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List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events

Updated: Wikipedia source

List of dates predicted for apocalyptic events

Predictions of apocalyptic events that will result in the extinction of humanity, a collapse of civilization, or the destruction of the planet have been made since at least the beginning of the Common Era. Most predictions are related to Abrahamic religions, often standing for or similar to the eschatological events described in their scriptures. Christian predictions typically refer to events like the Rapture, Great Tribulation, Last Judgment, and the Second Coming of Christ. End-time events are normally predicted to occur within the lifetime of the person making the prediction and are usually made using the Bible—in particular the New Testament—as either the primary or exclusive source for the predictions. This often takes the form of mathematical calculations, such as trying to calculate the point in time where it will have been 6,000 years since the supposed creation of the Earth by the Abrahamic God, which according to the Talmud marks the deadline for the Messiah to appear. Predictions of the end from natural events have also been theorised by various scientists and scientific groups. While these predictions are generally accepted as plausible within the scientific community, the events and phenomena are not expected to occur for hundreds of thousands, or even billions, of years from now. Little research has been carried out into the reasons that people make apocalyptic predictions. Historically, such predictions have been made for the purpose of diverting attention from actual crises like poverty and war, pushing political agendas, or promoting hatred of certain groups; antisemitism was a popular theme of Christian apocalyptic predictions in medieval times, while French and Lutheran depictions of the apocalypse were known to feature English and Catholic antagonists, respectively. According to psychologists, possible explanations for why people believe in modern apocalyptic predictions include: mentally reducing the actual danger in the world to a single and definable source; an innate human fascination with fear; personality traits of paranoia and powerlessness; and a modern romanticism related to end-times, resulting from its portrayal in contemporary fiction. The prevalence of Abrahamic religions throughout modern history is said to have created a culture that encourages the embracement of a future drastically different from the present. Such a culture is credited for the rise in popularity of predictions that are more secular in nature, such as the 2012 phenomenon, while maintaining the centuries-old theme that a powerful force will bring about the end of humanity. In 2012, opinion polls conducted across 20 countries found that over 14% of people believe the world will end in their lifetime, with percentages ranging from 6% of people in France to 22% in the United States and Turkey. Belief in the apocalypse is most prevalent in people with lower levels of education, lower household incomes, and those under the age of 35. In the United Kingdom in 2015, 23% of the general public believed the apocalypse was likely to occur in their lifetime, compared to 10% of experts from the Global Challenges Foundation. The general public believed the likeliest cause would be nuclear war, while experts thought it would be artificial intelligence. Only 3% of Britons thought the end would be caused by the Last Judgement, compared with 16% of Americans. Up to 3% of the people surveyed in both the UK and the US thought the apocalypse would be caused by zombies or alien invasion.

Tables

· Past predictions › First millennium CE
66–70
66–70
Date(s) (CE)
66–70
Claimant(s)
Simon bar Giora, Jewish Essenes
Description
The Jewish Essene sect of ascetics saw the Jewish uprising against the Romans in 66–70 in Judea as the final end-time battle which would bring about the arrival of the Messiah. By the authority of Simon, coins were minted declaring the redemption of Israel.
365
365
Date(s) (CE)
365
Claimant(s)
Hilary of Poitiers
Description
This French bishop announced the end of the world would happen during this year.
375–400
375–400
Date(s) (CE)
375–400
Claimant(s)
Martin of Tours
Description
This French bishop stated that the world would end before 400 AD, writing, "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established already in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power."
500
500
Date(s) (CE)
500
Claimant(s)
Hippolytus of Rome, Sextus Julius Africanus, Irenaeus
Description
All three predicted Jesus would return in this year, with one of the predictions being based on the dimensions of Noah's Ark.
6 Apr 793
6 Apr 793
Date(s) (CE)
6 Apr 793
Claimant(s)
Beatus of Liébana
Description
This Spanish monk prophesied the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world on that day in front of a large crowd of people.
800
800
Date(s) (CE)
800
Claimant(s)
Sextus Julius Africanus
Description
This Christian historian revised his prediction from the year 500 to 800.
799–806
799–806
Date(s) (CE)
799–806
Claimant(s)
Gregory of Tours
Description
This French bishop calculated the end would occur between 799 and 806.
847
847
Date(s) (CE)
847
Claimant(s)
Thiota
Description
This Christian declared in 847 that the world would end that year, though later confessed the prediction was fraudulent and was publicly flogged.
992–995
992–995
Date(s) (CE)
992–995
Claimant(s)
Various Christians
Description
Good Friday coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation; this had long been believed to be the event that would bring forth the Antichrist, and thus the end-times, within three years.
1 Jan 1000
1 Jan 1000
Date(s) (CE)
1 Jan 1000
Claimant(s)
Pope Sylvester II
Description
Various Christian clerics predicted this date as the Millennium, including Pope Sylvester II. As a result, riots are said to have occurred in Europe and pilgrims headed east to Jerusalem. Many historians, however, dispute that any of these events ever took place.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
66–70
Simon bar Giora, Jewish Essenes
The Jewish Essene sect of ascetics saw the Jewish uprising against the Romans in 66–70 in Judea as the final end-time battle which would bring about the arrival of the Messiah. By the authority of Simon, coins were minted declaring the redemption of Israel.
365
Hilary of Poitiers
This French bishop announced the end of the world would happen during this year.
375–400
Martin of Tours
This French bishop stated that the world would end before 400 AD, writing, "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established already in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power."
500
Hippolytus of Rome, Sextus Julius Africanus, Irenaeus
All three predicted Jesus would return in this year, with one of the predictions being based on the dimensions of Noah's Ark.
6 Apr 793
Beatus of Liébana
This Spanish monk prophesied the Second Coming of Christ and the end of the world on that day in front of a large crowd of people.
800
Sextus Julius Africanus
This Christian historian revised his prediction from the year 500 to 800.
799–806
Gregory of Tours
This French bishop calculated the end would occur between 799 and 806.
847
Thiota
This Christian declared in 847 that the world would end that year, though later confessed the prediction was fraudulent and was publicly flogged.
992–995
Various Christians
Good Friday coincided with the Feast of the Annunciation; this had long been believed to be the event that would bring forth the Antichrist, and thus the end-times, within three years.
1 Jan 1000
Pope Sylvester II
Various Christian clerics predicted this date as the Millennium, including Pope Sylvester II. As a result, riots are said to have occurred in Europe and pilgrims headed east to Jerusalem. Many historians, however, dispute that any of these events ever took place.
· Past predictions › 11th–15th centuries
1033
1033
Date(s) (CE)
1033
Claimant(s)
Various Christians
Description
Following the failure of the 1 January 1000, prediction, some theorists proposed that the end would occur 1,000 years after Jesus' death, instead of his birth.
1200–1260
1200–1260
Date(s) (CE)
1200–1260
Claimant(s)
Joachim of Fiore
Description
This Italian mystic determined that the Millennium would begin between 1200 and 1260.
1284
1284
Date(s) (CE)
1284
Claimant(s)
Pope Innocent III
Description
Pope Innocent III (died 1216) predicted that the world would end 666 years after the rise of Islam.
1290, 1335
1290, 1335
Date(s) (CE)
1290, 1335
Claimant(s)
Joachimites
Description
After his 1260 prediction failed, the followers of Joachim of Fiore rescheduled the end of the world to 1290 and then again to 1335.
1346–1351
1346–1351
Date(s) (CE)
1346–1351
Claimant(s)
Various Europeans
Description
The black plague spreading across Europe was interpreted by many as the sign of the end of times.
1368–1370
1368–1370
Date(s) (CE)
1368–1370
Claimant(s)
Jean de Roquetaillade
Description
This French alchemist predicted the Antichrist was to come in 1366 and the Millennium would begin either in 1368 or 1370.
1378
1378
Date(s) (CE)
1378
Claimant(s)
Arnaldus de Villa Nova
Description
This Joachite wrote that the Antichrist was to come during this year.
1492
1492
Date(s) (CE)
1492
Claimant(s)
Various Russian Christians
Description
Many Russian Orthodox Christians beginning from the 1400s believed this year would see Christ's return, since it would be the end of the seventh millennium and the start of the eighth millennium (the year 8000) according to the Byzantine calendar. In 1408, this belief led to the Russian Orthodox Church making the decision not to compute the date of Easter beyond 1491.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1033
Various Christians
Following the failure of the 1 January 1000, prediction, some theorists proposed that the end would occur 1,000 years after Jesus' death, instead of his birth.
1200–1260
Joachim of Fiore
This Italian mystic determined that the Millennium would begin between 1200 and 1260.
1284
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III (died 1216) predicted that the world would end 666 years after the rise of Islam.
1290, 1335
Joachimites
After his 1260 prediction failed, the followers of Joachim of Fiore rescheduled the end of the world to 1290 and then again to 1335.
1346–1351
Various Europeans
The black plague spreading across Europe was interpreted by many as the sign of the end of times.
1368–1370
Jean de Roquetaillade
This French alchemist predicted the Antichrist was to come in 1366 and the Millennium would begin either in 1368 or 1370.
1378
Arnaldus de Villa Nova
This Joachite wrote that the Antichrist was to come during this year.
1492
Various Russian Christians
Many Russian Orthodox Christians beginning from the 1400s believed this year would see Christ's return, since it would be the end of the seventh millennium and the start of the eighth millennium (the year 8000) according to the Byzantine calendar. In 1408, this belief led to the Russian Orthodox Church making the decision not to compute the date of Easter beyond 1491.
· Past predictions › 16th century
1504
1504
Date(s) (CE)
1504
Claimant(s)
Sandro Botticelli
Description
This painter believed he was living during the Tribulation, and that the Millennium would begin in three and a half years from 1500. He wrote into his painting The Mystical Nativity that the Devil was loose and would soon be chained.
1 Feb 1524
1 Feb 1524
Date(s) (CE)
1 Feb 1524
Claimant(s)
London astrologers
Description
A group of astrologers in London predicted the world would end by a flood starting in London, based on calculations made the previous June. Twenty thousand Londoners left their homes and headed for higher ground in anticipation.
