Pay attention to warnings

First and foremost, your safety and survival will depend on how close a relationship you have with God. Have you listened to His warnings? Scripture reminds us of the blessings of being under His protection: "A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place" (Psalm 91:7-9).

We need to understand that, to achieve His purposes for our ultimate good, God may not afford us full physical protection in every situation. The ancient Israelites had to endure some of the plagues God sent upon Egypt (see chapters 7-14 of Exodus). Yet in every circumstance, we can be confident of His spiritual protection, if we have paid attention to His warnings. As the psalmist wrote: "His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday" (vv. 4-6).

Scripture is filled with warnings that prophesy end-time food shortages and famine. "Be ashamed, you farmers, wail, you vinedressers, for the wheat and the barley; because the harvest of the field has perished. The vine has dried up, and the fig tree has withered; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree — all the trees of the field are withered…" (Joel 1:11-12).

The mainstream media are awakening to the real likelihood of food shortages that would raise the prices of basic staples such as grains and cooking oil far beyond what most can afford. As New York Times writer Elisabeth Rosenthal reported, "In an 'unforeseen and unprecedented' shift, the world food supply is dwindling rapidly and food prices are soaring to historic levels, the United Nations' top food and agriculture official warned… 'fewer people will be able to get food,' particularly in the developing world, said Jacques Diouf, head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization." Current shortages are worsened by decreased crop yields due to severe weather, increased population, the demand for biofuels and cattle feed. Worldwide wheat stores in December 2007 were down to 12 weeks, and corn reserves had dropped to just 8 weeks.

This Work has been publishing God's prophetic warnings. In his 2005 article titled Are You Prepared?, Tomorrow's World Editor in Chief Roderick C. Meredith wrote: "Events prophesied in your Bible are now beginning to occur with increasing frequency. In this Work of the living God, we are able to warn you about what is going to happen soon. We are not talking about decades in the future. We are talking about Bible prophecies that will intensify within the next five to 15 years of your life!"

What can we do about this? As Dr. Meredith wrote, "If you truly believe in the living God and in His inspired word, you will do your part to support His Work even in trying times. Then the Creator will certainly 'be there' when you desperately need Him. But even if you do not yet understand this spiritual matter, be sure to be aware of what is going to happen physically, and take immediate steps to begin putting your own financial house in order. You owe it to your family and yourself!"

Are you listening to, and taking the steps to heed God's warning message? To help you understand the days in which we are living, read our booklet Fourteen Signs Announcing Christ's Return.