Matthew 24: 6-8 – A current statistic point of view

An American flag flies near the base of the destroyed World Trade Center in New York on September 11 2001

By Kami Klein

“If you want to know the future you must know the Word of the Living God.”       Jim Bakker

In every moment, the events that Jesus spoke of are evident all around us.  In the vastness of this world, it is sometimes difficult to see the big picture of what is happening NOW!  We must keep our eyes and ears open.

Matthew 24:6-8 (MEV) You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled. For all these things must happen, but the end is not yet. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines, epidemics, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

NATION WILL RISE AGAINST NATION, KINGDOM AGAINST KINGDOM –FROM GLOBAL CONFLICT TRACKER –   Total of 25 conflicts in the world.  Below are listed most significant to U.S. and linked to the history of each conflict 

  • Critical impact on U.S. Interests

Civil War in Syria -Iran, Russia and Turkey’s deeper involvement- recent Chemical weapons attacks

War against Taliban in Afghanistan

Territorial Disputes in the South China Sea

Tensions in the East China Sea

North Korea Crisis

War Against Islamic State in Iraq

  • Significant Impact on U.S. Interests

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Political Instability in Lebanon

Instability in Egypt

Conflict between Turkey and armed Kurdish groups

Islamist Militancy in Pakistan

Conflict in Ukraine

Criminal Violence in Mexico

Boko Haram in Nigeria

Conflict between India and Pakistan

Civil War in Libya

War in Yemen

Great humanitarian concerns Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, Somalia, South Sudan Civil War, Destabilization of Mali, extreme violence in Central African Republic and Democratic Republic of Congo.

THERE WILL BE FAMINE – Global report on Current hunger crisis – March 2018 report

Around 124 million people in 51 countries face Crisis food insecurity or worse

This is an increase of 11 million people – an 11 percent rise in the last year – in the number of food-insecure people needing urgent humanitarian action across the world.

Last year’s Global Report on Food Crises identified 108 million people in Crisis food security or worse across 48 countries. The rise in numbers are attributed to increasing instability and conflict as well as drought and very poor harvests. Some countries are suffering from economic conditions that contribute to the malnutrition of their people. The country of Venezuela is now suffering from  lack of food sources or money to purchase necessary food and medicine. Thousands are fleeing to neighboring countries to feed their families. 

Approx. 21,000 people die each day, one every four seconds, of malnutrition

Forty percent of preschool-age children who suffer from malnutrition are estimated to be anemic because of iron deficiency, and anemia causes 20 percent of all maternal deaths. In addition, it is estimated that 250 to 500 thousand children go blind from Vitamin A deficiency every year.

EPIDEMICS 

Germs with Unusual Antibiotic Resistance Widespread in U.S- (From CDC Press release April 3rd, 2018)Health departments working with CDC’s Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Lab Network found more than 220 instances of germs with “unusual” antibiotic resistance genes in the United States last year, according to a CDC Vital Signs report released today.

FLU – As of the end of February 2018 4,000 people a week in the U.S. were dying of Flu and Pneumonia according to U.S. Center for Disease Control

The levels of influenza-like illnesses being reported for the 2017-2018 flu season are as high as the peak of the swine flu epidemic in 2009, and exceed the last severe seasonal flu outbreak in 2003 when a new strain started circulating, said Anne Schuchat, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s acting director. Swine flu, which swept the globe in 2009 and 2010, sickened 60.8 million Americans, hospitalized 274,304 and killed 12,469, according to CDC data. Deaths from the current outbreak will likely far outstrip those of the 2009-2010 season.  It is April and the Flu season continues.

AIDS –AIDS is now second only to the Black Death as the largest epidemic in history. (From the World Health Organization) Aids or HIV was originated with non human primates (monkeys) in Central and West Africa

AIDS kills roughly 1.5 million people a year, or about one person every 20 seconds.

MALARIA  –Approximately a half million people die from malaria each year and many millions more are seriously weakened by it. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes.

CHOLERABetween 42,000 and 142,000 people die of cholera each year.  You can get cholera by eating or drinking contaminated water or food.