20 Feb 1524
20 Feb 1524
Date(s) (CE)
20 Feb 1524
Claimant(s)
Johannes Stöffler
Description
A planetary alignment in Pisces was seen by this astrologer as a sign of the Millennium.
1524–1526
1524–1526
Date(s) (CE)
1524–1526
Claimant(s)
Thomas Müntzer
Description
1525 would mark the beginning of the Millennium, according to this Anabaptist. His followers were killed by cannon fire in an uneven battle with government troops. He died under torture and was beheaded.
27 May 1528
27 May 1528
Date(s) (CE)
27 May 1528
Claimant(s)
Hans Hut
Description
This German Anabaptist predicted the end would occur on this date.
1528
1528
Date(s) (CE)
1528
Claimant(s)
Johannes Stöffler
Description
A revised date from Stöffler after his 1524 prediction failed to come true.
19 Oct 1533
19 Oct 1533
Date(s) (CE)
19 Oct 1533
Claimant(s)
Michael Stifel
Description
This mathematician calculated that Judgement Day would begin at 8:00 am on this day.
1533
1533
Date(s) (CE)
1533
Claimant(s)
Melchior Hoffman
Description
This Anabaptist prophet predicted Christ's Second Coming to take place this year in Strasbourg. He claimed that 144,000 people would be saved, while the rest of the world would be consumed by fire.
5 Apr 1534
5 Apr 1534
Date(s) (CE)
5 Apr 1534
Claimant(s)
Jan Matthys
Description
During the Münster rebellion, this Anabaptist leader declared that the apocalypse would take place on this day. When the day came he led a failed attack against Franz von Waldeck and was decapitated.
1555
1555
Date(s) (CE)
1555
Claimant(s)
Pierre d'Ailly
Description
Around 1400, this French theologian wrote that 6845 years of human history had already passed, and the end of the world would be in the 7000th year.
1585
1585
Date(s) (CE)
1585
Claimant(s)
Michael Servetus
Description
In his book The Restoration of Christianity, the Spanish born reformer claimed that the Devil's reign in this world had started in 325 AD, at the Council of Nicea, and would last for 1260 years, thus ending in 1585.
1588
1588
Date(s) (CE)
1588
Claimant(s)
Regiomontanus
Description
This mathematician and astronomer predicted the end of the world during this year.
1600
1600
Date(s) (CE)
1600
Claimant(s)
Martin Luther
Description
Luther, a German priest and professor of theology, predicted the end of the world would occur no later than 1600.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1504
Sandro Botticelli
This painter believed he was living during the Tribulation, and that the Millennium would begin in three and a half years from 1500. He wrote into his painting The Mystical Nativity that the Devil was loose and would soon be chained.
1 Feb 1524
London astrologers
A group of astrologers in London predicted the world would end by a flood starting in London, based on calculations made the previous June. Twenty thousand Londoners left their homes and headed for higher ground in anticipation.
20 Feb 1524
Johannes Stöffler
A planetary alignment in Pisces was seen by this astrologer as a sign of the Millennium.
1524–1526
Thomas Müntzer
1525 would mark the beginning of the Millennium, according to this Anabaptist. His followers were killed by cannon fire in an uneven battle with government troops. He died under torture and was beheaded.
27 May 1528
Hans Hut
This German Anabaptist predicted the end would occur on this date.
1528
Johannes Stöffler
A revised date from Stöffler after his 1524 prediction failed to come true.
19 Oct 1533
Michael Stifel
This mathematician calculated that Judgement Day would begin at 8:00 am on this day.
1533
Melchior Hoffman
This Anabaptist prophet predicted Christ's Second Coming to take place this year in Strasbourg. He claimed that 144,000 people would be saved, while the rest of the world would be consumed by fire.
5 Apr 1534
Jan Matthys
During the Münster rebellion, this Anabaptist leader declared that the apocalypse would take place on this day. When the day came he led a failed attack against Franz von Waldeck and was decapitated.
1555
Pierre d'Ailly
Around 1400, this French theologian wrote that 6845 years of human history had already passed, and the end of the world would be in the 7000th year.
1585
Michael Servetus
In his book The Restoration of Christianity, the Spanish born reformer claimed that the Devil's reign in this world had started in 325 AD, at the Council of Nicea, and would last for 1260 years, thus ending in 1585.
1588
Regiomontanus
This mathematician and astronomer predicted the end of the world during this year.
1600
Martin Luther
Luther, a German priest and professor of theology, predicted the end of the world would occur no later than 1600.
· Past predictions › 17th century
1 Feb 1624
1 Feb 1624
Date(s) (CE)
1 Feb 1624
Claimant(s)
London astrologers
Description
The same astrologers who had predicted the deluge of 1 February 1524 recalculated the date to 100 years later after their first prophecy failed.
1648
1648
Date(s) (CE)
1648
Claimant(s)
Sabbatai Zevi
Description
Using the kabbalah, this rabbi from Turkey proclaimed that the Messiah would come during that year.
1651
1651
Date(s) (CE)
1651
Claimant(s)
Unknown author from Lübeck, Germany
Description
The apocalypse maps tell of an Antichrist, the rise of Islam and other events following Judgement Day that was predicted to occur in 1651.
1654
1654
Date(s) (CE)
1654
Claimant(s)
Helisaeus Roeslin
Description
This physician made a prediction that the world would end this year based on a nova that occurred in 1572.
1656
1656
Date(s) (CE)
1656
Claimant(s)
Christopher Columbus
Description
In his Book of Prophecies (1501), Columbus predicted that the world would end during this year.
1655–1657
1655–1657
Date(s) (CE)
1655–1657
Claimant(s)
Fifth Monarchists
Description
This group of radical Christians predicted that the final apocalyptic battle and the destruction of the Antichrist were to take place between 1655 and 1657.
1658
1658
Date(s) (CE)
1658
Claimant(s)
Christopher Columbus
Description
Columbus claimed that the world was created in 5343 BCE and would last 7,000 years. Assuming no year zero, that means the end would come in 1658.
1660
1660
Date(s) (CE)
1660
Claimant(s)
Joseph Mede
Description
Mede claimed that the Antichrist had appeared in 456, and the end would come in 1660.
1666
1666
Date(s) (CE)
1666
Claimant(s)
Sabbatai Zevi
Description
Following his failed prediction of 1648, Zevi recalculated the end of the Earth for this year.
Fifth Monarchists
Fifth Monarchists
Date(s) (CE)
Fifth Monarchists
Claimant(s)
The presence of 666 in the date, the death of 100,000 Londoners to bubonic plague, and the Great Fire of London led to superstitious fears of the end of the world from some Christians.
1673
1673
Date(s) (CE)
1673
Claimant(s)
William Aspinwall
Description
This Fifth Monarchist claimed the Millennium would begin by this year.
1688
1688
Date(s) (CE)
1688
Claimant(s)
John Napier
Description
This mathematician calculated the end of the world would be on this year based on calculations from the Book of Revelation.
1689
1689
Date(s) (CE)
1689
Claimant(s)
Pierre Jurieu
Description
This prophet predicted that Judgement Day would occur this year.
1694
1694
Date(s) (CE)
1694
Claimant(s)
John Mason
Description
This Anglican priest predicted the Millennium would begin by this year.
Johann Heinrich Alsted
Johann Heinrich Alsted
Date(s) (CE)
Johann Heinrich Alsted
Claimant(s)
This Calvinist minister predicted the Millennium would begin by this year.
Johann Jacob Zimmermann
Johann Jacob Zimmermann
Date(s) (CE)
Johann Jacob Zimmermann
Claimant(s)
Believed that Jesus would return and the world would end this year.
1697
1697
Date(s) (CE)
1697
Claimant(s)
Cotton Mather
Description
This Puritan minister predicted the world would end this year. After the prediction failed, he revised the date of the end two more times.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1 Feb 1624
London astrologers
The same astrologers who had predicted the deluge of 1 February 1524 recalculated the date to 100 years later after their first prophecy failed.
1648
Sabbatai Zevi
Using the kabbalah, this rabbi from Turkey proclaimed that the Messiah would come during that year.
1651
Unknown author from Lübeck, Germany
The apocalypse maps tell of an Antichrist, the rise of Islam and other events following Judgement Day that was predicted to occur in 1651.
1654
Helisaeus Roeslin
This physician made a prediction that the world would end this year based on a nova that occurred in 1572.
1656
Christopher Columbus
In his Book of Prophecies (1501), Columbus predicted that the world would end during this year.
1655–1657
Fifth Monarchists
This group of radical Christians predicted that the final apocalyptic battle and the destruction of the Antichrist were to take place between 1655 and 1657.
1658
Christopher Columbus
Columbus claimed that the world was created in 5343 BCE and would last 7,000 years. Assuming no year zero, that means the end would come in 1658.
1660
Joseph Mede
Mede claimed that the Antichrist had appeared in 456, and the end would come in 1660.
1666
Sabbatai Zevi
Following his failed prediction of 1648, Zevi recalculated the end of the Earth for this year.
Fifth Monarchists
The presence of 666 in the date, the death of 100,000 Londoners to bubonic plague, and the Great Fire of London led to superstitious fears of the end of the world from some Christians.
1673
William Aspinwall
This Fifth Monarchist claimed the Millennium would begin by this year.
1688
John Napier
This mathematician calculated the end of the world would be on this year based on calculations from the Book of Revelation.
1689
Pierre Jurieu
This prophet predicted that Judgement Day would occur this year.
1694
John Mason
This Anglican priest predicted the Millennium would begin by this year.
Johann Heinrich Alsted
This Calvinist minister predicted the Millennium would begin by this year.
Johann Jacob Zimmermann
Believed that Jesus would return and the world would end this year.
1697
Cotton Mather
This Puritan minister predicted the world would end this year. After the prediction failed, he revised the date of the end two more times.
