Hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico continue to spark news and opinion pieces all over the Web, but by far the strangest theme is the "end times" scenario. Based on prophecies in the Bible (and the Koran, and the "third secret of Fatima"—and "scientific" prophesies from ecologists), bloggers all over the world are discussing the signs that we are "entering the end of days."
On Escape All These Things, the writer asks "Can you imagine the whole world like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina?" and speculates that perhaps Katrina is "God's judgement" for the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The discussion leaps from 9/11 (thousands dead) to the 2004 tsunami (hundreds of thousands dead) to Katrina (?? dead), and from there to "Planet Wormwood (Billions Dead)." He cites the Bible-codes.org site:
This makes Rita the 8th hurricane that the Lord has spoken to me about—four last year and four this year. This is interesting since the hurricanes also represent the wheels of God's chariot. (As in Ezekiel 1-3, as discussed elsewhere). "A wheel intersecting a wheel" (Ezekiel 1-3.) Thus we have four wheels (i.e., major hurricanes)! Four last year and four this year; Rita makes the fourth wheel (major hurricane) this year.
T. Clark of Revelation 13 also finds codes that relate to hurricanes, using Bible-code search software. (Who knew?) Clarke is even willing to set the date for Armageddon.
The U.S. is being attacked by demonic forces, because the U.S. is a force for good in the world! But in the end these demonic forces will lose! The Satanic serpent will attack the U.S. by natural disasters, and by the green serpent of Muslim terrorism. But the U.S. must continue to defend Israel in the Middle East, and divine protection will defend the U.S. and Israel when Armageddon comes in 2007.
Media Matters for America documents that, in a September 9th broadcast of Trinity Broadcasting Network's International Intelligence Briefing, Biblical prophecy author and host Hal Lindsay (The Last Days of the Late, Great Planet Earth) linked the end times to Katrina. They quote Lindsay:
It seems clear that the prophetic times I have been expecting for decades have finally arrived. And even worse, it appears that the judgment of America has begun. I warn continually that the last days lineup of world powers does not include anything resembling the United States of America. Instead, a revived Roman Empire in Europe is to rule the West, and then the world.
Of interest here is the fact that Lindsay does not write of this in his regular column on WorldNet Daily. Greg Laurie, does, though—in a commentary dated September 5th, Laurie writes:
When Jesus was asked what the signs of His return would be... [he] said: "And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven" (Luke 21:11, NKJV). The Bible teaches that there is a generation of people who will not see death, but rather will meet the Lord in what is often referred to as the rapture of the Church.... Could we be that generation? Time will tell. But if I were you, I would pay careful attention to all that is happening—you will be glad that you did!
For a non-Biblical take on the hurricanes in the Gulf, nothing tops Captain's Blog's Richard C. Hoagland, and his "Hyperdimensional Katrina" theory of a "'hyperdimensional homing beacon'—specifically designed by 'someone' to guide Katrina to a catastrophic landfall at New Orleans just eleven days [later]." Multiple animated illustrations are used to support his theory.
That, in fact, is exactly what our "hyperdimensional model" for Hurricane Katrina is proposing: that what we are seeing in this extraordinary radar sequence... is the standard NEXRAD radar signal being—somehow—reflected back from the clear air over and around New Orleans... air which has somehow been made "radar reflective" by the application of an otherwise invisible "energy" signature... from somewhere. [Ellipses and emphasis are author's, not mine.]
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Bob A. Booey
Interesting, although I don't think the Moyers comment is that unmeasured.
Nonethless, good job of research, Pat.
That is all.
2 - Baglino
I have no more comments.
3 - kittygogo
Don't forget to add the Mayan calender ending on Dec. 21, 2012. Enjoy the world while we've got one folks and stay away from coastlines and the ring of fire! I am moving out of San Francisco ASAP. I have a sinking feeling this fantastic city is the next place to go.
