Skywatch Media News for the final week of February 2020 as China confronts a
lethal virus that threatens to spread to other countries across the world Eastern
Africa is dealing with massive swarms of desert locusts that have already
devastated its crops the locust infestation is now moving across the
Horn of Africa into the Middle East and South Asia where the insects are now
devouring food supplies across continents multiple countries of Eastern
Africa were ravaged by the locusts numbering in masses of three hundred and
sixty billion the swarms in Kenya covered areas as big as 37 by 25 miles
and were so dense that they blackened the sky turning day into night for
Africa this has become the worst locust plague in more than seven decades and
there have been no signs that the infestation is subsiding
you may have seen the headlines recently that are drawing comparisons to the
plagues in Scripture in the book of Exodus in the Old Testament there is
mention of the swarms of locusts as one of the 10 plagues that was called down
upon Egypt there is also an incredible reference to the locust in the seventh
chapter of the Quran in the book of Revelation the locusts emerge as
ferocious swarms with the sting of scorpions this may seem as apocalyptic
illusions in the eyes of the secular world but for quite a few people most
notably those who follow Scripture the visions are true to life what actually
confronts the world at this moment is the real life potential for disaster the
implications are immense in East Africa the locusts have been devouring crops of
maize cow peas and other vegetation that cattle graze upon just one square mile
of locusts can eat as much as what 90,000 people would consume in a
single day Kenya has not seen the likes of this infestation in over seven
decades unfortunately the only effective means of control is to drop pesticides
from the air but this appears to only be acerbating the already serious
conditions that exist the UN Food and Agricultural Organization has said that
the locusts are the most dangerous migratory pests on the face of the earth
the locusts are mobile and able to travel as much as 90 miles in a day
wreaking havoc along the way the most serious aspect of locust populations is
that they have the ability to multiply quickly in
massive numbers the implications of locust infestation is quite revealing in
the year 1915 they destroyed nearly all vegetation in Palestine while conducing
starvation in Ethiopia during the Great Famine in the East African countries
where locusts are swarming 20 million people already face food insecurity some
of the swarms were said to be migrating north towards Egypt threatening a
nation that is already suffering from serious food insecurity
now the swarms are crossing the Red Sea where they are inundating the Middle
Eastern countries here the efforts to quell the swarms by means of pest
control operations has failed if you live in this region of the world the
concern level has got to be extremely high people have reported scenes
straight out of scripture where giant swarms of locusts are so many that they
darken the sky
what makes the current surge of locusts so disturbing is both their numbers and
their intensity in previous encounters the locust swarms would have dissipated
by the early fall but now it is February and they are still massing in incredible
numbers and appear to be on the move towards the far east in a worrisome sign
it is thought that the locust could be setting their wings aiming for southeast
asia and china's Yunnan province in a country that has already shut down
because of the coronavirus outbreak China's state-run media has been
offering ridiculous assurances to the public that the locust infestation is
not a threat to the country because the invading locusts will be eaten by
100,000 ducks that are said to be amassing at the border but in an odd
twist of fate the locusts swarm now winging towards China is so massive that
the notion that the country is not susceptible to infestation is misleading
and scientists are suggesting more caution be given the Chinese Academy of
Agricultural Sciences has indicated that if the locust plague is not brought
under control in the neighboring countries that China will become
affected by locust swarms in June or July of this year
in fact they have issued a warning stating that they expect more than
77,000 square miles of southern farmland to be infested by locusts in early
summer during the onset of monsoon season at this moment in time and in the
foreseeable future some of the most populous parts of the world are in a
race against the seasons in an effort to eradicate a storm of devouring insects
that could plunge much of the world into another unwanted catastrophe we are
living at an incredible moment in our lives the signs of great change both on
earth and in the sky our being manifest in all of their
wonder just recently sunrise worshipers in China's Inner Mongolia were witnesses
to an epic view of a five Sun phenomenon hovering above the horizon the
mesmerizing spectacle is known by scientists as a phantom Sun but as the
video went viral there was much speculation as to its meaning some
viewers said it was a sign from another world of extraterrestrial origin others
said it was an indication of much pollution in the atmosphere while others
suggested a more ominous sign a warning to the earth whatever you may consider
to be the purpose of the sky phenomenon it was a sight to behold and one to
cherish for those granted the privilege of its presence in the sky thanks for
watching