Chinese church protesters point to the Mayan 12/21/12 date, and, despite name, they are not truly COG

A group in China is protesting and making some claims about the Mayan 12/21/12 date and 1/1/13, and the Chinese government is not pleased:

18 December 2012

Chinese police have arrested more than 500 members of a doomsday cult for spreading rumours about the imminent end of the world, state media say.

At least 400 followers of the Almighty God Christian group were detained in western Qinghai province in recent days. Dozens more were held elsewhere.

In Henan province, six officials have been sacked after a knife attack by a suspected doomsday cult disciple wounded more than 20 children. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-20775882

Police across China are rounding up members of a quasi-Christian doomsday cult who have been preaching the end of the world and urging people to launch a “decisive battle” to slay the “big red dragon” of the Communist party.

Scores and perhaps hundreds of members of an outlawed cult known as the Church of Almighty God have been detained throughout the country in recent days as Beijing tries to stop believers taking drastic action on what they believe to be the eve of the apocalypse, according to relatives of cult members and state media reports.

The group, which preaches the second coming of a female Jesus, appears to have adapted an ancient Mayan prophecy that some people believe predicts the end of the world on December 21 2012 and has been popularised by Hollywood movies such as “2012”…

“They are telling everyone that on Friday the sun will rise in the west and then disappear for three days and then there will be 72 days of terrible natural disasters starting from January 1 2013,” one 24-year-old former cult member whose 50-year-old mother is still an adherent told the Financial Times. He asked not to be named because he feared retribution from the cult, which is also known as Lightning from the East. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/b82195d0-4857-11e2-a1c0-00144feab49a.html

Of course, while there may be some natural disasters from January 1-3, 2013, I do not expect the sun to rise from the West on 12/21/12. Nor, of course, is Jesus female, or do Christians go around knifing people. Hence, the group in China has a variety of non-biblical beliefs. But, despite somewhat considering itself to be part of the “Church of God,” it is not. Yet since it has used a variant of that name, it may be that this will get the governmental authorities in China increased concerns about any group that may use the term “Church of God.” This may result in increased swiftness of persecution in the future for any there who may be, or become part of, the genuine Church of God.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

End of Mayan Calendar 2012–Might 2012 Mean Something? Are there Mayan calendar predictions for change in 2012? Changes were centuries ago predicted by the Hopi Native Americans. Do Mayan/Hindu/Hopi/Buddhist/New Age/Nostradamus prophecies have any value here? Why might Satan have inspired this date? Does the Dresden codex show destruction of the earth by flood? Can the great tribulation start before 2012? How might Barack Obama and Julia Gillard be involved in 2012? Have predictions written by Bob Thiel related to Barack Obama and Julia Gillard began to come to pass?
Military Service and the Churches of God: Do Real Christians Participate in Carnal Warfare? Here are current and historical perspectives on a matter which show the beliefs of the true church on military participation. Is war proper for Christians?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect This is a link related to a book by Bob Thiel (COGwriter). This link also has YouTube videos. This book documents and explains hundreds of prophecies. And since it was published, world events have aligned with at least 24 predictions in the book and many more will to come to pass. Those who purchase the book at the www.thesecretsect.com website receive a lengthy bonus report documenting world events that aligned with the book.
The Dramatic Story of Chinese Sabbathkeepers This reformatted Good News article from 1955 discusses Sabbath-keeping in China in the 1800s.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 1: Genesis and Chinese Characters Where did the Chinese people come from? This article provides information showing that the Chinese peoples must have known about various accounts in the Book of Genesis up until their dispersion after the Tower of Babel.
China, Its Biblical Past and Future, Part 2: The Sabbath and Some of God’s Witness in China When did Christianity first come to China? And is there early evidence that they observed the seventh day sabbath?
Asia in Prophecy What is Ahead for Asia? Who are the “Kings of the East”? What will happen to nearly all the Chinese, Russians, Indians, and others of Asia? China in prophecy, where? Who has the 200,000,000 man army related to Armageddon?
2012 and the Rise of the Secret Sect (English Kindle edition). This is the 2nd edition of the book, released in January 2012, and includes a summary of many of the predictions that world events have aligned with since the book originally came out in September 2009.
2012 y el surgimiento de la secta secreta 2012 libro del Dr. Thiel en Español.
2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Edition) 2012 Buch von Dr. Thiel in deutscher Sprache. 2012 und das Auftreten der geheimen Sekte (German Kindle Edition)
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel em português. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 24 já começaram a acontecer.
2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (2 ª Edição em português do Brasil): Um Guia Revolucionário de Sobrevivência Espiritual e Física para 2012-2020 (Portuguese Edition) 2012 livro do Dr. Thiel. 2 ª edição em português do Brasil. Este livro documenta e explica centenas de profecias. E desde que foi publicado pela primeira vez, pelo menos 24 já começaram a acontecer.2012 e o Surgimento da Seita Secreta (KINDLE Edição em português do Brasil) 2 ª edição.-Kindle.