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Noah Part- 3. MENU

[ No. 35 ] - Pestilences In the last days. . . .

[ No. 36 ] - Fighting The Super-bugs In Our Midst. . . .

[ No. 37 ] - The Avian Flu: Is the Government Ready for a pandemic? . . .

[ No. 38 ] - No Natural Immunity . . .

[ No. 39 ] - Those Dreadful End Time Earthquakes. . . .

[ No. 40 ] - The Great Hurricane Katrina. . . .

[ No. 41 ] - Volcanoes Have Also Been Very Devastating In Our Past History. . . .

[ No. 42 ] - Famine In The Last Days. . . .

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Again we repeat: It should be noted that practically all our Scriptures are taken from the "King James Version" unless we Paraphrase the text .

1. Commentary . . . [ 1 ]: Pestilence was listed as one of the four major signs of the times, along with [ 2 ]: wars, [ 3 ]: famines, and [ 4 ]: earthquakes." And, not even mentioning the fact that, there would be flood destruction, hurricanes, tornadoes and other calamitous major forms of catastrophes of many which, were predicted by Jesus in { Matthew 24:7 } and else-where in the Scriptures. Of all possible calamities, the first four alluded to were the most dreaded by the nations two thousand years ago.

2. Early man lived in constant fear of dying by some unknown trouble including disease. Almost nothing could be done to prevent or cure physical ailments. No one knew about microscopic germs which inhabited the environment. Those without the Mosaic law were at the mercy of lurking microbes. Gentiles knew little or nothing about kosher foods or methods of preparation to assure proper nutrition, because they had no Bible to give them such information as we have today.

3. The fact is, if people today would prepare foods that are foretold in the Scriptures of the Old Testament as being good for them, they would likely be much better off. And, if folks would cease eating foods that were forbidden under Israel's old Law to eat, there just might be a healthier population on earth during this present age. It's true in { Acts 10:9-16 } Peter is taught by the Lord that "what God has cleansed," people should not call unclean.

4. You will notice that the Lord did not name foods that might not have been cleansed by Him, such as too much fat, salt, sugar, and a huge number of other things in one's diet that may not be good for us. More than likely the interested reader can look up kosher foods on the internet and find out what the Jewish people eat today. At the oasis of morah, Moses prayed for knowledge to cure the brackish waters. God showed him a tree with which to make the waters sweet and promised health to the chosen people if they would follow certain guidelines.

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5. Scripture: "... If you will diligently hearken [ listen, and pay attention ] to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that heals you, { Exodus 15:26 }."

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6. Commentary . . . Only the adherents of the Law of Moses knew about clean and unclean animals, of abstaining from blood, and of roasting meats. Taking baths in running water and washing hands were practiced by only a small percentage of the human race in ages past. Even less was known about herbs and medicines. Not too long in our past, doctors were draining the blood of life from the bodies of patients, and causing many of them to die because of their own ignorance. Their hopes were that by draining out impure blood, diseases would leak out of the body. The advances made over the past sixty years in modern medicine has been a God-send.

7. Penicillin was discovered at the end of World War Two, and it was a marvelous invention that saved many lives of service men and civilians alike. Victims of diseases considered hopeless only a century ago now have a chance to life and heath. Seldom do Americans die of malaria, small pox, flu, pneumonia, strep throat [ caused by a Streptococcus ], tonsillitis, or appendicitis as did the human race by the thousands in generations past. Yet in spite of new discoveries in medicine, ancient plagues return with alarming regularity, and new and altogether unknown diseases appear.

8. On the continent of Africa, small nations that have fallen to communist forces have in the wake of each upheaval, diseases are spreading in epidemic proportions. The tropical diseases of malaria, filariasis, and cholera are still around. In the 1950s, cholera had been pushed back to the land of its origin, Southeast Asia, but, has appeared in full force since then. Disease is killing countless victims as I type this message. We have read that In the last 15 years an estimated 200 million people have been suffering from schistosomiasis, where once it had been thought to be completely eradicated. Another 300 million people are said to be plagued with elephantiasis, river blindness, and other exotic diseases.

9. The "Bubonic Plague" has caused more fear and terror than perhaps any other infectious disease in the history of humankind. It has laid claim to some 200 million lives and has brought about monumental changes, such as the end of the Dark Ages and the advancement of clinical research in medicine. Although still debated by historians, the plague has been responsible for at least 3 great pandemics and multiple epidemics in history. The first spread occurred from the Middle East to the Mediterranean basin during the fifth and sixth centuries AD, killing approximately 50% or more of the population in those areas.

10. The second pandemic afflicted Europe between the 8th and 14th centuries, destroying a huge number of the population. The third pandemic started in approximately 1855 in China, and although it has been mostly controlled, it is still ongoing. Alexandra Yersin isolated the plague bacillus, developed an antiserum to combat the disease, and postulated its connection with fleas and rats during the epidemic of 1894. The plague bacillus was named Yersinia pestis in his memory.

11. Pandemics have succeeded in entrenching the plague in every major continent, with the possible exception of Australia. Unlike smallpox, the plague never will be eradicated until the return of Christ. It lives in millions of animals and on billions of fleas that reside on them. It is a disease of the desert, the steppes, the mountains, and the forest. Although the plague has been considered a disease of the Middle Ages, recent interest has been spurred by concerns over its use as a potential biological weapon.

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12. Y pestis has been recognized by bioterrorism experts as having one of the highest potentials for adverse public health impacts. The plague organism can be transmitted from a host of critters to a human through the bite of a vector. The victor can be an animal such as a cat, or a rat which may have caught the decease from fleas or through close contact with infected tissue or body fluids, and through direct inhalation of the bacterium. Currently, the most common form of transmission involves the bite of a disease carrier infected by an animal, bird or etc. Infection through an inhalational route would be of concern if the bacillus was aerosolized.

13. More than 200 different rodents and species can serve as carriers. These include domestic cats and dogs, squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, deer mice, rabbits, rock squirrels, camels, and sheep. But, the vector is usually the rat flea, Xenopsylla cheopis. Thirty different flea species have been identified as able to carry the plague bacillus. Other carriers of plague include ticks and human lice. Rodents resistant to the infection form an enzootic stage that ensures the long-term survival of the bacillus. Occasionally, the infected animals are not resistant to the disease and die. This is known as an epizootic stage and ensures the spread of the organism to new territory. A sylvatic stage occurs when humans are infected from wild animals.

14. Three forms of the plague exist "[ 1 ]: bubonic plague. [ 2 ]: pneumonic plague and, [ 3 ]: septicemic plague." The bubonic form of the plague involves the pathognomonic "bubo" and is caused by deposition of the bacillus in the skin by the bite of an infected vector. If the vector is a flea, bacillus proliferates in the flea's esophagus, preventing food entry into the stomach. To overcome starvation, the flea begins a blood-sucking rampage. Between its attempts to swallow, the distended bacillus-packed esophagus recoils, depositing the bacillus into the victim's skin.

15. The bacillus invades nearby lymphoid tissue, producing the famous bubo, an inflamed, necrotic, and hemorrhagic lymph node. Spread occurs along the lymphatic channels toward the thoracic duct, with eventual seeding of the vasculature. Bacteremia and septicemia ensue. The bacillus potentially seeds every organ, including the lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys, and rarely even the "meninges [ the three membranes ( dura matter, arachnoid, and pia mater ) investing the brain and spinal cord ]." [ Bacillus is any of the group of rod-shaped bacteria which produce spores in the presence of free oxygen ].

16. Pneumonic plague results from direct inhalation of the bacillus, which occurs from close contact of infected hosts or from aerosolized bacteria such as may occur if used as a biological weapon. Frequency: In the US: An average of 10-15 cases per year have been reported during the last few decades. One of the largest animal foci of the plague worldwide is found west of the 100th parallel, in states such as New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and California.

17. Only one case of imported plague has been reported since 1926. Most cases occur during the warmer months of the year. Internationally: From 1967-1993, an annual average of 1666 cases of the plague has been reported by the World Health Organization. The number of actual cases is probably much higher, given the failure of many countries to diagnose and report the plague. Most cases occur in the developing countries of Africa and Asia. Recent outbreaks of the plague have occurred in Vietnam and India.

18. Mortality/Morbidity: Bubonic plague has a 1-15% mortality rate in treated cases and a 40-60% mortality rate in untreated cases. Septicemic plague [ primary or secondary ] has a 40% mortality rate in treated cases and 100% mortality in untreated cases. Pneumonic plague [ primary or secondary ] has 100% mortality if not treated within the first 24 hours of infection. "Sex: More than 50% of cases occur in males."

19. "Age: Approximately 50% of cases occur in persons younger than 20 years." Recent travel in the Southwestern and Pacific Coast regions of the US, particularly in New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Utah should raise suspicion of a flea-bite. Although imported plague is rare, similar suspicion should exist for any recent travel to endemic areas outside the US. Fewer than 10% of patients recall a prior flea-bite.

20. Close contact with any potentially infected host or rural environment should raise suspicion for the plague. Historically, the rat has been believed to be the main plague host; however, currently in the US, the ground and rock squirrels are the most common hosts. In recent years, the domestic cat has emerged as a prominent host that transmits the plague to veterinarians. A sudden increase in the incidence of severe pneumonia in previously healthy individuals should raise concern for pneumonic plague. "Physical: In general, after an incubation period of 1-6 days, the plague presents with the physical findings of severe and rapidly progressive sepsis with or without features of pneumonia." Multiple organ involvement occurs. Pneumonic plague may present only as a severe pneumonia.

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21. Dermatologic findings consisted of a maculopapular lesion that may be found at the site of the flea-bite; however, such lesions commonly are found at autopsy implying that in the US the diagnosis often is not determined until it is too late. The medieval epithet "Black Death" is thought to have originated from the deeply cyanotic skin, ecchymoses, and/or acral necrosis associated with terminal septicemic and pneumonic plague. " In 9-15-05: we noticed a recent news article that has just been published, it goes like this: NEWARK, NJ . . .

22. "Authorities are searching for three mice infected with bubonic plague that disappeared from a research laboratory about two weeks ago. While health experts say the risk to the public is slim to none, the incident highlights ongoing security failures at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. The mice went missing from the lab of the Public Health Research Institute, which is located on the UMDNJ campus and conducts bioterrorism research for the federal government." This is just more food for thought.

