Jesus's disciples asked Him, "...What will be the sign of Your coming and the end of the age?" Matthew 24:3.  This month's newsletter is the third in a series of ten newsletters that will expound on each of the ten signs Jesus said would signal His return.  Jesus said, "Nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places" Matthew 24:7.  This month, the focus will be on the "famines" Jesus spoke of concerning the last days.  I listed the pattern of famines over the last 50 years, in order to examine what the current situation is:

1970s:  There were 9 famines worldwide during the 1970s.  The afflicted nations were: Nigeria, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Niger, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

1980s:  There were 2 famines throughout the world in the 1980s.  The affected nations were: Uganda and Ethiopia.

1990s:  There were 4 famines in the world during the 90s.  The nations involved were: Somalia, North Korea, Sudan and Ethiopia.

2000s:  There were 20 famines in the world from 2000 - 2010.  The afflicted nations were: Ethiopia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Malawi, Niger, Somalia, Uganda, Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Madagascar, Myanmar, North Korea, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Eritrea and Tajikistan. 

2010 - Present:  There are currently 25 famines ongoing since 2010, which involve the following nations: Sudan, Malawi, Niger, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Myanmar, North Korea, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Madagascar, Tajikistan, Kenya, Sahel, Eritrea, India, China, Congo, Pakistan and Tanzania. 
*Many more countries are listed in mass malnutrition categories, but have not officially been included on the list of countries experiencing "famine," although millions suffer malnourishment-related deaths each year.
*Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/list_of_famines (drastically altered since the end of last year - a lot of data is missing) and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/malnutrition.  Data used for this newsletter was originally collected from these Wikipedia pages on December 5, 2011.  The most recent data on famines is no longer available, nor are other sources of information available about ongoing famines, which had been available late last year.  The Obama administration is working feverishly on the internet to rid many such references to famine, unemployment and water shortages.  Censorship by this administration is rampant, especially during the presidential campaign, and Google and other media outlets are cooperating in censorship and propagandizing information released.  This many seem outrageous, but it is in fact true.  I know this first hand and there are other conservative news outlets, alternative news media, and bloggers who confirm the same.  Hal Lindsey's website, HalLindsey.org is a good source for uncensored conservative news. 

According to WorldHunger.org, 925 million people in the world are hungry today, and the problem is rapidly growing worse.  Believe it or not, Asia and the Pacific nations suffer more from famine and malnutrition than African nations.  The reason these facts aren't well known by the rest of the world is censorship and our lack of communication with Communist (dictatorial) nations.  578 million people suffer famine/malnourishment in Asia and the Pacific; 239 million suffer famine/malnourishment in Sub-Saharan Africa (less than half the numbers in Asia and the Pacific); 19 million suffer famine/malnourishment in developed countries; 37 million Near East and North Africa; and 53 million in Latin America and the Caribbean.   

The world is experiencing mass bee die-offs, cause unknown.  Whatever the cause(s) may be, the Word of God tells us there will be famines in various places, and the massive bee colony die-offs are playing a key role.  At least 30% of US bee colonies are disappearing each year and the percentages continue to increase every year.  About 2.9 million acres of crops disappear from farmlands every year, which is enough to feed 800 colonies of bees, reported TheDailyGreen.com.  To narrow the situation further, 55 bee colonies are dying off every day in the United States alone, although this is a global problem.  The reason why this is such a critical situation is because pollination accounts for about one-third of the world's food supply, mostly attributed to bees.  The world needs to wake up to the real facts and Bible prophecy.  Environmentalists are also alarmed about the world's water supply, and to top it all off, the world's economies are failing before our eyes.  World leaders do not want their citizens to panic, so the media at large is propagandized. 

Those of us who are ready for the Lord's return will not suffer the tribulation period spoken of by Jesus in Matthew 24, and throughout the book of Revelation.  The Bible says, "The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Christ will rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Therefore, comfort one another with these words" 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.  "Wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come" 1 Thessalonians 1:10.  If you have received Jesus as your Savior, there is nothing at all to worry about.  If you haven't, please receive the Lord Jesus as your Savior today.  The consequences are too severe for those who refuse, but even worse than the penalty of hell, is the fact that it lasts forever.  Where will you spend eternity?