by Dr. David R. Reagan
The 2012 hysteria has produced a doom boom that has
been fueled by a series of television programs and the recent Hollywood
blockbuster film.
It all relates to a calendar developed by the ancient
Mayan civilization that was centered in the Yucatan Peninsula of
Mexico. Their society flourished from about 250 to 900 AD, when it
experienced a sudden, unexplained collapse.
The Mayas developed an advanced society that featured
large cities built around stepped pyramids that also served as temples.
They excelled in mathematics and astronomy. Combining the two, they
produced a series of 20 different types of calendars. It would not be an
overstatement to say that the Mayas were calendar-obsessed.
Their calculations were incredibly accurate. Without
the help of calculators, computers, or telescopes, they were able to
determine the length of a lunar month to be 29.53020 days. The actual
length is 29.53059 days.1 Their solar year was calculated to
be 365.2450 days minus an error of .002. Modern calculations put it at
365.2425 plus an error of .0003.2
The Mayas had three main calendars.3 One
was a solar calendar that was based on 20 day months. The second was a
ceremonial calendar that was related to the 260 day cycle of Venus. It
was their third measure of time, the Long Count Calendar, that was
related to the year 2012.
The Long Count Calendar was a measure of "world age
cycles" that repeat over and over again. This calendar was divided into
five units or cycles that started with the mythical date for the
creation of the Mayas — August 11, 3114 BC. The fifth cycle was supposed
to end on a date that corresponds to December 21, 2012 on the Gregorian
Calendar that is used in the Western World. Since the calendar ends on
that date, some modern day interpreters have jumped to the conclusion
that it marks the date for the end of the world.
The man who put 2012 on the map as a pivotal date for
world history was José Arguelles, a Mexican-American, who authored a
mystical book in 1987 titled The Mayan Factor.4 He was also instrumental that year in organizing a worldwide event called the Harmonic Convergence.5
During two days in August, people were urged to gather at sacred sites
to awaken the "energy grid" of the world and thus initiate a 25-year era
of spiritual growth that would culminate in 2012.
Since that time, a man by the name of Christian John
Meoli has been organizing and conducting 2012 conferences that have the
flavor of a Star Trek convention. He plans to hold the final conference
on December 21, 2012 at the Mayan pyramids in Mexico. He describes 2012
as "the shift," and the slogan for his conferences is "Shift Happens."6
Meanwhile, the History Channel on television has
promoted the 2012 craze with a zeal, broadcasting a whole series of
programs focused on the date: "Mayan Doomsday Prophecy" (2006), "Last
Days on Earth" (2006), "Doomsday 2012: The End of Days" (2007), "Seven
Signs of the Apocalypse" (2009), and "Nostradamus 2012" (2009).
Other Apocalyptic Factors Related to 2012
There are other factors that are fueling the 2012
hype. One is the fact that the same date, December 21, 2012, allegedly
marks the first time in thousands of years that the galactic alignment
of the sun and earth with the center of the Milky Way will occur.7 Some have theorized that this cosmic event will cause the earth's poles to reverse, resulting in major catastrophes.8
Also causing concern is the prediction by the
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) that 2012 will be a peak
year for the sun's cycle, resulting in a very dramatic increase in
solar flares.9 Estimates are that the next sunspot cycle will
be 30% to 50% stronger than the previous one in 2000. If correct, the
years ahead could produce a burst of solar activity second only to the
historic Solar Max of 1958.
To no one's surprise, the Nostradamus fans have also
jumped on the 2012 band wagon. In 1994, Italian journalist Enza Massa
was at the Italian National Library in Rome when she stumbled upon an
unusual find. It was a manuscript dating to 1629, titled: Nostradamus Vatinicia Code.
Michel de Notredame, the author's name, was on the inside in indelible
ink. This manuscript, never published by Nostradamus, was handed down to
the seer's son and later donated by him to Pope Urban VIII.10
The book is full of bizarre images and mystical
quatrains. Its contents have not yet been completely revealed to the
public, but there are rumors all over the Internet that it contains
predictions of the end of the world in 2012.
And then there is the Bible Code. Michael
Drosnin, the author of the book that popularized the code, states that
the words, "earth annihilated" appear in correspondence with the year
2012.11
Finally, there is the Web Bot Project that was
started in 1997. It was originally created to predict stock market
trends. But it has expanded in recent years into a program that claims
to be able to predict future events by tracking keywords entered on the
Internet.12 When the date, December 21, 2012, is entered into
Web Bot, the prediction emerges that there will be "a cataclysmic pole
shift in 2012."13
The Counter Arguments
There is not a single academic Mayan scholar who has
endorsed the idea that the conclusion of the fifth cycle of the Mayan
Long Calendar will signal the end of the world. In fact, they have
mocked the idea as nothing more than an Internet urban legend.
