These Solar flares are also the cause behind the beautiful northern lights (aurora).

Solar Flare

Solar Flares (large bursts of gas from the sun) happen all the time.  Approximately every 11 years or so, the sun seems to have an extra large burst of activity.  2012 was thought to be the end of the next 11 cycle where sun spots would start to appear as the tell tale sign of extra solar activity - i.e. solar flares (which stay close to the surface of the sun) and Coronal Mass Ejections (which can travel millions of miles out into space).  However, NASA scientists have said recently that it looks like the next cycle will come around in 2013 and not 2012.




So all the talk about solar flares has nothing to do with any end of the world 2012 prophecy, it's just part of the normal cycle of the sun.

Secondly, if earth was affected by a massive solar flare it would not actually "destroy" the earth but it could cause massive problems for anything depending on electricity.  We are more vulnerable now with our all the things we need electricity for than we (the people on earth) were in 1859 when a solar storm blew out telegraph wires in Europe and America.

The important thing to understand is  that the worst things that happen from sun flares are that there may be some electrical blackouts (the biggest ever was in Canada in 1989) and loss of radio and satellite communication.  In a worst case scenario, these could last for months or more but that is a worst case scenario.

Governments are now looking at ways to (1) build early warning systems that the earth may be affected by a solar flare and (2) have good back up systems should power grids be affected.

Now while there is no scientific evidence to suggest the world will be destroyed by a solar flare in 2012, there are prophecies in the Bible which say that end time judgments on the earth (and 2012 is NOT given in the Bible as a date for the end of the world) will include negative affects from the heat of the sun.

Revelation 16:8-9 "And they fourth poured out his bowl upon the sun; and it was given to it to burn men with fire. And men were burned with great heat; and the blasphemed the name of God Who has the authority over these plagues; and they did not repent to give Him glory."

See Solar Flares 2012 for much more on Solar Flares and 2012.  This includes images and explanation about X-Class flares and Coronal Mass Ejections; a chart showing X-Class flares from 1978 to 2006 and also video with info on proposed defence systems and much more (of course).