23. Concerning this plague in years past it initially gave rise to the child's nursery rhyme, the words of the rhyme were "Ring Around the Rosy," "Ring around the rosy," it has been said that people with the disease would stagger around in circles until they dropped dead. "Pocket full of posies" was said to be associated with sweet-smelling flowers that those tending the sick would carry to ward off the stench of disease. "Ashes, ashes," implied Impending mortality. It also seems that some people would throw ashes around and upon themselves thinking that it might ward off the disease, and of course those who died would usually be burned into ashes. "A-choo, a-choo" the sneezing and coughing of pneumonic plague, "All fall down" - in death. Some nursery rhyme right? When this writer was in the low grade of grade school, teachers would sometimes have the children make a circle and play Ring around the Rosy. We thought it was great fun. We had no idea of the originality of the rhyme or even thought about it, and I doubt seriously if the teachers did either.

24. It was said that the black plague devastated Europe when returning crusaders brought back to their countries infected rats as stowaways. The plague killed half the French population, two-thirds of the British, the Germans, and the Dutch, and more than three-quarters of the Scandinavians. According to the world health organization, the bubonic plague is now on the rebound in the third world countries. In 1917, there were 141 deaths attributed to the plague; in 1978, 190 deaths. But in Latin America alone, there were 46 deaths recorded in 1977, and in 1978 . . . almost twice as many as the year before.

25. Yes, bubonic has been showing an impressive increase. Now please remember that these statistics are more than mere numbers. There are precious family members who have been going to their deaths, and children whose parents have been taken from their families by dreaded diseases. Sometimes we get caught up in the facts and figures of statisticians and forget the human problems that plague our planet. Until the 20th century, epidemics did not exact their tolls upon the entire planet at one time. And so: "As it was so shall it be."

26. The black plague may have devastated Europe in the Middle ages, but not China, South America, or Africa. Only in this century did a disease affect every nation on the globe at the same time. . . . Immediately after World War 1, in the winter of 1918-19, a flu epidemic spread worldwide, killing over 20 million people. According to World Book Encyclopedia, it was the first time in history such a plague covered the entire world. That may have marked the first of an ever-increasing series of diseases designed to fulfill the prophecy given by Jesus.

27. This generation, as no other in history, has witnessed all four predictions with devastating results. In the late 1970s, Americans were shocked by a government warning that the swine flu virus of 1918 had returned. It was expected to kill tens of thousands. Immediately, an inoculation program was introduced against the swine flu. After a number of disheartening setbacks, the program was finally rejected. The swine flu epidemic did not materialize, but the potential for such a thing is always present.

28. Meanwhile, unusual illnesses are occurring in many areas of our nation, and there seems to be no explanation for it. Dr. Jack Van Impe with 17 Dr. degrees bestowed on him, addressed this subject in his booklet "Bible headlines," noting the apocalyptic nature of modern diseases. He quoted an Associated Press wire service report which said: Two hundred fifty workers in three electronic plants were stricken with illnesses which stumped health experts. The outbreaks occurred in western Pennsylvania and 0hio. In each case, workers complained of headaches, nausea, and stomach pain. Some reported difficulty breathing and a sensation of being intoxicated. SX international, Inc., furloughed three hundred employees at its plant after one hundred workers were hit by the unknown illness.

29. Legionnaires disease had the experts stumped some years ago, until it was discovered in the air conditioner system of the hotel where dozens died. When considering pestilence, we often think of microscopic bugs which can invade the body. Bugs of a slightly larger size can also be considered in the categories of plagues and pestilences. For instance, a few years ago Reader's Digest reprinted an article from Time Magazine entitled "The Bugs Are Coming." According to the article, the South American fire ant infested some 100 million acres in nine southern states, sometimes driving farm workers from the fields because of its fiery sting. In forest areas the gypsy moth, the spruce budworm, and the southern pine beetle are wreaking devastation on huge areas of woodland, defoliating and killing millions of valuable trees. In one year they destroyed enough timber to build 910.000 houses.

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30. Corn borers and root worms and weevils destroy $260 million in crops every year. Insects destroy between $5 and $6 billion in crops annually. Locusts have been ravaging parts of Africa just recently just as they did in bible days. Malaria, transmitted by mosquitoes, is returning with a vengeance. It strikes 100 million people a year in Africa, killing 800,000 . . . mostly children. The black fly afflicts another million yearly in Volta River basin, leaving 700,000 of them blind. Clearly, the trend is not running in man's favor. It is estimated that there may be as many as 5 million different insect species, and that the insect population of the world is far more than one quintrillion. In fact, the weight of the insect world is 12 times that of the combined human race, which now totals well over 6 1/2 billion people.

31. Heart disease is todays number one killer of Americans. Cancer is number two on the list. Other major causes of death included diabetes, stroke, accidents, influenza, pneumonia, and cirrhosis of the liver. However, all that is rapidly changing. AIDS has become the most feared of all diseases. In New York City, men between 25 and 44 are more likely to die of AIDS than any other disease. Diagnosed for the first time in 1981, it has become the number one killer of men in New York City. Newsweek reported that Aids has become one of the most sinister infectious diseases of this or any other century, threatening the world's general population and assuming the proportions of what epidemiologists call a "pandemic."

32. Dr. James Curran, of the disease Control Center in Atlanta said, AIDS is now recognized as worldwide problem, with cases diagnosed on every continent. AIDS has hit the world like a bombshell. If its spread is not arrested, the experts fear, its devastation will soon be worse than that of a nuclear war. Dr. John Seale of London, has been studying the outbreak of AIDS In tropical areas, particularly Africa where it is reported that tens of millions have been infected by AIDS and large numbers have already died of the disease.

33. It has been stated that if no cure is invented within the next 15 to 20 years, half of the western world will be wiped out. But it seems to this writer that it's not just the western world that is in trouble because the entire world's nations has the disease raging through their cities at this present time. Back in the 1980s it was said that 73 percent of those who had AIDS were homosexuals and 17 percent were drug users, according to this, how many cases would you suppose are present in this 21st century? AIDS can only be determined as a judgment meted out by an offended God.

34. At this point the Disease Center has cautioned Americans not to panic. Yet this world has a very serious epidemic that continues to spread like an incredible burning, raging timber fire with no ingredient available to put it out. Yet the epidemic continues to rage out of control at an incredible rate. It is feared that this contagious disease, for which there is as yet no cure, could be propagated by mosquitoes, the same as mosquitoes spread other diseases around the world, thus endangering every person on earth. Could it be that mankind as we know it could again be wiped out? Jesus said, and we repeat this verse:

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35. { V. 37 } Scripture: "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

36. { V. 38 }: For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the Ark,

37. { V. 39 }: And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, { Matthew 24:37-39 }."

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38. Commentary . . . Insurance companies for some years now have been asking for blood test results before accepting new policyholders. The armed forces have a testing program in force to test all military personnel for diseases. The average medical cost for a person with AIDS has soared to between one and two hundred thousand dollars. Somehow, every person in the U.S. will have to bear the cost . . . either through increased insurance premiums or through tax supported medical care.

39. It has been said that AIDS has been traced back to Africa, and is believed to have been introduced to the human race by gorillas. If so, some immoral African opened Pandora's box for what could be the destruction of mankind as we know it. The virus grows a thousand times faster than any other disease known to man. It was stated that it is absolutely fatal. There is no cure, and the numbers of victims doubles every few months.

40. The disease center has isolated the virus in both tears and saliva, if so, this means it can be transmitted to others very easily. I don't know about you, but if I were a young man I believe that I would be fearful of kissing girls, and likewise the same can be said for girls kissing boys. Since it has been found that boys have been more apt to get the AIDS than girls, could it be that girls might be better off to stay single and become old maids. One may laugh at my statement, but you must admit that all this is no laughing matter. This is really something to think about isn't it?

41. And, what if they were to sneeze in your face, scary don't you think? But do you think this will end the kissing spree, I don't believe so, do you? It is a highly contagious disease, in the next few years, it may be that we see victims of AIDS quarantined . . . isolated from others. This is the way it was several years ago, and the diseases then were not ten percent as dangerous as they are today. So, why hasn't it been done? It seems to me that the disease could be contained much better if the victims were isolated from the general population.

42. It was stated by the Associated Press that in the next five years everyone will know someone with AIDS. The Atlanta Center for disease Control has definitely found that mosquitoes can indeed transfer AIDS, but they are not telling such to the general public. They believe that such an announcement could create worldwide panic. In Miami, Florida, it has been reported that people have been found with AIDS who do not have immoral lifestyles. It is feared that mosquitoes may be the cause.

43. The infection has been known to spread to others during contact with blood or other potentially infectious body secretions, even without cuts or sexual contact. Research has found that 44 percent of AIDS victims have the virus in their saliva. Yet only one percent of the victims who have antibodies in their blood have the virus detected in their saliva. But, some believe that the virus attaches itself to the antibodies in the saliva and, therefore, cannot be detected. That must be the reason why the disease is spreading more rapidly than any other disease in history.

44. When a child is born with an immune deficiency, the victim is made to live in a "bubble" or germ-free environment. Yet it is considered cruel to suggest the quarantine of AIDS victims. Medical science seems to have a double standard. It would seem to be better for the victims of AIDS to shield them from all the germs in our world. It seems to this writer that the real cruelty lies in allowing them to move freely through society. Someday, the problem will have to be faced by the medical community. No one is safe from the fatal disease.

45. One doctor recently admitted that if an AIDS victim coughs in your presence, the virus could enter your body through the membranes of the mouth or eyes. He said that the virus could live in a dry state for up to seven hours . . . awaiting its next victim. But, the very latest reports indicates the virus is actually much more long-lived . . . able to survive up to 15 days outside the body. The Biblical injunctions against sodomy and homosexuality can no longer be scoffed at, and we are reminded of what Jesus Christ described as the last days when He prophesied and stated, and we repeat these verses:

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46. { V. 28 } Scripture: "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.

47. { V. 29 }: But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from Heaven, and destroyed them all.

48. { V. 30 }: Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed, { Luke 17:28-30 }."