4 - Judy
Yes it is the ned of days, all is written in The Bible. It is said that there will be a great war, no one will be able to put on foot down on Iraq soil, it will so deadly, just like Katrina, the water, and diease is so bad you shouldnt be in the water at all. Pray for forgiveness of your sins people, study your bible by a teacher that can inturpet it, Robert Theime Jr, on the web...
5 - Kyle
Ummm...you are all stupid.
6 - Matthew T. Sussman
This made Fark. Nice job DrPat!
7 - kittygogo
Judy, why should we pray for forgiveness for our sins? How about instead using that time praying doing something good instead. I think god would approve of that much more than selfishly praying for your own personal salvation at the expense of everyone else. Also, why should we study the bible? what good will that do? I am not christian and I believe in buddhism. I don't believe in the bible. As far as I'm concerned the it is a bunch of made-up stories by ancient men who wrote whatever they wanted. It's carries no relevance to me. It is pure opinion and speculation.
And Kyle, where do you get the assumption that we are all stupid just because we want to express ourselves in a half-serious manner? If you have nothing constructive or clever to say, what's the point?
8 - DrPat
No comments on the Captain's Blog theory? You hafta check it out -- he never says aliens, but they're "out there..."
9 - matt
YES YES, of course the hurricanes our from the devil!!!! It's the apocolypse, it has been for a long time now, and as we all know it will end in 2 years in the 7th year of the antichrist, George W. Bush
10 - DrPat
What about the mark of the Beast? I haven't had any number tattooed on my forehead yet...
11 - Frank
I believe you get the mark with a free anal probe.
12 - DrPat
Shhh! You'll have the gay-activist commenters in here next!
13 - Revanche
I love what this article leaves out: in the full CNN Online interview, it also mentions the fact that climatology shows hurricanes ramp up and down over a 40-year cycle and that during the time period mentioned, that was the ramping down period. In other words, if you want to include /all the facts/, then the huricane researcher, Hugh Willoughby, meant that for the next decade or so we'll see a cycle of similar storms to this and last year.
Does this mean the conspiracists and end timers say every thing will end every forty years? Or does it mean they just don't regard climatology (i.e. history of weather) as fact?
14 - brandon
Just remember that the mark of the beast was streamlined to 616 in order to attract more investment capital.
I think it's incredible that the air above New Orleans and the city itself reflects radar. I mean, what space-age, hyperdimensional beings they must be to make radar reflect off of objects and air currents and the like above New Orleans? That's like scientifical! I mean, RADAR. REFLECTING off of OBJECTS in THIS DIMENSION and in the AIR. It's almost as if someone had invented some kind of DOPPLER RADAR capable of taking minute readings of the air. IT'S ALMOST LIKE UP IS DOWN IN RELATIONSHIP TO A HIGHER "UP". RADAR. REFLECTING OFF OBJECTS and MEASURING AIR. Unbelievable. Clearly the work of ingenuous beings manifesting themselves like the Biblical whirlwind, and changing the VERY FABRIC OF NATURE to their whimsical desire to have RADAR REFLECT OFF OF STUFF IN GENERAL AND LOCALLY.
And finally, look up turpes, the latin word: in-turping the bible is what t.v. evangelists totally rock at, dude. Out of the mouths of, well, earum turpum.
15 - DrPat
Revanche: my apologies, I left out the link to the Hugh Willoughby article, so there was no way to read the entirety of his remarks. I have corrected that omission.
Brandon: Thanks for the Latin pun, you're a man after my own heart! I doubt Mr. Hoagland understands the workings of doppler radar, so it's nice to see someone pick up on that!
16 - brandon
Aw, thanks. I'm sleep deprived otherwise I should not have left out the pat on the back you are owed for stitching together this highly amusing post.
17 - DrPat
The BlogScan is a weekly feature, brandon. You can look at past BlogScans by searching the site for "Weekly BlogScan" -- all except the first have those words in the title. I've covered 26 topics, from Blonde Bloggers, to Presidential Portraits, to the Trial of Michael Jackson.
