Mark Hitchcock on What the Bible Says About 2012

By Nathan Jones

Does the Bible say anything about the world ending in 2012?

Dr. David Reagan and I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Mark Hitchcock on the show Christ in Prophecy. Mark is a leading Bible prophecy expert, prolific author who has penned over 20 books on the end times, senior pastor of Faith Bible Church located in Oklahoma, and adjunct faculty member of the Dallas Theological Seminary. He is also a much in demand speaker at Bible prophecy conferences all over the nation.

Dr. Hitchcock was invited to answer questions based on a book he has just published about the widespread speculation and even hysteria that the world will come to an end on December 21, 2012. The book is titled 2012: The Bible and the End of the World.

The Bible on 2012

Dr. Hitchcock: The Bible doesn't have anything to say about 2012, and I think that is very important, or about any specific end times date. In fact, when people set dates like this, they are not reading the Bible. In the Book of Revelation there are no dates set in it.

Jesus said we are not to set dates. He even said in Matthew 24:35-36, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Clearly Jesus during His incarnation didn't even know.

History is littered with date setters, and they have always been wrong. When someone sets a date for the Second Coming of Jesus or the end of the world, you can be sure that's not the day it's going to happen.

Remember right before Jesus went to Heaven His disciples had asked Him in Acts 1:6-7, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" He answered them, "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority." So, not only are we not to look at 2012, the Bible actually forbids setting dates for the Second Coming of Christ and for the end of the world.

We know that 2012 can't be the time of the Second Coming because if it were the Tribulation would had to have started in 2005 and the Rapture would have already occurred. Now, the Rapture could happen in 2012, because it could happen at any year and at any time, but 2012 cannot be the time of the Second Coming nor the end of the world. The world is not going to end until the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ

Even when Jesus Christ returns to this Earth the world does not come to an end. It's going to be renovated before entering into the Messianic Kingdom, which is the Millennial Reign of Christ. There is going to be a tremendous renovation of the Earth. It is going to be paradise regained. And, then again, when we get to the end of that 1,000 years, Revelation 21:1 says, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea." I think God is going to take it all apart and put it all back together again. So, technically, if someone says, "When's the world going to end?" we can reply, "At least 1,007 years from now."

In effect, the Earth will never end; it will go on forever and ever. There is going to be a new Heaven and a new Earth that God is going to make, a glorious one, one that has been returned to its original perfection. The population is going to dwell - the Bible says - in righteousness and in perfection. I can hardly wait for that day to come!

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