· Past predictions › 18th century
1700
1700
Date(s) (CE)
1700
Claimant(s)
John Napier
Description
Following his 1688 prediction, Napier recalculated his end of the world prediction to 1700 in A Plaine Discovery, a book published in 1593.
Henry Archer
Henry Archer
Date(s) (CE)
Henry Archer
Claimant(s)
In his 1642 work, The Personall Reigne of Christ Upon Earth, Archer predicted the Second Coming of Jesus would occur in approximately this year.
1705–1708
1705–1708
Date(s) (CE)
1705–1708
Claimant(s)
Camisards
Description
Camisard prophets predicted the end of the world would occur in either 1705, 1706 or 1708.
1716
1716
Date(s) (CE)
1716
Claimant(s)
Cotton Mather
Description
Revised prediction from Mather after his 1697 prediction failed to come true.
5 Apr 1719
5 Apr 1719
Date(s) (CE)
5 Apr 1719
Claimant(s)
Jacob Bernoulli
Description
This mathematician predicted a comet would destroy the Earth on this day.
1700–1734
1700–1734
Date(s) (CE)
1700–1734
Claimant(s)
Nicholas of Cusa
Description
This cardinal predicted the end would occur between 1700 and 1734.
16 Oct 1736
16 Oct 1736
Date(s) (CE)
16 Oct 1736
Claimant(s)
William Whiston
Description
This theologian predicted a comet colliding with the Earth this year.
1736
1736
Date(s) (CE)
1736
Claimant(s)
Cotton Mather
Description
Mather's third and final prediction for the end of the world.
1757
1757
Date(s) (CE)
1757
Claimant(s)
Emanuel Swedenborg
Description
Swedenborg, a Lutheran theologian, claimed that the Last Judgement occurred in the spiritual world this year.
19 May 1780
19 May 1780
Date(s) (CE)
19 May 1780
Claimant(s)
Connecticut General Assembly members, New Englanders
Description
The sky turning dark during the day was interpreted as a sign of the end times. The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud cover.
1789
1789
Date(s) (CE)
1789
Claimant(s)
Pierre d'Ailly
Description
The year 1789 would bring the coming of the Antichrist, according to this 14th-century cardinal.
1792, 1794
1792, 1794
Date(s) (CE)
1792, 1794
Claimant(s)
Shakers
Description
The Shakers, a Christian sect founded in 18th-century England, predicted the world would end in 1792 and then in 1794.
19 Nov 1795
19 Nov 1795
Date(s) (CE)
19 Nov 1795
Claimant(s)
Nathaniel Brassey Halhed
Description
While campaigning for Richard Brothers' release, Halhead proclaimed that the world would end on this day.
1793–1795
1793–1795
Date(s) (CE)
1793–1795
Claimant(s)
Richard Brothers
Description
This retired sailor stated the Millennium would begin between 1793 and 1795. He was eventually committed to an insane asylum.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1700
John Napier
Following his 1688 prediction, Napier recalculated his end of the world prediction to 1700 in A Plaine Discovery, a book published in 1593.
Henry Archer
In his 1642 work, The Personall Reigne of Christ Upon Earth, Archer predicted the Second Coming of Jesus would occur in approximately this year.
1705–1708
Camisards
Camisard prophets predicted the end of the world would occur in either 1705, 1706 or 1708.
1716
Cotton Mather
Revised prediction from Mather after his 1697 prediction failed to come true.
5 Apr 1719
Jacob Bernoulli
This mathematician predicted a comet would destroy the Earth on this day.
1700–1734
Nicholas of Cusa
This cardinal predicted the end would occur between 1700 and 1734.
16 Oct 1736
William Whiston
This theologian predicted a comet colliding with the Earth this year.
1736
Cotton Mather
Mather's third and final prediction for the end of the world.
1757
Emanuel Swedenborg
Swedenborg, a Lutheran theologian, claimed that the Last Judgement occurred in the spiritual world this year.
19 May 1780
Connecticut General Assembly members, New Englanders
The sky turning dark during the day was interpreted as a sign of the end times. The primary cause of the event is believed to have been a combination of smoke from forest fires, a thick fog, and cloud cover.
1789
Pierre d'Ailly
The year 1789 would bring the coming of the Antichrist, according to this 14th-century cardinal.
1792, 1794
Shakers
The Shakers, a Christian sect founded in 18th-century England, predicted the world would end in 1792 and then in 1794.
19 Nov 1795
Nathaniel Brassey Halhed
While campaigning for Richard Brothers' release, Halhead proclaimed that the world would end on this day.
1793–1795
Richard Brothers
This retired sailor stated the Millennium would begin between 1793 and 1795. He was eventually committed to an insane asylum.
· Past predictions › 19th century
1805
1805
Date(s) (CE)
1805
Claimant(s)
Christopher Love
Description
This Presbyterian minister predicted the destruction of the world by earthquake in 1805, followed by an age of everlasting peace when God would be known by all.
1806
1806
Date(s) (CE)
1806
Claimant(s)
Mary Bateman
Description
In Leeds, England, in 1806 a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase "Christ is coming" was written. Eventually it was discovered to be a hoax. The owner, Mary Bateman, had written on the eggs in a corrosive ink so as to etch the eggs, and reinserted the eggs back into the hen's oviduct.
19 Oct 1814
19 Oct 1814
Date(s) (CE)
19 Oct 1814
Claimant(s)
Joanna Southcott
Description
This 64-year-old self-described prophet claimed she was pregnant with the Christ child, and that he would be born on 19 October 1814. She died later that year having not delivered a child, and an autopsy proved she had not been pregnant.
November 12–13, 1833
November 12–13, 1833
Date(s) (CE)
November 12–13, 1833
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
During a large Leonids meteor shower, several people including Joseph Smith believed that it was a sign of Jesus' second coming.
1836
1836
Date(s) (CE)
1836
Claimant(s)
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Description
In the 1730s this Lutheran clergyman proclaimed that Judgment Day would come in 1836, with the pope as the anti-Christ and the Freemasons representing the "false prophet" of Revelations.
1836
1836
Date(s) (CE)
1836
Claimant(s)
John Wesley
Description
Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, foresaw the Millennium beginning this year. He wrote that Revelation 12:14 referred to 1058 to 1836, "when Christ should come".
28 Apr 1843,31 Dec 1843
28 Apr 1843,31 Dec 1843
Date(s) (CE)
28 Apr 1843,31 Dec 1843
Claimant(s)
Millerites
Description
Although it was not officially endorsed by their leadership, many Millerites expected the Second Coming to occur on 28 April or at the end of 1843.
1843
1843
Date(s) (CE)
1843
Claimant(s)
Harriet Livermore
Description
The first of two years this preacher predicted the world would end.
21 Mar 1844
21 Mar 1844
Date(s) (CE)
21 Mar 1844
Claimant(s)
William Miller
Description
Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted Christ would return on this day.
22 Oct 1844
22 Oct 1844
Date(s) (CE)
22 Oct 1844
Claimant(s)
Millerites
Description
After Christ did not return on 21 March 1844, the Millerites then revised William Miller's prediction to 22 October the same year, claiming to have miscalculated Scripture. The realization that the predictions were incorrect resulted in the Great Disappointment.
7 Aug 1847
7 Aug 1847
Date(s) (CE)
7 Aug 1847
Claimant(s)
George Rapp
Description
Rapp, the founder of the Harmony Society, preached that Jesus would return in his lifetime, even as he lay dying on 7 August 1847.
1847
1847
Date(s) (CE)
1847
Claimant(s)
Harriet Livermore
Description
The second prediction of the end of the world from this preacher.
1862
1862
Date(s) (CE)
1862
Claimant(s)
John Cumming
Description
This Scottish clergyman stated it was 6,000 years since creation in 1862, and that the world would end.
Joseph Morris
Joseph Morris
Date(s) (CE)
Joseph Morris
Claimant(s)
An English convert to Mormonism, Morris had revelations to gather his followers and wait for the Second Coming, through successive prophesied days.
1863
1863
Date(s) (CE)
1863
Claimant(s)
John Wroe
Description
The founder of the Christian Israelite Church calculated that the Millennium would begin this year.
1873
1873
Date(s) (CE)
1873
Claimant(s)
Jonas Wendell
Description
In 1870, Wendell published his views in the booklet entitled The Present Truth, or Meat in Due Season concluding that the Second Advent was sure to occur in 1873.
1874
1874
Date(s) (CE)
1874
Claimant(s)
Charles Taze Russell
Description
This Christian minister predicted the return of Jesus to occur in 1874, and after this date reinterpreted the prediction to say that Jesus had indeed returned in invisible form.
1881
1881
Date(s) (CE)
1881
Claimant(s)
Mother Shipton (attrib.)
Description
This 15th-century prophet was quoted as saying "The world to an end shall come, In eighteen hundred and eighty one" in a book published in 1862. In 1873 it was revealed to be a forgery; however, this did not stop some people from expecting the end.
1890
1890
Date(s) (CE)
1890
Claimant(s)
Wovoka
Description
The founder of the Ghost Dance movement predicted in 1889 that the Millennium would occur in 1890.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1805
Christopher Love
This Presbyterian minister predicted the destruction of the world by earthquake in 1805, followed by an age of everlasting peace when God would be known by all.
1806
Mary Bateman
In Leeds, England, in 1806 a hen began laying eggs on which the phrase "Christ is coming" was written. Eventually it was discovered to be a hoax. The owner, Mary Bateman, had written on the eggs in a corrosive ink so as to etch the eggs, and reinserted the eggs back into the hen's oviduct.
19 Oct 1814
Joanna Southcott
This 64-year-old self-described prophet claimed she was pregnant with the Christ child, and that he would be born on 19 October 1814. She died later that year having not delivered a child, and an autopsy proved she had not been pregnant.
November 12–13, 1833
Various
During a large Leonids meteor shower, several people including Joseph Smith believed that it was a sign of Jesus' second coming.
1836
Johann Albrecht Bengel
In the 1730s this Lutheran clergyman proclaimed that Judgment Day would come in 1836, with the pope as the anti-Christ and the Freemasons representing the "false prophet" of Revelations.
