The Most Dangerous Epidemics in the last One Hundred Years – R. Nelson
As medicine advances, there are fewer infectious disease outbreaks, or epidemics. An epidemic is when an infectious disease spreads within a community or area during a specific time. We will show you the biggest outbreaks to spread across the United States in the last one hundred years and where we are now. There have been quite a few outbreaks of epidemics in the 1600’s, 1700’s and the 1800’s as well but we will focus on the 1900’s for now. Some of these words are written down verbatim from websites and documentaries that I have read because they explain it much better than I can.
Typhoid Fever – 1906 -1907. (Typhoid Mary)
One of the biggest typhoid fever epidemics of all time broke out between 1906 and 1907 in New York. Mary Mallon, often referred to as “Typhoid Mary,” spread the virus to about 122 New Yorkers during her time as a cook on an estate and in a hospital unit. About five of those 122 New Yorkers died from the virus. Annually, 10,771 people died from typhoid fever. Medical testing showed that Mallon was a healthy carrier for typhoid fever. Typhoid fever causes sickness and red spots to form on the chest and abdomen. A vaccine was developed in 1911, and an antibiotic treatment for typhoid fever became available in 1948. Today typhoid fever is rare. But it can spread through direct contact with infected people, as well as consumption of contaminated food or water. A vaccine was developed in 1896 but it wasn’t licensed until 1914. The question that I would ask is this, “if there was a vaccine that was developed in 1896, why did they allow so many people to die ten years later. This is something that I will not understand.” Wouldn’t you think, that instead of watching that many people die, they would have given it to the ones that they knew were going to recover from the virus? If I were on my dying bed, I want to try a cure. At least then you would have some hope. Just my thoughts and like I said, I am no doctor and have no right to question why they do what they do, but I certainly do have some thoughts on the topic.
Spanish Flu – 1918
This mutating “influenza virus” actually didn’t come from Spain. It circulates the globe annually, but seriously affected the United States in 1918. The flu would return later in 1957 as the “Asian flu” and cause nearly 70,000 deaths before a vaccine became available. After the end of World War I, cases of the flu slowly declined. None of the suggestions provided at the time, from wearing masks to drinking coal oil, were effective cures. Today’s treatments include bed rest, fluids, and antiviral medications. Influenza strains mutate every year, making last year’s vaccinations less effective. It is important to get your yearly vaccination to decrease your risk for the flu if you are a high risk with a history for such viruses. An estimated 675,000 Americans died from the Spanish Flu! The first flu vaccine was developed in 1942. Flu viruses mutate so it is best to keep up with new vaccines as they say. I do have my own opinion on vaccines! I will share with you my thoughts, but keep in mind, these are only my thoughts. I am a true believe in the Bible. God gave us an immune system to fight off all kinds of viruses and bacteria. God knew when He created us exactly what pandemics that we would be hit with throughout our lives. Nothing comes as a surprise to Him; therefore, He would not have allowed a pandemic to kill off His people if He did not equip us with an immunity to that virus. However, it is up to us to maintain our bodies by eating the right foods that build up our immune systems. If we eat all the bad foods that are available to us, yes, we will be more susceptible to viruses and bacteria’s that are in our world. I am not going to get into health food diets because I am probably worse than most when it comes to eating the wrong foods. But I can give this advice, if you come from a family that has a history of such diseases like cancer, high blood pressure and other health issues, you should be a little more alert with what you eat.” Just a warning of common sense.”
Diphtheria Epidemic – 1921-1925
Diphtheria peaked in 1921, with 206,000 cases. Diphtheria causes swelling of the mucous membranes, including in your throat, which can obstruct breathing and swallowing. Sometimes a bacterial toxin can enter the bloodstream, cause fatal heart, and nerve damage. By the mid-1920s, researchers licensed a vaccine against the bacterial disease. Infection rates plummeted in the United States. Today more than 80 percent of children in the United States are vaccinated. Those who contract the disease are treated with antibiotics. About 15,520 people died from diphtheria during its peak. The vaccine was developed in the United States in the mid 1920’s. Catching the virus today is rare. This one makes more sense since they did not have a vaccine prior to this outbreak!
