Although I don’t believe a majority of people believe in the biblical view of the “end times,” virtually everyone at some time or another wonders about the “end” of all things. This goes far beyond our individual mortality.

As I’ve mentioned before, it has been especially popular the last 10 years or so to mock the claims of Bible prophecy. After the Y2K debacle—even though the Bible says nothing about such a calamity—there was a feeling that “end times” speculation must be wrong. The problem is, many cannot distinguish between a false prophet like Harold Camping, and what the Bible actually says. Why? Because few read the Bible.

As always, the rise of modern Israel, predicted so often in Scripture, is the overwhelming key. Yet there are other, “side issues” that factor-in.

Just in time for the Mayan 2012 nonsense (Mark Hitchcock gives the best refutation to this I’ve read), NASA officials have announced that we shouldn’t expect any apocalyptic scenarios from space this year, only that we can expect the winter solstice.

Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near Earth Object Program, says that, “There are no known near-Earth objects in 2012 that present a credible risk to Earth.”

We do know from Scripture though (Revelation 8:10-12) that a “great star from heaven” falls to Earth and pollutes much of the water supply. The name of the star is Wormwood, and in the eight places wormwood is mentioned in scripture, it’s not good.

Bible prophecy teachers would be better off acknowledging that such an event will happen; we just don’t know when.