1836
John Wesley
Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, foresaw the Millennium beginning this year. He wrote that Revelation 12:14 referred to 1058 to 1836, "when Christ should come".
28 Apr 1843,31 Dec 1843
Millerites
Although it was not officially endorsed by their leadership, many Millerites expected the Second Coming to occur on 28 April or at the end of 1843.
1843
Harriet Livermore
The first of two years this preacher predicted the world would end.
21 Mar 1844
William Miller
Miller, a Baptist preacher, predicted Christ would return on this day.
22 Oct 1844
Millerites
After Christ did not return on 21 March 1844, the Millerites then revised William Miller's prediction to 22 October the same year, claiming to have miscalculated Scripture. The realization that the predictions were incorrect resulted in the Great Disappointment.
7 Aug 1847
George Rapp
Rapp, the founder of the Harmony Society, preached that Jesus would return in his lifetime, even as he lay dying on 7 August 1847.
1847
Harriet Livermore
The second prediction of the end of the world from this preacher.
1862
John Cumming
This Scottish clergyman stated it was 6,000 years since creation in 1862, and that the world would end.
Joseph Morris
An English convert to Mormonism, Morris had revelations to gather his followers and wait for the Second Coming, through successive prophesied days.
1863
John Wroe
The founder of the Christian Israelite Church calculated that the Millennium would begin this year.
1873
Jonas Wendell
In 1870, Wendell published his views in the booklet entitled The Present Truth, or Meat in Due Season concluding that the Second Advent was sure to occur in 1873.
1874
Charles Taze Russell
This Christian minister predicted the return of Jesus to occur in 1874, and after this date reinterpreted the prediction to say that Jesus had indeed returned in invisible form.
1881
Mother Shipton (attrib.)
This 15th-century prophet was quoted as saying "The world to an end shall come, In eighteen hundred and eighty one" in a book published in 1862. In 1873 it was revealed to be a forgery; however, this did not stop some people from expecting the end.
1890
Wovoka
The founder of the Ghost Dance movement predicted in 1889 that the Millennium would occur in 1890.
· Past predictions › 20th century
1901
1901
Date(s) (CE)
1901
Claimant(s)
Catholic Apostolic Church
Description
Founded in 1831, this church claimed that Jesus would return by the time the last of its 12 founding members died. The last member died in 1901.
1901
1901
Date(s) (CE)
1901
Claimant(s)
Annie Keeler
Description
Keeler, a prominent doctor in Connecticut, predicted that due to the alignment of the planets, the world would come to an end and "complete the planetary cycle as it was in the days of Noah".
1910
1910
Date(s) (CE)
1910
Claimant(s)
Camille Flammarion
Description
Flammarion predicted that the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet "would impregnate that atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet" but not the planet itself. "Comet pills" were sold to protect against toxic gases.
1892–1911
1892–1911
Date(s) (CE)
1892–1911
Claimant(s)
Charles Piazzi Smyth
Description
This pyramidologist concluded from his research on the dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza that the Second Coming would occur somewhere between 1892 and 1911.
1914
1914
Date(s) (CE)
1914
Claimant(s)
Charles Taze Russell
Description
Russell said "...the battle of the great day of God Almighty... The date of the close of that 'battle' is definitely marked in Scripture as October 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874."
1915
1915
Date(s) (CE)
1915
Claimant(s)
John Chilembwe
Description
This Baptist educator and leader of a rebellion in the British protectorate of Nyasaland predicted the Millennium would begin this year.
1918
1918
Date(s) (CE)
1918
Claimant(s)
International Bible Students Association
Description
"Christendom shall be cut off and glorification of the Little Flock (The Church) in the Spring of 1918 A. D."
1920
1920
Date(s) (CE)
1920
Claimant(s)
International Bible Students Association
Description
In 1918, Christendom would go down as a system to oblivion and be succeeded by revolutionary governments. God would "destroy the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions." Church members would "perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy." The dead would lie unburied. In 1920 all earthly governments would disappear, with worldwide anarchy prevailing.
13 Feb 1925
13 Feb 1925
Date(s) (CE)
13 Feb 1925
Claimant(s)
Margaret Rowen
Description
According to this Seventh-Day Adventist, the angel Gabriel appeared before her in a vision and told her that the world would end at midnight on this date.
1926
1926
Date(s) (CE)
1926
Claimant(s)
Spencer Perceval
Description
This British MP, who was one of the 12 apostles of the Catholic Apostolic Church, believed that the world was growing nearer to the Apocalypse due to what he viewed as the rampant immorality of the times in Europe.
Sep 1935
Sep 1935
Date(s) (CE)
Sep 1935
Claimant(s)
Wilbur Glenn Voliva
Description
This evangelist announced that "the world is going to go 'puff' and disappear" in September 1935.
1936
1936
Date(s) (CE)
1936
Claimant(s)
Herbert W. Armstrong
Description
The founder of the Worldwide Church of God told members of his church that the Rapture was to take place in 1936, and that only they would be saved. After the prophecy failed, he changed the date three more times.
1941
1941
Date(s) (CE)
1941
Claimant(s)
Jehovah's Witnesses
Description
A prediction of the end from the Jehovah's Witnesses, a group that branched from the Bible Student movement.
1943
1943
Date(s) (CE)
1943
Claimant(s)
Herbert W. Armstrong
Description
The first of three revised dates from Armstrong after his 1936 prediction failed to come true.
1947
1947
Date(s) (CE)
1947
Claimant(s)
John Ballou Newbrough
Description
The author of Oahspe: A New Bible foresaw the destruction of all nations and the beginning of post-apocalyptic anarchy in this year.
21 Dec 1954
21 Dec 1954
Date(s) (CE)
21 Dec 1954
Claimant(s)
Dorothy Martin
Description
The world was to be destroyed by terrible flooding on this date, claimed this leader of a UFO cult called Brotherhood of the Seven Rays. The fallout of the group after the prediction failed was the basis for the 1956 book When Prophecy Fails.
22 Apr 1959
22 Apr 1959
Date(s) (CE)
22 Apr 1959
Claimant(s)
Florence Houteff
Description
The second prophet of the Branch Davidians predicted the apocalypse foretold in the Book of Revelation would proceed on this date. The failure of the prophecy led to the split of the sect into several subsects, the most prominent led by Benjamin and Lois Roden.
4 Feb 1962
4 Feb 1962
Date(s) (CE)
4 Feb 1962
Claimant(s)
Jeane Dixon, various Indian astrologers
Description
Dixon predicted a planetary alignment on this day was to bring destruction to the world. Mass prayer meetings were held in India.
20 Aug 1967
20 Aug 1967
Date(s) (CE)
20 Aug 1967
Claimant(s)
George Van Tassel
Description
This day would mark the beginning of the third woe of the Apocalypse, during which the southeastern US would be destroyed by a Soviet nuclear attack, according to this UFO prophet, who claimed to have channeled an alien named Ashtar.
1967
1967
Date(s) (CE)
1967
Claimant(s)
Jim Jones
Description
The founder of the People's Temple stated he had visions that a nuclear holocaust was to take place in 1967.
9 Aug 1969
9 Aug 1969
Date(s) (CE)
9 Aug 1969
Claimant(s)
George Williams
Description
The founder of the Church of the Firstborn predicted the Second Coming of Christ would occur on this day.
1969
1969
Date(s) (CE)
1969
Claimant(s)
Charles Manson
Description
Manson predicted that Helter skelter, an apocalyptic race war, would occur in 1969.
1972
1972
Date(s) (CE)
1972
Claimant(s)
Herbert W. Armstrong
Description
The second of three revised dates from Armstrong after his 1936 and 1943 predictions failed to come true.
Jan 1974
Jan 1974
Date(s) (CE)
Jan 1974
Claimant(s)
David Berg
Description
Berg, the leader of Children of God, predicted that there would be a colossal doomsday event heralded by Comet Kohoutek.
1975
1975
Date(s) (CE)
1975
Claimant(s)
Herbert W. Armstrong
Description
Armstrong's fourth and final prediction.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Date(s) (CE)
Jehovah's Witnesses
Claimant(s)
From 1966 on, Jehovah's Witnesses published articles stating that the fall of 1975 would be 6,000 years since man's creation and suggested that Armageddon could be finished by then.
1976
1976
Date(s) (CE)
1976
Claimant(s)
Brahma Kumaris
Description
The Brahma Kumaris founder, Lekhraj Kirpalani, has made a number of predictions of a global Armageddon which the religion believes it will inspire, internally calling it "Destruction". During Destruction, Brahma Kumari leaders teach the world will be purified, all of the rest of humanity killed by nuclear or civil wars and natural disasters which will include the sinking of all other continents except India.
1977
1977
Date(s) (CE)
1977
Claimant(s)
John Wroe
Description
The founder of the Christian Israelite Church predicted this year for Armageddon to occur.
William M. Branham
William M. Branham
Date(s) (CE)
William M. Branham
Claimant(s)
This Christian minister predicted the Rapture would occur no later than 1977.
1980
1980
Date(s) (CE)
1980
Claimant(s)
Leland Jensen
Description
Jensen predicted in 1978 that there would be a nuclear disaster in 1980, followed by two decades of conflict, culminating in God's Kingdom being established on Earth.
1981
1981
Date(s) (CE)
1981
Claimant(s)
Chuck Smith
Description
The founder of Calvary Chapel predicted that the generation of 1948 would be the last generation and the world would end by 1981. Smith said that he "could be wrong" but added that his prediction was "a deep conviction in my heart, and all my plans are predicated upon that belief."
10 Mar 1982
10 Mar 1982
Date(s) (CE)
10 Mar 1982
Claimant(s)
John Gribbin, Stephen Plagemann
Description
Gribbin, an astrophysicist, co-authored the 1974 book The Jupiter Effect which predicted that combined gravitational forces of aligned planets would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.
21 Jun 1982
21 Jun 1982
Date(s) (CE)
21 Jun 1982
Claimant(s)
Benjamin Creme
Description
Creme took out an ad in the Los Angeles Times stating that the Second Coming would occur in June 1982, and the Maitreya announced it on worldwide television.