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49. Commentary . . . In like manner, the sins of Sodom are rampant today. But, it is well known that God will not let the world get by with carnal sin. Someone said that God's judgment has already begun and will continue to increase on an exponential curve throughout the coming years. It was believed several years ago that If unchecked, AIDS could annihilate life on the earth by the year 2000. Naturally you and this writer are better informed because the year 2000 has come and gone, besides, Scripture makes clear that life of humans will endure throughout eternally on this earth and also upon the new earth to come. But, many diseases and especially the AIDS epidemic grows worse with the passing of every day.

50. AIDS is likely to be one of the most dreadful pestilences that will sweep the world during the Tribulation Period. No other disease at this time meets all the criteria mentioned in the Bible for that time. Naturally there are other diseases transmitted through immorality, but they do not grow as rapidly as AIDS. Though venereal diseases are at an epidemic stage in America today, none are as deadly as AIDS. The latest scenario in this terrorist stricken age is the possibility that whole cities could be held hostage by a threat of injecting the AIDS virus into a city water supply system.

51. It is not beyond the possibility of madmen to try such a scheme. It has been stated that Some three million people died of AIDS related illnesses in 2004 while five million people became infected . . . taking the global total to 40 million, and we believe that there are many more that are infected than that estimate. Life expectancy in southern Africa, which has the highest HIV infection rate in the world, has fallen from 62 years in 1990-95 to 48 years in 2000-2005. It is set to drop further to 43 years over the next few years.

52. With the introduction of that one pestilence, we may have reached the predicted generation described by Christ Jesus in { Matthew 24:7 }. Although Matthew's prophecies are meant primarily for the Tribulation Period the signs of them are in view today. Christ alone can save and protect us in this age of grace. This sign of pestilence is increasing with alarming momentum. The latest news from Russia is that Aids carriers in Russia is estimated to be between 600,000 and one million people. My own observation is that earth's most terrifying hour of judgment is just around the corner. Presently, many New Testament signs are in their initial stages.

53. In [ 9-16-05 ]: World leaders sounded an alarmed over avian flu. Health experts and scientists, world leaders including US President George W Bush are now also sounding an alarm over the threat posed by bird flu. Bush and French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, speaking at the UN General Assembly on Wednesday, called for international mobilization against avian influenza, which has already resulted in the cull of millions of chickens and 61 human deaths in southeast Asia since 2003. "If left unchallenged, this virus could become the first pandemic of the 21st century," Bush said . . .

54. "The magnitude of the menace requires us to react without delay," Villepin insisted, evoking the risk of a worldwide outbreak. Scientists fear that is exactly what could happen if the H5N1 virus, as the latest virulent strain of avian flu is known, adapts to attack the human body and becomes dangerously contagious via air travel and population movements.

55. Some scenarios suggest the disease could be as globally disastrous as the 1918-1919 Spanish Flu pandemic that killed over 50 million people. The World Health Organization welcomed the sudden international awareness of risk. Flu pandemic could affect one person in five in the world, or 1.2 billion people. Within months, 30 million people would need hospital treatment and a quarter of those would die. That was the nightmare sketched out late last year by Klaus Stoehr, the head of WHO's anti-flu program, and another WHO expert in the US review Science.

56. Stoehr and other WHO officials have multiplied their warnings in recent months. Shigeru Omi, the WHO regional director for the western Pacific, told a bird flu conference in Kuala Lumpur in July that if industrialized countries do not quickly provide a quarter of a billion dollars to fight the disease, "the social, economic and human loss will be, I'm sure, a lot more than $250 million.

57. As of 9 - 23- 05, it is stated that the Asian bird flu pandemic may be difficult to prevent after many Chinese have been found to be resistant to common drugs needed to combat the disease.

58. This following news article appeared before this writer on "September 17th 05." Whether this disease will come on the scene as a world-wide pandemic or not, there is one thing we can be sure of, if it doesn't one like it will appear in our midst sooner or later! This particular pandemic as the article states, and we "quote" . . ."It could kill a billion people worldwide in a very short time. And, it could make ghost towns out of parts of major cities, and there is not enough medicine to fight it. It is called the avian flu. This week, the U.S. government agreed to stockpile $100 million worth of a still-experimental vaccine, while at the United Nations Summit in New York, both the head of the U.N. World Health Organization and President Bush warned of the virus' deadly potential."

59. "We must also remain on the offensive against new threats to public health, such as the Avian influenza," Bush said in his speech to world leaders. "If left unchallenged, the virus could become the first pandemic of the 21st century." According to Dr. Irwin Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, he said: "Bush's call to remain on the offensive has come too late: If we had a significant worldwide epidemic of this particular avian flu, the H5N1 virus, and it hit the United States and the world, because it would be everywhere at once, I think we would see outcomes that would be virtually impossible to imagine, he warns."

60. Already, officials in London are quietly looking for extra morgue space to house the victims of the H5N1 virus, a never-before-seen strain of flu. Scientists say this virus could pose a far greater threat than smallpox, AIDS or anthrax. "Right now in human beings, it kills 55 percent of the people it infects," says Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow on global health policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. "That makes it the most lethal flu we know of that has ever been on planet Earth affecting human beings."

61. The Council on Foreign Relations devoted its most recent issue of the prestigious journal, Foreign Affairs, to what it called the coming global epidemic, a pandemic. "Each year different flues come, but your immune system says, 'Ah, I've seen that guy before. No problem. Crank out some antibodies, and I might not feel great for a couple of days, but I'll recover,' Garrett says. "Now what's scaring us is that this constellation of H number 5 and N number 1, to our knowledge, has never in history been in our species. So absolutely nobody watching this has any natural immunity to this form of flu."

62. Like most flu viruses, this form started in wild birds — such as geese, ducks and swans — in Asia. "They die of a pneumonia, just like people, says William Karesh, the lead veterinarian for the Wildlife Conservation Society. "When you open them up, you do a post-mortem exam. Their lungs are just full of fluid and full of blood." Karesh has been tracking this flu strain for the last several years as it has gained strength, spreading from wild birds to chickens to humans.

63. "We start at a market somewhere in Guangdong Province in China," explains Karesh. "And it's packed with cages, and you'll have chickens, and you'll have ducks. You might have some other animals — cats, dogs, turtles, snakes — and they're all stacked in cages, and they're all spreading their germs to each other." In response, Asian governments have killed millions of chickens in futile attempts to stop the flu's spread to humans. "The tipping point, the place where it becomes something of an immediate concern, is where that virus changes, we call it mutates, to something that is able to go from human to human," says Redlener, director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness." . . .

64. "Scientists in Asia and around the world are now working around the clock as they wait for that tipping point." . . . "Unlike the normal human flu, where the virus is predominantly in the upper respiratory tract so you get a runny nose, sore throat, the H5N1 virus seems to go directly deep into the lungs so it goes down into the lung tissue and causes severe pneumonia," says Dr. Malik Peiris, the scientist who first discovered the so-called SARS virus, which killed 700 people and drew worldwide attention.

65. To date, there have been 57 confirmed human deaths, and another suspected one last week in Indonesia. Scientists say that humans have only been infected by birds. However, they add, every infected person represents one step closer to the tipping point. "Once that virus is capable of not needing the birds to infect humans, then we have the beginnings of what can turn out to be this worldwide epidemic problem that the experts call "pandemics," Redlener says. That is exactly what happened in 1918 when the global epidemic called the Spanish flu struck.

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66. "The Spanish flu was killing people in two or three days once they got sick," said Bill Karesh of the Wildlife Conservation Society. "In 1918, my now-quite-elderly uncle was a young boy, living in Baltimore, Maryland," says Garrett of the Council on Foreign Relations. "And the flu came through, and his family insisted that he could not go outside for any reason until the whole epidemic was over. He spent afternoons looking out the window and counting the hearses going up and down the neighborhood and trying to guess which of his schoolmates had died."

67. Disaster Would Require Massive Quarantines. Unlike the avian flu, the Spanish flu spread long before the international air travel routes of today. At that time, there were no nonstop flights from flu ground zero to the United States. But not anymore. Karesh believes the avian flu could travel from China to Japan to New York to San Francisco within the first week. "It's on people's hands. You shake hands. You touch a doorknob that somebody recently touched," Garrett says, referring to how the flu is spread. Redlener, who is stationed at Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, has been working with New York City officials to get ready for the deadly epidemic.

68. "The city would look like a science fiction movie," according to him. "It's extremely possible we'd have to quarantine hospitals. We'd have to quarantine sections of the city." "I could imagine that you could look at Grand Central Station and not see much of anybody wandering around at all," Garrett agrees. "People would be afraid to take the subways, because who wants to be in an enclosed air space with a whole lot of strangers, never knowing which ones are carrying the flu?"

69. As for the hospitals, there would be scenes like the ones this past month in the stadiums of New Orleans and Houston after Hurricane Katrina. "There wouldn't be equipment and personnel to staff them adequately that you could really call them a hospital," Garrett predicts. "You might more or less call them warehouses for the ailing." And, as happened in New Orleans, there would be no place for the dead.

70. "If you think about the expected number of deaths that could occur in cities across the United States, we are wholly unprepared to process those [ dead ] bodies in a dignified and respectful way," asserts Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. "We will run out of caskets literally within days." The prospects have become so bleak that in planning meetings held in New York City, veteran emergency responders have walked away. "They just don't know how we're going to get through," says Osterholm of those responders. "If we have a repeat of the 1918 life experience, I can't imagine anything to be closer to a living hell than that experience of 12 to 24 months of pandemic influenza."

71. If the flu does strike, victims at first would not know if it is the kind of easily treated flu that comes every year or the killer flu, known as H5N1. The man in charge of making sure Americans are prepared in the event of a killer flu epidemic is the secretary of Health and Human Services. "We would do all we could to quarantine," says Secretary Michael Leavitt. "It's not a happy thought. It's something that keeps the president of the United States awake. It keeps me awake." The preparedness plan calls for Leavitt to run operations out of a crisis room in Washington.

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72. When pressed as to how ready the country actually is, Leavitt replied, "Not as prepared as we need to be. We're better prepared than we were yesterday; we'll be better prepared tomorrow than we are today." The draft report of the federal government's emergency plan, obtained and examined by 'ABC News' "Primetime," predicts as many as 200,000 Americans will die within a few months. This is considered a conservative estimate.