Dr. Sandra Noble, the director of the Foundation for
the Advancement of Mesoamerican Studies, has pointed out that there is
no declaration in Mayan literature that the end of the world will occur
when the Long Calendar ends its fifth cycle. On the contrary, she says
its conclusion would most likely have marked a time of celebration for
the Mayas and the launching of another five cycles of the calendar.14
Keep in mind too that the Long Calendar has been
interpreted in various ways by the scholars. Some have deciphered its
ending date to be anywhere between December 21 to December 27 in 2012.
But others have calculated the end date to be either in 1957 or 2050.15
Establishing a specific date and linking it to an
end-of-the world scenario appears to be the work of sensationalist
hucksters and New Age mystics mystics who have used the world's greatest
rumor mill — the Internet — to create unjustified hysteria.
Regarding galactic alignment, again it appears that
all the predictions of cataclysmic events are based on junk science.
Academic astronomers have pointed out that the alignment will span a
period of 36 years. That period began in 1998 with a convergence that
was even more precise than what it will be in 2012, yet there have been
no dire consequences.16
In contrast, the prediction of increased solar flare
activity in 2012 is based upon solid science. Every 11 years the sun
goes through what is called a solar cycle. During the peak time of this
cycle, the sun's magnetic poles switch. This produces, in turn, solar
flares which are pieces of the sun which are discharged into space,
carrying with them radiation and strong electrical currents. They
usually fall back on the surface of the sun. But sometimes a very strong
flare, called a Coronal Mass Ejection, will shoot into space like a
bullet. These flares can cause major power blackouts when they hit power
grids.17
The prediction by the National Center for Atmospheric
Research that solar flare activity could increase 30% to 50% over
previous years is a legitimate cause for concern. It could result in
large scale blackouts, and it could affect such things as satellite
communication and cell phones.18
But even the scientists who have issued the warnings
have not predicted cataclysmic results. And they have not proposed any
specific date. In fact, one of the lead scientists for the National
Space Science & Technology Center (NSSTC) argues that the maximum
sun flare activity is more likely to occur in either 2010 or 2011.19
The Nostradamus "prophecies" are hardly worth
mentioning. This man was a demon possessed practitioner of witchcraft.
His so-called prophecies are poetic quatrains that are so obtuse as to
be unintelligible. They have therefore never been used to prophesy any
event before it happens. Instead, the Nostradamus groupies apply a
quatrain to an event after it happens, and even these applications
require a vivid imagination. In fact, the writings of Nostradamus are
often doctored to make them more applicable as "prophecies." There is
nothing in any of his published writings that has reference to the year
2012.20
With regard to the Bible Code, I believe there is no
doubt that there are mathematical wonders coded in the Bible that point
to its supernatural origin,21 but I do not believe there are
secretly coded prophecies that are hidden beneath the surface of the
text. The prophecies God has revealed in His Word are clearly stated in
the surface words. Serious Bible code researchers have distanced
themselves from those like Michael Drosnin who try to use the codes like
a crystal ball to predict future events.
Drosnin's Bible Code prediction about the earth being
annihilated in 2012 must be considered in reference to the fact that
when he published his book in 1997 he claimed that the codes predicted a
nuclear war in 2000 or 2006 and a comet strike on the earth in 2006.22 These events failed to take place.
That leaves us with the Web Bot Project, which is the
silliest bit of evidence that could possibly be presented. All this
system does is catalogue the consensus Internet opinion on any given
topic. It amounts to prophecy by majority opinion, and that opinion is
derived from the Internet rumor mill!
Are We Near the End?
I think it is clear that all the 2012 hysteria is
unfounded. But would it be accurate to say that even if the 2012 date is
wrong, we could very well be near the end of the world?
Well, that all depends on what is meant by "the end
of the world." The only reliable source of information about the future
is the Bible. We know it is reliable because it contains hundreds of
very specific prophecies about persons, cities, and nations that have
already been fulfilled in history. It also contains 109 specific
prophecies about the Messiah that were fulfilled in the life of Jesus of
Nazareth.23
The Bible prophesies the end of the current age, the
end of the current world system, and the end of the natural world as we
know it today. But it never prophesies the end of the world in the sense
that the universe will cease to exist. In fact, it clearly states that
planet earth will exist forever. Let's consider each of these in order.
The End of the Current Age
The Bible teaches that Mankind entered a whole new age on the Day of Pentecost in approximately 30 AD.24 On that day the Holy Spirit fell upon the Apostles and they were empowered to preach the Gospel (Acts 2:1-4).
