PLAGUE OF LOCUSTS
A swarm of locusts which landed on the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia in February is making its way to Egypt – an event which some Christian preachers believe heralds the end of the world!
In the Old Testament, God visited a plague of locusts on the people of Egypt as punishment for having enslaved the Jewish people. The book of Exodus says, ‘By morning the wind had brought the locusts; they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail— everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees.’
Christian evangelist pastor Paul Begley is amongst those who believes this new ‘plague’ to be an end-of-days sign. However, there may be a simpler explanation. An unusually long rainy season in the African countries of Eritrea and Sudan has led to the insects (which resemble grasshoppers) breeding in greater numbers than usual. They then swarm in search of food once the dry season begins. Countries in North Africa have been warned to implement measures to control the insects, because in vast numbers, they can indeed completely destroy crops and vegetation.
So it seems that climate change, rather than an end-of-days prophetic omen, is the real reason for the ‘plague of locusts.’ Of course, climate change isn’t great news for the future of the planet either – let’s hope global leaders heed the insects’ warning and start making the world a better place!