73. "The first thing is everybody in America's going to say, 'Where's the vaccine?' And they're going to find out that it's really difficult to make a vaccine. It takes a really long time," said Garrett of the Council on Foreign Relations. In fact, the draft report says it will not be until six months after the first outbreak that any vaccine will be available, and then only in a limited supply. "I imagine that not a lot of poor people will get vaccinated," Garrett says. "If you think about New Orleans, this is a similar situation."

74. There is an 'inadequate' stockpile of medicine, and while there is no vaccine to stop the flu, there is one medicine to treat it. Called Tamiflu, it is made by the Roche pharmaceutical company in Switzerland. Roche has been selling Tamiflu for years. Only recently, however, did scientists learn of its potential to work against the killer flu, H5N1. That has since created a huge demand and a critical shortage. "All of the wealthiest countries in the world are trying to purchase stockpiles of Tamiflu," says Garrett. "Our current stockpile is around 2.5 million courses of treatment."

75. According to Leavitt, that is a long way from the country's ideal stockpile. "Our objective is to have 20 million doses of Tamiflu or enough for 20 million people," he says. He later admitted that only 2 million are currently on hand, but asserted that no other country is in a better position. Officials in Australia, however, have 3.5 million courses of treatment, and in Great Britain, officials say they have ordered enough to cover a quarter of their population.

76. "I think at the moment, with 2.5 million doses, you are pretty vulnerable," warns professor John Oxford of the Royal London Hospital. "The lack of advanced planning up until the moment in the United States, in the sense of not having a huge stockpile I think your citizens deserve, has surprised me and has dismayed me," he admits. Faced with worldwide demand, the Roche company, which produces Tamiflu, has organized a first-come, first-served waiting list. The United States is nowhere near the top.

77. "The way we are approaching the discussions with governments is that we are operating on a first-come, first-serve basis," says Dr. David Reddy, head of the pandemic task force at Roche. "Do we wish we had ordered it sooner and more of it? I suspect one could say yes," admits Leavitt. "Are we moving rapidly to assure that we have it? The answer is also yes." When asked why the United States did not place its orders for Tamiflu sooner, Leavitt replied, "I can't answer that. I don't know the answer to that:"

78. Even leading Republicans in Congress say the Bush administration has not handled the planning for a possible flu epidemic well. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., says the current Tamiflu stockpile of 2 million could spell disaster. "That's totally inadequate. Totally inadequate today," says Frist, who is also a physician. "The Tamiflu is what people would go after. It's what you're going to ask for, I'm going to ask for it, immediately."

79. Leavitt says deciding who gets the 2.5 million doses of Tamiflu currently on hand in the United States is part of the federal government's response plan. However, he also admits that thought has motivated the government to move rapidly in securing more doses of the medicine. "It isn't going to happen tomorrow, but if it happened the day after that, we would not be in as good as a position as we will be in six months," he says.

80. However, in the end, even the country's top health officials concede that a killer flu epidemic this winter would make the scenes of Katrina pale in comparison. "You know, I was down in New Orleans in that crowded airport now a couple weeks ago," Frist says. "And, this could be not just equal to that, but many multiple times that. Hundreds of people laid out, all dying, because there was no therapy. And a lot of people don't realize for this avian flu virus, there will be very little effective therapy available early on."

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81. Commentary . . . Flu epidemics, viral infections, and other maladies disrupt families on a seemingly daily basis. This past winter, we heard reports of schools having such low attendance due to illness that some closed for a few days. Many laborers in the workplace were consigned to their homes because of the "Bugs" that were circulating. And, it could be that medicine is not winning the battle. A recent story posted on the Internet was headlined, "Drugs to combat super-bugs."

82. Documentation: news.telegraph.co.uk, March 3, 2005 "The world may run out of effective antibiotics by the end of the decade and face a gap of at least five years before new drugs can be developed to combat super-bugs, according to one of the world's most influential scientists. The warning that the age of infectious disease control is almost over has come from Prof. George Poste, Director of the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University and an advisor to the US president.

83. 'Frankly, most governments are asleep at the switch,' said Prof. Poste. He predicts that from 2010 to 2015 will be a 'window of vulnerability' when the toll of the super-bug will reach its peak as a result of antibiotic resistance. 'We are facing a relentless increase in: . . . antibiotic resistance across all classes of drugs, said Prof. Poste, who began his 40-year career in Britain. The super-bug of most concern are strains of MRSI, methicillin- resistant staphylococcus aureus."

84. It was brought out . . . that deaths caused by MRSA in British hospitals have doubled in four years to almost 1,000 a year. "If we think we have problems today, the problems at the end of the decade will be that much more dramatic," he told The Telegraph. "We are facing serious challenges." Some [ bacterium ] strains are now resistant to all common antibiotics ... as a result of over-prescribing of antibiotics, their use in animal feeds and poor infection control in hospitals compared with measures used in the days of penicillin. In the mid-1960s, the U.S. Surgeon General said "the battle against infectious disease had been won."

85. Apparently the U.S. Surgeon General at that time was wrong. Now we wonder if the development of bacteria that cannot be fought with currently known medicines could be a precursor to widespread disease predicted to occur during the last days before the Second Coming Of Christ, { Matthew 24:7 }. The Greek word translated pestilences is defined as a plague, literally the disease. Unbridled bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics certainly could lead to a plague of mass proportions. Because of all these diseases, the handwriting is upon the wall. It does not take a specialist to realize that the day of grace may soon end.

"The Times Of Noah." And The End Of The Age.

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86. Scripture: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in different places [ all at the same time ], { Matthew 24:7 }."

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87. Commentary . . . Now naturally we can expect objections by some who say: "But there have always been earthquakes and all these other conditions." To be sure, there have been! But, the Bible says there shall be earthquakes in "divers places," meaning a number of earthquakes simultaneously in different geographic areas. Seismologists tell us the earth is in a state of almost constant tremor, and earthquakes of lesser or greater intensity are being recorded several times a day. It is only in recent years that several severe and destructive quakes in widely separated areas have occurred at the same time. While it is true that most of the signs mentioned in Matthew 24 have been present as far back as history records, never before have "all" these signs been present at the same time, until in the present day.

88. Of the sixty major earthquakes recorded in history, forty six of them occurred in the 20th century and many others have already occurred since the beginning of this century. According to this, the last century has proved to be a period where more earthquake activity has taken place than any other time in history. This evidently is at least a partial fulfillment of the above prophecy that Jesus foretold. This prophecy concerns that generation which will see apocalyptic signs predicted to occur in the time period just before the Second Coming of Christ. This means that we are now living in the last days that will bring the fulfillment of that prophecy to its conclusion. Naturally most of the prophecy will be fulfilled during the Tribulation Period.

89. Let us now go back for a moment to the beginning of this millennium and review a continuing increase in earthquake activity. In the 10th century there were 32 earthquakes. In the 11th century, 53. In the 12th century, 84. In the 13th, 115. The 14th century had 137 earthquakes. The 15th had 174. The 16th had increased to 253. During the 17th century, there were 378 earthquakes. During the 18th, 640. And in the 19th century there were 2,119 earthquakes. Think about it!

90. There were three times as many earthquakes in the 19th century as there were in the 18th. But, wait a minute! Our 20th century has proved to be a time for more earthquake activity than the past 60 centuries combined. And, this 21st century has began with a number of earthquakes that just may far surpass all those past centuries. Like the one that caused the tidal wave that caused the death of some three hundred thousand lives just recently. Obviously we have arrived at that climactic season in God's calendar described as having earthquakes in divers places.

91. The crust of the earth actually floats like islands upon a molten sea. The interior of the earth is liquid. These islands, or land masses [ called plates ], join together in various places around the world. Such places are called fault-lines. When those plates are dislodged or overlap each other, they create an earthquake. This has happened several times in the San Andrea's fault and in the New Madrid fault, and this has caused several earthquakes in the past.

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92. And, that is only mentioning two fault-lines, and there are many more. There have been many devastating earthquakes in the past. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost in the recorded earthquakes of history. Here are just a few of the really big ones: For instance, in A.D. 856, there was an earthquake in Corinth, Greece. Not only was the city destroyed, but forty-five thousand people died. This has been proven by the excavations that have been made in that ancient city. Archaeologists have discovered the old Corinth under forty feet of soil.

93. Perhaps the greatest earthquake occurred in A.D. 1556 in Shensi, China. Until 1976 it was considered to be the worst earthquake ever. Some 830,000 people were killed in that earthquake. In 1737, there was an earthquake in Calcutta, India, which claimed the lives of 300,000 people. In 1755, there was an earthquake in Lisbon, Portugal, that took the lives of 60,000 people. In 1883, there was an earthquake in the Dutch Indies that took the lives of 36,000 people. Out of the 13 most devastating earthquakes recorded in history, ten of them have occurred in the last or 20th century. The 20th century has proven to be the century for more earthquakes than ever before.

94. The first significant quake occurred in 1902 at Martinique where 40,000 people died. In 1906, there was an earthquake in San Francisco, California . . . 700 people died. In 1920, there was an earthquake in Kansu, China, killing 180,000 people. In 1923, an earthquake in Tokyo, Japan killed 143,000 people. In Morocco, in 1960, 12,000 people were killed in an earthquake. In 1964, in Alaska, one of the greatest earthquakes in known history was recorded. It was reported to be 8.6 on the Richter scale; however, only 114 people died.

95. The decade of the 1970s began with a devastating earthquake in Peru where sixty-seven thousand people died. In 1972, just two years later, in Managua, Nicaragua, an earthquake killed ten thousand people. In 1973, an earthquake shook Hawaii. This quake, though not as severe as the others, was very interesting. Scientist recorded that about an hour before the earthquake hit the island, the ionosphere above the island disappeared. No explanation can be given for that unusual event.

96. A controversial book, The Jupiter Effect, was published in 1974, suggesting a new and devastating series of earthquakes for the early 1980s. According to its authors John Gribbin and Stephen Plagemann, a grand alignment of the planets were supposed to trigger enough gravitational pull to create earthquakes, especially along the San Andreas fault. Some speculated that California would be hardest hit. The theory caught the imagination of science buffs, but proved to be of little value. Some thought that Mount St. Helen's' eruption was proof of the books validity.

97. Nevertheless, Bible prophecy predicted a time in world history when earthquakes would become numerous. Jesus said they would occur in divers places just prior to His Second Coming. The 1974 book was certainly published at the right time to get the eyes of the public and warn them of catastrophic things to come. The late '70s and '80s witnessed some of history's worst quakes.

