Predictions about 2012?

Dear Pastor Andy, did you know that the Mayans aren't the only ones that predicted the date of 2012?  In fact, the Pyramids have it carved inside on stone, the Bible Codes are saying it and so are Nostradamus predictions. Isn't that a coincidence?

My Reply:

So what of the predictions about 2012? Well, first of all, Nostradamus wasn't always correct...for example, he never predicted the place or year of a supposed great California earthquake, and his "famous" prediction of the rise of Hitler is said to be "sketchy".

Second, I've always wondered about the "knowledge" of the Mayans, for if they knew when the end of the world was going to come, then why are they (almost) extinct today? I mean, if they could predict the end of the world, then why didn't they know when their end would come, or that it would, and work to prevent it? For all we know, they may have just run out of writing space on their calendar.

And as for the Bible Code, they figure everything out after the fact...they can't tell when things are going to happen or even what's going to happen. It's like they find a letter in one word, then another one in the sentence below it, then so on until they have a word spelling out the event of something that happened, then say the code predicted it. It's really quite bogus.  To see how crazy the Bible code is, click here to see where somebody found "predictions" of famous assassinations in the novel, "Moby Dick".

The thing about predictions is that there has to be a method to tell if such is a true event to happen or not.  God gave such measurements in Deuteronomy 18:22: "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord has not spoken...so don't be alarmed."  But what about psychics and those who consult demons? Well, we know that Satan knows that his time is coming soon, yet he does NOT know when. So if Satan doesn't know when the end will occur, then neither can his demons. And if his demons don't know, then anything that somebody speaks that's not of the Lord cannot be correct in their predictions. This includes the Egyptians, for we know that at the time of the building of the pyramids, they were worshiping their king, as well as many other false gods.

So why the "coincidence" of 2012? Satan's an idiot, but he does a great job of misleading people into believing his lies. So what better way to mislead people into believing that the world will end in 2012 than to place hints everywhere? And when you look at the predicted dates, they all have the same year, but the months are in conflict (May 21, October 21, December 21). So which one to choose?

Bottom line, nobody knows when the end will actually occur. In fact, when Jesus' disciples asked Him, Jesus said that only the Father knows the date. Jesus also gave signs of what's to come before it happens, and told us to watch (as did Daniel, Zechariah, and John's Revelation). So when you look at the events that have taken place up to this point so far, it only makes sense that it'll be soon - which may also explain why so many churches are currently doing Bible studies and sermon series on Revelation, and people like you are asking about 2012.

But as for an exact date revealed, there's really no way of knowing. Jesus may return today, tomorrow, next week, or 50 years from now. OUR job until then (as Christians) is to watch for the signs, share Jesus with others, and be ready.

---Pastor Andy