It may sound strange but it has been seen that almost all the ancient mythologies have something or the other to tell about the end of the world. Although their exact time and date may not coincide still each of them states the destruction of the current world and the beginning of a new age.

Here is quick look at the ancient mythologies that speak about the end of the world:

• Hindu mythology: The ancient Hindu mythology speaks about four yugas, the Satya Yuga and the Yuga of Treta, the next Yuga of Dvapara and lastly the Yuga termed as Kali. At present we are living in the Kali Yuga, the age full of lies, sins and betrayal. This age will be destroyed by the Supreme Creator, Brahma and another new universe will be created by Him. It also says that at the end of the Kali Yuga, the Kalki Avatar will appear to start a new human race.

• Norse mythology: According to Norse mythology, before the end of the world happens, there will be three winters in Midgard, without any summer in between them. There will be complete chaos and anarchy among the human. The sun and the moon will be swallowed by the wolves Skoll and Hati. Worse still Fenris, the wolf son of Loki will run havoc. The sky will fall into a huge pit of flames and the earth as we all know will sink into the sea. But then at the end of the world life will flourish again on Midgard.

• Abrahamic religions: The three major Abrahamic religions i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam speak about Judgment Day, Armageddon, the emergence of Beast (Antichrist in Christianity) and the coming of the Messiah for a second time. According to Islam, there will be three major landslides or earthquakes in the world (one in the East, one in the West and the other in the Arabian Peninsula), there will be three blasts of the trumpet and the sun will rise from the West. Christianity says that there will be a second coming of the Messiah who will indulge in one last fight with the Antichrist and hand over Earth to the Almighty God Jehovah. Even Judaism speaks of a Messianic Era i.e. an era when the Messiah will come and each and every individual will become pious and righteous.

• Zoroastrianism: According to the end of the tenth hundredth winter, people will be overcome with vices and deceit. The earth will become barren and the sinners with their bad deeds will be punished for three days and then forgiven. At the end of this world, a new world will rise that will be considered to be perfect. There will be no thirst, poverty, hunger or death in the new world.

That means it is not the Mayans who can be credited with the end of the world phenomenon alone. The concept of the end of the world can be found in several ancient mythologies of the world. Strange isn’t it? How could the same concept of the end of world through destruction and the arising of a new world find itself in so many different, ancient mythologies? Well no one knows the answer

What the Atheists believe is that God did not create Man in His own image. The human population was the result of centuries of evolution. The first ever known human beings roamed in Africa and could not have just been the descendents of Adam and Eve, who are generally shown as having a white complexion.

So why is it that the atheists believe in the end of the world? It is believed by all the believers of God that if you are a good man and abstain from committing sins then God will shower you with His blessings and protect you in times of danger. This means that even if it is time for the world to end, you would stay safe and secure owing to your loyalty towards God. This is what annoys the atheists the most.

They do not believe that God or the Supreme Being is going to save you from Doomsday. What they believe instead is that you are going to face obliteration when the end of the world approaches. The reason why the Atheists are obsessed with the end of the world is that it will question the very existence of God.

Even if there is a God, is He that cruel so as to watch the entire human race being wiped from the surface of the Earth? Those having faith in God tell that God is merciful and forgives even the sinners if they ask for forgiveness. If God is that merciful will he attempt to rescue the humans from their awful fate? That is where the Atheists belief is getting stronger. It has been reported that dinosaurs that once roamed the surface of the Earth were destroyed once and for all when some asteroid came down crashing on Earth’s surface some millions of years ago. At that time there was no one to save Earth from such a collision. This means even if such cataclysmic events take place in 2012 there will be no one to save mankind from destruction.

These ideas focus on the one theory of the atheists and i.e. the non existence of God. Here lies the victory for the atheists. Clearly they have the upper hand when it comes to questioning whether God is present. Instead of seeing the Heavenly interventions the atheists choose to look at the scientific researches, geological findings and other studies being conducted on the Earth’s environment that may suggest the destruction of this planet.