98. For example, an earthquake shook Murkden, China, in 1975, leveling several villages and killing a great many people. The Chinese government refused to publish the number of casualties. However, the figure was said to be very high. Then came 1976, the year for more devastating earthquakes than any one year in history. On February 4th, an earthquake hit Guatemala, killing more than 22,000 people. On May 6th. an earthquake shook northeastern Italy. Some 946 people were killed. On June 26th, an earthquake devastated New Guinea. Some 443 lives were lost. On July 14th, an earthquake rocked Indonesia, killing 500 people.

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99. On July 28th, a massive earthquake, perhaps the most destructive in history, hit Tangshan, China. Nearly a million people died. No other earthquake is mentioned in history as far as is known has destroyed so many lives [ other than perhaps the earthquake in China during the 15th century ]. On August 17th, an earthquake rocked the Philippines, killing 8,000 people, On November 24th, an earthquake devastated eastern Turkey, killing 4,000 people. On March 4th, 1977, an earthquake devastated a large area of Romania. A reported 1, 541 people were killed. Another earthquake hit the Persian Gulf where 60 lives were lost.

100. In the mid '80s, earthquakes and volcanic activity abounded. An earthquake measuring 8 on the Russian Richter scale hit the central Asian area of the Soviet Union in late 1985. Indeed, there were casualties, but the communist Soviet government at that time refused to comment. The most devastating earthquake in Russian history before that occurred in 1948. It was measured at 9 on the Russian Richter scale. We must all remember what Jesus said . . . Scripture: "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, { Matthew 24:37 }." Are you ready for the Rapture?

101. There was another monstrous quake in Mexico which was dubbed "El Grand" [ i.e., "The great one" ]. The epicenter of the earthquake was lacerated in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico. Nine ships were reported missing at sea. One crew which managed to escape reported waves sixty-five feet high. Inland from the coast of Mexico, hundreds of small towns and villages were destroyed. Hardest hit was Mexico City itself, with casualties in the thousands.

102. We will not go into detail concerning the earthquakes that have taken place in the last 15 years because there has been so many that it would take too much space to mention all of them. But, all of these quakes indicate that we live in that chaotic generation which will see the judgment of a holy God poured out upon a Christ-rejecting, unbelieving world.

103. There have been some pretty fantastic earthquakes in the ancient past. For example, earthquakes, were involved when the Rocky Mountains and the Andes Mountains were formed, and there is a great crevice in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean all the way from the north Pole to the south Pole. Obviously, the Western Hemisphere continents, North and South America, were separated from Europe and Africa. That's a pretty big earthquake. Though we do not know when it happened, we've got a pretty good idea. It probably happened during the days of { Genesis 10:25 } when the Flood waters were receding from off the face of the earth . . .

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104. Scripture: "And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his day "WAS THE EARTH DIVIDED" . . ."

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105. Commentary . . . During the Flood of Noah, there were great upheavals in the earth. Mountain chains were formed as the earth was covered with water. According to { Genesis 7:11}, the fountains of the great deep were broken up. Just to think of the horrendous earthquakes that must have taken place to form all the earth's mountain ranges can boggle the mind. The earthquake that split the American continent from the European and African continent must have been the mother of all earthquakes.

106. When one looks at the map of the American Eastern seacoast and then glances at the Western seacoast of Europe and Africa, you can see the outline where both coasts fit each other like piece's of a puzzle. When the children of Israel came to Sinai, God came down to the mountain to meet with Moses. The mountain shook with the presence of God. When Korah led an insurrection against Moses { Numbers 16:1-50 }, the Scripture records an earthquake. The earth opened up, all of Korah's people fell into the earth, and the earth closed up again. That earthquake came as a judgment from God. And the Lord said, "As it was, so shall it be."

107. Another earthquake is recorded during the days of Elijah { 1- Kings 19:8-18 }. That great prophet of God left Mount Carmel and journeyed southward to Sinai a defeated man. Somewhere in the mountains he made his way to a cave. While he was there a great earthquake came followed by a fire. After the earthquake and the fire, there came a still small voice. God was not in the earthquake nor in the fire, but these things preceded the presence of God. Jehovah then spoke to Elijah and gave him further instruction for his life and ministry. Yet another earthquake is recorded in { Amos 1:1 }. It occurred in the days of Uzziah. Thousands were Killed.

108. The New Testament also recorded a number of earthquakes. { Matthew 27: 51 } tells of an earthquake which shook the city of Jerusalem on the day of Jesus' death. The sun refused to shine. When Jesus bowed His head and gave up His spirit of life, the earth began to quake, the rocks were moved, and the graves were opened. The veil in the Temple that covered the Holy of Holies was torn apart from top to bottom. Just after sundown on Saturday when that day ended, immediately, began the first day of the Jewish week when Jesus was resurrected from His tomb, { Matthew 28:2-3 }. Three days after the crucifixion, an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven. His . . . countenance was like lightning. He rolled away the stone that covered the door of the tomb to show the world that Jesus was alive. An earthquake accompanied the occasion.

109. When Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi { Acts 16:26 }, with their backs bruised and bleeding, they began to sing at the midnight hour. The Bible records that a great earthquake shook the jail, tore the doors off their hinges, dismantled the stocks from around their feet and hands, and set them free. So the Bible has a lot to say about earthquakes. According to Scripture, one earthquake that takes place in the last part of the Tribulation Period will be such as was not since man was upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and so great. "Every island" will be moved out of its place, and "every mountain" will be leveled to the ground.

110. It is impossible for us to comprehend the terrible destruction brought on by earthquakes around the world. America has enjoyed the blessings of God for these many years, yet in other parts of the world, death and despair have become commonplace. In addition to the many lives lost in an earthquake, there are many more who are injured. many of whom are crippled for life. Thousands of people are left homeless. It is obvious that this significant sign of the end times is rearing its head as a warning to earth's people that the end of this age is drawing near to its predicted end.

111. The greatest earthquake we were speaking of will evidently take place at the approximate time of the battle of Armageddon. It is foretold to be the most devastating quake in history, or in the future, it will be the most violent in the history of the human race.

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112. { V. 18 } Scripture: "And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." { V. 19 }: And the great city was divided into three parts. . ., { Revelation 16:18-19 }."

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113. Commentary . . . And the 'great city' which obviously refers to Jerusalem; the scene must be at Armageddon. The battle is raging. The armies of the world have made their advances into the city. A genocide of the Jewish people is in the making when all of a sudden the earth begins to quake. Jerusalem is divided into three sections as the mountain pulls apart. As we have before stated concerning the prophet Zechariah, he said that . . .

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114. Scripture: "the Mount of olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south, { Zechariah 14:4 }."

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115. Commentary . . . We have spoken of this earthquake in several of our messages because it will be so violent. Can you imagine an earthquake that covers the complete ground mass of all the earth including the mountain ranges, the islands, the sea, and the destruction and death it will bring? Think about it, The quake that split the continents we said was likely to be the mother of all earthquakes, but this one will out do it a hundred fold. And, the picture continues . . .

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116. { V. 20 } Scripture: "And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

117. { V. 21 }: And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent [ 100 pounds ] and men blasphemed [ cursed ] God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great, { Revelation 16:20- 21 }." [ We can get another glimpse of that earthquake from the writer of Hebrews. We are told that the coming earthquake will also include a "heavenquake" } . . .

118. { V. 25 } Scripture: "See that you refuse not Him that speaks. For if they escaped not who refused Him that spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from Him that speaks from Heaven,

119. { V. 26 }: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now He has promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.

120. { V. 27 }: And this world, Yet once more, signifying the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain, { Hebrews 12:25-27 }."

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121. The above 3 verses { Vs. 25-27 } Paraphrased, { V. 25 }: "So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and obey Him Who is speaking to you now for if they the Israelites did not escape when they refused to listen and obey Him Who warned and divinely instructed them here on earth . . . revealing with Heavenly warnings His will . . . how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes us from Heaven?"

122. { V. 26 }: Then [ at Mount Sinai ] His voice shook the earth; but now He has given a promise, 'Yet once more' I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the starry Heavens [ Heavens plural, the first heaven that contains the earth and its atmosphere, and the second heaven that contains the star systems ]. { See Haggai 2:6, } [ I will shake. The scope of these words point to a yet future fulfillment of the end time up to the Second Coming of Christ ].

123. { V. 27 }: Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [ that can be shaken ], that is, of that which has been created, in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue." { See Psalm 102:26. }

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124. Commentary . . . It is also predicted in Scripture that our sun will experience a nova. The sun will become seven times brighter for approximately seven days, and then collapse to a cinder. It is awesome to contemplate. However, the book of Revelation describes the event. . . .

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125. { V. 8 } Scripture: "And the fourth angel poured our his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men [ humanity ] with [ fierce glowing ] fire.

126. { V. 9 }: And men [ people ] were [ severely burned, scorched ] with great [ heat ], and they blasphemed [ cursed even ] the name of God, which has power [ and control ] over these plagues: and they repented not [ of their sins and . . . they had no regret, contrition and compunction for their waywardness, refusing to amend their ways or ] to give Him glory.

127. { V. 10 }: And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat [ throne ] of the beast [ Antichrist ]; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they [ the followers of the Antichrist ] gnawed their tongues for [ the torment of their excruciating distress and severe ] pain, { Revelation 16:8-10 }." { See Exodus 10:21-22. } . . . "The sequence is scientifically accurate. First an explosion or nova, then a collapse. The sun will turn dark and refuse to shine . . ." as described when:

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128. Scripture: "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, { Matthew 24:29 }. [ The same occasion is described in the earlier pages of Revelation ]:

129. Scripture: "And I beheld when He had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and [ the full disc of ] the moon became as blood, { Revelation 6:12 }." { See Joel 2:10, 31. ] The prophet Isaiah also prophesied saying . . .

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130. { V. 18} Scripture: "And it shall come to pass, that he who flees from the noise of the fear shall fall into the pit; and he that comes up out of the midst of the pit shall be taken in the snare: for the windows from on high are open, and the foundations of the earth do shake.

131. { V. 19 }: And the earth is utterly broken down, the earth is clean dissolved, the earth is moved exceedingly.

132. { V. 20 }: The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard [ when staggering ], and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgressions thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again,

133. { V. 21 }: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth,

134. { V. 22 }: And they shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. { Isaiah 24:18-22 }."

