It's the End of the World!!!

Just think! It's 2012!!!!!! I can hardly believe it! Okay, maybe I'm reminiscing like a man in his late 40's sometimes does, but it seems like just a couple of years ago, many people, including many in the Church, were freaking out about the year 2000! Y2K became synonymous with the apocalypse and many believed that the "end of the world" was upon us. Well, the world didn't end and now were faced with yet ANOTHER prediction. This one comes from the ever credible Mayan pridiction that the world will end December 21, 2012. And the sad thing is, many in the Christian community are swarming to this like some did to the Y2K prediction. Would somebody please answer a question for me? When will the community of the Followers of Jesus learn their lesson concerning the End Times and their predictions? Why do we look to other sources, including pagan sources, at the expensene of ignoring Scripture? Okay, just for the sake of continuity, let me give the reader some Scriptures that should lay this and ALL future predictions to rest (Although I doubt for some it will). Read on... MATTHEW 24:36, & 42-44 NLT. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." For those who don't know yet, these are not just words. These are the very words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! He knew that humanity has a propensity to know the future and the times and seasons of God's calendar. However, when the Lord Himself was giving directives to His Disciples to "stay in Jerusalem until they be clothed with power from on high," His Diciples gathered around Him and asked Him the following question, found in Acts 1:6--- “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” And the Lord's response was this in verses 7-8: He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” In other words, the Lord was telling them: "You focus your attention on being filled with the Holy Spirit and His power, and proclaim the gospel to the whole world. Let me worry about when I'm coming back, and the end of the world!" Now Brothers and Sisters, I don't know about you, but that seems pretty straight forward to me as to "where" the focus of our lives as Christian's should be. Our focus and our efforts are to be upon propogating the gospel of Jesus to the ends of the earth, not on the predictions of destruction, apocalypse, and the end of the world from would be prophets! So, the question then might be asked: "When will the Lord return and when will the end come?" The Lord simply tells us to be "READY" at "ALL" times for ONLY God knows when these things will be? When it is time, the Lord Himself will come and get us and further us along the road to the consumation of all things, ........ NOT UNTIL! And He certainly will NOT announce it to humanity AHEAD of time, hence the importance of being "READY" at "ALL" times! Now while these 'end time" predictions are not true. I can give you a prediction that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt WILL come true! ...................................... Many "CHRISTIAN" books, studies,CD's, and DVD's will be made off of this one pagan prediction, and I predict, MANY other wise good Christian people will make these authors a whole LOT of money! Stop worrying! Just be ready at ALL times!........................ Jesus will come and get us,...................... When and ONLY when, the Father is ready and says "It's TIME!"