As we currently deal with the coronavirus, the UN has warned that the next pandemic we could face is a global famine of “biblical” proportions. Severe measures have been taken to ensure public health all throughout the world including the use of surveillance technology, going cashless, and even lock downs of whole cities and nations.
Although this may curb the spread of the virus to a significant degree, these same lock downs are negatively impacting the way people earn a living and also feed their families. Some businesses are forced to stay closed causing some to lose their only source of income while others are laid off from their jobs altogether.
To add to this, we’re already hearing about a possible “second wave” of the coronavirus as well as an increased likelihood for a global famine. Here in the US we’re already seeing warnings concerning a stark decrease in the meat supply due to the pandemic:
- Boneless chicken is first to go scarce as coronavirus hits U.S. meat supply
- Trump Declares Meat Supply ‘Critical,’ Aiming to Reopen Plants
- Tyson Foods Helped Create the Meat Crisis It Warns Against
Let’s also not forgot that parts of Africa have also been dealing with a major plague of locusts. Experts also warn about a second wave that could be 20 times worse than the first! Things are rapidly speeding up and it’s only been 4 months of 2020. It’s impossible to say what we could have in store in the remaining months of this year, but based on what we read in God’s word, things won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
Is a Global Famine on the Way?
From Fox News: While the World Health Organization warns that stringent guidelines need to stay in place to combat the spread of COVID-19, fellow United Nations agency World Food Program (WFP) believes that it will lead to an uptick in global poverty and starvation, and the response to the virus itself may end up killing more people by the end of 2020.
Last week, WFP’s executive director David Beasley cautioned the UN Security Council that the risk of large-scale famine in much of the developing world was now “of biblical proportions” as a result of the global pandemic.
“While dealing with a COVID-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” Beasley told the council. “There is also a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of COVID-19 than from the virus itself.” Even before the outbreak, 2020 was on track to be the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II due to the ongoing wars in places like Yemen, Syria and South Sudan, compounded with natural disasters and desert locust swarms across Africa.
That grim reality has been exacerbated by efforts to curb the coronavirus, which has led to cratering economies, mass job losses and crashing oil prices. “We can confidently state that levels have risen. Quarantine regulations, shipping challenges, and overall supply chain issues are compounding and adding to previously existing starvation conditions,” Ian Bradbury, CEO of the Canada-based humanitarian organization 1st NAEF, told Fox News.
“We can expect more global deaths due to secondary impacts of COVID-19 than the virus itself — the World Food Program currently estimates that 265 million will be on the brink of starvation by the end of the year.” At the beginning of 2020, some 130 million were already facing dire levels of hunger. That figure could now more than double the number of people facing acute hunger to 265 million by the end of this year. Read More
“Biblical” Famines may be on the Horizon
From the BBC: The world is at risk of widespread famines “of biblical proportions” caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the UN has warned. David Beasley, head of the World Food Programme (WFP), said urgent action was needed to avoid a catastrophe.
A report estimates that the number suffering from hunger could go from 135 million to more than 250 million. Those most at risk are in 10 countries affected by conflict, economic crisis and climate change, the WFP says. The fourth annual Global Report on Food Crises highlights Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti.
In South Sudan, 61% of the population was affected by food crisis last year, the report says. Even before the pandemic hit, parts of East Africa and South Asia were already facing severe food shortages caused by drought and the worst locust infestations for decades. Addressing the UN Security Council during a video conference, Mr Beasley said the world had to “act wisely and act fast”. “We could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months,” he said. “The truth is we do not have time on our side.” Read More
Prophetic Implications
As I Read through those articles, I couldn’t help but think about another global famine that will occur during the tribulation. With the 3rd seal judgment in chapter 6 of Revelation, we’re told a single loaf of bread will cost a day’s wages, “When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, ‘Come and see.’ So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine,'” (Revelation 6:5-6).
In my original article on the coronavirus pandemic, I took a look at the similarities we see between what Jesus tells us the last days will look like before his return in Matthew 24 compared to the seal judgments in Revelation 6. Many have gone to this passage to note Jesus’ use of pestilence but he also mentions famine.
And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:4-5)
Although I believe what Jesus speaks about here will ultimately have its fulfillment during the tribulation, it should show us how close we are to this time period when so many of these things are casting a shadow on our time! 2020 has been an eventful year prophetically and I don’t believe it will be slowing down any time soon.
Although many people have been and will be negatively impacted by these disasters, we can rest in the fact that God is still on his throne and that he is sovereign over everything occurring. As believers, we should rest in this fact. We should also be encouraged that all these signs are pointing to our soon departure from this world! Believer, our redemption draws near!
Sources
- UN warns coronavirus fallout will lead to the next pandemic – global starvation (April 29th, 2020) – Fox News
- Coronavirus: World risks ‘biblical’ famines due to pandemic – UN (April 21st, 2020) – BBC