Polio – 1916 -1955
Polio is a viral disease that affects the nervous system, causing paralysis. It spreads through direct contact with people who have the infection. The first major polio epidemic in the United States occurred in 1916 and reached its peak in 1952. Of the 57,628 reported cases, there were 3,145 deaths.Three years later, Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine. By 1962, the average number of cases dropped to 910. The CDC trusted source reports that the United States has been polio-free since 1979. Getting vaccinated is very important before traveling. There is no known cure for polio. Treatment involves increasing comfort levels and preventing complications. Polio reached epidemic proportions in the early 1900s in countries with relatively high standards of living, at a time when other diseases such as diphtheria, typhoid, and tuberculosis were declining. Indeed, many scientists think that advances in hygiene paradoxically led to an increased incidence of polio. The theory is that in the past, infants were exposed to polio, mainly through contaminated water supplies, at a very young age. Infants’ immune systems, aided by maternal antibodies still circulating in their blood, could quickly defeat poliovirus and then develop lasting immunity to it. However, better sanitary conditions meant that exposure to polio was delayed until later in life, on average, when a child had lost maternal protection and was also more vulnerable to the most severe form of the disease. In the United States, children are recommended to receive the inactivated polio vaccine at 2 months and 4 months of age, and then twice more before entering elementary school. I remember as a child, before we could enter kindergarten, we had to have a coupled different vaccination. I believe that polio was one of them and then for the measles. I remember later in our school’s years; they gave us a vaccine that was in the form of a sugar cube. That was the one that I liked. LOL! I hated needles!
Contaminated Water in Milwaukee – 1993 (Cryptosporidium)
One of Milwaukee’s two water treatment plants became contaminated with cryptosporidium, a parasitic disease that causes dehydration, fever, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. About 403,000 became ill, and more than 100 people died, making it the largest waterborne outbreak in United States history. Most people recovered on their own. Of the people who passed, the majority had “compromised immune systems.” Improved water filtrations helped eradicate this disease, but an estimated 748,000 cases of cryptosporidium still occur each year. Cryptosporidium spreads through soil, food, water, or contact with infected feces. Be sure to practice personal hygiene, especially when camping or any other outdoor activities. Based on a lot of studies that I have seen, the water that most of us consume has many chemicals that I believe long term could be hazards to out health. I would personally recommend a water filtration system in every home if you can afford it. Once again, just my thoughts! Our bodies consume so much junk that it really is no wonder why so many falls ill to certain health issues.
Whooping Cough – 2010, 2014 (Pertussis)
Pertussis, known as whooping cough, is highly contagious and one of the most commonly occurring diseases in the United States. These coughing attacks can last for months. Infants too young for vaccination have the highest risk for life-threatening cases. Ten infants died during the first outbreak.A whooping cough outbreak comes every three to five years. The CDC reports trusted source that an increase in the number of cases will likely be the “new normal.”The occurrence of the disease is much less than it was. The CDC recommends trusted source that pregnant women get a vaccination during the third trimester to optimize protection at birth. This I do not agree with at all. To give an unborn child a vaccine is saying that God cannot deliver a healthy baby. Vaccines should be given only to those with the illness, especially today! There was a time when I believe preemptive vaccines were good for children, but not now, considering all the corruption in our world. We have no idea what they are putting into our children! We should leave them the way God created them, healthy with a strong immune system. I will get into this a little later in this blog!
HIV and AIDS – 1980 – Present
First documented in 1981, the epidemic we now know as HIV first appeared to be a rare lung infection. Now we know that HIV damages the body’s immune system and compromises its ability to fight off infections. AIDS is the final stage of HIV and the 6th leading cause of death in the United States among people 25 to 44 years old. HIV may be transmitted sexually or through blood/body fluids from person to person. It can be transmitted from mother to unborn baby if not treated. While there is no cure for HIV, you can decrease your risk through safety measures like making sure your needles are sterilized and having protected sex. Safety measures can be taken during pregnancy to prevent the disease from being transmitted from an infected mother to child. For emergencies, PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) is a new antiretroviral medicine that prevents HIV from developing within 72 hours. This is a disease that can be prevented just by living a clean and moral life. The problem I see and one that upsets be dramatically is how many children suffer because of the disrespect and lack of consideration for the unborn. Based on the scriptures of the Bible I can say with compete confidences that this is a pandemic that is allowed by God to show His anger for the lack of obedience to His Word. Sex has become a game which was once a sacred institution within the marriage. We read in Ephesians 5:5-6; “For this you know that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience” God will not be mocked! God has been patient with mankind for hundreds of years, but the time is coming when His patience will have been exhausted.
