Introduction:
Throughout history, there have been those who have predicted the Coming of the End, the Consummation of All Things, the Return of Christ, Armageddon, Ragnarok, what-have-you. The majority of these seers and prognosticators were wise enough to leave the date unspecified, presumably to avoid embarrassment when the expected event failed to materialize. Others, such as Nostradamus and Bishop Ussher, put the date far into the future, long after their corporeal bodies had returned to dust.
There are those few brave souls, however, who are willing to stick their necks out, and give us a date in the near future, when they themselves will presumably still be around to either bask in the glow of glory, or suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, should the cosmic plan go awry.
Religious views:
For many, the notion of doomsday arises from religious prophecy that has passed from generation to generation for thousands of years. Religious prophecy has spawned doomsday concepts such as The Rapture in christianity, Maitreya in Buddhism , The Kali Yuga in Hinduism , Acharit Hayamim in Jewish , Qiyamah in islam e.t.c.,
The Rapture:
In Christian end times prophecy, the Rapture is an event where the faithful will be literally snatched from the Earth and taken up to heaven in the blink of an eye. The faithful who are not part of the Rapture are left behind to deal with the Tribulation, a period of immense suffering before the world ends. The Rapture is a relatively new element in Christian end times prophecy and Christians do not universally accept this belief. Even among those who believe in the Rapture, there's considerable debate about the timing of the Rapture, with some believing it will occur before the Tribulation while others believe it will occur during or after the Tribulation.
The Maitreya:
Buddhism views time as eternal, so there isn't Buddhist end time prophecy per se. However, Buddhists do see time as cyclical and within these cycles humanity passes through phases from enlightenment to delusion. As delusion and suffering grow, a savior figure - Maitreya (or Mettaya) Buddha - appears and through his spiritual teaching and leadership billions of humans attain nirvana. The online resources included in this section of our guide provide an overview of Buddhism and the role of Maitreya in Buddhist prophecy.
The Kali Yuga:
The Hindu faith operates with a cyclical view of humanity. The highest stage of humanity, one of virtue and harmony, gradually gives way to successively degenerative stages, the last of which is the Kali Yuga, an Age of Darkness where wickedness rules. During the Kali Yuga an apocalyptic figure, Kalki, emerges to destroy the wicked and save the virtuous and by so doing restores humanity to its most virtuous stage once again. In this section we devote space to various resources that focus on Kali Yuga, Kalki, and other aspects of Hindu end time prophecy.
Acharit Hayamim:
In Jewish prophecy the end times are referred to as acharit hayamim. The end of days will be marked by much turmoil and suffering and the eventual arrival of a Messiah who will be the catalyst for the creation of a new era of peace, holiness and tranquility. Certain themes of acharit hayamim (end times turmoil, a great battle, a Messiah) can be found in end times prophecies of Christianity and Islam, the other major Western religions. But the events and final outcome of acharit hayamim are distinctly different. The resources below focus on basic tenets of Judaism and discuss various elements of Jewish prophecy about doomsday.
Qiyamah:
As in Christian prophecy, Islamic end time prophecy talks of a Day of Judgment, one called Qiyamah. The Judgment Day - Qiyamah - parallel is just one of several similarities between Christian and Islamic doomsday prophecy. Besides Qiyamah, Islamic prophecy about the end time talks of cataclysmic events, a Great War (Al-Malhamah Al-Kubrah), the emergence of a savior (Imam Mahdi), the return of Jesus (the Prophet Isa), and the presence of a false prophet (the Dajjal) in the period leading to Qiyamah. Despite these similar concepts, the Islamic view of doomsday has its own distinct set of signs, events and outcomes that differ markedly from the Christian view of the end times. The resources below focus on basic tenets of the Islamic faith and discuss various elements of Islamic prophecy about doomsday.
Brahma Kumaris:
Time is considered to be cyclic, repeating identically every 5,000 years, and is composed of five ages (yugas): the Golden Age (Sat Yuga), the Silver Age (Treta Yuga), the Copper Age (Dwapar Yuga), the Iron Age (Kali Yuga) each exactly 1,250 years long, and the Confluence Age (Sangam Yuga). The Confluence Age is said to be 100 years long, and believed to have begun with the descent of Shiva, during which the present day civilization is to be completely destroyed by natural disasters, civil and nuclear war.