1982
1982
Date(s) (CE)
1982
Claimant(s)
Pat Robertson
Description
In late 1976, Robertson predicted on his The 700 Club TV programme that the end of the world would come in this year.
1985
1985
Date(s) (CE)
1985
Claimant(s)
Lester Sumrall
Description
This Pentecostal minister predicted the end of the world in this year, even writing a book about it entitled I Predict 1985.
29 Apr 1986
29 Apr 1986
Date(s) (CE)
29 Apr 1986
Claimant(s)
Leland Jensen
Description
Jensen predicted that Halley's Comet would be pulled into Earth's orbit on this day, causing widespread destruction.
17 Aug 1987
17 Aug 1987
Date(s) (CE)
17 Aug 1987
Claimant(s)
José Argüelles
Description
Argüelles claimed that Armageddon would happen unless 144,000 people gathered in certain places across the world in order to "resonate in harmony" on this day.
11–13 Sep 1988,3 Oct 1988
11–13 Sep 1988,3 Oct 1988
Date(s) (CE)
11–13 Sep 1988,3 Oct 1988
Claimant(s)
Edgar C. Whisenant
Description
Whisenant predicted in his book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 that the Rapture of the Christian Church would occur between 11 and 13 September 1988. After this prediction failed to come true, Whisenant revised his prediction date to 3 October.
30 Sep 1989
30 Sep 1989
Date(s) (CE)
30 Sep 1989
Claimant(s)
Edgar C. Whisenant
Description
After all his 1988 predictions failed to come true, Whisenant revised his prediction date to this day.
23 Apr 1990
23 Apr 1990
Date(s) (CE)
23 Apr 1990
Claimant(s)
Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Description
Prophet predicted a nuclear war would start on this day, and the world would end 12 years later, leading her followers to stockpile a shelter with supplies and weapons. After Prophet's prediction did not come to pass, she was later diagnosed with epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
9 Sep 1991
9 Sep 1991
Date(s) (CE)
9 Sep 1991
Claimant(s)
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
Description
This Russian-born rabbi called for the Messiah to come by the start of the Jewish New Year.
1991
1991
Date(s) (CE)
1991
Claimant(s)
Louis Farrakhan
Description
The leader of the Nation of Islam declared that the Gulf War would be the "War of Armageddon which is the final war".
28 Sep 1992
28 Sep 1992
Date(s) (CE)
28 Sep 1992
Claimant(s)
Rollen Stewart
Description
This born-again Christian predicted the Rapture would take place on this day.
28 Oct 1992
28 Oct 1992
Date(s) (CE)
28 Oct 1992
Claimant(s)
Lee Jang Rim (이장림 or 李長林)
Description
Lee, the leader of the Dami Mission church, predicted the rapture would occur on this day.
1993
1993
Date(s) (CE)
1993
Claimant(s)
David Berg
Description
Berg predicted the tribulation would start in 1989 and that the Second Coming would take place in 1993.
Edgar C. Whisenant
Edgar C. Whisenant
Date(s) (CE)
Edgar C. Whisenant
Claimant(s)
After his 1988 and 1989 predictions failed, Whisenant moved the outer limit of his prediction to 1993.
1994
1994
Date(s) (CE)
1994
Claimant(s)
Edgar C. Whisenant
Description
When his 1993 prediction failed to materialise, Whisenant updated it to 1994.
2 May 1994
2 May 1994
Date(s) (CE)
2 May 1994
Claimant(s)
Neal Chase
Description
This Bahá'í sect leader predicted that New York City would be destroyed by a nuclear bomb on 23 March 1994, and the Battle of Armageddon would take place 40 days later.
6 Sep 1994,29 Sep 1994,2 Oct 1995
6 Sep 1994,29 Sep 1994,2 Oct 1995
Date(s) (CE)
6 Sep 1994,29 Sep 1994,2 Oct 1995
Claimant(s)
Harold Camping
Description
Camping predicted the Rapture would occur on 6 September 1994. When it failed to occur he revised the date to 29 September and then 2 October.
31 Mar 1995
31 Mar 1995
Date(s) (CE)
31 Mar 1995
Claimant(s)
Harold Camping
Description
Camping's fourth predicted date for the end. This would be Camping's last prediction until 2011.
17 Dec 1996
17 Dec 1996
Date(s) (CE)
17 Dec 1996
Claimant(s)
Sheldan Nidle
Description
Nidle, a Californian psychic, predicted that the world would end on this date, with the arrival of 16 million space ships and a host of angels.
26 Mar 1997
26 Mar 1997
Date(s) (CE)
26 Mar 1997
Claimant(s)
Marshall Applewhite
Description
Applewhite, leader of the Heaven's Gate cult, claimed that a spacecraft was trailing the Comet Hale-Bopp and argued that suicide was "the only way to evacuate this Earth" so that the cult members' souls could board the supposed craft and be taken to another "level of existence above human". Applewhite and 38 of his followers committed mass suicide.
23 Oct 1997
23 Oct 1997
Date(s) (CE)
23 Oct 1997
Claimant(s)
James Ussher
Description
This 17th-century Irish archbishop predicted this date to be 6,000 years since creation and therefore the end of the world.
31 Mar 1998
31 Mar 1998
Date(s) (CE)
31 Mar 1998
Claimant(s)
Hon-Ming Chen
Description
Chen, leader of the Taiwanese cult Chen Tao – "The True Way" – claimed that God would come to Earth in a flying saucer at 10:00 am on this date.
Jul 1999
Jul 1999
Date(s) (CE)
Jul 1999
Claimant(s)
Nostradamus
Description
A quatrain by Nostradamus that stated the "King of Terror" would come from the sky in "1999 and seven months" was frequently interpreted as a prediction of doomsday in July 1999.
18 Aug 1999
18 Aug 1999
Date(s) (CE)
18 Aug 1999
Claimant(s)
The Amazing Criswell
Description
The predicted date of the end of the world, according to this psychic well known for predictions.
11 Sep 1999
11 Sep 1999
Date(s) (CE)
11 Sep 1999
Claimant(s)
Philip Berg
Description
Berg, dean of the worldwide Kabbalah Centre, stated that on this date "a ball of fire will descend, destroying almost all of mankind, all vegetation, all forms of life."
1999
1999
Date(s) (CE)
1999
Claimant(s)
Charles Berlitz
Description
This linguist predicted the end would occur in this year. He did not predict how it would happen, stating that it might involve nuclear devastation, asteroid impact, pole shift or other Earth changes.
Hon-Ming Chen
Hon-Ming Chen
Date(s) (CE)
Hon-Ming Chen
Claimant(s)
The leader of the cult Chen Tao preached that a nuclear holocaust would destroy Europe and Asia in 1999.
2000
2000
Date(s) (CE)
2000
Claimant(s)
James Gordon Lindsay
Description
This preacher predicted the great tribulation would begin before 2000.
Timothy Dwight IV
Timothy Dwight IV
Date(s) (CE)
Timothy Dwight IV
Claimant(s)
This 19th-century president of Yale University foresaw Christ's Millennium starting by 2000.
Nazim Al-Haqqani
Nazim Al-Haqqani
Date(s) (CE)
Nazim Al-Haqqani
Claimant(s)
This Sufi Muslim sheikh predicted that the Last Judgment would occur before 2000.
Peter Olivi
Peter Olivi
Date(s) (CE)
Peter Olivi
Claimant(s)
This 13th-century theologian wrote that the Antichrist would come to power between 1300 and 1340, and the Last Judgement would take place around 2000.
Isaac Newton
Isaac Newton
Date(s) (CE)
Isaac Newton
Claimant(s)
Newton predicted that Christ's Millennium would begin in 2000 in his book Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John.
Ruth Montgomery
Ruth Montgomery
Date(s) (CE)
Ruth Montgomery
Claimant(s)
This self-described Christian psychic predicted the Earth's axis would shift and the Antichrist would reveal himself in this year.
Edgar Cayce
Edgar Cayce
Date(s) (CE)
Edgar Cayce
Claimant(s)
This psychic predicted the Second Coming would occur this year.
Sun Myung Moon
Sun Myung Moon
Date(s) (CE)
Sun Myung Moon
Claimant(s)
The founder of the Unification Church predicted the Kingdom of Heaven would be established in this year.
Ed Dobson
Ed Dobson
Date(s) (CE)
Ed Dobson
Claimant(s)
This pastor predicted the end would occur in his book The End: Why Jesus Could Return by A.D. 2000.
Lester Sumrall
Lester Sumrall
Date(s) (CE)
Lester Sumrall
Claimant(s)
This minister predicted the end in his book I Predict 2000.
Jonathan Edwards
Jonathan Edwards
Date(s) (CE)
Jonathan Edwards
Claimant(s)
This 18th-century preacher predicted that Christ's thousand-year reign would begin in this year.
1 Jan 2000
1 Jan 2000
Date(s) (CE)
1 Jan 2000
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
During and before 1999, there were widespread predictions of a computer bug that would crash many computers at midnight on 1 January 2000, causing malfunctions that would lead to major catastrophes worldwide, and that society would cease to function.
Credonia Mwerinde, Joseph Kibweteere
Credonia Mwerinde, Joseph Kibweteere
Date(s) (CE)
Credonia Mwerinde, Joseph Kibweteere
Claimant(s)
An estimated 778 followers of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God perished in a devastating fire and a series of poisonings and killings that were either a group suicide or an orchestrated mass murder by group leaders after their predictions of the apocalypse failed to come about.
Jerry Falwell
Jerry Falwell
Date(s) (CE)
Jerry Falwell
Claimant(s)
Falwell foresaw God pouring out his judgement on the world on this day.
Tim LaHaye,Jerry B. Jenkins
Tim LaHaye,Jerry B. Jenkins
Date(s) (CE)
Tim LaHaye,Jerry B. Jenkins
Claimant(s)
These Christian authors claimed that the Y2K bug would trigger global economic chaos, which the Antichrist would use to rise to power. As the date approached, however, they changed their minds.
