(Illustration above produced by ChatGPT for COGwriter)
After Russia began its Special Military Operation into Ukraine in 2022, there began to be shortages of fertilizer (see ‘Fertilizer Prices Continue Rising, Increasing Fears of Global Grain Costs and Shortages’). Then we saw a return of food price inflation (see Food Inflation: World Food Prices Jump Most In 18 Months).
Fertilizer is still an issue:
From the editor: High fertilizer, fuel prices threaten food security
November 11, 2026
Geopolitical tensions are at their highest level since World War II, with the lingering Russia-Ukraine war and the recent conflict between the United States and Iran serving as flashpoints in this era of contention. The ill-conceived trade war initiated by US President Donald Trump in 2025 has yielded few positive results, and inflation, particularly for critical commodities like fuel and food, has strained the global economy.
In the United States, for example, food and grocery-at-home prices have risen by 32% since March 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. During that 6½-year period, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s monthly global Food Price Index has risen 47%. Brent crude oil prices have increased by 53% during that time, negatively impacting virtually every industry, including agriculture.
Something to keep an eye on as we enter 2027 is the impact this is having on global food security.
From a grain supply standpoint, the recent intensification of the war between Russia and Ukraine, two of the world’s largest grain exporters, has significantly decreased shipments from these major suppliers of wheat and corn to developing, import-dependent countries.
The other conflict rattling the global grain sector is the war between the United States/Israel and Iran, which has severely limited shipments on the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international waterway. Although little grain is shipped through the strait, a significant percentage of the world’s fertilizer and fuel — both critical inputs for farmers — passes through it. Fertilizer prices also are being impacted by Ukraine’s increased attacks on agricultural assets in Russia, a major fertilizer producer and exporter, virtually halting Russian exports via the Baltic Sea.
A recent S&P Global report concluded that the high cost of fertilizer and fuel could lead to a global food crisis in 2027. https://www.world-grain.com/articles/23442-from-the-editor-high-fertilizer-fuel-prices-threaten-food-security
Could there be problems beyond food price inflation?
Michael Snyder seems to think so as he wrote the following:
Visions Of America’s Coming Famine
November 11, 2026
For most Americans, it is impossible to imagine a famine in the United States. Ever since the days of the Great Depression, our grocery stores have been absolutely packed with food. Up until the past several years, it was actually very affordable, but of course that has now changed. Even though food is now significantly more expensive, there is still plenty of it. So the idea that we could someday be facing a full-blown famine seems like nonsense to a lot of people. I completely understand that. But the Bible is very clear on this matter. Apocalyptic famines are in humanity’s future, and vast numbers of people will die from starvation.
In Matthew 24, Jesus specifically identifies “famines” as one of the signs that we should be watching for in the days just prior to His return…
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
The Book of Revelation gives us more details about the famines of the end times.
In Revelation 6, you can read about the opening of the first six seals.
Once the third seal is opened, annual crops such as wheat and barely become very expensive. …
As I have been doing research for the new book that I am writing, I have been coming across lots of people that have been given supernatural glimpses of the famines that are in humanity’s future.
And some of them have been given supernatural glimpses of the great famine that is coming to America. …
But if we really are living in the end times, the Bible is very clear that famine is in our future.
It won’t just be a few people that starve to death.
It is going to happen on a massive scale. https://endoftheamericandream.com/visions-of-americas-coming-famine/
In the above article Michael Snyder also mentioned ‘supernatural visions’ from apparently Protestants that point to famine hitting America. While I do NOT believe those visions came from God, the one to the Apostle John in Revelation did.
Notice something he was inspired to write:
5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine.” (Revelation 6:5-6)
Food price inflation will increase.
Now notice a vision from Ezekiel:
1 “And you, son of man, take a sharp sword, take it as a barber’s razor, and pass it over your head and your beard; then take scales to weigh and divide the hair. 2 You shall burn with fire one-third in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are finished; then you shall take one-third and strike around it with the sword, and one-third you shall scatter in the wind: I will draw out a sword after them. 3 You shall also take a small number of them and bind them in the edge of your garment. 4 Then take some of them again and throw them into the midst of the fire, and burn them in the fire. From there a fire will go out into all the house of Israel. …
11 ‘Therefore, as I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘surely, because you have defiled My sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will also diminish you; My eye will not spare, nor will I have any pity. 12 One-third of you shall die of the pestilence, and be consumed with famine in your midst; and one-third shall fall by the sword all around you; and I will scatter another third to all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them. (Ezekiel 5:1-4, 11-12)
The above vision of Ezekiel is for the end time descendants of Israel.
This includes the United States, Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and some parts of Europe. Details on the endtime identities of the tribes of Israel are in our free eBook: Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America?
In its booklet titled the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the old Worldwide Church of God had the following:
Famine Stalks The Earth
“… And there shall be FAMINES… ” — Matthew 24:7
“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. ” — Revelation 6:5-6
AS RAPIDLY as the third horseman appeared on the heels of the second, famine follows rapidly on the heels of war. Starvation and scarcity are the natural and immediate results of crop damage. defoliation, contaminated water supplies, destroyed livestock, and the unusually high food demands of a standing army — all caused by war. …
The well-trod path of … war, leading to … famine is an oft-repeated chapter of man’s sordid past. …
This principle of war-caused famine is described in grisly detail in two parallel chapters of the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. The nation Israel was here warned that if they did not obey God (that is, if they practiced false religion and neglected God’s Commandments) they would be overtaken by national curses leading to war. Read it in Leviticus 26 of The New English Bible:
“If after all this [internal, domestic curses] you have not learnt discipline but still defy me, I in turn will defy you and scourge you seven times over for your sins. I will bring war in vengeance upon you… you shall be herded into your cities, I will send pestilence among you, and you shall be given over to the enemy. I will cut short your daily bread until ten women can bake your bread in a single oven; they shall dole it out by weight, and though you eat, you shall not be satisfied.
