Not all Christians are emphasizing Shemitah and Jubilee as a time of peace, love and rapture. JournalRecord writers John K. Harris and R. Henry Migliore point to the weakness in current markets as signifying God’s displeasure and point to instances which seem to demonstrate that God judges the world with particular severity every seven years. Harris and Milgore point out that in 1973 and 2015, two Supreme Court decisions that would particularly anger God were passed: the legalization of abortion and of gay marriage. The stock market peaked in January 1973 followed by a 21 month bear market that shed 48%. Since Obergefell v. Hodges, the market peaked in May, 2015 and, between then and late August, fell 12.4%.
Those paying attention to Shemitah are not just trying to put the fear of God into the public. Jeff Berwick, founder and editor of The Dollar Vigilante and Stockhouse.com, is plenty worried about Shemitah from a financial, rather than a theological, point of view, and is painting quite a vivid doomsday scenario. He has released a book in time for the ending of the Shemitah year titled, “Shemitah Trends: A Plot to Enslave Humanity and How to Find Freedom.” The book details ways in which the ending of a Shemitah cycle has in the past corresponded with military conflicts and financial disasters. He writes, “There are signs, as before, that September 13-15, 2015 could change everything about the way we live and work, and even relate to our communities and our country.” His video, “Shemitah Exposed: Financial Crisis Planned for September 2015,” warns of a crisis and recommends, in his newsletter ($39.99 for a three month trial), ways to weather the financial storm, including buying S&P 500 put options. Berwick feels he predicted the fall of stock in August, and according to his press release, promises to reveal to viewers and readers “the phenomenon of Shemitah itself and the disturbing trends it is creating. [The book] also analyzes the centralization of power that has led to Shemitah and the ability of its organizers to sustain and expand its influence over the centuries” (Protocols of the Elders of Shemitah?).
Berwick insists he doesn’t have a religious agenda nor is he making an issue out of the religious affiliation of certain people in the financial industry. “I should point out that my Shemitah analysis has emerged as part of my studies of investing. I am not interested in the religious affiliations of financiers. However, there are extremely troublesome ramifications of Shemitah as I’ve discovered: those are what I wish to investigate and to address.” While the Shemitah people can’t be stopped, the mishaps they cause can be anticipated, Berwick argues, and he adds, “I cannot control what those involved with Shemitah at the upper reaches will or will not do. I can only observe what HAS been done and alert people, as I have, to the potential dangers of this day and year.”
A number of financial analysts are predicting a dismal rest of September, although these predictions are not usually tinged with a hint of anti-Shemitah-ism; September is historically a lackluster month for stocks. Stocks have just had their worst August in 17 years and have seen their worst start of September in 13 years, and there are external factors to indicate the market was due for a correction. According to data, there have only been 11 times when the market declined more than 5% in August, and when that happened, it was followed by a poor September as well. In addition, September is the only month in which stocks fall more frequently than they rise. ETF Daily News discusses the research of Israeli mathematician Thomas Pound: “Applying the … Analysis of variance (ANOVA) test to the Shemitah cycle, Pound’s research revealed that the post-sabbatical years were the only group of years in which the market averaged consistently significant losses since 1871 … Statistically, it appears that the calendar years in which the Sabbatical year ends are worse than the other six years, and the difference is significant.”
