regularly goes to a church down the street.Her pastor says the Rapture and Tribulationcould happen in 2012. Bob isn’t sure aboutthe exact definition of those terms—but thatkind of talk still makes him antsy.

He saw some kind of New Age guy on TVwho said something about the Mayan calen-dar ending in 2012. Bob doesn’t know whereor when these Maya lived—maybe it wassomewhere in India—but those ancient peo-ple could have known something we don’t.

Bob is thinking he might cash in that re-tirement account and do something fun withit while there’s still time. He might just putoff that dental work—and maybe thatcolonoscopy the doctor says he needs andtake a long vacation somewhere with Emma.

After all, if gurus and pastors alike are talk-ing about 2012—there just might be some-

thing to it. Bob sees his workplace comingup on the right. Instead of turning

into the parking lot, he gunshis Taurus and heads toward

the bank to find outabout closing out his

retirement account (penalties notwith-standing). By thistime tomorrow,he could be relax-ing on a beach in Cancun withEmma. Bob and Emma

are like a lot ofpeople. They’renot “prophecy

buffs.” They maynot even be very

“spiritual”—but allthis talk about 2012

makes them more thana little anxious —and

may even cause them tomake decisions they may later

regret.

The End Is Near?2012 is less than a year away. Yet the frenzy sur-rounding this particular year has been bubbling fornearly a decade.

Why, you ask? Could it be because that’s the year ofthe summer Olympics in London and the first WinterYouth Olympics in Austria? Because the Super Bowl

6 PLAIN TRUTH

Bob backs his 1987 FordTaurus out of the drive-way on the way to his sec-ond job. He started the job

only a few weeks ago in a futile ef-fort to make ends meet. His wife,Emma, needed surgery and the high de-ductible and co-pay pretty much wipedout their meager savings.

Bob has been under a lot of pressure lately, andright now he doesn’t see much light at the end of thetunnel. He feels like he is on a treadmill—endlesslylaboring but getting nowhere. Bob and Emma, bothin their ‘50s, have a modest retirement account, butlately Bob wonders if they’ll ever see retirement, whatwith the state of the economy, the nation and theworld. The future looks bleak.

And then there’s that thing about 2012. Heck—there may not even be a future.Not that Bob lends any cre-dence to that kind of rumor.But still, he wonders.

While Bob has never beenmuch of a church fan, Emma

...scholars point out that classic Maya inscriptions make few if anypredictions—and certainly none regarding the end of the world (and even if

they had done so, why would their predictions hold any credibility?).

I s i t t h e E n d ?

by MonteWolverton

that year will be in Indianapolis?Because that will be the DiamondJubilee of Queen Elizabeth II? Be-cause Australia and Ireland willswitch to digital television broad-casts? Because Universal Studioswill open a theme park in Korea in2012? Because Ontario and Ottawawill phase out incandescent lightbulbs?

No—while all of the above (andmore) are slated to happen in2012, none of these things are thecause of the current mania.

Some people are becoming hys-terical because they are convincedthat December 21, 2012 is the endof the world as we know it. Oth-ers—the Bobs and Emmas of theworld—may not be hysterical, butthey are being influenced by theissue.

The insanity has been fueled bya series of books, articles, websites,assorted blogs and a popular mo-tion picture. The delirium contin-ues to grow. A recent search of“2012 books” on Amazon.com re-turned some 33 thousand results!

Just a few of the fascinating ti-tles: The Mystery of 2012: Predic-tions, Prophecies, and Possibilities;Apocalypse 2012: An Investigationinto Civilization's End; Planet X Fore-cast and 2012 Survival Guide; Apol-lyon Rising 2012: The Lost SymbolFound and the Final Mystery of theGreat Seal Revealed; Aftermath: AGuide to Preparing For and SurvivingApocalypse 2012; and of course TheComplete Idiot's Guide to 2012.