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135. Commentary . . . In verse 19, the earth which is utterly broken down . . . clean and dissolved . . . moved exceedingly, is actually stated in the Hebrew to be "broken, cracked, and shaken." The emphasis of the statement is certainly upon the earthquake-like disaster that shall shake the entire earth. This would clearly place the "eschatological [ future Prophet-ical ]" focus of the passage in the Tribulation Period, rather than referring to a localized earthquake in the land of Israel.

136. The nature of this statement is not to emphasize that the land has been devastated due to war, but that it has been destroyed by the natural catastrophe of an earthquake. The further designation that the earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard would indicate a future severe eschatological judgment of God upon the earth that throws it off its axis.

137. The reference to the windows from on high is certainly reminiscent of the Noahic Flood but it is not to be taken as to be referring to such. In other words this ultimate cataclysmic and apocalyptic judgment of the earth will be of the same severe proportions as the Flood was in Noah's day. It will literally rock the very stability of the planet itself as a reminder that the people of the earth have rebelled against God. In spite of impending doom, the passage concludes with another ray of hope. The Hebrew word 'paqad' is translated 'punish' in verses 21 and 'visited' in verses 22. it actually conveys the idea of Divine intervention. The idea is that the Lord shall intervene in regard to the host of the high ones [ Satanic powers ] and the kings of the earth [ earthly powers ].

138. They are all referred to as gathered in the pit of hell . . . shut up . . . many days. After that period of time, shall they be visited [ literally punished ]. Notice the obvious parallel to { Revelation 20:1-3 }, where Satan is bound in the bottomless pit for a thousand years and then loosed for a "little season," only to be finally cast into the lake of fire! This shall be followed by the fact that the Lord of hosts shall reign in mount Zion, and in Jerusalem.

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139. Messiah's glorious reign shall be such that it shall outshine the moon and the sun. Therefore, Isaiah began his prophecy with a message of worldwide judgment that shall come during the Tribulation Period and close this chapter with a glorious ray of hope that, in spite of all this, the Messiah, the Lord Himself, shall reign in Jerusalem. Since the dawn of recorded history, 'NOT' only have hurricanes, tornadoes, ferrous thunder storms and all earthquakes been signs of God's judgment, but Isaiah the prophet seemed to imply this when he wrote . . .

140. Scripture: "You shall be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire, { Isaiah 29:6 }." Does this remind you of any calamity that has taken place recently?

141. Commentary . . . This earthquake at Armageddon will overshadow every other earthquake in history. It will be more devastating in its destruction, cause more chaos, and create more havoc than all other earthquakes of the past. The apocalyptic signs predicted in the Bible for the end-time generation appear to be present as never before. We do not know the eventual intensity of those predicted plagues before the Tribulation Period can begin, but it is possible that humanity is reaching that awesome hour.

142. I would ask the reader to read again the above verse in { Isaiah 29:6 } and compare its words with what has been written in the news paper and voiced on the TV news hour in the past few weeks and see if the news and Isaiah's prophecy doesn't coincide with each other, will you do that? And, then compare what we have written in this message and also compare what we have brought out with the words of Isaiah, and with today's news items.

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143. There was a story told not long ago that went like this: there were two people in a boat on a large lake and a storm came up and the waves began roaring. A larger boat came along and asked the people if they would like to be pulled to safety, but the people said 'N0 we have faith that the Lord will take care of us,' so the larger boat went away. The storm became more active and a much larger boat came along, and the people in the small boat were warned the second time, that they had better let the large boat pull them to shore because of the danger involved. The folks in the small boat again said 'NO, we have faith in God, He will protect us just fine', so the large boat left them to their own trouble.

144. Later, a helicopter came along and hovered above them and told them that this would be their last chance to be saved and that they must immediately be taken to safety or they might drown. The people again said, absolutely not, that they had much faith in the Lord and He would protect them from any harm that would come upon them. Well, their small boat sank and they drowned and went up to Heaven. They were perturbed because they thought the Lord had ignored them, and because of it they had lost their lives. So they asked the Lord why He had not answered their prayers and protected them. The Lord answered them and said: "How can you ask such a foolish question? I sent two large boats and a helicopter to save you and you rejected My Help and lost your life! " The above story is to some extent laughable, but . . .

145. The following is no joke. The people we will talk about next as you well know, has really went through a heap of trouble. The same thing "in part" that took place in the fiction story above, just happened in reality in the southern states of the U.S. in the area of the Gulf of Mexico. I must believe that God warned the news media, who also warned the people in the danger zone of the huge Hurricane, that they should leave the danger zone for safety because there would definitely be a flood and much atrocious and heinous chaos. What happened? Noah and his family in the past listened to God and he and his family entered the Ark for safety and were saved. But, all the rest of humanity lost their lives in the great Deluge of the Flood. And, now the Lord warned all that were in the line of danger of this latest hurricane that they should leave the area.

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146. He warned them through the Newspaper, by TV, and by Radio. This writer can certainly understand that many of the people who were in harms-way had little choice but to stay behind. The hospitals were full of patients, the nursing homes had scores of patients in them, and what could the many nurses and doctors do that took it upon themselves to stay behind and care for the sick?

147. There were elderly in their homes that could not leave because they had various problems of their own. Many were in wheel-chairs, some had to walk by using walkers, and others could only walk by using crutches. There were many other brave souls who stayed behind placing themselves in great danger so that they could take care of the many that were not able to leave, such as several police officers, some national guard personal and ambulance personal.

148. And then, we have the poor people who had no transportation, and who had no money to pay for transportation away from the storms path. These people, even though many of them may have believed the forecasters and news media about the danger coming their way, what choice did they really have? And then again, there were people that were very wise, people like Noah's family who listened and left the area of danger. These people had transportation and they listened to the weather forecasters and believed what they heard. These folks left the area until the hurricane was over, and they were saved.

149. But, there were many unbelievers who rejected the warning and went through the horrific wind and flooding, and will likely have nightmares about all that took place for the rest of their lives. Evidently these unbelievers had heard the same forecast by the media many times before when other storms had hit the coast, and they knew that those other storms had gone around them, or at least had caused them very little trouble. Thousands of them had cars, trucks and other transportation but ignored the warnings. Many of them today are on the way to the cemetery.

150. There were a huge number of school busses and church busses just standing around on parking lots and were caught in the flood waters. There were hundreds of tractor and trailer rigs destroyed in the storm. The question is, why didn't the city, county, and state officials order these school and church busses and trucks with trailers to move the population from the entire city to a place where they would not be in harms way? The answer we believe, is because they themselves really did not believe those who had given the warning, just like the people in the story above, who did not believe, and did not trust the wise forecasters!

151. What does all of this teach you? God uses certain people to do His bidding just like He used the prophets of old to forecast the future! When God speaks, listen! See { Ecclesiastes 3:2 }, and remember that even "IF" you were not present in the way of that huge hurricane, you may be warned about the next catastrophe that comes along, will you pay attention or reject it? We repeat: "The unbelievers in Noah's day who lost their lives just would not believe!" Here today we can see that there were many in the path of Hurricane Katrina who failed to listen and trust in the truth, and they had the transportation to escape, nevertheless stayed behind and went through the huge catastrophe of the wind and the flood.

152. Many lost their lives but, those folks who are still alive will suffer the outcome of this storm as long as they live even though it may only be by the remembrance of it! Where was their faith, and what will be the outcome of the present catastrophe? 0ne more thing we might mention is that many of the people that went through the Katrina storm have blamed God for their misery. Could it be that they are blaming the wrong person, why not blame Satan, after all there would be no trouble on this earth had Satan not caused Eve and Adam to sin, and had our first parents not sinned, this world would be a perfect place to live. What was it the Apostle said? . . .

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153. { V. 25 } Scripture: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

154. { V. 26 }: Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

155. { V. 28 }: And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption [ is ] drawing near, { Luke 21:25-26, 28 }."

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156. Commentary . . . As to New Orleans, one person by the name of Hoagland said concerning this huge Hurricane: "This is such a biblical-proportion catastrophe, what I am appalled by is the lack of forethought and preplanning to save people from the inevitable. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that someday this city, sitting in a bowl, would have this happen to it, with catastrophic consequences." Regarding efforts to lower the water level in the Big Easy, Hoagland said, "It is like trying to bail out the Atlantic Ocean with not even a teacup [ but ] a toothpick." As to this writer, I cannot understand why any sensible person would want to build below a Dam, or below sea or lake level.

157. Why do people build houses on the sand or on hillsides that are subject to be undercut by rain-storm or storms such as the above mentioned hurricane? There is no doubt that at this very time the people who have made mistakes during this storm period are regretting their mistakes! One thing is certain, this country had better prepare for the next catastrophe, and we personally believe according to the Scriptures, that even larger trouble for our country is just around the corner.

158. Commentary . . . Volcanic eruptions can be considered in the same category as earthquakes, making the 1980 explosion of Mount St. Helen's a continuing fulfillment of Christ's prophecy. With a blast comparable to the largest H-bomb ever tested, the mountain blew its top . . . in the nations worst volcanic eruption . . . dropping a paralyzing blanket of gray soot on cities, farms, ranches, and highways as far east as Montana. Shock waves leveled 44,000 acres of fir trees as if they were match-sticks. Boiling mud traveling 30 mph overflowed local river banks, smashed and swallowed up bridges, homes destroyed, and millions of salmon and trout killed [ News-week, June 2, 1980 ]. A score of people were killed in the massive explosion. More would have been hurt if Mount St. Helens had not been in a remote area of Washington state.

159. History records several killer volcanoes. Mount Vesuvius erupted in A.D. 79, killing two thousand people. A second eruption in 1631 left more than three thousand dead. When Mount Etna exploded in 1669, the death toll reached twenty thousand. In 1883, Mount Krakatoa exploded in Indonesia killing thirty-six thousand people. It has been cited as history's most devastating eruption.

160. In 1985, more than twenty thousand people were killed when the snow-covered Nevado del Ruiz volcano erupted in Colombia. That volcano last erupted in 1594. This is yet another confirmation that we indeed live in the generation which will see the realization of our Saviour's prediction of wars, famines, and earthquakes. This along with earthquakes in areas where quakes had never been reported, points to the possibility that the day of God's wrath is approaching. When it comes, Christians have the promise that we will be Raptured out of the judgment into the glory and joy of Heaven.

