"An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen"

No, Andy Burnham isn't about to appear on Question Time. Relax. It's just that David Wilkerson, author of The Cross and the Switchblade (edited read: gang leader finds Jesus) and, until now, reasonably respected pastor, has been "compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message". He's done so on his blog: whether the HS specified this as the best means of communication is unclear.

David writes:

AN EARTH-SHATTERING CALAMITY IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. IT IS GOING TO BE SO FRIGHTENING, WE ARE ALL GOING TO TREMBLE - EVEN THE GODLIEST AMONG US.

Lawks.

For ten years I have been warning about a thousand fires coming to New York City.

Oh, I know David. You bang on for years and years and do they listen? Do they hell. Nightmare.

It will engulf the whole megaplex,

Surely that's a cinema?

including areas of New Jersey and Connecticut.

Love the bathetic quality of that "areas of". It's an earth-shattering calamity, but parts of Connecticut will be fine? What's so earth-shattering about that? Come on, David!

Major cities all across America will experience riots and blazing fires—such as we saw in Watts, Los Angeles, years ago.

That's more like it.

There will be riots and fires in cities worldwide. There will be looting—including Times Square, New York City.

Be a bit odd if Times Square was a looting-free zone in all the circs, really, I'd have thought.

What we are experiencing now is not a recession, not even a depression. We are under God’s wrath.

Now that's a line David Cameron could think about using. Catchy. Would spice up PMQs.

Luckily, Wilkerson has some practical advice:

If possible lay in store a thirty-day supply of non-perishable food, toiletries and other essentials.

Good thinking. See you in the tinned soups aisle at the Co-Op.