CHRISTIANITY--  The prophetic theme of the New Testament mirrors that
of the Old Testament (discussed below in the "Judaism" section), namely, Tribulation. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to this as the "Great Tribulation", "Affliction", and "days of vengeance." 

Matthew 24:15-22 (King James Version): "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand). Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains. Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house. Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day. For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of
the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened."

According to the weight of Christian authority, this period of tribulation is ushered in on the backs of 4 riders; The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

The 4 horsemen of the apocalypse are described in Revelation chapter 6. The 4 horsemen are symbolic descriptions of different events which will take place in the end times. The first horseman of the apocalypse is mentioned in Revelation 6:2, "I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest." This first horseman likely refers to the antichrist, who will be given authority and will conquer all who oppose him. The antichrist is the false imitator of the true
Christ, as He will return on a white horse (Revelation 19:11-16).

The second horseman of the apocalypse is spoken of in Revelation 6:4, "Then another horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay each other. To him was given a large sword." The second horseman clearly refers to terrible warfare and destruction that will break out in the end times. The third horseman is described
in Revelation 6:5-6, “...and there before me was a black horse! Its rider was holding a pair of scales in his hand. Then I heard what sounded like a voice among the four living creatures, saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a day's wages,
and three quarts of barley for a day's wages, and do not damage the oil and
the wine!’” The third horseman of the apocalypse refers to a great famine that
will take place, some commentators have said perhaps as a result of the wars from the second horseman. However, because it appears from the canonical
text that food will be scarce, but luxuries such as wine and oil will still be
readily available, that war is not the answer. This author believes that a more likely reason behind the shortage of food but abundance of luxuries rests on a great economic disaster, coupled with food hoarding by the rich.  For example, this article
 (http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h4flPaOquUebfupESb1DdnRC0dtg
D8VDFHH80) from the Associated Press that was released as recently as
March 14, 2008 describes how wheat prices have jumped to more than double
its usual price, and the world can expect bread prices to more than double in
 the coming years.  Perhaps this means that only the rich and those that accept the 666 mark of the beast discussed in Revelations 13: 16-18 ("He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on
his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls
for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for
 it is man's number. His number is 666.") will be able to purchase bread. 

The fourth horseman is mentioned in Revelation 6:8, "I looked, and there before me was a pale horse! Its rider was named Death, and Hades was following
close behind him. They were given power over a fourth of the earth to kill by sword, famine and plague, and by the wild beasts of the earth." The fourth horseman of the apocalypse is symbolic of significant death and devastation.
 It seems to be almost a synergistic combination of the previous horsemen.
The fourth horseman of the apocalypse will bring further warfare and terrible famines along with awful plagues and diseases. Perhaps most amazing, or
even terrifying, is that the four horsemen are just "precursors" of even worse judgments that come later in the Tribulation (Revelation chapters 8-9 and 16), and appear to be simply "harbingers" of the great beast himself.

It is widely believed that the Beast (Antichrist) will emerge to be the dictatorial leader of a "one world government." He will promise peace to the world while leading the world's population into apostasy.

The Antichrist will take center-attention on the world-stage initially as a global peacemaker which the ancient prophet Daniel mentions in Daniel 9:27. This coming "prince" will enter into a covenant or treaty with Israel--although
generally thought of as meaning the actual nation of Israel, there is a possibility that this scripture refers to perhaps not the nation, but the true followers of
God--for a period of seven years. His promise to ensure peace in the world
will ring sweetly in the ears of the entire world because this promise will be made after a particularly destructive future event (perhaps the aftermath of one
of the 4 horsemen).  His ally in world leadership will be the Whore of Babylon
who is seen in vision by John, recorded in Revelation 17. John saw this mysterious harlot actually riding the beast and exerting some sort of control
over it for a period of time. This "whore" heads up an apostate church or
global system of false beliefs, which includes other, less influential churches
and organizations.

At the midpoint of the final seven years, a world ravaged by plague and turmoil turns to the Antichrist rather than God for answers. Their hope is that a world dictator will promise "peace and safety" and he will usher in a new age. The Antichrist, however, owes his only allegiance to Satan and he will eventually display his true nature. Again, in Daniel 9:27, the prophet states that at this
time this "prince" will stop the daily sacrifices, (which had been resumed again
on the Temple Mount). He then commits an appalling sacrilege not unlike the outrages of the Greek Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Now fully
revealed as the Beast, the Antichrist assumes global dictatorial rule and establishes his economic system based upon the mark of '666'. His persecutions of newly-converted Christians, as well as Jewish people at that time will be unprecedented. This three and a half year period of intense tribulation was referred to by the prophets Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Joel, Daniel and other biblical prophets throughout the Old and New Testament writings. It was also spoken of by Jesus Christ in the Olivet Discourse and The Sheep  and the Goats. In Revelation 13, the Apostle John sets the duration of this "time of trouble" to 42 biblical months, or 3 1/2 years.
 
Ultimately this Antichrist, under the threat of approaching “kings of the east,” commands his armies to attack this threat. This military campaign takes place
 in the valley of Megiddo, which according to the book of Revelation is the
place known for the approaching Battle of Armageddon. The valley of Megiddo
is situated as a great plain located northwest of Israel. At the climax of the story, Jesus returns in the Second Coming. He destroys the armies gathering for the campaign against Jerusalem. To quote Revelation 19:19-21:

"Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to
make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and
 with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With
these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped
his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The
rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the
horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh."

