Food Productions Update

Farmers all around the world are unable to get a break from bad weather. In a previous article, I noted that China has had record flood damage to many crops. This is the second year in a row that China has had a failed growing season.

The corn and soybean crop in the US has been a mixed bag. Some of the northern states like North and South Dakota and Minnesota have been too dry. The crops in the rest of the Midwest are rated as being in excellent condition. The crop is not safe until it makes it into the silo. Last year’s Derecho that ripped through Iowa proves that point.

The drought in California continues to get worse. The water levels of many reservoirs are at all-time lows. California already had 500,000 acres not get planted this year because of the lack of water.

California grows more than a third of our vegetables and two-thirds of our fruits and nuts. Millions of trees have had to be cut down because the farmers could not get the water needed to keep them alive. Salt damage, caused by the lack of drainage with fresh water, is taking tens of thousands of acres of farmland out of production.

Southern Africa is suffering through its worst drought in several decades and perhaps a century.
Diminished and late rainfall, combined with long-term increases in temperatures, has jeopardized the food security and energy supplies of millions of people in the region, most acutely in Zambia and Zimbabwe. The drought in South Africa is bad because it is normally a major exporter of grains to other nations.

The only good news I could find is in Australia. Grain production down under is expected to be strong in the 2021-22 marketing year following a record-breaking wheat production year, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Food production in South America has been an absolute disaster. In Brazil, drought and frost caused second corn yields in the country’s center-south to hit their lowest level in 10 years. Crop losses due to unfavorable weather may result in shortages and persistent food inflation due to Brazil being a top player in global corn production.

Reuters, citing a new report via agribusiness consultancy AgRural, said drought, then frosts destroyed much of the crop this year. Brazilian farmers expect to harvest around 51.6 million tons of corn, down 19 million from last season’s 70.5 million.

“Failure of the 2021 corn crop, planted with much delay due to the later soybean harvest, was the result of the lack of rain in most of the producing areas in April and May,” AgRural said. “The frost starting at the end of June and lasting until now reduced yields and also caused quality problems.”

Besides corn – citrus trees, coffee, and sugar cane in Brazil have also been heavily impacted by adverse weather conditions. Prices for coffee beans are up 50% in the past 12 months, hitting seven-year highs in July on news of the frost.

Chile is not a major producer of food but is suffering such a massive drought, it raises concern for its neighbors. The drought in Chile is now in its 10th year, going from bad to worse due to a scorching July, a month which typically brings midwinter weather showering the capital Santiago in rain and snow.

The USDA’s quarterly Grain Stocks report, released with the June 30 Acreage report, shows sharp declines in corn, soybean, and wheat stocks.

Corn stocks totaled 4.11 billion bushels, down 18 percent from the same time last year. Soybeans stored totaled 767 million bushels, down 44 percent from last year. All wheat stored totaled 844 million bushels, down 18 percent from a year ago.

What helped draw down US grain stocks is China importing a record amount of grains in 2020. The nation bought 11.3 million tonnes of corn, exceeding the annual quota, set at 7.2 million tonnes, for the first time. It also imported a record 8.38 million tonnes of wheat. As China works to rebuild its swine herd, the country imported over 100 million tonnes of soybeans, with nearly 40 million tonnes coming from the United States.

It was just two years ago that China said it was going to boycott America’s grain supplies. With Brazil a bust for this year, Chinese grain ships are going to be lining up at American ports. Washington DC is probably starting to wonder how much grain we can afford to sell to our Asian trading partner.

As we get close to the last days, food production is likely to become more problematic. Since the Bible predicts a deadly famine will take place in the tribulation, it explains why we are having one bad year after another.

“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” (Rev. 6:5-6).

–Todd

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Replacing God

At the heart of iniquity—the evil God’s Word says indwelt Lucifer when he decided to make himself more important than the Creator—festers the wicked desire to replace God.

This rebelliousness has been deeply ingrained within all of humanity since the Fall in Eden.  That iniquitous desire is dramatically manifested in the biblical account of Israel’s Exodus of Moses’ time.

The scene centers on Pharaoh, the most powerful potentate of the world in that day.