Corona Virus – Present (COVID-19)
The problem that I see with the Corona Virus is the fact that we do not know the truth about any of it, such as how many are really infected, how many have truly died because of the Corona Virus and where did it really originate from and why is it here? I hear so many different documentaries and I see videos that just do not make sense because they all contradict each other. I personally have a pretty good idea what I believe is taking place but because of the sensitivity of this topic and the evil that is behind it, I must keep it to myself. What I do know is this, what is taking place in our country and in other parts of the world is all written in advance from prophets of old. Those that have been paying attention to what the Bible says will happen in the end of days, are not surprised at all by what is taking place. What we are experiencing now is just a preview of what is coming soon. I believe that this may be the last warning that God is giving us before he returns to judge the world. The one thing that I hear from people that have no idea what prophecy teaches is this, “That is what they thought every time there was a pandemic” Yes, they did say that, however, back then all the pieces of the puzzle were not in place as they are today, especially the regathering of the Nation of Israel. The Bible is clear that the end will not come until Israel is regathered as a Nation and the Bible says that the generation that sees the regathering of Israel will see all end time prophecy fulfilled. Well, that took place on May 14, 1948 so do the math. A generation according to the Bible is seventy to eighty years where we read in Psalm 90:10; “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years, yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.” We now know that all the other pieces of the puzzle have fallen in place and they are all converging at once right before our eyes. I do not believe that the Corona Virus is the plague that is spoken of that will take place during the great tribulation, but I do believe it is a small version of the plague that is prophesied to kill 1/3 of the world population during that time. I could go on and on about this topic and how there are so many things that are falling into place, but I will leave it up to you to do some research on your own and see for yourself what is coming! I will leave you with this verse in Matthew 24:21; “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Do not take this lying down, do your own research so you will be ready when the time is at hand!
ACTION POINT:
I need to share this great message from our God that should bring comfort to all those that have accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior and have been born again into the Holy Spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:9; “For God hath not appointed us (Born-Again Believers) to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,” If you have given your life over to Jesus Christ, you will not be part of the wrath of God that is coming soon to our world of unbelievers. There is a lot of controversy about the topic of who will be in the tribulation and who will not, but I take the Word of God very seriously and I believe He means what He says. Those who are saved “WILL NOT SUFFER DURING THE GREAT TRIBULAION” So, with all this being said, you have a choice, Do you want to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and escape the horrors of the tribulation or do you want to laugh and mock those who do believe and find yourself thrown into the great tribulation. Luke 21:36: puts it this way, “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” I have been watching for twenty-five years; I know what is going on! If I am wrong, I am wrong, I have nothing to fear, but if I am right, which I believe I am, then those who reject the truth of God’s Word will be put through the worse time imaginable. Are you willing to take that chance? “Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!
Commentary from our Chaplin – R. Fritz
Getting us through the Epidemics
Anybody that looked through the different epidemics of the last 100 years in America would wonder how we got through them. The answer is Jesus Christ. I look at the events happening around us now and ask myself what is really going on in the world. We are blaming other people for what we see that we have no control over. The blame sits squarely with Satin, Lucifer, the devil, the accuser. These are names for the fallen Angel Lucifer. He thought he was bigger than God and with him he took 1/3 of the angels and rebelled against God and as a result he was thrown out of Heaven to earth. 1Peter 5:8 says “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour:” What this is saying is be on your guard, be in tune with God (having that relationship with him and hearing the Holy Spirit) because the devil is looking to attack spiritually at any moment like a hungry lion. We need to keep our spiritual eyes on Jesus Christ and not on the world and what is going around us. Lucifer went from being Gods most beautiful anointed angel to a fallen angel that we know as Satan meaning “Accuser” or “Adversary.” He still has access to Heaven to accuse you of sin. He hates us because we are Gods creation. When I first chose Jesus Christ, I fell asleep while praying and saw Satan accusing me of some of the actual things in life that were my sins. I was in a trial setting and Jesus Christ was the judge. Satan would tell Jesus Christ, the judge, the exact sin I did, and Jesus would tell Satan that I was forgiven. Still, Satan would keep on accusing me, and after every accusation, Jesus would say, he is forgiven until I finally woke up. That might be hard to believe or something hard to grasp.
