"When He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, 'Come." I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hands. And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, 'A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." (Revelation 6:5-6)
I was reading today that there are increasing concerns about a sudden world-wide decrease in crop yields and food production. Some major exporters of grain, like the United States and Russian, have begun to limit exports and some major importers in the Middle East and North Africa, have begun to hoard grain. The U.S. government is warning that corn yields here may drop below 1 billion bushels for the first time since 1997.
It is our Biblical understanding that the rapture of the church could happen at any time and that there is no prerequisite prophecies; "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
Scripture revels that following the rapture, there will be a seven year period of time known as "the tribulation period" when God will pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world. During the tribulation period, the world will suffer an unprecedented world-wide famine; "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius..."
A denarius was equal to one day's wages which will purchase only enough grain to feed one person. During these tribulation days, the average person will not be able to afford to feed their family.
Our ultimate source of all good things including food is, of course, God and He promises to provide for His children; "Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap or gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?" (Matthew 6:26).
There have always been times of famine in various regions of the world and we may or may not be seeing a global trend developing now. But the sudden decrease in grain yields and coming food shortages may very well be another indication that the second coming of the Lord is indeed very near. Maranatha!
