“2012: Prophecy or Panic?” is a fascinating look at what people were predicting about the year 2012, when Dec. 21 ended the ancient Mayan calendar. Many people predicted the end of the world and hysteria was high. Jeff Douglas hosts this documentary that features comments by a number of people including Philip Coppens, who says that people need to forget the idea that the Mayans were barbarians. They were an intelligent people who were excellent astronomers.

Just about every theory about the Mayan people and the belief that the world would end is examined by experts including Donald Perkins of Prophecy Ministries, who says the Mayans were brilliant in their ability to track stars but that people have taken this too far with their predictions about the end of the world coinciding with the end of their calendar. The man behind the “harmonic convergence” is mentioned, as is the fact that many involved with the occult tend to get excited about end-time predictions. The topic is examined closely using star charts, commentary, and archive footage. Ultimately people are pointed to Christ, who gave no exact date for his return but warned people everywhere to be ready. This topic is covered pretty well, and a look back at the hysteria of Y2K is featured. Dr. Chuck Missler, author, believes that many people turn from materialism to mysticism, instead of following Christ.

It’s interesting to note that several people ended up with egg on their faces, but the Christian leaders who encouraged people to live normally and trust God were proven right. We are pleased to award this film our “Faith-Friendly” Seal for ages twelve plus. This interesting film is insightful as it relates to Bible teachers and their predictions, as well as to how far off others were in their predictions.