EMP is an acronym for electromagnetic pulse. An EMP can occur either through natural or artificial means. In modern warfare nuclear weapons exploded in the upper atmosphere above populated areas can take out communications equipment and the computers needed to operate modern warplanes, or even put the entire electrical network of a target country out of commission.  

Perspective                     

One Second After is a 2009 novel by American writer, William R. Forstchen. Wikipedia explains the plot of the book:

“The novel deals with an unexpected electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States as it affects the people living in and around the small American town of Black Mountain, North Carolina. At 4:50 p.m. (16:50) Eastern Daylight Time on the second Tuesday of May, the first day described in the book's narration, the phone lines in the town suddenly go dead, along with all the electrical appliances. Within hours it becomes clear that this is no ordinary blackout. Every modern electrical device is disabled, destroyed by what Matherson is beginning to suspect was an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States.

“The United States has effectively been returned to the 19th century, with few 21st-century people able to deal with such conditions. Matherson later remarks that survivors have had to rely on the technology of the early 16th century. His immediate concern is his twelve-year-old daughter, who has Type 1 diabetes. Without a constant supply of insulin, which requires refrigeration, she will die.

“The book explores how the whole community responds, as many others face similar crises. Matherson's experience and character help him with the town's residents. Hundreds of motorists are stranded when their vehicles stop. They get into town, making the residents feel threatened by the numbers of people needing help. An immediate concern is food. No refrigerators or freezers are running, nor are grocery stores receiving supplies.

“Residents of the nursing home in town, where Matherson's elderly cancer-stricken father-in-law is being cared for, are at risk. The elderly and frail need refrigerated medicines, and many require constant nursing care. The EMP has disabled the nursing home's generator. There are no AM/FM radio broadcasts, no television, no Internet, and thus, no communication with anyone outside the town is possible…”

Forstchen is not exaggerating; such a scenario is entirely possible in war time. Modern-day people who have grown accustomed to the conveniences of the 21st century could not cope with the disruption of current food supply lines, no electricity, no transportation, and the utter chaos which would occur. Multiple millions would not survive.

Ezekiel’s Warning That Cities Will Be Destroyed

The Bible warns of the coming punishment of modern Israel when horrendous events will befall the descendants of Jacob. Ezekiel was told by the Eternal God to prophesy against the mountains or governments of Israel (Ezekiel 6:1-4). Ezekiel 6:5-6 says: “And I will lay the corpses of the children of Israel before their idols, and I will scatter your bones all around your altars. In all your dwelling places the cities shall be laid waste, and the high places shall be desolate, so that your altars may be laid waste and made desolate, your idols may be broken and made to cease, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be abolished.”

God specifically uses the word “desolate” to describe what He would do; it means to be “deserted of people and in a state of bleak and dismal emptiness.”

Ezekiel 5:11-14 paints a bleak picture about what is to happen: “‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. Thus, shall My anger be spent, and I will cause My fury to rest upon them, and I will be avenged; and they shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it in My zeal, when I have spent My fury upon them. Moreover, I will make you a waste and a reproach among the nations that are all around you, in the sight of all who pass by.’”

What Ezekiel wrote down has not yet been fulfilled, but it will come to pass. Cities which once teemed with hundreds of thousands of people will be desolated, but how? Because of the advent of nuclear weapons in World War II, what the prophet Ezekiel describes is now possible. Jesus said in Matthew 24:21-22, prophesying the end of this age, “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Key U.S. Cities Likely Will Be Targeted For Nuclear Attack

A nuclear attack on U.S. soil would likely target the larger cities of the country. Businessinsider.com on June 8, 2023, published an article titled, “A nuclear attack would most likely target one of these 6 US cities — but an expert says none of them are prepared.”

The article goes on to say, “A nuclear attack on the US would most likely target one of 6 cities. Simulated images show how a Hiroshima-like explosion would affect each, ‘the six most likely targets—New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC—would be ill-prepared for a nuclear impact. Those cities, he said, would be particularly at risk, because they're some of the largest and densest in the country. They're also home to critical infrastructures like energy plants, financial hubs, government facilities, and wireless transmission systems.’”

