The Catastrophic Events that are Coming on this Earth

A WING AND A PRAYER

Carlin Lawrence carlin@agairupdate.com

Jesus said, “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 birth pangs… For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matthew 24:7-8, 21-22). Every war and disease pandemic throughout the history of the world has been a harbinger (forerunner) of what’s going to happen on this earth during the tribulation era. The effects of the Covid-19 virus pandemic are small when compared to the wars, famines, pestilences and earthquakes of the future of this earth.

In 1350 A.D. the bubonic Plague (the Black Death) spread throughout Europe and killed one-third of the world population. When the Spanish came into the Caribbean, diseases such as smallpox, measles, and the bubonic plague were passed along to the native populations by the Europeans and killed as many as 90 percent of the indigenous people in the north and south continents. In 1520 the smallpox infection destroyed the Aztec Empire. These are just a few of the many past disease pandemics.

In the 1918-20 the Avian-borne flu, called the Spanish Flu, spread throughout Europe, the United States, parts of Asia and spreading around the world with nothing to treat it with. By the time it abated in 1920, the Spanish Flu had killed 675,000 Americans and left thousands of children orphaned. This flu pandemic infected one-third of the earth’s populations and killed an estimated 50 million people.

The 1957-58 Asian Flu started in China and killed over 1.1 million people, with 116,000 deaths in the United States. The Hong Kong Flu that originated in China started in July of 1968 and lasted until 1970. This virus was known as influenza A subtype H3N2 and probably evolved from the 1957 H2N2 or Asian Flu. Those who had been exposed to the 1957 Asian flu were immune to the 1968 Virus. Deaths worldwide were estimated at one million and deaths in the United States were approximately 116,000.

The Swine Flu pandemic of 2009-2010 originated in Mexico and spread into the rest of the world within one year. The 2009-2010 Swine Flu pandemic was caused by a new strain of H1N1 that infected as many as 1.4 billion people around the globe and killed between 151,700 and 575,400 people, according to the CDC. This Swine flu primarily affected children and young adults; 80 percent of the deaths were younger than 65. The West African Ebola epidemic of 2014-2016 ravaged West Africa between 2014-2016, with over 28,000 reported cases and over 11,000 death.

Sometime in the future this world will have some kind of catastrophic event that will bring a man “antichrist” on the scene that’s totally (Possessed) controlled by Satan (Revelation 13:1-4). Antichrist will be attractive, charismatic, extremely intelligent, and a dynamic speaker with satanic and earthly wisdom that will deceive the earthly minded people. Worldly minded people will willingly worship the antichrist! (Revelation 13:8). Antichrist will conquer with peaceful methods (Revelation 6:1-2). This peaceful utopia is a deceptive and false peace that’s accomplished with Satan’s power, signs, and lying wonders. God will send a deluding influence to worldly minded people so they will believe in this false peace because they have pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

“When He (Jesus) 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). God is reminding us that this is His judgment on sinful mankind.

When this prophecy was written a denarius was a day’s wages; one quart of wheat would sustain one person for a day. Three quarts of barley [animal food] would feed two to three people with low quality food. During the tribulation daily wages will provide enough food for very few people. Food will be scarce and extremely expensive in the end times. The scales indicate that food will be rationed out to starving people.

The pale horse of Revelation 6:7-8 is a word picture of a dead person and a decomposing corpse. The one sitting on this horse is named death, and hades (grave) is following along—two partners that work together, killing 25 percent (over 1.8 billion) people on this earth if it happened today. This death is the result of the worldwide war, famine, earthquakes, destruction from the sky, and the beasts of this earth (Revelation 6:12-17). Don’t think of these beasts as lions and tigers, but as diseases of all kinds.

The six seals of Revelation in chapter six reveals some of the most frightening events that will ever come upon this earth. They cover events of the future of this ungodly and rebellious world; worldwide wars, hunger, plagues, death, earthquakes, heavenly disturbances. During the seven years of the great tribulation over one-half of the world’s population will die (Revelation 6:1-17, 8:1-9:20, 16:1-21).

Many of those Christians who are avid Bible students, and observe what’s happening on planet earth today believe that God, in His mercy and grace, is allowing us to see the foreshadows of the apocalyptic storm that’s coming on this earth. The birth pangs are like the leading edge of the storm with the rain and wind approaching; and the birth pangs are beginning to be felt! And they’ll become much more intensive when the Tribulation begins.

These birth pangs (sorrows) of wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes and heavenly disturbances are getting closer and closer in frequency and intensity every day. Is there any hope for humans? Yes! God wants everyone to trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. He doesn’t want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). God gives every person a free will to choose where he or she will spend eternity. It’s your choice!