Will the World End on December 21, 2012?
Well. the year 2012 is getting closer by the second. People have already started to panic. Is December 21, 2012 going to be the end of the world? I want you to check out this article from ABC News titled, “Will the World End in 2012?” that tells you the story of a man who is racing to prepare for this day in mythology. He quit his job in 2006 to prepare for this day. He has a list of survival goods that are eleven pages long. Many are profiting off this, whether it’s been providing workshops on survival or publishing books. Should you be fearful of this day?
On a lighter note, after doing some research, I like the response from one person on Yahoo Answers. The question was: How are you preparing for 2011 (2012)? One guy responded, “I’m not prepared for next week, never mind 2011..” Listen everyone, there are always going to be people out there who are going to try to profit off of every little event that you encounter. There are always going to be skeptics and firm believers on every issue. If you believe firmly that there is something tragic that will happen on December 21, 2012, then go right ahead, prepare. However, don’t waste the time you have now.
No. Not according to Walter T. Witschey.
Dr. Witschey wrote to me after my recent sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 in which I mentioned that some people think the world is going to end on December 21, 2012, because that’s what the Mayan calendar “suggests.” It was in that part of the sermon where I was talking about the Day of the Lord coming suddenly, like a thief in the night.
“That’s how it will be,” Paul says. “That’s how it will happen. But the only people it will catch off guard are those who are not expecting it. They will be drunk, and snoring, and sleeping it off when the thief crawls through the window, but you will be wide-awake, sober as a schoolmarm, sitting on the front porch with your suitcases packed. So, why should you worry about ‘when,’ and ‘where,’ and ‘how’ the End will come? You’re ready! You belong to the day, you belong to the light! You don’t have to worry about a thief in the night!” And so, Paul says, stay ready. “Be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” In other words, you who are Christian can protect yourselves against the anxiety of the end-times by clothing yourselves with great faith, great love, and great hope. Those places where you are most vulnerable to attack—your heart, mind, and soul—will be shielded by that impenetrable armor. “For God has not destined us for wrath,” Paul says, “but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
And then I said:
That’s a good thing to remember, isn’t it, when Harold Camping tells us that the Rapture will occur on May 21, 2011, or the Mayan calendar suggests the world will end on December 21, 2012? What Paul is trying to tell us is that end-time prophecy is for others, not for us. Its purpose, as Dr. Philpen has so clearly stated, is to warn those who are not ready, so that they might “get right with God now.”
And that’s where Dr. Witschey corrected me, ever so gently. He wrote:
Dr. Somerville,
It was a pleasure to hear your sermon this morning, via Channel 8 in Farmville, Va..
There were a couple mentions of the Maya calendar, and the special calendar date in December 2012. The calendar has interested me greatly since I was ten years old.
All that you said was true, and offered with a smile…yet there is an important nuance here: although some writers claim, “the Maya calendar foretells the end of the world,” the truth, I believe, is that the Maya calendar and inscriptions, and those who make scholarly study of them, make no such claim or forecast. Such claims (mostly in popular and self-serving forums) are based on an observation of a special date in the Maya count of days.
We write the Maya count-of-days, the ‘Long Count,’ as a five place base-20 numeral such as 12.19.18.16.1 for November 20, 2011 in the Gregorian calendar. That calendar will, in just over a year, increment to 13.0.0.0.0 on December 21, or 23, or other nearby date (depending on how you match our two calendars.) Neither the ancient hieroglyphic inscriptions, nor the modern Maya, nor any Maya archaeologists of standing, claim that this is the day the world ends. Rather, the appropriate claim is that, just like Y2K in our calendar, or 100,000 miles on a car odometer, the next day is just the next day, and the beginning of a new calendar cycle. In the Maya calendar we will write it as 13.0.0.0.1 (and most likely will not need to postpone any of our appointments.)
Having picked that small nit, may I say your central message, “Be Prepared,” came through loud and clear.
2012! It seems like everyone is talking about it. Will the world end? Is this new year our last?
Hey everyone, please consider this an op-ed piece. I will be happy to update this article with answers to any questions you may post below in the comments.
First, allow me to go on record and say that THE WORLD WILL NOT END IN 2012! There is nothing in the Mayan writings (that survived) to indicate anything different. Yes, the long count calendar does finally come to an end in December of 2012, but that is all. Nothing there suggests world destruction. An end to an age, yes. World destruction or Armageddon, no. I know that you have seen the article on my site: 5 Signs the World Will End in 2012 (or even my viral YouTube video 5 Signs the World Will End in 2012). I created them because so many people were asking about the subject. I was sure to end the article with my personal opinion – I do not believe the world will end in 2012.
The YouTube video was really created just to add a link to my site – a way to help people find MayanPredictions.net – definitely not something I have to worry about now! Today, New Years Eve, I have over 20k visitors. The traffic has even shut the site down twice today. Even that horrible video has over 50k views – the counter is stuck on 43k but it has been that way for awhile now.
All this has told me that so many people are absolutely riveted with the idea of the apocalypse – the end of the world! I get so many questions:
Will the world end in 2012? How will the world end in 2012? Why will the world end in 2012?
So, allow me to answer these questions for you.
Will the world end in 2012?
