As we approach 2012 people are naturally wondering if it means the end of the world… If you do any searches on the internet on the subject of 2012 you will find all kinds of views as to what will happen. It ranges on everything from absolutely nothing to the vaporization of the world as the world’s ocean’s evaporate and the atmosphere is burned off as Jupiter becomes a second sun in our solar system. With all of these divergent views no wonder so many people are confused on the subject. I would submit that like any other subject that has to do with the fate of humankind, we need to go to the once source that has been proven right over and over again. The only source that can accurately predict the end of the world, in my opinion, is the Bible.
What does the Bible have to say about 2012?
The Bible does not give us a date for the end of the world. In Matthew 24 Jesus gives us a number of signs that will tell us when the end is near but he never gave us a specific date or year of his return. In fact, the Bible tells us that no one knows the date or the hour in Matthew 24:36, ““But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” God has purposely kept the time of his return secret from everyone in the universe. If even the angels in heaven don’t know the day or hour of the end of the world we need to accept that we won’t either. Now not knowing the day doesn’t mean that the end of the world has to catch us by surprise. There are a number of signs all around us that are a fulfillment of what Jesus spoke about in Matthew 24.
Basic signs of the end of the world
- The earth would start to do funny things. More earthquakes, natural disasters and unexplainable phenomenon. “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” – Matthew 24:7-8
- Persecution would increase against God’s people as the gospel is preached in life transforming power all over the world. This will happen even among so called Christians. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another.” – Matthew 24:9-10
- People would gradually become interested only in themselves while becoming more disobedient. A disregard for laws and rules would increase and love would decrease. “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” – Matthew 24:12
The Bible never talks about the earth being destroyed to the point of exploding and ceasing to exist. It doesn’t talk about having to move to another planet. In Revelation 21-22 the Bible tells us that God will recreate this earth to its pre-sin condition. We don’t need to worry about planets having to align or a mysterious planet-x coming out of nowhere to make our lives hell. All of these ideas are coming our of things like the New Age, astrology, ancient astrologers like the Mayans or Egyptians. God isn’t their source. It is coming from another source that is at war with God and sowing confusion. Each of us has to make a choice as to what they will listen to and what they will reject.
As for me, I choose to believe in God and the Bible. It is the only source that has proven to be accurate and have supernatural ability to predict the future. Everything else is simply speculation.