The thought of the impending end of the world has been stirring the minds of many people for thousands of years. They talked and wrote about him long before the advent of Christianity and the Revelation of John the Theologian. In recent years, the question "When will the End of the World?" occurs more often than ever. And people are studying the ancient prophecies more and more closely and peering into the starry sky.
Humanity has already experienced a terrible catastrophe once, which destroyed almost the entire population of the Earth. Scattered legends and legends have reached the present day about how a civilization, which had reached a fairly high stage of development, perished overnight as a result of a monstrous cataclysm. The most famous and widespread myth among various peoples is the myth of the Flood. In some legends, the Flood is a huge wave that swept over the highest mountains, in others - gradually arriving water that flooded a vast territory. In all legends, one pious family survives, which was warned in advance by the gods. For all other people, the Flood was the end of the world.
Eschatology paints a monstrous picture of the beginning of the end: giant tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and for those who survive - a long winter, famine and epidemics. Believers of any denomination perceive the apocalypse as an inevitable but necessary procedure before transitioning to a better world. There are people who are waiting for Armageddon with interest, as the most ambitious show and plan to take places in the first row, and alarmists are looking with horror at the next predicted date.
Over the past 2000 years, there have been a huge number of supposed ends of the world, and since the end of the 19th century, prophecies have fallen on people's heads in a continuous stream: 1874, 1900, 1914, 1918, 1925, etc., and in 1999, 13 pieces were expected from the ends of the world. The 21st century does not lag behind the previous century in terms of the number of apocalypses. There are about 30 Armageddons in the first decade.
The closest end of the world is supposed to take place in December 2012. This is the most publicized end of the world in the history of eschatology. On the day of the winter solstice (2012-21-12), the next cycle of the Mayan calendar ends, which began in 3114 BC. NS. and lasted 5125 years. According to the ideas of the ancient Maya, on this day the end of the "Fifth Sun" will come. It will be marked by global cataclysms that will wipe out all of humanity from the face of the Earth.
In 2018, the Apocalypse should come due to nuclear war (prophecy of Nostradamus). 2036 - collision with the Earth of Apophis, an asteroid with a diameter of about 300 meters. 2060 - Isaac Newton's calculation based on the book of the prophet Daniel. 2892 - the prediction of the monk Abel.
The rest of the ends of the world do not have more or less exact dates. In the next 50 years, a supervolcano is expected to awaken. As a result of the eruption, smoke and ash will hide the Earth from the sun's rays for several years, which will lead to the death of all flora and fauna.
In the same period, an abrupt change in the magnetic and, possibly, geographic poles may occur, as a result of which the planet will lose its magnetic field for some time. Inversion is dangerous because during the absence of a field, cosmic radiation can reach the surface of the Earth and kill all life on the planet.
Another forecast is related to global climate change: warming or cooling. In the event of warming, glaciers and polar caps can completely melt, and most of the land will be flooded. In the event of a cold snap, a new ice age will begin, many species will disappear, and humanity, if it survives in such conditions, will be thrown back into the Stone Age by development.
In 5 billion years, the Sun will turn into a red giant, increase in size several times and absorb the first 3-4 planets. Thus, according to scientists, the Apocalypse is inevitable, we can only hope that it will happen in the very distant future.