The article also reported that a 15-kiloton nuclear bomb dropped on New York City could kill around 264,000 people. A 15-kiloton explosion could cause 120,000 deaths in Washington, DC. In Chicago, a 15kt nuclear bomb could kill 151,000 people—almost as many as Houston's and San Francisco's death counts combined. Such devastation would be mirrored at perhaps more than six major cities. Both the United States and Russia alone are in possession of thousands of nuclear weapons much more powerful. 

On top of the immediate deaths and those who would later die of radiation exposure, the power grid would be destroyed due to EMP, and it would take many months to restore. Water systems would be down and clean unaffected water would be a real problem for most.

God would much rather answer the sincere prayers of a people who recognize their sin and repent. The Lord asked Judah, who didn’t believe God would send them into captivity to Babylon, “Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the Lord has spoken against the nation?” (Jeremiah 27:13).

God Desires Sincere Repentance 

There were false prophets of ancient Judah who told the Jews they would not serve the king of Babylon, and God said “They speak lies to you.” God meant what He said. Just as the Almighty God desired repentance of them, He desires we turn from our sins and make a whole-hearted commitment to Him.

Just as God said to ancient Israel, He says to our nation, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword;’ for the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 1:18-20).

For those called out of this world who have God’s Divine favor and protection, it is encouraging to remember: “God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, Though the earth be removed” (Psalm 46:1-2).

This is my Perspective and the current edition of the Prophetic Times follows below: 

Prophetic Times

Russia, China kick off joint naval drills 

July 20, 2023 spacewar.com reported:

Russia said Thursday it had started joint naval drills with China in the Sea of Japan as the two allies seek to deepen their military cooperation.
Ties between Moscow and Beijing have grown closer since Russia launched its Ukraine offensive last year, a move China has not condemned. The Russian defence ministry said the main goal of the exercises that will run until Sunday is to ‘strengthen naval cooperation’ between the two countries and ‘maintain stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region’.

The drills will include ‘anti-submarine missions and naval combat’ and the sea and air escort of ships, the ministry said, adding there are also plans ‘to carry out joint artillery fire’.

The Russian navy is represented by two anti-submarine ships, two corvettes as well as auxiliary ships, the ministry said. Beijing said on Sunday it was sending five warships, including a guided-missile destroyer.

South Korea’s President Threatens to ‘End’ North Korean Regime Aboard U.S. Nuclear Sub

July 20, 2023 breitbart.com reported:

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol vowed that any North Korean nuclear attack would be ‘the end of that regime’ on Wednesday while touring the USS Kentucky, an Ohio-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine currently stationed in the southern port city of Busan.

Yoon, a hardline conservative, has used his term at the helm of his country to bring South Korea’s foreign policy more in line with America and undo concessions made to the communist North Korean regime under his predecessor, leftist Moon Jae-in. Yoon negotiated the return of American nuclear submarines to the Korean peninsula during a visit to Washington, DC, in April, resulting in the first such vehicles docked in the country since 1981.

Prior to the Kentucky‘s arrival, the USS Michigan, a nuclear-powered submarine arrived in Busan in June. ‘Unlike Kentucky, Michigan has been converted from carrying nuclear ballistic missiles to fielding 154 Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles,’ the U.S. Naval Institute’s news portal (USNI) explained on Tuesday.

Hamas threatens Israel after Jews ascend Temple Mount

July 19, 2023 Arutz Sheva reported:

The Palestinian Authority’s official Wafa news agency reported on Tuesday that dozens of ‘settlers’ had ‘invaded’ the Al-Aqsa Mosque under protection of the Israel Police. According to the report, the Jewish visitors entered the Temple Mount in groups, one after the other, conducted ‘provocative’ tours of the site and held religious worship ceremonies.

Muhammad Hamada, spokesman for Hamas in Jerusalem, said that ‘the insistence of hordes of settlers to continue desecrating the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to perform religious ceremonies and Talmudic prayers in its courtyards, is dangerous aggression towards and a blatant violation of its sanctity.’

Hamada accused the Israeli authorities of providing protection to the ‘hordes of settlers’ and of securing their ‘invasions’ of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, noting they bear full responsibility for this ‘aggression.’

