End of the World

Joel C. Rosenberg, an Evangelical Christian and New York Times best-selling author who has extensive experience in Middle East affairs, warned at a conference attended by Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich that Iran and Israel will soon be thrown into a war.

"War is coming," Rosenberg said at the First Baptist Jacksonville Pastors' Conference on Jan. 29, Florida Baptist Witness reported. "You and I are living in an extraordinary moment in one of the most dangerous moments in the history of our country; one of the most dangerous moments in the history of Israel and the Middle East; and one of the most dangerous moments in the history of the church."

According to the biography on his website, Rosenberg has worked as a communications advisor with a number of U.S. and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, Natan Sharansky, and Benjamin Netanyahu. more >>

Warren Jeffs, the polygamist leader convicted of sexual assault in Aug. 2011, is reportedly still commanding his breakaway Mormon sect from behind bars in Texas and is preparing them for the end of the world.

The 55-year-old spiritual leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (FLDS) was convicted of aggravated child sexual assault for sexual misconduct with girls aged 12 and 14, and is serving life in prison.

During the trial, Jeffs cited freedom of religion and tried to defend what he insisted was his right to practice plural marriage. He also called himself a living prophet of God and warned that those who opposed him would be humbled by sickness and death. more >>

"Doomsday Preppers" on National Geographic is banking on the current craze over end of the world predictions to make the program into the next big reality television hit, as the show attracted a record number of viewers in its Tuesday premiere.  

The Mayan Calendar ends on December 21, 2012, which has long been feared by many to signalize the end of the world. Popular Hollywood movies, such as "2012," the 2009 action drama that chronicles how natural disasters could destroy the planet, have attributed to growing fears of potential apocalyptic events. Some members of the public have gone as far as asking NASA about whether it would be a good idea to kill themselves or their pets to avoid suffering potential cataclysmic events. 

Christians are by no means exempt from looking for signs of the end times, as Family Radio Stations, Inc. founder Harold Camping showed with his series of failed end times predictions. more >>

Bill Salus, an author, researcher and lecturer who focuses on the prophetic relevance of current Middle East and world events, claims that the Rapture will occur soon – and that Christians today might even be living in the last days.

Among the plethora of end times views that have emerged, there are many different beliefs on when the Rapture will happen, when Jesus will return, and how the prophecies written in the Book of Revelation might unfold.

The Rapture, the event that some claim is prophesied in the Book of Revelation, is a belief that believers will be taken into heaven, leaving unrepentant sinners behind on Earth to experience His judgment.  more >>

With a growing number of authors and theologians releasing books about doomsday and rapture predictions, one title that stands out is by the Rev. Gerald Haug, who insists the world is not ending any time soon and that religious leaders teaching otherwise are doing damage to the church. 

Haug's book, Ortho-Millennialism: Bringing Order to End-Time Chaos, focuses on analyzing the books of the Bible that might offer clues on the timing of the Rapture, when followers of Jesus will be caught up to meet him in the air – and the reverend says his work dispels all speculation and proves with absolute certainty that Jesus will not be returning to Earth for at least another 100 years.

Haug, a member of the Assemblies of God convention, the largest collection of Pentecostal denominations with some 62 million members worldwide, shared in an interview with The Christian Post that he has spoken about his book to thousands at his assembly and has convinced them of the validity of his work. more >>

Apocalyptic theories, such as the one linked to the Mayans, are forcing some people to think about the future in terms of survival and preparing for the worst – and one company is offering underground bunkers that promise to withstand almost every major catastrophe that may hit Earth. Its founder, Robert Vicino, says Christians relying on the Rapture as their safety net would do well to also make preparations.

The Vivos Project first started almost 30 years ago as an idea in the mind of Vicino, an entrepreneur with a global history of success in manufacturing, marketing and real estate development. The Vivios Project is perhaps the biggest of its kind, as Vicino is preparing for worst-case scenarios the planet could face at any time.

Although the organization’s website features a live clock that counts down the days, hours, minutes and seconds to Dec. 21, 2012 – the date on which the Mayan Calendar ends and some believe will bring about the destruction of the world – Vicino shared with The Christian Post that the clock is mostly metaphorical. more >>