New island appears in the Red Sea

[Paxton25]

Volcanic activity in the Red Sea is causing the formation of a new island in the Zubair archipelago as lava is cooled by the surrounding seawater and solidifies. The underwater volcano responsible is located on the Red Sea Rift, where the African and Arabian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart.

Yemeni fishermen first spotted lava spewing 30 metres into the air on 19 December and this was later confirmed by satellite observations. Ash plumes were detected by NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer aboard its Terra and Aqua satellites and NASA's Advanced Land Imager aboard its Earth Observing One satellite, which produced this image. Elevated levels of sulphur dioxide in the region were also recorded by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument aboard NASA's Aura satellite.

By 23 December, the lava mass had broken the water's surface and the new island had begun to take shape. The island is currently around 500m wide and is still growing. The question now is whether or not it has staying power. It may continue to grow significantly as volcanic activity continues, or the fragile lava mass may be broken up by the action of the sea's waves.

Whatever the outcome, volcanic activity in the Red Sea region appears to be on the rise. (Birth pangs?!?)

Short Sharp Science: Brand new island rises from Red Sea depths

 

[Keachian]

I'm guessing you're referencing Romans 8

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

It talks of how creation has been groaning as if in childbirth since the fall, why is this news story any more special or relevant to the endtimes?

 

[Paxton25]

I was considering Matthew 24 and the increase of natural disasters.

 

[Keachian]

I was considering Matthew 24 and the increase of natural disasters.

Could you narrow that down, I tried to find it but I can't seem to find any reference to birth pains in Matthew 24

 

[Jipsah]

Volcanic activity in the Red Sea is causing the formation of a new island in the Zubair archipelago as lava is cooled by the surrounding seawater and solidifies. The underwater volcano responsible is located on the Red Sea Rift, where the African and Arabian tectonic plates are slowly pulling apart.

All I want to know is if it's going to be added as a DXCC country, and if so what the call sign is gonna be. (It's ham-speak, I couldn't resist.)

Whatever the outcome, volcanic activity in the Red Sea region appears to be on the rise. (Birth pangs?!?)

Everything is birth pangs. Volcanoes that erupt, volcanoes that don't erupt, earthquakes of any magnitude, the Euro goes up, the Euro goes down, cold winters, warm winters, epidemics that kill people in dozens, a dictator is deposed, a dictator dies, a new dictator arises, birds sing, babies cry, ad infinitum. If you're a true End of the World fan, everything in the newspaper is a birth pang.

Fact is, our Lord will return precisely when it is His good pleasure to do so, some time between Right Now and the Dim Distant Future. Our Lord Himself told us of the futility of trying to predict when when He'll return. Our charge is simply to be ready when He comes, or when we die, whichever comes first.

 

[Barraco]

All I want to know is if it's going to be added as a DXCC country, and if so what the call sign is gonna be. (It's ham-speak, I couldn't resist.)

Everything is birth pangs. Volcanoes that erupt, volcanoes that don't erupt, earthquakes of any magnitude, the Euro goes up, the Euro goes down, cold winters, warm winters, epidemics that kill people in dozens, a dictator is deposed, a dictator dies, a new dictator arises, birds sing, babies cry, ad infinitum. If you're a true End of the World fan, everything in the newspaper is a birth pang.

Fact is, our Lord will return precisely when it is His good pleasure to do so, some time between Right Now and the Dim Distant Future. Our Lord Himself told us of the futility of trying to predict when when He'll return. Our charge is simply to be ready when He comes, or when we die, whichever comes first.

Revelations was cleverly written to establish a message and its recipients before it started listing a bunch of signs that easily lead eschatologists on rabbit trails to empty holes.

The trick, IMO, is connecting the sign with the message. God didn't give prophecies for no reason. There was ALWAYS a message connected to them. The signs were confirmations of those messages.

An example would be Isaac. Isaac was a sign to Abraham that all of God's promises about Abraham being the father of an uncountable multitude in a land that God had chosen for them were actually true. Abraham didn't see his descendents nor did he settle down in the Holy Land. But he saw Isaac, and that was enough.

If we ignore the signs, we might miss the messages too. We could easily say that Jesus can come anytime and we should always be ready, but I think that Jesus cares about us enough to keep us from unnecessary suffering and failure.

Example: Jesus told his disciples in Luke 21 that, when they see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, that they should leave the city and country immediately for Jerusalem was to be trampled down until the Times of the Gentiles were fulfilled. Had the Christians stayed, they possibly could have retained their faith in Jesus, but they might have been trapped in a conflict where neither side was a good place to be on.

Perhaps that heeding these signs will keep us on the right track. Who knows? Perhaps the Christians that were traditionally Jews would have got swept up in the rebellion and the Gospel may have never reached the ends of the earth.

Though I can't predict or determine the day Christ comes back, I will look out for the signs so that I can be encouraged and refined by the messages that come with them.