Winter Storm Ezekiel was a harbinger of COVID-19 and the lawlessness to follow, but could a new Omega Sign forebode further judgment over the U.S.?
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Judgment Enters through the Northwest
On November 27, 2019, an unprecedented storm hit the Pacific Northwest. This storm was a weather phenomenon known as a bomb cyclone and was one for the records. Within its well-formed eye, it hit the lowest sea-level air pressure ever observed in California.
Making landfall at the California/Oregon border, the storm affected California, Oregon, and Washington. It hit the border with the punch of a category one hurricane, bringing sustained winds of 85 mph and gusts up to 106 mph.
Because of its historic nature, the storm caught my notice, but when I learned its name, it really grabbed my attention. The Weather Channel named this storm Ezekiel, the Biblical prophet.
Ezekiel lived during the Babylonian exile of Israel. Many of his prophecies revealed the judgment to come for the sins of Israel and the surrounding nations. But his prophecies also revealed events at the end of this age. He prophesied a time when God would regather the Jews to Israel, a time when the antichrist will invade them, and a time when the Messiah will rule over Jerusalem.
Watching the storm unfold, I wondered if it was a harbinger of judgment coming upon the U.S. for its sins. And more significantly, if it was a sign that we are entering the end of this age.
Less than two months after the storm, COVID-19 entered the U.S. through the same gateway as the storm – the Pacific Northwest. Less than six months later, Seattle and Portland were among the cities embroiled in lawlessness, held siege by protestors and rioters.
Now, a new sign has appeared over the Pacific Northwest, an Omega block, producing the most intense heat on record. Could this new sign portend relief from the catastrophes or be a harbinger of the end of this age?
The Prophet’s Storm
The late prophet, John Paul Jackson, prophesied that there would one day be a storm that would hit the west coast. The storm was prophesied to be a hurricane or storm of incredible force that would portend a massive earthquake in California. This earthquake would be so intense that it that would change the geography of California and the west coast.
I’ll tell you that I was a little concerned about our family trip to Disneyland planned a month after the storm. While Ezekiel did not precede a giant earthquake, it did precede a massive shaking in the U.S. 2020 was an unprecedented year with the COVID-19 pandemic, major riots across the country, and a contested election. Every institution was shaken; our churches, schools, economy, government, and social structure. Like the effects of an earthquake, the country was torn apart, divided, and profoundly changed.
Like the storm, COVID-19 entered through the Northwest, with Washington state reporting the first case. Washington also reported the first COVID-19 death in the U.S., the first reported case in a health care worker, and the first possible outbreak in a long-term care facility.
In a media release, the CDC further stated on February 29th, “these reports from Washington follow others of community-spread in Oregon and two places in California earlier this week.”
As Ezekiel moved across the country, it hit the heaviest in states, including Minnesota, Michigan, and New York. Along with Washington, Oregon, and California, these states would be prominent in the news in the year to come for heavy rioting and/or COVID-19 cases.
Plagues Across the West
While COVID-19 has been the focus of 2020 into 2021, several Bible-like plagues are hammering the western U.S.
Drought – According to the U.S. Drought Monitor report, more than 47% of the country is currently in some form of drought. However, drought has hit the western U.S. the hardest, with 93% of the west in drought with almost 60% under “extreme” or “exceptional” drought conditions. Around1,500 critical reservoirs are “worryingly dry” in California, and critical reservoirs such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at their lowest levels ever, each around 35% of capacity.
Wildfires – Associated with drought, 2020 was the most active year on record for wildfires in the West. 2020 included five of the six largest fires in California history and the three largest fires in Colorado history.
Serpents – The drought has brought rattlesnakes into suburban areas of California. The owner of a rattlesnake removal company stated, “Rattlesnakes are everywhere these days, he says – on front porches, in potted plants, and under children’s play equipment. “I am busier than I have ever been. Complaints are coming in from all over the state.”
Grasshoppers – The drought had brought ideal conditions for grasshoppers to mature, and a massive swarm is plaguing the west. The Grasshoppers have hit the Pacific Northwest and states inward the hardest, with a total of 13 states affected. Like locusts, grasshoppers will strip the land of vegetation.
The Omega Block
Now, there is a new weather phenomenon striking the Pacific Northwest – an unprecedented heat dome, also called an Omega block. This bubble of trapped hot air is holding record-high temperatures over the area. It is referred to as an Omega block because it takes the shape of the Greek letter Omega Ω.
Portland broke its heat record three times, reaching a blistering 116 degrees on July 5th. Seattle also set records on the 4th and 5th, hitting a high of 108 degrees. According to CBS News, “Unprecedented does not do it justice. Statistically speaking, this would be a once-in-a-1,000-year occurrence in a normal climate.”
In a region where air conditioners are rare, at least 107 people died in Oregon due to the heat, mostly in the Portland area. In Washington, at least 30 people died from the heat, primarily in the Seattle area.
But is there prophetic significance to this latest event?
The Omega Sign and Judgment to Come
As the prophet Ezekiel prophesied judgment to come to nations because of their sins, Winter Storm Ezekiel appears to have been a prophetic sign. Looking at the storm’s aftermath, this sign was likely a harbinger of judgment coming to the U.S., particularly the Pacific Northwest. At the very least, the Omega block is one of many disasters that have plagued the Pacific Northwest since Winter Storm Ezekiel. Multiple plagues have hit California, Oregon, and Washington particularly hard since then.
So if the pronouncement of the storm to be named Ezekiel had prophetic implications, could the appearance of an Omega block also have such implications?
Omega is the final letter in the Greek alphabet. Could this be a sign that the plagues are about to end? I doubt it because the Pacific Northwest has done anything but repent. With the Seattle CHOP and Portland and LA riots, these states become centers of lawlessness.
When I heard of the Omega block, the first thing that came to mind was Jesus’ quote from Revelation. Three times He stated, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” meaning the beginning and the end (Rev. 1:8, 21:6, 22:13). Could this be a sign that we are reaching the end, meaning the end of this age?
I realize this is speculation. As with all signs, it is difficult to know the sign’s significance until time passes. But this area will surely be one to watch in the future.