Hollywood HypeA couple of years ago, as thefire of 2012 paranoia wasspreading through our impres-sionable western culture, Hol-lywood did us the “favor” ofpouring gasoline on the flameswith a sensational science fic-tion movie—2012.

In the movie, solar radiationcauses the earth to heat up, withensuing volcanic eruptions andearthquakes of unprecedentedstrength. As scientists see that theearth is about to be flooded,world leaders get together and

create huge “arks” to savea remnant of the human race fromannihilation. It works. The end.Sorry, I gave away the plot.

The problem wasn’t the movie itself—hundreds of sci-fi flicks andTV shows (most with far better sto-ries) are screened every year with-out people taking them seriouslyand going off the deep end.

The problem was the unethicalpromotion of the movie. 2012’sviral marketing campaign exploit-ed end-times hysteria through afictional organization called the“Institute for Human Continuity”with press releases, blogs, radiobroadcasts and websites dedicated

Decades before the 2012 moviehit the screens, scholars had

noticed that the MesoamericanLong-Count calendar would

complete its 13th minornumerical sub-cycle (b’ak’tun)in December of 2012—completinga period of roughly 5,125 years.

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Mexican author JoséArgüelles claims

that on thatdate, theearth will

passthrough a

“greatbeam” emanating from the center of the galaxy.

7

to further fanning the apocalypticflames.

While the campaign was roundlycriticized for its unscrupulous anddeceptive tactics—and the film re-ceived mixed to negative reviews—that didn’t stop the public fromeating it up. It grossed nearly a bil-lion dollars, including DVD rev-enues.

Of course the movie, as well asthe misinformation disseminated

in its promotional campaign, wasfiction. Yet apparently many peo-ple had a tough time making thisdistinction.

Scientists were bombarded byemail questions from frantic peo-ple, wanting to know if the worldis truly ending on December 21,2012. One scientist reported thatsome teens told him they werecontemplating suicide prior to thatdate.

Over 50 Years of ArcaneSpeculation

Decades before the 2012 movie hitthe screens, scholars had noticedthat the Mesoamerican Long-Count calendar (probably inventedby the Olmec and used by the clas-sic Maya civilization) would com-plete its 13th minor numericalsub-cycle (b’ak’tun) in December of2012—completing a period of

THE END IS ALWAYS NEAR:A TIMELINE OF ABANDONED APOCALYPSES

c 420Augustine of Hippo rejectsmillennialism, explaining thatthe millennium is an allegoryfor the spiritual reign of Christin the hearts of Christians.

70First century Christians, expectingChrist’s imminent return, aredismayed when Roman legionsdestroy Jerusalem, yet Jesus doesnot come back.

c 135In Asia Minor, Montanusproclaims that the NewJerusalem will soon descendfrom heaven in Phrygia. Hisisolationist movement,known as Montanism,spreads throughout theChristian world.

roughly 5,125 years. This,however, was all based on de-batable formulas and startingpoints.

As early as 1957, Mayanistand astronomer Maud Worces-ter Makemson asserted that“the completion of a Great Pe-riod of 13 b’ak’tuns would havebeen of the utmost significanceto the Maya.” In 1966, MichaelD. Coe more ambitiouslyclaimed in his book TheMaya that “there is a sug-gestion…that Armageddonwould overtake the degen-erate peoples of the worldand all creation on the finalday of the thirteenth [b’ak’-tun]. Thus…our present uni-verse [would] be annihilated [inDecember 2012] when theGreat Cycle of the Long Countreaches completion.”

In the ‘70s, several New Ageauthors speculated that Decem-ber 2012 would mark aglobal “consciousnessshift.” Mexican author

c 600-700The growth of Islamprompts EuropeanChristians to believe theend is near, and thatMuhammad is theAntichrist.

As we were working on this issue, we received a sincerenotification of “the order in which the end time events

will occur.” The author invited us to “print off this list andkeep it handy to test if this is true (and share it with as manyas you care or dare to).”

