2012
The Mayan calendar allegedly predicts the world will end on December 21, 2012 with catastrophic, apocalyptic events. Journalist Lawrence Joseph forecasted widespread catastrophe in Apocalypse 2012: A Scientific Investigation Into Civilization’s End.
Books like 2012: The Return of Quetzalcoatl and Mel Gibson’s 2006 film, Apocalpyto, about Mayan civilization, also have stirred interest.
These dooms day prophecies have not just stirred interest they has terrorized a lot of people.
NASA’s Ask an Astrobiologist Web site, for example, has received thousands of questions regarding the 2012 doomsday predictions—some of them disturbing, according to David Morrison, senior scientist with the NASA Astrobiology Institute.
“A lot of [the submitters] are people who are genuinely frightened,” Morrison said.
“I’ve had two teenagers who were considering killing themselves, because they didn’t want to be around when the world ends,” he said. “Two women in the last two weeks said they were contemplating killing their children and themselves so they wouldn’t have to suffer through the end of the world.”
In 2009, the movie 2012 was released about the end of the world.
Roland Emmerich directed 2012, another disaster flick in which he yet again destroys earth. Plugged In says this about 2012:
Emmerich has, in his most popular films, destroyed the world in many colorful ways: through aliens (Independence Day) through climate change (The Day After Tomorrow) through Japanese monsters (Godzilla) and, now, because an ancient Mayan calendar told him to. In terms of sheer body count, Emmerich makes Jason Vorhees look like a pacifistic boy scout.
Wikipedia, calls these end of the world predictions the 2012 phenomenon.
Did we not learn anything from Y2K and Harold Camping’s prediction about the rapture on May 21, 2011? I mean we are still here! Apparently the only person raptured was Camping who has been missing since May 22.
The world will not end for at least another 1007 years. Biblical eschatology teaches that the next event on God’s Coming Events is the rapture which is followed by seven years of Tribulation which is then followed by the 1000 year reign of Christ. Then comes the end of the world as we know it. All conservative Bible teachers hold to a rapture. Some have the rapture happening before the Tribulation Period, others believe the rapture occurs 1/2 through the Tribulation, some 3/4 through the Tribulation and some at the end. Even Amillennialists, who do not believe in a literal Tribulation and Millennium, believe the rapture will occur just before eternity.
The rapture is imminent, i.e., no signs have to be fulfilled for the Lord to return. Every other view of the Rapture has the preceding signs of the Tribulation Period taking place prior to the rapture. You cannot believe in signs before the Rapture and also the any moment return of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, after discussing the rapture, which he believed come occur in his lifetime, Paul commanded us to “comfort one another with these words.” There is not much comfort if you have to endure part or all of “the great day of His wrath” (Revelation 6:17).
Doomsday predictions have been and still are wrong. See Ten Failed Doomsday Predictions. What is true is the return of Christ and the sequel of events that follow. If you know Christ as Savior, His soon return is the blessed hope (Titus 2:13). If you don’t know Christ you will be “Left Behind.”
So what is the remedy for doomsday fear?
Jim Rawles, founder of SurvivalBlog.com says, “We stress being prepared.” Survivalblog.com is an online clearinghouse for surviving what he calls TEOTWAWKI, survivalist shorthand for “the end of the world as we know it. The end of the world might come as an economic collapse, a giant solar flare, or a nuclear attack.”
I agree we need to be prepared, but prepared for the coming of Christ. Again, the world is not going to end in an economic collapse, a giant solar flare or a nuclear attack. Jesus said, “Let not your heart be troubled, you believe in God believe also in me….I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there you may be also” (John 14:1-3). Have you believed in Jesus? Have you received Him as your Savior? Then let not your heart be troubled because He will return and receive you unto Himself before any of the endtime tragedies begin or the world comes to an end.