Or rather, I've covered what bloggers are saying about these topics...
18 - Sense
It is comical that human beings are wasting their time attempting to predict the end of our small world. Another funny thing is wasting time typing this up, because if my days are numbered this would be a waste of valuable time. My days are numbered, of course, and this is a waste of time. It is said that even the son of god does not know when it will end. On the matter of the U.S. being a omnibenevolent nation: the U.S. armed forces have caused much more suffering than any band of terrorists ever could. We send in tommahawks, drop thousands of pounds of bombs at a time, hold people in GitMo without lawyers for years, and torture prisoners of war. Hurricanes are a random natural phenomenon, while bullets and explosives are aimed and man made instruments of death. Which you say is evil? If anything, the U.S. is being punished for killing so many innocent people who are in the wrong place w t.
19 - Eric Olsen
great topic very well covered DrPat, thanks!
20 - Tom Lake
I was worried about being the Anti-Christ but discovered that I'm safe. My mark reads "999".
Tom Lake
21 - Webber
The bible mentions a few things about the end times, the most stunning of which is that it will occur when people are not expecting it.
Since the time of the Romans, people have said, the world is about to end, look at the old prophesies. Everyone from the cesars to caligula to hitler has been named as the one who would bring about the end of the world.
If you're looking for explanations as to the destruction of Katrina and Rita, look at the debauchery that occurs regularly in New Orleans and the arrogance of Texas. You could if you like even point out that texas is home to Mr. Bush.
22 - Phillip Winn
Though I'm sure I'm wasting my time...
Jesus was asked about a similar situation while He was on earth. People approached him and asked him about some Galileans that had been tortured by the occupying Romans, with the implication that somehow the grisly torture was God's judgment for their sins.
Jesus said NO! He then also drew another example from (then) recent events, referencing the tower of Siloam that had fallen and killed people. He asked rhetorically whether it was the sins of those people that had resulted in judgment, and answered again NO.
In both cases He suggested that we should all indeed repent and seek salvation (sorry, kittygogo), but not because towers and torture and hurricane were special instruments of God's judgment, but because we all need it.
As far as Katrina or Rita being examples of God's judgment, I would say this:
1. Absent work from people more reliable than anonymous internet "teachers," we can't really know for sure, so saying definitively one way or the other is foolish at best.
2. I find it hard to believe that God has such poor aim to strike New Orleans and leave the French Quarter dry.
3. I find it hard to believe that God singled out poor people and poor neighborhoods, leaving wealthier suburbs alone, especially in light of the his emphasis on the poor when He was on earth.
So I'd lean quite heavily toward Katrina and Rita being caused by hot air and cool air.
23 - Silas Kain
We're making our own End Days, in my book. The weather anomalies that we are experiencing are a result of mankind's lack of respect for Mother Earth. As far as the finger of God is concerned, I must ask a question: If proof surfaced that intelligent life does, in fact, exist outside of Spaceship Earth, what effect would such evidence have on the organized religions? Or would the spinmeisters of fundamentalism come up with some obscure Scripture that would support alien life all along? Talk about an anal probe!
Armageddon outta here....
24 - Ephraimlad
Some "believers" are saying the US is coming under divine judgement. Others are saying that the US (and their Zionist parasite, Israel) are under divine protection. Whacky, unsupportable doctrines like the "rapture" are promulgated with a dire warning just like those from past centuries: this is the "last days." My question is this: "The last days of WHAT?"
25 - DrPat
Got your reservation on Halle-Bopp, Silas? [grin]
Seriously, nearly ALL the citations in my blogscan this week strike me as serious loonies, Moyers no less than Hoagland or Clarke. Whether you're circling letters in a reproduction of a Hebrew text, or circling statistics from a strictly-restricted range of history, predictions of end times are meaningless.
Unless you're planning to suicide in anticipation of the event, that is.