How many of you have been anxious about
all the “impending crises” that have been in the news lately? From swine flu,
to melting ice caps, to doomed economies, the public has been bombarded by
incessant reports urging immediate action regardless of the facts or science
involved. These knee-jerk emergencies have ranged from over-imagination to flat-out
deception. Time, energy and money is being wasted to fight non-existent
monsters while obvious disasters loom in clear sight. Such is the case with an
impending food shortage. End Time’s prophecy even tells us that massive famines
are part of the Last Days.
"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. Matthew 24:7
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. Revelation 6:8
There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11
Scriptures are full of stories about
famine. The Old Testament is replete with instances of God’s judgment against
His people when they were disobedient. Famine was the most common punishment to
renew the hearts of His chosen ones.
Similarly, end times prophecy is quite
clear on pending famines across the earth. The verses above are perfect
examples of the calamities about to strike those unfortunate souls on earth in
the end times.
Apart from the Bible, famines have been
experienced throughout the history of humankind. The most recent events have
occurred in third world countries such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Ethiopia to
name a few. That’s about to change drastically.
What’s unusual about the current time
period we live in are the set of extraordinary events that are happening
simultaneously – as if orchestrated by a Divine conductor. The purpose of this
commentary is to share seven key events supporting a pending worldwide food
shortage.
1. Climate Change –
Cooler Temperature
Climate change is real. The bad news is
that temperatures are going in the wrong direction – the earth is cooling! In
terms of increasing crop yield and expanding farmable land, global warming
would be a welcome event. Warming would allow northern climates to expand their
variety of crops and extend the growing season.
But, regardless of the politics and junk
science that is rampant now, the temperatures worldwide are dropping – and have
been since 1998. The result has been significant drops in yields in both the US
and Canada over the past 10 years. National Review Online has a good article
that lists numerous examples of cooling during 2009.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTlhOTNiOWFlMmMzNmJkOWM3ZTk5NWJkNTU2Nzk5NWI=
The next link will give you an excellent
overview of farming and crop yield along with supporting references to prove
that 2009 was the worst year for farming on record. Ominously, the US supplies
about 30-40% of the world’s food supply.
http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/2010-food-crisis-for-dummies.html
2. Climate Change –
Drought
In addition to cooler temperatures,
drought has become rampant in various places around the globe.
From http://www.marketskeptics.com/2009/12/2010-food-crisis-for-dummies.html
1. The worst drought in half a century has
turned Argentina's once-fertile soil to dust and pushed the country into a
state of emergency. The country's wheat yield for 2009 was 8.7 million metric
tons, down from 16.3 million in 2008.
2. Australia is suffering the longest running
and most severe drought on the planet. November temperature records were broken
all over eastern Australia, and lower wheat yields than expected were reported,
leading to production estimate cuts. Pro farmer Australia has cut their
Australian wheat production estimate by 1 MMT to 20.9 MMT, and Commonwealth
Bank of Australia reduced their estimate by 0.7 MMT to 21.6 MMT (USDA's current
estimate is, of course, is an insane 23.5 MMT).
3. Northern China was hit by worst drought
in 50 years. Chinese wheat production was predicted to be down 10% "In A
Best Case Scenario". The sustained drought lead to water and food
shortages in June for more than 1.37 million people in northwest China's
Ningxia Hui Region. Chinese corn production is expected to shrink at least 10%,
with shortages developing by spring-summer of 2010.
4. The Middle East and Central Asia are
suffering from the worst droughts in recent history, and food grain production
has dropped to some of the lowest levels in decades. Total wheat production in
the wider drought-affected region is currently estimated to have declined by at
least 22 percent in 2009.
5. Wind, rain, and hail ruined India’s
spring wheat crop. Following failed wheat harvest, India then experienced the
driest monsoon in 37 years. In terms of affected area, India’s drought was the
worst since 1918. Farmers who could no longer irrigate crops now feared nothing
would be left to drink. Millions of poor villagers across southern India are
facing an imminent food shortage following months of intense drought and recent
devastating floods.
3. Climate Change –
Flooding
Surely it is a sign from Heaven that
continents that are suffering from record drought are also suffering from
record flooding. This is the case in every corner of the world right now. Yield
losses are just as devastating from over-watering as they are from desiccation.
Here are a few news headlines:
Arkansas farmers detail 10% crop losses from
flooding, http://www.kfsm.com/news/sns-ap-ar--harvest-ark,0,5718808.story
Fiji: Vegetable growers lose 80 percent (80%) of
crops,
http://www.freshplaza.com/news_detail.asp?id=55841
Federal Aid Available For Georgia, USA. Farmers,
http://www.gpb.org/news/2009/12/18/federal-aid-available-for-ga-farmers
'Last year flood grabbed our crops' - How
farmers from Bangladesh perceive climate change,
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/JBRN-7YBK94?OpenDocument
Farmers, ranchers assess damage after rains,
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2009/dec/17/farmers-ranchers-assess-damage-after-rains/
4. Lack of Honeybees
You may or may not have noticed that is a
dire shortage of honeybees. On the surface that may not seem like a big deal –
until you realize that honeybees pollinate about 80% of existing crops. I
noticed the reduced numbers of bee in my own garden starting about 3 years ago.