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161. Commentary . . . As we have mentioned, the Lord speaks to the Israelites in { Matthew 24:7 } where He prophesies widespread famine in various parts of the world prior to His Second Coming. He characterized the last generation as a time of wars, disease, famines, and earthquakes. He said that these are the beginning of sorrows. I believe that we have reached that special time in the drama of mankind.

162. A Readers Digest article said: that famine confronts whole continents, and the world's food reserves are approaching depletion. A distinguished authority analyzed how we came to the brink of catastrophe. Food prices were rising rapidly while famine was stalking millions of people abroad. According to the article, as many as a half a billion people were in peril of starvation in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

163. Today, at least one-fifth of the human race faces possible starvation or severe malnutrition. In many parts of the world, 30-50 percent of the children die before the age of five due to lack of food. U.S. News And World Report stated that the world had entered a new era . . . the era of famine. It is said that 57 million or more people die every year of starvation. An American Canning Company warned that: "we are one crop away from famine."

164. No specific year is predicted naturally for this to happen, but the shadow of such a famine is creeping toward us. Several countries such as Kenya, Tanzania, Gambia, Senegal, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and others are all suffering today from famines. Erratic weather patterns and locust plagues have been aggravating the situation. We read this very morning that France is being plagued by swarms of locust, just as many other nations have had this same trouble during the first part of this year [ "05" ].

165. Since the 1970s Ethiopia has been one of the hardest hit countries. Well over a million people have died since that time. Most have starved to death since the communists [ Soviet style ] have taken over the country. Masses of people were moved from their homelands into concentration camps . . . to avoid the drought, of course. But, the real reason was to keep people from joining rebel forces who have been fighting to free the nation from communist tyranny. The prophet describes these latter days with incredible accuracy . . .

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166. Scripture: "Woe [ trouble and affliction ] to the land shadowing with wings beyond the rivers of Ethiopia a nation scattered and peeled ... whose land the rivers have spoiled, { Isaiah 18:1-2 }."

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167. Commentary . . . The U.S. and other countries supplied food packages sent to Ethiopia. Tragically, many boxcars filled with food were allowed to rot before they were released by the communist government for consumption. The desperate conditions in starving nations should remind us of this next verse:

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168. { V. 5 } Scripture: ". . . And I beheld [ saw ], and lo [ behold, ] a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances [ scales ] in his hand,

169. { V. 6 }: And I heard [ what seemed to be ] a voice in the midst of the four beasts [ four living creatures ] say, A measure [ quart ] of wheat for a penny [ denarius - a whole days wages ], and three measures [ quarts ] of barley for a penny [ denarius ]; and see you hurt not the oil and the wine, { Revelation 6:5-6 }." . . .

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170. Commentary . . . See { 2- Kings 6:25 } where another famine had taken place. At that time so severe had the famine been the head of the unclean donkey sold for 40 ounces of silver. One-fourth of a cab [ a measure of uncertain quantity, likely about a quart. ] This third horseman of the Tribulation Period represents famine, and his pair of balances [ scales ] may represent rationing.

171. A penny during the time when John wrote Revelation represented a days wages, and a measure of wheat represented one day's food supply for one person . . . this was inflation on an unprecedented scale. In the resent past worldwide, It was stated that in just one year, 50 million people died of starvation or of some related disease, this does not include the millions of babies that are systematically murdered because of the ungodly, devilish legal abortion rights law each year.

172. Thus far, those of us that live in America enjoy an affluent society with seemingly plenty to eat. But, actually nothing could be more misleading to our children. If Jesus Christ fails to come soon, our children will inherit a totally different world. It won't be long now before earth's population will reach the 7 billion mark, and after that, who knows? According to the above verses, famine will stalk the earth. The horseman called "death" will ride rampant with his partner, whom the Bible calls "Hell." These horsemen will have power over the fourth part of the earth to kill with the sword and with hunger.

173. When Noah disembarked from the Ark approximately 1,657 years after the creation of this earth and the first man Adam, the population of our planet was 8 souls. 2,300 years later, when Christ was born, the world's population was estimated to be about 200 million people. By the year 1650, A.D. there were estimated to be some 500 million people in the world . . . 'half a billion.' However, 200 years later, by the year 1850, A.D. world population reached 1 billion people. From 1850 to 1930, a span of only eighty years, the world's population doubled, and [ in that period this writer had been added ]. The world's population was now 2 billion. It did 'NOT' take another 80 years to increase another billion . . . 'only thirty years.' By 1960 the world's population had reached 3 billion. But only 15 years later, in 1975 A.D., the world's population passed the 4 billion mark. In 2004, there were over 6 billion people on this earth.

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174. It took four thousand years for the population to grow from 8 souls in the days of Noah to the first 500 million people, yet 2 billion have been added just since 1975, likely in your own lifetime. Today, over half the population of our world are under 25 years of age. In fact, it has been estimated that between 40 and 50 percent of the world's population are now under the age of 15. It is believed that there are more people alive today than have filled all the graves of all the countries of the world in all the history of man. If the human race continues at this explosive rate, by 2050, there could be well over 12 billion people on the earth. Can you imagine an increase just from 1975, to 2050, a 75 year period, that would mean there will be 3 people for every one person who was living in 1975. If the lord fails to come soon, whose going to feed the population in 2050?

175. With just another two billion people added to the 6 1/2 Billion 'plus' on earth today, how long can it be before conditions become chaotic, what we have written above should convince you of that. It has been said that people will continue to be born just like today for another thousand years. But, if the human race is to keep on increasing like it is right now, in one thousand years with no great decrease of population, there will be an estimated 60 million billion people in the world, or one hundred people for each square yard of earth's surface, including both the land, the seas and the oceans. It must be very obvious, that it is absolutely impossible for the world's population to increase to those proportions. If Christ does not return 'very soon', something catastrophic will occur to eliminate most of the human race . . . either by a huge atomic war, horrendous diseases, or tremendous famines, or perhaps all three at the same time.

176. The uninformed will say, "We believe in science. Science will find a way to solve the problem. We will build spaceships and move our masses to other planets." Sorry, but that's not possible, the other planets of our solar system do not have atmospheres. However, If it were possible to create atmospheres and populate the planets, in two hundred years, every planet in our solar system would be as full as the earth is today. Then what would people do? Besides how could man finance such an undertaking? Where would the money be found to build spaceships to transport all the necessary people to relieve the earth's population on this world?

177. Professor Gary Hardin, of the University of California, has said that if our standard of living were cut by 18 percent today, then in one year we could set aside enough money to export to the planets of our solar system only one days increase in the population of the world. Enough of fantasy. There must be a limit to our growth. And this makes one wonder if we may have a world 'secret shadow government' that is "inwardly" controlling what is taking place on this earth through the one world banking system. Could this be the reason abortion rights, homosexual rights, and certain diseases that are incurable are still flourishing throughout the nations? Could this be all secretly planed by a unknown "elite group of people to eradicate much of the population." It really makes one wonder, does it not? You know, Christ said:

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178. { V. 6 } Scripture: ". . . whoever shall offend one of these little ones which believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

179. { V. 7 }: Woe [ trouble and affliction" ] unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe [ trouble and affliction" ] to that man by whom the offenses come!

180. { V. 8 }: Therefore if your hand or your foot offend you, cut them off, and cast them from you; it is better for you to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire, { Matthew 18:6-8 }."

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181. Verses { 6-8 } above paraphrased: "{ V. 6 }: But, whoever causes one of these little children who believes in and acknowledge and cleave to Me to stumble and sin . . . that is, who tortures, mangles or kills him, or who entices him, or hinders him in right conduct or thought . . . it would be better [ more expedient and profitable or advantageous ] for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be sunk in the depth of the sea.

182. { V. 7 }: Trouble and affliction to the world for such temptations to sin and influences people to do wrong! It is necessary that temptations come, but trouble and affliction to the person on whose account or by whom the temptation comes!

193. { V. 8 }: And if your hand or your foot causes you to stumble and sin, cut it off and throw it away from you; it is better [ more profitable and wholesome ] for you to enter life [ eternal in heaven ] maimed or lame, rather than for you to have your two hands or two feet still on your body to be thrown into the everlasting "Lake 0f Fire," [ 'Gehenna' ].

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184. Commentary . . . Naturally there is more than one meaning in these verses. One meaning is against those who offend against the Lord's Saints who are God's children. But, this other meaning refers to those who are guilty against small children of any race, whom are given by God to mankind to raise for the glory of God. I certainly believe that the Lord had many things in mind when He had this above text placed in our Bible. I must also believe that He was looking forward into our own present age and saw the murderous intent to destroy the millions of Christians plus, all of the little children that is according to mans law legally being murdered at this very time by wicked men and woman in the abortion clinics of this world.

185. If laws can be passed to liquidate children, born or unborn, as you well know, laws can very easily be passed to kill other people, such as the old, the lame, the unfortunate who's minds have become childish, and those whom are habitual criminals. After all, untold millions of dollars are being spent each year to keep such people alive, and others incarcerated.

186. Food for thought - right? Hitler did some of the above to empty the insane asylums and to liquidate the Jews and many others, "where is Hitler now? [ IN HELL NO DOUBT, AND THIS WILL BE THE FUTURE PLACE WHERE ALL BABY MURDERERS WILL SPEND ETERNITY ]! Scripture says it, I believe it, and that is the way it will be! See { Romans 1: 24-32; - Ephesians 4:18; - & - Galatians 5:19-21 }.

187. In April 1968, a group of thirty people from ten industrialized countries met in Rome, Italy, to organize the club of Rome. They began to study the needs and problems our world will face in the future, and their findings are published in a book entitled "The Limits To Growth." Their conclusion was that our population will continue to multiply at an ever-increasing rate. It was predicted that by the year 2050 the human race will face its most critical period.

188, According to their estimates, there are 3.2 billion acres of land on the earth including the mountains and deserts. Of this 3. 2 billion acres, about half was presently under cultivation. According to the study, it takes about four-tenths of an acre to feed one person for one year. That was hardly enough to feed this planets population at that time. But as population growth continues, men will have to use more land for the building of roads, highways, plants, schools, houses, and shopping centers. And, of course this will take much more farm land to build such projects. Eventually, men will have to find new methods of watering the deserts and cultivating the mountains.

