Signs of the Times

Plagues (Pestilences)

PROPHETIC SIGNIFICANCE:

In His sermon on the Mt. of Olives Jesus said that the first phase of the End Times would include pestilences, along with other signs of the times like false messiahs, wars, famines and earthquakes.

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all [these things] must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows. - Matthew 24:5-8 (KJV)

Pestilences would include wild animals, pests, diseases and environmental hazards. These things have been problems in every age, but in these days there are major concerns about new diseases like AIDS and drug-resistant strains of old diseases like tuberculosis. Radiation from space, radio, television and cellular signals, and nuclear accidents are adding to the growing problem of cancer, which affects most families today. Terrorism and threats of war pose the additional nightmare of injury or death by nuclear, biological or chemical weapons.

During the Tribulation, the Book of Revelation predicts even greater world-wide disasters, symbolized by the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" (Revelation 6:1-8). These disasters are a false messiah (white horse), a great war (red horse), famine (black horse), and then rampant sickness and death (pale horse).

And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. - Revelation 6:7-8 (KJV)

Key Scriptures
Current Events
Links
Insight from 2012: The Year the World Didn't End
Insight From 2011 In Review: The Year In Prophecy
Radiation and the Fourth Horseman

See also these closely related signs:
Famines
Fearful Events


Key Scriptures

Click on one of these
references to see
the passage.
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<I>Bible Gateway</I> And

<I>Blue Letter Bible</I>

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NIV & Other VersionsIncludes Commentary
Plagues (Pestilences)
Matthew 24:5-8 Further Study
Luke 21:11 Further Study
Revelation 6:7-8 Further Study

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Current Events

Prophetic Significance of Plagues and Pestilence

See also:
Emergency Preparedness
Cloning and Genetic Modification


Notice: Sources often remove their news links after a period of time. Some of them move older stories to a subscription-only section. Even if the story is no longer on line, our summary will still be available on this page.


See more recent articles: After December 31, 2013


'Superbugs could erase a century of medical advances,' experts warn

Nov. 18, 2013 - Medical experts fear that we are entering the "post-antibiotic era." Excessive and improper use of antibiotics have resulted in the emergence of drug-resistant "superbugs." According to an editorial in The Lancet health journal, this trend could erase a century of medical advances, say government doctors in a special editorial in The Lancet health journal. No new antibiotics have been produced to counter the new strains of bacteria since 1987.
Source: Independent - UK

Prophetic Significance of Plagues and Pestilences


Typhoon creates health crisis in the Philippines

Nov. 15, 2013 - Typhoon Haiyan, an unprecedented natural disaster, now threatens to cause a health crisis in the Philippines. The Red Cross says it has ordered 10,000 body bags in preparation for the number of bodies it believes it will have to retrieve.
What is left behind are some 4.2 million people who have been affected by the storm, many of them injured, thirsty or hungry. The Philippines storm -- some three and a half times more forceful than Hurricane Katrina -- has created serious food and water shortages.
Source: CNN
From Nov. 11, 2013 - Typhoon Haiyan the biggest yet as world's tropical storms gather force - Prophecy Central's "Fearful Events" Section
'Unpredictable pandemics' warning - Viruses might leap from animals to people. - BBC



Polio emergency declared in Middle East following outbreak in Syria

Nov. 14, 2013 -The World Health Organization on Tuesday officially declared a polio emergency in the Middle East after 13 people had been partialy paralyzed by the disease. The WHO and UNICEF are rushiing to innoculate some 22 million children against polio in Syria and six other Middle Eastern countries.
Source: Haaretz

New radiation spike near Fukushima nuclear plant tanks

Sept. 2, 2013 - Tokyo Electric Power Co. is still plagued by radiation leaks and escaping radioactive water. Their facilities at Fukushima have been crippled since the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami struck in March of 2011.
Tokyo Electric said it had found a radiation reading above 100 millisieverts per hour on the ground near a water storage tank. The latest hot spot is in a different area than a storage tank that was found to have leaked 300 metric tons of radioactive water in August.
Source: MSN

MERS Virus: Why Doctors Are Calling It a "Threat to the Entire World"

