Mervin Thomas poses for the camera. - Leighton Levy

There are some things people see in movies that they don't expect to see in real life. Things like cars blowing up every time they crash, people ducking bullets and those dishevelled-looking insane guys standing on the street corner holding up signs saying 'The End is Near'.

In recent weeks, Jamaica has seen its own version of the latter. He is less dishevelled, he is certainly not insane and his name is Mervin Thomas. Thomas has spent the last three years travelling to every major town and city in Jamaica spreading the word. "We are living at the end of the world and a lot of people living like it is nothing!" he said, standing in the middle of the busy intersection of West Kings House Road and Constant Spring Road yesterday, holding aloft a placard bearing the same message. "The Bible gives us certain signs that we look forward to. It clearly tells you there will be earthquakes in diverse places, wars and rumours of wars. If you go on the Internet, you can prove that there are more earthquakes now than in any other time in history."

the judgement

"The Earth is really to and fro like a drunkard," he sermonised, "it is ready to spew out the inhabitants that are not living right for God, and that is the judgement of God that's going to come, but those who are living righteous will be spared." As Thomas spoke, the wind whipped the banner he held aloft forcing him to put his right leg back bracing against the wind that threatened to topple him.

trying times

The bespectacled Thomas, who is from Montego Bay, has been ministering for about five years now but felt that "more work needed to be done". So about three years ago, he began his mission to tell people that the end of time was nigh. "I got up early one morning and I got this conviction from the spirit of the Lord to make this big banner and go to the streets and declare it," he said.

It has been a long, hard three years and the 46-year-old preacher has endured some very trying times. People have even told him he's crazy for doing what he does. "They have said it to me many times," he said. People say the worst, naughty things but, hey, they crucified Jesus, so should I expect better?"

undaunted

It gets pretty bad, he says, when people curse him calling him things like thief, coke head, drunkard and madman. It hurts when they do but he remains undaunted. "The bad things have an effect on you, it stabs you," he said, "but the good does come equally. I was in May Pen, the other day, and the first comment I had, it was about 7 o' clock, a lady came up to me and said 'Brother, we agree with you', and that kept me throughout the day. You have to know what you're about, you have to be strong."

As he has made his way across the country, he has found accommodation mainly through the help of ministers he knows who help him find somewhere to stay and a hot meal. Once, he said, a man walked up to him and gave him a "bundle of 500 dollar notes", telling him to keep up the good work.

Kingston marks the end of the journey for Thomas who plans to take his message to the Cayman Islands next and then, the rest of the world.

Who says truth isn't stranger than fiction?