Los Angelas Earthquake Testimony
July 31st, 2008 by Carl Thomas.I am reprinting this with permission from the original author.
I was in my classroom teaching summer school when the earthquake hit us here in Los Angeles yesterday. The girls screamed and everyone ducked for cover under their desks as they had been instructed to do during numerous earthquake drills in the past. In my 12 years of teaching, this was the first time we were under our desks for the real thing!
I had just been to the Todd Bentley meetings here in L.A. two days ago (the Lord, in His graciousness, allowed me to be 4 rows from the stage Sat. and on the first row of the second level on Sun.–such great seats and I didn’t even have to wait in line very long due to certain God-ordained circumstances). I shook, rattled and rolled…I cried, laughed, yelled…I was was set on fire and blessed so tremendously in a way that I hadn’t felt since the Toronto blessings came to LA in 1994!
Back in 1994, another earthquake had hit us (here is Wikipedia’s account below):
“The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a strong moment magnitude of 6.7, but the ground acceleration was the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America. Seventy-two people died as a result of the earthquake with more than 12,000 injured. In addition, the earthquake caused an estimated $12.5 billion in damage, making it one of the costliest natural disasters in U.S. history.”
The night before, we found a white dove sitting still on the fence of our house. Thinking it was hurt, we took it into the house and it didn’t make any attempt to fly away. My daughter, who was 5 at that time, said it reminded her of the dove in Noah’s Ark and so named it “Rainbow” (go figure). Rainbow quietly sat in a box which we put in our bathroom. At 4:31 a.m., the house shook violently and I immediately ran to my kids’ rooms. We all huddled together during the shaking which seemed to last forever. Then, the Lord reminded me of Rainbow’s presence in the house. I told them that the dove symbolized the Holy Spirit and that it was sent to our house to protect us and keep us safe. That immediately calmed my 3 little kids (ages 5, 3, 1) down. The next day, we found out that the parking structure of the mall just a few blocks from our house was totally demolished. Our neighbors all around us sustained great damages: TV sets, appliances, windows, dishes, vases, etc.-!
-all smashed up or came crashing down. Amazingly, while our dishes and canned goods were moved around in our cupboards, not a single thing was broken in our house!
Rainbow stayed with us all throughout the day as the after-shocks continued to shake the earth…a calming and constant reminder of God’s loving hand upon us. Then, as soon as the last after-shock stopped, the dove immediately spread its wings and left! My daughter said, “Just like in Noah’s ark…it’s not coming back! That means the earth is safe again!”
I share this story as an encouragement to all believers in Los Angeles and in California in general. I do believe that something is up. I’ve been sensing it and feeling it, especially in my times of intercession, and it’s been on the increase. But we are not to fear! Just as what happened to me and my family in 1994, we will enjoy Psalm 91 protection, even as the earth shakes violently beneath us! And as for our unsaved neighbors, friends and family members–yes, they may experience the negative consequences of the natural disaster about to befall us–but it is to only shake them up and to awaken them and provide opportunities for us to witness to them about the amazing love of God! (My next-door neighbor, when she saw how my household had been spared in 1994, started to come to my prayer meetings and expressed a desire to get right with God again!)
Tonight is the beginning of the prophetic conference at Harvest Rock Church with Pastor Che Ahn right here in L.A. I intend to spend the next 5 days, getting blasted and filled up to the brim and interceding for my city! On Aug. 11, I head off to Redding, CA, and I will be at Bethel Church with Pastor Bill Johnson for a week of even more intense prophetic teaching, Holy Spirit infilling and interceding! I don’t know what God is going to do in the next few months here in L.A. and in California but I am soooo thankful that there are places for me and my family to get spiritually ready!
I have been praying for revival for my city and my state ever since the Lord told me to move here in 1991…it’s been 17 years and something tells me, IT’S TIME!!! So did the earthquake yesterday concern me? No…it excited me! I’ve waited a long time for this and my response is, “Lord, bring your Holy Spirit, bring it on!”
Counting on everyone here to be joining us in prayer in the months ahead: “LA and CA for Christ!!!”
Blessings to all…
Pia
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Hi Carl;
Really good blog, I follow you via Google reader. Thought it might be OK to respond to your post with this: On Monday/Tuesday the Lord (He does this at seemingly random times) sang to me from an old Jackson Browne song. It was so strong I blogged it several hours before the quake hit:
http://gburnett.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-im-hearing-this-morning.html
Grace to you,
Greg Burnett
Carl,
I was in San Diego when it hit this week and didn’t really feel it.
My brother-in-law was at the epicenter of the Northridge quake and I saw the damage that caused in his neighborhood–apartment building collapsed, whole side walls of others.
I remember a whole lot of folks were having earthquake visions and dreams around here a couple of years ago and some even sold out and moved. Timing is always the hardest to get in these experiences.
Eventually, the ‘big one’ will hit us so all the scientists agree, however no one can predict where or when, so we live by faith out here.
The church I am part of has a 15,000 sqft warehouse stocked with food and clothing just in case–part of a continuing ministry to the poor in our area.
Several have had visions that we will be a part of a major relief center, the government has listed the fed. building and huge parking lot across the street from us as a staging area for FEMA with portable hospitals, kitchens, and tents in case of a major event in our area.
Of Coarse, I’d rather it didn’t come to that.
Michael, timing is the big thing. Though it would be an amazing witness to the world if we could get it right and be ready.
I understand that Time Square had canceled everything leading up to 9/11