The current scenario points to the end times described by the Bible. The measures adopted by governments in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic paralysed the world economy, made Central Banks need to intervene and this increased inflationary pressure around the world. The picture worsened with the war in Ukraine. And now the weather appears to be more unstable than in recent years. All this has an impact on food production.

Europe is facing a historic heatwave, with temperatures between 30ºC and 40ºC. This year, in the United Kingdom, the temperature was higher than the record of 38.7ºC, recorded in 2019, at the Cambridge Botanical Garden. Spain, France and Portugal registered several wild fires and danger alerts. On July 20, Portugal confirmed more than a thousand deaths due to hot weather. An article published in October 2021, in Nature Communications, bets on the reduction of economic production in Europe with the extreme heat.

According to Qu Dongyu, director-general of the United Nations (UN) for Food and Agriculture (FAO), food waste could feed 1.26 billion people a year. He also warns of food shortages because of the current context. In 2021, there was an increase of 46 million people affected by hunger, compared to 2020. He believes that the world has gone backwards in efforts to eliminate hunger, malnutrition and ensure food security.

The Bible has always warned of the scenario of famine, climate change, destruction and violence that would accompany the last times of the world as we know it. It is not a matter of sensationalism or “hoping for the worst”, but what we are seeing are the consequences of humanity’s distancing from God.

In chapter 6 of Revelation, a sequence of “horses” is described that will appear at the end of humanity. The “horse” is actually a symbol for the strength and speed with which the destructions will occur when the antichrist (a world leader who will be in the service of evil) manifests on Earth.

“As a consequence of the wars brought by the rider of the red horse, the third seal frees the rider of the black horse, bringing hunger”, explains Bishop Renato Cardoso, in the book “The World will burn”. “The world economy will change. Inflation will rise alarmingly and the currency will devalue.”

The Bishop continues: “By now, you must have realised that it is not enough to just attend a church, keep religious traditions and know Bible verses. Just as nutrients are metabolised and become part of the body of those who ingest them, it is necessary to live the Word of God day after day so that it becomes part of your being. How important has the Word of God been in your life? How much of your time do you spend with it? Have you been feeding on it?”