I hope the Mayans were right

…By S. Michael Houdmann……

I really and truly hope that December 21, 2012 is the end of the world. Never mind the fact that the Mayans did not actually believe it would be the end of the world (they essentially viewed it as a calendar reset). And forget the fact that it would be extremely unusual for God to allow the ancient Mayans to discover the date of the end of the world, but not His own chosen people

Mark 13:32

"However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

And disregard the fact that the Bible predicts many end-of-the-world events that have not happened yet. I guess what I am saying is that while I am very confident December 21, 2012 will not be the end of the world, I wish it was. …Why? Because this world is not my home

John 17:14;

I have given them your word. And the world hates them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

John 18:36

Jesus answered, "My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world."

Philippians 3:20

But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my life, my wife, my family, my friends, my church family, and the ministry in which God has called me to serve. But in comparison to the glory and wonders of Heaven (see Revelation 21-22), why would I not want to escape life in this world?

No, the prospect of dying is not something I am excited about. Aside from that event, I am tremendously excited for what happens after death. ……Once December 21, 2012 very likely passes with no global catastrophe and the world returns to normal, what do I have to look forward to? A world filled with evil people who make evil decisions and take evil actions, a.k.a.

Ever increasing wickedness

Romans 6:19

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

A world that increasingly denies the existence of God and therefore lives as if God does not exist

Romans 1:18-32

God's Anger at Sin…But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.[a]19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn't worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.

So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other's bodies.They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.

Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.They know God's justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.

Romans 3:10-23

As the Scriptures say,"No one is righteous- not even one.No one is truly wise;…no one is seeking God.All have turned away; all have become useless.o one does good,not a single one." "Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.Their tongues are filled with lies.""Snake venom drips from their lips."[]…"Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness." "They rush to commit murder.…Destruction and misery always follow them.They don't know where to find eace." "They have no fear of God at all."Obviously, the law applies to those to whom it was given, for its purpose is to keep people from having excuses, and to show that the entire world is guilty before God. For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.…Christ Took Our Punishment… But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

A world in which Galatians 5:22-23has become increasingly rarer

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,23 gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

and Galatians 5:19-21is becoming increasingly prevalent?

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.

Right. Why wouldn’t I want off this planet? …On the other side of the equation is the fact that I am called to serve God and minister to people for as long as I am here. God has placed us here for a reason. We are to be light in a dark world

Matthew 5:14

"You are the light of the world-like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.

We are to point people to Jesus Christ as the Savior, not only the Savior from an eternity separated from God, but also as the Savior from a meaningless and sin-controlled life

John 10:10

The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Similar to Abraham pleading with God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if even ten righteous people lived there

Genesis 18:32…Finally, Abraham said, "Lord, please don't be angry with me if I speak one more time. Suppose only ten are found there?"And the Lord replied, "Then I will not destroy it for the sake of the ten."

we should desire to remain in this world if it will result in even one more person coming to faith in Christ. ……My only concern about December 21, 2012 is that some people are going to freak out and cause a self-induced global catastrophe. If anything happens, it will have nothing to do with the Mayan calendar and everything to do with sinful people making foolish decisions and committing evil actions. And that is why, ultimately, I am ready for my life in this world to be over. It’s been fun, but isn’t it time for us to go our separate ways? While I would prefer to die peacefully in my sleep, if it takes a nuclear explosion, a cataclysmic natural disaster, or a zombie apocalypse for me to escape this world-so be it.

God, I am ready whenever You are. In the meantime, give me a passion for reaching as many people as possible. Whether I have 10 days or 50 years left, please make my life a worthwhile investment of Your time. Amen.