What will happen in 2012?

I’ve read a lot about how there is going to be some big catastrophe in the year 2012, some say it will be the end of the world as we know it. Since the Y2k. disaster didn’t happen, this story is becoming more popular with doomsday prognosticators and I have had people ask me about it. Most of the doomsday predictions come from the Mayan calendar which most experts figure will end about Dec. 21 2012. The Mayans were able to develop a very accurate calendar, their first ones however were short and had to start over often, one was 365 days, another shorter. The Mayans then created a long count calendar, better for recording history since it didn’t have to start over often. This calendar was roughly 5126 years and most experts have calculated that it will end Dec. 21 2012. But this doesn’t mean the end of the earth, it just meant that the calendar starts over, like ours does every midnight on Dec 31. Here are a couple of things that I’ve found on the subject.

The astronomer Philip Plait has stated very clearly that the Mayan calendar does not end in 2012 at all, that it is like the odometer on your car, as each section of the odometer reaches 9 and then clicks over to 0, the next number to it starts a new cycle, so that when all the numbers again reach 0 all the way across the odometer - the last number will change from 1 to 2 and the new cycle starts all over again.

"These prophecies of doom really don't have any basis in what we know about the Maya," said Stephen Houston, a professor of anthropology at Brown University and a specialist of Maya hieroglyphic writing. "The Maya descriptions barely talk about this event." Instead, Houston said, the Maya saw their "long count" — the longest of their cyclical calendars — coming to an end in 2012 but also beginning anew on that date, without disastrous consequences.

Another 2012 prediction interestingly enough is based on the bible. This comes from Daniel’s seventy week prophecy. It is an end times prophecy of seventy- seven year periods (or weeks).  Some have associated this with Sabbath years which come every seven years and calculated that the end of the 70^th year, or period was 2005, and then the

 seven year tribulation starts which will end in 2012 with Christ’s return. To believe this now, one would have to believe that the events in Revelation are symbolic or spiritual and not real since we haven’t seen a war and famine that kills one quarter of the world’s population or a great earthquake that shakes the whole world.

Biblically, I can assure you that 2012 is not the end of the world, Jesus’ second coming and the battle of Armageddon won’t come that soon, too many things have to happen first. The most 2012 could be is the beginning of the end, the beginning of the seven year tribulation period where God sends His judgments against the world.

One of the end times prophecies that will take place before the tribulation is an attack on Israel described in Ezekiel chapters 38-39. According to this prophecy, Russia and Iran will lead a coalition of countries to gather to attack Israel. Before this attack happens, God will supernaturally destroy the armies threatening Israel. After they are destroyed, Ezekiel 39: 9-10 says;

“Then those who dwell in the cities of Israel will go out and make fires of the weapons and burn them, shields and bucklers, bow and arrows, clubs and spears; and they will make fires of them for seven years, so that they will not need to take wood out of the field or cut down any out of the forests, for they will make their fires of the weapons. They will seize the spoil of those who despoiled them, and plunder those who plundered them, declares the Lord God.

These verses say that Israel will live off the salvage of the battle for seven years, since this hasn’t happened yet, the end of the world is at least seven years away.

But this end times prophecy is one that happens before the seven year tribulation. The book of Revelation says that midway through the tribulation, the antichrist will attack Israel and they will have to go in hiding for the last three and a half years. The seven years of using the salvage would have to come before this since Israel will have to hide in the desert and won’t have access to the salvage at this time. Doing the math, Jesus’ return and the battle of Armageddon are at least ten and a half years away, and that’s if the attack on Israel happens within a year which is possible. If Israel were to attack Iran to destroy their underground nuclear weapons plant, this could trigger this prophecy, especially if they have to use nuclear tipped bunker busters to do it. If this does happen, it’s possible that the seven year tribulation could start as early as the end of 2012.

So, if we see these things happen, should we start making preparations and store provisions for 2012? Not if you have put your faith in Jesus. One of the promises Jesus makes to His believers in Revelation is in chapter 3:10

Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.

Since the tribulation is to try non believers, Jesus has promised to keep His believers from this time. Sometime before the tribulation starts, God will rapture all believers to heaven so they won’t have to go through the trials He is going to send on the earth. If you are a believer in Christ, you have nothing to worry about in 2012. If you aren’t a believer, you should reconsider and accept Christ as your personal savior. If you choose not to, maybe you should start stocking up!