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I imagine that by this time -- May, 2010 -- many of you who are reading this have probably already heard about, or maybe even read about, all of the scary talk that's been going on regarding the Mayan calendar and the year 2012. If you use the Internet on a regular basis, it is difficult to escape from the barrage of 2012-related material that has appeared in recent years. It seems that everyone is jumping onto the 2012 bandwagon, and they're making all kinds of predictions, including certain popular Christian teachers, preachers and writers. And, of course, the mass media -- including the movie industry -- is doing what they can to profit from this new "cash cow". We have already seen the release of Roland Emmerich's "2012" movie, as well as the "2012: Supernova" video release, Mel Gibson's 2006 movie "Apocalpyto", and a number of other productions as well, and they are sure to increase as we draw closer to 2012.

Personally, the very fact that this year 2012 hype is being so readily embraced by New Agers, Zecharia Sitchin followers, Nostradamus followers, UFO adherents, and even some popular Christian evangelists, is reason enough to raise some serious doubts in my mind. I think it would be wise for everyone to take a pause, and take some time to sift through all of the information that is being made available, in order to try to determine what is true and factual, and what is not. You may discover that there is more smoke than fire in all of this 2012 hype.

I find it really odd -- or perhaps tragic would be a better word -- that all of these people are so willing to embrace this Mayan Calendar and 2012 nonsense, which, by the way, is open to all kinds of interpretations; the Quatrains of the French seer Nostradamus, which likewise can be interpreted in a variety of ways; the writings of Zecharia Sitchin and his tales of the Twelfth Planet/Nibiru; and all of the other modern New Age psychobabble; and yet, when it comes to the sure and proven Word of God, many of these very same people reject it, and claim that it is just a book full of fairy tales. Those people willingly accept all of that deception and darkness without blinking an eye; and yet, when they are offered the true light of God's Holy Word, the Bible, many of them reject it. I am reminded again of this verse that was written by the Prophet Isaiah:

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"


The Apostle Paul -- who in his own time had to deal with the cherished philosophy of the Romans and the Greeks -- likewise warns us to beware of the vain wisdom of men when he writes:

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."


Of course, I have spoken about this very same theme a number of times before, such as in my 1997 article "Age of Deception, Age of Delusion", as well as in a few other articles. You may recall how even the Lord Himself exposed the sin of those who refused to come to the Light. In the Gospel of John, the Lord stated quite candidly:

"And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."


So rather than come to Christ, and accept the truth of God's Word, many of these people give preference to their New Age psychics, their Wiccan nature worship, their Tarot cards, their seances and necromancy -- or talking to the dead, at least so they believe -- their hoodoo and voodoo, and other works of darkness which are condemned by God's Word. This 2012 hype just happens to be the latest fad. It is deception and darkness, and God's Word clearly warns us to flee from the works of darkness, and to embrace the Light, as we can see by the following verses:

"They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course."


"The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble."


"The wise man's eyes are in his head; but the fool walketh in darkness: and I myself perceived also that one event happeneth to them all."


"There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves."


"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness."


"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."


"Neither give place to the devil."


"Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."


"To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things; Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness; Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked; Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:"


"The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light."


"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."


"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?"


"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light . . . And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."


"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:"


"But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness."


"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"


"If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:"


Given this preponderance of Scriptural evidence, it should be clear to you then -- as I point out in such articles as "The Children of Light: Are You One of Us?" -- that a very fierce battle is being waged between the Children of Light, and the Children of Darkness. Just as God's children plant the seed of light and truth in people's hearts, Satan's children also plant the tares of confusion and darkness. They are deceivers who feign to be bearers of truth and children of light; and sadly, many naive, gullible people follow after them. Again, the Bible makes this point very clear, as we see here:

"And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many . . . And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many . . . For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."


"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;"


"But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived."


"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."


