Define: Apocalypse : Define: Apocalypse - An Apocalypse is a disclosure of something hidden from the majority of mankind in an era dominated by falsehood and misconception, i.e. the veil to be lifted. The term also can refer to the eschatological final battle, the Armageddon, and the idea of an end of the world. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse
Is The End Near? : Is The End Near? Overall, the year 2012 has become a focal point for millions of people around the world, although admittedly, the epic center of this timely tsunami is the United States or, at least North America. While disaster scenarios and apocalyptic literature have always been popular fodder for a certain segment of the public, 2012 has drawn more than its fair share of attention. So much seems to center on a date that is rapidly approaching. This begs the question: “Why 2012,” or, more precisely, why December 21, 2012?
BIBLE PROPHECY
The Holy Bible is filled with prophetic statements. With limited knowledge on the subject, I will narrow the topic to the Book of Revelation, the last chapter in the Bible. The Book of Revelation is filled with strange and awesome imagery that is interpreted by many in different ways. Early in the book, it discusses the state of affairs among seven churches in Asia Minor. Then, the book starts dealing with the prophetic vision John (a servant of Jesus Christ) received from God.
John appears before the seat of God surrounded by angels of depicted in strange ways and one of the angels representing Jesus grabs a scroll with seven seals from the one who is sitting on the right hand of God. Only Jesus is worthy to open the scroll. At that point the prophecies of our future begin to reveal themselves.
From the Book of Revelation
6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, “Come!” 6:2 So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.
6:3 Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 6:4And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword.
6:5 Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. 6:6 Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
6:7 Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 6:8 So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.
6:9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 6:11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
6:12 Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; 6:13 and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind. 6:14 The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 6:15Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 6:16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 6:17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
6:1 I looked on when the Lamb opened one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a thunderous voice, “Come!” 6:2 So I looked, and here came a white horse! The one who rode it had a bow, and he was given a crown, and as a conqueror he rode out to conquer.
6:3 Then when the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come!” 6:4And another horse, fiery red, came out, and the one who rode it was granted permission to take peace from the earth, so that people would butcher one another, and he was given a huge sword.
6:5 Then when the Lamb opened the third seal I heard the third living creature saying, “Come!” So I looked, and here came a black horse! The one who rode it had a balance scale in his hand. 6:6 Then I heard something like a voice from among the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat will cost a day’s pay and three quarts of barley will cost a day’s pay. But do not damage the olive oil and the wine!”
6:7 Then when the Lamb opened the fourth seal I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come!” 6:8 So I looked and here came a pale green horse! The name of the one who rode it was Death, and Hades followed right behind. They were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill its population with the sword, famine, and disease, and by the wild animals of the earth.
6:9 Now when the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been violently killed because of the word of God and because of the testimony they had given. 6:10 They cried out with a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Master, holy and true, before you judge those who live on the earth and avenge our blood?” 6:11 Each of them was given a long white robe and they were told to rest for a little longer, until the full number was reached of both their fellow servants and their brothers who were going to be killed just as they had been.
6:12 Then I looked when the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and a huge earthquake took place; the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the full moon became blood red; 6:13 and the stars in the sky fell to the earth like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when shaken by a fierce wind. 6:14 The sky was split apart like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved from its place. 6:15Then the kings of the earth, the very important people, the generals, the rich, the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 6:16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 6:17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
The amazing symbolism runs throughout the rest of the book and of course it is highly debatable as to what is to be taken literally or symbolically. Further judgements are released upon the earth in the form of seven trumpets, two witnesses, a dragon (the devil), the beast (the antichrist) and the false prophet, and seven golden bowls. The judgements passed on to the Earth and it’s inhabitants include:
- Plague
- Earthquakes
- Hailstorms
- Fire
- Famine
- Meteor storm
- Lack of drinking water
- And more
Eventually the prophecy leads up to the antichrist assuming world domination with his false prophet overseeing the one-world religion. The antichrist rules the world for a period of time until the battle of Armageddon. At this point, Jesus Christ returns to earth and destroys the armies of the antichrist. Then the false prophet and the antichrist along with the devil are thrown down into the lake of fire. Interestingly enough, the story continues to state that the devil must be released one more time after Christ’s 1000 year reign. At this time a final battle takes place with the devil losing and being vanquished into the lake of fire forever. At this time God’s kingdom is setup for eternity and all who accept Jesus as their savior are allowed access to the kingdom of God.