Peter preached the first Gospel sermon, and the Church was established
when three thousand people responded and accepted Jesus as their Messiah
(Acts 2:14-41). We have been living in the Church Age ever since.
The Age of the Last Days also began on the Day of Pentecost. The prophet Joel had prophesied that in the "last days" God would pour out His Spirit upon all mankind (Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17). When the three thousand responded to Peter's sermon, they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38),
and all believers have received that gift since that time. The writer
of Hebrews referred to his day and time in the First Century as "the last days" (Hebrews 1:2). The Apostle Peter did the same thing in his writings (1 Peter 1:5 & 20). And the Apostle John called his day the "last hour" (1 John 2:18).
Before Jesus died and the Church Age began, He referred to His day as "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24).
He was referring to the period of time when the Jewish people would
live under Gentile domination without a king anointed by God. That
period began in 586 BC when Israel was conquered by Babylon, the Davidic
monarchy was ended, and the Jewish people were carried away into
captivity. This period continues to this day simultaneously with the
Church Age because the Jews still suffer from Gentile domination, and
their God-anointed monarchy has not been restored.
The Church Age will conclude when the Church is taken out of this world on the day of the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13- 18). The Second Coming of Jesus, approximately seven years later,25 will mark the end of the Age of the Last Days. It will also mark the end of the Times of the Gentiles.
The End of the Current World System
At the end of the Tribulation, when the Second Coming
occurs, the current world system will also come to an end. When I refer
to the "world system," I am talking about the way human society has
operated since Adam and Eve were ejected from the Garden of Eden.
All the societies of the world, despite their
particular forms of government and their types of economies have
revolved around the ego of Man. They have thus been characterized by
unrighteousness and injustice and war. Greed has ruled supreme. Power
has always corrupted. The dispossessed have been exploited. Winston
Churchill perhaps summed it up best when he observed, "Democracy is the
worst form of government except all those other forms that have been
tried from time to time."
Since the beginning of human history, people have
yearned for a world of peace, righteousness and justice. Time and time
again they have placed their hopes in politicians who have promised them
the moon, and time and time again their hopes have been dashed. But the
good news of God's Prophetic Word is that the current world system is
doomed.
Jesus is returning to institute a radically new world
system. It will be a theocracy characterized by the rule of the rod of
iron (Psalm 2:7-9 and Revelation 2:27). He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords from Mount Zion in Jerusalem (Revelation 19:16).
His Word will be the law of all nations, and it will be enforced
worldwide by those of us who will be reigning with Him in glorified
bodies (Isaiah 2:2-4 and Daniel 7:13-14, 18, & 27).
There will be no political parties, pressure groups
or legislatures. Greed will be replaced with decisions based on fairness
and equity (Isaiah 11:4-5). Vulgarity will give way to holiness (Zechariah 14:20-21). Poverty will be swallowed up in abundance (Micah 4:4). Righteousness and justice will be fulfilled (Isaiah 11:3b-5). Peace will flood the world as the waters cover the seas (Micah 4:3).
The End of the Current Natural World
Many Christians believe that at the end of the Lord's
millennial reign the cosmos will be consumed with fire and cease to
exist. A corollary of this is a belief that since the material universe
will cease to exist, the Redeemed will live eternally in a non-material,
ethereal spirit world called Heaven.
These beliefs are derived from a passage in 2 Peter 3 that says, "The
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass
away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat,
and the earth and its works will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10).
If that's all the Bible had to say about the matter, then we could
rightfully conclude that the material universe will one day come to an
end.
But a few verses later the same passage states that according to the promise of God (Isaiah 66:22), we can live "looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells" (2 Peter 3:13). Further, the same passage refers to the original earth as having been "destroyed" by water (2 Peter 3:5-6).
This does not mean that it ceased to exist. What it means is that the
original earth was radically changed by the Noahic Flood. In like
manner, the current earth will be destroyed by fire, meaning it will be
radically changed, not that it will cease to exist.
This interpretation is sustained by the fact that the Bible teaches that the current earth is eternal: "Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever" (Ecclesiastes 1:4; see also Psalm 78:69 and Psalm 148:6).
Chapter 21 of Revelation affirms that the Redeemed will live forever on a new earth in the presence of God. As verse 3 puts it, "the tabernacle of God" will be "among men."
In other words, Heaven will come to earth — to the new, renovated and
perfected earth that has been cleansed of all the pollution of Satan's
last revolt at the end of the Millennium.
A Series of Earths
Most people are surprised to learn that the Bible
reveals that we are currently living on earth number three and that
there are two earths yet to come.
Earth 1
The first earth was the one created in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). It was perfect in every respect (Genesis 1:31). But because of Man's sin, God placed a curse upon the earth (Genesis 3: 17-19).