This means if there is an end of the world in 2012 itself it will be the Atheists who would rather enjoy it, proclaiming that there was and is no God. That is why the atheists have a strong opinion and believe in the end of the world.

Strange as it may sound, the concept of the world coming to an end can be found in numerous mythologies across the world and people of various cultures seem to believe them. In this discussion you can leave aside those cultures that are ancient but exist even today like the Hindus, the Greeks or the Chinese. Instead focus your attention to those ancient civilizations that had predicted the end of the world.

No doubt the predictions given by the ancient Mayan civilization attracted the most attention. The ancient Mayan calendar consists of 1872000 days which equivalents to 5,125.37 years. The 21st December 2012 is the last day of this ancient Mayan calendar. And thus people all around the world think that the end of the world was predicted by the ancient Mayans. The reason why the Mayan prediction is getting so much importance is because of the fact that it pinpoints at a single day of a single year.

The end of the world has been predicted by Hopis an ancient civilization from Arizona. There are ten signs in the Hopi prophecy each indicating major developments in the world. However it is the last sign that matters the most. The last sign tells that man will come to know of a habitat in heavens, outside and over the earth which will fall with a crash that will be great. It will look like a blue star. And soon afterwards, all the events of the people of Hopi will cease. The predictions also say that trees will die, man will build houses in sky, hot places will become cold and vice versa, land will be consumed by ocean and again new lands will rise from sea and lastly the appearance of Blue Star Kachina will mark the return of Pahana or White Brother.

End of the world was also obvious in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. At that time he was the emperor of ancient Babylon. He dreamt of a statue whose body parts were made from different metals. The head was made of gold while the feet were mad of iron and clay. In the dream a stone crashed onto the legs of the statue making it tumble and it reduced to mere dust. Daniel interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar and came to the conclusion that it in fact predicted the end of the world.

And lastly it is said that Ancient Egypt calculated the end of the world in 2012 thousands of years before Mayan predictions. According to Ancient Egyptian calculations we will be entering the Seventh Age or the Age of Aquarius when the winter equinox in the precession of the current age will take place at sunrise on 21st December 2012. According to their calculations the present time cycle ends in 2012 AD. So what exactly is the truth? We will have to wait and see.

But then why is it that the end of the world fascinates us so much more than anything else. The answer is simple – Death. Death marks the end of an old thing and the beginning of something new. Each and every human being will die someday or the other. It is inevitable. But what fascinates the most is the feeling that a day will come when each and every human being will die at the same time at different places. That day will mark the end of the existing world. The world as we all know will crumble. Everything that man has ever created will be shattered to pieces and reduced to dust. It will be the onset of an Apocalypse.

It is quite interesting to find out that almost all the ancient mythologies speak of one ancient, Great Flood that was enough to destroy the world back then. The world that we see today arose from the ruins and destruction of that Great Flood. Exactly which mythologies speak about them? Ancient Greek mythology, ancient Biblical mythology, ancient Hindu mythology, ancient Mayan mythology and ancient Chinese mythology speak of the Great Flood. And there are no similarities among their cultures or languages? So how is it that the ancient mythologies of all the cultures speak of the same thing?

The flood occurred when humans were populating the Earth’s surface. Modern paleontologists studying dinosaur fossils often claim that these great creatures wiped from the surface of the Earth due to some asteroid crashing on the surface of the Earth. That means the Earth has already been hit twice each resulting in the destruction of its current inhabitants. This leaves us the room to say that there is no chance that the Earth won’t be hit again.

Long has the experts argued over the disappearance of the legendary island Atlantis in just a matter of one night. People who are obsessed with this mystery often feel fascinated about what it would have been like for Atlantis to have disappeared and what it would have been like for the Atlanteans to go down with Atlantis. That is why they are fascinated about the end of the world.

Imagine one fine morning when you get up from bed, you start getting news that all the wonders of the world are gone, all the countries whether superpowers or third world are going down one after the other, earthquakes, volcanoes and gigantic tidal waves are creating havoc and now it’s your time to face the wrath of nature as you stare at complete obliteration along with your family, relatives and friends! Now that sounds interesting isn’t it? Each and every individual wants to die together with their loved ones. No one wants to be left behind when it comes to death. Perhaps the very thought of dying together along with our near and dear ones make us fascinate about the end of the world.