"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition . . . And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"


There should be no doubt then that we are truly living in an age that is filled with deception and delusion; and the 2012 hype is just the latest piece of bait that Satan is pulling out of his bag of tricks. But again, allow me to remind you that many people are spiritually blind and deceived by their own choice, because they have purposely hardened their heart and conscience against accepting the truth of God's Word. By their rejection of Christ and the truth of the Bible, those people have created a spiritual vacuum in their lives, and that sly, old serpent -- Satan -- is more than happy to fill that vacuum with his own brand of "truth", by sending along his emissaries of darkness. The Apostle Paul described it this way:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


"Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness."


But concerning the 2012 hype, what I find most alarming is the fact that even certain popular Christian writers and evangelists are hopping onto the 2012 bandwagon. Of course, I am not really surprised by this, as a lot of them are just money-making Bible hucksters who won't hesitate to grab any theory that is popular, and try to make a profit from it. I first wrote about this problem years ago in my 1997 article entitled "Money-Making Bible Hucksters and Mammon". These fast-talking preachers know that many Christians are curious about Bible prophecy -- as they should be -- and want to know what is going to happen, and when it is going to happen; and so these fellows write their books, and burn their CDs and DVDs, and they go about selling their personal theories and speculations as if it is God's indisputable truth, which it usually isn't. I advise all of you to beware of these modern false prophets. You may very well end up with less cash in your pocket, and be none the wiser or more informed for it.

Let's not be too quick to forget how some of these very same false prophets stirred up American Christians just prior to the arrival of the year 2,000. They had a lot of Christians believing that Jesus would return in 2,000. Well, sadly, we all know how that prediction turned out. It was an absolute lie, a deception and certainly not a prophecy from God, that was perpetrated by certain of America's Christian leaders. I can only imagine how much profit they must have earned from selling their books, DVDs, CDs, tapes and magazines where they pushed the 2,000 lie. Of course, I wrote all about this in my series "Sorry . . . Jesus Is Not Coming At Any Moment", which you can find on my website . . . and read, for free!

The bottom line is that, to my knowledge, the Bible does not mention the year 2012 as being a significant year or anything special. There are no specific predictions regarding the year 2012 as far as I know. In fact, as I've mentioned previously, the Bible is rather silent when it comes to revealing precise dates when specific prophetic events are to happen. While we are sometimes given certain time frames regarding how long certain events are going to transpire, such as in the Books of Daniel and Revelation -- "a time, times, and an half", "a time and times and the dividing of time", "one thousand two hundred and threescore days", "forty and two months", etc. -- nowhere are any specific dates given, and that includes the oft-quoted date December 21, 2012. It is nowhere to be found in the Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible. It is probably safe to say that it can't be found in any other version of the Christian Bible either.

So what does this fact tell us? Quite simply, it tells us that any specific dates that you may hear or read today are based entirely upon the personal speculation of the persons who are promoting them, and nothing more; and if you know anything about Biblical eschatology, then you will realize that there are as many Biblical interpretations as there are preachers. Therefore, if dates such as December 21, 2012 are not being taken directly from the Bible, then we must wonder where these greedy Christian profiteers are obtaining their information from in order to spin their wild 2012 tales.

Actually, that last comment was rhetorical in nature because I do have an answer for you. If they're like writer Tom Horn, some of these fellows are grabbing information from ancient pagan mythology -- including from ancient Egyptian mythology, Babylonian mythology and Greek mythology -- as well as from other rather questionable sources -- such as from the beliefs and practices of the Freemasons -- as well as stretching the meaning of some words and events that are found in the Bible, so that it will fit their pet theory, and then piecing it all together into a hodgepodge of New Age nonsense, which sounds interesting and believable to people who don't have a strong foundation in God's Word. Once they have mixed their lethal brew, they are then shamelessly selling it for a profit, even though God's Word specifically advises us to not preach the Gospel for filthy lucre -- or for personal material gain -- as we see by these verses:

"Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; . . . Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre;"


"For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; . . . Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake."


