World News and Trends: Disease pandemics threaten mankind
The 1918-19 influenza pandemic took the lives of millions of men, women and children. Is a possible repetition in the offing today?
While the 1918-19 pandemic killed 50 to 100 million people around the world, Foreign Affairs relates: "Today, with a world population of 6.5 billion people, more than 3 times that of 1918, even a 'mild' pandemic could kill many millions of people."
Further: "Dr Julie Gerbreeding, Director of the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, called the possibility of avian flu spreading from Southeast Asia (its likely place of origin) 'a very ominous situation for the globe'" (International Herald Tribune).
Since very early last year millions of birds in Southeast Asia have died. This particular bird flu mutates and jumps from species to species. It has already been found in certain mammals and possibly a few people. Although it has not yet mutated into a form that is easily transmissible to human beings, that possibility is very real and very worrisome.
Infectious diseases remain very high on the list of threats to human life on a large scale. Some 25 million human beings have already died from AIDS, and another estimated 39 million are infected with HIV. Malaria and tuberculosis are also major causes of death.
Among the four horsemen of the book of Revelation is the pale horse, symbolic of devastating disease epidemics to ravage the earth in the end time. The Bible strongly indicates that we have not yet seen the full impact of these deadly modern plagues—far from it. (Sources: The Times [London], International Herald Tribune, Foreign Affairs.)
An Article from:
Good News Magazine: September - October 2005
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Jerold Aust
Jerold Aust has served in the ministry for 52 years, as a public speaker for 58 years, a published writer for 38 years, and is employed by UCG’s Media and Communications Services. He is a Senior Writer, interviewer, and editor for Beyond Today Magazine and has taught Speech Communication for UCG’s ministerial online program and the Book of Revelation for ABC.
Jerold holds a BA in theology from Ambassador College, Pasadena (1968), an MA in Communication from California State University, Fullerton (1995), a distance-learning Ph.D (2006), and a Famous Writers School diploma in non-fiction writing (1973). Additionally, he studied post-grad communication at University of Southern California (1995), radio, TV, voice-overs, and Public Relations at Fullerton College (1995-1996), and graduate communication at Wichita State University (1978). Jerold has taught communication at the University of South Alabama (7 years) and ABC (17 years). His published works include, Ronald Reagan’s Rhetoric: Metaphor as Persuasion and EZSpeakers: Public Speaking Made Easy in 7 Steps. Jerold's overarching goal is to share with humankind its incredible destiny!
John Ross Schroeder
John died on March 8, 2014, in Oxford, England, four days after suffering cardiac arrest while returning home from a press event in London. John was 77 and still going strong.
Some of John's work for The Good News appeared under his byline, but much didn't. He wrote more than a thousand articles over the years, but also wrote the Questions and Answers section of the magazine, compiled our Letters From Our Readers, and wrote many of the items in the Current Events and Trends section. He also contributed greatly to a number of our study guides and Bible Study Course lessons. His writing has touched the lives of literally millions of people over the years.
John traveled widely over the years as an accredited journalist, especially in Europe. His knowledge of European and Middle East history added a great deal to his articles on history and Bible prophecy.
In his later years he also pastored congregations in Northern Ireland and East Sussex, and that experience added another dimension to his writing. He and his wife Jan were an effective team in our British Isles office near their home.
John was a humble servant who dedicated his life to sharing the gospel—the good news—of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God to all the world, and his work was known to readers in nearly every country of the world.
