C

The Mayans, and the Return of the King

Re 19:11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.  12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.  13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God.  14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.  15 Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.  16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Last Week:
-  Did Mayans predict the end on Dec 21, 2012
-  Long count calendar comes to an end
-  Galactic line up that will cause pole reversal and disruption of our magnetic field.
- No man knows the day or hour, but we can know the season.
- God's timing revealed 2 Thess 2:1-4

II.  Today we Explore a Mayan Prophesy That is Much more Significant that the End of the World.

A.  Mayans never claimed the end of the world was coming on Dec 21st, 2012

B.  They believed in cycles of time and a series of creations or rebirths

C.  There has been 5 and on Dec 21st, 2012 starts the 6th

- That's why some New Agers are saying that it is not the end of the world the Mayans predicted, but instead a shift of human consciousness and a new age of peace and enlightenment.

D.  As I studied this there were two things that  stood out that I want to talk about.

#1.  Mayan prophecy about the return of a  King.

#2.  The importance the Mayan placed upon blood and human sacrifice.

III.  Mayan Blood Sacrifice

A. Mesoamerican Ball game

1. Game played on a court with a 9 lbs solid  rubber ball
2.  Kept score kind of like volley ball - Losing captain would be put to death - thought to be chosen by the gods to be  sacrificed
3.  Captive enemies would be made to play  the game
3. On each side of the court was a stone ring. - Through the ring was instant victory

- The game was more than recreation
- Religious ritual reenacting a Mayan Myth of the hero twins who defeated the gods of the underworld by playing the game.

B.  Heart Extraction  (Chac)
- The heart was a piece of the Sun within man
- The extracting was liberating it from the sinful body
-  Reuniting it with the Sun (During the sacrifice the priest and spectators would cut themselves and bleed alongside the victim)

C.  Prisoners were often sacrificed
- Sometimes hundreds at a time

D.  Some people offered themselves
- Was thought to be the highest form of death
-  An honor to give back to the gods

C.  Blood Letting
- They believed the gods required blood as  food.
-  To provide life and fertility
-  Even today farmers will spill their own  blood at the corners of his field.

D.  WHY THEY BELIEVED THIS?

Numerous stories of Mayan Gods who offered their own blood to keep life going

- One cut his own head off to keep the Sun going.
- They believe their gods eat their blood for  nourishment

E.   Bible & Human sacrifice

De 18:10 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft,  11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.  12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13 You must be blameless before the LORD your God.

Jer 32:35 They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, though I never commanded, nor did it enter my mind, that they should do such a detestable thing and so make Judah sin.

 

F.  Satan is a cruel taskmaster

The desire for human sacrifice and blood can be linked to Satan:

Prophets of Baal:
1Ki 18:28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed.

Demon Possessed Man
Mr 5:5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

Demon Possessed Boy
Mt 17:15 "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water.

Self-destructive behavior is often a result of Satan's influence - Group home girls

1. He says, you're gong to pay
2. Jesus says I already paid the price with my own blood

The Mayans thought they were feeding the gods and buying blessing

God says this is the way to blessing:

De 7:12 If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the LORD your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.  13 He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless the fruit of your womb, the crops of your land-- your grain, new wine and oil-- the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks in the land that he swore to your forefathers to give you.  14 You will be blessed more than any other people; none of your men or women will be childless, nor any of your livestock without young.

Mt 6:30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

IV.  Mayan Prophesy of the Return of the  King

A. A monument erected in 670 AD holds a Mayan prophesies about a returning king.

B. It says that a Mayan God, Bolon Yokte Ku will descend at the end of the 5th creation.

    - His name means god of change
    - Part of the monument can't be read so we do not know what they thought he purpose would be.

His name denote: A change is coming

1. Some speculate messiah figure
2. Other leap in consciousness
3. World peace
4.  Other the end of the world

In Bible college I read a book that made a lasting impression on me:

Eternity in their Hearts by Don Richardson
- Every culture has seed of the original story

- The Mayan have seeds of truth in their story 

V. Grains of Truth in the Mayan Story

A. The maize god is resurrected and brings food to all men

Jesus is the resurrected bread of life

B.  Return of the king Bolon Yokte Ku

Rev 9:16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

C. Mayan Creation Account:

THIS IS THE ACCOUNT of when all is still silent and placid. All is silent and calm. Hushed and empty is the womb of the sky. THESE, then, are the first words, the first speech. There is not yet one person, one animal, bird, fish, crab, tree, rock, hollow, canyon, meadow, or forest.All alone the sky exists. The face of the earth has not yet appeared. Alone lies the expanse of the sea, along with the womb of all the sky. There is not yet anything gathered together. All is at rest. Nothing stirs. All is languid, at rest in the sky. There is not yet anything standing erect. Only the expanse of the water, only the tranquil sea lies alone.All alone are they …,Luminous they are in the water,wrapped in quetzal feathers and feathers Thus they are called Quetzal Serpent.

Ge 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light.  4 God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  5 God called the light "day," and the darkness he called "night." And there was evening, and there was morning-- the first day.

 

VI. Veering from the Truth Leads to  Darkness
 
A. The Bible tells us what happens when men turn their focus away from truth

Ro 1:20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.  21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.  22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools

1. We turn to truth we get more light
2. We turn to false we get darkness

B. The Mayan ancestors knew the truth
- But they turned away
- Satan perverted the story

C. In the true creation story the Satan comes as a serpent wants to be god but becomes the villain

- In the Mayan creation story the serpent called Kuklucan who the Aztecs later would call   Quetzalcotl  (The featured serpent) is a god.

No coincidence - Satan is looking for worship.

VII.  Conclusions & Applications

1.  DANGER: in consulting any other source  for guidance other than God
     - Not the latest 2012 book
     - Or ancient civilization

2.  Satan is cruel - if you don't know the truth he will twist it into what is false.
     - He'll turn religion into poison and pain
     - Many churches are houses of bondage

3.  Great freedom in knowing:

- What the cross has done for me (His blood)

- What He requires of me

- What He has promised to give me by faith

- That whenever the end comes I'm hidden in  Him - and He hold my times in His hand