiles are launched at US occupied bases in Iraq in retaliation for Soleimani's death, bringing us within inches of a devastating regional war, that will almost certainly result in global conflict when it finally does come....and the transition from regional to global will likely be measured in weeks or less ....not months or years.  Might explode into global conflict within hours.

4.  Mid January the first indications a new disease has appeared begin to make it into the news.  By Jan. 22nd China has locked down 40 million people and over the next week that number rises to 760 million. Fully half of China's total population is under some level of quarantine or isolation order.  The Chinese economy comes to a screeching halt. 

5.  Mid January locust swarms begin to be reported in Northern India and Central Africa. 

6.  2020-01-28  A massive 7.7 quake is followed by a 6.1 aftershock 3 1/2 hrs later in a very unusual place not known for quakes, located in the Carribean between the Cayman Islands and Jamaica, just SW of Cuba.  This quake is of interest because of it's strength, notably unusual location and most of all, because of it's very, very unusual lack of aftershock activity.

The area right around Ridgecrest is STILL ringing with daily aftershocks from the 7.1 all the way back in July of last year.  And that is typical of almost any major earthquake.  It would be strange if aftershocks were not still happening.  Ridgecrest has followed the most common pattern of aftershocks that come after major quakes of magnitude 7 and above.

And that is what is strange about this massive 7.7 along the Cayman trench.  There was a single 6+ aftershock.   For about 4 days after the 7.7 there were a few 4+ and smaller....then the region just virtually went silent.  VERY atypical behaviour.  A 7.7 usually results in aftershock swarms for many months, in some cases years.  This one is silent....and that is worth noting.  Normally you'd expect a number of 6+ aftershocks and often one or two more 7's after a quake that big.

7.  February was characterize by increasing severity of every one of the previously mentioned developments (and some I haven't mentioned) but mostly not reported on due to COVID-19 dominating the news cycle.  Locust swarms spread from Northern India and Central Africa to Pakistan, China, Saudi Arabia, Iran....etc.   Middle East tensions continued to ferment and increase.  The economic, banking and monetary after effects of this plague reach crisis proportions.

8.  2020-03-18  A most interesting earthquake struck Salt Lake City, knocking the trumpet out of the hand of the statue of Moroni on top of the Mormon Tabernacle.  Now that one could easily have a symbolic message in it .And I believe it does.

 

There is a great deal more I could list by way of recapping what preceded today, but that's enough for now.  Almost two weeks ago now, the Lord impressed two words on my spirit.  "Earthqukes" and "next".  I have come to understand through how He has dealt with me in the past, that when He drops words into my consciousness He is inviting me to seek Him for greater understanding...He's inviting a conversation.  I have learned to be careful not to assume, even when two words like earthquakes and next could EASILY be assumed to relate to each other as a time sequence.....maybe they do, maybe they don't.  But I'm not assuming that unless He confirms it, and if He does then it's not an assumption any more anyway .

If there are any other "watchers" out there who feel they are hearing anything related to earthquakes, please share what you're hearing.  We know in part and we prophesy in part...and many parts make a whole.

I'm no expert "watcher" but am an avid observer of the times. Not to have posted this to get into an in depth discussion on the subject, because in the attempt of doing so I'll get lost in the deep end of it. It is an interesting post, so I felt to respond to it. Did you feel as though the earthquakes were part of why all these other things resulted, or do we seem to be in agreement that all these things are an expectancy of what we are looking for as End Time events? Thanks for the allowance to express my thoughts, though certainly not genius by any means. I've never considered myself to be an intellectual. 

[BeauJangles]

Sorry for getting off-topic on this thread. We can go back to earthquakes again and it would probably be applicable. Mention of these out of control raging fires in both hemispheres, I think it should be said. I'm unsure of the cause in both Australia and also the Amazon rain forest.

But I do know California's situation 2018 was arson oriented. Sure, lightening started a number of these by summer storms. But, deranged suspects are always tracked down by authorities year after year. Why do they do this? Fun and entertainment at getting the result their madness on television? 

That's pretty twisted in my opinion. Okay, let's return to discussing earthquakes. 

 

California arson: How common is it? - Desert Sun

https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/crime_courts/...

Aug 06, 2018 · Three arson suspects have been arrested in two weeks in Southern California. Two suspected arsonists have been arrested in Riverside County and one in Orange County for fires in Southern California's fire-prone wildlands. Two of the arson incidents resulted in wildland fires burning more than 17,000 acres and growing.

[Jostler]

Thanks for pointing out that quake near Montreal @1to3   A 3.1 isn't remarkably large, but that sure is an odd area for quakes. 

[Jostler]

20 hours ago, BeauJangles said:

These are some pretty dismal events that have occurred. I wasn't aware of some of them and they were sad to have them come to my understanding. I know the severity of the bushfires in Australia in particular had some carry over effects in New Zealand also, and posted an article about how the glaciers had darkened them into a brown colored haze. The pictures were a sorry sight to gaze upon. 