LASSA FEVER– Lassa fever, a viral hemorrhagic fever with symptoms similar to those of Ebola virus disease.  This disease is spread through contact with Rat feces and urine. Originated in West Africa. This year has generated more severe and fatal cases.  Usually an estimated 300,000 people are infected with the virus annually, with up to 5,000 deaths. But this year the fatality rate has gone to 50% of those infected.  

AND EARTHQUAKES IN VARIOUS PLACES

According to the USGS there have been 42 ‘significant earthquakes since January 1st, 2018. A significant earthquake is determined by a combination of magnitude, number of Did You Feel It responses, and PAGER alert level.  Those that have been counted are earthquakes above 4.2.  12 were in the U.S. The largest was a 7.9 in Alaska on 1-23-18.

227 people have died around the world.  For the last 365 days the total for all measurable earthquakes around the world has been 40,561.

Currently there are 33 erupting volcanoes and 55 that are having minor activity or have an impending warning issued.  

 

Researchers find 39 unreported sources of pollution says NASA

Grey plumes of toxic dust from giant nickel smelters in the Siberian city of Norilsk are carried by arctic winds

(Reuters) – Researchers in the United States and Canada have located 39 unreported sources of major pollution using a new satellite-based method, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration said.

The unreported sources of toxic sulfur dioxide emissions are clusters of coal-burning power plants, smelters and oil and gas operations in the Middle East, Mexico and Russia that were found in an analysis of satellite data from 2005 to 2014, NASA said in a statement on Wednesday.

The analysis also found that the satellite-based estimates of the emissions were two or three times higher than those reported from known sources in those regions, NASA said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada atmospheric scientist Chris McLinden said in a statement that the unreported and underreported sources accounted for about 12 percent of all human-made emissions of sulfur dioxide.

The discrepancy could have “a large impact on regional air quality,” said McLinden, the lead author of the study published in Nature Geosciences.

A new computer program and improvements in processing raw satellite observations helped researchers at NASA; the University of Maryland, College Park; Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Environment and Climate Change Canada detect the pollution, according to the U.S. space agency.

The researchers also located 75 natural sources of sulfur dioxide in the form of non-erupting volcanoes that are slowly leaking the toxic gas.

Although the sites are not necessarily unknown, many volcanoes are in remote locations and not monitored, so the satellite-based data is the first to provide regular annual information on these volcanic emissions, NASA said.

(Reporting by Brendan O’Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Scott Malone and Lisa Von Ahn)

Thousands Flee Volcano In Chile

A major eruption in Chile has thousands of people fleeing as heavy smoke fills the air and lava rushes down the slopes.

The Villarrica volcano blew its top at 3 a.m. local time according to the National Emergency Office.  A red alert was issued for the region and authorities immediately started forced evacuations of residents from around the bottom of the mountain.

In addition to the lava flow, authorities say mudslides caused by melting snow could destroy entire villages.

“It was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen,” 29-year-old Australian tourist Travis Armstrong told the Associated Press. “I’ve never seen a volcano erupt and it was spewing lava and ash hundreds of meters into the air. Lightning was striking down at the volcano from the ash cloud that formed from the eruption.”

Rivers in the area were rising and residents downriver from the mountain are preparing for flooding issues.

The mountain has been erupting on a regular basis every 10 to 15 years.

Scientists Believe Underwater Volcanoes May Cause Tsunamis

A group of scientists are conducting a study under the sea in an attempt to better understand the nature of tsunamis.

Robert Ballard, the man who found the Titanic in 1985, is leading a deep-sea team examining the Kick’em Jenny volcano.  The volcano is considered “active and dangerous” sitting about 6,000 feet below the Caribbean Sea off the coast of Grenada.

The volcano has been releasing hot and cold gasses since a 2003 event.  Scientists say that based on the volcano’s pattern during the last century another eruption is likely to happen within the next 40 years with a significant tsunami.

The reason the volcano is being studied for tsunamis is that the one side of the volcano collapsed during the last eruption and the sliding of the earth caused a tsunami.  The scientists believe that by tracking the results of any upcoming eruption by the undersea volcano, they will be able to detect movement of the land and thus predict size and strength of the tsunami.

The information could then be used to extrapolate tsunami chances and strength with other major underwater eruptions and create an advanced warning system.

Submarine volcanoes are also considered dangerous because they can suddenly erupt from underwater near shorelines and cause massive death and devastation from lava or the release of toxic gas.