6 Apr 2000
6 Apr 2000
Date(s) (CE)
6 Apr 2000
Claimant(s)
James Harmston
Description
The leader of the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days predicted the Second Coming of Christ would occur on this day.
5 May 2000
5 May 2000
Date(s) (CE)
5 May 2000
Claimant(s)
Nuwaubian Nation
Description
This movement claimed that the planetary lineup would cause a "star holocaust", pulling the planets toward the Sun on this day.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
1901
Catholic Apostolic Church
Founded in 1831, this church claimed that Jesus would return by the time the last of its 12 founding members died. The last member died in 1901.
1901
Annie Keeler
Keeler, a prominent doctor in Connecticut, predicted that due to the alignment of the planets, the world would come to an end and "complete the planetary cycle as it was in the days of Noah".
1910
Camille Flammarion
Flammarion predicted that the 1910 appearance of Halley's Comet "would impregnate that atmosphere and possibly snuff out all life on the planet" but not the planet itself. "Comet pills" were sold to protect against toxic gases.
1892–1911
Charles Piazzi Smyth
This pyramidologist concluded from his research on the dimensions of the Great Pyramid of Giza that the Second Coming would occur somewhere between 1892 and 1911.
1914
Charles Taze Russell
Russell said "...the battle of the great day of God Almighty... The date of the close of that 'battle' is definitely marked in Scripture as October 1914. It is already in progress, its beginning dating from October, 1874."
1915
John Chilembwe
This Baptist educator and leader of a rebellion in the British protectorate of Nyasaland predicted the Millennium would begin this year.
1918
International Bible Students Association
"Christendom shall be cut off and glorification of the Little Flock (The Church) in the Spring of 1918 A. D."
1920
International Bible Students Association
In 1918, Christendom would go down as a system to oblivion and be succeeded by revolutionary governments. God would "destroy the churches wholesale and the church members by the millions." Church members would "perish by the sword of war, revolution and anarchy." The dead would lie unburied. In 1920 all earthly governments would disappear, with worldwide anarchy prevailing.
13 Feb 1925
Margaret Rowen
According to this Seventh-Day Adventist, the angel Gabriel appeared before her in a vision and told her that the world would end at midnight on this date.
1926
Spencer Perceval
This British MP, who was one of the 12 apostles of the Catholic Apostolic Church, believed that the world was growing nearer to the Apocalypse due to what he viewed as the rampant immorality of the times in Europe.
Sep 1935
Wilbur Glenn Voliva
This evangelist announced that "the world is going to go 'puff' and disappear" in September 1935.
1936
Herbert W. Armstrong
The founder of the Worldwide Church of God told members of his church that the Rapture was to take place in 1936, and that only they would be saved. After the prophecy failed, he changed the date three more times.
1941
Jehovah's Witnesses
A prediction of the end from the Jehovah's Witnesses, a group that branched from the Bible Student movement.
1943
Herbert W. Armstrong
The first of three revised dates from Armstrong after his 1936 prediction failed to come true.
1947
John Ballou Newbrough
The author of Oahspe: A New Bible foresaw the destruction of all nations and the beginning of post-apocalyptic anarchy in this year.
21 Dec 1954
Dorothy Martin
The world was to be destroyed by terrible flooding on this date, claimed this leader of a UFO cult called Brotherhood of the Seven Rays. The fallout of the group after the prediction failed was the basis for the 1956 book When Prophecy Fails.
22 Apr 1959
Florence Houteff
The second prophet of the Branch Davidians predicted the apocalypse foretold in the Book of Revelation would proceed on this date. The failure of the prophecy led to the split of the sect into several subsects, the most prominent led by Benjamin and Lois Roden.
4 Feb 1962
Jeane Dixon, various Indian astrologers
Dixon predicted a planetary alignment on this day was to bring destruction to the world. Mass prayer meetings were held in India.
20 Aug 1967
George Van Tassel
This day would mark the beginning of the third woe of the Apocalypse, during which the southeastern US would be destroyed by a Soviet nuclear attack, according to this UFO prophet, who claimed to have channeled an alien named Ashtar.
1967
Jim Jones
The founder of the People's Temple stated he had visions that a nuclear holocaust was to take place in 1967.
9 Aug 1969
George Williams
The founder of the Church of the Firstborn predicted the Second Coming of Christ would occur on this day.
1969
Charles Manson
Manson predicted that Helter skelter, an apocalyptic race war, would occur in 1969.
1972
Herbert W. Armstrong
The second of three revised dates from Armstrong after his 1936 and 1943 predictions failed to come true.
Jan 1974
David Berg
Berg, the leader of Children of God, predicted that there would be a colossal doomsday event heralded by Comet Kohoutek.
1975
Herbert W. Armstrong
Armstrong's fourth and final prediction.
Jehovah's Witnesses
From 1966 on, Jehovah's Witnesses published articles stating that the fall of 1975 would be 6,000 years since man's creation and suggested that Armageddon could be finished by then.
1976
Brahma Kumaris
The Brahma Kumaris founder, Lekhraj Kirpalani, has made a number of predictions of a global Armageddon which the religion believes it will inspire, internally calling it "Destruction". During Destruction, Brahma Kumari leaders teach the world will be purified, all of the rest of humanity killed by nuclear or civil wars and natural disasters which will include the sinking of all other continents except India.
1977
John Wroe
The founder of the Christian Israelite Church predicted this year for Armageddon to occur.
William M. Branham
This Christian minister predicted the Rapture would occur no later than 1977.
1980
Leland Jensen
Jensen predicted in 1978 that there would be a nuclear disaster in 1980, followed by two decades of conflict, culminating in God's Kingdom being established on Earth.
1981
Chuck Smith
The founder of Calvary Chapel predicted that the generation of 1948 would be the last generation and the world would end by 1981. Smith said that he "could be wrong" but added that his prediction was "a deep conviction in my heart, and all my plans are predicated upon that belief."
10 Mar 1982
John Gribbin, Stephen Plagemann
Gribbin, an astrophysicist, co-authored the 1974 book The Jupiter Effect which predicted that combined gravitational forces of aligned planets would create a number of catastrophes, including a great earthquake on the San Andreas Fault.
21 Jun 1982
Benjamin Creme
Creme took out an ad in the Los Angeles Times stating that the Second Coming would occur in June 1982, and the Maitreya announced it on worldwide television.
1982
Pat Robertson
In late 1976, Robertson predicted on his The 700 Club TV programme that the end of the world would come in this year.
1985
Lester Sumrall
This Pentecostal minister predicted the end of the world in this year, even writing a book about it entitled I Predict 1985.
29 Apr 1986
Leland Jensen
Jensen predicted that Halley's Comet would be pulled into Earth's orbit on this day, causing widespread destruction.
17 Aug 1987
José Argüelles
Argüelles claimed that Armageddon would happen unless 144,000 people gathered in certain places across the world in order to "resonate in harmony" on this day.
11–13 Sep 1988,3 Oct 1988
Edgar C. Whisenant
Whisenant predicted in his book 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Could Be in 1988 that the Rapture of the Christian Church would occur between 11 and 13 September 1988. After this prediction failed to come true, Whisenant revised his prediction date to 3 October.
30 Sep 1989
Edgar C. Whisenant
After all his 1988 predictions failed to come true, Whisenant revised his prediction date to this day.
23 Apr 1990
Elizabeth Clare Prophet
Prophet predicted a nuclear war would start on this day, and the world would end 12 years later, leading her followers to stockpile a shelter with supplies and weapons. After Prophet's prediction did not come to pass, she was later diagnosed with epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease.
9 Sep 1991
Menachem Mendel Schneerson
This Russian-born rabbi called for the Messiah to come by the start of the Jewish New Year.
1991
Louis Farrakhan
The leader of the Nation of Islam declared that the Gulf War would be the "War of Armageddon which is the final war".
28 Sep 1992
Rollen Stewart
This born-again Christian predicted the Rapture would take place on this day.
28 Oct 1992
Lee Jang Rim (이장림 or 李長林)
Lee, the leader of the Dami Mission church, predicted the rapture would occur on this day.
1993
David Berg
Berg predicted the tribulation would start in 1989 and that the Second Coming would take place in 1993.
Edgar C. Whisenant
After his 1988 and 1989 predictions failed, Whisenant moved the outer limit of his prediction to 1993.
1994
Edgar C. Whisenant
When his 1993 prediction failed to materialise, Whisenant updated it to 1994.
2 May 1994
Neal Chase
This Bahá'í sect leader predicted that New York City would be destroyed by a nuclear bomb on 23 March 1994, and the Battle of Armageddon would take place 40 days later.
6 Sep 1994,29 Sep 1994,2 Oct 1995
Harold Camping
Camping predicted the Rapture would occur on 6 September 1994. When it failed to occur he revised the date to 29 September and then 2 October.
· Past predictions › 21st century
2001
2001
Date(s) (CE)
2001
Claimant(s)
Tynnetta Muhammad
Description
This columnist for the Nation of Islam predicted the end would occur in this year.
27 May 2003
27 May 2003
Date(s) (CE)
27 May 2003
Claimant(s)
Nancy Lieder
Description
Lieder originally predicted the date for the Nibiru collision as May 2003. According to her website, aliens in the Zeta Reticuli star system told her through messages via a brain implant of a planet which would enter the Solar System and cause a pole shift on Earth that would destroy most of humanity.
30 Oct – 29 Nov 2003
30 Oct – 29 Nov 2003
Date(s) (CE)
30 Oct – 29 Nov 2003
Claimant(s)
Aum Shinrikyo
Description
This Japanese cult, which carried out the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995, predicted the world would be destroyed by a nuclear war between 30 October and 29 November 2003.
29 Apr 2007
29 Apr 2007
Date(s) (CE)
29 Apr 2007
Claimant(s)
Pat Robertson
Description
In his 1990 book The New Millennium, Robertson suggests this date as the day of Earth's destruction.