And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. (Exodus 5:2)

Pharaoh’s fate ended no better than will Lucifer’s, ultimately. Neither will the fate of anyone of any generation who seeks such position be any better than that of the one now called Satan. To desire to make oneself one’s own god is a fool’s errand, to be sure. The eternal lake of fire is the God-guaranteed end of that endeavor.

Yet most of humanity, especially those who consider themselves to be the elite, is determined to do what is right in their own eyes. The deeper mankind moves into history, the more pronounced their determination to cast off God’s moorings. They have become creators themselves, and like described in the prophecy of Psalm 2, they want to break the bands that God puts in place to govern them in the ultimate sense.

Nothing in last-days movement into history more illustrates the truth that man was created in God’s image than their own creative ability. We’ve made truly remarkable progress in terms of inventions that, in juxtaposition against previous century’s, border on miraculous. And now, as their genius pierces into uncharted technological atmospherics, the future seems to circle back to the past. The writer of Proverbs is again proven right: “There is nothing new under the sun.”

God said in that Genesis account that nothing people could think to do would be kept from them; they could do anything they could imagine. Thus He came down and interfered with their Tower project. He then scattered them about the earth—because their corporate mind again came to be like in the days before the Flood. They had determined to, like Lucifer, put their collective will into opposing the Creator, to cast His cords from themselves.

And, like during those antediluvian times, their thoughts were only on evil continually. Things they could produce from that sin-fallen thinking would, inevitably, bring man to its destruction.

This ultimate destruction of mankind, of course, has been Lucifer’s intention from the time he was evicted from Heaven along with his complicit hordes to, like a roaring lion, seek and devour all human beings.

And now it appears that both mankind and Satan have reached the moment of rebellious progression—like in times of the pre-Flood era and the time of Babel. The earth-dwellers have nearly reached a moment when they can shed God’s tethers and become their own gods: do what is right in their own eyes. Therefore, we sense the Lord is about to again intervene as He did in those previous junctures of human history. Jesus spoke of this time in which we’re living in His “days of Noah, days of Lot” forewarnings as recorded in Matthew 24:36–42 and Luke 17:26–30.

This sense of God’s imminent intervention comes from a number of different kinds of signs prophetic progression. But the one sensed most keenly is a specific, burgeoning scientific development of these frenetic times.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is that specific indicator.

Man’s creative genius has reached the point that the luciferian thinkers now believe they can surpass human intelligence. They can, they believe, construct intelligence that will free them to do whatever is right in their own eyes. They need no deity to encumber their utopian plans. They have, in their superior minds, replaced God.

We’ve been bombarded in recent decades with fictional scenarios of technologies getting out of control. These Hollywood dystopian fantasies have most often ended with the day being saved by one hero or group of heroes or the other. Humans have regained control and all ends well. A few cases see the climaxes of the movies go in the other direction, resulting in man’s downfall. One prophecy writer says the following.

Most accredited universities have within their computer science departments, active programs for the creation of artificial intelligence. At some point in the not-too-distant future, man is going to cross that technological threshold between fantasy and reality and launch a system that is “self-aware.” Scary thought!…

We have moved firmly into the realm of creating a super-intelligent AI system. We have developed the technology to create “deep fakes” that can fake audio and video, making it indistinguishable from the real thing. We have further developed cloud technology. Cryptocurrencies are proliferating. Drone and robotic technology are continuing to improve at an incredible pace and scale. Genetic manipulation (to include data storage) is continuing to be refined and enhanced…

And between man’s desire to live forever through artificial means (trans-humanism and singularity) and AI’s ability to solve seemingly unsolvable problems, it will be a Babel-like moment when God will have to step in and intervene, yet again. (“Even the Elect, Part I: Deception,” Pete Garcia, https://rev310.com)

There is coming another like the leader of the rebels of earth at the time of the Tower of Babel. But the neo-Nimrod will have technology far superior to that of the first Nimrod’s time to carry out his regime’s evil. There will be no place on planet earth to hide (except that provided by God Himself) when Antichrist’s technology of control is released upon those alive during the Tribulation.

The current striving of the principalities and powers to replace God will fail miserably. Christ will rule and reign upon a pristine planet that will have been restored to its original glory.

That Babel moment is coming. God will again take total charge as He did then.

