Thursday 3 December, 2009

Arts

The ‘2012’ film poster

By Charles Gardner

If you want to see a picture of the end of the world as we know it, the 2012 AD movie isn’t far off the mark. By that I mean that this gripping edge-of-your-seat film reflects much of what the Bible predicts for what it terms the ‘last days’ – except, of course, the specific date which I shall explain later.

And this is very appropriate for the start of what the Church celebrates as Advent (literally ‘the coming’), a season traditionally more to do with the Second Coming of Christ than his first coming as a babe in Bethlehem.

But the movie script is not so much based on the ancient Judeo-Christian scriptures as a prophecy of a Mexican people group known as the Mayans whose calendar apparently ends on December 21 2012 – 12.21.12 in American shorthand.

This will be the day, it is said, when the planets will line up in such a way that will have catastrophic effects on the earth. And yet it was apparently planets lining up that created the extraordinarily bright Star of Bethlehem that led the Wise Men from the East to the new-born Christ.

In the movie, a top U.S. geologist discovers that the earth’s crust is suddenly heating up alarmingly. The well-known California fault-line is the initial focus of activity but gargantuan earthquakes soon spread through much of the world courtesy of amazing special effects which depict cities falling into the sea and mountainous waves descending on whole continents. And, of course, the London Olympics are suspended amidst the chaos!

It’s not just about terrifying images, however. A moving romantic story threads its way through the show focused on one particular family who end up saving the planet from complete extinction after persuading others apt to fend for themselves in a survival of the fittest (or wealthiest) mentality that if we cannot care for one another, humanity isn’t worth saving.

As a frightened Presidential aide says, “It is galling when placard carriers announcing the end of the world is nigh are finally proved right.”

And he ends up being in charge as the President – and the next two in line of succession – perish under the ashes of an exploding volcano followed by a tsunami, the President having chosen to die with his people rather than be rescued to safety in his special plane.

There’s much in the film about sacrifice; being prepared to give one’s life to save others. And there are many parallels to the biblical prophecies of the end times…

Safety, in this scenario, are a few huge ships built in China by people ‘in the know’ which eventually enables the remnant to survive the gigantic tsunamis despite initially crashing into Mount Everest.

Yes, there are many moments of delicious humour which help to offset the terrifying tension. The ships, complete with rescued wild animals, are reminiscent of Noah’s Ark, through which mankind was previously preserved during the biblical flood.

The survivors are taken to South Africa, which escaped the deluge as it had been ‘pushed up’ rather than down with the Drakensberg Mountains of KwaZulu-Natal now the ‘roof of the world’ as opposed to the Himalayas which were somewhat flattened, which made me feel particularly good as I have climbed those peaks myself.

The film is frightening, but not unrealistic. Here’s what will really happen – and remember that the only biblical prophecies yet to come true are those concerning the future…

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places,” Jesus foretold. “All these are the beginning of birth-pains… For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again… For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man… Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken’” (quoting the prophet Isaiah).

He goes on: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”

The aforementioned disasters will be nothing compared to people’s realisation that they have mocked their Maker.
Yet Jesus goes on to say: “No-one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

But while predicting precise dates is sure proof of false prophecy, the scriptures make it clear that Jesus gave us signs of his imminent return so that we would be ready when he comes.

The comparison with the time of Noah is significant, however. For Jesus says: “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.”

God gives us the signs and, if we’re ready, and trusting in him, we will be safe. But those who continue to deny him will be “cut to pieces and assigned a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth”. (Matthew 24.51)

The Apostle Peter takes up the theme: “By these waters also the world of that time (Noah’s time) was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the Day of Judgment and destruction of ungodly men.”

Peter goes on: “The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.”

Interestingly, the Book of Revelation (the final book of the Bible which focuses on the last days), in describing seven plagues leading up to the monumental Battle of Armageddon, talks of the “sun given power to scorch people with fire”. This is global warming on a biblical scale. The same chapter also foretells the occasion when “the great city split into three parts, and the cities of the nations collapsed” – alarmingly similar to the scenario depicted in this film.

Watch the movie, by all means, but make sure you also read the only script that can be trusted.

Photo: Wikipedia