2012: Why so Many Predictions Regarding the End of the World?

2012 is a year that many prophets have predicted would be a year of turmoil, or perhaps even the end of the world. Nostradamus, the Mayans, and the Sibylline oracle specifically name the time that we live in today as being the time of the end. The Bible and the Hopi Indians give signs that would occur near the end of the world and before the return of God; these signs are being fulfilled before our eyes. Although some of the people that prophesied the days we live in as being the end of the world had knowledge of each other, not all did. Why are there so many different cultures that have pointed to these days as being the end? The answer, perhaps, lies in the spiritual realm.

A World Beyond Ours

Although not everybody believes in the supernatural, many people do believe that there is a God (or gods) that order the universe. The Christian Bible speaks of a realm that we cannot see here on Earth. There are angels (and even demons) that we usually cannot see that have a hand in the world beyond what we can see. Although these supernatural beings do not know everything, they do have knowledge that humans do not. They are familiar with history, and know more about human nature than we do, as they have been observing us for thousands of years. These supernatural beings know about God's general plan, and can see the things that humans do in secret.

Communication with God and the Spirit World

God and the spiritual beings that he has created (even demons, which are angels who chose to follow Satan when he rebelled) can communicate with human beings. God has many ways of communicating with his people: he sometimes speaks directly to a person, as he did with Moses and the burning bush; he sometimes impresses something upon a believer's heart; sometimes he communicates with a person through the Bible. Angelic messengers also communicate with believers, as they did with Abraham and Lot in the story about Sodom and Gomorrah. God has even communicated with unbelievers, as he did with Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar when he sent dreams for Joseph and Daniel to interpret.

Just as God communicates with people, demonic beings can also communicate with people. Some people have been possessed by demonic spirits; in the Bible, we can see a story where Paul angered a merchant when he cast out a demon from a girl that was making a good deal of money from fortune telling. Throughout history, some people have communicated with spirits by going into a trance or taking hallucinogenic drugs; although God could use this method to communicate with his people, more than likely, they are communicating with demonic spirits in this manner. The Bible forbids sorcery and the usage of mind-altering drugs.

2012 and the Spirit World

Perhaps the reason for so many 2012 end times predictions lies in the spiritual realm. Just as it is possible to predict the approximate time of Jesus' birth by looking at the Old Testament, perhaps the spiritual beings have been able to discern the approximate time for the last days by looking at the evidence that they see in the heavens. Perhaps God gave them information about his general plan, and these spiritual beings have shared their knowledge with us. The Bible says that nobody will know the day or the hour of his return, but that doesn't meant that we can't know the approximate season.

Many of the prophets who have predicted the times that we live in as being the end do seem to be in communication with the supernatural realm. The sibylline oracle made her prophecies in a location over a fault line; some believe that gases wafted up from the fault line that could have caused hallucinations. While nobody knows the specifics of how Nostradamus made his prophecies, he did use astrology. Mayan priests are also believed to have taken drugs when communicating with their gods. This does not necessarily mean that all end-time prophets get their information from demonic origins, but it is likely that many of these prophecies have their origins in the spiritual realm.