Archive for famine

Locust Swarms Gathering and Growing, April 2020

Posted in #PaulthePoke, Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2020 by paulthepoke

2 Chronicles 6:28 If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is…

Granted, this is Solomon’s dedication prayer in Jerusalem. The context is Israel. But, it sure sounds like today’s world in the 21st century.

As a result of COVID 19 coronavirus, countries in East Africa are running short of pesticides to combat locusts and grasshoppers. Deliveries are being affected due to the spread of the coronavirus. Borders are being closed. Distribution and supply chains are being affected.

Cyril Ferrand is leading the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Ferrand had the following comments regarding the locust swarms.

“If we fail in the current (regional) control operations, because of lack of pesticides, then we could see 4 million more people struggle to feed their families.”

“They are very active, very voracious, and very mobile.”

“…If we don’t have pesticides, our planes cannot fly and people cannot spray and if we are not able to control these swarms, we will have big damage to crops.”

https://news.trust.org/item/20200403095550-qjd7g

photo: Times of Israel

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God is absolutely sovereign and He is absolutely in control.

This is God’s creation. Look at the interconnectedness world events. One event affects another and there is a chain reaction. It is not hard to come to the conclusion that famine is next. Then people will fight over food. The end result, more death.

These awful events happen for one reason and one reason only… Sin

Genesis 2:17 “…but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Humanity has brought all of this upon itself. We have continued our slide to the point that we are the spoiled little brat who refuses to take responsibility for our actions.

But, there is hope. God the Father has given humanity an out.

Romans 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Trend Update: Pestilence, Cholera Outbreak in Yemen, May 2017

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Revelation, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on May 29, 2017 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider’s name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.

Pestilence and plague are the direct result of war and famine in the seal judgments of Revelation. It is the natural order of events. War breakouts. Food and supply lines are disrupted. Inflation occurs due to the scarcity of food. Sanitation breaks down and water is polluted. Disease is the result of the process.

 

This cycle of events is noted throughout Scripture. This is the order events in the early part of Revelation in the seal judgments.

The second seal in Revelation 6:4 is war.

The third seal in Revelation 6:5-6 results in the increased cost of food due to availability. Supply lines become disrupted and people are busy fighting instead of growing food. It is a matter of supply and demand. The end result is starvation of masses.

The cycle comes full circle in Revelation 6:8 as stated above: war, famine, and disease.

The pestilence cycle is noted in the Old Testament prophets. Two examples are noted below.

Ezekiel 14:21 For thus says the Lord GOD, “How much more when I send My four severe judgments against Jerusalem: sword, famine, wild beasts and plague to cut off man and beast from it!

Jeremiah 24:10 ‘I will send the sword, the famine and the pestilence upon them until they are destroyed from the land which I gave to them and their forefathers.'”

The context of Revelation 6:8 is the seal judgments. This is the beginning of the 7 year tribulation. One quarter (25%) of the earth is affected. This is roughly 1.75 billion people. As of May 2017, we are not in the tribulation. There is no Antichrist on the global scene.

May 2017: The country of Yemen is an example of the disease cycle discussed above. Yemen is a country of 27 million people on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Civil war has broken out between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

A cholera outbreak is gripping the war torn country of Yemen. This is the second wave of cholera in the past month. Cholera is the result of poor sanitation, untreated water and food, and dysentery. Cholera is a vicious cycle of disease that spreads easily and quickly among the masses. 2,000 plus cases a day are being reported. At least 150,000 cases are expected in the next six months.

yemen trash

As a result of war, clean water is not available. Trash men are on strike. Food supplies have been cut off from the populous. Hunger and malnutrition are spreading throughout the country.

Hospitals have been damaged and destroyed in some cases. Medical supplies are limited and new supplies have been affected by war and supply chains. Up to six children are sharing a hospital bed. Trained medical staff is in short supply. Local medical professionals are going without pay.

The United Nations estimates 19 million people have been impacted.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/may/24/scientists-race-against-time-yemen-deadly-cholera-outbreak-spirals

The pattern of history is in place. This is one country, Yemen. The scale of Revelation 6 and the seal judgments is one quarter of the earth.