May 2007
May 2007
Date(s) (CE)
May 2007
Claimant(s)
Pyotr Kuznetsov
Description
The founder of the True Russian Orthodox Church predicted doomsday would occur this month. Kuznetsov and his followers hid in a cave in anticipation of the end, and Kuznetsov attempted suicide after his prediction failed to come true.
2010
2010
Date(s) (CE)
2010
Claimant(s)
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
Description
This magical organization, which existed from 1887 to 1903, predicted the world would end during this year.
21 May 2011
21 May 2011
Date(s) (CE)
21 May 2011
Claimant(s)
Harold Camping
Description
Camping predicted that the Rapture and devastating earthquakes would occur on this date, with God taking approximately 3% of the world's population into Heaven, and that the end of the world would occur five months later on 21 October.
29 Sep 2011
29 Sep 2011
Date(s) (CE)
29 Sep 2011
Claimant(s)
Ronald Weinland
Description
Weinland, the founder of the Church of God Preparing for the Kingdom of God, stated Jesus would return on this day. After his prophecy failed to come true he changed the date to 27 May 2012.
21 Oct 2011
21 Oct 2011
Date(s) (CE)
21 Oct 2011
Claimant(s)
Harold Camping
Description
When his original prediction failed to come true five months earlier, Camping revised his prediction by saying that on 21 May a "Spiritual Judgment" had taken place, and both the physical Rapture and the end of the world would occur on 21 October 2011.
Aug–Oct 2011
Aug–Oct 2011
Date(s) (CE)
Aug–Oct 2011
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
There were fears amongst the public that Comet Elenin travelling almost directly between Earth and the Sun would cause disturbances to the Earth's crust, causing massive earthquakes and tidal waves. Others predicted that Elenin would collide with Earth on 16 October. Scientists stated that none of these events were possible in an effort to calm the public.
27 May 2012
27 May 2012
Date(s) (CE)
27 May 2012
Claimant(s)
Ronald Weinland
Description
Weinland's revised date for the return of Jesus following the failure of his 2011 prediction.
30 Jun 2012
30 Jun 2012
Date(s) (CE)
30 Jun 2012
Claimant(s)
José Luis de Jesús
Description
This cult leader predicted that the world's governments and economies would fail on this day, and that he and his followers would undergo a transformation that would allow them to fly and walk through walls.
21 Dec 2012
21 Dec 2012
Date(s) (CE)
21 Dec 2012
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
The 2012 phenomenon predicted the world would end at the end of the 13th b'ak'tun. The Earth would be destroyed by an asteroid, Nibiru, or some other interplanetary object; an alien invasion; or a supernova. Mayanist scholars stated that no extant classic Maya accounts forecasted impending doom, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar ends in 2012 misrepresented Maya history and culture. Scientists from NASA, along with expert archeologists, stated that none of those events were possible.
23 Aug 2013
23 Aug 2013
Date(s) (CE)
23 Aug 2013
Claimant(s)
Grigori Rasputin
Description
Rasputin, a Russian mystic who died in 1916, prophesied a storm would take place on this day where fire would destroy most life on land and Jesus would come back to Earth to comfort those in distress.
Apr 2014 – Sep 2015
Apr 2014 – Sep 2015
Date(s) (CE)
Apr 2014 – Sep 2015
Claimant(s)
John Hagee,Mark Biltz
Description
The so-called blood moon prophecy, first predicted by Mark Blitz in 2008 and then by John Hagee in 2014. These Christian ministers claim that the tetrad in 2014 and 2015 may represent the beginning of the Messianic end times.
23 Sep – 15 Oct 2017
23 Sep – 15 Oct 2017
Date(s) (CE)
23 Sep – 15 Oct 2017
Claimant(s)
David Meade
Description
Conspiracy theorist David Meade predicted that Nibiru would become visible in the sky and would "soon" destroy the Earth.
23 Apr 2018
23 Apr 2018
Date(s) (CE)
23 Apr 2018
Claimant(s)
David Meade
Description
After his 2017 prediction failed, Meade predicted the rapture would take place and that the world would end on this date.
9 Jun 2019
9 Jun 2019
Date(s) (CE)
9 Jun 2019
Claimant(s)
Ronald Weinland
Description
Weinland had previously predicted the world would end in 2011, and then 2012.
2020
2020
Date(s) (CE)
2020
Claimant(s)
Jeane Dixon
Description
Dixon predicted that Armageddon would take place in 2020. She had previously predicted the world would end on 4 February 1962.
2021
2021
Date(s) (CE)
2021
Claimant(s)
F. Kenton Beshore
Description
This American pastor based his prediction on the prior suggestion that Jesus would return in 1988, i.e., within one biblical generation (40 years) of the founding of Israel in 1948. Beshore argued that the prediction was correct, but that the definition of a biblical generation was incorrect and was actually 70–80 years, placing the second coming of Jesus between 2018 and 2028 and the rapture by 2021 at the latest.
23 – 24 Sep 2025, 7 – 8 Oct 2025
23 – 24 Sep 2025, 7 – 8 Oct 2025
Date(s) (CE)
23 – 24 Sep 2025, 7 – 8 Oct 2025
Claimant(s)
Joshua Mhlakela and various TikTok users
Description
South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela prophesied the Biblical Rapture where Jesus would ascend true believers to heaven before global tribulation, leading to the hashtag #RaptureTok on TikTok with videos amassing millions of views on tips like survival kits for those "left behind" and historical context of repeated failed predictions. Mhlakela later revised his prediction date based on the Julian calendar after its initial failure.
Date(s) (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
2001
Tynnetta Muhammad
This columnist for the Nation of Islam predicted the end would occur in this year.
27 May 2003
Nancy Lieder
Lieder originally predicted the date for the Nibiru collision as May 2003. According to her website, aliens in the Zeta Reticuli star system told her through messages via a brain implant of a planet which would enter the Solar System and cause a pole shift on Earth that would destroy most of humanity.
30 Oct – 29 Nov 2003
Aum Shinrikyo
This Japanese cult, which carried out the Tokyo subway sarin attack in 1995, predicted the world would be destroyed by a nuclear war between 30 October and 29 November 2003.
12 Sep 2006
House of Yahweh
Yisrayl Hawkins, pastor and overseer of The House of Yahweh, predicted in his February 2006 newsletter that a nuclear war would begin on 12 September 2006.
29 Apr 2007
Pat Robertson
In his 1990 book The New Millennium, Robertson suggests this date as the day of Earth's destruction.
May 2007
Pyotr Kuznetsov
The founder of the True Russian Orthodox Church predicted doomsday would occur this month. Kuznetsov and his followers hid in a cave in anticipation of the end, and Kuznetsov attempted suicide after his prediction failed to come true.
2010
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
This magical organization, which existed from 1887 to 1903, predicted the world would end during this year.
21 May 2011
Harold Camping
Camping predicted that the Rapture and devastating earthquakes would occur on this date, with God taking approximately 3% of the world's population into Heaven, and that the end of the world would occur five months later on 21 October.
29 Sep 2011
Ronald Weinland
Weinland, the founder of the Church of God Preparing for the Kingdom of God, stated Jesus would return on this day. After his prophecy failed to come true he changed the date to 27 May 2012.
21 Oct 2011
Harold Camping
When his original prediction failed to come true five months earlier, Camping revised his prediction by saying that on 21 May a "Spiritual Judgment" had taken place, and both the physical Rapture and the end of the world would occur on 21 October 2011.
Aug–Oct 2011
Various
There were fears amongst the public that Comet Elenin travelling almost directly between Earth and the Sun would cause disturbances to the Earth's crust, causing massive earthquakes and tidal waves. Others predicted that Elenin would collide with Earth on 16 October. Scientists stated that none of these events were possible in an effort to calm the public.
27 May 2012
Ronald Weinland
Weinland's revised date for the return of Jesus following the failure of his 2011 prediction.
30 Jun 2012
José Luis de Jesús
This cult leader predicted that the world's governments and economies would fail on this day, and that he and his followers would undergo a transformation that would allow them to fly and walk through walls.
21 Dec 2012
Various
The 2012 phenomenon predicted the world would end at the end of the 13th b'ak'tun. The Earth would be destroyed by an asteroid, Nibiru, or some other interplanetary object; an alien invasion; or a supernova. Mayanist scholars stated that no extant classic Maya accounts forecasted impending doom, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar ends in 2012 misrepresented Maya history and culture. Scientists from NASA, along with expert archeologists, stated that none of those events were possible.
23 Aug 2013
Grigori Rasputin
Rasputin, a Russian mystic who died in 1916, prophesied a storm would take place on this day where fire would destroy most life on land and Jesus would come back to Earth to comfort those in distress.
Apr 2014 – Sep 2015
John Hagee,Mark Biltz
The so-called blood moon prophecy, first predicted by Mark Blitz in 2008 and then by John Hagee in 2014. These Christian ministers claim that the tetrad in 2014 and 2015 may represent the beginning of the Messianic end times.
23 Sep – 15 Oct 2017
David Meade
Conspiracy theorist David Meade predicted that Nibiru would become visible in the sky and would "soon" destroy the Earth.
23 Apr 2018
David Meade
After his 2017 prediction failed, Meade predicted the rapture would take place and that the world would end on this date.
9 Jun 2019
Ronald Weinland
Weinland had previously predicted the world would end in 2011, and then 2012.
2020
Jeane Dixon
Dixon predicted that Armageddon would take place in 2020. She had previously predicted the world would end on 4 February 1962.
2021
F. Kenton Beshore
This American pastor based his prediction on the prior suggestion that Jesus would return in 1988, i.e., within one biblical generation (40 years) of the founding of Israel in 1948. Beshore argued that the prediction was correct, but that the definition of a biblical generation was incorrect and was actually 70–80 years, placing the second coming of Jesus between 2018 and 2028 and the rapture by 2021 at the latest.
23 – 24 Sep 2025, 7 – 8 Oct 2025
Joshua Mhlakela and various TikTok users
South African pastor Joshua Mhlakela prophesied the Biblical Rapture where Jesus would ascend true believers to heaven before global tribulation, leading to the hashtag on TikTok with videos amassing millions of views on tips like survival kits for those "left behind" and historical context of repeated failed predictions. Mhlakela later revised his prediction date based on the Julian calendar after its initial failure.