Then the end comes.  And, you dear reader, may be saying to yourself, "that's
all well adn good, but what does it have to do with 2012?"  Well, let me share
the following with you:

(1) The Mark of the Beast is 666 and two major theories about the meaning of these number hold that:

    (a)  666 is symbolic of the Papacy.  To this end, the letters of a title of the
Pope, accepted as authentic from 8th - 16th century, Vicarius Filii Dei (Vicar
of The Son of God), are summed to total 666 in Roman numerals. The
Prophecy of the Popes, published in 1595 and attributed to Saint Malachy,
is a list of 112 short phrases in Latin. They purport to describe each of the
Roman Catholic popes (along with a few anti-popes), beginning with Pope Celestine II (elected in 1143) and concluding with a later added pope
described in the prophecy as "Peter the Roman", whose pontificate will end
in the destruction of the city of Rome, which I turn will be the domino to the destruciton of the world.  It is important to note that according to the Prophecy
of the Popes,  Peter the Roman—i.e., the “last pope”—will ascend after the
death of the current pope, Pope Benedict XVI.  In other words, there is "scheduled" to be one more pope, under whom the world will end. 

     (b)  Some researchers, including the Roman Catholic priest Louis Maracci and
English Scholar Humphrey Prideaux have reportedly found in the Byzantine Maometis,
 the number of the Beast in Muhammad^.  Maometis which literally means "the number
of the beast" is a name by which Muhammad was known in the Middle Ages. Christians
 in the Middle Ages believed that Muhammad was the Anti-Christ and that 666 fits his
name. Maometis in Greek Gematria totals 666.

(2)  The Bible Code predicts a solar-flare or comet holocaust in the year 2012.  As more fully described at the great website http://exodus2006.com/2012code.htm, The Bible Code predicts a 2012 extinction type event, relying on the cannonical verses of Revelation 16:8-9
"And they fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to burn men with fire. And men were burned with great heat; and the blasphemed the name of God Who has the authority over these plagues; and they did not repent
to give Him glory[,]" and Isaiah 30:26-27 “Moreover the light of the moon shall
be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light
 of seven days, in the day that the LORD bindeth up the breach of his people,
and healeth the stroke of their wound. Behold, the name of the LORD cometh from far, burning with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are
full of indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire: ..." Essentially, the Bible Code prediciton here is that in the year 2012 a comet and solar flare will
combine to create atongue of fire that will wipe out much of the earth.

In sum, when Biblical and Mayan prophecy appear to coincide perhaps we
need to take notice.

JUDAISM-- In Judaism, the "End Times" are usually called The End of Days (aharit ha-yamim, ????? ?????), a phrase that appears several times in the Tanakh.

During this time period, Tumultuous events will overturn the old world order, as is recorded in these example verses contained in the following Old Testament verses of the Bible:

Deuteronomy 4:29-39 (King James Version): But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice; (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them. For ask now of the days that are past, which were before thee, since the day that God created man upon the earth, and ask from the one side of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is, or hath been heard like it? Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might instruct thee: and upon earth he shewed thee his great fire; and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt; to drive out nations from before thee greater and mightier than thou art, to bring thee in, to give thee their land for an inheritance, as it is this day. Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

Isaiah 2:1-5 (King James Version): The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.

Micah 4:1-5 (King James Version): But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the LORD of hosts hath spoken it. For all people will walk every one in the name of his god, and we will walk in the name of the LORD our God for ever and ever.

In other writings revered in Judiasm, one of the sages of the Talmud says:

"Let the end of days come, but may I not live to see them", because they will be filled with so much conflict and suffering."

Further inspection of the Talmud reveals that in the tractate Avodah Zarah, on page 9A, states that this world as we know it will only exist for six thousand years. This figure of 6,000 years is significant because, according to traditional Judaic thought, the "ancient" times of the world--i.e., from Adam through Abraham to Moses to the minor prophets--lasted from 4,000 BCE (before common era) to 0 CE (common era).  This places the end of the world sometime close to the the year 2000.  Perhaps 2012. 



HINDUISM--Although not part of Abrahamic Relgions, Hiduism has a multitude of adherents.  It is interesting that this major religion places the end of the world in 2036. Hindus have a cyclic understanding of external history/internal spirituality. The Cycle or "Kalpa" illustrates the pattern of decline in the state of nature and civilization between periods of timelessness when Brahman (Creator aspect of mind/spirit) regenerates the world of existence/reality. There are four yugs or ages in this process from completely pure to completely impure. The final is Kali Yuga or the Iron Age where civilization becomes spiritually degraded,  human lives are shortened by violence and disease and there is a general state of decay in nature. This is the worst period before complete destruction which is then followed by a Golden Age.

The length of Kalpa is said to be 5,000 years according the Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. The BKWSU believe in a 5th age called the Confluence Age, a time of both destruction of the world and revelation of God, that humanity entered the End Times in approximately 1936 and the period will end in approximately 2036.

Regardless of whether one adheres to one of these religions, or no religion at all, it is undeniable that 4 of the world's major religious belief systems place the end of the world occuring in the very near future.  This fact, when examined in light of the prophecies of the ancients--Mayans, Egyptians, etc.--that the world will end in 2012 is very alarming.

Please contact us with questions, suggestions, or your own theories at webmaster@2012istheend.com