Have you ever stopped to think what a "perfect" earth
must have been like? There certainly were no meat-eating animals or
poisonous animals or poisonous plants. All of nature was at peace with
itself and with Man. Adam and Eve did not have to strive against nature
in order to produce their food. And there were no natural cataclysms
like tornados, hurricanes, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
The Bible indicates that the curse radically altered
the nature of God's original creation. Instead of Man exercising
dominion over nature, as originally planned (Genesis 1:26, 28), nature rose up in conflict with Man, as poisonous plants, carnivorous animals and climatic cataclysms suddenly appeared.
Earth 2
The curse radically altered the original earth, but
the second earth was still quite different from the one we live on
today. There is much biblical evidence in both Genesis and Job that the
second earth had a thick vapor canopy which shielded life from the
ultraviolet radiation of the sun, contributing to the long life spans
recorded in Genesis (see Genesis 2:5-6 and Job 38:8-11).
The whole earth was like a greenhouse with thick
vegetation growing everywhere, even at the poles. There was also
probably only one large land mass.
Once again the sinful rebellion of Mankind motivated God to change the nature of the earth (Genesis 6:11-13). The change agent this time was water. It appears that God caused the vapor canopy to collapse (Genesis 7:11). He also caused "fountains of the great deep" to break forth upon the surface of the earth (Genesis 7:11).
Earth 3
Like the curse, the flood radically altered the nature of the earth. It produced the third earth, the earth we live on now.
The earth tilted on its axis, forming the polar caps.
The unified land mass was split apart, forming the continents as we now
know them (which is why they fit together like a jigsaw puzzle — see Genesis 10:25).
And the vapor canopy was so completely depleted that ultraviolet
radiation began to reach the earth in unprecedented levels, resulting in
greatly reduced life spans, first to 120 years and then to 70 years.
The Bible reveals that the current earth will be
radically changed again at the Second Advent of Jesus. The change agents
will be earthquakes on the earth and supernatural phenomena in the
heavens.
The changes produced will so totally alter the earth and its atmosphere that Isaiah refers to "the new heavens and the new earth" which will exist during the reign of the Lord (Isaiah 65:17).
Earth 4
The fourth earth — the millennial earth — will be
very different from the present earth. The earthquakes that will produce
it will be the most severe in history.
Every valley will be lifted, every mountain will be lowered, and every island will be moved (Revelation 6:12-14 and 16:17-21). Jerusalem will be lifted up, and Mt. Zion will become the highest of all the mountains (Zechariah 14:10 and Micah 4:1).
The vapor canopy will likely be restored because life spans will be expanded to what they were at the beginning of time (Isaiah 65:20, 22).
Further evidence that the vapor canopy will be
restored is to be found in the fact that all the earth will become
abundant once again with lush vegetation (Isaiah 30:23-26 and Amos 9:13-14). The Dead Sea will also become alive (Ezekiel 47:1-9).
Most important, the curse will be partially lifted,
making it possible for Man to be reconciled to nature and for nature to
be reconciled to itself. The wolf will dwell with the lamb because the
wolf will no longer be carnivorous. The nursing child will play with the
cobra because the cobra will no longer be poisonous (Isaiah 11:8).
Earth 5
But Satan's last revolt at the end of the Millennium will leave the earth polluted and devastated (Revelation 20:7-9).
Thus, at the end of the Lord's reign, God will take the Redeemed off
the earth, place them in the New Jerusalem, and then cleanse the earth
with fire (2 Peter 3:10-13).
In other words, God will superheat this earth in a
fiery inferno and then reshape it like a hot ball of wax. The result
will be the "new heavens and new earth" prophesied in Isaiah 66 and Revelation 21.
This will be the fifth earth, the perfected, eternal
earth where the Redeemed will spend eternity in the New Jerusalem in the
presence of God (Revelation 21:1-4). The curse will be completely lifted from this earth (Revelation 22:3).
Conclusion
There is no reason for you to fear the "end of the
world" if you are a born-again child of God. You have the promise of
living eternally with God on this earth after it has been redeemed and
perfected.
But if you have never accepted Jesus as your Lord and
Savior, you have every reason to fear the future. The signs of the
times given in the Bible indicate beyond a shadow of a doubt that Jesus
is about to return to take His believers out of this world in
preparation for the pouring out of God's wrath during a period of seven
years that the Bible refers to as the Tribulation.26 It will
be a time of unparalleled horror on this earth, so terrible, in fact,
that one-half of humanity will die during the first three and a half
years!27
God does not wish that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
That's why He has provided us with signs to watch for that will
indicate the season of His Son's return. We are in the midst of that
season. We are living on borrowed time. Don't delay. Give your heart to
Jesus today (John 3:16 and Romans 10:9-11).
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