Multiple Versions of Armageddon - Should We Worry?

It seems as though TV, books and other popular media are riddled with scenarios of how the world will end, and possibly, when. When it's fictionalized, it often makes an entertaining movie or TV show that keeps you wondering how the characters will get through it. However, when it's in the context of a real scenario that's somewhat likely to happen, it's a different story. That can and does scare people half to death at times. Is there any reason why we should worry about these scenarios, or are we simply being foolish?

What brought this thought into my mind was recent discussion of the Maya calendar, whose calculations end on Dec. 21, 2012. While many have said that this calendar is scientifically accurate, even more so than our calendar, there is no reason to assume this means the end of the world. Most likely, it seems that the Maya used a particular long cycle for measuring time that runs out on this date. This would be much like a millennium on our measurements of time. A lively discussion is taking place about this on Yahoo! Answers However, many who are firm believers in the Maya calendar and related prophecies believe that this signals either the dawning of a "new age" or an out-and-out apocalypse. According to USA Today, many books are being published about this intriguing idea. Many astrologers believe that 2012 begins the Age of Aquarius (which you can read more about here), an event that many are correlating with the end of the Maya calendar's long cycle. Add these things together, and you at least have an interesting apocalyptic scenario that people will talk about for years to come.

While the end-of-days scenarios of other religions have only recently caught attention, eschatology (end-times theology) has been the subject of Christian theology for decades. Many sincere but misguided Christians have attempted to calculate the world's end with varying results. Consider the Millerites of the 1840's, followers of author Hal Lindsey's teachings in the "The Late, Great Planet Earth", and the concern over the possibility of a major computer glitch in 2000 that would disable most computer systems. Where there are scary events, there are people who feel that history's end is immanent. Rising food and gas prices, a sluggish economy, ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and natural disasters seem to be spelling out the end for many. While previous generations have also lived through some very bad times, it seems like it may be worse in our day because of how much we know about what's going on thanks to the Internet and TV. We're exposed more to the world's ills than people a hundred years ago would have been.

Then, to top things off, many scientists and others working from a secular perspective firmly believe that there are a number of things that can bring about this world's end in our day. Global warming continues to be a subject of debate. While it's often argued about whether global warming is due to human intervention or if it even exists at all, the possibilities are troubling. NASA has estimated that Arctic sea ice is declining 9% every decade. (See http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2003/1023esuice.html) If this decline is the same in the Antarctic, which, according to HowStuffWorks, contains 90% of the world's ice, we need to be braced for some changes. While not at the forefront of discussion like global warming is, some scientists are also concerned about the possibility of an object from space, such as an asteroid, colliding with the Earth. Pretty scary when you consider this is probably what killed the dinosaurs. A number of objects do pass relatively close to the Earth every year, according to NASA. Usually, what's meant by close is in the hundreds of thousands or millions of kilometers. We do have some close calls, but thankfully, don't know about them most of the time.

In light of things that may or may not happen, should we worry? No. None of us can look into the future and absolutely know what will happen. Many metaphysical beliefs about the end of days have no basis on science, and can't be proven or disproven. Christian date-setters have often greatly miscalculated. Some scientific scenarios do seem plausible, but it's still in the realm of speculation. The assorted prophecies of doom win a lot of media attention, get people talking, and sell a lot of books and documentaries. Many people are unfortunately too dependent on such things.

The time of history's end is known to God alone, and probably for good reason. Even though we don't know exactly when that will come, we can still go about our work while it's still "today". God seems to want us to continue the work that He has started in us, not have us living in fear and idly waiting for the end. It's not when all things end that matters so much as whether we're ready to meet our Creator when He returns.