Within the past thirteen months, we have seen numerous disasters strike our rebellious planet with everything from a massive tsunami to entire cities being wiped off the map. There have been many hundreds of significant earthquakes, volcanoes have been sending streams of molten lava, and shrouds of smoke have been thrust eight miles into our atmosphere. More threats of these awesome events are upon us, and disasters seem to be overlapping one another. Many people do not realize that on the same day that Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans there were also three earthquakes. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ did specifically mention numerous earthquakes as being a sure sign of His second coming, and at the time of this writing, there have been 302 significant quakes in the past thirty days according to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Iris seismic monitor. On January 2nd, 2006, there was a magnitude 7.1 quake in the Fiji Islands, and on the same day there were numerous small quakes at the New Madrid fault line near the state of Arkansas. Two days later on January 4th, 2006, there was a magnitude 6.7 quake in the Gulf of California.  On January 14th, 2006, an earthquake struck rural Ohio, and on the next day a powerful undersea quake jolted Indonesia.  On January 27th, 2006, another strong quake shook Indonesia with a magnitude of 7.7.  The list of quakes goes on and on and includes places such as the Mariana Islands, the India-China border, Pakistan, the entire Pacific Rim area, and divers places throughout the world.

Volcanoes are also coming alive everywhere, and truly, the mountains are flowing down at the presence of the Lord. A clear description of volcanoes erupting at the time of the Lord’s coming is given in Isaiah 64:1-3 as follows: “Oh that thou wouldest rend the heavens, that thou wouldest come down, that the mountains might flow down at thy presence, As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil, to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence! When thou didst terrible things which we looked not for, thou camest down, the mountains flowed down at thy presence.”

It is an amazing reality that we now have volcanoes erupting at both of the Earth’s poles.  Most notable is the Augustine Volcano near Homer, Alaska, which has been sending ash plumes a full eight miles into the air.  We also know that on December 2nd, 2005, forty-four acres of land collapsed and fell into the ocean at Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park.  Another concern is that Mount Fuji near Tokyo, Japan, has no snow on it, and there is grave concern that it may erupt and threaten that large Japanese city. 

Our planet is coming apart at the seams, and Norway, seeing that disaster is imminent, is building what they call a “doomsday vault” on Spitsbergen Island about 625 miles from the North Pole. The vault has walls over 3.25 feet thick and will hold over two million seeds, representing all known varieties of the world’s crops. 

There are many strange things happening in the world at this time. Freak weather has hit many areas, and on January 8th, 2006, northern Japan was hit with thirteen feet of snow, causing roofs to collapse and numerous deaths.  In Barrow, Alaska, massive ice shelves called ivus, which are like frozen tsunamis, have slammed ashore.  Reports have now shown that the Gulf Stream, which is the powerful current that sends warm waters to Britain and northern Europe, has weakened by over thirty percent in the past twelve years and continues to weaken. (Strangely enough, NASA satellite pictures now reveal that global warming is melting Arctic ice so fast that a new sea route is opening between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.  I also have shocking and alarming photographs in front of me showing that the erstwhile mighty Amazon River is so low that in many places it is completely dried up. Scores of boats of all sizes lay stranded on the dry river bed. 

It is also interesting to note that oak trees worldwide are damaged and dying. In Germany, half of all the oak trees and one-third of all trees are dying as well.  We know that the oak tree is sacred to witches and that the Bible gives us a great sign of the end when the oaks fade and die. In Isaiah 1:29-31 we read as follows: “For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And the strong shall be as tow, and the maker of it as a spark, and they shall both burn together; and none shall quench them.”

There are also many strange signs in the heavens. It was recently discovered that an ongoing massive explosion in space has caused a black hole to begin swallowing up other stars. Professor Brian McNamara of Ohio State University said, “I was stunned to find that a mass of about 300,000,000 suns was swallowed.”  NASA scientist Jennifer Wiseman has also reported that the Orion nebula is now a bursting cauldron of activity.  Dr. Wiseman also stated that there were massive caverns of light forming. These are brilliant corridors of majestic color and beauty.

Another thing that is happening without explanation is a massive lightning storm that is being observed on Saturn. Lighting bolts that are one thousand times stronger than anything seen on earth are being unleashed almost continuously. There have now been thirty-five episodes of this lightning storm and each one has lasted ten hours.  We continue to watch and pray as the entire universe is beginning to react to the approaching judgment of God.