Space does not permit re-printing the long list sent to us.However, here are dogmatic claims about events predicted to take place soon:

“The monumental collapse of the free western economies… TheEuro will crash first (2011-2012) and then 2-3 weeks afterwards the

dollar will do the same.”

“Martial law will be enacted at this point, if it already hasn’tbeen enacted prior for some other unforeseen event, like amassive cyber attack or a pandemic, for example.

“Ten global regions, with a leader placed over each will emergefrom the chaos and the New World Order will be born.”

The author invited us to “share it with as many as you care or dare to”—we share anexcerpt of these claims as a way of illustrating the irresponsible fear-mongering that isdeeply embedded within some religious minds. We are publishing some of these early“predictions” (please note 2011-2012) in this, our Summer 2011 issue, so that you, dearreader, may once again see an example of the wild biblical interpretations (usually as the

result of the interpretive method called “dispensationalism”)that are being proclaimed, in the name of God.

1066The Normanconquest of Englandand the appearanceof Haley’s Cometconvince many thatthe end is near.

c 990Widespread famines, theeruption of Mt. Vesuvius, afire at St. Peter’s and civilwar in Rome are all takenas clear signs of “the end”by many Christians.Midnight, January 1, 1000was seen as the likely timeof Christ’s return.

1099Crusaders captureJerusalem fromthe Muslims, anevent which manybelieve will promptChrist to return.

c 1200Italian mysticand theologianJoachim setsthe date of1260 for thebeginning ofthe “Age of theSpirit” or theMillennium.

We Don ‘t Make This Stuff Up!

José Argüelles claims that on thatdate, the earth will pass through a“great beam” emanating from thecenter of the galaxy.

With the publication of otherbooks and articles over the years,these ideas caught on among thosewho like to believe thatprimitive and bloodthirsty

cultures (engineeringand architectural ad-vances notwithstand-ing ) have spec i a linsight into the future.

But several rep-utable scholars, suchas Rosemary Joyce,professor of anthro-pology at UC Berke-ley, tell us that theancient Maya as-cribed no significanceto this date—otherthan their calendarrolling over in thedistant future. Theycertainly did notthink it was the endof the world, as theycalculated the datesof festivals beyond

this date. “There is nothing in the Maya or Aztec or ancientMesoamerican prophecy to suggestthat they prophesied a sudden ormajor change of any sort in 2012,”says Mayanist scholar Mark VanStone. “The notion of a Great Cycle

coming to anend is complete-ly a modern in-vention.”

Other schol-ars point outthat classic Maya

inscriptions make few if any predic-tions—and certainly none regardingthe end of the world (and even ifthey had done so, why would theirpredictions hold any credibility?).

Somewhat ironically, even themodern Maya lend no significanceto the year 2012. Mayan elderApolinario Chile Pixtun notes that“apocalypse” is a Western conceptthat has little or nothing to dowith Mayan beliefs. Rather, it is

connected with American tradi-tions such as the New Age move-ment and millenarianism.

In spite of the facts, unsuspect-ing folks continue to gobble downthe foolishness like a herd of hogsat slopping time. According to an-other theory, the earth will beblown to smithereens on Decem-ber 21, 2012 by a collision with a

c 1560Nostradamus predicts that “TheGreat King of Terror” will come in1999, triggering the destructionof the civilized world.

...“apocalypse” is a Western concept that has little ornothing to do with Mayan beliefs. Rather, it is connectedwith American traditions such as the New Age movement

and millenarianism.

Given the right timing andcircumstances, and without

keeping a clear focus on faithalone, grace alone and Christ

alone, it seems that nearly anyonecan be taken in by some kind of

religious scam.

1348As the plague kills athird of the populationof Europe, prophetspredict Christ’s returnwithin ten years.

c 1540Martin Luther predicts thechurch's final conflict againstthe Turks and the Pope.

“rogue planet” called “Nibiru” or“Planet X.”

Again, this particular piece of in-telligence seems to have bypassedlegitimate scholars. NASA scientistDavid Morrison reports that nei-ther he nor his colleagues areaware of any such planet, muchless an impending earth-shatteringcollision.

