My heart pounded when I saw a lightning strike across the thick, dark skies from the open windows of my bedroom. I hurriedly closed my laptop, turned off my mobile phone and clogged my ears with my index fingers, because I knew what followed the glittery lightning - Thunder! I loathe these natural atmospheric phenomena so much. I weirdly believe I could be struck dead if I had unknowingly ill-treated someone to incur their wrath.

So, I briskly sought refuge on my bed, which lay on the bare-tiled floor in the corner of my small single room. Covered my entire body with the cloth my mother gave me almost 7 years ago. At least, I thought, the cloth would insulate me against any bad omen the lightning came with.

The rains had set in wildly, and with it came deafening thunder. This was the second precipitation of rain I had witnessed on the day.

It was Christmas Eve in Kumasi, and in a long while, the city and by extension Ghana had rarely seen drizzles in the early days of December, not to mention a downpour on the 24th day of the month. I cannot vividly recall the last time it had rained on the eve of Christmas in Ghana. We usually expect our lips, feet and skin to be dried out under the sweltering harmattan during such times, but this year’s appeared different.

Everyone was anticipating an uncomfortably hot weather. But our lips are now ever pink, more succulent and kissable for the season. Mwah!

As I lay on my bed, frightened, I reckoned, “Could this be a sign of Ebo Noah’s prophecy? Hei Ebo Noah!” Should this be true, how was I going to travel from Kumasi to the coast to meet him?

For you who know Ebo Noah, you’re probably laughing while reading this. But if you don’t, his second name should ring a bell. Still?? Then, let me gist you.

Ebo Noah is a self-acclaimed prophet in Ghana. He had, for months, not taken to his social media to proclaim he had received a vision from his supreme deity that the world was going to end on Christmas Day. The plot twist? Floodwaters, like in the days of Noah in the Biblewereas going to destroy the world.

He claimed to be the biblical Noah of our time. God, he says, had instructed him to build an ark to carry along those who would heed the gospel and join him on it.

He became a social media sensation, attracting both local and global attention. However, many people, especially those of the Christian faith, disputed his proclamation, arguing that God had a covenant with humanity not to destroy the world with water.

For months, Ebo Noah stood by his vision – the world was going to end on 25th December.

The clock ticked, days went by, hours screeched closer to Christmas day. Just minutes into the eve of Christmas, there we saw the clouds forming. Soon after, the rains came down. Was Ebo Noah’s faith manifesting? Would the rains last for days like in the days of Noah? I was jokingly bombarded with these questions.
After a few minutes of the rain, it stopped. Night came, and Christmas day crept in quietly. A bright morning sky greeted the day set aside by Christians to mark the birth of Jesus Christ. Everyone went about their daily chores. An introvert, I stayed home, imprisoned in my bed and laptop, writing this article.

Rain but no floodwaters on Christmas Day

On Christmas day, I least expected the rains to fall. But there across my window again, I saw water vapour had condensed into precipitation, beating my roof and trickling down the pipes connected to the tip of the roof. The clouds were not so thick enough to pour out so much of their excess, but at least it rained.

I knew very well, it was soon going to stop. Lo and behold! As if a seer myself, the rains stopped right after. The downpour couldn’t even fill the drains to overflow onto the roads.

One thing was certain: my God had promised not to end the human race with gushing water. In fact, 2 Peter 3:7 reads “But the heavens and the earth that now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men” - the Armageddon, in which God destroys this world with fire.

But rains on Christmas Eve and day? That was unusual for our climate.

A changing Climate

December in Ghana has long been known to be one of the hottest periods in Ghana. People usually expect the last rains in November, which ushers in the harmattan. But this year’s has been unprecedented. The atmosphere is yet to see the usual dry, hot and dust-laden trade winds. Maybe the wind is being magnanimous for Ghanaians to relish the festivities without gasping for breath at the late-night parties or saying passionate and poignant prayers to God.

We can’t even tell whether or not we are in the dry season.

But I am only here to remind you that our climate has changed. The Earth is heating up. We must adapt to these impacts, but must institute pragmatic measures that would safeguard the world that is already destined to be ravaged by fire.

Let not our greed for opulence burn it before the Supreme being does. Climate Action is now! Save the Earth!

Anyway, Ebo Noah says God has given him ample time to build more arks.