Warnings are being raised by health experts from numerous countries that the human race is at a greater risk of experiencing a global pandemic than ever before. They also warn that we are currently ill-prepared to combat a worldwide outbreak. The experts are in agreement across the board that it is not a matter of “if” a pandemic will strike, but a matter of “WHEN”. An infectious outbreak of SARS, swine flu, bird flu, Ebola, Zika, Cholera, bio-terror, or a brand new disease altogether could kill MILLIONS.
During the recent 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic, nearly 30,000 people were infected, and one-third of them died from the disease. As of last month, 84 countries have reported Zika transmission, including America. We are at a greater risk of witnessing a worldwide plague than ever before due to numerous factors, including terrorism, growing population, global travel, weather, and large-scale immigration, to name a few.
The fact that the population of the United States is growing by leaps and bounds with the influx of refugees and immigrants, means that the possibility of a national pandemic is greatly increased. It is believed that, within 30 years, nearly 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas (cities) rather than in less populated rural areas. In cities, living and interacting with thousands who could possibly be infected, increases the chances of contracting disease.
City-life also greatly increases the chance for a disease to spread quickly, either through something as simple as a touch, a cough, a kiss, or a bite. While many of the deadly diseases most likely will not originate in the USA, the easiest way they can arrive here is through global travel.
Countries like Africa, or mid-east warzones like Syria are breeding grounds for deadly diseases, and any outbreak that begins on the other side of the globe will eventually make it’s way here. That is exactly what happened with the Ebola pandemic. The disease which spread rapidly in foreign nations was undetectable for a few days, and thus Americans traveling home from infected areas did not know they contracted the disease until they were back on U.S. soil.
Luckily, the infected were quarantined, and the deadly disease did not spread as much as it could have. According to experts, infectious agents can live in humans during their incubation period, which is the time between infection and the onset of symptoms. This means that travelers can transmit an infection to another country before any onset of the appearance of sickness. BILLIONS of travelers crisscross the globe annually.
The SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) pandemic of 2003 began with Dr. Liu Jianlun, who developed symptoms of the airborne virus on a trip to China, and then went to visit his family in Hong Kong. It is believed that he infected people at his hotel, along with his family. In less than 4 months, nearly 4,000 cases and 550 deaths from SARS were traced to Liu’s Hong Kong visit. More than 8,000 other people became infected in more than 30 countries worldwide because of ONE MAN.
Country to country infections can also be spread through insects and animals. People in airports have become infected with malaria through mosquitoes that hitched a ride on a plane. Bird flu crossed borders when Thai eagles were being traded as pets in 2004, and Guinea rats carrying monkeypox were shipped as pets into the U.S. in 2003. Another threat that goes hand in hand with global travel is large-scale immigration.
Refugees pouring in from disease-prone Syria, and illegal immigrants from Mexico are prime candidates for being the carriers who will bring the next pandemic to America. The alarms have been sounded over the past few years about the deadly diseases which have been brought over the border through the Syrians and Mexicans, but Obama flat out ignored the threat.
The former president actually sped up the refugee process with much less vetting to rush the Islamic refugees into the Country before he left Office. As far as the Mexican border, Obama also did nothing to secure the Nation from droves of illegals pouring in. Even if the new President, Donald Trump, were to halt the refugees and secure the border, the diseases may have already arrived.
Speaking of the border, that brings us to another threat, which is bio-terrorism. A genetically engineered virus is easier to make, and could kill more people, than a suicide bomb, an arsenal of guns, or even a nuclear weapon. ISIS and Al-Qaeda, both Islamic terror groups who live and breathe “destroying America”, have both made clear intentions to use bio-terror against the United States. Instead of a suicide vest, or running into military complexes with guns-a-blazing, an Islamic terrorist could weaponize a disease like Ebola for a suicide bio-terror attack by simply exposing himself to the virus.
All the terrorist would have to do, instead of blowing himself up all at once with a bomb, would be to enter a crowded airport, subway, sports arena or heavily populated building, and touch any and everyone that he possibly can. This form of terrorism would kill far more than a suicide attack, as over time he would murder far more victims when the disease is spread. This has to be one of the most disturbing pictures of a global pandemic spreading that I can think of. Yet, sadly, it is probably the most likely.
A U.S. Naval War College professor, Captain Al Shimkus, recently told Forbes, “If ISIS wanted to send half a dozen of it’s operatives into an Ebola outbreak region and intentionally expose themselves to the virus, they very well could. The idea is then once they had intentionally infected themselves, they would try to interact with as many people in their target city or country of choice.”
ISIS leaders have said that their fighters would be willing to sacrifice themselves by spreading the Ebola virus in it’s current form, which requires physical contact with body fluids from victims. A bipartisan Congressional report accused the U.S. government under President George W. Bush of doing too little to address the threat of bioterrorism. During Barack Hussein Obama’s presidency, a Congressional panel gave his government an “F” in preparedness. The U.S. Border Patrol sources reveal that agents have detained at least a dozen ISIS fighters at the U.S.-Mexican border.