The summary above is brief and this book alone can be studied over and over in order to digest all the symbolism and meaning behind the words. The book of Daniel and Ezekiel contains many prophecies as well. Bottomline, it all has to do with the battle between good and evil, the sides people pick and the ultimate fate of their choices. Following evil leads to permanent separation from God and accepting the salvation through Jesus Christ gains entry to a eternal life with God.
WHY 2012?
Many people are discussing 2012 as the end of the world due to interpretations of predictions contained in the Mayan calendar. The Mayan civilization was extremely advanced in mathematics, engineering and astronomy. They also had an incredible understanding of time and space. Various calendars were in use to track time in linear progressions within cycles. The “Great Cycle” of the “Long Count” calendar equates to 5,125.36 years. The current Great Cycle is due to be completed on the winter solstice of 2012, December 21. So, it has been interpreted that on this day, the Great Cycle ends, time ends, so the Earth must end as well. However, there are different opinions on what this end date really means.As mentioned, some believe cataclysmic events will take place in December 2012 with the ultimate destruction occurring on December 21, 2012. Others believe that the world will not end, but instead humanity will enter a new age, marked by significant changes physically and mentally.
Hopefully destruction will not occur and it will be just another day. Maybe there will be some cosmic transformation. Anything is possible and it makes for an interesting discussion none-the-less.
THE MAYAN CALENDAR
The Mayan calendar is not actually a single calendar that westerners are used to referencing today. It is actually a complex system of multiple calendars used in conjunction. Two calendars used in conjunction are the Tzolk’in and the Haab. The Tzolk’in calendar consists of 260 days. The Haab consists of 365 days. The combined use of these calendars creates a cycle of 52 Haabs (52 years) and is referred to as the Calendar Round. Small cycles of 13 days (Trecena) and 20 days (veintena) exist as well.Another calendar used to track longer periods of time is referred to as the Long Count. This calendar is used to track dates relative to each other on a linear scale and utilizes a numeric decimal system to record dates. For example, the Mayan date for December 21, 2012 is 13.0.0.0.0. The long count cycle referred to as the “Great Cycle” lasts for 5,125.36 years. Correlating that to the Gregorian calendar used by most people in the world today, the starting date of the current long count cycle is August 11, 3,114 B.C.
Another interesting cycle is the precession of the equinoxes lasting approximately 26,000 years. The long count of 5,125 years is 1/5 of that cycle. December 21, 2012 marks the end of the Long Count and Precession Cycle. A fascinating astronomical occurrence will take place that day. The sun will be seen in a conjunction with the crossing point of the galactic equator and the ecliptic which is referred by the Mayans as the Sacred Tree. Since this is due to take place on the winter solstice, this should provide clear evidence that the proper end day of the Mayan calendar is December 21, 2012. Some say December 22,nd, 23rd or even other dates. However, the solstice was an important day to the Mayans and it is logical to think that they would conclude their calendar cycle on this day, coupled with the fact of the rare astronomical occurrence set to take place that day.
Overall, the Mayan calendar system is amazing and complex. It is the most accurate calendar system ever invented by anyone. The complexities go far beyond my capabilities to explain so I have listed links below to serve as excellent resources of information.
NOSTRADAMUS
The most famous doomsday prophet is Nostradamus. He is best known for his book Les Propheties. He wrote his prophecies in a poetic style, in “quatrains.” Many of his prophecies dealt with disaster such as plagues, earthquakes, wars, floods and the coming of three antichrists. However his predictions are vague and people tend to apply his words to many situations. Some examples of his predictions are:The year 1999, seventh month,
From the sky will come a great King of Terror:
To bring back to life the great King of the Mongols,
Before and after Mars to reign by good luck.
The present time together with the past
Will be judged by the great Joker:
The world too late will be tired of him,
And through the clergy oath-taker disloyal.
The year of the great seventh number accomplished,
It will appear at the time of the games of slaughter:
Not far from the great millennial age,
When the buried will go out from their tombs.
Long awaited he will never return
In Europe, he will appear in Asia:
One of the league issued from the great Hermes,
And he will grow over all the Kings of the East.
Reference Links
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