“If in spite of all this you do not listen to me and still defy me, I will defy you in anger, and I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins. Instead of meat you shall eat your sons and daughters” (Lev. 26:23-28, New English Bible).
This prophesied pattern of national decline and despicable deprivation has been followed many times in history, and it will be followed again! Less than 40 years after Christ uttered this prophecy of famines, a Roman war siege on Jerusalem caused such severe famine that even cannibalism reared its ugly head in the so-called “holy city” (read Josephus, Wars of the Jews, for the grisly de tails of this siege).
Throughout the Middle Ages, such war-caused food shortages forced whole cities periodically into starvation, often followed by the Bubonic Plague or other diseases. At the very close of the Middle Ages, the Thirty Years War 1618-1648) was especially ferocious in this regard. Whole cities were sacked and destroyed, starvation was wide spread, and there was even cannibalism in many instances. …
The GREAT Famine
The third horseman of the Apocalypse doesn’t primarily refer to the cyclical famines of the past, or the “structural famines” of the present, but to a specific Great Famine in the future. Following great religious confusion and world war, the current “have” nations of today — the rich few who wallow in the lion’s share of the earth’s wealth — will have their turn to suffer want and deprivation.
After one third of America and the British Commonwealth are liquidated in the initial outbreak of war, Ezekiel 5:12 shows that another one third will die with the combined ravages of the third and fourth horsemen, famine and pestilence. These prophecies are yet ahead of us. The black horseman’s future ride will reduce the proud faces of white America, Europe, and the British Common wealth into the blackened skin of starvation such as now afflicts the vast majority of mankind. The rich few are soon to inherit the lot of the poor majority.
Eventually this Great Famine will spread to all peoples and nations of earth until mankind turns to God in total surrender. These dire plagues are allowed by a loving God to teach man obedience. Peoples and nations will have brought this pain upon themselves, by man-devised religion and man-devised war. God is only allowing man to reap what he sows, so that mankind will learn the bitter lesson that sin brings pain! After man learns this lesson, God will shower down a world of plenty once again, in the wonderful World Tomorrow. (Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Ambassador College Press, 1973)
While we are not to the Great Tribulation yet, the four seals of Revelation 6 are in the process of being opened.
Food inflation is associated with the ride of the third horseman as Revelation 6:5-6 states. Nations around the world are being affected by food inflation–and this started BEFORE Russia moved troops into Ukraine.
Related to food inflation, years ago, we put together the following video on our Bible News Prophecy YouTube channel:
12:03
Food Inflation & the 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse
The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, UN’s FAO, and others are reporting food price inflation as well as often selected shortages of some food items. Might it get worse? Did Jesus prophesy famines? One analyst stated, “WE haven’t seen anything yet” in regards to rising food prices. Should Christians prepare? What about helping others? Does the ride of the third horseman of the Apocalypse (Revelation 6:5-6) point to a coming time of severe food inflation. Is more food price inflation coming? Dr. Thiel addresses these issues and more in this video.
Here is a link to the video: Food Inflation & the 3rd Horseman of the Apocalypse.
We are getting to the end of the 6,000 years that God has seemingly allowed humans to rule themselves, which will soon be followed by the 1,000 year reign of Christ. Pray for Jesus to return and God’s Kingdom to come (Matthew 6:10).
But prior to Jesus return,”there will be great tribulation” as Jesus foretold (Matthew 24:21).
Some articles of possibly related interest may include:
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse What do each of the four horseman of the Apocalypse represent? Have they began their ride? Did Jesus discuss the any of this? Might their rides coincide with the “beginning of sorrows? Do they start their ride prior to the Great Tribulation? Did Nostradamus or any other ‘private prophets’ write predictions that may mislead people so that they may not understand the truth of one or more of the four horseman? There is also a related YouTube video titled Sorrows and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.
Is God Calling You? This booklet discusses topics including calling, election, and selection. If God is calling you, how will you respond? Here is are links to related sermons: Christian Election: Is God Calling YOU? and Predestination and Your Selection. A short animation is also available: Is God Calling You?
Christian Repentance Do you know what repentance is? Is it really necessary for salvation? Two related sermons about this are also available: Real Repentance and Real Christian Repentance.
Who is the King of the West? Why is there no Final End-Time King of the West in Bible Prophecy? Is the United States the King of the West? Here is a version in the Spanish language: ¿Quién es el Rey del Occidente? ¿Por qué no hay un Rey del Occidente en la profecía del tiempo del fin? A related sermon is also available: The Bible, the USA, and the King of the West.
Does God Have a 6,000 Year Plan? What Year Does the 6,000 Years End? Was a 6000 year time allowed for humans to rule followed by a literal thousand year reign of Christ on Earth taught by the early Christians? Does God have 7,000 year plan? What year may the six thousand years of human rule end? When will Jesus return? 2034 or 20xx?
When Will the Great Tribulation Begin? 2026, 2027, or 2028? Can the Great Tribulation begin today? What happens before the Great Tribulation in the “beginning of sorrows”? What happens in the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord? Is this the time of the Gentiles? When is the earliest that the Great Tribulation can begin? What is the Day of the Lord? Who are the 144,000? A short video is available titled: Countdown to the Great Tribulation.