 

Trend Update: Famine/Ebola, October 2014

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , , on October 22, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This is the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. As of October 2014, we are not into the Revelation seals. Currently, we are not the Tribulation. The antichrist has not been revealed. He is the first of the four horsemen. There is no international man on the scene who is a peace broker (Revelation 6:2). There is no Middle East peace treaty. There is no Jewish Temple.

Ebola is making major headlines all over the globe. Another outcome of Ebola is an emerging famine. Estimates have hundreds of thousands of people at risk for starvation and malnutrition.

Kanayo Nwanze, president of the UN International Fund for Agricultural Development, said up to 40 per cent of farms have been abandoned in the worst-affected areas of Sierra Leone. Food shortages in Senegal and other countries in West Africa have occurred because regional trade has been disrupted. People are losing their income as fields, markets and goods are inaccessible. Citizens are being pushed further into poverty. People are afraid to go to the market. People are afraid to go and farm their land. There is less local food in markets. Food is becoming more expensive. Cost of food has increased from 30-150% pending the area. In these areas of West Africa, food was already hard to come by. The Ebola crisis has eliminated years of progress after the area had been struck by civil wars.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/ebola-outbreak-famine-approaches-toadd-to-west-africas-torment-9799944.html

Here is the order of events per Revelation 6 and the four horseman of the Apocalypse:

1) Antichrist revealed

2) War

3) Food prices inflate

4) More death by war, famine, disease, and animals

End result of the four horseman of the Apocalypse: a fourth, one quarter, 25% of the population will be affected. The math says approximately 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) people will perish.

Daniel 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

Trend Update: Pestilence/Famine, August 2014

Posted in Pestilence, Prophecy, Trend Update with tags , , , , , , , , on August 6, 2014 by paulthepoke

Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

This is the fourth seal. This is the fourth horseman of the Apocalypse. There is a growing fear of the Ebola Virus that is spreading through western Africa. Outbreaks of various diseases are reported on the U.S. and Mexican border with the issue of immigrants. SARS, AIDS, Bird flu, Swine flu…

People are asking the question, “Is this what Revelation is talking about?” The answer is…No. The seals of Revelation have not been broken and initiated by the Lamb as of August 2014.

For starters, the antichrist has not been revealed. He is the first of the four horsemen. As of August 2014, there is no international man on the scene who is a peace broker (Revelation 6:2), far from it.

Second, the scale of death will be ridiculous. Currently, the death toll is approaching 1,000 with the Ebola Virus. The verse above states a fourth, one quarter, 25% of the population will be affected. Estimates are currently around 7.2 billion people on the planet. The math says 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) people will perish at the events related to the fourth horseman.

Granted, there are four sources of death in the verse above: 1) sword or war, 2) famine, 3) pestilence, and 4) animals. Food is going to be scarce. People are in famine. The lack of food is consistent with the “Day of the Lord” conditions in Joel 1. The cost of food will sky rocket. It will cost one day’s wage to eat (Revelation 6:6). Animals are in famine and will turn to people as a source of nutrition. Animals will no longer be in fear of humans. This reverses the trend and proclamation of God to Noah after the flood in Genesis 9:2 The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given.

See also Zechariah 1 and Zechariah 6 if interested in these colored horses.

I don’t think the question, “Is this the Tribulation?”, will need to be asked. Remember, this event is near the beginning of the Tribulation. This is the fourth seal of seven. Then there are seven trumpets. Then there are seven bowls…

Isaiah 3:1-3 Societal Collapse

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , , , on February 19, 2012 by paulthepoke

Isaiah 3:1 For behold, the Lord GOD of hosts is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah both supply and support, the whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water…

Isaiah 3 is a judgment against Jerusalem and Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel). As an overview of the chapter, God initially takes away food and water from the city and nation. Next, God removes older and experienced leadership and replaces them with young, inexperienced leadership. Judgment against the women of Israel is pronounced due to their attitude of materialism. Lastly, the men of the society are killed by the sword of war.