"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;"


To add a degree of balance and fairness to my remarks, allow me to remind you that personally, I don't totally dismiss the legends and myths concerning ancient gods and goddesses. It is quite possible that such stories may have been based upon actual events which occurred in our distant past, but which became highly exaggerated over time. It is difficult for me to comprehend why any ancient society would go so far as to even sacrifice their own children to these gods, unless they were absolutely convinced that the gods and goddesses were real. I don't know of anyone who would sacrifice their own loved one to an imaginary god, do you? Such an unconscionable act would require a tremendous leap of faith, if there were not some tangible proof that these gods and goddesses were real. So, if we assume that these ancient gods and goddesses had some basis in reality, exactly what was it? In the next few paragraphs I will share a few of my own ideas with you; but please keep in mind that these are nothing more than personal speculations, and that I cannot solidly prove any of them.

As I point out in the controversial series "The Nature of the Alien", theoretically-speaking, if any advanced space-faring races do exist, and if these races visited the Earth in our distant past, it is quite probable that they would have been viewed by the ancients as great gods who had come down from the sky. Such extraterrestrial visitations could explain the pantheon of gods and goddesses which were worshipped by the Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and Romans, as well as by other ancient cultures. As these accounts of strangers who arrived from the sky were passed down over the millennia through traditions, legends, sacred writings, etc., they more than likely became embellished, distorted and perverted, and the actual facts concerning these encounters may have been lost; and thus the mythology of gods and goddesses was born.

Of course, another possibility -- which I also mention in the aforementioned series -- is that the gods and goddesses of the past may not have really been visitors from Outer Space, but rather, they may have really been demonic manifestations. If there is one thing which the Bible makes very clear, it is that the area of the world in which many of these legends and myths had their birth, has been a hub of spiritual activity for millennia. While some of this activity has been positive, such as Angelic Visitations, some of it has been negative as well. Even the Gospels mention people who were possessed by demons, which Jesus sometimes cast out. And let us not forget too that -- as the Apostle Paul wrote -- Satan can appear as an Angel of Light, while in truth, he is a deceiver, and the Father of Lies, as Jesus Himself stated, as we see here:

"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."


As I explain in such articles as "Great Cloud of Witnesses: God's Holy Ghosts?" and "Sex, a Bowl of Soup and the Nature of Angels", let us not forget too that the Scriptures make it very clear that spiritual entities do possess the power to materialize in our physical world. As the Apostle Paul informs us, these beings can easily pass for another mortal, and we wouldn't even know it. In the case of Angels, Paul writes as follows:

"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."


The very fact that Angels and demons can materialize in our physical world brings us to my third theory concerning the possible origin of the legends regarding gods and goddesses. Simply put, it is possible that the stories of ancient gods and goddesses were derived from long-told tales of the great giants which ruled the lands of the Middle East prior to the Flood in Noah's day. I am of course referring to the race of beings who in the Hebrew tongue were known as the Nephilim. These violent creatures were the half-human progeny of the Fallen Angels. They are briefly discussed in the beginning of Genesis chapter six, and even more in-depth in the Book of Enoch. Just as some demon-possessed people in the Gospels acquired great strength, these evil creatures likewise were very powerful, and terrorized the Earth before God destroyed them all during the Flood. In Genesis chapter six we find the following verses:

"There were giants [Nephilim] in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God [Fallen Angels] came in unto the daughters of men, [human women] and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown . . . The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth."


So maybe the legends of gods and goddesses were derived from the tales of these half-human, corrupt, violent beings which the Bible refers to as "giants" -- Nephilim -- "mighty men" and "men of renown". For more information concerning this topic, please consider reading my article entitled "Nephilim: The Giants of Genesis", as well as "The Book of Enoch: Truth or Heresy?".

So as you can see, when it comes to writers like Tom Horn, I am willing to meet them halfway on certain issues, if there is at least some possible Scriptural basis for what they are saying. It's when they completely stray from the Scriptures, as so many of them tend to do, that I become more concerned.