If we look at the Holy Bible we will see that it mentions the second coming of Jesus Christ. Revelation, the other name for the Bible was written by the last original Disciples of Christ, Apostle John. John had had visions where he saw that humanity would suffer disease pandemics, wars, famine and religious strife throughout the world before Christ returns. It is said that Jesus will return to save the human race from all this destruction. The book also tells us about a time of deliverance that Christ predicted. Thus humanity will not be annihilated and face complete extinction.

Next if we look at the Vedic scriptures we will see a large number of books written in Sanskrit. These scriptures are an integral part of literature of the Indian culture. In fact most people consider the scriptures as spiritual literature. The scriptures give a lot of information about the cycles that happen in the world time and again. Just the way the cycle of seasons repeat, in a similar way the four ages or yugas also repeat themselves again and again. The four ages as mentioned here are the Satya-yuga or golden age, the silver age or the Yuga of Treta, the Dvapara Yuga or the Age of Bronze and lastly the Iron Age or the Kali Yuga. We are now in the Iron Age also called the Kali Yuga. This age is the one referred to as the demise of the world. So it is like after winter comes spring again. The winter age of Kali will lead to the spring age of Satya. The Vedas say that Kali Yuga has just started and will continue. So the world will not get destroyed in 2012.

The Quran mentions that before the world ends, it will show signs that the end is near or approaching. They say that there are seven prophesies mentioned in the Quran and after all the seven gets fulfilled the “day of judgment” will arrive. Only four of such seven prophesies have been fulfilled till this date! So once again we can assume that the Earth will not be destroyed and we the inhabitants will continue to survive. So the above literature of the three main religions in their own ways show that the world is not coming to an in the year 2012. Like in any argument, there are a number pf people who give statements in favour of the world ending and there are those who contradict the destructive predictions. We need to look at much earlier literature and various kinds of literature to understand further about the Mayan prediction of the world’s end.

Columbus had referred to a “Maia” leader from where people developed an interest in the Maya culture. This led to many misinterpretations as well as distortions about the myth. People are now scared and unsure about what is going to happen at the end of the year 2012. A number of books have been published about this. For argument’s sake let us believe that it was the Mayans who predicted the world’s end. It must be mentioned here that what has been predicted by the Mayans in their calendar is the beginning of a new cycle after 5125.37 years! Much of the prediction about the world’s end by the Mayans has to do with the calculation of time.

It has been said that there will be a shift in the poles of the Earth. Scientists dismiss the occurrence of drastic scenarios of this sort. But they do believe that some subtler shifts could take place. Also for humanity to feel the motion of the poles is absurd. The Maya calendar is much aligned to seasonal agricultural cycles. People believe that there is an unknown planet called Nibiru which will collide with the Earth and thus lead to destruction. NASA scientists disregard such possibilities. For one, there is no planet Nibiru!

So is the world really going to end in 2012? Did the Mayans predict the world’s end? Scholars who have done thorough researches on this topic say that the Mayans did make a graphic the world’s end scenario prediction. They said the world will be destroyed by a catastrophic flood. But a particular scholar called Aveni says that this scenario should not be interpreted literally. It is more about a lesson on human behavior. The cycles are like an end of an era where humans should start living a better life and take a break from stressful living. It is like a rebirth.

It is thus not without reason that many people believe that 21st December, 2012 is going to be a new beginning. There is no reason to be in despair about the Mayan prediction about the world’s end. Many New Age philosophers say that souls (humans) will help lift humanity with the help of love, understanding and spirituality. When there is talk of the end of something, humans normally end up thinking something extreme. Archaeologists and mythologists thus are of the belief that Mayans predicted the coming in of an age of enlightenment. So they in fact predict religious miracle and not anything sinister!

