One EMP Burst

If you have read about an EMP weapon, then you must have the same concerns. You don't see a lot written about this scenario, but it is very real and it is very threatening. Because the book of Revelation gives so much detail on the major powers during the Tribulation, coupled with the complete absence of any reference to the U.S. - it has been assumed that the U.S. suffers from a major loss of "power" or "international presence" during the Tribulation.

These factors allow for a lot of ongoing discussions as to "what happens to the U.S.?", among prophecy watchers. The usual suspects include financial collapse (more popular recently), The Rapture of the Church, terrorism, and the possibility that the U.S. simply becomes part of the expansion of the EU and/or one of the "10 Kings" from Daniel and Revelation.

I believe all of those are possibilities.

Also, based completely on speculation, I have held the belief that the Rapture of the Church would disproportionately affect the U.S. and thus, cripplez the country far more than other countries around the world.

However it has always been of interest that the Apostle Peter (2 Peter) and Jesus, when discussing the Rapture, gave us interesting parallels to Sodom and Gomorrah (Lot's escape) and Noah (escaping the flood). In both instances, these Biblical figures escaped the calamity at JUST the last moment.

Unless I am reading too much into these parallels, is it possible that we are being told that the Rapture of the Church will take place just before some sort of calamity within these borders?

If so, my number one candidate is reviewed below:

One EMP burst and the world goes dark

The sky erupts. Cities darken, food spoils and homes fall silent. Civilization collapses.
End-of-the-world novel? A video game? Or could such a scenario loom in America's future?

There is talk of catastrophe ahead, depending on whom you believe, because of the threat of an electromagnetic pulse triggered by either a supersized solar storm or terrorist A-bomb, both capable of disabling the electric grid that powers modern life.

Electromagnetic pulses (EMP) are oversized outbursts of atmospheric electricity. Whether powered by geomagnetic storms or by nuclear blasts, their resultant intense magnetic fields can induce ground currents strong enough to burn out power lines and electrical equipment across state lines.

EMPs can occur naturally (from the sun's activity), and we are expected to be approaching a period in which solar activity will be favorable to such bursts of energy. The article describes this process and it is worth reading
. But it is the potential use of this technology in terrorism that is the main concern now:

At risk are the more than 200,000 miles of high-voltage transmission lines that cross North America, supplying 1,800 utilities the power for TVs, lights, refrigerators and air conditioners in homes, and for the businesses, hospitals and police stations that take care of us all.

"The electric grid's vulnerability to cyber and to other attacks is one of the single greatest threats to our national security," Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in June as he introduced the bill to the House of Representatives.

In the nuclear scenario, the detonation of an atomic bomb anywhere from 25 to 500 miles high electrifies, or ionizes, the atmosphere about 25 miles up, triggering a series of electromagnetic pulses. The pulse's reach varies with the size of the bomb, the height of its blast and design.

Gingrich last year cited the EMP Commission report in warning, "One weapon of this kind that went off over Omaha would eliminate most of the electrical production in the United States."

This threat is being taken very seriously, but are we too late in addressing this potential terrorist act?

In June, national security analyst Steven Aftergood of the Federation of American Scientists described congressional debate over power-grid security as "a somewhat jarring mix of prudent anticipation and extravagant doomsday warnings."

Although the physics underlying the geomagnetic and nuclear pulses are fundamentally the same, they have different solutions. A geomagnetic storm essentially produces a long-building surge dangerous to power lines and large transformers. A nuclear blast produces three waves of pulses.

Limiting the risk from the geomagnetic-storm-type threat involves stockpiling large transformers and installing dampers, essentially lightning rods, to dump surges into the ground from the grid. Even if such steps cost billions, the numbers come out looking reasonable compared with the $119 billion that a 2005 Electric Power Research Institute report estimated was the total nationwide cost of normal blackouts every year.

"EMP is one of a small number of threats that can hold our society at risk of catastrophic consequences," Graham testified to a congressional committee last year, endorsing such mitigation steps.

Again, something like this may never happen - naturally or via terrorism. And if it does happen it may not be as severe as some anticipate. On the other hand, this weapon would be relatively easy to create and maintain, and a small ship in international waters off the U.S. (or European) coast could accomplish a successful launch.

We can just add this one to the list of "things worth watching" in these last days.