2012 Phenomenon:
The 2012 phenomenon comprises a range of eschatological beliefs that cataclysmic or transformative events will occur on December 21, 2012, which is said to be the end-date of a 5,125-year-long cycle in the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar. Various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae related to this date have been proposed.
A New Age interpretation of this transition posits that during this time Earth and its inhabitants may undergo a positive physical or spiritual transformation, and that 2012 may mark the beginning of a new era. Others suggest that the 2012 date marks the end of the world or a similar catastrophe. Scenarios posited for the end of the world include the Earth's collision with a passing planet (often referred to as "Nibiru") or black hole, or the arrival of the next solar maximum.
Scholars from various disciplines have dismissed the idea of catastrophe in 2012. Mainstream Mayanist scholars state that predictions of impending doom are not found in any of the existing classic Maya accounts, and that the idea that the Long Count calendar "ends" in 2012 misrepresents Maya history. The modern Maya do not consider the date significant, and the classical sources on the subject are scarce and contradictory, suggesting that there was little if any universal agreement among them about what, if anything, the date might mean.
Additionally, astronomers and other scientists have rejected the apocalyptic forecasts aspseudoscience, stating that the anticipated events are contradicted by simple astronomical observations. NASA has compared fears about 2012 with those about the approaching millennium in the late 1990s, suggesting that an adequate analysis should preclude fears of disaster. None of the proposed alignments or formulas have been accepted by mainstream scholarship.
There is zero scientific evidence that anything will happen, but there are numerous things that could easily threaten the human species in the year 2012, such as a geomagnetic reversal, asteroid strike or supernova. Or something more intimate, like a flu pandemic, or a nuclear war.
New age beliefs:
Asteroid/Meteor/Comet - ancient, advanced civilisations have one distinct advantage over us - they may have observed the skies for longer, and may have spotted an orbit that will culminate in a collision with Earth in 2012. This is easily the most predictable disaster for 2012.
Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) from our Sun - a CME was behind the solar storm of 1859. It occurred in September of that year, causing the failure of telegraph systems across North America and Europe. Accompanying the storm were auroras that are normally only seen in the Arctic and Antarctic, but were visible as far south as the Caribbean. Typically we would expect a storm of 1859's magnitude cause power blackouts and wreck satellites. But do we really know how big they can get?
Magnetic Pole Shift - pole reversals have been happening on average once every 400,000 years, with the most recent one being 730,000 years ago - so we are well overdue. Not only do we not know much about reversals, scientists are still unsure about how our magnetic field is generated. Long thought to be a by-product of the movements of liquid iron in our planet's core, recent studies are suggesting that our salty oceans might be the cause. Scientists suggest a geomagnetic reversal takes thousands of years and does no harm. They are wrong - it could just as easily happen overnight. No mechanism is known for the cause of the magnetic poles swapping places. Our magnetic field is known to be rapidly declining (10% in the last 150 years), and the magnetic North pole is moving around at an accelerating pace - it has been predicted it will move from Canada to Siberia in the next 50 years. These changes could be indicating an imminent reversal.
Explosion from the black hole at the center of our galaxy - in 1983 Dr Paul LaViolette described the dangers of a Galactic core explosion. He explained that it would generate a cosmic ray superwave, and it would be signalled by a gamma ray burst (see below). He also warned us that a gravity wave might travel ahead of the superwave. If seems likely that the 2004 tsunami was caused by a gravity wave, because the accompanying GRB arrived just 21 hours later, and was the brightest ever observed, 100 times brighter than any other seen in recorded history. This gravity wave did not come from our galactic center, but if it had, perhaps the effects would have been much worse.
Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) - a 2004 study told us that a GRB from a distance of just one kiloparsec could destroy half of Earth's ozone layer. It suggests that historical mass extinctions may have been caused by GRBs. NASA explains how "gamma-ray radiation from a relatively nearby star explosion, hitting the Earth for only ten seconds, could deplete up to half of the atmosphere's protective ozone layer. Recovery could take at least five years. With the ozone layer damaged, ultraviolet radiation from the Sun could kill much of the life on land and near the surface of oceans and lakes, and disrupt the food chain."
Cosmic Rays - scientists have yet to work out where most high-energy cosmic rays come from. Either an increase striking our atmosphere, or a weakening of our shields, will let in more cosmic rays. They are already zipping through your body every second, and they could end up being our silent killers. As one example of their danger, airlines do not let pregnant women work on their inter-continental routes, because of the increased exposure to cosmic rays at those heights.
