Famines and Food Insecurity

When the earth cannot provide, Scripture calls us to compassion and dependence on God.

"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."

Matthew 24:6 KJV

Introduction

Matthew 24:7 includes famines among the conditions Jesus described to His disciples. Food shortages have affected human communities throughout history, often following drought, conflict, crop failure or disruption to supply. Jesus’ words place famine within a wider picture of distress, but do not authorise believers to label every food crisis as proof that the Tribulation has begun.

Noteworthy in the verse, is the construction of the warning. Jesus starts off by saying that nation shall come against nation and kingdom against kingdom - and then a colon character (:) - clearly indicating the conditions that would follow in the aftermath of the conflicts. Cause and effect. We see that happening in Sudan, Ethiopia and other countries around the world where people indigenous to a region/country have internal conflicts and military actions. The result and consequences are detrimental of the inhabitants of the region, who are displaced, hunted down, agricultural areas burnt and even killed on a mass scale. Now, imagine such conflict situations increasing and escalating on a larger scale globally. A catastrophe unimaginable!

From a Pre-Tribulation perspective, famines can be studied alongside Revelation’s imagery of scarcity and judgement. The biblical response is not merely to interpret events, but also to care for those who are hungry.

What Jesus actually said

Biblical text: Matthew 24:7 names famines alongside wars and earthquakes. Luke 21:11 also mentions famines and pestilences.

The passage provides no number of famines, no geographic list and no statistical threshold. It presents famine as one of several distressing conditions in a larger prophetic discourse. The surrounding words remind readers that these events are not, by themselves, the end.

Key Scriptures:
Matthew 24:6-7 Luke 21:10-11

Food scarcity in the Old Testament

Famine appears repeatedly in the Old Testament. In Genesis, famine leads Jacob’s family to Egypt. In Ruth, a famine shapes the circumstances that bring Ruth into the family line of David. In the days of Elijah, drought becomes a setting for prophetic ministry and God’s provision.

Hunger is not merely a prophetic topic; it is a human need. Scripture repeatedly commands care for the poor, generosity towards those in need and justice in the treatment of vulnerable people. Christian watchfulness should therefore include practical service

These accounts show that famine is not exclusively an end-times phenomenon. Each passage must be read in its own historical and theological context.

Key Scriptures:
Genesis 41:25-36 Ruth 1:1-6 1 Kings 17:1-16 Joel 1:10-20

The rider and the measure of wheat

Biblical text: Revelation 6:5-6 depicts a rider holding balances and includes language about the price of grain.

Futurist interpreters often understand this vision as a picture of scarcity and severe economic pressure during the Tribulation period. The text itself does not provide a modern cost-of-living calculation, and contemporary food prices should not be presented as a direct numerical fulfilment without a clear and defensible method.

Key Scriptures:
Ezekiel 4:16-17 Revelation 6:5-6 Revelation 18:11-13

STRONG’S CONCORDANCE STUDY

Biblical text: "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." Matthew 24:7 (to view the Strong's comments, click the  button on the menu bar)

• λιμός - limos (G3042): famine or hunger. Relevant to Matthew 24:7 and Luke 21:11.
• σῖτος - sitos (G4621): grain or wheat. Relevant to Revelation 6:6.
• πτωχός - ptōchos (G4434): poor or destitute. Relevant to the biblical theme of care for people in need.

These are selected word-study entries, not occurrence counts. Distinguishing acute food insecurity, undernourishment, famine classification and crop failure are not interchangeable measures. They are an indication that the world is on the precipice of an unfathomable disaster leading up to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Key Scriptures:
Matthew 24:7 Luke 21:11 Revelation 6:6

OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT PROPHECY LINKS

Biblical text:

• Old Testament: Genesis 41:25-36; 1 Kings 17:1-16; Joel 1:10-20; Ezekiel 4:16-17.
• New Testament: Matthew 24:7-8, Luke 21:11; Acts 11:27-30; Revelation 6:5-6.