Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period

… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. (Luke 21:11).

… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; (Luke 21:25)

… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)

… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy 3:1)

Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like a woman having labor pains, growing in intensity, frequency, size and duration.

Bushfire season: Australia warned to prepare early amid grim outlook. 1,500 fires this month. What do we know about the number Five (5)?

Much of the country faces a higher than average bushfires threat because of warm and dry conditions and low rainfall

The Guardian. August 28, 2019.

Fire authorities across the country are bracing for a challenging bushfire season this summer and are urging Australians to start preparing their homes, properties and evacuation plans early.

The Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre released its seasonal outlook on Wednesday.

It warns Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and parts of Western Australia and South Australia face an above normal potential fire threat because of very warm and dry conditions and below average rainfall.

“When we go into communities post large portions of the communities are not well prepared for the fire season and a lot of people express surprise that they were to be impacted by fires,” the centre’s chief executive, Richard Thornton, told reporters in Melbourne.

The Bureau of Meteorology’s climate monitoring manager, David Jones, said the outlook was grim and the fire threat would be potentially exacerbated by severe drought conditions particularly in the Murray-Darling Basin region.

“It’s not a very good outlook and will certainly be a challenging fire season,” Jones said.

In Victoria, authorities are most worried about Gippsland, which has been struggling with record low rainfall. Some areas are still recovering from fires earlier this year, including Bunyip which lost close to 40 homes. There are also strong concerns about the state’s west where there has been good rainfall that’s increased fuel levels.

“It’s cold and it’s wet at the moment but this is the time we need to be thinking about preparing,” the Emergency Management Victoria commissioner, Andrew Crisp, said. “It’s too late when we’re actually battling a fire.”

He flagged last summer’s successful trial of night-time helicopter fire bombing would continue this year.

Bruce McDonald from the NSW Rural Fire Service noted his state had been hit with 1,500 fires so far this month and families needed to be proactive about arranging their bushfire survival plans.

“I would equate this to 2013, the conditions we are facing. In 2013 we lost 200 homes one afternoon in the Blue Mountains,” McDonald told reporters. “Preparation is the key. There won’t be a fire truck at every house.”

He said fire crews will have to adapt to low dam levels and high water restrictions, in drought-stricken parts of regional NSW, with “dry firefighting strategies”.

“In some areas we’ve been using water bombers that can get water out of rivers rather than the dams,” McDonald said.

If fire crews are using landowners’ dam water, a NSW scheme will replace it.

The fire season has started early this year in Queensland and is expected to go later than usual. Fires have already come within metres of homes on the Sunshine Coast and Bribie Island has been hit.

The state’s Fire and Emergency Service deputy commissioner, Mark Roche, said the danger zone was from Rockhampton down to the NSW border and out west to the Darling Downs, where there was a shortage of water.

Roche said last year’s early fire season was unprecedented and featured never before seen catastrophic conditions.

Emergency services in Queensland could be pressed on two fronts.

“The luxury we have in Queensland is you can have bushfires in one part of the state and cyclones in another and at times they are at the same time,” Roche said.

The Tasmania Fire Service acting chief officer, Bruce Byatt, said the state’s east coast was at above average risk of large-scale fires and also he predicted early blazes. He warned holidaymakers to also factor in the bushfire threat when planning trips.

Authorities in South Australia are most concerned about the fire risk to Kangaroo Island and Eyre Peninsula.

In Western Australia, the focus will be on the state’s south as well as around the north-west coast where there’s increased fuel loads following intense rainfall from Cyclone Veronica.