A plague of locusts not seen since the days of the Christian Bible is spreading like wildfire through Africa, along the Red Sea coast and towards Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The incredible swarm of crop-devouring grasshoppers arrived after a period of heavy rain in October 2018 fuelled the bugs’ breeding seasons. Prominent evangelical pastor Paul Begley from West Lafayette in Indiana, US, has now warned the plague could spread to the Holy Land. In the Bible’s Book of Exodus, a plague of locusts was one the 10 punishments, which fell upon the lands of Egypt as punishment for enslaving the Jewish people.
Today, the parables between the biblical plague and its modern counterpart are evident, according to pastor Begley.
And if the plague does continue to spread across the Middle East, pastor Begley said it will be a prophetic sign of the approaching end times.
The firebrand preacher said: “The next three months will be crucial, critical even, in bringing the locust situation under control if it can be brought under control.
“This is a plague of locusts like we haven’t seen since the days of the Bible and if they can’t control it, it might be a sign.
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“I’m gonna say I believe it is. We’re still in the 70th year of Israel as a nation.
“First of all, we had the Blood Moon over Jerusalem on July 27, 2018.
“How about this? President Trump declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel and moved the embassy there on the 70th anniversary of Israel being a nation, May 14, 2018.
“Then you have the longest Blood Moon of the century over Israel on July 27, 2018.”
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The prophetic signs of the end times are here and the Second Coming of Christ is approaching, the preacher stressed.
Long periods of sustained rain around Eritrea and Sudan have contributed to the devastating number of locusts breeding across Africa.
One such swarm of locusts was seen crossing into Saudi Arabia in January and more could be headed for the Egyptian coastline.
The United Nations’ (UN) locust expert Keith Cressman warned: “The next three months will be critical to bring the locust situation under control before the summer breeding starts.
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“The further spread of current outbreak depends on two major factors – effective control and monitoring measures in locust breeding areas of Sudan, Eritrea and Saudi Arabia and the surrounding countries, and rainfall intensity between March and May along both sides of the Red Sea and in the interior of the Arabian Peninsula.”
Last week, between February 17 and February 21, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) convened in Jordan to address the “biblical plague” of locusts.
The UN expects the insects to continue breeding throughout the rest of February along the Red Coast in Sudan and Eritrea, further exacerbating the problem.
As crops wither and vegetation dies out with the growing plague, swarms of locusts will push north into Northern Sudan and into the Nile Valley.
Pastor Begley said: “What does the Bible say about all this? Are you serious?
“I believe you’re just about ready to see the building of the Third Temple soon.
“I think these are the signs of the last days. What has been will be, what will be has been.”
According to the UN, the short-horned grasshoppers pose a “major threat” to local agricultural output, livelihood and food security in the region.