A Word from the Chief Commissioner:

 2012, the End of the World... Recently I had the pleasure of sharing with a young lad at our Homebush Rec. Centre who was deeply concerned about the world ending in 2012. Such beliefs may sound silly to many, although millions more are convinced that 2012 will see some major apocalyptic events. Proof of this can be found on the internet which is loaded with information spread over 17 million sites and references. Many responsible for these are claiming that Bible prophecy is the source of their revelation. Although the Bible does have plenty to say about the end of the world, which coincides with the return of Christ, it is however silent on when that takes place. In fact, Jesus said “no one knows the day or the hour but the Father only” (Matt. 24:36). Further along Jesus adds, “the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect” (Matt. 24:44). These two verses provide enough evidence that the world will not end on a date given by man.

Still, that hasn’t stopped many well-meaning, yet misguided, individuals predicting the end of the world; in fact I found over 40 million references on the internet alone! Incredibly, so far there have been some 242 predictions dated from 44 B.C. to 2047 .D. The next on the list is December 21st 2012 according to the Mayan and Aztec calendar. Michael Drosnin, author of ‘The Bible Code,’ also claims to have found a hidden message in the Pentateuch (the first five books in the Bible) that predicts that a comet will crash into the earth in 2012 annihilating all life. Again, I direct my readers to the words of Jesus, “no one knows the day or the hour.” So, instead of speculating on what God has told us we cannot know, we should concentrate on what He has told us we can. For instance, the Bible provides a list of ’signs’ that must take place before the end will come. Some of these signs are found in Matthew 24 verses 4 to 14. The rest of Matthew 24, continuing into Matthew 25, is also applicable to this event. Once more, Jesus said “no one knows the day or the hour,” but He did rebuke the religious leaders of His time for not knowing the ’seasons’ (Matt.16:3).

In other words, although we cannot identify the exact time, we can understand the period through the ’signs-of-thetimes.’ Matthew 24:32-35 supports this where Jesus gives some clues in accurately interpreting the times. “From the fig tree (Israel) learn its lesson...” Many Bible scholars agree that through this passage (Matt. 24:32-35), Jesus was saying, the generation living at the time of the rebirth of Israel (1948) would see in the return of Christ. This sign (the rebirth of Israel) is quite significant, but still, it does not provide a precise method for predicting the day, month or even the year of Christ’s return. Instead, our only certainty is in Jesus’ words, being more certain than the existence of the universe itself... (Matt. 24:35). ‘He (Jesus) is near, at the very gate’ (Matt. 24:33), ‘therefore you must be ready’ (Matt. 24:44). Are you?

God bless,
Marc Wheway
Chief Commissioner