Death via "the beasts of the earth"

Revelation 6:8: And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.

In the early part of the Tribulation Period, Scripture tells us that death is going to claim the fourth part of the earth, in part via "the beasts of the earth."

One of the topics I discuss here occasionally, in light of that passage of Scripture, is the role zoonotic disease, which is any infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans, is playing in our world today and how it is, perhaps, a harbinger of things to come.

Examples of zoonotic diseases in the news today include, but are not limited to:

Anthrax
Monkeypox
Bubonic plague
Ebola
Marburg virus
SARS
Rabies
AIDS
Mad Cow disease
West Nile virus
Bird flu

Could zoonotic disease, at least in part, be what Bible prophecy is referring to in Revelation 6:8? Quite possibly!

LiveScience is reporting that human deaths from animal diseases are on the rise, stating particularly that "an estimated 50 million people caught diseases from animals such as dogs, cattle, chickens and mosquitoes between 2000 and 2005." Some 78,000 of those infected died, according to the article.

The following excerpts from the article seem to indicate the role I've theorized zoonotic disease could play in the future fulfillment of Revelation 6:8 may be accurate (emphasis added mine):

By reviewing past studies, virologist Jonathan Heeney of the Biomedical Primate Research Center in The Netherlands found the diseases responsible for the majority of zoonotic illnesses seem to be increasing.
Animal viruses like these have the potential to devastate humans. Over time, viruses can develop the needed “machinery” for efficient transmission not only from the animal host to humans, but from human to human. When this happens, Heeney said, zoonotic illnesses can become serious human killers with potential to reach epidemic proportions.

Luke 21:11: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Luke 21:28: And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

Are you lifting up your head toward heaven, looking and longing for the return of Jesus Christ? If you're not, you need to be!