Today I became intrigued by this verse... “And out of the smoke locusts came down upon the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth.” – Revelation 9:3 In 1958, Chinese Chairman Mao Zedong initiated “eliminating the four pests” campaign. The four pests were flies, mosquitoes, rats and sparrows. Sparrows were included on the list because they ate grain seeds, causing disruption to agriculture. It was decided that all the peasants in China should bang pots and pans and run around to make the sparrows fly away in fear. Sparrow nests were torn down, eggs were broken, and nestlings were killed. In Shantung Province alone, some 2.8 million sparrows were killed. The first year of the campaign did improve the harvest. By in April 1960, China’s National Academy of Science found that sparrows ate insects more than seeds. Mao ordered the immediate end of the campaign against sparrows. However, it was too late. With no sparrows to eat them, locust populations ballooned, swarming the country. One night in June 1960, locusts devoured all the grain in two counties. The conditions were set for China’s great famine, where 30 million people died of starvation. Sometimes we think we are in control, but it is an illusion. Sometimes we think we are getting by with the sin in our lives, but its an illusion. Today in prayer, praise the Lord that no matter what challenge you face or what calamity may occur, God is in perfect control.
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 15:06:07 +0000
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