This movie has gotten a lot of hype lately. I’ve heard dozens upon dozens of people saying that they are truly scared for what “might happen in 2012.” For many unsaved people, there is no reason not to think that 2012 really could be the end. So, I want to take a time out from politics and theology and focus on culture and history.
So first let’s take a look at the movie’s storyline (note I have not seen it but this is from critiques of the movie). The main jist of the movie is this: There’s something wrong with the earth’s core and has been for some time, a few governments knew about this and decided to keep it secret, they built “arks” to salvage all they could of humanity and life as they knew it, the cat comes out of the bag when the earth begins to “die,” it then becomes a mad rush to these “arks” for a shot at survival, the earth goes boom, its 2012, the end (ha-ha… get it?).
This is all derived from a “prophecy” of the Mayans. I put quotation marks around “prophecy” because it wasn’t even meant to be a prophecy. The Mayans were strongest from 300 A.D. to 900 A.D. They developed a lengthy calendar called The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar simply ends on the date, it resets every 1,872,000 days (also known as a “Great Circle”). Now, from that many people have speculated why they decided to stop writing their calendar (not caring that it was simply a reset, a winding of the clock if you will). There have been numerous theories including, apocalypse (as in the movie), aliens coming and abducting all of mankind (a prominent view, which should show you how credible this whole idea is), and a spiritual awakening for mankind.
Let’s just assume (which would be wrong to do) that this end of the calendar on December 21st, or 23rd, 2012 was a “prophecy.” There is absolutely no way for these people to know the future. Their way of life was crude, yes they were literate and had some skill in mathematics, but could they really predict what scientists (with technology that the Mayans could not have even imagined) today cannot? Absolutely not. Just look at their lifestyle and tell me that their science was beyond ours today, toward the end of their era (most likely the time of the calendar being written) human sacrifices were customary because it pleased the “Chaac” (rain god), that they were created by the Sky, and that men’s appendages were made of corn meal. (I find myself singing, “I think you’re crazy!” – gnarls Barkley)
Let’s also consider the fact that the Mayans are gone. If they were so extremely intelligent and knew when the earth was going to die, why in world could they not have seen their own culture dying out relatively soon? Why could they not change their fate of being completely and utterly wiped out? Note that most of this destruction came from themselves. An estimated 1,000,000 Mayans died due to their civil wars. It’s the classic question, if you’re so smart, why are you dead? (I.e. why has your civilization gone extinct?)
There are a few remnants of Mayan descendents, not many. So what do these descendants of the once powerful civilization have to say about 2012? They overwhelmingly say that it’s all myth. I think the Mayan archaeologist, Jose Huchm puts it best, “If I went to some Mayan-speaking communities and asked people what is going to happen in 2012, they wouldn't have any idea. That the world is going to end? They wouldn't believe you. We have real concerns these days, like rain.”
Don’t get me wrong an end is coming, its just not the end some naked dude decided to think up before sacrificing his brother (harsh? Maybe.). The end of this world was told by another man (love the quote by the Jewish Historian Josephus “If it be lawful to call him a man”), named Jesus. He revealed everything we needed to know about the end, that’s why its called the Revelation of Jesus Christ. He told us (through the Apostle John) that He was coming back two more times. Once in the air, to gather his flock. And the last time to bring judgment and establish His Kingdom. All the other ideas of the end are false, and largely copies of the Bible’s end.
Some might say that this is arrogant to proclaim, but the Word of God is the only perfect truth (read Psalm 119). And I would also like to point out that there is nothing new under the sun. Take the movie for example: 1. The Mayan culture had no concept of an apocalypse, it was borrowed by Western ideologies (stemmed from the Old Testament) 2. “Arks”?? ? 3. Noah??? 4. The President quoting Psalm 23… the list could go on for days. The fact is the world is not ending on December 21st, 2012.
This whole concept of the end of the world in 2012, and the movie scaring thousands of people, is ridiculous. And it shows just how finite we humans are. We are so scared of their being an end to our way of life, existence, and our consciousness. I’m reminded of when I was a very young child, sitting by the window imagining what it would be like if Christianity was false and if I died and ceased to exist. I would think hard about nothing, trying to overcome the fear of being completely absent from existence. It never worked; I would to understand it and then begin to cry because it was horrifying. And that’s what scares everyone, their own end.
The end of the world is the scariest thing most could ever imagine. But maybe we should stop focusing on the physical and consider that perhaps what we are scared of the most is the end, when we stand before Almighty God and are judged according to our sin, whether we have repented, and whether we are covered by the blood of Christ. 2012, will come and go (perhaps we will be raptured out before then, but the earth will go on) and yet another man will be stuck with thousands of dollars wasted on a bomb shelter and hundreds of gallons of water sitting in it just like he was nine years ago. That’s my opinion. Take it or leave it. - Dean
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