Starvation in Yemen—A Glimpse of the Future

Civil war, famine, and COVID-19 have brought starvation to many in Yemen—especially small children (The Guardian, October, 28, 2020). The United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for the country recently observed, “Yemen is on the brink of a catastrophic food security crisis. If the war doesn’t end now, we are nearing an irreversible situation and risk losing an entire generation of Yemen’s young children.” Yemen could lose almost 100,000 children under the age of five.

During this tragic time of hardship, funding for the UN World Food Program has fallen, threatening charitable supplies that are desperately needed to feed starving people. Bible prophecy foretells a coming time, just before the return of Jesus Christ, when billions will die, due in large part to famine and starvation (Matthew 24:3, 7; Revelation 6:5–8). Students of the Bible must realize that situations like Yemen’s will not always be constrained to a small, specific area of the world.

However, God’s word also speaks of a time when famine and starvation will become a thing of the past. Jesus Christ is going to return and set up the Kingdom of God on earth. At that time, the earth will be restored, streams will burst forth in the desert (Isaiah 35:1–6), and there will be an abundance of food (Amos 9:13). As nations learn to follow the laws of God, they will receive rain in due season (Leviticus 26:2–4). The suffering we witness today should motivate us to pray “Thy kingdom come”! For more details about this coming kingdom, be sure to read or listen to The World Ahead: What Will It Be Like?