The 2012 Mayan Apocalypse ate my Twinkie

This year opened with a bang. The long known and feared doomsday prophecy which the Mayans had carved in stone way back in 669 sparked a frenzy of movies, television commercials, articles, and discussions about the precision of their 'prophecy' that the world would end on December 21, 2012.

Though last January was 11 months away from the prophecy, the world had finally entered the threshold of the year in which the prophecy was due to occur. So, we endured silliness like this Hollywood movie:

As an aside, I think that no matter how much the US proclaims that "We Love LA", we nevertheless gleefully insert a clip of LA sliding into the sea at every chance possible. I think we secretly hate LA :)

And this commercial from the Superbowl:

In which only the men owning a Chevy Silverado survived the Mayan Apocalypse.
"Where's Dave?"
"He drove a Ford..."
[moment of respectful silence for the poor car shopper Dave]
"Want a Twinkie?"

Who would have thought 11 months ago that Twinkies would be no more?? The Mayans certainly didn't. I mean, if they couldn't predict the end of the Twinkie, I think that destroys their credibility for making other predictions, like, say, the end of the world. Just sayin'.


I drive a 20 year old Ford by the way. Super truck! I say BAH! to Chevy.

But the specter of the Mayan Apocalypse still survives to frighten another day. Or not...

Tourists are flocking to Mexico's Maya Riviera and Guatemalan resorts ahead of next month's fateful date, as this article reports. The funny thing is, the Mayans did not prophecy the end of the world. Their stone merely marks one cycle ending and another one beginning. "So no need to build giant arks, because the terrible floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions depicted in the Hollywood blockbuster 2012 were not prophesied by the Mayas," say the experts. The title of the article in the Sydney Morning Herald is certain in its comfort:

Relax, the world won't end next month: expert
"The final date represents the end of a cycle in the Mayan long count calendar that began in the year 3114 before Christ. It is the completion of 13 baak t'uunes, a unit of time equivalent to 144,000 days. "It is not the end of the Mayan long count calendar, which is endless. It's the beginning of a new cycle, that's all," said Mexican historian Erick Velasquez."

Well, that's a relief. All that joshing about the end of the world and the vicarious adrenaline pumping thrills they got from watching movies and ads about the ultimate disaster are hitting a little close to home now that it isn't 11 months away - but mere weeks.

Well, the Mayans may have had a good handle on the new math and zodiacal astronomy but only God gives prophecies. Only HE declares things. (Despite what Joel Osteen says)

"Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me." (Isaiah 45:21)

Now that the world is approaching the Mayan deadline for doom, people aren't so pumped up about it. Weird, you'd think they would be even more excited than they were at the beginning of the year now that we are so close to the Mayans' date. Huh.

The 'reassuring' articles are coming out. But don't be reassured by "experts." They don't know what they are talking about.

The world will end. We just don't know when. (Matthew24:36). If you want end of the world prophecies, just look to the bible. Christ's Second Coming and His uncreation of the world at that time is mentioned over 200 times. His Second Coming is the most prominent theme in the NT after faith/salvation. There are 1,845 verses in the bible referring to His Second Coming. Every NT author mentions the Second Coming. We are repeatedly told to study all of scripture, and this does not exclude the prophetic passages. (source: "Christ's Prophetic Plans" pp 14-15, MacArthur& Mayhue)

Genesis records an orderly creation and Revelation 6 records an orderly UNcreation. In the seven-year Tribulation, Jesus strips away all man's infrastructures, all of man's institutions, and all of the landforms and changes the face of the earth to prepare for His 1000-year 'Millennial' Kingdom. The earth at the end of the Tribulation will be renewed but sin will still be present.

After the 1000 years is over, He will melt the earth in a fervent heat and a great WHOOSH and create a new one, and this time there will be no sin forever. (2 Peter 3:13, Isaiah 65:17, Revelation 21:1-4)

The way to escape the end of the world (as we know it according to Revelation 6) is to appeal to Jesus as Savior to forgive you of your sins and accept Him as Lord of your life. Jesus as Savior and Lord over you will declare you righteous and accept you as a citizen of heaven. The only entry ticket you need is Jesus. He paid your entry fee, by dying on the cross as God's substitute sacrifice for sins and He poured out His wrath upon Him. The debt is paid and anyone who wants to claim a seat on the rapture flight can do so, without fee. All you need to do is repent.

This is the promise of the Holy God:

"He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality." (Romans 2:6-11).

So seek Him and not self.

The doom is not anticipating a Mayan end of the world. It is not enduring the uncreation of the world via Jesus's wrath at the end of the age as revelation reveals. The doom is your glorified body and soul enduring God's wrath forever in the Lake of Fire. I daresay that no Mayan prophecy could imagine the agony of that doom as well as the bible records it. Jonathan Edwards preached it:

"Your wickedness makes you as it were heavy as lead, and to tend downwards with great weight and pressure towards hell; and if God should let you go, you would immediately sink and swiftly descend and plunge into the bottomless gulf, and your healthy constitution, and your own care and prudence, and best contrivance, and all your righteousness, would have no more influence to uphold you and keep you out of hell, than a spider's web would have to stop a falling rock. Were it not for the sovereign pleasure of God, the earth would not bear you one moment; for you are a burden to it..."

Now that is doom. But in Jesus is life. Here is 12 minutes that may change your life.

The Gospel: The most terrifying truth of scripture

Comments

  1. its amazing to me how many people will pay attention to the likes of the mayan prophecy even some preparing for what they believe is going to be the end of the world BUT discard the real truth ,the only truth that will save them is our Lord Jesus Christ crucified and risen the third day ,repentance of sin turning from sin ,and trusting in the risen Christ as lord and saviour for salvation ,yes the world will end someday but not according to the mayans or anyone else but according to the word of God if only people would read what Gods word has to say then they would know the truth.

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    1. It is amazing isn't it Mark. When Christ himself preached (who would have more qualified than him?), many did not get it. Only the Holy Spirit in conjunction with the truth/Word is able to give sight to it. We , in our fallen state, flock to that which is a lie.

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