Another factor that contributes to the risk of a national or global outbreak is the weather. Flooding events, in particular, greatly increase the chances for waterborne diseases such as cholera and for disease vectors such as mosquitoes. With carriers like mosquitoes increasingly able to live in new unprotected territory, the risk of an outbreak is high, experts warn.
Mosquitoes brought the Zika virus to America. Recently, it is reported that they have carried the virus into nearly 130 cities in California. The California Department of Public Health’s Division of Communicable Disease Control has “laborotory-confirmed” a total of 529 cases of Zika infections in the State. The virus is also still very prevalent in South Florida.
The experts all seem to agree that an uncontrolled pandemic or a bioterror attack could result in the deaths of around 30 MILLION people. They also say that, if another outbreak of a deadly disease like Ebola were to occur, the nations of the world are “grossly UNPREPARED”. Now I know this news is frightening and very scary to ponder, but even if such a global pandemic were to occur, there is one sure way to keep yourself and your family safe.
Even if the whole nation and world experiences a plague unrivaled in history, we believers can take heart that The LORD will keep us FROM IT. Psalm 91 says, “SURELY He shall deliver you from the noisome pestilence” (91:3), and “We shall NOT FEAR the pestilence that walks in darkness” (91:6). I personally like to think back to the Book of Exodus, and The LORD’s promise to “pass over” His people when the PLAGUE came upon Egypt.
While we believers are living in a modern day Egypt/Babylon, I believe His promise rings just as true for us today by Faith as it did for the Israelites. Instead of marking the doorposts of our homes with the blood of a lamb though, we instead can symbolically cover our doorposts and homes in the Blood of the Lamb of God, CHRIST JESUS. If God passed over His precious people when they marked their homes in the blood of an animal, how much MORE will He not pass over US today when we mark our homes in the Blood of His Beloved Only Begotten Son?!
I have marked my home in the Blood of Jesus every Passover feast, and continue to each new year. Thanks be to God, He has kept His faithful promise in the Book of Exodus to keep the destroyer, the spoiler, and all danger, disaster, and plagues from my home. He will do the same for you, if you dedicate your home to Him, cover it in the Blood of His Son, and believe it BY FAITH.
I believe that no global plague or pandemic can ever take the life of a believer, if we put our trust in God’s Word, repent, and diligently seek Him in times of national or personal distress. Here are some more Biblical verses to back up my belief –
“And the BLOOD (of the Lamb) shall be to you for a SIGN upon the houses where you are: and when I SEE the blood, I will PASS OVER you, and the plague shall NOT be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt, saith The LORD God.” – Exodus 12:13
“If you will diligently hearken to the Voice of the LORD your God, and will DO that which is RIGHT in His Sight, and will give ear to HIS Commandments, and keep all HIS Statutes, I will put NONE of these diseases upon you, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I Am the LORD that HEALS you.” – Exodus 15:26
“You shall serve The LORD your God, and He shall take sickness AWAY from the midst of you.” – Exodus 23:25
“The LORD will take away from you ALL sickness, and will put NONE of the evil diseases of Egypt, which you know, upon you; but will lay them upon all them that hate you.” – Deuteronomy 7:15
“O LORD my God, I cried unto , and you have HEALED ME.” – Psalm 30:2
“He forgives all your iniquities; He HEALS ALL your diseases.” – Psalm 103:3
“He sent His Word, and HEALED them, and delivered them from their destructions.” – Psalm 107:20
“If MY people, which are called by My Name, shall HUMBLE themselves, and PRAY, and seek MY Face, and TURN from their wicked ways; then will I HEAR from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will HEAL their land, saith The LORD God.” – 2nd Chronicles 7:14
“He (JESUS CHRIST) was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes WE ARE HEALED.” – Isaiah 53:5
“Come, and let us RETURN unto The LORD… and He will HEAL US.” – Hosea 6:1
“Unto you that FEAR My Name shall the Sun of righteousness (Jesus) arise with HEALING in His wings, saith The LORD.” – Malachi 4:2
“The prayer of FAITH shall save the SICK…” – James 5:15
“JESUS Christ His Own Self bare our sins in His Own Body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by HIS stripes you were HEALED.” – 1st Peter 2:24
“And I heard another voice from Heaven, saying, COME OUT of her, My people, that you be NOT partakers of her sins, and that you receive NOT of her PLAGUES.” – Revelation 18:4
Lord Jesus told us that, in the Season of His Return, there would be pestilences. We have seen them popping up more and more over the past few years, and I believe that they will only grow worse leading up to His Coming to rapture and rescue us. I’ve been convinced after researching this article that a national pandemic, and even global outbreak, could begin any day in the near future. The question is, how will we as believers respond to it?
Will you respond in fear and panic with the rest of the world who do not know God, or will you take heart in the fact that He promises to faithfully keep the plagues far from you and your home? Will you tell the fearful that the pandemic is a Sign of Christ’s Return? When the vaccines won’t work, or there is no known cure for any coming disease, the Holy Bible has the best prescription to get healthy and stay healthy – REPENT. PRAY. TRUST GOD.
“Jesus said… there shall be PESTILENCES….” – Matthew 24:7 & Luke 21:11
“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 (animal-carried diseases).” – Revelation 6:8
“This know also, that in the last days PERILOUS times shall come.” – 2nd Timothy 3:1
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