Famine of food and of Word!
In my last post I specifically mentioned “Prophetic Trends” … Well, one of the trends which may well lead into a “Mega-event” is famine.
What does the bible say about famine?
There are two types of famine mentioned in the bible. One is the most obvious and that is a famine of food.
One example of biblical famine which lasted seven years during the time of Joshua was a global famine. According to the bible everyone on the face of the earth was affected by a desperate lack of food. I find this famine interesting because it speaks about the people of the earth going to Joshua for grain/food. Joshua is a typology of a Messiah/Christlike figure and it is only he who has the storehouse of food. The seven years could be a type of tribulation period called Jacobs Trouble.
Gen 41:56-57 And the famine was over all the face of the earth: and Joseph opened all the store-houses, and sold unto the Egyptians; and the famine was sore in the land of Egypt. And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain, because the famine was sore in all the earth.
Famine is usually a judgment from God and it is a time to call out to God, this call comes from the faithful.
2Ch 20:9 If evil shall come upon us, whether sword, judgment, or pestilence and famine, we shall stand before this house and before You, for Your name is in this house, and shall cry to You out of our distress, and You shall hear and save.
Famine was so bad at one point that the bible says that woman boiled their own children for food…
Lam 4:9-10 They that are slain with the sword are better than they that are slain with hunger; For these pine away, stricken through, for want of the fruits of the field. The hands of the pitiful women have boiled their own children; They were their food in the destruction of the daughter of my people.
Jer 19:9 And I will cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh of their daughters; and they shall eat every one the flesh of his friend, in the siege and in the distress, wherewith their enemies, and they that seek their life, shall distress them.
This was literally fulfilled when Jerusalem was captured by the Romans. Although this was literally fulfilled, it serves as a type for us to understand and learn from, it could also be a capitulated prophecy of sorts. Why did this happen? Why did God send such a famine to His people? Remember that whatever the Israelites went through in their documented history shows us a similar future for the unrepentant Church who has become part of the Harlot Church.
He did this because they were unfaithful to His Word and they were worshipping other gods.
Jer 19:35 You shall say, (God is telling Jeremiah to say the following) ‘Hear the word of the LORD, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing such disaster upon this place that the ears of everyone who hears of it will tingle. Because the people have forsaken me and have profaned this place by making offerings in it to other gods whom neither they nor their fathers nor the kings of Judah have known; and because they have filled this place with the blood of innocents, and have built the high places of Baal to burn their sons in the fire as burnt offerings to Baal, which I did not command or decree, nor did it come into my mind.
As I read this scripture I was struck with the word “Tingle”, everyone who hears about this terrible judgment will have their ears tingling. I wondered what the Hebrew meaning of tingle was…
צלל
tsâlal
tsaw-lal’
A primitive root (rather identical with H6749 through the idea of vibration); to tinkle, that is, rattle together (as the ears in reddening with shame, or the teeth in chattering with fear): - quiver, tingle.
This is in stark contrast to another scripture which speaks about false prophets tickling the ears which will happen in the last days…
2Ti 4:2-4 preach the Word, be urgent in season, out of season, convict, warn, encourage with all long-suffering and teaching. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own lusts, they will heap up to themselves teachers tickling (itching) the ear; and they will turn away the ear from the truth and will be turned aside to myths.
having itching ears; always desirous of new things, as the Athenians of old; or loving to have their ears scratched and tickled with smooth things; that are pleasing and agreeable to natural men, and carnal minds; as the purity of human nature, the power of man’s free will, the excellency of his righteousness, and the merit of his works, and the like; see Isa 30:9. Now, this being the case, should not discourage, but rather animate the ministers of the Gospel to preach it; for should they desist, in all likelihood the Gospel would soon be gone. (John Gill expository)
The warning here is to be diligent and preach the Word of God because there will be a time when sound doctrine will not be welcomed. It will be shunned.
There is a worldwide famine happening that many are not aware of. This article called “The Silent Famine” states that…
According to the Telegraph, “the World Bank said this week that the price of staple foods has risen by 80 per cent in the past three years.” 80%, people! And why is that? Partially because of “bad weather”, rising demand and maybe, just maybe, those walloping gasoline prices no one seems very interested to be putting the heat on government leaders to address.
Notice how bad things are becoming, as detailed in the Telegraph article:
For consumers in wealthy nations such as Britain soaring prices are squeezing household finances and keeping inflation up. But for developing nations they can lead to malnutrition and social disruption.
Clearly the prophecy written in Revelation 6:5-6 which says… And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine…may come to pass in our lifetime!
While there are false prophets – mainly in the rich Western countries – tickling people’s ears, the world faces a global food famine.
A teacher that I respect once said…whatever you see happening in the material world is actually happening in the spiritual one too, or words to that effect.
So yes… there is a global food famine; but there is a famine of another kind. This food famine is just a reflection of something else, something much, much deeper.
There is a famine of the Word of God that is prophesied in Amos, and the bible says that the following will happen…
Amo 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord Jehovah, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of Jehovah.
In this scripture God is amplifying a more grievous famine which is the hearing of the Word of God. In this scripture God is speaking of the false prophets who tickle the ears!
A famine in the land - The most grievous of all famines, a famine of the words of Jehovah; a time in which no prophet should appear, no spiritual counsellor, no faithful reprover, none any longer who would point out the way of salvation, or would assure them of the mercy of God on their repentance and return to him. This is the severest of God’s judgments on this side the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched. (Clarke)
As the world chooses to be deaf to the Word of God and His warnings which should bring about repentance, He has warned us that He is going to send the world a powerful delusion to those who do not love the Word of God. This choice of deafness will end up with people becoming wilfully blind and deaf. He sends a famine — both kinds — one of food, and one of the hearing of the Word of God. They are both related to one another. It is a wakeup call for the world to come to repentance! NOW , may be the only time you actually hear Him. Today may be your last day which could be a decisive factor for your eternal life. Have you prepared yourself for eternity? Today you may have open ears still, but that will not last forever!
Can you hear Him?
2Th 2:10-11 …those who refused to love the truth that would save them. For this reason, God will send them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.
It is most interesting to me is that Christ is the “Word” manifest (see John 1:14) and he spoke about His body being the bread of life. Clearly we are to know His Word because it is Him! We are to eat of it and be fully satisfied. After all He did say that He is the bread of life… please open your ears to this scripture…
Joh 6:35 … “I am the bread of life. The one who comes to me will never become hungry, and the one who believes in me will never become thirsty.
Are you hungry and don’t even know it?