In the summer of 2009, I counted only 3 honeybees during my entire growing
season. This had devastating effects on my yield of corn, squash and cucumbers.
This lack of pollination is worldwide with yields affected on nearly all crops.
http://vegetablegardens.suite101.com/article.cfm/thehoneybeecrisis
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/03/honeybee-japan.php
http://blogs.usatoday.com/sciencefair/2009/04/honeybee-shortage-only-in-us-europe.html
The worst news is that no one really
knows what caused it-- when it started -- or how to end it. This event by
itself could wipe out crops regardless of climate change or government
meddling.
5. Government
Interference
This brings me to my next point, which is
over-reaching government control. The number of references to this
“cluster-debacle” are too numerous to tally here so I’ll hit the highlights.
The current congressional spectacle is senate bill S787 known as “The Clean
Water Restoration Act.” http://www.rgj.com/article/20091218/MVN08/912180349/1309/MVN
In a nutshell, this bill gives the EPA
and UN absolute control over ALL bodies of water within the US -- this
means all rivers, lakes, ponds, creeks, and even puddles. This will be
devastating to farmers in that they will have to complete an impossible
permitting process that will take years to complete and cost several hundred
thousand dollars. You have seen or heard of the results of this
unconstitutional taking with regard to the farmers in California this year. http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574384731898375624.html
Equally insidious is a current House
Bill, HR875, known as the “Food Safety Act.” This gives the EPA and FDA absolute
control over every piece of land that produces food. In other words, every
farmer, gardener (and even grandma with two tomato plants in her backyard) must
do the following to produce a vegetable even for personal consumption:
1. Complete an EIS – whether it is 10,000
acres or a 4 x 4 plot in your backyard.
2. Submit, and have approved by government
scientists, a fertilization plan.
3. Provide frequent testing on all
vegetables for pesticides, herbicides and toxins costing $1000’s annually.
4. Pay $250 annually for permitting and
re-permitting you crop or garden.
5. Sharing a single vegetable with you
neighbor makes you a distributor which will require you to complete a
certification process, obtain a business license, and be subjected to routine
inspections by the EPA and FDA.
Read it and weep here: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-875
6. Seed Hybridization
A little known fact about recent farming
techniques is the ever increasing use of hybrid seeds. This is causing many
problems with subsequent crops and proper pollination.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Plantanswers/vegetables/seed.html
We have now arrived at the point where
non-hybrid seeds are extremely difficult to find. Crops grown from hybrid
seeds do not allow you to harvest seeds for next year’s crop. This means
that a farmer or gardener is restricted to buying his seeds from just a handful
of commercial seed producers around the world. The fancy term for seed
hybridization is “genetic engineering.”
The end result of decades of this type of
research has revealed several downsides. They include: cells that do not
replicate identical progeny, genetic material becomes destabilized, pollen that
is toxic to butterflies, exudates that allow pest to become resistant, and
possible allergic reactions to new phytocompounds.
http://science.jrank.org/pages/5290/Plant-Breeding.html
7. Incurable Plant
Disease
2009 may have ushered in a whole new host
of virulent pathogens. New England and the Mid-Atlantic was especially hard hit
by the Irish Potato Blight (the same that ravaged Ireland in the 1800’s). The
disease wiped out nearly all garden vegetables and cash crops. The disease
is so virulent that it wiped out entire crops in 24 hours. None of the
current fungicides could control it. Scientists are still shaking their heads
and hoping that it just ran its course this summer and won’t reappear in 2010.
This particular pathogen has been studied for 150 years and its behavior is
still unknown and unpredictable. It caused $7 billion in losses last year.
http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/09/potato_blight_pathogen_exposed.html
It was not only potatoes that were
affected but nearly all garden vegetables.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/18/nyregion/18tomatoes.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/027686_plant_disease_vegetable_crops.html
Conclusions
God’s word gives us sufficient warning to
prepare for impending crises in the end times. We all have wisdom, knowledge
and discernment for putting the end time’s puzzle together and making proper
preparations until we meet Messiah Yeshua in the air. This is true for
famine. All available data coupled with current events are pointing to a
food shortage that will probably lead to a global destabilization of economies.
The seven(7) major detrimental events discussed
above are underway in the area of agriculture. Any of these individually could
devastate crops and disrupt economies. However, all seven acting
simultaneously within such a short period of time can lead to a disaster of
biblical proportion. This scenario can easily lead anyone to conclude that
it is Divinely directed and part of end time’s prophecy.
May god place His hand of protection on
His chosen ones.
[Credit: This article was written by “hosscartwright”
and posted on Rap_Con]