The answer is no. At least, there is no better chance than any other year in the history of the world. Nothing according to the Mayans or Nostradamus or I-Ching or any other damn thing. Is a world ending event possible? Sure, just ask the dinosaurs! However, the Mayans have absolutely nothing to do with a world ending event. There 5000+ year calendar cycle does come to an end at dawn on December 21st, 2012. (Remember, the Mayan day begins and ends at dawn – not midnight.) However, that signifies the end to an age – not the world.
How will the world end in 2012?Is 2012 the end of the world?
Well, the Nostradamus view has always been a meteor, comet, or nuclear war – depending on how you interpreted the quatrains. Another popular belief that has been gaining ground recently has been an earthquake. Other options are the polar shift, solar flares, and a rogue planet collision.
The truth is that none of these have any real factual basis. Could we enter another ice age? Yes, eventually, that will certainly happen, but it isn’t like it would be instantaneous. Could we be hit by a meteor or comet large enough to change the world? Yep. Will the poles shift? Yes, it has happened before!
Look, the earth has been here a lot longer than the human race and will definitely be here long after we are a distant memory. Short of an Alderaan type incident, I am sure the earth will be just fine.
Why will the world end in 2012?
The real question here I think is – “Why do people BELIEVE the world will end in 2012?”
The answer is because of just one guy – Michael Coe. Yep, it is his fault! Now, before you start thinking Michael Coe is just a crackpot, know that he is an archeologist with a doctorate from Harvard who has worked for the CIA. No joke.
Dr Michael Coe – one of the greatest living experts on ancient Mayan civilization – said (in 1966) that the end of the Mayan calendar could actually be the biblical Armageddon. That’s it. That’s what really started it all! Now, for nearly 50 years, we have been building this up in our social conscience. The powder keg is about to explode.
Do you have more questions for me? Feel free to post them below and I will answer them for you.
For more answers, please consider my ebook available on the Kindle: Mayan Predictions 101: What will really happen in 2012?
Nostradamus 2012 Predictions
A talented medical doctor, Nostradamus was one of the most famous French doctors of his time. Born in 1503 in the small French town of Saint Remus, Nostradamus was more than just a doctor. Being a devout Christian, Nostradamus believed that he had an intuitive power to predict the future. Most would consider these forecasts to be a bunch of rubbish; however, most of Nostradamus predictions have been quite accurately foretold. Nevertheless, with accurate predictions such as the fall of Napoleon, the French Revolution, World War I and II, and September 11th attacks, it is no wonder that people are a bit worried for his prediction for apocalypse on December 21st 2012. However, are the facts true? Nostradamus had several prophecies for the 2012 doomsday, such as World War III, the coming of the Antichrist and several natural disasters. Are these predictions as accurate as he foretells or were these just the ramblings of an old man?
Nostradamus was known for his prophecies through his writings. These are 4-lined poetic verses that are known as quatrains. In his quatrains, Nostradamus predicted the 2012 doomsday to begin with several natural disasters. Furthermore, he also predicted a planet to hit the Earth. Scientists named it Planet X but Nostradamus did not name it. Although it is strange to hear a planet would pummel into the Earth, the Ancient Mayans did predict the coming of a planet which they named as Planet Nibiru. Nevertheless, some experts have found that there is a planet heading near the Earth. However, the word “near” stands for 30,000 light years away in this case. That is scientific terms for you. Nostradamus predicted a disastrous war for December 21st 2012.
Many religions have predicted the end of the world to be plagued with wars and natural disasters. Nostradamus 2012 predictions are quite similar. He also predicted the rise of a World War III led by Antichrist himself through quatrains; 50, 30 and 62. In his 30th quatrain he says, “One who the infernal gods of Hannibal will cause to be reborn, terror of all mankind. Never more horror not the newspaper tell of worse in the past, Than will come to the Romans through Babel (Iraq)”, which seems to imply that the Antichrist would arise from North Africa or the Middle East and bring destruction to the Catholic Church. Furthermore, in his 62nd quatrain, Nostradamus puts forward the name “MABUS” as the Antichrist. Some experts even suggest that it is possibly Obama or the Catholic pope! With his accurate prediction of September 11th attacks, it is quite possible to believe in his theory. However, there are those who claim that his quatrains have been misinterpreted.
There is quite a lot of room for interpretation with Nostradamus’ writings as they never actually suggest a date; rather they are just predictions of the future. Some historians believe that although Nostradamus accurately predicted some events, he did not know when they were going to happen. In Nostradamus’ letter to his son, he admits his prophecies “contain each 100 astronomic quatrains of forecasts, polished through obscurely”. In addition, he admits that these prophecies are “perpetual” and has foretold predictions up to the year 3797. If Nostradamus knew the world would come to an end, he would have definitely not bothered writing more predictions.
It is possible that Nostradamus 2012 doomsday predictions are more of a misinterpretation than anything else. However, since there have been so many prophecies from other sources, such as the Mayans, it is likely that something could take place on December 21st 2012. Keep in mind that there have been quite a lot of predictions about the end of the world. It is possible that many people are overreacting to the situation, hence relating every possible prophecy to each other. Keep an open mind, you never know what to expect. Life on Earth has been through many deaths and disasters; it is possible we will live through whatever is to occur on December 21st 2012.
