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April 10,
2008 |
Dear World News and Prophecy Subscriber,
I was in Canada last week speaking to groups of World
News and Prophecy subscribers. It is always a pleasure
to go to Canada. This time I saw the varied parts of British
Columbia from Vancouver to the delightful Okanagan Valley.
I paid more for basic commodities than I do in the United
States. A fish sandwich at McDonalds was slightly more than
at my corner store, and I paid $1.22 (Canadian) for a liter
of gas. That translates to about $4.60 a gallon—quite
a bit more than the $3.25 I pay here in the United States.
Advertisements I saw for food prices in general were higher
than America. But at least there was food on the shelves,
when in some parts of the world right now there are food
shortages.
Recent food riots from Haiti to the Ivory Coast have highlighted
the shortages and spread fear of increased levels of poverty.
Riots in Egypt have led to several deaths. When people don't
have the basic bread (and rice) of life, they take to the
streets. Ancient Rome learned this lesson well and kept
its citizens pacified with ample bread supplies.
One of the reasons for the crisis is that in the past 20
years, developing countries have become net importers of
food because of rising internal consumption and a decline
in agricultural output. In addition, the growing emphasis
on biofuels has diverted grains to uses other than food
for people.
What does this mean? It means that efforts to reduce poverty
in these nations in recent years have been set back, at
least for the short term. In poorer countries people pay
50 to 60 percent of their annual income for food—and
this is just for basic foodstuffs (not much meat and very
few if any delicacies). Food shortages can lead to civil
unrest and the untimely deaths of the innocent.
Food is a basic need, and the lack of it
can shift the course of nations. In Revelation 6 we see
food shortages defined in the end time by the third seal—the
third horseman, carrying a set of scales signifying food
scarcity. You can read more on this prophecy in the article
reprint "The
Horsemen of Revelation."
World food supplies are nowhere near the crisis level of
this prophecy. But each time we see shortages develop, we
should be aware of just how quickly events can change the
best plans made by governments. Even in the best of times,
famine can quickly raise its head and lead to suffering.
When the events foretold in Revelation unfold, the entire
world will be caught unprepared.
Americans and Canadians may be paying more for food and
energy, but they can be thankful they have the wealth to
buy what is still available. Even the poorest among them
is rich compared to the masses in developing nations. All
the more reason to be thankful to God for the abundance
of these nations.
In closing let me welcome the many new subscribers to this
newsletter. Many hundreds are added each month. If you find
this letter useful to you, please consider forwarding it
on to a friend. As always, we enjoy hearing from you
Keep watching,
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