The end of the world has always excited human minds, and the most enterprising people have long since learned to derive practical benefits from this. Today we will talk about the ten most high-profile predictions of the coming Armageddon, which, fortunately, were not destined to come true.
The end of the world is a topic that has been worrying mankind since ancient times. The cosmogonic myth about the creation of the world always closely coexists with the eschatological world about how the universe will turn to dust. A person of pagan culture was characterized by a cyclical perception of the world, and the change of seasons served as a reflection of this cycle. Today, in the age of victorious scientific and technological progress, we look at this with a slight irony. Be that as it may,
subconsciously in a person, there is a fear that the world will one day perish – and today we will tell you about the ten loudest predictions of the end of the world, which, fortunately, were not lucky enough to come true.
The Top 10 End-of-the-World Prophecies That Failed to Materialize
1. 66 years from the birth of Christ
The Jewish sect of the Essenes (otherwise Ossins) predicted the second coming of Christ just a few decades after his death in the 66-the 70s of our era. During this period, the leader of the Jewish uprising, Simon Bar-Giora, organized armed resistance to the Roman Empire and the government of Judea. The final battle foretold in Revelations was viewed by the Essenes as this conflict. When Simon was captured by the Romans, returned to Rome, and executed, the Essenes, to put it mildly, expected great embarrassment.
2. January 1, 1000
A thousand years ago, the papal office gave the pontiffs a lot of free time, and therefore the Pope often predicted the coming Apocalypse – this always made a great impression on believers. In this field, Sylvester II also distinguished himself, who, along with many religious figures, associated the change of millennia with the coming of Jesus. This contributed to the most powerful public relations campaign of the time: thousands of Christians flocked to Jerusalem, and most sought to get to the midnight Mass celebrated by the Pope in St. Peter’s Basilica on New Year’s Eve.
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When, on January 1st, Jesus did not descend and the world did not disappear, Christian leaders had to reconsider their prediction. Obviously, the 1000-year period ends not with the birth, but with the death of the Messiah! So the end of time was pushed back to 1033. A rather close date, but on this account the Pope, being in old age, was no longer worried: by the time the promised date arrived, he had already safely rested in peace.
3. 1284 (Pope Sylvester II)
Pope Sylvester II had a decent numerological justification for his predictions, but Pope Innocent III (also known as the “anti-pope”) had to work hard to fit Armageddon into current Christian politics. Since the relationship between Christians and Muslims has always been rather complicated, the latter was declared servants of Satan. According to the Pope’s belief, it was logical to assume that the end of the world would occur 666 years after the founding of Islam, which would be in the year 1284.. Alas, this pontiff died 50 years before the date he announced, and did not have time to find out how deeply he was mistaken.
4. February 1, 1524
On February 1, 1524, a group of astrologers in London predicted that the Apocalypse would start that year, with a mighty flood that would submerge the continents and destroy all civilizations. This prediction was based on the planets entering the constellation Pisces, strongly associated with the water element. The prophecy caused great excitement among the inhabitants, and on the appointed day, every Londoner tried to find a place higher and drier. However, there were no floods that day, and not a drop of rain fell on London. The astrologers’ credibility was severely damaged.
5. 1666 (Terrible Disasters)
In 1666, London was struck by a series of terrible disasters, including the plague and a massive fire that destroyed much of the city. The chiliast sect “People of the Fifth Monarchy” announced the end of time, but their prophecy proved false, and London eventually recovered from the tragedies.
6. May 19, 1780
On May 19, 1780, the sky suddenly darkened in the middle of the day, causing panic among the population, who believed it was a sign of the coming Apocalypse. However, the cause of the darkness was extensive forest fires and heavy cloud cover, not the descent of angels.
7. 1806 (Mary Bateman)
In 1806, Mary Bateman, an enterprising lady considered by the townsfolk of Leeds to be a sorceress, swindled and deceived people by etching the words “Christ is coming” on fresh chicken eggs with acid and placing them back into the hen. People from all over the country came to see this “miracle” and became victims of deception, including the unfortunate chicken.
8. 1936, 1943, 1972 & 1975
Herbert Armstrong, founder of the “Worldwide Church of God” and an advertising businessman, predicted the end of the world several times, starting in 1936. When his first predictions proved false, he revised the dates and continued to predict the end of the world in 1943, 1972, and 1975. Despite his failed prophecies, some still believed him.
9. April 29, 2007 (Pat Robertson)
Pat Robertson, a TV personality, predicted the end of the world in 1982 and again in his 1990 book “The New Millennium,” setting April 29, 2007, as the last day. However, his predictions proved false, and he is still alive and may predict the Apocalypse a third time.
10. May 21, 2011 (Harold Camping)
Harold Camping predicted the Ascension would take place on May 21, 2011, and the Day of Judgment would occur on October 21st of that year. He had a history of making incorrect predictions, including in 1993 and 1994. When his May 21st prediction proved false, he claimed that the phenomena would occur on the designated day of October. Camping made a total of six incorrect predictions and is at the bottom of our list.
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