Are people just gullible—or igno-rant—or both? Or, perhaps, as WillRogers once said, “Everybody is ig-norant, only on different subjects.”Maybe many otherwise intelligentpeople are ignorant when it comesto matters of faith—or what theywill allow themselves to believe.

Does it Really Matter? So what if a bunch of New Agersand other fringe eccentrics want tobelieve in Nibiru and the Mayancalendar? After all, don’t we live ina pluralistic society where anyonehas the right to believe anything?

If we took apoll of NorthAmerican be-liefs and opin-

ions regarding the “end time,” wewould likely find such beliefs dis-tributed in a classic bell-shapedcurve. That is, a minority of peoplebelieve in a specific or imminentdate for the end of the world,while on the other end of thecurve a minority of people ab-solutely reject the idea of any kindof apocalypse, whether brought

about by God or humans. In thecenter of the curve is the broadmajority of people—the Bobs andEmmas—who may allow theirthinking and beliefs to be influ-enced by the purveyors of end-time hysteria.

Christendom at large likes to be-lieve it is not part of this extremistfringe. But unfortunately, that ideais an illusion. 2012 paranoia is notlimited to Birkenstock-wearing,pony-tail-bedecked, crystal-strokingNew Agers living in ashrams in themountains north of Malibu.

Sadly, a major source of 2012 mis-information isend-times Chris-tendom. All theBobs and Emmasof the world are

far more likely to accept such hare-brained ideas (and act on them) ifthey believe them to be somehowbiblical (which they are not).

The 2012 frenzy, and apocalypti-cism in general, is grounded in re-ligious millenarianism (the idea ofan end-times cataclysm or GreatTribulation followed by a utopianmillennium).

Some go so far as to claim thatBible prophecy specifies 2012 asthe date of the Rapture and the be-ginning of the Great Tribulation.As one “Christian” website fulmi-nates, 2012 is “…a year fraughtwith meaning and prophetic im-portance. The course of worldevents and global troubles seems tohave suddenly picked up speedand accelerated.”

Christendom at large likes to believe it is not part of this extremistfringe. But unfortunately, that idea is an illusion.

Sadly, a major source of 2012 rumor and misinformation is end-timesChristendom. The Bobs and Emmas of the world are far more likely to

accept such harebrained ideas—and act on them—if they believe them tobe somehow biblical (which they are not).

1664The Great Plague of London kills75,000, followed by the Great Fireof London. Christians believethese events portend the end.

c 1830John Nelson Darby inventsdispensationalism, assertingan imminent Rapture,Tribulation and Millennium.

11

c 1760Methodismfounder JohnWesley suggests1836 as a date forChrist’s return.

What, exactly, does that mean?How do events “accelerate”? Andwhat kind of writer uses the word“fraught”?

Many “prophecy experts” inChristendom scoff at the 2012date—while propounding a date oftheir own devising. Others, per-haps more shrewdly, leave the dateopen while continuing theiralarmist preaching or writing thatthe Rapture and the Great Tribula-tion are just around the corner(witness the success of Tim La-Haye’s Left Behind series). Youwould think that after decades of

Two CaseStudies in FailedEnd-TimesPrediction Elizabeth Clare Prophet,who died in 2009, was the founder(along with her husband MarkProphet, who died in 1973) of theChurch Universal and Triumphant(CUT). CUT is a New Age group (re-lated to Theosophy) which claims toreceive teachings from a cadre ofdead “Ascended Masters.” MarkProphet, allegedly now an Ascended

Master himself, claimed to have livedpast lives as several notable figures,including Noah, Mark the Evangelist,Pharaoh Akhenaten, Louis XIV,Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and SirLancelot (that last figure is generallyregarded as fictitious by reputablescholars, but what do they know?).

