World unhinged? Does Bible have a clue?

Does it seem like the world is a little more unhinged than usual?

Stock market going wild;
Global currency crisis;
Wars and rumors of wars;
Terrorists unstoppable;
Death of kings and national upheaval;
Governments have no answers.

And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

What's it all about? Is there a common denominator linked to these crises and more?

Yes, says Jonathan Cahn, the messianic rabbi and New York Times bestselling author of "The Harbinger," the bestselling Christian book of 2012 and 2013. And the answer, he says, comes in his new book with shocking conclusions – "The Mystery of the Shemitah."

What is "the Shemitah"?

It's a biblical, seven-year cycle that culminates in a year of rest, release, economic leveling, the rise and fall of empires and more.

The Shemitah comes once every seven years. In biblical Israel it brought a canceling of debts, a resting of the land from sowing and reaping, and a resetting of financial accounts. The seven-year Shemitah cycle was meant as a blessing as long as the Israelites followed God and observed his ways, but it could manifest as judgment if the nation turned to its own devices and removed God from its culture and legal system.

What Cahn found in researching the Shemitah throughout the world's history is that it not only impacts Israel and the Jewish people. It affects everything, as he puts it.

The specific avenues of potential judgment Cahn is watching now are the economy and the rise of ISIS as a new terrorist threat to America. The last two Shemitah years – 2000-2001 and 2007-2008 – brought the 9/11 attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and the historic stock market crashes of September 2001 and 2008.

While President Obama's state of the union address was loaded with sweet delights meant to bedazzle America's long-suffering middle class as he signaled economic prosperity for all is waiting just around the corner, Cahn saw something else in the speech.

He sees dark storm clouds closing in on Obama's rays of sunshine, citing "harbingers" that the country is sliding headlong toward a collapse – with blindfolds securely fastened.

"Listening to the president's State of the Union address, I was reminded of ancient Israel," said Cahn, who also inspired the bestselling faith movie of 2012 and 2013 – "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment," which provides an in-depth primer on the effects of the Shemitah.

"The people (of Israel) convinced themselves that they were coming back stronger than before," Cahn told WND. "And then it all collapsed, and the judgment came."

Cahn sees warning signs of potential judgment coming to America as the current Shemitah year nears the halfway point. It ends Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015.

"I've warned in 'The Harbinger' and as I've spoken across the country that if this nation doesn't return to God, its crown as head of nations will be removed," he said.

Two weeks into the Shemitah year, which began in Sept. 25, 2014, Cahn said the first sign of America's removal as the pinnacle of economic power was already apparent to those who were paying attention.

The American age that began more than 140 years ago, quietly came to an end.

According to a report by the International Monetary Fund, China's economy had for the first time surpassed that of the United States and now claims the distinction of being the world's largest economy, according to an October report.

"America's crown as the strongest economic power on earth was removed. It passed to China," Cahn said. "The word Shemitah can mean 'the fall.' That alone would constitute one of the greatest falls in modern history – the end of the American age."

The IMF measures both GDP in market-exchange terms and in terms of purchasing power, reported Business Insider.

On the purchasing-power basis, China is overtaking the U.S., becoming the world's biggest economy. By the end of 2014, China made up 16.48 percent of the world's purchasing-power adjusted GDP (or $17.632 trillion), and the U.S. made up just 16.28 percent or $17.416 trillion.

As the year of the Shemitah grinds toward its climax on Sept. 13, 2015, Cahn is also watching the Supreme Court.

"The harbingers have continued to manifest and America's apostasy from God has only accelerated. In April of this year, in the midst of the Shemitah, the Supreme Court will hear a case that will likely end marriage as we know it," Cahn said. "The verdict will be released in June. That will mark a critical point in America's fall from God."

Another one of the harbingers, that of the terrorist, has resurfaced in the form of ISIS, he said.

"The judgment and destruction of Israel was carried out by the Assyrians, the fathers of terrorism," Cahn said. "The emergence of ISIS and its conflict with America is ominous."

As for the economy, destabilization in the currency markets and disruptive oil markets are creating a springboard for turbulent times ahead.

Whether America's economic judgment comes with a sudden, painful jolt or as a slow, grinding down until it becomes subservient to other nations, remains to be seen. But either way, the messianic Jewish rabbi from New Jersey believes America will be knocked off its perch atop the world order, especially economically, if widespread repentance does not occur.

"There's an eerie kind of unease," he said. "The stock market has been hit by strange waves of volatility and violent swings. And it actually began the very first week of the Shemitah. I believe we're watching a house of cards. It could implode at any time."

For sure, Cahn is not the only one who sees hard times ahead for America.

Two "black swan events" have financial experts reassessing their forecasts.

One is the falling price of crude oil and its corrosive effect on Russia's economy. The other is Switzerland deciding last week to decouple the Swiss franc from the Euro, resulting in billions of dollars in losses for large banks and currency traders.

The oil price shock started out with most economists predicting a short-term "blip" that would quickly reverse course, only to see prices further plummet with no end in sight.

That is driving economic indicators and propelling economies in directions not previously forecast.

Russia, for instance, is under extreme pressure, as is Iran and Venezuela. Saudi Arabia stands to gain market share at the expense of Russia and the burgeoning U.S. shale-oil industry.

The United States meanwhile continues to chug along with low interest rates and what some analysts see as a bloated stock market ripe for a fall.

There's more in the biblical calendar that suggests big changes in the world this year and next, say Cahn and another Hebraic roots teacher, Mark Biltz, the discoverer of what has become known as "the Blood Moons phenomenon."

In his book and a companion documentary movie, both titled "Blood Moons," Biltz identifies a period of time in which four consecutive lunar eclipses, or blood moons, will all take place on Hebrew holy days. The last time this took place was in 1967-1968, the period in which Israel regained Jerusalem.

The time before that was 1949-1950, the time of Israel's war of independence, when it became a nation. The last time before that was 1493 and 1494, the period when Jewish people were fleeing for their lives in one of the greatest calamities of Jewish history, the expulsion from Spain.

Thus, if the pattern holds true, it would point to a great event to take place concerning the nation of Israel and the Jewish people, and affecting the world, says Biltz.

What do the Shemitah and the blood moons have to do with each other? Both Cahn and Biltz point to a coming period which could bear profound implications and world shaking events. Beyond that is the timing. When is the period of blood moons pointed to by Biltz and the astronomical projections he found in NASA’s database? It began in April 2014 at Passover and will continue until September of 2015, about the same time the Shemitah ends.

"Because of this Americans and people all over the world are taking notice," says Cahn.

Learn more about the Shemitah and the Blood Moons:

Get WND’s free report on the Shemitah.

Get more on the Shemitah mystery in Cahn's books and movies.

Get Biltz’s book and movie and other related products.

See the trailer for the "Blood Moons" DVD:

"Blood Moons" also is the first WND Films release to be available for digital download on iTunes.

See a trailer for "The Harbinger" and "The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment:"