Mayan 'Apocalypse' Inspires Mark Driscoll's 'End of the World' To-Do List
Dec. 21, 2012 'Doomsday' Claims Dismissed by Mars Hill Pastor; NASA, Others Debunk Claims
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Wash., has been amusing his Twitter followers with a series of tweets counting down to the much-hyped Mayan "apocalypse" expected by some to occur this Friday, Dec. 21, 2012.
The minister and bestselling author started tweeting last week about what things one might avoid or try to accomplish in light of an approaching cataclysmic event.
Driscoll's list of tweets were retweeted more than 2,000 times and marked as "favorites" by hundreds of followers on the social network.
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The megachurch pastor wrote:
Just 8 days until the end of the world. No need to go through the fridge and check expiration dates anymore.
Just 7 days until the end of the world. Today's a good day to start that week-long vacation you have coming.
Just 6 days until the end of the world. No need to do the laundry.
Just 5 days until the end of the world. No need to start dieting now.
Just 4 days until the end of the world. Better hustle if you wanna finish your list of home improvement projects. Or just burn the list.
Just 3 days until the end of the world. No need to gas up the car.
Just 2 days until the end of the world. No need to pay the bills.
On Thursday, the eve of the so-called Mayan apocalypse, Driscoll had not tweeted any other suggestions for "end of the world" tasks to do or avoid.
Despite the levity, some observing claims made about Dec. 21, 2012, have been gripped with fear that Friday may actually spell doom for planet Earth.
The Mayan Long Count Calendar, at the center of the hysteria, records 13 cycles, the final one of which concludes on Dec. 21. While experts insist that the Mayans only marked the end of a cycle and not the world, others have insisted otherwise.
Experts, governments and organizations, such as NASA, the U.S. government and the Vatican, have spoken out to address those fears, emphatically assuring the concerned public that Dec. 21 will be a day like any other.
Christians have also been seeking to assure those fearful of the day, sharing passages from the Bible such as Matthew 24:36 in which Jesus discusses with his disciples the end of the world and his return to Earth.
"But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father," Jesus says in the passage.
Driscoll preached a sermon series last year on the Gospel of Luke with sermon entry titled "The Coming of the Kingdom". In the sermon, a clip of which is shown below, the pastor noted that Jesus informed his disciples of certain signs that would be apparent before the end comes.
"What people try to do is exactly what Jesus said we were not supposed to do, and that's take all the signs and try to put them together and predict when the end would be. People have been doing this since the days of the New Testament," said Driscoll, sharing how the Bible describes what many Christians refer to as the "end times".
