The Basics of Bible - Herald of Hope

The Basics of Bible Prophecy
consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes
shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume
away ...And so shall be the plague of the horse, of the mule, of the camel,
and of the ass, and of all the beasts that shall be in these tents, as
this plague” (Zech.14:12-15).
The 20th century has seen the development of viruses in laboratories
for eradication of pests. Man is engaging in genetic engineering and,
while there may be beneficial uses of this knowledge, the danger is
that the viruses may not be contained in the laboratory. Viruses have
been released to eradicate rabbits, but a number of nations now see
the potential for the use of biological weapons for the eradication of
humans. These weapons are now termed Weapons of Mass
Destruction (WMD).
Once pestilence begins to spread, it is hard to stop, and there is often
a long lead-time required for the production of antidotes. History
tells us about the Black Death Plague which struck Europe in 1347-
1349. According to The Almanac of Historical Facts by Robert Stewart
Ph.D.,
"...somewhere between one-quarter and one-third of Europe's
people were carried off in just two years...victims succumbed within
two or three days of being infected...(it was) almost always fatal."
The December 2004 issue of Time magazine carried a serious warning
about the possibility of a flu epidemic which could infect 25-30% of
the world’s population. The warning was given by Dr Shigera Omi,
regional director for the Western Pacific for the World Health
Organization (WHO).
The virus known as “bird flu” strikes down people of all walks of
life, and in the event of a pandemic would incapacitate one-third of
the doctors, nurses, police, and volunteer relief workers. Dr Omi
estimates up to 100 million could die.
New techniques used to develop suitable vaccines to counter bird flu
have been developed, but several months are required for clinical trials
before they can be released.
To add to the problem, many of the countries where bird flu is likely
to have a major impact are too poor to afford the vaccine and doctors
will be able to do little more than watch their patients die; that is if
they themselves survive. Whether Dr Omi’s prediction is true, remains
to be seen.
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