Korea: Record drought in North, deadly pestilence in the South

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Both North and South Korea made the news today for potential disasters that are occurring in those lands:

June 17, 2015

North Korea says it is facing its worst drought in a century, sparking fears of worsening food shortages.

State news agency KCNA said main rice-growing provinces had been badly affected and more than 30% of rice paddies were “parching up”.

Hundreds of thousands of North Koreans are believed to have died during a widespread famine in the 1990s. …

The United Nations World Food Programme says North Korea regularly faces significant food shortages and currently about a third of children in the country are malnourished. …

It is unusual for North Korea to talk openly of its shortages so the very appearance of the report in state media is significant. It indicates the situation is serious, and it may well indicate that North Korea wants outside help. …

KCNA said rice planting had finished in more than 441,560 hectares of paddy fields “but at least 136,200 hectares of them are parching up”.

It said paddy fields in South Hwanghae and North Hwanghae provinces were particularly badly hit, with up to 80% of rice seedlings drying up in some areas.

It said South Phyongan and South Hamgyong were also “badly affected”.

“Water levels of reservoirs stand at their lowest, while rivers and streams [are] getting dry,” the news agency said. …

Last year the country saw its lowest rainfall in 30 years. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33160768

June 17, 2015 (Via AOL headline)

N. Korea’s control over its citizens possibly imperiled

Crops have reportedly been severely damaged — and if devastating famine follows, history says the authoritarian government may be threatened.

North Korea says it has been hit by its worst drought in a century, resulting in extensive damage to agriculture.

June 17, 2015

Seoul: Eight new Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) cases were reported in South Korea on Wednesday, taking the total to 162, the health ministry said.

Among the new cases were five people contracting the virus at the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, where the patient 14, called super spreader, has infected nearly 80 people, Xinhua news agency reported.

One Samsung hospital doctor, 33, was included in the list of new infectees.

The remaining three cases caught the virus each at the Hallym University Medical Center in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, the Gangdong Kyunghee University Medical Center in Seoul and a small clinic in Pyeongtaek, about 60 km south of Seoul. http://zeenews.india.com/news/health/health-news/south-korea-mers-cases-rise-to-162_1614784.html

June 17, 2015

The World Health Organization (WHO) said Wednesday the outbreak of the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome in South Korea shows the urgent need for greater international readiness to fight infectious diseases.

“This outbreak is a wake-up call and [shows] that in a highly mobile world, all countries should always be prepared for the unanticipated possibility of outbreaks of this, and other serious infectious diseases,” said WHO in a statement.

But the Geneva-based organization said it does not consider the MERS outbreak to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, thanks to quick South Korean action to contain the disease.

The South Korean health ministry on Wednesday reported the country’s 20th MERS fatality and said eight new infections have been discovered, bringing the total number of cases to 162.

The government insists the virus has been primarily contained to medical facilities and has expressed hope the disease could be brought under control by the end of the month.

There is no cure or vaccine for MERS, which has a fatality rate of around 35 percent, according to WHO.

Over 5,500 people in South Korea have been placed in quarantine after having possibly come into contact with individuals infected with the disease. http://www.voanews.com/content/south-korea-mers-outbreak-a-wake-up-call/2825740.html

Droughts are also affecting Africa, Ukraine, California, and other parts of the world.

As regular readers of this page and the Book of Matthew are aware, Jesus predicted famines and pestilences:

7 … And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (Matthew 24:7-8)

It has long been known that the Bible tells of a later time when food prices would rise and there would be more death by pestilences:

5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.”

7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. (Revelation 6:5-8)

The above relates to the rides of the third and fourth horsemen of the Apocalypse (see also Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse).

The most immediate effect of the drought will be some food shortages and rises in food prices in the West, but probably deaths in North Korea and perhaps other parts of the world.

Notice the following Question and Answer from the old Good News magazine:

Are we headed for a time of worldwide catastrophes? Is this what Jesus meant in Matthew 24:8, when He said: “All these are the beginning of sorrows”?

Bible prophecy not only speaks of a time of chaos affecting all nations…God, who controls all events and would intervene on our behalf if we turned in repentance to Him, is going to allow disasters to teach us once and for all that it doesn’t pay to transgress the laws He gives us for our good.

