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.
500,000 (half a million) gay men across Europe miss out on HIV prevention tool. 50 countries. Gay sex accounts for 36% (6×6) of all new HIV cases. Five (5) years of new drug treatment. Online survey of 130,000 (6×5) gay men. 25% (5×5) of men unable to access new drug treatment. Over 25,000 (5×5) to participate in drug trial program.
The Telegraph. October 14, 2019
Around half a million gay men across Europe are missing out
on a treatment that is proven to stop transmission of HIV and is a cornerstone of
global prevention efforts.
A study of men who have sex with men across over 50 countries of the World Health Organization’s European region estimated that 500,000 men who have sex with men are unable to access PrEP but would take it if they could.
Sex between men is still the most common way for HIV to be spread in Europe, accounting for over 36% of all new HIV cases.
PrEP is seen as a key weapon in the global fight against the disease and has been shown to reduce the chances of someone picking up HIV through unprotected sex by nearly 90 per cent.
The WHO has been recommending that those at substantial risk of contracting HIV should be offered PrEP since 2015.
To assess how many gay and bisexual men were missing out on the treatment researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Public Health England and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control looked at data from an online survey of 130,000 gay and bisexual men from across the EU.
The study, published in the journal Eurosurveillance, compared the proportion of men who stated they were “very likely” to use PrEP if it were available with the proportion of those who currently use it.
The country with the largest number of men unable to access PrEP was Russia, where 44.8 per cent of those wanting to access the treatment were not able to get it. This is a worrying figure given the high rates of HIV in the country.
The country with the lowest gap was Portugal where just 4.3 per cent of men who have sex with men were unable to access the drug.
Across Europe as a whole 17.4 per cent of men were unable to access the preventive treatment – this figure is based on an assumption that nearly three per cent of adult men in the EU are gay or bisexual.
The study found that lack of access was linked to whether PrEP was available free to those most at risk of contracting HIV.
In 2019, 14 out of 53 countries provided PrEP free – a significant increase from 2016 when just France provided the treatment free of charge.
In the UK, where PrEP is available on the NHS in Scotland and Northern Ireland but as part of a trial in England and Wales, around 25 per cent of men who want to get the treatment were unable to access it.
The government recently announced that the number of people on the trial would double from 13,000 to 26,000 but campaigners say a trial is not necessary as PrEP’s efficacy has long been recognised.
Rosalie Hayes, senior policy and campaigns officer at the National Aids Trust and lead author of the study, said the findings should act as a wake-up call
“Although progress has been made in making reimbursed PrEP nationally available, our estimate that around half a million men who have sex with men are still unable to access PrEP despite being very likely to use it is very concerning. The longer the delay in access to PrEP for these men, the more HIV infections will occur,” she said.