Posted by
Brenda Bee on Saturday, March 01, 2008 4:53:13
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Who knew?
“{5} When the Lamb opened the third
seal, I heard the third living creature say, "Come!" I looked, and
there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of
scales in his hand. {6} Then I heard what sounded like a voice among
the four living creatures, saying, "A quart of wheat for a day's wages,
and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil
and the wine!" Revelations 6: 1-8
I read an article today
forecasting food shortages worldwide being imminent that brought to
mind the above Bible verse. This is especially eerie when you
consider “A quart of wheat for a day’s wages…” as compared to this
paragraph from the article: “This rise in prices is a consequence of
both demand and supply trends. On the demand side, the key factor has
been the strong consumption growth in emerging markets, which in turn
has been powered by those countries’ impressive income gains. China,
for example, has accounted for up to 40 per cent of the increase in
global consumption of soybeans and meat over the past decade.”
The first Horseman to ride was Pestilence. “I watched as the Lamb
opened the first of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the four
living creatures say in a voice like thunder, "Come!" {2} I looked, and
there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was
given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.” What
is pestilence except illness caused by things harmful to man that have
invaded man’s environment. In other words: pollution.
Pollution caused by the use of filthy fossil fuels that the United
States for the better part of a century was the biggest user and
polluter. Now fossil fuels are being used on a scale unknown until
recent decades when India and China began coming into the Industrial
Age and needed more and more energy to fuel their factories. More and
more energy to give their people who are now more prosperous the
comforts of electricity and gasoline powered transportation.
Pollution of the atmosphere by these fossil fuels that man has been
using for this energy that not only sickened man but also is sickening
the Earth itself and causing Global Warming. Global Warming from
carbon gases released into the atmosphere that in turn has lead man on
a quest to find alternative fuels to reduce the effects of these carbon
gases in an effort to save the planet from more damage. Which in
turn is cutting into the food supplies : “Perhaps the most important
drivers of price gains over the past year are developments in world
energy markets. High oil prices have encouraged a policy focus on
biofuels, including lashings of generous financial support. Production
has responded quickly to these incentives: the World Bank reports that
the US has used 20 per cent of its maize production for biofuels and
the European Union 68 per cent of its vegetable oil production. This
change in usage has boosted prices, reduced the supply of these crops
available for food and encouraged the substitution of other
agricultural land from food to biofuel production.”
As
formerly food stuff is used for biofuels for power the area of the
world able to grow the crops is also shrinking due to Global Warming.
“…supply response to the stimulus provided by higher prices may prove
to be of greater duration than its predecessors, to the extent that the
current changes in world energy markets, and hence the associated
demand for biofuels , are likely to be lasting ones. With climate
change and environmental degradation threatening agricultural capacity
in several key regions, …”
And finally the First Horseman
War and the Fourth Horseman Death ride together thru out the world as
hunger brings on starvation and death and wars of the have nots
against the haves. The wealthier countries who are claiming the lions
share of the food stuff for both consumption and biofuels while the
poor countries die: “there are important social strains to be managed.
These may be particularly problematic for those emerging markets that
are already struggling to deal with the consequences of growing
inequality. Granted, higher food prices are something of a two-edged
sword here, since higher agricultural earnings could reduce rural-urban
income disparities. But the big losers are likely to be the urban poor,
typically a politically volatile group, while many of the rural poor
will also suffer."
"Finally, higher food prices will call for
tighter monetary policy. Given the disparity in the share of food in
consumption baskets, and the fact that rich country central banks tend
to exclude food prices from their core inflation measures, the policy
reaction will tend to be greater in developing economies. Authorities
may also be tempted by price controls and other direct measures.
However, rich country central banks will also have to keep a close
watch on any spillover effects that tighter monetary policy could have
on non-food prices.”
Strange all of my life I have studied
these verses and wondered about them and what would bring it all
about. I, like many others, was quite sure it would be a nuclear war
of the nations that would bring on the death of the planet in a
Nuclear Winter. One terrible unholy action by a few insane men that
would bring mankind down in a matter of mere hours as we poured our
man-made venom at each other. Never did I consider it would be my joy
riding and sight seeing all over the continent for eleven years in a
highly polluting diesel truck. Or my demand for electricity from coal
and oil powered plants supplying the electricity for comfortable air
conditioning because I hate to sweat. BB
See article
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/eb66fbb0-e489-11dc-a495-0000779fd2ac.html