For the past few years, the internet has been full of prophecies of doom and judgment, disaster and destruction, all predicted to occur in September 2015. Well, it’s finally September. Will this month bring the end of the world, the end of Life As We Know It? Is Jesus going to return, or will the rapture finally happen? Or, depending on your theology, will this month mark the beginning of the “great falling away” and the Great Tribulation?

There are three major dates on the Jewish calendar this month that have garnered a lot of attention. Since I have a lot to say on this topic, this will be the first of a three-week series. That should take us through the month—if the world lasts that long!

September 13 is the last day of the Jewish year, with Rosh Hashana coming on September 14 through 15. As has been widely noted, this year this date is significant because it is a Sabbatical year. According to the Bible (see Leviticus 25), every seventh year is a Sabbatical year—a Shemitah. Moreover, every seventh Sabbatical (that is, every 49 years) ends with a Year of Jubilee.

Some writers are confident that this is a Year of Jubilee. However, because the Jews have not celebrated a Year of Jubilee for thousands of years, and because no records were kept from the last time they did celebrate it, we don’t know which date to start counting from—so we really don’t know if this Sabbatical year is actually a Year of Jubilee—or not. (If anyone has an authoritative source, preferably Jewish, I’d love to know about it!)

Because the Year of Jubilee has a financial significance—all debts were to be forgiven—and because of growing conviction that this is a Year of Jubilee, many people are expecting there to be a worldwide financial collapse as the Jewish year ends on September 13. Investors are jittery, and businesses that cater to survival supplies are already running low as people stock up. It all kind of reminds me of Y2K and the hysteria that accompanied that non-event.

Curious, I attempted to trace this belief back to its source. Did any Jewish websites confirm that this is a Year of Jubilee? Were any mainstream financial institutions or investment firms warning people about September 13? In both cases, a determined search turned up nothing. Nada. However, every website I came across that did substantiate these beliefs eventually referred back to statements made by Jonathan Cahn, author of The Harbinger and The Mystery of the Shemitah. Interesting.

With the national debt at record levels, the government owing more than it takes in, and the economy running on what is basically “funny money,” I fully expect that at some point our national economy will collapse. We’re in a position similar to the one Greece was in about twenty years ago, and it simply can’t go on forever. But will it happen this weekend? We should note that September 13 happens to fall on a Sunday this year. The markets will be closed, so they can’t collapse, at least not on that exact day. And after that? Only God knows for sure, but I, for one, am not stockpiling toilet paper and canned meals.

Remember, Jesus told us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and God will take care of all those piddling little details (food, clothing, and the like). The best financial advice I can give anyone boils down to this: listen to God and do what He says!

Next week: Will “Life As We Know It” End September 23?