Blog note. Jesus indicated that ‘fearful sights’ (various natural disasters) would occur leading up to the time known as the Tribulation and Great Tribulation (a combined seven year period of great destruction on earth). Although these types of things have occurred in the past for centuries and thousands of years, they could be identified as the ‘season of the times’ due to the ferociousness of these events. They would be occurring in greater intensity, severity, frequency, size, duration, scope … just like the pains that a woman experiences in labor the farther along she is in the labor process. We are in the ‘season of the times’ that comes just before the seven (7) year Tribulation/Great Tribulation period
… And great earthquakes shall be in diverse places, and famines, and
pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
(Luke 21:11).
… And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
(Luke 21:25)
… Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken; (Luke 21:26)
… This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. (2 Timothy
3:1)
Jesus is giving a series of prophecies about what to look for as the age of
grace comes to a close. These verses are several of many such prophecies from
throughout the Bible. 2017 was the worst year in recorded history for the
intensity, frequency, severity, duration and occurrence of a large number of
severe natural disasters worldwide. Earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes,
typhoons, cyclones, torrential flooding, unprecedented wildfires in unusual
places, devastating droughts, excessive/scorching heat setting records
everywhere, record snowfalls in Europe and Russia. Snow in the Arabia. This
list can go on. Most studied Eschatologists believe these ‘fearful sights’ and
massive natural disasters are all part of the ‘CONVERGENCE’ of signs that this
Biblical and prophetic age is closing. Most people who study prophecy are
familiar with the routine reference(s) made that these things will be like
a woman having labor pains, growing in intensity, frequency, size and duration.
Measles kills over 3,500 children in DRC as third emergency vaccine drive launched. What do we know about the number Five (5)? Only 55% vaccinated. Worst in 10 (5+5) years.
Sarah Newey, global health security correspondent 25 SEPTEMBER 2019 • 5:53PM Telegraph.co.uk
Almost a million children will be vaccinated against measles in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in a bid to stem the world’s largest outbreak of this deadly disease.
The devastating childhood illness has killed over 3,500 children and infected close to 184,000 people already this year in the DRC – a country that is also battling to control Ebola.
On Wednesday the government initiated the third mass-vaccination campaign – in collaboration with the World Health Organization, Médecins Sans Frontières and Unicef – in an effort to bring the enormous measles outbreak to a close.
The epidemic this year in the DRC is the country’s worst for more than a decade and is spreading like wildfire; it is the fastest-growing measles outbreak worldwide.
“Measles is everywhere – every province of the country has cases,” Dr Karel Janssens, head of mission for MSF in the DRC, told The Telegraph from Kinshasa. “This is a very lethal epidemic.”
The latest vaccination campaign, which will run for nine days, will target close to 825,000 children under five years of age in 24 of the country’s 26 provinces. The WHO says this will take the total number of children vaccinated through emergency campaigns to 4.1 million.
This year has seen measles outbreaks sweeping the globe, as a combination of growing anti-vax sentiment and a lack of access to crucial health care has left hundreds of thousands of people vulnerable to one of the world’s most contagious viruses.
Africa alone has seen a 900 per cent increase in infections compared to 2018.
But low vaccination rates in the DRC – which is home to 81 million people, 40 per cent of whom are under the age of 14 – are not down to scepticism.
“The DRC is experiencing a dire situation because too many children were missed by routine immunisation,” said Dr Deo Nshimirimana, the WHO representative in the DRC.
“The country now has large clusters of children who need to be vaccinated – WHO and partners are working with the health ministry to move as quickly as possible to reach them.”
In 2018, routine measles immunisation coverage was just over 55 per cent – far lower than the 95 per cent coverage which the WHO says is necessary to achieve herd immunity.
“Let’s face it, the health structures are barely functional. There is no routine vaccination. There are not the essential drugs that should be in place to take care of the children falling sick,” said Mr Janssens.
“It’s a challenging country to work in. There are remote, hard to access areas and the displacement and conflict doesn’t make things easier.
“And so a highly contagious disease such as measles pops up again and just ravishes through a population with barely any herd immunity,” he said. “This epidemic is not new, it’s high time that more actors for involved and more resources went into this.”
The WHO has established a measles response advocacy committee to mobilise partners and donors in a joint effort to control the outbreak, and the United Nations Humanitarian Pooled Fund has given $2.5 million to the government’s emergency campaign.
The DRC’s Ministry of Health has also provided $843,000 to purchase vaccines.
But even with the scale-up of vaccination efforts – which are not being used to prevent measles moving into new regions, but to try and stem the growing death toll – it is unlikely that the epidemic will end soon.
“I’m afraid that this epidemic will continue,” said Mr Janssens. “And as much as it is important to respond now to the current epidemic, of course it’s key to start thinking beyond this about how to avoid every couple of years we end up with such a deadly epidemic.”