by Ramesh Richard

Is the world ending December 21st, 2012?

Only if it doesn’t end before then.

In biblical conviction, the end of all things is at hand (I Pet. 4:7); the Lord’s coming is always near (Jas. 5:8). There is no real historical obstacle for the next major event in God’s running of human history when Jesus will “snatch away” his living people to join those risen from the dead to meet the Lord in the air (I Thess. 4:17).

End-of-the-world scenarios have always haunted the human mind—one of the unique markers of our humanity is our awareness that the end will come, whether personal or global. However, specific date setting is not encouraged in the Bible. That’s why we hold that Jesus could come before December 21—the date set by one interpretation of the Mayan earth-cycle, supposedly corroborated by a colorful Nostradamus prediction currently making the rounds on social media.  In 2011 a Christian radio-speaker gained notoriety with consistently wrong calculations. Looking back neither May 21 (his first date) nor October 21 (nice second try) were discernible in propelling the conclusion of history. He was verifiably wrong.

The argument Christians should not use however, to debunk specificity in date-setting is the declaration of Jesus that no one knows the day or hour (of His coming) except the Father (Matt. 24:36). That assertion relates to Jesus’ intentional, pre-resurrection limitations in some temporal details to be lifted soon after his resurrection. Right after the resurrection, the disciples asked, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority” (Acts. 1:6-7). Here he doesn’t acknowledge his earlier limitation, just theirs!

So, December 21st is not suspect as the day the world ends because Jesus himself didn’t know the specific time. His voluntary self-limitation during the incarnation reverted to pre-incarnate prowess in body (he traveled through locked doors, John 20:19) and mind (he did not deny knowing these times and epochs any more, Acts. 1:6-7). He knows the time; we do not. So we should not practice date-calculation.

Now nothing should keep us from believing that the world will one day end. Peter noted that mockers will always ridicule the delay in Christ’s coming. Of course, Jesus delays his coming for all people to have a chance at repentance, including skeptics and mockers (2 Pet. 3:1, 9).

Further, whether the rapture happened May 21/October 2011 or the world ends December 21, 2012 is quite easily verifiable (and again falsifiable). If you and I are around on December 22, do write me at ramesh@rameshrichard.com just to make sure that I am not the only one left behind.

Here’s the final reason you want to listen to Jesus concerning end-of-the-world scenarios. Several times during his tenure on the earth, he said he would die and be raised the third day (Matt. 17:22-23; 20:18-19; 1 Cor. 15:3-5). That third-day resurrection was easily verifiable (and falsifiable). Since he predicted that he would raise himself the third day and did, you should seriously consider his view of personal conclusion and global culmination.

What is it?

First, there is the end-of-the-world for each and every human being in death—the ugly and inevitable equalizer of humanity. The world mourns this week for the young dead in the US and the various dead in Congo, Syria, and all over the world. Jesus brings eternal life to every human being, a gift that provides God’s hope in the middle of loud tears and broken hearts. He also promises God’s life as beginning now—the present meaning of eternal life.

And there is the total end-of-the-world, as in all history. Jesus will either be our eternal Savior now or Final Judge later of all people (John 5:25-27) including the violent killers at elementary schools, shopping malls, and movie theaters. While you are not as heinous as these mass murderers, you too need to survive past this life. And an eternal life that lasts past his life is what the Lord Jesus offers at this very appropriate moment for any who personally believe on Him as one’s only Savior.

Let ‘s talk.

ramesh richard

rameshrichard.com

December 17, 2012