Of course everyone knows about the whole Mayan calendar
thing. Their “Long Count” calendar ends on what we would call December 21,
2012, which means it’s the end of the world. Up until now, I’ve never given it any real
consideration. However, an article in yesterday’s USA Weekend insert in my
newspaper has caused me to rethink it a bit.
According to one scientist the universe is guaranteed to
go on for another billion years. Of
course, this coming from someone who thinks it’s already been here a billion
years, so I don’t put too much stock in that.
Gladly, the article does go on to de-bunk a bunch of those
crazed end times scenarios folks are always screaming about: giant asteroids, mysterious planets on a
collision course, black holes swallowing us…well, whole. I appreciate the sentiment of one physicist
quoted as saying: “Crazy. People always worry about the wrong things.”
Or maybe he meant to say “Crazy people always worry about
the wrong things.” We’ve certainly seen
that in church circles as well, with all the end times novels being treated as
theology textbooks, sparking all kinds of misinformation and misunderstandings
about Scripture’s teaching on how the end will come. But I digress…
The reason the article got my attention is simply because
when scientists say it absolutely can’t happen, I start looking over my
shoulder to see God coming with an “Oh, yeah? Watch this.”
Not that God reacts to man’s arrogance with a any need to defend
Himself. But it does often happen that
man is forced to eat his own words.
So what to do now? I
don’t buy into the Mayan theory. But I
don’t put stock in the scientists absolute either. What’s a guy to think? How nice it was to come in this morning,
thinking about this things, and seeing this post from our friend Jon Cardwell
over at Justification by Grace. I think
it put it rather nicely, and hope he doesn’t mind my re-posting his thoughts
here (head over here to read the original).
There are some things that you almost don’t need to say
anything about– like the Mayan Calendar! Sakes! Even as I type these words, I
really can’t believe that I’m addressing this.
Really.
Because the Mayan calendar ends on December 21, 2012, there
are cuckoos out there whistling a very Beatles goo goo ga joob, “I Am the
Walrus” kind of “the world’s going to end” mantra.
Do you honestly expect me to believe that a people who
failed to extend their legacy, who could not propagate their own progeny
because of human sacrifice, to the extent that there are no Mayans whatsoever
today, are going to accurately predict the end of the world? There are no
Mayans today. None. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Come on, people. There are no Mayans
today and there are no Incas. There are no Edomites. There are no Amalakites…
…yet, a “civilization” that failed to make it into the last
several hundred years is going to have a calendar that provides the key to the
end of the world? I don’t think so.
They have already inaccurately predicted the end of the
world because the world’s end came when logic flew out the window. Yes, that’s
right. The world came to an end the moment that anyone took the Mayan calendar
seriously for a second.
I for one, am enjoying the world’s end; and enjoying it so
much so that I may have a cup of tea with my wife and laugh about something
really believable: Barney Fife purchasing a septic tank for his parents’
wedding anniversary.
I think he’s got it right. Let’s just enjoy it. And let’s get on with life in the meantime. As I said in a post about the whole Harold Camping fiasco, the book of Acts opens with an angel telling Christ’s disciples
to stop looking to the heavens and get busy with what the master told us to do.
Jesus is coming back, the end is indeed
coming, and we are to be watching for Him. But until then, stop worrying about when it will happen and get busy
serving so we are found faithful when He does come. 
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