May 30,2013 - A new virus that seems to have originated in the Middle East, and is called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, or MERs-CoV is such a serious threat that Margaret Chan, the director-general of the World Health Organization, called it "a threat to the entire world." Symptoms are similar to a cold, leading to pneumonia or other complications. So far there have been only been 49 confirmed cases, and 27 deaths, but the danger comes from the many things that are still unknown about the disease. They do not know "where it hides in nature," how people get infected, the full extent of its qualities, how to treat it, or even how to guard against getting it.
Source: PolicyMic
Novel Middle East virus may take more than a week to sicken victims - LA Times

New bird strain is 'one of most lethal' flu viruses, WHO says

Apr. 24, 2013 -
A new bird flu strain that has killed 22 people in China is "one of the most lethal" of its kind and transmits more easily to humans than another strain that has killed hundreds since 2003, a World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Wednesday.
So far, 108 people ave contracted the disease since the first deaths were reported last month.
Source: Fox

Reports of rare superbug jump in US, CDC says

Feb. 27, 2013 - A growing number of rare diseases, such as CRE -- Carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, and KPC -- or carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumonia, are proving resistant to even the strongest medicines available to fight them.
The move comes just as researchers in Israel are reporting that people colonized with dangerous CRE ... can take more than a year before they test negative for the bacteria, making it more difficult to control -- and raising the risk of wider spread.
Source: NBC

Go to events before Jan. 1, 2013













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Plagues Links

World Health Organization
Anthrax - Wikipedia
Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria - Better Health
What is Radiation Sickness? - Medical News Today
Fukishima Nuclear Disaster - Wikipedia


Radiation and the Fourth Horseman

Mar. 19, 2011 - While the nuclear reactors at Japan’s Fukushima plant are disintegrating and releasing radiation into the air, many are asking what Bible prophecy has to say about radiation in the End Times.

This is an area where it would be unwise to be dogmatic, but there are two possible connections to nuclear destruction from the account of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Revelation chapter 6 describes the early part of the Tribulation as a vision of four riders on different colored horses. First there is the rider on a white horse (verses 1-2), a mighty conqueror and apparent messiah who appears to be able solve the world’s problems, but in reality is a false savior – the “beast” of Revelation 13, who is often called Antichrist.

The second symbolic rider comes on a red horse (Revelation 6:3-4). This speaks of the ravages of a great world-wide war. It is not likely that this war is started by the rider on the white horse, since, as the previous verses indicate, he is seen as a messianic hero.

Jesus told us that the period leading up to the Tribulation would be characterized by “wars and rumors of wars” (Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7).

It is likely that this is the war of Ezekiel 38 and 39, which results in fiery destruction of the aggressors from the north when they try to conquer Israel. This could very possibly escalate to nuclear warfare, which involves more than one of the present-day nuclear powers. The emerging world dictator could take credit for the destruction of Israel’s invaders, or at least take advantage of the situation, to bring about the seven-year peace treaty between himself and Israel that was prophesied by Daniel. If this is the case, this war would take place at the very beginning of the seven years of the Tribulation. And, of course, if it involves a nuclear exchange, it will result in the release of unwanted radiation.

The third horse will be black, and it will bring great famine, probably as a result of the world war and continued global economic problems (Revelation 6:5-6).

The fourth horse brings a variety of deadly situations.

When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth. – Revelation 6:7-8

The color of the fourth horse is translated many ways. Some Bible versions translate it as “pale,” others as “ashen,” or “pale green.” The Greek word is chloros, “greenish.” It is the root of the well known “chlorophyll”, the tiny green chemical converters in the leaves of most plants.

Chloros also suggests deadly chlorine gas, which is pale green in color and quickly fatal to all who breathe it. The intended picture here is a sickly pale green that symbolizes death as a result of the terrors of nuclear, chemical, and biological warfare.

Therefore, one of the main causes of this Fourth Horseman’s deadly mission might be radiation and the cancer that it produces. This radiation could be the result, not only of nuclear weapons, but of damaged nuclear power plants as well. And these catastrophes could be caused by terrorism or natural disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.

One other possibility for the meaning of the green horse has been suggested by some Bible teachers in the light of the growing threat by Islamic radical terrorists. They wonder if the green could come from the well-known fact that Islamic countries all use green in their flags and seem to prefer that color. Time will tell if there is any connection here.

More related information is available in our book, Connecting the Dots: A Handbook of Bible Prophecy.

Source: Ron's Blog


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