<<The more I spend time in history, the more it offsets the present, which of course is ALWAYS wonderful, and reminds me that only what's done for Christ will last.>> Jane
Jane, the more history of the world that I delve into, the more I realize I understand my future.
Here's a good one if the circumstances were not so terrible to contemplate. During the 1340s, when the Black Plague wiped 40 million citizens off of the face of the European continent, the population was more fearful of there eternal state once they died such a horrible death, than the plague itself. It seems that the priests were unable to physically give last rites to all of the people as there was not time, and the bodies had to be disposed of quickly. The Catholic pope issued a decree that anyone dying from the plague would instantly go to Heaven even without last rites.
They also had a cult of Flagellites that believed that if they punished themselves by being flogged with strips of leather with glass tied on the ends they would somehow please God and escape the plague. The major problem with these God fearing people, however, was that they also decided that the Jews were responsible, so they went from Jewish village to village, burning and killing every Jew that they could find.
It seems that nothing worked until the disease just worked itself out, leaving 1/2 of the population of Europe dead. It was 500 years later that they discovered that a black rat, somehow making itself across the continent from Africa by boat was the culprit. It had the disease, and when the rat died, the fleas went looking for another host.
Today could easily see a repeat with the Ebola virus if it ever gets loose from Africa since it is an air born virus that is always deadly and the last I heard, their is no antidote for it.
Our world is more dangerous that most realize, considering the old world diseases that are coming back like TB and the number of meteorites that have already crashed into this world destroying whole civilisations.
All I can say is,...........people get ready.
We are a people that have our position and homes in Heaven and God has promised that he will keep us from the Day of Wrath.
Thank you Jesus.
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