Nuclear War / WW3 / Biological War - although the Cold War is over, and fewer bunkers are being built, the threat is still very real. Tensions between the Koreas, and India & Pakistan are worrisome, as are the huge bunkers that the Russians have built. The Yamantau complex is large enough to protect 60,000 people!
Supervolcano - these are real, they have caused great catastrophes in the past, and we have no idea when the next eruption will be. Some believe Yellowstone could explode again soon, as it has been exhibiting signs of unrest, with earthquake swarms, ground deformation and considerable heat and gas emissions. It it did erupt, expect half of the USA to be wiped out, and major variations in global climate for many years.
Global Warming - it will only take an increase of a couple of degrees to make life very difficult for most humans
What NASA says?
Remember the Y2K scare? It came and went without much of a whimper because of adequate planning and analysis of the situation. Impressive movie special effects aside, Dec. 21, 2012, won't be the end of the world as we know. It will, however, be another winter solstice.
Much like Y2K, 2012 has been analyzed and the science of the end of the Earth thoroughly studied. Contrary to some of the common beliefs out there, the science behind the end of the world quickly unravels when pinned down to the 2012 timeline. Below, NASA Scientists answer several questions that we're frequently asked regarding 2012.
About threats to the Earth in 2012:
Nothing bad will happen to the Earth in 2012. Our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, and credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012.
About the origin of the prediction that the world will end in 2012:
The story started with claims that Nibiru, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward Earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the doomsday date was moved forward to December 2012. Then these two fables were linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 -- hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.
Does the Mayan calendar end in December 2012?
Just as the calendar you have on your kitchen wall does not cease to exist after December 31, the Mayan calendar does not cease to exist on December 21, 2012. This date is the end of the Mayan long-count period but then -- just as your calendar begins again on January 1 -- another long-count period begins for the Mayan calendar.
Could a phenomenon occur where planets align in a way that impacts Earth?
There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way Galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.
About the planet Nibiru or Planet X or Eris:
Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth in 2012, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye. Obviously, it does not exist. Eris is real, but it is a dwarf planet similar to Pluto that will remain in the outer solar system; the closest it can come to Earth is about 4 billion miles.
About the polar shift theory:
A reversal in the rotation of Earth is impossible. There are slow movements of the continents (for example Antarctica was near the equator hundreds of millions of years ago), but that is irrelevant to claims of reversal of the rotational poles. However, many of the disaster websites pull a bait-and-shift to fool people. They claim a relationship between the rotation and the magnetic polarity of Earth, which does change irregularly, with a magnetic reversal taking place every 400,000 years on average. As far as we know, such a magnetic reversal doesn’t cause any harm to life on Earth. A magnetic reversal is very unlikely to happen in the next few millennia, anyway.
Is the Earth in danger of being hit by a meteor?
The Earth has always been subject to impacts by comets and asteroids, although big hits are very rare. The last big impact was 65 million years ago, and that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Today NASA astronomers are carrying out a survey called the Spaceguard Survey to find any large near-Earth asteroids long before they hit. We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs. All this work is done openly with the discoveries posted every day on the NASA NEO Program Office website.
About pending doomsday:
For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none, and for all the fictional assertions, whether they are made in books, movies, documentaries or over the Internet, we cannot change that simple fact. There is no credible evidence for any of the assertions made in support of unusual events taking place in December 2012.
About giant solar storms:
Solar activity has a regular cycle, with peaks approximately every 11 years. Near these activity peaks, solar flares can cause some interruption of satellite communications, although engineers are learning how to build electronics that are protected against most solar storms. But there is no special risk associated with 2012. The next solar maximum will occur in the 2012-2014 time frame and is predicted to be an average solar cycle, no different than previous cycles throughout history.
Conclusion:
Experts from all around the world are predicting about the doomsday. Some are saying it’ll be humans that would set it off. Others believe that a natural phenomenon will be the cause. And the religious folks are saying it’ll be God himself who would press the stop button. NASA says Doomsday is just a dumb joke. But do you believe that NASA would revile to the public if the world is going towards an immediate End? And NASA has scientists not Gods. Only God could decide what could happen tomorrow. Now all that we could do is to just wait and see our fate.
