BLOG

Hurricane Sandy and 911

Hurricane Sandy came ashore between Washington DC and New York City, just south of Atlantic City, New Jersey. Because of the counter-clockwise rotation of the winds, the strongest wind hit north of the eye of the storm, and so New York was hit very hard. The water reached 13.88 feet above flood stage. The previous record was 11.2 feet.

I had wondered if Washington DC might be the primary target of the storm, but it turned out to be New York City. So as far as its prophetic significance is concerned, the target was first the financial sector and only secondarily the political.

I heard from a friend last night who said he heard on the radio that the Stock Exchange was flooded with three feet of water. If they open the Exchange tomorrow, the brokers will probably wear their alligator shoes. I hear alligators like water and mud. [Update: The evening news on the BBC for today said that the Stock Exchange was not damaged or flooded, and that they will reopen Wednesday morning.]

With a little checking, I found some significant connections between Hurricane Sandy and the demolition of the Twin Towers on 911. The main connection is with last year’s Operation Jericho, which began on September 11, 2011. Hurricane Sandy arrived on October 29, 2012, which was 414 days later.

The number 414 is the “Cursed Time” factor. It is the divine grace period given after judgment has been pronounced upon a person or nation. The one being judged is given 414 days (or 414 years in long-term cases) in which to repent. If repentance does not occur, then Judgment Day arrives.

In this case, Operation Jericho took place on September 11-18, 2011 in the Twin Cities of Minnesota. The judgment upon “Jericho” (a type of Babylon) was pronounced over a period of seven days, ending with people driving around the 694/494 loop around the Twin Cities before the final rally at the State Capital in St. Paul.

Operation Jericho took place ten years after 911 occurred in 2001, which was the “Hezekiah Factor.” It was as if God turned the clock back 10 years in 2 Kings 20:11 (i.e., the year 2011) to link it to September 11, 2001. Therefore, from the standpoint of spiritual things, September 11, 2011 represented September 11, 2001 and were the same day.

And so, 414 days later we saw Hurricane Sandy bring judgment and devastation upon New York City for their lack of repentance. It lived up to its name, bringing sand dunes to the streets of cities along the coast, as well as water and wind. It is significant also that the site of “Ground Zero,” where they are rebuilding the Tower, was flooded as water cascaded into the site from the flooded streets.

When the Twin Towers were demolished in 2001, we saw this as a fulfillment of Isaiah 30:25,

²⁵ And on every lofty mountain and on every high hill there will be streams running with water on the day of the great slaughter, when the towers fall.

We understood this to be a prophecy of the Twin Towers demolition. We understood also that this would be a sign of the outpouring of the Spirit, not only because 911 is the numeric value for GRACE, but also because Isaiah references the rain and water. The fall of the Twin Towers was a hidden call for God’s grace, and the most popular prayer in its aftermath was “God bless America.” Acts 3:25, 26 interprets “bless” to mean turning everyone away from his iniquities (i.e., depravities, evil purposes and desires).

It is now apparent that the Twin Towers fell on 911, but the rain was reserved for Hurricane Sandy. The dates are connected first by the ten-year Hezekiah Factor (2001-2011), and secondly by the 414-day cycle.

The bottom line is that Hurricane Sandy, like all of God’s judgments, has a dual purpose. The first purpose is to bring judgment upon the wicked; the second is to cause them to repent and turn from their wicked ways. This second purpose of divine judgment reveals the heart of God, in that He does not intend to leave us stranded in our wicked ways, but is working to change our hearts. The flesh does not appreciate this at all at the present time, but in the end, they will thank God for not leaving them in their hopeless condition.

And so also Isaiah links this 911 demolition to the outpouring of the Spirit. By extension, Hurricane Sandy is the fulfillment of that prophecy. So it is no surprise that it is precisely 4067 days between September 11, 2001 and October 29, 2012. The number 4067 is precisely 83 periods of 49 days (seven weeks). This speaks of 83 Pentecostal cycles, or even 83 Jubilee cycles.

Pentecost is well known for its outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2), so it should not surprise us to see this number appear on October 29 in connection to September 11, 2001. But this in itself did not impress me until I connected it with the 83 years since the crash of the Stock Exchange on October 28 and 29 of 1929.

I then looked up the 83^rd psalm to see if I might find a key verse about Hurricane Sandy and the outpouring of the Spirit. Of course, originally, Psalm 9 and 10 were two halves of the same psalm, so the numbering system in our modern Bible is one number off. Psalm 11 is actually the 10^th psalm. Psalm 84 is the real 83^rd psalm. Hence, I found Psalm 84:6,

⁶ Passing through the valley of Baca [“weeping”], they make it a spring; the early rain also covers it with blessings.

Canaan had two rainy seasons, called the early rain (September-October) and the late rain (April-May). Pentecost was the late rain, and it was needed in order to ripen the wheat that had been planted after the early rain in October. Psalm 84:6 speaks of the early rain, which fits with the timetable of Hurricane Sandy.

Those who have been devastated by the force of this hurricane may wonder how it could be a blessing. Few people have the faith to believe that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28). I do not expect the average person to see it this way. But for those who actually believe the Bible, we can see that this is, in part, an answer to America’s prayer after 911 in 2001, “God bless America.” Everyone was praying that God would turn us from our evil ways. God is always ready to answer such a prayer, even if the answer comes in ways that the people do not understand or appreciate.

Need I remind you that Fed Chairman, Alan Greenspan, was among those singing “God Bless America” on the Capital steps shortly after 911? God is happy to answer his prayer.