The Shemitah: Four Months Until Financial Ruin?

Rabbi Jonathan Cahn has said he believes a great shaking is coming to America, and it could almost be upon us.  And while the New York Times best-selling author is quick to point out that God is not bound by the cycle, it doesn’t bode well for the United States. 

Prolific author Paul McGuire agrees, and come September—the beginning of the Super Shemitah—America could face financial ruin because of how the country has turned away from God. 

“Our founding fathers understood that God is and was our source, and so that is that the fundamental principle of economic prosperity.” McGuire said at the Prophecy in the News Conference. “The fundamental (principle) of economic prosperity is understanding that the source and everything you need is God Almighty. So when any individual or nation understands that the source of their economic blessing is God, they open the door to the powerful possibility of economic prosperity. The economic engines begin to roar, the creative ideas that produce money and technology and businesses and entrepreneurship begin to explode. It’s God that gives the power to get wealth.”

But when the nation turns away, it loses that blessing.  

As America makes the profane sacred—such as gay marriage, sexual lifestyles outside of marriage, abortion, etc.—Cahn can’t help but point to parallels with Israel. 

“The Sabbath year was called the Shemitah, but it’s to be blessing for Israel. But when Israel turns away from God, what happen is the Shemitah comes back at them not as blessing but as a sign of judgment on a nation that has driven God out of its life,” Cahn says. “And that strikes the financial realm, the economic realm and the blessings of prosperity or sustenance for the nation. Shemitah blessings turn to a curse when God is driven out.”

And as we approach September and October—Cahn says a wipeout could happen on Wall Street. Historically, he’s accurate. 

Black Tuesday was Oct. 29, 1929. 

Sept. 11, 2001 had immense economic impacts. 

In September 2008, the U.S. treasury seized control of mortgage giants to help balance losses. 

Those are all Shemitah years. When the Shemitah year began last September, the United States lost its financial superiority to China, sending stocks plummeting. 

With these results, the future doesn’t bode well—especially with the super Shemitah beginning in September—even by secular standards, for the global economy. CNBC predicts plunging oil prices, an anemic global growth and spiked inflation for emerging economies.

C-SPAN reports predictions that the Federal Reserve policy, as well as Congress’ ability to govern could affect the economy improving. The stock Market-Barometer advises caution in its financial forecast.

With so many markets depending on each other for financial success, McGuire says this is an indicator of the end times. 

“And the Bible says that in the end times, in the last days, that there will come a one-world economic system, a false prophet who will administrate the one-world economic system and the one-world economic system will be integrated with the one world religion, and this will culminate in a cashless society,” McGuire says. “The world system is a control system that is both spiritual and economic. Money is all about captivity, slavery and control. That is its essential purpose. It’s essential purpose is not an economic instrument of exchange. It’s about control and the occult and spirituality.”

The interwoven aspect of finances and spirituality comes into play as America seeks to legalize same-sex marriage, creating a slippery slope for sexuality and gender identity, which further distances us from God the creator. 

Many arguments around marriage equality center around tax benefits, and as the church continues to depend on the government for tax-exempt statuses, as well as programs to care for the impoverished, money again comes into play. Governments, at both the local and state levels, are levying taxes against residents, taking away from their financial gain. 

A complete turnaround from our dependence on the Lord is leading us to fall on our knees financially, both Cahn and McGuire say. As the Shemitah approaches toward the end of the year, our only hope is an appeal to heaven.