Expert: Messianic Rabbi Yochanan Levine - 5/7/2008

Question
hi john,i really enjoy reading your answers to my questions,it was very educational,and i learn a great deal from you.
i do watch from time to time jack van impe.
my questions is,does these dates mean anything according to the bible 2012 and 2019?do you think that these dates might be the tribulation period?
thanks john.... god bless you and remember god is using you right now to help people like me learn and understand things about the bible.

Answer
Hi Greg,

I'm glad you are blessed by my humble offerings.

I'm not a big supporter of Rev. Van Impe, but 2012 certainly has possibilities. Countless ancient and current civilizations and prophets as well as the secular sciences point to December 21, 2012 as a date of interest. The Mayan, the Hopi, the I-Ching, Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce and many many others.

Biblically, there is no direct significance to this date, however the Bible is clear that the generation of either 1948 or 1967 will be the one to witness the coming of Antichrist (Rex Mundi) followed by the Messiah in my opinion. A person born in 1948 will be 64 years old in 2012, one born in 1967 will be 45. That generation is getting older.

There is a way to do math on Daniel's chapter 9 prophecy that implies the Messiah would come in 1988. When that didn't happen many people were disheartened. The same may occur in 2012.

Jesus tells us at Matt 24 that we can know the "watch" but not the day and hour. We know the watch, its the generation that saw the rebirth of Israel. 2012 would be a wonderful date for many reasons but in my opinion we can not point directly to that year from the biblical prophecies.

My personal feeling is that something very big and destructive is going to happen this Autumn and that from then on the world is going to become a rapidly increasing unstable place. The Antichrist or Rex Mundi according to the prophets will come to power as a seemingly stabilizing influence as a result of various turmoils. There are no more biblical requirements for his rise to power still unfulfilled, it could happen at any time.

I have just finished a study on the rise of Antichrist dealing specifically with the Mark of the Beast if you are interested:

http://www.allfaith.com/Religions/Noahide/rev13.html

When we look at the Mayan Calendar Prophecies for example, they speak of the end of a cycle (not the end of the world). The Biblical prophets speak of "the end of the age" (not the end of the world as is sometimes mis-translated). According to the Mayan calender, as we reach the end of 2012 our advancements and our consciousness are going to "speed up" dramatically (have been for years as we have gotten closer). The developments that once took humans hundreds of years to achieve will then take only six months! As we progressively enter into this new period, we will raise to new levels of awareness. A major jump in consciousness will occur in late 2012 according to these prophecies and the planet will shift into new paradigms. Whether these will be for the good or for ill is up to us as a species. The I-Ching, the Maerlyn prophecies etc. etc. support this same basic view as doe the Bible, the Qur'an etc. in more general terms.

What is supposed to happen on December 21, 2012 is a Shift in Consciousness. We may shift upwards or downwards. According to many scientists at around this date the poles are going to flip, thus potentially bringing in another ice age. Others point to climate change and so on... We just don't know for sure what or exactly when the changes will happen but a incredibly diverse movement of people believe something is going to shift on or around that date, including me.

Hope this helps,
~John of AllFaith