· Future predictions
2026
2026
Date (CE)
2026
Claimant(s)
Messiah Foundation International
Description
In accordance with the predictions in Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi's book The Religion of God, this spiritual organisation believes that the world will end when an asteroid collides with Earth in 2026.
2060
2060
Date (CE)
2060
Claimant(s)
Isaac Newton (attrib.)
Description
In an unpublished manuscript, Newton made a reference to the year 2060, which in 2004 was falsely reported by mainstream media as a date for the end of the world. Newton was actually predicting a date before which the world would definitely not end, in order to calm people's fears about the apocalypse.
2129
2129
Date (CE)
2129
Claimant(s)
Said Nursi
Description
According to this Sunni Muslim theologian, the world will end in 2129.
2239
2239
Date (CE)
2239
Claimant(s)
Talmud, Orthodox Judaism
Description
According to an opinion about the Talmud in mainstream Orthodox Judaism, the Messiah will come within 6,000 years of the creation of Adam, and the world may be destroyed 1,000 years later. This would put the beginning of the period of desolation in 2239 CE and the end of the period of desolation in 3239 CE.
2280
2280
Date (CE)
2280
Claimant(s)
Rashad Khalifa
Description
According to this Egyptian-American biochemist's research on the Quran, the world will end in 2280.
Date (CE)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
2026
Messiah Foundation International
In accordance with the predictions in Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi's book The Religion of God, this spiritual organisation believes that the world will end when an asteroid collides with Earth in 2026.
2060
Isaac Newton (attrib.)
In an unpublished manuscript, Newton made a reference to the year 2060, which in 2004 was falsely reported by mainstream media as a date for the end of the world. Newton was actually predicting a date before which the world would definitely not end, in order to calm people's fears about the apocalypse.
2129
Said Nursi
According to this Sunni Muslim theologian, the world will end in 2129.
2239
Talmud, Orthodox Judaism
According to an opinion about the Talmud in mainstream Orthodox Judaism, the Messiah will come within 6,000 years of the creation of Adam, and the world may be destroyed 1,000 years later. This would put the beginning of the period of desolation in 2239 CE and the end of the period of desolation in 3239 CE.
2280
Rashad Khalifa
According to this Egyptian-American biochemist's research on the Quran, the world will end in 2280.
· Scientific far future predictions
300,000
300,000
Estimated timeframe (years)
300,000
Claimant(s)
Peter Tuthill
Description
In approximately 300,000 years, WR 104, a triple star, is expected to explode in a supernova. It has been suggested that it may produce a gamma ray burst that could pose a threat to life on Earth should its poles be aligned 12° or lower towards Earth. However spectroscopic observations now strongly suggest that it is tilted at an angle of 30°-40° and so any gamma ray burst should not hit Earth.
< 500,000
< 500,000
Estimated timeframe (years)
< 500,000
Claimant(s)
Nick Bostrom
Description
According to a journal article by Bostrom, an asteroid impacting with Earth would need to be larger than 1 km in diameter to render humans extinct. It is estimated that such an asteroid hits Earth about every 500,000 years.
< 1 million
< 1 million
Estimated timeframe (years)
< 1 million
Claimant(s)
The Geological Society
Description
Within the next 1 million years, Earth will likely have undergone a supervolcanic eruption large enough to erupt 3,200 km3 of magma, an event comparable to the Toba supereruption 75,000 years ago.
16 million
16 million
Estimated timeframe (years)
16 million
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
A hypothetical dark companion star, Nemesis, with an eccentric orbit of about 27 million years, triggers periodic mass extinctions by perturbing objects beyond Neptune into hitting the Earth. The K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago is used as an anchor point in time for the cycle. Arguments against say it is a statistical artifact and sky surveys have failed to find it.
< 100 million
< 100 million
Estimated timeframe (years)
< 100 million
Claimant(s)
Stephen A. Nelson
Description
It is estimated that every 100 million years, Earth will be hit by an asteroid about 10–15 km in diameter, comparable in size to the one that triggered the K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
500–600 million
500–600 million
Estimated timeframe (years)
500–600 million
Claimant(s)
Anne Minard
Description
By this time it is estimated that a gamma ray burst, or massive, hyperenergetic supernova, would have occurred within 6,500 light-years of Earth; close enough for its rays to affect Earth's ozone layer and potentially trigger a mass extinction, assuming the hypothesis is correct that a previous such explosion triggered the Ordovician–Silurian extinction event. However, the supernova would have to be precisely oriented relative to Earth to have any negative effect.
600–800 million
600–800 million
Estimated timeframe (years)
600–800 million
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
By this time the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will have dropped below the level required for C3 carbon fixation in plants. The resulting lack of oxygen-producing plants will cause free oxygen in the atmosphere to disappear, making aerobic life impossible.
1–5 billion
1–5 billion
Estimated timeframe (years)
1–5 billion
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
The estimated end of the Sun's current phase of development, after which it will swell into a red giant, either scorching or swallowing Earth, will occur around five billion years from now. However, as the Sun grows gradually hotter (over millions of years), Earth may become too hot for life as early as one billion years from now.
1.3 billion
1.3 billion
Estimated timeframe (years)
1.3 billion
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
It is estimated that all eukaryotic life will die due to carbon dioxide starvation. Only prokaryotes will remain.
7.59 billion
7.59 billion
Estimated timeframe (years)
7.59 billion
Claimant(s)
David Powell
Description
Earth and the Moon will be most likely be destroyed by being engulfed by the Sun, just before it reaches the largest of its red giant phase when it will be 256 times larger than it is now. Before the final collision, the Moon possibly spirals below Earth's Roche limit, breaking into a ring of debris, most of which falls to Earth's surface.
22 billion
22 billion
Estimated timeframe (years)
22 billion
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
The end of the Universe in the Big Rip scenario, assuming a model of dark energy with w = −1.5. Observations of galaxy cluster speeds by the Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest that the true value of w is ~-0.991, meaning the Big Rip will not occur.
10¹⁰⁰
10¹⁰⁰
Estimated timeframe (years)
10¹⁰⁰
Claimant(s)
Various
Description
The heat death of the universe is a scientific theory in which the universe will diminish to a state of no thermodynamic free energy and therefore will no longer be able to sustain directed motion or life.
Estimated timeframe (years)
Claimant(s)
Description
Ref.
300,000
Peter Tuthill
In approximately 300,000 years, WR 104, a triple star, is expected to explode in a supernova. It has been suggested that it may produce a gamma ray burst that could pose a threat to life on Earth should its poles be aligned 12° or lower towards Earth. However spectroscopic observations now strongly suggest that it is tilted at an angle of 30°-40° and so any gamma ray burst should not hit Earth.
< 500,000
Nick Bostrom
According to a journal article by Bostrom, an asteroid impacting with Earth would need to be larger than 1 km in diameter to render humans extinct. It is estimated that such an asteroid hits Earth about every 500,000 years.
< 1 million
The Geological Society
Within the next 1 million years, Earth will likely have undergone a supervolcanic eruption large enough to erupt 3,200 km3 of magma, an event comparable to the Toba supereruption 75,000 years ago.
16 million
Various
A hypothetical dark companion star, Nemesis, with an eccentric orbit of about 27 million years, triggers periodic mass extinctions by perturbing objects beyond Neptune into hitting the Earth. The K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago is used as an anchor point in time for the cycle. Arguments against say it is a statistical artifact and sky surveys have failed to find it.
< 100 million
Stephen A. Nelson
It is estimated that every 100 million years, Earth will be hit by an asteroid about 10–15 km in diameter, comparable in size to the one that triggered the K–Pg extinction which killed dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
500–600 million
Anne Minard
By this time it is estimated that a gamma ray burst, or massive, hyperenergetic supernova, would have occurred within 6,500 light-years of Earth; close enough for its rays to affect Earth's ozone layer and potentially trigger a mass extinction, assuming the hypothesis is correct that a previous such explosion triggered the Ordovician–Silurian extinction event. However, the supernova would have to be precisely oriented relative to Earth to have any negative effect.
600–800 million
Various
By this time the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will have dropped below the level required for C3 carbon fixation in plants. The resulting lack of oxygen-producing plants will cause free oxygen in the atmosphere to disappear, making aerobic life impossible.
1–5 billion
Various
The estimated end of the Sun's current phase of development, after which it will swell into a red giant, either scorching or swallowing Earth, will occur around five billion years from now. However, as the Sun grows gradually hotter (over millions of years), Earth may become too hot for life as early as one billion years from now.
billion
Various
It is estimated that all eukaryotic life will die due to carbon dioxide starvation. Only prokaryotes will remain.
billion
David Powell
Earth and the Moon will be most likely be destroyed by being engulfed by the Sun, just before it reaches the largest of its red giant phase when it will be 256 times larger than it is now. Before the final collision, the Moon possibly spirals below Earth's Roche limit, breaking into a ring of debris, most of which falls to Earth's surface.
22 billion
Various
The end of the Universe in the Big Rip scenario, assuming a model of dark energy with w = −1.5. Observations of galaxy cluster speeds by the Chandra X-ray Observatory suggest that the true value of w is ~-0.991, meaning the Big Rip will not occur.
10¹⁰⁰
Various
The heat death of the universe is a scientific theory in which the universe will diminish to a state of no thermodynamic free energy and therefore will no longer be able to sustain directed motion or life.

References

  1. Zygon
    https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1467-9744.2012.01293.x
  2. Aveni 2016, p. 7.
  3. Israel365 News
    https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/46995/200-year-old-messiah-clock-counting-down-final-redemption-jewish-world/#PLHlS86w81XQVHFP.97
  4. Scientific American
    https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/psychology-reveals-the-comforts-of-the-apocalypse/
  5. Smithsonian
    https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/people-have-always-been-obsessed-end-world-180956525/
  6. The Conversation
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