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.  (Genesis 11:6)

—Terry

The Dangers of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates

The COVID-19 virus has been an absolute disaster on all levels. In 15 months’ time, the world has spent $7 trillion on the virus, millions of businesses have been destroyed, and scores of millions of people have become addicted to lockdown handouts.

A month ago, I pitched my N95 mask into the trash, and I was regretting having 8 unused masks in my utility room. Now that the Delta version of the virus is infecting growing numbers of people, the mask mandate may soon be back.

Another mandate that has me much more concerned is the growing requirement for people to get a COVID-19 Vaccine. The Biden administration got the ball rolling by ordering all federal workers to get vaccinated or face weekly covid tests. At first, a few big tech companies joined the mandate bandwagon. Within a few days, dozens of companies are now requiring workers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

The union, which represents over 220,000 postal workers, released a statement saying that while it will encourage postal workers to get vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus, it is “not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent.”

Critics of the measure argue that the three vaccines currently available in the United States have not yet received full approval from the Food and Drug Administration, pending the safety and efficacy results of the ongoing phase-three trials.

Vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson are currently being administered in the United States under emergency use authorization (EUA), meaning that vaccine manufacturers aren’t held liable for any injury, including death that their COVID-19 vaccine may cause.

Social media sites don’t want anyone to question the vaccine. Twitter’s action against political commentator Dave Rubin is an example of how these companies are now dispensing with any pretense in actively barring criticism of government policies and viewpoints.

Rubin was locked out under the common “misinformation” claim by Twitter. However, his tweet was an opinion based on demonstrably true facts. One can certainly disagree with the conclusion, but this is an example of core political speech being curtailed by a company with a long history of biased censorship.

In his tweet, Rubin stated:

“They want a federal vaccine mandate for vaccines, which are clearly not working as promised just weeks ago. People are getting and transmitting Covid despite vax. Plus, now they’re prepping us for booster shots. A sane society would take a pause. We do not live in a sane society.”

If they had been honest and forthright about the vaccines, more people would be willing to get one.

The ruling caste sees us as idiots, unable and unworthy to make simple decisions for ourselves. We must be guided, nudged, or intimidated, if necessary, into making the right choice. And we do not deserve explanations because the last thing our elite wants is accountability.

One of the biggest problems with COVID-19 is the left’s unwillingness to prevent illegal aliens from bringing the virus into the country. Fully vaccinated Canadians can’t come to America. American citizens in Mexico can’t come back unless they are tested. But in 2020, 2.3 million illegals were allowed to invade the nation.

When Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order that restricts the transport of infected illegal immigrants Biden has released into the general population, the Department of Justice sued the state of Texas.

“The Biden Administration is knowingly admitting hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, many of whom the federal government knows full well have COVID-19,” Abbott said in response to the DOJ suit.

The third mandate to arise from the COVID-19 pandemic is the requirement to have documentation to prove you had your vaccine. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio has officially announced plans to implement his first-in-the-US policy requiring proof of COVID vaccination in order to participate in indoor activities like dining indoors and going to the gym.

It would be far better that the whole nation agreed to get the vaccine than to allow our rights to be taken away from us. Once our nation turns into a full dictatorship, anti-vaxxers will get their shot at gunpoint.

With 4.2 billion doses having been given out, there doesn’t seem to be any large-scale side effects with the current crop of vaccines. What I’m worried about is booster shots or people who had the Johnson & Johnson vaccine taking the Pfizer shot. Oops, we lost a few million people from booster shot 3, but the other 99.9% of the population is safe from variant E, F, G, H…

Because all this COVID-19 nonsense is a perfect setup for the rollout of the Mark of The Beast, I don’t foresee any vaccine problems. When the 666 mark comes, people will automatically line up to receive something that will condemn them to hell.

“And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb” (Revelation 14:9-10).

–Todd

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Infinite Inheritance

Have you ever thought of suddenly, through some twist of destiny, finding yourself the possessor of a fortune? What would you do if you had the financial means to spend large amounts of money in any way you wanted?

Then, when the daydream fades, you are back to business as usual, and it sure isn’t big business in terms of dollars to spend. Lightning in the sense of being struck by sudden riches just isn’t in your future. The return to reality moves you back into the realm of things as they are—having to deal with the ups and downs of life—the pains, problems, debt, and all the rest.