The idea expressed in the Hebrew grammar of verse 1 is the entirety of supplies and provisions, a complete removal of bread and a complete removal of water. Wycliffe’s Bible Commentary has inferred this is possibly caused by drought. Utter famine and dehydration have fallen on Jerusalem and the southern kingdom.

Isaiah 3:2-3 The mighty man and the warrior, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the honorable man, the counselor and the expert artisan, and the skillful enchanter.

Leadership is being removed from Israel. A lack of leadership is a judgment from God. That is a frightening thought when we look at the state of our country today in 2012. Do we really have leadership or are we run by polling, focus groups, or what’s trending on the internet?

The removal is regarding all aspects of society. The mighty man speaks to bravery. The warrior is military strength. The legal system is impacted with the removal of judges. Judicial fairness was not being executed and favoritism and bribes were the flavor of the day. Does this sound familiar? Essentially there was a complete breakdown of government. This is the ultimate outcome of society with a lack of leadership.

There is a removal of the moral and religious fabric of society. Granted some of these folks are false prophets, sorcerers, and diviners but they too are removed along with legitimate leaders. There was not Godly leadership in society. How does our culture view Judeo-Christian values in leadership in general?

Legitimate secular and corporate leadership were removed from the culture. Those who possessed wise counsel and advice were deleted. Technical expertise and a skilled labor force were no more. There were no people to build things. Manufacturing had dried up. Removal of work is judgment from God. What is our 21st Century society crying out at this time? Jobs, jobs, jobs. Does any of this sound familiar?

Arts and education were removed as well. In our case, this may not be such a bad thing. We have hundreds of channels to watch on TV: movies, music, shows, news, sports. Entertain me! The thing I hear more often than not, “There is nothing worth watching.” Our education system is crumbling and we continue to fall further behind the rest of the world in reading and math skills. Business leaders complain today’s graduates are not prepared intellectually.

Collectively, Jewish society of the past collapsed. Will we learn from history? Current trends are not favorable.

Genesis 1:29 The History of Food

Posted in Creation with tags , , , , , , on November 16, 2011 by paulthepoke

Genesis 1:29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;

God’s original intent for humanity was to be a vegetarian, specifically a vegan. PETA should love God’s word. Meat is not included on this menu. Vegetation was so plentiful, there was enough food for all of creation. But, because of sin and as time marched on, food became more scarce and harder to come by. This is evidenced in Genesis 5:29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.” Just a few generations in, humanity is already realizing the effects of the curse. Work is hard.

Meat was not introduced into the diet until after the Flood. This is approximately 2,000 years after Creation. That figure can be obtained by adding up the years of genealogies in Genesis. Observation is courtesy of Ken Ham, The Genesis Solution.

After the Flood and with the introduction of the Law, God placed limits on the kinds of animals man could eat. Leviticus Chapter 11 gives many details of what can and cannot be eaten. Here are a couple of examples. Leviticus 11:3-4 ‘Whatever divides a hoof, thus making split hoofs, and chews the cud, among the animals, that you may eat. ‘Nevertheless, you are not to eat of these, among those which chew the cud, or among those which divide the hoof: the camel, for though it chews cud, it does not divide the hoof, it is unclean to you.

Fast forward to the day of Peter after Christ has died on the cross for sin. Christ has fulfilled the Law. Romans 10:4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.  Peter in Acts 11 has an encounter with the Lord regarding the Law and unclean food. Restrictions on food consumed are being lifted. Granted, the greater issue is not about food but food is used as the example. Acts 11:6-9 and when I had fixed my gaze on it and was observing it I saw the four-footed animals of the earth and the wild beasts and the crawling creatures and the birds of the air. “I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ “But I said, ‘By no means, Lord, for nothing unholy or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ “But a voice from heaven answered a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ There is less food available.

Moving ahead at least two thousand plus years from Peter, the tribulation looms. Food will continue to become more scarce. Joel 1:10-12 The field is ruined, The land mourns; For the grain is ruined, The new wine dries up, fresh oil fails. Be ashamed, O farmers, wail, O vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; because the harvest of the field is destroyed. The vine dries up and the fig tree fails; the pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, all the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up from the sons of men.

