2012: The End of Time?
We’re well on our way to December 21,2012, the date, that many believe, marks the end of time. This belief is based on the assumption that the ancient Maya recorded and predicted this date (as the end of time) on their Long Count calendar more than 2,200 years ago. The History Channel reported the following: “The Maya who developed the Long Count calendar believed the end of one cycle would simply signal the beginning of another. According to this logic, a new Grand Cycle will start on December 22, 2012. However, some people in the U.S. and Europe have come to believe that the calendar will not reset itself. Instead, they say, the end of the cycle will bring the end of the world. Some of these doomsayers claim that there is a scientific explanation for their prediction: On December 21, they say, the winter solstice and the Milky Way’s equator will align; the sun will align with the Milky Way’s Galaxy in an incredible phenomenon that occurs only once every 26,000 years” (History.com).
As Christians, what are we supposed to think about such outlandish predictions? Since it has to do with the end of time, which is to happen when the Lord returns (2 Peter 3:10), it makes sense to see what the Bible says. Let’s start with a passage from Matthew 24:36 which clearly states that “no one knows, not even the angels of heaven” when the Lord will return. Furthermore, the fact is stated by Jesus, Paul, and Peter that this day will come “like a thief in the night” (Matthew 24:43, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4, 2 Peter 3:10). So it’s clear that no one knows when the world is going to end, and since that is a fact stated clearly in the Bible, no one can accurately predict when that day will come. In fact, we are warned to stay away from those who attempt to do so (Luke 17:23).
In addition, neither historians nor astronomers put much credence in these predictions connected the Mayan Long Count Calender. Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer, wrote, “In fact, according to archaeologists, it wasn’t the Mayans who linked the end of the 13th b’ak’tun with the end of the world. According to Mexico’s National Institute of Anthropology and History, when Judeo-Christians began to decipher Mayan writings, their preconceived notions of apocalypse and the end of the world led them to link Mayan calendar cycles with doomsday” (LiveScience.com). Let me insert a side note: the “Judeo-Christians” mentioned here apparently did not have a clear understanding of what the Bible teaches on this topic, otherwise, they wouldn’t have even attempted to make such connections. Nonetheless, scholars say that even modern Mayan communities call the end-of-the-world stories “gringo inventions.”
Furthermore, to make these predictions even more bizarre, some have linked these predictions to an alien take over. Again, the History Channel included the following in their article concerning these predictions. “Other prognosticators have more outlandish theories. Some believe that the Maya were following extraterrestrial instructions when they developed their calendar while others fear that aliens will use the Long Count calendar to time their takeover of our planet” (History.com). It seems that so many are engrossed with the idea that aliens are going to somehow be involved with our demise.
So what should our response be to the “2012 Doomsday” predictions? As already pointed out, no one can accurately predict when the world will end. It could very well happen December 21, 2012. It could even happen tomorrow or in the next few minutes. We simply cannot know when that day will come. That’s why the Bible consistently warns us to always be ready for the Second Coming of Jesus (i.e. the end of time). Jesus said, “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). Peter echoed this sentiment when he wrote “But 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. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…” (2 Peter 3:10-12).
Are You a Good Person?
Most people like to think of themselves as being a good person. In fact, if I were to stand before a congregation of 500, or even a 1,000 people, and ask for a show of hands of everyone who felt they were a good person, I would guess that everyone in the room would raise their hand. Why? Because all of us, even the worst of us, have some good traits; and so, we characterize ourselves as being “good” because of the “good” traits that we possess and the “good” things we do. However, God’s definition of a “good” person may be quite different from what most of ours is.
In Matthew 19:16-22 we read of a young man who, like so many of us, thought of himself as a good person. Living under the Old Testament economy, he had been faithful in keeping the commandments from his youth up (verses 18-20). This was the type of guy who would have visited the sick. He would be first on the scene to help the needy. He would have gone the extra mile in helping his neighbor. He was, what we might call, a “good ol’ boy.” So when this young man approaches Jesus and asks, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?” (verse 16), he was not looking for an answer; he was looking for confirmation.
Instead, Jesus knowing what was on this young man’s mind, challenges his perception of what it means to be good. Jesus responds: “Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only One who is good…” (Verse 17) Jesus was directing this young man’s attention to the one and only person who can define what is good – God! In this young man’s mind keeping the commandments was what made him a good person, and yet, because he was unwilling to sell all that he possessed and give to the poor and follow Jesus, his goodness was lacking! The one thing he “lacked” was total commitment to Jesus; as a result, he went away sorrowful (verse 22).
Another example that illustrates this point is the example of Cornelius (Acts 10). Cornelius was the first Gentile to be offered the gospel. He is described as “a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewish people and prayed to God continually” (Acts 10:2). Certainly this man would fit most people’s definition of what it means to be a good person, and yet, according to Acts 11:14, at the time this description was given to him in Acts 10:2, he was still lost. Because he had not yet obeyed the gospel and completely surrendered to Jesus Christ, he was lost – despite all the “good” things he was doing.
Of all the great things the rich young ruler did in his life, he was not found “good” in the sight of God because he was unwilling to surrender all to Jesus Christ. Although Cornelius was described as a devout man, he was not saved until he surrendered all to Jesus in obedience to the gospel (Acts 10:47-48). Christianity is not just about being good and doing good; it’s about surrendering all to Jesus. Just because a person lives, what they may think is a “good life” does not mean they are right with God. Instead of looking for confirmation, let’s look for sanctification through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Birth of Jesus
The birth of Jesus was a monumental event to say the least. It was conceived in the mind of God before the foundation of the world. It was prophesied in detail hundreds, even thousands of years beforehand, made a reality by the power of God, and announced by angels. However, the importance of this event lies, not in the fact that a baby was born, but in the fact that a Savior was born. That is to say, the real importance of His birth is that He was born to die; to die for the sins of the world!
He came into this world to be a Savior (Luke 19:10), and this was the main purpose of His birth. This is seen in the fact, that even at His birth, He is introduced to us as the Savior (Luke 2:11). So do we recognize and rejoice at the birth of Jesus? Certainly we do; however, the emphasis should be placed on His death. Therefore, instead of setting aside only one day a year to remember and reflect on the birth of Jesus (something we have no scriptural basis for), let us do as the Scriptures teach and remember and reflect on His death weekly as we partake of the Lord’s Supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). And, even on a daily basis as we strive to glorify His death in the way that we live.
So as we come together this holiday season with family and friends, let’s follow the advice of the apostle Paul, “making the most of your time” (Ephesians 5:16), by proclaiming the true meaning of the birth of Jesus – that He was born into this world to become a Savior through His death. What greater gift could be given to someone you love than the gift of eternal life that comes through preaching and accepting the gospel message. Make the most of the time you will spend with family and friends by sharing the gospel with them; a message that includes, as Paul declared, the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Truth Exploration 