The story in the first link below caught my eye as I read my morning issue of USA Today. It reports that the year 2011 “was the most expensive year in world disasters” in recorded history. Indeed, as you look at the chart with the story, it was by far the most expensive year in natural disaster costs. The earthquake/tsunami that hit Japan was the worst natural disaster of the year and the costliest natural disaster in recorded history, but there were many other natural disasters as well.
This has a strong biblical connection. Matthew 24 and Luke 21 list the signs that Jesus Christ said would indicate that his return was drawing near. Among other things, Matthew 24:7 lists earthquakes and famines as two natural disaster signs that his return was nearing. Luke 21:11 also repeats that prophecy, but Luke 21:25 adds another factor not included in Matthew 24’s discussion of Jesus’ prophecy. That verse lists “the sea and waves roaring” as another natural disaster sign that would announce that Jesus’ return is growing more imminent. Such language would include hurricanes (or “cyclones” as they are called in the Pacific region) and tsunamis. The earth has always had natural disasters, but Jesus’ prophecy clearly means that these natural disasters would occur more frequently and be more extensive in scale. The year 2011 fulfilled that prophecy.
The Japanese earthquake/tsunami included two of the specific signs prophesied by Jesus Christ as being the kind of natural disasters that would hit the earth before he returns. The mention of “famines” in both the Matthew and Luke version of Christ’s prophecy includes more than simple food-shortages. Famines are generally caused by prolonged droughts, and prolonged droughts naturally give rise to other natural disasters such as wildfires. Since there is a steady amount of evaporation from the earth’s oceans and water bodies, the existence of droughts in some regions of the earth necessarily means that there will be floods and flood-induced landslides in other regions of the earth as the evaporated water has to fall in greater amounts elsewhere. A look at the global disaster map in the link shows that practically all of the natural disasters fit into the scope of Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.
It is logical that as we progress deeper into the latter days of our age that the fatalities from and costs of such natural disasters will increase in future years. Let’s consider what is happening, for example, in the USA regarding drought. As the map in the second link confirms, growing areas of the USA are being hit by “severe,” “extreme,” or “exceptional” droughts. Texas, Oklahoma and the American Southwest are particularly hard-hit. Georgia and regions of the American Southeast as well as parts of the Midwest where I live are now being hit by worsening drought conditions as well. These are all important food-growing regions of the USA, so if this drought continues to spread and be prolonged, food shortages in the USA are only a matter of time away. I’m not going to predict such an event, but I want to bring this trend to your attention so you can watch this development on your own. This would obviously drive up food prices even more in the USA, and food price increases are already striking the rest of the world in many places. Revelation 6:6 prophesies that food shortages in the latter days will result in food being rationed by price in the latter days as more go hungry (the famines prophesied by Jesus Christ for the latter days).
I hope that this spreading drought will motivate readers of this website to take action to prepare for future prophesied food shortages. My article, Should Christians Prepare for Future Hard Times?, will give vital information on this matter, and my December 6, 2011 post to this blog (about the FEMA-recommended list of food and other vital items that all Americans should be stockpiling for possible natural or man-made disasters) is also highly recommended to all readers. If you do not make the FEMA-recommended advance preparations now, the time will come when you will regret that you did not do so.
http://goo.gl/wuPLv [long drought.gov URL shortened]