Joel 1:16-20 Has not food been cut off before our eyes, gladness and joy from the house of our God? The seeds shrivel under their clods; the storehouses are desolate, the barns are torn down, for the grain is dried up. How the beasts groan! The herds of cattle wander aimlessly because there is no pasture for them; even the flocks of sheep suffer. To You, O LORD, I cry; for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness and the flame has burned up all the trees of the field. Even the beasts of the field pant for you; for the water brooks are dried up and fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness.

The lack of food is so great, humanity becomes the hunted by animals. Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.

Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now.

During Christ’s Millennial Kingdom conditions will improve with food becoming more abundant. A couple of examples are as follows. Amos 9:14 “Also I will restore the captivity of My people Israel, and they will rebuild the ruined cities and live in them; they will also plant vineyards and drink their wine, and make gardens and eat their fruit.

Ezekiel 36:29-30 “Moreover, I will save you from all your uncleanness; and I will call for the grain and multiply it, and I will not bring a famine on you. I will multiply the fruit of the tree and the produce of the field, so that you will not receive again the disgrace of famine among the nations”.

Eternity future shows us an environment without the curse. The result is perpetual fruit during all months of the year. There will be no more thorns and thistles. The toil of work will be gone. The circle is complete and restored. Revelation 22:1-3a Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. There will no longer be any curse…

Isaiah 19:5-10 Egyptian Great Depression

Posted in Isaiah with tags , , , , , , , on March 8, 2011 by paulthepoke

The waters from the sea will dry up, and the river will be parched and dry. The canals will emit a stench, the streams of Egypt will thin out and dry up; the reeds and rushes will rot away. The bulrushes by the Nile, by the edge of the Nile and all the sown fields by the Nile will become dry, be driven away, and be no more. And the fishermen will lament, and all those who cast a line into the Nile will mourn, and those who spread nets on the waters will pine away. Moreover, the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax and the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected. And the pillars of Egypt will be crushed; all the hired laborers will be grieved in soul.

… and the river will be parched and dry… The Nile River and the Aswan High Dam are Egypt’s lifeline. About 95% of Egypt’s population lives within twelve miles of the river. The Nile River is Egypt’s main source of drinking and fresh water. Water purification plants are located on the Nile. The Aswan High Dam provides about half of Egypt’s electrical power supply. The river is also a major factor in the tourism industry. Nile River cruises will be out of business without a river. The brick industry will cease to function without water.

… and all the sown fields by the Nile will become dry… Egypt’s agriculture depends entirely on irrigation. Egypt’s agricultural sector is one of the most productive in the world. This will change without water from the Nile. With irrigation, two crops per year can be produced. Farmers do not have to pay for water used in irrigation.

The Aswan Dam has allowed Egypt to reclaim about 2.07 million acres from the Delta along the Nile Valley, increasing the country’s irrigated area by a third. About 1.03 million acres, mostly in Upper Egypt, were converted from flood irrigation. Approximately half a million families have been settled on these new lands.

Today, 95 percent of the wheat and rice crops are used to satisfy domestic consumption. Wheat yields in Egypt have tripled between 1952 and 1991 due to increased availability of water from the dam. Despite the increases, Egypt continues to be a large importer of food. Egypt is the world’s largest wheat importer. Egypt is already feeling the pinch of decreased wheat imports from the Russian drought of the 2010 summer and the Australian floods of 2011.

Areas where rice and sugar grow have seen cultivation increase. Two crops of rice can be grown each year, but sugar cane has a growing period of almost one year.

And the fishermen will lament… Lake Nasser formed by the Aswan Dam has arguably the best freshwater fishing in the world for Nile perch and Tiger Fish. Other species include catfish (the giant Vundu being the biggest) and tilapia.  There are over thirty species of fish in the lake. Sardine fishing is also part of the Nile River economy.

…the manufacturers of linen made from combed flax and the weavers of white cloth will be utterly dejected… Cotton has been the country’s largest agricultural export product for many years. Egyptian cotton is known for its superiority among the world cotton varieties. Textile factories and farmers will cease to operate.

…all the hired laborers will be grieved in soul…Without irrigation from the Nile…unemployment and chaos.

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