The Treasure Hunt

Tuesday May 29, 2012 11:58 am

Last evening I wrote about FAMINES... and today I will list another of the ten signs. Before I begin writing about the sign of PESTILENCE I want to give a quick update on a previous sign I had already written about, earthquakes. Today, in the same region in Italy another quake hit like the one from nine days ago. That earlier quake was the strongest to hit that area since the 1,300's... that is seven hundred years between such strong events. This is the type of thing people need to watch, at least those who are somewhat interested in prophecy. But, interested or not: still, it will all come to pass.

I used to hear people make the statement, “The Lord said it, I believe it, and that settles it.” Of course, the middle part of that statement is not valid. Whether a person believes anything God has said or not doesn't matter. In the end, believe or disbelieve... it's going to happen anyway.

Last week, and by phone, I was “debating” with someone who has apparently been reading what I have been writing about the Second Coming, and they completely disagree with me. Can you imagine that... someone disagreeing with me! How dare they!!! Don't they know I'm always right! (LOL)

What I tried to “patiently” (lol) explain is that on the surface they were correct. That is, they had taken the position that these signs have all happened in the past... and they pointed out that certain signs had even been greater in strength or number than what we are experiencing in the world today. That is true, but what is also true is that while all of the signs have sporadically happened in the past... NEVER have all of them been happening at the same time worldwide. I mean, WWI had more nations fighting and on more fronts than what we are experiencing today: but, the cluster of celestial events, earthquakes, pestilence, etc. was not present at that same time.

What follows is an excellent verse to see the truth of all things happening in concert. Luke 21:28: “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” It is when the entire list of all ten signs “begin to come to pass” that is the time to “...look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”

Failing to understand that it is the culmination of all ten signs happening at once is what has led many to poke fun at His Second Coming. II Pater 3:3 “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts...” Now, read verse 4 and you will see why they are scoffing: and it is the very same reason why this person I spoke to on the phone was disagreeing with me. II Peter 3:4: “...And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Notice: ALL THINGS CONTINUE AS THEY WERE FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CREATION!

The scoffers say that there has (since the beginning of time) been earthquakes, pestilence, famine, wars, etc. etc. etc. and... they are right! But, what they are ignorant of, willingly or otherwise, is that we were never to have expected His Second Coming until ALL TEN SIGNS were happening worldwide and at the very same time in history! It is when you see “...these things (all ten signs) begin to come to pass...” that is when Christ will return!

Now, more about the present pestilence we are experiencing on a global scale. Three years ago when I was first compiling statistics for the radio broadcast I suppose I had the most fun with this one. I know that might seem odd to say: but, I am not a doctor and the names of certain diseases that are often at epidemic numbers (and now increasingly in large parts of the world these diseases are reaching pandemic numbers) are quite a mouthful to say. And because this was to be aired over the radio I had to be certain I could properly pronounce words like: Trypanosomiasis... Cryptosporidiosis... Dengue... Leishmaniasis... Visceral Leishmaniasis... Onchocerciasis... Shigellosis... etc. etc. etc. So, it was sort of “fun” for me to learn how to properly say the names of the diseases I listed.

For the radio broadcast I listed 25 different diseases worldwide that are infecting, sickening, and outright killing multiplied millions every year. For example, just three infectious diseases by themselves: tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS will sicken 300 million people this year and five million will die from those three alone.

Before I name a few more diseases and their dire consequences let me make another point. Although not everyone agrees with the symbolism of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (in Revelation six) as representing: Pestilence (White Horse) – War (Red Horse) – Famine (Black Horse) – Death (Pale Horse) we do know that the imagery of the Four Horseman and some of the ways in which they will kill are found in Revelation 6:8: “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...” (Now, notice the different ways they will take life.) “... to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with beasts of the earth.” In this verse we see three of the ten (end-time) signs revealed... “sword” (war), “hunger” (famine), and “death” (pestilence).

I honestly don't care to type all of the information I compiled for the original broadcast... but, I will still list several of the known diseases and the numbers of new cases (annually) associated with those diseases.

African Trypanosomiasis … infects 450,000 people yearly. It is spread by the tsetse fly and if untreated and in its second stage it is always fatal.

Cholera … spread mostly by contaminated and unsafe drinking water and 200,000 new cases happen yearly with 5-10% percent of those infected dying.

Dengue Fever … today estimated at 50 million new cases every year... it is brought on by the bite of a certain mosquito. (Aedes aegypti)

Hepatitis A … 1.4 million people infected every year.

Hepatitis B … nearly 2 billion people worldwide: almost one in three people have this disease. 350 million of those people never rid themselves of the disease and because of chronic infection they will develop cirrhosis of the liver or liver cancer and they will die.

Hepatitis C … worldwide 180 million people are infected with 3 to 4 million new cases every year.

Influenza … Though it sounds like a fairly common affliction: in this country alone every single year 20,000 people will die from the flu virus.

Japanese Encephalitis … caused by mosquito's in Asia where 50,000 cases occur each year with approximately one in every three people dying.

Leishmaniasis … has many different forms. Some causes lesions, or skin ulcers which causes great pain, disability and extensive scarring. And in its most serious form... Visceral leishmaniasis it is always fatal. (It is caused by the bite of a sandfly.)

Malaria … is also mosquito-borne and more than 500 million people yearly contract this disease and between one and three million of those people will die.

Measles … as recently as 2006 (worldwide) 30 million people got them and there were 240,000 deaths.

Meningitis … 1.2 million new cases every year and more than 10% of those infected will die.

Onchocerciasis (river blindness) is caused by a parasitic worm that lives in their human hosts. 18 million people in Africa are infected... with 270,000 of those infected having gone blind.

Rotavirus … more than 600,000 children die every single year from this disease.

Shigellosis … More than 500,000 people die annually from this infection.

Tuberculosis … causes more than 2 million deaths every single year! The World Health organization (WHO) estimates at its present growth rate that in the next eight years (2020) one billion people, or one out of every six people, will have this disease.

Typhoid … 12 to 17 million new case will happen this year and more than 600,000 of those infected will die.

Yellow Fever … will have 200,000 new cases this year and one in ten will die from this plague.

I'm already tried of typing and I haven't even written about specific pestilence like: Swine Flu... West Nile Virus... or Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Yes, folks... it is a very sick and dying world out there and all of the ten signs are happening all around us. Remember... “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)