EARTH
Starting with the huge earthquake in Haiti and continuing in Chili, New Zealand and Japan; the world has seen a number of very large earthquakes the past year or so. Whether this number is larger than previous times in history is unknown, but there is no question the frequency and intensity of quakes has dramatically increased.

There have also been numerous volcanic eruptions around the world. Of course the eruption in Iceland last summer is the most well known for it disrupted flights all through Europe for a number of weeks. There have also been major eruptions in the Philippines, Indonesia, Chili and other places within the so called "ring of fire".

WIND

In February of this year, a massive cyclone (hurricane) slammed into the Queensland coast of northeast Australia. This huge storm was every bit as strong as Hurricane Katrina but because it hit Australia, much of the world never heard about it. Repeated storms inundated much of northeast Australia and caused major flooding.

This year, records have been set in almost every category relating to tornadoes and tornado deaths in the United States. The unbelievable outbreak in the South in late April was unparalleled in history. The recent tornado in Joplin, Missouri will surely rank as the most expensive and one of the most deadly. Many experts are warning of a high risk for the United States to be hit with a large hurricane this summer.

FIRE

People who live in the western United States are used to the yearly ordeal relating to forest fires. These fires erupt almost every year due to the fact that normally most of yearly moisture falls during the winter and there is many times no rain at all during the summer. There is currently burning the third largest fire in Arizona s history and it is racing toward numerous small towns and large ranches.

Earlier this year unprecedented fires burned thousands of pasture land in Texas due to a winter with no rain. In May, many portions of the UK saw fires normally associated with California. In fact, many places in Europe saw wildfires due to drought. Just last summer, fires burned out of control throughout much of western Russia even threatening Moscow.

WATER

This spring, the Mississippi River has seen record crests stretching from southeastern Missouri to the delta in Louisiana. Hundreds of thousands of farmers and low income inhabitants of small towns have been displaced and their homes and means of making a living destroyed. Now the Missouri River is reaching historical levels in Montana and North Dakota. Even now, levees are breaking as far south as Iowa and Missouri.

After the massive earthquake in Japan this spring, a tsunami was unleashed which literally washed entire cities into the Pacific Ocean. The power of the ocean should never be underestimated as huge waves sweep away feeble structures man builds and destroys them in a heartbeat. Perhaps no other act of nature causes more damage and fatalities than a huge tsunami.

CONCLUSION

Do all these events signal the Lord is returning soon? Perhaps, for He Himself did talk of such things happening more and more as the end draws near. But, we do not know if there have been similar times of great upheaval within nature over the past 2,000 years. That is why we cannot officially declare these horrible natural events mean "the end" is imminent.

Having studied extensively things related to earth, wind, fire and water for years; I can say with 100% certainty that the recent spate of events has to mean SOMETHING. As much as I would love them to mean our Lord is coming back tomorrow, it is not available to know that for sure. But, the wise person would keep one eye on what is happening around him while keeping the other eye looking to the eastern sky.

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