The return to earth might evoke several responses. You might be bitter, trying to live an upright life while seeing those who are living hedonistic lifestyles having wealth, multiple luxuriant dwellings in exotic parts of the world, etc. The thought might be that just isn’t fair, and that’s the end of this particular daydream. Or, the conviction might burn a bit into your spirit, scolding mildly that you should be content with the fact that you have enough to get through the day just ahead—while many are much less fortunate than yourself. Or you might have the sort of temperament that simply laughs at the foolishness of such trips into fantasy, then once again put your shoulder to the wheel, or whatever task that you confront.

Even in America, the most materially blessed nation of human history, life, particularly during these seemingly insane times, can present a bleak future. That is, it can be considered a bleak future to believers who know and acknowledge the evil times in which we find ourselves.

We, of all people on this self-destructing planet, however, should recognize this time of evil is essential to the fulfillment of God’s prophetic Word. But the majority of believers–each and every one a child of God—either don’t have a clue of what the reprobate thinking and actions of this wicked generation mean for the future, or else go about not even aware that such a condition exists.

The pulpits are all too often silent on the wickedness. Those in the pews are immersed for the most part in society-saturated cares that obscure the evil of their circumstance. Thus spiritual discernment is either inhibited or completely obliterated.

Every child of God should be fully mindful of the future that awaits. For if we can truly grasp what’s ahead, our self-centeredness in immersing ourselves in the cares of our troubled lives would absolutely fade under Heaven’s enlightenment.

That is because we have within us the Holy Spirit, the third member of the Godhead whom the Lord Jesus sent to indwell us upon His ascension. The Holy Spirit Inspired Paul, the great apostle, to write the following:

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8 14–18)

If we could only understand the above message as deeply as desires our Heavenly Father, whom we have a right to call Abba (equivalent of the most intimate term, “Daddy,” in the Hebrew), we would be totally sold out to accomplishing our Daddy’s holy will while representing Him here on earth.

Do you understand the meaning of these words from the heart of our Father? If you believe in Jesus Christ—God’s grace gift to anyone who will accept that unfathomable sacrifice on Calvary’s cross—you are forever in Abba’s family. Not only that, you are as closely related to your heavenly “Daddy” as is our Savior—our Big Brother (who, in some eternal sense, is also the Bridegroom to the Church).

One great preacher of the past explains a bit further.

Yet, further, to illustrate the full meaning of the joint heirship-suppose, after the via had been proved and acknowledged to be right, it shall be found in winding up the affairs of the testator, that nothing is left to distribute-suppose, after all this boast and talk about being heirs, the property should be nil, or there should even be found a debt against the estate-what then? Why, my brethren, if we get nothing, Christ gets nothing; if there should for us, there is no heaven for Christ. If there should be no thrones for us, there would be no throne for him; if the promise should utterly fail of fulfillment to the least of the joint heritors, it must also fail of accomplishment to our Lord Jesus Christ himself. Be the property much or little, we are co-heirs; if there be infinite treasures, Christ hath them, and we have them; but if there be no treasure whatever, and faith should end in disappointment, and hope in despair, the calamity which impoverishes us must also impoverish our great co-heir. When we are poor, and in eternity have no shelter; when we in the next world shall find no heaven and no bliss,-then, wandering as outcast orphans, we shall see our Elder Brother an outcast orphan too; if we be portionless and penniless, the Firstborn among many brethren must be portionless and penniless also, for with him we stand or we fall…

Poor prodigal sinner, may our Father bring thee home, for there is an inheritance even for thee. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved.”

(“Joint Heirs with Christ,” July 28, 1861, Rev. C. H. Spurgeon, Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, England)

 

Our inheritance is infinite. All that belongs to Jesus belongs to us. And we could inherit it all at any second, as we live in these times during which all the signals of the Second Coming of our Lord are in view. Now that is indeed a reason to praise Him! And it is why we should get our minds and spiritual hearts upon the work before us at this critical time so near His appearing. Let us put aside frivolous things in our ever-increasing effort to bring many to so great salvation!

—Terry