Did the Maya believe the world would end in December 2012? That is the question the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (known as Penn Museum) in Philadelphia has taken to exploring in its newest exhibition opening in May.

The theory that the ancient Maya predicted a cataclysmic event at the end of their calendar has been gaining popularity over the recent years. According to the exhibition organizers, some believe that a celestial alignment will bring a series of devastating natural disasters. Others argue that this event will bring enlightenment and a new age of peace. Penn Museum scientists decided to address the issue, and attempt to answer the questions surrounding the mysterious calendar prophecy, especially having observed the public's increased curiosity about that ancient civilization and its knowledge regarding the end of time.

"MAYA 2012: Lords of Time," the exhibition, is set to compare the apocalypse predictions with their supposed origins in the ancient Maya civilization, says a statement released by Penn Museum. For that purpose, the museum mobilized some of its best curators, creating an interactive exhibition complete with sculptures and full-sized replicas of major monuments. more >>

CHINO HILLS, Calif. – Calvary Chapel movement founder Chuck Smith closed out the 2012 SoCal Prophecy Conference at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills Sunday with a message of "blessed hope" for Christians during the end times.

More than 8,000 people attended the three-day conference held at the church that included several speakers addressing the difficult objections and misconceptions associated with the end times.

Smith, 84, who is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, is undergoing treatment for lung cancer. However, he had no problem delivering a strong message of hope in a fallen world. more >>

Wyoming legislators rejected on Tuesday a bill that would have prepared the state in the event of many different "doomsday" scenarios, including an economic collapse and the possibility of the state needing to develop its own military. 

The bill was turned down by the House of Representatives by a 30-27 vote.

In its initial form, the bill requested $32,000 to set up a task force of legislators who would look into an assortment of apocalyptic scenarios. The Joint Appropriations Committee eventually cut that request in half. more >>

NEW YORK – The Middle East crisis is gripping the world's attention now more than ever with the growing Iranian nuclear threat and possibility of attacks on Israel. One upcoming conference will seek to address not only how believers should prepare for prophetic events associated with the crisis, but also how to reach the lost and lead them to Christ.

Israel, The Church and the Middle East Crisis conference takes place March 23-24, 2012, at Biola University in La Mirada, Calif., and it is being organized by a Messianic Jewish organization called Chosen People Ministries.

The organization, founded in 1894, exists to pray for, evangelize, disciple, and serve Jewish people everywhere and to help fellow believers do the same. Chosen People Ministries serves in 13 countries across the globe and is involved in cooperative efforts between Jews and Christians to glorify Christ's message of peace. 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 >>