On his website, as well as in his book -- "Apollyon Rising 2012" -- Mr. Horn also devotes a considerable amount of time to the subject of Freemasonry. While I am not particularly informed when it comes to Freemasonry, I can also agree with him when he states that there has been a strong relationship between the history of the U.S. government, Washington, D.C. and the Freemasons. It is an established fact that some of the most famous individuals who have been associated with the U.S. government -- beginning with George Washington himself -- were known members of the Freemasons. In fact, quite a few years ago -- in 2004 -- I mentioned this Washington-Freemason connection to members of my now-defunct EDGE Mailing List.

As most American readers will know, there is an American TV station called CSPAN. This channel is dedicated to covering political news and developments which occur in the nation's capital. While some people may find the station boring, at least one individual was smart enough to record a particular event which occurred some time prior to 2004. My memory is not clear on this, but the event may possibly have occurred during the 225th anniversary of the founding of the U.S.A. What was unique about the recorded event -- I downloaded it from the Internet -- is that it was some kind of ceremony that was being performed by the Freemasons in Washington, DC. Not being a Freemason, I obviously did not understand it all, but I do clearly recall that the ceremony was very symbolic in nature, and that it employed objects which are a central part of their craft, such as the square and compass. At the time, I found it unusual that CSPAN would broadcast such an event, but obviously, it was sending some kind of message to those who were in-the-know, meaning viewing Freemasons.

My interest in the Freemasons was further piqued when years ago, a certain member of the EDGE Mailing List informed us that his father was deeply involved in Freemasonry. This person -- a Christian -- was very concerned about it, as he was familiar with some of the inner workings and beliefs of the Freemasons. One thing which he made clear to us at the time -- and I have heard this before -- is that like other occult groups, as initiates graduate to the higher levels of Freemasonry, they are taught that Lucifer is the real god, while Jesus Christ is the usurper. Not being a Freemason, I obviously cannot prove or disprove this point, but if there is any truth to this claim, it would certainly add a degree of credibility to some of Mr. Horn's speculations.

Note: The EDGE Mailing List -- or Endtime Discussion Group Exchange -- was a precursor to the very first version of the Endtime Prophecy Net website, which eventually became known as Bill's Bible Basics.

While I am endeavoring to find some common ground with what Mr. Horn promotes on his website and in his book, I'd like to make it very clear to my readers that a large gulf still exists between what he and a number of other writers teach, and what I believe and am willing to accept when it comes to the subject of 2012 and Bible prophecy. As I've already made clear, there is absolutely no Biblical basis for assuming that December 21, 2012 will in any way mark the end of the world, regardless of what anyone believes concerning the Mayan Calendar. While the Bible clearly teaches us that a powerful, demon-possessed leader known as the Beast -- which some people refer to as the Antichrist -- rises on the world stage, it is simply personal speculation to state that this event occurs in 2012. To reiterate, there is no Biblical basis to make such a claim.

Furthermore, the belief that the Beast is possessed by the spirit of the false god Apollo, or -- according to some writers -- even be the very Apollo risen from the dead, and incarnated in the flesh, just as Jesus Christ was, is again just an unsubstantiated personal theory that is based upon a questionable "prophecy" by the ancient priestess and oracle, the Cumaean Sibyl. While it is well known that Apollo is an important Olympian deity within Greek and Roman mythology, what do the Scriptures have to say regarding this name?

In actuality, two different variations of this name can be found in the pages of the New Testament. The first one that we will discuss is Apollos. This name, according to the Greek lexicon, means "given by Apollo". In the Book of Acts and the writings of the Apostle Paul, we are told that Apollos was a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt. He was both an eloquent man, as well as mighty in the Scriptures. After Apollos embraced the Christian faith, he apparently became a pillar in the Early Church and was a teacher. He is mentioned in Acts chapters eighteen and nineteen, as well as in Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians, and in Paul's Epistle to Titus, as we see here:

"And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus. This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly. And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ. And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus . . ."


"For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?"


"For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase . . . Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."


"And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another."


"As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall have convenient time."


"Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them."


Please go to part two for the continuation of this series.

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