Due to Iran’s actions: US to send additional fighter jets and warship to Middle East

July 18, 2023 Arutz Sheva reported:

The United States will send additional F-35 and F-16 fighter jets, along with a warship to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Monday, according to Reuters. The move is part of a bid to monitor key waterways in the region following Iran’s seizure and harassment of commercial shipping vessels in recent months.

In May, the White House announced that the Biden administration would be making a series of moves in the region, but at the time did not say what it would include.

‘The (Pentagon) is increasing our presence and ability to monitor the (Strait of Hormuz) and surrounding waters,’ Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday. It was not clear where exactly the additional jets would be placed and how long they would stay in the region.

Here Come the Grasshoppers… 

July 17, 2023 beforeitsnews.com reported:

It was just a matter of time before the grasshoppers joined the party. In 2023, global crops have been devastated by plague after plague. Farmers in the U.S. and elsewhere have had to deal with seemingly endless drought, unprecedented heat, nightmarish flooding and horrifying outbreaks of disease. In fact, citrus greening disease is one of the primary reasons why the orange harvest in Florida is only going to be about half as large as it was last year. It has just been one thing after another for our farmers, but ravenous hordes of insects have been one plague that has been noticeably absent from the list. Unfortunately, that has now changed.

Just recently, a swarm of grasshoppers so enormous it was actually spotted by weather radar systems as it descended upon Tooele, Utah. 

A massive swarm of grasshoppers has invaded Tooele, Utah, causing significant damage to crops. The plague-like surge was captured by weather radar systems of the National Weather Service on the evening of June 21 as it headed northeast toward the Great Salt Lake.

Alex DeSmet, a meteorologist, told the Salt Lake Tribune the unusual radar detection of the grasshoppers was associated with their distinctive non-uniform movement. Unlike weather events such as rain or snow, grasshopper swarms exhibit irregular patterns. Normally, we don’t see swarms of this size in North America. But the warmer and drier winters we have witnessed in recent years have resulted in a population explosion of the little critters.

New Russian warship with hypersonic missiles joins Black Sea fleet – report

July 17, 2023 jpost.com reported:

The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet has welcomed a new warship, the missile corvette Tsiklon, TASS reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry last week. Other reports have noted that the Tsiklon warship will be able to fire hypersonic missiles.
The Tsiklon was officially handed over to the Russian Navy for service in a ceremony on July 12 under the auspices of Admiral Nikolay Yevmenov, the Russian Navy commander-in-chief. The ship is the latest in a number of similar missile corvettes reportedly set to replace the Russian Navy’s current Buyan-M ships.

Ted Cruz bill would inform customers when household smart devices are spying on them

July 14, 2023 foxbusiness.com reported:

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Tuesday urged lawmakers to support a bipartisan bill that would inform consumers when their smart devices are "spying" on them.

Cruz, the ranking member on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, went to the Senate floor and spoke in favor of the Informing Consumers about the Smart Devices Act — a bill he introduced alongside Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., the committee chair. The bipartisan bill would require the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to mandate that smart devices disclose to customers whether they have audio or visual recording components.

The Texas senator warned that common household appliances like refrigerators, washers, dryers and even air fryers could have microphones or cameras that infringe on their owners' privacy.

"With any technological advancement, there can be trade-offs, and for smart devices one of the potential trade-offs is our privacy," Cruz said Tuesday. "In Texas, we become very aware of that cost. The past few years, smart thermostats have allowed electric companies to control the temperature in your own home from afar in the name of conserving energy. Furthermore, a lot of Americans don’t realize or expect that the growing number of smart household devices and appliances, have cameras on them, and microphones that can surreptitiously record families and transmit data.

Israel protests as Sweden allows Torah burning outside embassy on Saturday 

July 14, 2023 timesofisrael.com reported:

Israeli officials protested to Sweden on Friday after local police gave the go-ahead to a request to allow the burning of a Bible outside of the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on Saturday, saying that the decision was tantamount to a ‘hate crime.’

Local police two weeks ago said they had received an application from an individual in his 30s to burn a Jewish and a Christian Bible outside Israel’s Embassy in Stockholm on July 15 as ‘a symbolic gathering for the sake of freedom of speech.’ It comes just weeks after Quran burnings took place in the city. It was not immediately clear if the person planned to burn a copy of the Bible or a Torah scroll. The move sparked widespread outrage in Israel and Jewish groups.