"And there will be strange events in the skies--signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, because the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then everyone will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!" -- Luke 21:25-28 (NLT)

tsunamis - Japanese word meaning "harbor wave"

Down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, even perplexed. Boy, at the very least, you could say that. Way over 150,000 lives gone in one day, with most officials over there saying that they may never have an accurate count of those who are missing or dead.

You might be thinking that I sound like an end times preacher, and you would be right in that. It surely was the end for those who died that day, wasn't it?

I'm not trying to make something out of nothing. I believe that this was of biblical proportions. Don't you? Get into the Word, and see what God has to say about it. I did, and it looks pretty simple to me.

God means business, whether or not you believe, understand, or would hide. As you have just found out, sometimes you just can't hide or run fast enough. Amen.

This, from the Bangor Daily News:

Today, some scientists are casting a worried eye on a volcano in the Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco, known as Cumbre Vieja, the volcano cleaved nearly in half after its last eruption in 1949. Some scientists fear that another eruption could shake loose a rock slab the size of Manhattan. In 2001, Steven Wood of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and a colleague created a computer model to find out what would happen if this piece of Cumbre Vieje fell into the Atlantic.

The model predicted that the African coastline would be pummeled by a 325-foot wave. Wow! Talk about roaring seas and strange tides! Nine hours later, waves up to 50-feet high could crash down on the East Coast, submerging cities from New York to Miami.

"Nobody knows when it's going to happen. It could happen next year or centuries from now," said Michael Kearney, a University of Maryland geographer who studies the impact of waves and storms on coastal systems.

You know, it could happen at any time - just like what happened in Southeast Asia. It might be thought of as the earth's birth pain. When a woman is giving birth, once the water breaks, look for something to happen.

Look up to the skies above, and gaze down on the earth beneath. For the skies will disappear like smoke, and the earth will wear out like a piece of clothing. The people of the earth will die like flies, but my salvation lasts forever. My righteous rule will never end! -- Isa. 51:6 (NLT)

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment. -- 2 Peter 3:10 (NLT)

For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. -- Romans 8:22

Sin has caused all creation to fall from the perfect state in which God created it. So the world is subject to frustration and bondage to decay so that it cannot fulfill its intended purpose.

Earthquake in Southeast Asia Can Shrink Day and Night

MOSCOW, December 29 (RIA Novosti) - The tremors that caused the earthquakes in South-East Asia can make night and day shorter by a few milliseconds, Roman Vilfand, General Director of Russia's Hydrometeorological Research Center (Rosgidrometsentr), said at a press conference on Wednesday.

"Geophysicists said the shift of tectonic plates may reduce the globe's diameter and thereby accelerate the globe's rotation around its axis," said Mr. Vilfand.

However, Mr. Vilfand added that the recent earthquake was not the only factor that influenced the axis' position. "The Earth's rotation axis permanently changes its position, and it is never in one fixed position," said the expert.

An unprecedented number of natural calamities occurred in 2004, according to the expert. For example, Japan, China, the Philippines, Bahamas and the United States were hit by an unprecedented number of typhoons. "Typhoons usually originate in the warm waters of the Indian Ocean, travel over water and disappear. However, 17 typhoons went ashore this year," said Mr. Vilfand. This cannot be explained scientifically and can be a mere coincidence, according to him. Mr. Vilfand said there were no methods of predicting earthquakes, particularly those that occur in oceans.

Mr. Vilfand said there was no scientific evidence linking frequent calamities to leap years.

Besides, the outgoing year will go down in history as one of the warmest years of the past millennium among 1998, 2002 and 2003. "Global warming is a reality," said Mr. Vilfand.

January 2, 2005 (The Independent) - It was a cataclysm so great that it caused the Earth to wobble on its axis. Just before 8am Indonesian time last Sunday, hidden forces were released with the strength of thousands of nuclear bombs all exploding at once. Scientists have calculated that it accelerated the planet's rotation by a fraction of a second and shifted some islands by several metres, both laterally and vertically.

For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed. But it will be shortened for the sake of God's chosen ones. -- Matt. 24:21-22 (NLT)

I believe that we're not in the last days so much as in the last moments. Peter said, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." -- 2 Pet. 3:9 (NIV)

God is not slow, because he doesn't work in time but in eternity. Jesus is waiting so that more sinners will repent and turn to him. Amen.

Peter continues in verse 11, saying: But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, the element will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be destroyed in this way. What kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives. As you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming; that day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. -- 2 Pet. 3:11-12 (NIV)

My friends, what has happened to the earth since the day after Christmas is just one more attempt to get the Church's attention. God is trying to very hard to tell us all something very important.

Are you listening to what God is saying? It's in his precious Word. It's very clear. We all need to repent and turn back to God. Find out what God expects from you and start doing it. If God is shortening the days, and I believe he is, then time is something we don't have much of.

Soon things are really going to spin out of control, literally. Give your heart to Jesus today. It's the most important decision you'll ever make, or even have time to make. I pray you do.

I'll close for now with this, a prayer that was heard from a very young child. It went something like this:

"God, make bad people good, and make good people better. Amen!"

God bless you all

Ken Christian
Cafes for Christ
Romans 8:28

Ken Christian's ministry includes Cafes for Christ, now meeting at the Hard Drive Cafe, located in the lower level of the old Oddfellow's building at 133 Penobscot Avenue in Millinocket.