Prophet and his wife had grown upunder the influence of various meta-physical philosophies, includingRosecrucianism, New Thought,

such failed predictions, peoplewould catch on. But history tells usthat end-time augury has beenthriving for nearly two thousandyears (see “The End is Always Near:A Timeline of Abandoned Apoca-lypses”) and few people seem to bethe wiser. Today, end-time preach-ing, publishing and movie-makingis a huge part of the big business ofChristendom.

“End-Times” Teaching—KeepingPeople in Line?The fact is, there is absolutely noBible prophecy that points to 2012or any other date for the end ofthe world or the Rapture or theSecond Coming of Christ or thebeginning of the Tribulation.Most of the prophecies in the

Old Testament thatp e o p l e w r o n g l yapply to the “end-times” were fulfilledmillennia ago, andmany New Testa-ment prophecieswere fulfilled withthe fall of Jerusalem in70 AD. The remainingprophecies are largelymisinterpreted — butthere are still no datesgiven (for more detailsread Greg Albrecht’sbook Revelation Revolu-tion). All such dates arefiction—not the enter-taining kind of fiction,but destructive religiousfiction (the worst kind).The end-times, as it is

Charles Taze Russell in 1911

Chart showing endwould come in

1975—WatchtowerSociety’s magazine

Awake!

c 1880Charles TazeRussel, founder ofJehovah’sWitnesses,preaches thatChrist has alreadyreturned “invisibly”in 1874 and thathe will take fullcontrol in 1914.

Millerite prophetic timechart from 1843, about theprophecies of Daniel andRevelation.

William Miller, founderof Adventist movement

c 1840Adventistmovementfounder WilliamMiller sets 1844as the year ofJesus’ return.

1909Cyrus Scofieldpublishes hisReferenceBible,containing JohnNelson Darby’sdispensationalistscheme.

The end-times... is one of religion’s mosteffective tools to keep its followers inline…obeying its tyrannical rules,….

Christian Science and the Self-Real-ization Fellowship.

Their original organization, found-ed as the Summit Lighthouse inWashington D.C., moved throughseveral iterations and locations, in-cluding Colorado Springs andPasadena, finally landing in Mon-tana, where they planted the head-quarters of the Church Universal andTriumphant.

Church members followed a longlist of religious rules and regula-tions—most of these rules were sup-posedly given to Elizabeth inthousands of “dictations from theAscended Masters.”

Members believed Elizabeth to beinfallible, despite shortcomings, suchas her f iery temper and the fa-voritism shown to her own family. Asthe church expanded, Elizabeth con-ducted conferences in Africa, attend-ed by thousands. She also met withAfrican heads of state.

In the late 1980s, Elizabeth pre-dicted that nuclear war with Russiawould break out on April 23, 1990,and urged CUT members to buildfallout shelters and stock them withprovisions. Of course, nuclear wardid not happen, and the cost ofbuilding fallout shelters in addition topaying the required tithes had takenits toll on many church members,who were left heavily in debt orbankrupt.

Unfazed, Elizabeth explained thatnuclear war had been narrowlyaverted by the prayers of her faithfulfollowers. Not long afterward, it was

discovered that the church (whichpurported to advocate peace andlove) was using the offerings of thefaithful to amass a huge cache ofweapons and ammunition—just incase.

Not surprisingly, church member-ship took a sudden drop. This shouldhave been the welcome end of an-other religious cult.

Yet the church continues, with con-gregations in major U.S. cities and agrowing international membership—in addition to several successfulspinoff groups led by former churchofficials.

One major lesson we can learnfrom this story is that no matter howthoroughly an idea has been de-bunked, people will persist in theirbelief.

Harold Camping is presidentof Family Radio Stations, boastingworldwide broadcast facilities andmore than 150 outlets in the UnitedStates.

Camping was brought up in theCalvinist Christian Reformed church,and served as an elder and SundaySchool teacher, while running a con-struction company. He holds a B.S.in civil engineering.

Camping founded Family Radio in1958, with San Francisco stationKEAR, later adding affiliates in NewYork City, Philadelphia, WashingtonD.C. and Los Angeles.