 

 

Beau you have a very tender heart which i believe is precious in the Lord's sight.  I think that gives you a tendency to feel sadness, and grieve when you focus on such things.  I believe that is a reflection of His heart because I am certain He is not happy at all when men suffer.  That heart can drive prayer and intercession as these things unfold, though it may feel like a burden.  If you feel drawn to "watching", there is a perspective we can obtain that understands these things MUST come to pass before He can return.  There is a way to look forward with rejoicing, even knowing what is still to come is going to cost many lives.  Our King is returning and these unfolding events indicate the time is "near"...whatever that ends up meaning in days, weeks, months or years.  Our personal relationship to these unfolding events is not really knowable unless He reveals that to each of us.  But I am convinced He does reveal all we need to know to walk faithfully in whatever role He has appointed for each of us.  Fear and depression are not responses He puts on us, and those should be taken to Him for resolution if they try to crowd in on us.

Right now my personal opinion is that we are witnessing the onset of a significant "birth pain" as He Himself indicated MUST come before the "Day" of His return.  The clearest exposition of the "end of the age" Jesus Himself gave, is found recorded in three of the gospels.  Each account (Matt 24, Luke 21 and Mark 13) is a record of the same discourse and each records His words from a slightly different perspective.  In these passages we find His exhortation to "watch"

Quote

I'm no expert "watcher" but am an avid observer of the times. Not to have posted this to get into an in depth discussion on the subject, because in the attempt of doing so I'll get lost in the deep end of it. It is an interesting post, so I felt to respond to it. Did you feel as though the earthquakes were part of why all these other things resulted, or do we seem to be in agreement that all these things are an expectancy of what we are looking for as End Time events? Thanks for the allowance to express my thoughts, though certainly not genius by any means. I've never considered myself to be an intellectual. 

Bro if you're an "observer of the times" i think that describes exactly what my concept of a "watcher" is.  The earthquakes are relevant to all the other stuff I listed as a "lead up" because those things are all events He told us to watch for in Matthew 24, and are things He Himself identified as "birth pains".    And there are more besides.  Let me try to explain why I chose the word "watcher" to describe myself and my attitude toward these unfolding current events.

I used "watchman" at one time, but found that due to some Old Testament uses of that word, many thought i was claiming to be a prophet.  And that simply is not the case.  I have studied what a prophet is and KNOW I am not called by Him to that office.  I am not a prophet.  Some of the places where the word "watchman" is used are found in Ezekiel, who obviously was one of the most renowned prophets in history....so people associating the word "watchman" with a prophet have good reason to do so. 

"Watcher" seemed to fit without causing people to suspect I was making some subtle claim to an authority and a position i have not been given.  By watcher I simply mean someone who has noticed His exhortation to "watch" and has taken it seriously.  And there are many "watchers".  You seem to have been drawn to watching for and attempting to discern the relevance  of current events as they unfold as much as I have.   So it's really not a matter of "expertise" or even a "call"....in my mind it's  simply a matter of obedience and attempting to just do what He exhorted us to do.

 

Over the years as I have tried to give myself to watching, I do think He's shown me how to do it better.  There is one passage I'd like to share He caused me to sit up and take notice of.  There was an interesting exchange between Jesus and some Pharisees, including a rebuke ....the structure and implications of the rebuke were what caught my eye:

 

Quote

Mat 16:1-4

¶

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him asked that He would show them a sign from heaven.

He answered and said to them, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’;

 

“and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.

 

“A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And He left them and departed.

There's a lot in there, but the two salient points I noticed were:

1.  He used a simple example of predicting the weather even a child knows "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning, red sky at night, sailor's delight"  which is a little ditty that has a very good record of predicting tomorrow's weather.  It's SIMPLE...and it works. 

2.  Then He called the Scribes and Pharisees HYPOCRITES for being able to predict tomorrow's weather but failing to discern the "signs of the times".  In that generation, the "signs of the times" were pointing to His arrival on the scene as Messiah, the Son of Man, Son of David....the Son of God.  And those men, to whom had been entrusted the Word of God, who knew it more intimately than any others in their day....the "experts" .....could not "see" Him when He was standing in their presence.  And He called them hypocrites for their blindness.

A "sign" is simply something that "signifies" something else.  So the implication is that the prophetic "signs" of His presence were visible, discernible and interpret-able, and SHOULD have been as easy or easier to see and understand as knowing what the sky tells us about tomorrow's weather.

So, I asked Him "Lord, how would I manage to avoid that same rebuke if You were standing in front of me today?"  And over time He began to teach... 

In another passage, He had another rebuke for the same group.  The 'experts', teachers of the people....stewards of the precious Word...and this time He rebuked their ATTITUDE toward the Word, and I believe it explained their blindness to the signs of the times:

Quote

Jhn 5:39-40

“You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.

“But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

I think there are two important aspects to effective "watching".  One is obviously being familiar with what is unfolding before our eyes...current events.  The other is spending time with Him...and LISTENING for what He has to say about what we see unfolding.  This verse has been on my heart lately, for me personally and i think for His people in general.  I'm feeling a tug toward spending more time obeying THIS exhortation:

Quote

Psa 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!

