Prophesying end of the world growing as crucial dates loom

By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
Source: www.dailynews.com
March 7 2009

An unlikely prophet of the Second Coming, Paul McGuire says the fascination with Bible prophecy and other forecasters of the apocalypse has exploded in recent months as the economic downturn has deepened.

The author of "The Day The Dollar Died" and 16 other books on prophecy, McGuire said people who otherwise "wouldn't give 2 cents about God" are now turning to prayer and expressing interest in the biblical predictions.

"I think Bible prophecy really is a fuse igniting the whole thing," said McGuire, a Newhall resident who hosts a syndicated radio talk show, is a regular commentator on Fox News and CNN and teaches at The King's College seminary in Van Nuys.

"I was just on a two-hour History Channel special, `7Signs of the Apocalypse,' and it turned out to be one of their highest-rated shows."

McGuire joined a host of other prophecy experts in speaking last month to an overflow crowd of 7,000 at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills for the Southern California Prophecy Conference.

And about 10,000 people are expected to gather April 4 in San Diego for a conference on "Understanding Today's Global Crises in Light of Bible Prophecy."

"What most Americans don't realize is that this question of whether we're living in the last days of history is a question being asked all throughout the Muslim world and the Jewish world as well," said author Joel C. Rosenberg, who is scheduled to speak at the conference.

"Both religious Jews and religious Muslims are increasingly discussing and debating how soon it will be until the Messiah comes," said Rosenberg, whose latest book, "Inside the Revolution," is due out on Tuesday.
Ken Durham, adjunct professor in preaching and New Testament and the senior minister of the University Church at Pepperdine University, noted that similar predictions of the apocalypse have been made for centuries and the world is still here.

"I suspect historically that in dire times financially that people are more interested in prophecy and whether things are going to come to an end," Durham said. "But I remember when Jesus told his disciples that even he didn't know when the end would come; that only God knows when the end will come. I take my cue from Jesus."

Worldwide, people are fascinated with a purported Mayan prophecy that predicts a cataclysmic event in 2012.

There is an upcoming movie starring John Cusack - "2012" - about a pole shift that results in a global cataclysm. New Age Web sites are dedicated to speculation about what will happen when the Mayan calendar ends on Dec.21, 2012. Some believe a disaster will befall the planet, but experts say the Mayans believe the world is eternal and will merely enter a new time cycle.

At the same time, Muslim religious leaders are predicting the coming of the Islamic messiah.

"It's an interesting time for prophecy believers or those who track these phenomena," says Stephen D. O'Leary, an associate professor of communications at the University of Southern California and an expert on Armageddon and apocalyptic events.

Throughout the world, O'Leary said there has been a resurgence of interest in prophecies that come from distinct "prophetic streams."

"What's interesting is in the Muslim world they are watching the Christian prophecy believers and are well aware of America's support for Israel, which is heavily supported by Christians who believe Israel is important because of its role in the End Times," O'Leary said.

"So all these different groups are watching each other and are influenced by the other groups."