God told our forefathers, after He had rescued them from the slavery of Egypt, that if they were obedient to His laws, He would bless them greatly. Disobedience, on the other hand, would bring nothing but drought, misery, hunger and every frightful curse. Read it for yourself in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28.

If the nations as a whole will not repent, you as an individual can be spared. Repent of disobedience to God’s laws. Obey Him in every way as truth is revealed to you. Only in this way can you expect God’s protection as mighty forces are unleashed in full fury in the months and years immediately ahead. (Questions & Answers. Good News, June-July 1985)

God does control the weather and commands humans everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Weather Blessings and Sorrows Are weather problems a warning? What should be done? What does the Bible teach about weather? What about floods, droughts, heat, earthquakes, tornadoes, and solar storms? Here is a related YouTube video Does God Use Weather? A related item in the Spanish language would be Bendiciones y maldiciones del clima.
Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse What is the pale horse of death and pestilences? What will it bring and when? Spanish: El cuarto jinete de Apocalipsis, el caballo pálido de muerte y pestilencia.
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Ebola, Pestilence, and 2016? The World Health Organization says the Ebola epidemic is the most severe acute public health emergency seen in modern times and kills 71% who contract it. What does the United Nations say? Is Ebola a pestilence related to the four horsemen of the apocalypse? Is a questionable prediction that all humans will die from infection in 2016 possible?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2015, 2016, or 2017? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? Here is a version of the article in the Spanish language: ¿Puede comenzar la Gran Tribulación en 2014 o 2015? ¿Es el Tiempo de los Gentiles? You can also see the English language sermon video: The Great Tribulation from the Mount of Olives.
Africa: Its Biblical Past and Prophesied Future What does the Bible teach about Africa and its future? Did the early Church reach Africa? Will God call all the Africans?
What is the Gospel? True religion should be based upon the true gospel. What are some of the different gospels and where did they come from? Do you believe the true or a false gospel? Who is preaching the gospel? Here is a version in Korean 복음이란 무엇인가?
Korea in Prophecy, Any Witness? Where did the Korean people come from? Does God have a plan for the Koreans? Is Korea mentioned in any prophecies? Will Koreans be among the first in the Kingdom of God? Here is a machine-translated link to that article in Korean: 한국의 언어로 : 한국 예언, 모든 증인에?; here is a link to that article in Mandarin Chinese: 在预言中的韩国：有任何证人吗？
United Nations: Humankind’s Last Hope or New World Order? Is the UN the last hope for humanity? Or might its goals end up with sinister results? A related video would be United Nations and Vatican Are Planning the New World Order.
Anglo – America in Prophecy & the Lost Tribes of Israel Are the Americans, Canadians, English, Scottish, Welsh, Australians, Anglo-Saxon (non-Dutch) Southern Africans, and New Zealanders descendants of Joseph? Where are the lost ten-tribes of Israel? Who are the lost tribes of Israel? What will happen to Jerusalem and the Jews in Israel? Will God punish the U.S.A., Canada, United Kingdom, and other Anglo-Saxon nations? Why might God allow them to be punished first? Here is a link to the Spanish version of this article: Anglo-América & las Tribus Perdidas de Israel. Information is also in the YouTube sermons titled Where are the Ten Lost Tribes? Why does it matter? and British are the Covenant People. A short YouTube of prophetic interest may be Barack Obama and the State of the Apocalypse.
Will the Anglo-Saxon Nations be Divided and Have People Taken as Slaves? Will the lands of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand be divided? What about Jerusalem? What does Bible prophecy teach? Are there non-biblical prophecies that support this idea? Who will divide those lands? Who will end up with the lands and the people? Here is a link to a video titled Will the USA and other Anglo-nations be Divided and Their People Made Slaves? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Serán divididas las naciones anglosajonas?
Just What Do You Mean — Repentance? Do you know what repentance is? Have you truly repented? Repented of what? Herbert W. Armstrong wrote this as a booklet on this important subject.
When You Sin: Do You Really Repent? This is an article by Charles F. Hunting. A related sermon is Confess to God and truly repent.
Do Christians Sin? This is an article by Herbert W. Armstrong.
Overcoming Sin What is sin? How are Christians suppose to overcome it? Here is a link to a version in Mandarin Chinese: 克服是重要的. Here is a link to a version in Spanish: Vencer al pecado. Here is also a link to a video in English titled How to Overcome Sin.