Thought for the Month - February 2011

"2012, the end of the World" By Barry Adair

(is nigh?)

No, we haven't gone into the movie review business here in Grove, so please read on…

As I read online of what many people are saying about the year 2012, I was amazed at how many have embraced the idea that the world will end in that year. And obviously a major motion picture on the subject just fuels the fire (excuse the pun!)

OK, so will the earth end in 2012?

I will come to that later but first a quick look at the hype around this date in 2012:

It turns out that 21st Dec 2012 is the end of the Mayan Calendar. Yes, I had to look it up too, and no, it is nothing to do with mayonnaise! We (and practically everyone else) use the Gregorian Calendar but there are other calendars used within the world today. The Mayan Calendar is one such 'other calendar'. This particular calendar 'runs out' on 21st Dec 2012, hence the premise for the film "2012" and cue a lot of minor panic about it signifying the end of time and therefore the end of the world.

Of course, others have been predicting the end of the world for hundreds of years now. Recent examples include the 2000 Millennium Bug scare and the Waco siege in America in 1993. Even today I can see that people are still setting dates for the world to end, even though every other deadline has come and gone.

Going back to the simple question earlier, will the end of the world be in 2012, specifically on 21st Dec 2012? From what the Bible says to me - not a chance!

You may be saying "why so sure?" After all, according to the Bible, no one but God alone knows when the 'end of the world' will come about.

But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone… Mark 13:32

So why not 21st Dec 2012 then? From Bible prophecy, one of the things we do know is that events on planet earth do not get really bad here until after the "Rapture" ~ for a Thought on this very special event, please see here.

In fact, it is 7 years after Bible believing Christians are removed from this scene of time, i.e. "raptured", that this planet reaches an 'end of the world' state. This time period of extreme conditions on the earth is referred to as the Great Tribulation (Matt 24:21, Daniel 12:1). So if the Rapture occurred as you read this, and it could, then it wouldn't be until after 2012 that the earth and it's inhabitants were in perilous danger.

Even after this time of worldwide desolation, the Bible promises that Christ will return to the earth with power and great glory (Matt 24:30) and will set up a worldwide government that will bring peace and prosperity in the 'Millennium Kingdom'. This will be the time which is quoted on the Isaiah Wall opposite the United Nations headquarters in New York - quoting Isaiah 2:4, see photo:

 

The true 'end of the world' is really quite far away. But the time when the world will come perilously close to this condition is not that far away. But closer still is the time when Jesus will return for His own. He will remove those who love Him, and are waiting for Him, before the Great Tribulation arrives (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

I will leave you this month, not with any panic about the world ending, but with a timely reminder that Jesus is coming again soon for those who love Him. Is He coming for you?

Till next month then (God willing)

For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will (Matthew 24:44).

(All quotations are from the NASB)

Are you SURE that you have your place booked in Heaven? Read this if you're not!