Beware, a tsunami might be at hand for Jamaica. Well, at least that's what one prophetess, Carone Gordon, the evangelist and visionary behind Called to the Kingdom, in St. Thomas, is warning the nation of.

Gordon is among several prophets and prophetesses in religious circles who have been making their predictions for the four-day-old year. While several of these persons are predicting doom and destruction on the horizon, there are those who say there will be increased prosperity and positive change for Jamaica.

"It's been for the last two and a half years God has been speaking to me about the tsunami. I have sent out text messages, fliers, emails and word of mouth," Gordon said in her prophecy sent to THE STAR in an article.

She says this damnation, which may happen in 2008 or beyond, is as a result of the many atrocities Jamaicans are committing against God. She says the nation is "being chastised" for all of them.

Jamaica, she says, needs to be redeemed. "If this fails to happen then God will do it Himself through His wrath, baptising this nation with a tsunami as only water can wash these *lo** stains away. Though these visions tarry, they will soon come to pass," she said. Therefore, she strongly urges Jamaicans to pack their important documents away and move to higher ground. The evidence, she says, is seen in the depletion of the nations water sources.

Rebellious nation

Another Pastor Richard McKenzie, from central Jamaica is also foreseeing an impending disaster for the island. This, he says, does not have a specific timeline like the disaster spoken of by Gordon. "I am calling on the rebellious nation to arise, there is going to be a disaster. Open your eyes and pray. Disaster everywhere," he said. He also prophesied that there would be a change in the face of Jamaica, simultaneous with the occurrence of an earthquake.

For Pastor Samuel Blackwood from the True Missionary Church of God in Clarendon, however, there will be many positive changes for Jamaica this year. "There's gonna be a shift as it relates to crime and violence. We are assured of that. We got that from the Lord," he told The STAR. "We are gonna see some big changes in Jamaica. The gunmen are gonna be in hiding. It has already begun. We have been praying for this and it is happening." Pastor Blackwood also prophesises that people's lifestyles will improve, as poverty will be reduced.

With the changes, Pastor Blackwood said, everything else will fall in place and Jamaica will return to its former glory. "We will get back that Jamaica that my parents talk about," he said. He said things would not be "prim and proper, but we will be able to function."

But while these prophets revealed their warnings in a desperate attempt to change the nation, there were conflicting reactions to them from members of the public with who THE STAR spoke.

"Yeah, man. Prophecies are real to many. Many Jamaicans believe them," says Kay, a resident from St. Catherine. She says the wide belief in the daily horoscope is a prime example. "Nuff people buy the newspaper jus fi dat and dem really tek it serious," she told The STAR.

Many prophecies

Kay also pointed out that there was a strong belief in the prophecy made by Pastor Phillip Phinn of the Word of Life Ministries that Portia Simpson Miller would win the last general election. "It was a big thing. People actually believed him. Even Portia herself actually believed it. Obviously, there was an element of faith in this person," she said.

Robert, a resident of Kingston, said he strongly believed in the many prophecies being made about the future of Jamaica. "I believe them. They have to be true, as long as they are from the Bible, they are true," he said.

Unlike Robert, Patrick, a Rastafarian from St. Andrew, said many of these prophecies are only opinions and judgements, thus he shuns them. "Church people don't know weh dem a do. Dem jus a try a ting fi get more people behind them," he said. Many Jamaicans, he said, would believe the many prophecies because of the religious nature of the country.

Another Rastafarian said he only believed in the prophecies of Marcus Garvey and persons like himself because many prophecies had been made but were still unfulfilled. "We see so many come an seh dis and dat a go happen an all now nutten," he said.

Despite the disbelief, Gordon, however, continues to warn the nation. Failure to heed these warnings, she said, will result in a "lamentation [and a] funeral of this nation."