His Open Forum program, inwhich he answers listeners’ Biblequestions, is trans-lated into sev-eral languages

and aired on shortwave, cable andInternet worldwide.

Until recently Camping claimed tohave calculated the exact dates ofthe Rapture (May 21, 2011) and theend of the world (October 21, 2011).

As early as the ‘70s, Camping haddeveloped his own unique view of

Biblical chronology. In 1992, basedon his calculations involving the He-brew calendar, Jewish festivals andthe lunar month, combined withother numbers found in the Bible, hesuggested Christ’s return might beon September 6, 1994. Failing that,he offered the above dates in 2011.

As of this printing, the Rapture hasapparently not happened—and wehave our doubts about the end of theworld being in October of this year.

In January of 2010 a San Francis-co Chronicle reporter asked one ofCamping’s followers what wouldhappen if May 21, 2011 came andwent without incident. He answered:“I can’t even think like that. Every-

thing is too positive right now.There’s too little time to thinklike that.”

Is there time to think now?

1980Hal Lindsaywrites thatthe 1980s“could verywell be thelast decadeof history aswe know it.”

1966Jehovah’sWitnesses predict1975 as the datefor the beginningof the Millennium.Evangelist HerbertArmstrong alsosuggests this date.

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popularly conceived is really noth-ing more than a longstanding andelaborate hoax perpetrated by thosewho really should know better. It isone of religion’s most effective toolsto keep its followers in line, paying

and obeying

its tyrannical rules, rituals andregulations.

Given the right timing and cir-cumstances, and without keepinga clear focus on faith alone, gracealone and Christ alone, it seemsthat nearly anyone can be takenin by some kind of religiousscam. I have been down thatroad myself, so it isn’thard for me to recognizethis process with regardto the 2012 phenome-non.

In reality, there is al-ways the chance of somedisaster or catastrophe oc-curring at any time andplace. We hope and praythat it doesn’t, but somedisaster could happen inthe year 2012. Or 2013.Or tomorrow.

The appropriate Christian re-sponse is not endless speculationas to when the next cataclysm willoccur—but how we can help ourfellow human beings if and whendisasters strike, whether they bebig or small.

There are, in fact, many tribu-lations (Acts 14:22) and antichrists(1 John 2:18) in the world as youread this. Christ is coming for a lit-tle over six thousandpeople in the worldevery hour—in thesense that their physi-

cal lives are ending and they facetheir Creator.

The good news is—while Chris-tendom may be rife with end -timesanxiety—Jesus himself is a sourceof comfort and hope. Christiansought to be resting in and trustingin Jesus irrespective of threats orfears, real or imagined, fictional or

factual. As Paul wrote, “For I am con-vinced that neither death nor life,neither angels nor demons, neitherthe present nor the future, nor anypowers, neither height nor depth,nor anything else in all creation, willbe able to separate us from the loveof God that is in Christ Jesus ourLord” (Romans 8:38-39). ❑

14 THE PLAIN TRUTH

1988Edgar Whisenant publisheshis book, 88 Reasons Whythe Rapture Will Be in 1988.Target dates weresubsequently revised to1989, 1993, 1994 and 1997.

1992A Korean prophet declaresthat the Rapture will be onOctober 20 or 28 of thatyear. 20,000 KoreanChristians leave school orquit jobs to await the end.

The appropriate Christian response is not endless speculation as to whenthe next cataclysm will occur—but how we can help our fellow human

beings if and when disasters strike, whether they be big or small.

The good news is—while Christendom maybe rife with end -times anxiety—Jesus

himself is a source of comfort and hope.Christians ought to be resting in and

trusting in Jesus irrespective of threats orfears, real or imagined...

Constant speculationrequires frequentmoving of the goalpost.

2000The end of civilization ispredicted becausecomputers allegedly willnot recognize the year2000. Opportunistscash in selling booksand freeze-driedsurvivalist food.January 1 comes andgoes. Any problems areeasily remedied. Theworld moves on.