I went through a season years ago when I practiced that, but I've neglected it in the past few years.  I don't think I'm the only one by any means...but  I do think He's calling me back to that place of regularly setting aside time to just be "still" in His presence.....no agenda....no questions....no purpose but to be with Him in stillness...listening.

It's that time. 

 

I think it's also important to remember this:

Quote

2Ti 1:7

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

He NEVER uses a "spirit of fear" so if looking to the "signs of the times" causes fear to try to come on us, we can know that is NOT from Him.  There is a way to obey Him, and see all of this from His perspective, without fear.   But with rejoicing....with eagerness...

Edited April 2, 2020 by Jostler

[BeauJangles]

45 minutes ago, Jostler said:

Beau you have a very tender heart which i believe is precious in the Lord's sight.  I think that gives you a tendency to feel sadness, and grieve when you focus on such things.  I believe that is a reflection of His heart because I am certain He is not happy at all when men suffer.  That heart can drive prayer and intercession as these things unfold, though it may feel like a burden.  If you feel drawn to "watching", there is a perspective we can obtain that understands these things MUST come to pass before He can return.  There is a way to look forward with rejoicing, even knowing what is still to come is going to cost many lives. 

Thank you for saying this, brother. Wow. That is so kind of you. I'm feeling all slushy inside and welling up with tears right now. Your post has a lot of intuitive insight also. Just incredible. It's an excellent statement of observance that I'm looking into with all the depth that I'm capable of. God bless you for posting it. That really made my day.  

Edited April 2, 2020 by BeauJangles

[B3L13v3R]

I ran into this site some years ago. Interesting seeing the earthquakes from the whole world's perspective:

http://ds.iris.edu/seismon/bigmap/index.phtml

Mark 13:6-8  For many shall com in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (7) And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. (8) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows.

[Jostler]

still interested in hearing if any other "watchers" feel He's zoning in on this...some interesting stuff going on lately re:  earthquakes.  quite a few things actually including earthquakes

 

[Jostler]

This is close enough to that 7.7 mentioned previously that exhibited a very remarkable lack of aftershocks....M 6.0 - 55km NNE of Savannah Bight, Honduras

Nothing all that remarkable except that I'm interested in why that 7.7, a truly massive quake failed to show anything like what would be considered "normal" aftershock patterns.

[Jostler]

This little cluster began with a 5.2 just east of Mono Lake.  It caught my eye because of it's proximity to Mono Lake and as aftershocks developed they were concentrated in a *very* small area.  No major faults there....does the concentration indicate magma movement rather than tectonic activity?   I dunno....watching.  Mono Lake is in a narrow band of interest that runs from the Gulf of California to Lake Tahoe as well....I'm alert to anything within that whole band that runs about 2/3rds the length of the state of California.

Edited April 19, 2020 by Jostler

[Jostler]

This has been my primary focus since those two big Ridgecrest quakes on July 4th and 5th of last year.  A recent paper provided some data (and speculations) that mention the Garlock Fault....which has been on my mind since then.

 

Research Letter

Open Access

Dynamic Rupture Simulations of the M6.4 and M7.1 July 2019 Ridgecrest, California, Earthquakes

Quote

...This suggests that the M6.4 alone did not produce the conditions required for a M7.1 to occur on the RLF. Given the timing of the earthquakes, it is more likely that aftershocks of the M6.4 further stressed the M7.1 hypocenter (Barnhart et al., 2019) and/or that dynamic stress changes from passing seismic waves during the M6.4 accelerated the long‐term failure process of the M7.1 hypocenter ...

...The central GF last ruptured between 1450 and 1640; its paleoseismic recurrence interval is irregular, but the current gap between earthquakes is longer than the shortest interval, 215 years (Dawson et al., 2003). This proximity to and activity associated with the Ridgecrest earthquakes raises the question of whether the GF has been pushed closer to failure. ...


...In Coulomb stress calculations that heavily weight normal stress, this region is brought much closer to failure; in calculations that deemphasize normal stress effects, there is still increased Coulomb stress here.

The two main takeaways I got from that paper are

1.  The original 6.4 and 7.1 quakes were not related to each other seismically.  The 6.4 may have accelerated the failure that caused the 7.1 on another nearby fault, but it's likely the stresses resulting in the 7.1 were already built up and ready to let go...soonish...whether the 6.4 had happened or not. 

2.  Their best guess indicates the two big quakes probably did destabilize the Garlock Fault....making it more likely it will produce a quake soon.  That fault is believed to be capable of producing an 8+ quake...and is statistically overdue....not to mention it extends to and crosses over the San Andreas.

Quote

The central GF last ruptured between 1450 and 1640; its paleoseismic recurrence interval is irregular, but the current gap between earthquakes is longer than the shortest interval, 215 years

 

All of this is in close proximity to China Lake Naval Air Warfare Center....which I have many reasons to be interested in the fate of.