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2023 in Review THE NATURAL DISASTERS

by Jeff Van Hatten
02/01/24
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It is no longer a question of whether (or not) the end time signs Yeshua told us would be happening just before his arrival to resurrect the dead and rapture his bride are burgeoning. Bluntly put, they are. And once again, the signs “are burgeoning and not going away”, to quote LA!

Earthquakes and Earthquake Swarms
Mark 13:8 – “There will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines . . . These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
Luke 21:11 – “And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
2023 saw a small decrease in the number of greater earthquakes – similar to a short pause in birth pains before the pains increase again. They came in at just 99% of the average since 1900.

For those who couldn’t care less about the numerical data, here’s a picture that is hopefully worth a thousand words:
https://raptureparty.files.wordpress.com/2024/01/2023-earthquakes-1948-2023.jpg

For those who insist on percentages, numbers, and data, below are the mind-numbing 2023 statistics:
The total number of earthquakes (145961) are again a tad over 10 times the average (14194 from 1900 to 2000) and still over 255 times the amount in 1949 (571). As of December 31, 2023, the numbers are:
1. Quakes in the 8.0 and above range (0) were 0% of the average since 1900 (1).
2. Quakes in the 7.0 to 7.9 range (19) were 136% of the average since 1900 (15).
3. Quakes in the 6.0 to 6.9 range (129) were 96% of the average since 1900 (134).
4. The number of large earthquakes (148) were 99% of the average since 1900 (150).
5. The total number of earthquakes (145961) is 19.19 times greater than the total number in the 1950s (7605).
6. The total number of earthquakes (145961) is 7.43 times greater than the total number in the 1960s (19639).
7. The total number of earthquakes (145961), is 1.91 times greater than in any of the years prior to 2012 (76229 in 2000).

The Other Signs
Luke 21:11 – “There will also be famines and pestilences . . .”
Luke 21:25 – “And upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring . . .”
Hosea 4:3. – “The beasts of the field, the fowls of heaven; and the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.”

● Pestilences, Plagues, and Mass Deaths
Worldwide since the beginning of the CV-19 crisis, there have been a total of 700,704,708 Coronavirus cases, 671,876,638 recoveries, and 6,962,414 deaths according to Worldometer statistics. The total figures for the United states are 110,109,948 cases, 107,887,617 recoveries, and 1,190,171 deaths. Of those totals, Vaers had received 1,615,020 reports through November 3, 2023 and noted 36,726 deaths. There were also 505,632 deaths from seasonal influenza. According to a biologist interviewed by Tucker Carlson, there is now scientific evidence that Covid vaccinations have killed 17 million people worldwide, double the number reported by Worldometer.

Topping the list once again, were the number of abortions performed in 2023 at 44,734,031.

● Billion Dollar Disasters
2023 saw an unprecedented twenty-five events that cost one billion-dollars or more. The average number of billion-dollar disasters between 1980 - 2022 was only eight events, and increased to eighteen events between 2018 – 2022 according to NOAA.

● Wildfires
Wildfires caused a loss of over 5,198,467 hectares or 12,845,411,957 acres of forested land.

● Volcanoes
2023 saw over seventy confirmed eruptions of which twenty-two were new eruptions that started during the year. Starting in November volcanoes in Iceland began to rumble and erupt. In other parts of the world volcanoes continued to rumble, including Sicily's Mount Etna, Mayon and Ta'al in the Philippines, Santa Maria in Guatemala, Nevado del Ruiz in Colombia and Krakatau in Indonesia.

● Wind Events
There were 1,269 confirmed tornadoes in the United States in 2023 including Twenty named storms just in the Atlantic basin, and over 125 other tornadoes which touched down outside of the United States. Tropical cyclones formed in seven major bodies of water, and 78 of them were named. Category 5 events formed in the North Indian Ocean, in the southwest Indian Ocean, in the Australian region, and in the South Pacific. The most intense storms of 2023 were Typhoons Mawar and Bolaven, and Cyclone Daniel, which killed at over four-thousand people in Libya, Greece, Turkey, and Bulgaria, causing at least 21-billion dollars worth of damage. This year, for the first time on record,

● Floods
Multiple countries and territories saw severe flooding in2023. Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Shenzhen China; Derna, Libya; Palamas, Greece; Bulgaria; Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil; On September 3, 2023, the Burning Man festival in the Black Rock Desert area of Nevada was rained out making the entire playa a muddy event. 70,000 festival goers were stuck in the mud for several days. Massachusetts and New Hampshire saw over 300% above normal volumes of rainfall.

● Droughts
In 2023 thirty-five of the states in the US experienced severe or exceptional drought. Europe experienced severe or exceptional drought in 37% of its territory. Drought reduced crop yields and raised prices of foodstuffs worldwide. Agriculture was most threatened in parts of central and southern America, Africa, Europe, southern Asia, and parts of Australia.

● Famines
There are approximately 875.5 million people in the world who are undernourished or starving, which means about twenty-four thousand (24,000) die each day.

● Temperature Extremes
North America, Europe, and China, all saw extreme heat waves which broke many local high temperature records. Phoenix, Arizona went thirty days with temperatures of 110° F (43.3 C) or higher.

Conclusions
Mark 13:8 – “These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.”
Luke 21:11 – “And there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
Bluntly put: The birth pangs are, indeed, breaking forth. Natural disasters around the world again occurred at an alarming rate in 2023. Earthquakes and fires demolished entire towns or cities, wildfires burned hundreds of thousands of acres – unprecedented in past history. Tornadoes, cyclones, and hurricanes hit the planet, many of which also caused mass flooding and loss of life. Pandemics, both viral, biological, and infestational exploded.

Final Thought for 2024
Time is short – Yeshua Ha’Mashiach is coming soon. So, what are we to do while we wait for our Lord and Savior, Yeshua, to appear?
Watch And Be Ready: Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; Luke 12:40, 21:36; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Pray And Be Ready: Luke 12:40, 21:36; Matthew 24:42, 25:13; Mark 13:33; 1 Thessalonians 5:6
Purify Oneself: 1 John 3:2-3
Abide In Yeshua: 1 John 2:27-28, 3:2, 4:13-16; Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11; Mark 8:38
Look For His Coming: Hebrews 9:28;Acts 1:11; Titus 2:11-13; Isaiah 25:9