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duction? No matter what govern–
ment officials decide to do, the
combination of heavy demands on
food suppl ies due to bad weather,
and other intlationary pressures,
will cause food prices to increase
between 12 percent and 20 per–
cent this year, estímate econo–
mists.
World grain prices and intla–
tionary trend s may well c u t
America's premier protein, beef,
out of the market. Grain costs to
falten beef to slaughter weight
have shot up 25 percent in one
year.
"Nobody can afford to feed
beef animals $4-a-bushel coro,"
said a livestock a na lyst. lt's
cheaper to raise chickens and
hogs. "Beef," concludes this ana–
lyst, "is going to go the way of
big automobiles. ' '
What Weathermen Don't Know
Why is it that few understand the
cause of continuous bad weather?
Bad weather is a warning from
the Creator God that a people are
not living right! God controls the
weather. He works out His pur–
poses on ear th through it. People
will not listen to God's written
Word, so He is speaking to them
in a language (weather) they will
understand! Weather is a
powerful tool in the Creator's
hand to warn and punish nations
for their mounting si ns. Sin is the
transgression of God's law ( 1
John 3:4). H umans have too long
defied that law!
Notice what God promises in
His Word-the Bible: "And if
you obey the voice of the Lord
your God, being careful to do
al/
his commandmen ts ... the
Lord your God will set you high
above all the nations o f the
ear th. And all these blessings
shall come upon you and over–
take you, if you obey the voice
of the Lord your God" (Deuter–
onomy 28:1-2, RSY). One of
those promised blessings for obe–
dience is proper amounts of rain
when needed. " The Lord wi ll
open to you his good treasury
the heavens, to give the rain of
your land in its season and to
April 1981
RECORD LOW LEVELS
of major river arteries and reservoirs plagued the U.S.
midsection and eastern areas. The Mississippi River ffowed 90 percent be/ow
normal, producing a graveysrd of grounded barges and heavy shipping /osses.
b less
al/
the work of your
hands ... ' ' (verse 12, RSY).
But if a nation persists in sin,
God promises: "The Lord will
smite you with ... fiery heat,
and with drought, a nd wi th
blasting, and with mi ldew [ex–
cessive
moistu r e
and
rot] .... And the heavens over
your head shall be brass, and the
earth under you shall be iron.
The Lord will make the rain of
your land powder and dust ... "
(Deuteronomy 28:22-24). These
t ragic conditions are happening
in severa! nations today as a
warning to others!
Listen to thi s remarkable
prophecy!
"And also 1 [God) have with–
holden the rain from you, when
there were yet three months to
the harvest: and 1 caused it to
rain upon one city, and caused it
not to rain upon another city;
one piece was rained upon, and
the piece whereupon it rained
not withered. So two or three
cities wandered unto one city, to
drink water; but they were not
satisfied; yet ' have ye not
retu rned unto me, saith the
Lord" (Amos 4:7-8).
Prolonged drought is the result
of sin! "Yet have ye not returned
unto me!" says God.
King Solomon understood this
when be prayed at the consecration
ofGod's Temple: "When the heav–
en is shut up, and there is no rain ,
because they [the people of the
land] have
sinned against
thee..
..
"But how many national
leaders and peoples of nations have
the wisdom to believe this today?
Yet God is merciful. Solomon
a1so knew this, for he prayed in
this same prayer, " . .. yet if they
pray . .. and confess thy name,
and
turn from their sin,
when
thou dost afflict them; then hear
thou from heaven , and forgive the
sin of thy servants ... when thou
hast taught them the good way,
wherein they should walk; and
send rain upon thy land,
which
thou hast given unto thy people
for an inheritance"
(ll
Chroni–
cles 6:26-27).
National and individual repen–
tance is the only solution. Wealth
alone wi ll not save us. Great
reserves of oil alone will not save
us. Bumper crops are now gone–
they cannot save us.
Only the Great Creator can
save mankind from massive prob–
lems we now face!
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