In recent weeks you might have noticed your grocery bill go up. If so, you're not alone. Food prices are soaring worldwide. Consumers in many western nations are just beginning to notice the change, however in many parts of the world the rising cost of food has already reached crisis levels.
According to the United Nations, global food prices rose 35 percent in the last year. Since the new year prices have continued to rise. This year corn prices have hit a 12-year high and the price of wheat has jumped almost 90 percent. Likewise, in just the past few weeks the cost of rice has gone from $580 a ton to $760 a ton. Rice is the staple food for more than three billion people around the world. Most of these live in poorer nations, and some already spend 50 to 70 percent of their incomes on food.
Experts are describing the problem as "the perfect storm." Its cause is said to be a combination of various factors: Growing populations means growing demand. Also, the growing middle class in places like China means growing demand for more varieties of food. For example, the demand for beef has increased in China, which in turn effects the price of corn and other crops used to feed cattle.
Unusual weather conditions and drought have also been a factor. In Australia prolonged drought has reduced wheat exports by half and the rice crop this year will be the smallest in history. In Bangladesh a cyclone last summer destroyed 600 million dollars worth of its rice crop. Events such as these have decreased the overall food supply.
Rising oil prices have also had caused food prices to rise. Oil prices effect not only the cost of transporting food, but also the cost of fertilizers which are made with oil-derivatives. Government mandates and subsidies for biofuels have also had an impact. In the US it is estimated that almost thirty percent of the grain harvest is being diverted to make ethanol. Likewise, the European Union plans to start producing enough biofuels to meet at least 10 percent of its transportation needs by 2010.
This situation has not received enough media attention, prompting some to label it the "silent famine." Malnutrition and hunger are growing problems, and charitable organizations are having trouble keeping up with the growing demand. The black horseman of the Book of Revelation speaks of a condition wherein a man's daily wages are so poor, he can barely support himself, much less his family (Revelation 6:5-6). Could it be that we are getting close? To learn more about this subject, listen to Chuck's briefing pack titled Behold A Black Horse.
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Please read WHEN DID JESUS START TO REVEAL HIMSELF FIRST. When did the four horsemen 1st come: 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"-( The Devil had conquered man so The Lord Jesus rode out of heaven on His white horse to conquer man and save his soul.) 10 He answered, "I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid." 11 And he said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?" 12 The man said, "The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it." 13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." 14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly (DISEASE OR DEATH THE FINAL DISEASE)
and you will eat dust9 (FAMINE)
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring [a] and hers;
he will crush [b] your head,
and you will strike his heel."(WAR)
16 To the woman he said,
"I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing;
with pain you will give birth to children. (DISEASE)
Your desire will be for your husband,(FAMINE)
and he will rule over you." (WAR)
17 To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,'
"Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.(WAR)
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.(FAMINE)
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return." (DEATH)
the four horseman 1st came in the garden because man had sinned and so Jesus had the four horseman chase men back to seek God Almighty who was The Lord Jesus Christ. Lou Click here to reply to this post
WHEN DID JESUS START TO REVEAL HIMSELF
Posted On: 04/30/08 07:02:22 PM
Age 64, OH
Many error and think The Revelation is about only future events. This is incorrect. The Book is NOT about future events, but is about THE REVELATION OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. It is about Him who was, and is, and is to come, The Lord Jesus Christ. When did the Lord Jesus start to reveal Himself. This started in Genesis 1 when the Lord Jesus created the heavens and the earth. The heavens and the earth reveal the glory of God do they not. When did the four horsemen 1st come to the earth. We 1st need to remember who the four horsemen are. - 1I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" 2I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.(who is given a crown in heaven, Jesus Christ) 3When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" 4Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword.(when did men start to kill one another, was is not when Cain killed Able)- 5When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. 6Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages, and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and the wine!"(when did famine come upon the earth, was it not when Eve ate of the tree)- 7When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, "Come!" 8I 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. -(when did death come upon the earth, was it not when Eve ate of the tree)- Genesis is about the beginnings of things and The Revelation is a summary of the entire Bible which is about the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Lou Click here to reply to this post
Agree
Posted On: 05/01/08 02:02:56 PM
Age 61, MO
You are correct, Lou, in your assessment that the Revelation is much more than about future events; that it is somewhat of a summary of the entire Bible. The first four seals in chapter six have no particular placement in chronological time, nor is there any indication of a specific world geographic place. They have had specific application at different times and places throughout the entire Biblical dispensation. The second and third seals both describe the persecution of God's people. The Red horse seal describes martyrs who are literally slaughtered. The third seal describes those who are martyred in the broader sense of poverty and hardship. Both seals are instruments of persecution under the control of Christ for the furtherence of His kingdom. Hard pressed believers feel their dependence on God. With the fourth seal come woes which the believer suffers along with the rest of the world, because believers are still in the world. The Revelaion is given to us a final affirmation that God will have all things in Christ. George Cancilla Click here to reply to this post
The Black Horse
Posted On: 04/30/08 06:03:02 PM
Age 61, MO
The conditions described in Revelation chapter six have existed at various times throughout the Church age. Study of the verses reveal that high inflation prevails: an entire day's wages are needed to feed oneself. It is interesting to note the "oil and wine" verse probably indicates that the wealthy are not affected much by the economic hard times endured by others. As we draw closer to Christ's return, however, I believe the intensity and number of people affected by these woes increase, because the spirit of anti Christ is always on the increase in the world. These woes affect believers and unbelievers alike. Believers need not fear because Jesus has already won the victory for us. George Cancilla Click here to reply to this post
Global Food Crisis
Posted On: 04/30/08 01:57:52 PM
Age 61, MO
There is no shortage of food. Rising prices are making food unaffordable. Bernanke's "weak dollar" policy has ignited a wave of speculation in commodities which is pushing prices into high inflation. The world is awash in increasingly worthless dollars that are making food and raw materials more expensive. Foreign central banks and investors presently hold $6 trillion in dollars and dollar-backed assets, so when the dollar starts to slide, the pain radiates through entire economies. This is especially true in countries where the currency is pegged to the dollar. That's why most of the Gulf States are experiencing runaway inflation. This doesn't mean that oil depletion, biofuel production, over-population, and giant agribusinesses don't add to the problem; but the catalyst is the Fed's monetary policies that puts the others in motion. There are long-term reasons for food prices to rise, but the unprecedented spike in grain prices during the past year stems from the weakness of the American dollar. Bernanke could make things a lot easier if he accepted some responsibility for the current turmoil and raised rates by 25 basis points. That would show speculators that the Fed was serious about defending the currency which would send the commodities bubble crashing to earth. Prices would go down overnight. The world is now facing the very real prospect of completely avoidable famine because the Federal Reserve would rather bailout their sketchy friends and preserve their spot at the top of the economic food-chain, rather than save the lives of starving women and children. George Cancilla Click here to reply to this post
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