People are buying weapons at a very high rate. We are and will be fighting a spiritual battle, and your spiritual weapon is the “Word of God.” 2 Corinthian’s 10:3-5 says “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds 😉 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” What this is saying is we are not using the weapons of man, we are using God’s weapons (“Spiritual Weapons”) to defeat the enemy (Satan) and Spiritual evil and anything that comes against the knowledge of God and to bring into captivity every thought into obedience to Jesus Christ. In another blog I talked about how this verse stopped my Fear immediately. When you apply this verse to spiritual evil, it must come to obedience immediately with Jesus Christ. I use it to stop fear immediately! When I first chose Jesus Christ, I saw the spiritual battles that I was involved with and the Christian people around me would tell me that I needed to fight in the spirit. I did not know what they meant, and they could not explain to me how to fight in the spirit. I knew who Satan was and literally wanted to strangle him or just plain beat him up which is fighting in the flesh. I struggled until the Holy Spirit started to show what fighting the spirit was. This morning I woke up at 2:00 AM and the Holy Spirit was showing me the weapons we have. Hebrews 4:12 says for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” What the Holy Spirit was showing me was when using “God’s Word” and the Holy Spirit, our prayers could spiritually cut out a tumor or slash a spirit in half with that two-edged sword.For a lot of readers this might be a little deep spiritually, but for them that can spiritually digest what I just said it is literally a game changer and I have to give the “meat” of God’s word to those who can chew it and digest it. We need to do God’s work with God’s tools, because now is the season for people with the Holy Spirit to take the battle to the devil and the Coronavirus. Ephesians 6:11-12 says “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” For me, this the first verse that the Holy Spirit gave to me because I was fighting Spiritual things right away. You see, we are not fighting people, we are fighting spirits and spiritual battles. Only God’s weapons work. Look around, the fighting we see is really people against people in a spiritual battle as is the Coronavirus. Those that are truly his followers and are his people should now know what weapons we are to use, Spiritual weapons. Let the unbelievers of the world who do not know Jesus Christ participate in the worldly things in the news, you use your weapons in the Holy Spirit and prayer to overcome Spiritual Evil.
We have too many of God’s people fighting in the flesh, doing things in the world. When we do that, we lose the battle. I say that because for a lot of years, I would do the same thing, finally the Holy Spirit would remind me that Satan knew how to use people to get me angry and that would result in fight in the flesh. Satan does not want you to fight in the Spirit because he knows he will lose. We can win this battle against the Coronavirus if we operate in the Spirit. We need to show the people in the world who we really are, Mathew 5:16 says “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” We are letting the world dictate what we do. Let us get involved in helping people, there is so much we can do to shine our light. That is the “Hope” we can give to the people out there fighting for their life or their financial future. Let us look like the answer to their prayers.
In Conclusion – R. Nelson
With all that is being said above, the most important thing to know and understand is this, “Our only Hope is in Jesus Christ.” If your hope is in any one person or religion, you are without hope. Jesus Christ is in total control of what is going on. We are truly in a battle that can only be fought spiritually and the only way to do that is through prayer. It is time for all the prayer warriors to come out of the closet and get on your keens. We read this comforting verse in 2 Chronicles 7:14; “ If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” Since this was written in the Old Testament, it applied to the Jews at that time, but I believe it has a double fulfillment which also pertains to his church during the age of grace as well. If Jesus Christ pulls us through this, it is because of the following verse, 2 Peter 3:9; “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” God has been more that patient with His creation and we are now living on borrowed time. Billy Graham once said and I quote, “If God does not judge America soon, He will have to apologies to Sodom and Gomorra.” He said this back in 1965. This is the best advice I can give, given the condition that our world is now in. “If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, please get on your knees in prayer and stay on your knees until the day that Jesus returns. If you are not a believer, this would be the best time for you to submit to the will of Jesus Christ and join us in prayer and get on your knees in repentance.” We do not know what God has planned for us in the next couple years, but it is obvious that we are living in the days of His soon return. Comfort in times like this, can only come from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. So, let me end with this question for you to think about, “is your hope in this world or is it in God?” Think seriously because it will have eternal consequences.” Written To the glory of God, Inspired by the Holy Spirit!” Amen!
Editor’s note: Check out this week’s podcast entitled A Love Letter. It’s about how God sometimes works in mysterious ways. Hear a letter from a dying mother to her precious daughter and how her prayer was answered. https://anchor.fm/faithinchristjesus.net/episodes/A-Love-Letter-edb92i