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189. It is believed that at the present time the world's supply of land will barely feed 6 billion, and perhaps 7 at best. Beyond that, the amount of available land begins to decrease rapidly. As men build cities, less land will be available for crops. Before we go on with this message, it should be recognized that this writer did not make any of these estimates! But, the so-called big brains of this world have figured all this out according to their own judgment. To continue, it was said that when you put a shopping center on a wheat field, you can't grow any more wheat, naturally this makes sense. According to what was reported, we would definitely cross the critical point at the year 2000, when the available land will start to diminish considerably and the population will begin to climb at a fantastic rate.

190. As the reader well knows, the year 2000 has already come and gone. Much of the above predictions are taking place now in front of our very eyes. Farm land close to cities both large and small is being taken in by the tens of thousands of acres, to make room for building expansion. When this writer came to the place where he lives at this time, the closest city had a population of 5000 people. Today that same small city is said to have a population in excess of 45,000 people, and the city is booming at such a rapid pace that I find it difficult to find my way around to places I wish to visit.

191. When I moved to this small town I did so to get away from the larger cities to raise my family. Well, my family are grown and have families of their own. Therefore, at my age it would be difficult for me to move again to a smaller populated place because of my children and grandchildren who are now settled where they have grown up. "Troubles, troubles!"

192. If time were to go on as it is, and under the same conditions, by the year 2050, 45 more years, there will not be enough land to feed the starving masses of humanity. The club of Rome also reported that the resources of our world are already diminishing. Even taking into account such economic factors as increased prices in products, with decreasing availability for housing and other enterprises. It would appear at present, according to those in the club of Rome, that the quantities of platinum, gold, zinc, and lead are not sufficient to meet demands at the present rate of expansion. Silver, tin, and uranium are already in short supply and are much higher in price.

193. What will happen to our world by 2050 if the worlds minerals are exhausted with no more gold, silver, tin, copper, petroleum, coal and natural gas? It's possible that they will all be depleted by 2050. Speaking of the world's population time bomb: it should be noted that the aging of the population has started to affect all the developing countries: it will be one of the most important changes of the 21st century. Now it is said that the world's population crossed the "6.5 billion mark." Therefore, "We must think about how we are to share the world's resources to be able to satisfy the demands of the billions of other people yet to be born."

194. This largest growth of humanity is going to occur particularly in the countries of Asia and Africa which needs to be supported and to be further developed more rapidly so that much more production of food can be grown. And, the present resources in these and other third world countries must be used far better than has taken place in the past 20th century. Since world population is expanding so rapidly there is no doubt, that the increase in existing inequalities in the world's people in as far as consumption and well-being is concerned, this is really something to plan on and think about. Migration will be another feature of the 21st century which involves 150 million people moving from one country to the other nations each year like the Muslims are doing . . . a figure likely to increase as countries face falls in their work forces due to an aging population.

195. It is said that China and India each have a population exceeding One Billion people, the only way they can expand is to wage war and take over other nations. But, what would they do with the people in the nations they take over? Migration of millions those people is likely to cause the spread of various diseases to the other countries also. The aging process will challenge national budgets . . . as well as private arrangements for health care and retirement . . . as expenditures increase for a large non-working population with a falling working population.

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196. Fernando Gil Alonso from the Center of Demographic Studies at the Autonomous University of Barcelona said at the European level "the ratio of the number of retired people to those employed will start increasing from 2010, when the baby boom generation from the 1950s reach retirement age. Without policy changes, this ratio is expected to rise from 54.5 to 90.9 retired people per 100 employed people over the next 50 years . . . a significant increase that would put pension schemes under pressure." Alonso also said in another conference paper: "that the health systems in India and Pakistan will come under increasing pressures over coming decades as the population increases in the plus 60 age group."

197. As I have stated strictly from my own imagination, "the extermination of the elderly is something that could be adopted in the near future, and possibly this could be accomplished by the "One World Dictator Antichrist." Remember we only say that it could happen - not that it will." 50 years ago who would have thought that legalized abortion could be condoned and become a reality, but it did? Only the Lord knows what is finally to take place, and only the Lord can do something about it. As for famine, just a few years ago, world stockpiles of food for emergency relief amounted to an 80 day supply.

198. Today, it is said that those reserves are sufficient for consumption for only thirty days or less. Before World War Two, the world was about evenly divided into regions that imported food and regions capable of exporting foods. Since then, some regions . . . most significantly Latin America and eastern Europe . . . that were exporters, have become importers. According to the present estimates, only the U.S. and Australia are really considered to be potential sources of food supply, and this estimate may be a little iffy because of the drought that is now taking place on much of the farmland in both countries. It was said that according to the European Common Market Coalition, America is the hope of the world. But, the way things stand today, how long can this hope exist? Another question is, when are men going to start looking to God for their resources instead to other men?

199. One other thing must be recognized, terrorists are planing to use atomic bombs in the U.S. England and several other nations. Should this happen, untold thousands of acres will become polluted because of radiation, and no food will be able to be grown for decades on the polluted land. Food for thought right? It has just been reported that the terrorist organizations have 47 or more atomic bombs in the United States as of right now.

200. Since the U.S. is the bread basket for much of the world, what will happen if this bread basket is partially destroyed? Who will supply the poorer nations with food? It seems to this writer that the combined nations of this world should try their best to protect the United States who imports food to other countries for their own welfare instead of trying to destroy it. If the U.S. was to be destroyed, where else in the world can starving nations get their food?

201. And, we repeat: what about this? "What is going to take place if America's food supply becomes grossly curtailed, and if a significant number of American farmers lost their land to build cities or for other reasons? That catastrophe could begin at any time in our future. Deaths related to world food shortage can be easily doubled or tripled in a very short time. If this happens, the death rate might decline, but only because the earlier deaths reduced the birthrate for a later generation, or to put it more cruelly but simply, the people who would be having babies would die when they were babies. Naturally legal murder and worldwide abortions and genocide could take care of the increase of population. Many things are possible isn't that true?

202. Should things not change, the number of people under fifteen years of age who will die of starvation by the year 2025 is estimated to be 500 million. The explosion of our population is like a time bomb that was set six thousand years ago to go off somewhere in our own very near future. As a matter of fact we believe according to the prophetic Scriptures all this was planned, by the Creator to go off in this last generation, and it is exploding right on schedule. Our world population is increasing on such an exponential curve that there is no way mankind can possibly save the human race by itself.

203. In 1969 U Thant, past Secretary General of the United Nations, was quoted as saying: "I do not wish to seem over dramatic, but I can only conclude from the information that is available to me as Secretary General, that the members of the United Nations will have perhaps ten years left in which to subordinate their ancient quarrels and launch a global partnership to curb the arms race, to improve the human environment, to defuse the population explosion, and to supply the required momentum to development efforts."

204. If such a global partnership is not forced within the next decade, he said, "I very much fear the problems I have mentioned will reach such staggering proportions that they will be beyond our capacity to control." That decade of the 60s and 70s the Secretary General spoke of has come and gone quite some time ago, and the human race has not yet got a grip on things. We are still floundering in a sea of humanity. His assessment reflects a fulfillment of the prophecy made by Jesus Christ Who said . . .

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205. Scripture: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places [ different places all at the same time ], { Matthew 24:7 }."

206. Scripture: "But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be, { Matthew 24:37 }." { See Genesis Ch. 4,5,6. }

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207. Commentary . . . The days of Noah? The last generation would be like Noah's day. Men are multiplying at an unprecedented rate. According to the One World Common Market Coalition, there is only one feasible solution to the overwhelming problems facing our world in the near future. These elite thinkers have presented their solution in five parts . . .

[ 1 ]: "A global approach must be made to the problem."

[ 2 ]: "Investment, rather than commodity aid, must be made to underdeveloped nations, except for food." . . .

[ 3 ]: "A balanced economic development must be considered for all regions of the earth."

[ 4 ]: "An effective population policy must be implemented."

[ 5 ]: "A Worldwide diversification of industry leading to a global economic system must be achieved."

208. Yet, according to this group of so-called intellectuals from the world's leading industrial nations, only a proper combination of these measures can lead to a solution. Omission, they said, of any one measure will surely lead to disaster. The only answer they advocate is "One World Government," and they have set about to achieve their goal. The reader must understand that to have a one world government, each nation in the world will have to give up their sovereignty and voluntarily turn all their nations rights over to the one worlders coalition.

209. Another thing that must be understood is, that this definitely will happen according to the Scripture in the last days. The United States of Europe is becoming a workable reality. But, the question is, to what end? Leaders wishing to build a one world government are being very diligent in their efforts. Just this very morning this writer read that the one worlders are planing to make all commercial air travel worldwide into a one world system, we wonder who will be the big boss of that travel agency?

210. A new one-world monetary system is being developed very rapidly. Political pressure is being brought to bear by the Russians, Communist China, and several other nations that wish to destroy the western nations. It seems that very soon worldwide war will point up the need for a superman to take charge and take care of everything. One thing for sure, "As it was, so shall it be." The world will look for one man who can solve all problems, supply all of the needs, and save the human race. When he is needed, he will be there as Satan's man of the hour.

211. Mr., Antichrist will set out to accomplish what the Devil has been trying to do for 6000 years. He will establish that one-world government. He will attempt to get rid of God and set himself upon the throne of this world. He will try to make slaves out of the human race. Friend, this isn't science fiction but a factual reality according to the Word of God. It is going to happen just as we have said. But, that's not the end of the story. He will not succeed because he is a "[ Counterfeit Messiah. ]" He will only bring the world to the brink of disaster. All of his efforts will end at Armageddon, and the real Saviour will appear to take His rightful place as the Master "Problem Solver." Only He Who created this world can save it.

212. Jesus Christ is coming back, and when He comes, there will be no more famine; there will be no more hunger or starvation. He will establish a thousand years of peace and prosperity. See { Revelation 20:1-4 }. Jesus Christ shall establish His throne in Jerusalem and take His rightful place as King of Kings and Lord of Lord's. And the Bible says that every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Christ Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And, the knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea . . . when Christ returns. [ We will likely discus on famine again before this message is completed ].

End 0f Part Three 0f The Days Of Noah. Continued 0n Part Four 0f This Subject.

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