I just spent 5 hours in the emergency room at our local hospital with a kidney stone.  What will happen if we have a large outbreak of swine flu in our community?  I saw the triage nurse first and he determined the seriousness of my condition. Their job is to process and prioritizing sick or injured people for treatment according to the seriousness of the condition or injury.  I knew it was serious or I would not have gone to the hospital. My pain was, in my mind, 8 of 10. We waited 2 hours before I got into the room.  Then we waited an hour before I saw the doctor. Another 30 minutes before the nurse took blood and gave me something for pain.  It took the remainder of the time for CAT Scan and it to be read then to check out and get medical instructions.  Am I worried about a pandemic?  Yes.

Is the end near?  What is “pandemic potential”?  I don’t know but I do know that it does worry me. Thousands of people in Mexico have been infected by what WHO (World Health Organization) have determined to be a variation of pig, bird and human viruses.  Up to now WHO said, that these viruses only have been transmitted through physical contact.  Now they think that this strain might be airborne. The swine flu epidemic in Mexico seems to be much worse with 149 deaths and more signs that the virus can jump repeatedly from human to human. At least 20 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the United States.  In Mexico City, a population of 20 million people could be very serious. Most strains come in the fall and winter months. States with known cases are California, Texas, New York, Ohio and Kansas.

Mexico has closed all schools, public events and are issuing mask for all its residents.  There are not but about 1 million flu vaccinations available to the citizen of Mexico.    This prompted the World Health Organization to raise its pandemic alert level, and governments around the world were taking tougher measures.  This is not the time of the year for flu. It seems that there are two drugs that help fight flu Tamiflu and Relenza.  Is the CDC in our country ready for something of this nature to hit the United States? The U.S. declared a public health emergency to deal with the emerging new swine flu, much like the government does to prepare for approaching hurricanes. We have not had a pandemic for more than 40 years in this country.  

Do Not Worry “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Matthew 6:24-28  

Yet, with young grandchildren and aging parents this is something to think about.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:33-34  

 Can we find comfort in God?  I think so, from the earliest of times God has told us that he is with us, will not leave us, all we need to do is to put our trust and faith in him.  Worship the LORD your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. He will take away sickness from among you. Exodus 23:25

For thousands of years people have been fascinated with predictions of the end of the world. If we look into the inspired writings of the biblical prophets and apostles, we find many prophecies that refer to the time of the end. Should we take them seriously? Are world conditions such that the predictions could be fulfilled in our day?

Jesus Christ Himself talked of a future time so horrendous that no human beings would be spared “unless those days were shortened” Matthew 24.22.

Did He have our time in mind?

Many prophecies leave us with no doubt that disastrous events will occur before God’s direct intervention in human affairs. These terrifying prophecies will see their fulfillment at some future time.

The crucial question for most of us is when? 

 In the last days Paul says the overall self-seeking mind-set would dominate people’s thinking: “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power” 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

 Are we here today?

If we are to do Jesus’ commission then we need to have a revival today and form a relationship with Jesus Christ our Savior.  Place our trust in him in all that we do.  It’s hard to do but it must be done if we are living in the end times.  Pray each day that God’s kingdom come His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Then start with yourself and demonstrate you love of Christ in your life for other to see.  It only tales a spark to get this fire going and that’s what Christ wants a spark in your heart.

In Christ

Steve Rusk

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