The Mayan Long Count says that 21.12.2012 is going to be the world’s end and an end of time. They say that this will be the end of the Kali Yuga and there will be an apocalypse. The winter solstice of 2012 will be the Great Solstice. The Great Solstice is the fountain of all solstices as well as equinoxes. Many say that the world’s end is actually going to be an end of the Kali age and will lead to the Golden Age.

Just the way every new transformation is established through the destruction of the old order, similarly the year 2012 will usher in a new order. The Mayans say that the destruction of the world in the year 2012 is not going to be like the one that happened at the time of Noah. This destruction will completely erase the seeds of the previous ages and give birth to a new and creative cycle. The change is an essential change they say. Many believe that the year 2012 will be a time of ascension for the planet earth. The ascension will depend on the degree of harmony that man has with his environment. What is going to be important is the concord between the spirit of man and the spirit of his creator.

The Hopis, like the Mayans also laid their belief on the fact that the world will come to an end in the year 2012. A lot they say will depend on how easily mankind moves into the new world. Will he have a lot of resistance or acceptance? This will determine whether the transition will be cataclysmic or peaceful and tranquil. The Mayan calendar is a prophetic calendar which helps people to see the future and also understand the past. There is a lot of speculation and uncertainty about what exactly will happen on the 21st of December, 2012. Many people believe that the world will literally come to an end. Hollywood has even made movies about how the world will get destroyed. These images together instill fear in people’s minds and they start doubting about what will happen.

There are others who believe that the transformation into a new age will bring in a new strain of thinking which will be balanced and harmonious. Nostradamus had written about a kind of great disturbance, unrest and disorder which will prevail from 2009 to 2012. No one knows for certain what will happen on December 21, 2012. But we can live life gainfully till that time comes!

It is believed that the hoopla regarding the world coming to an end in 20012, started with the Mayans. Almost 3000 years ago, the Mayan created the Haab calendar (a crop calendar) in order to calculate their cultivation. Later some scholars matched the dates of the Mayan calendar with the Gregorian calendars and saw that the current cycle started on 13th August, 3114 B.C and ended on 21st December, 2012. It was further bolstered by the fact that 21st December is the winter solstice when the sun will align with the Milky Way galaxy’s centre. This, many believe, will shift the Earth’s pole and cause unimaginable natural disaster leading to the world’s end.

Secondly, though some believe that Nostradamus himself said that his predictions go as far as 3797 others believe that this French seer said that the world would indeed end in 2012. And more often than not, Nostradamus’ predictions have come true. However, only time will tell whether Nostradamus’ predictions about the End of the World were correct or not.

Another lesser known seer Mother Shipton had also predicted that the world would end in 2012. However, this seer from Norfolk had also predicted that the world would come to an end in the year 1881, and obviously she was wrong. Mother Shipton, who a lot of people believe was born of a devil, had said that the world will be doomed in December 2012 if and only if the population of the world crosses the 7 billion mark. However, some people are of the opinion that Mother Shipton said that when the world faces unimaginable destruction in 2012, half of the world will die while half will continue to live on.

Buddhist Eschatology is also taken into account when people talk about the End of the World theories. Eschatology essentiality deals with ending. According to the Buddhist Eschatology after 5000 years there will be no teachers and “ten moral courses of conduct” will be lost. This will be replaced by ten moral conducts of perverted lust, theft, murder, violence, wanton greed, ill will, adultery, covetousness, idle talk and abusiveness. All these will lead to poverty of man and the world will come to an end in keeping with the laws of dharma.

Here are some of the recent and new signs of the end of world:

Wars – War will become inevitable in nations all over the world. These days, war strikes everywhere, especially in the Middle East. Thousands of people suffered from the aftermath of wars. When a war has been resolved, another tension will rise. Lots of people have risked lives because of war. As a result, it has been included in the recent and new signs of the end of world.

Earthquakes – Another disaster that is included in the recent and new signs of the end of world is earthquake. Recently, earthquakes have taken away thousands of lives all over the world. Haiti, Japan and other nations of the world have been devastated by tremendous earthquakes. The latest news about a massive earthquake happened in Turkey. The earthquakes these days have become so strong compared to other time in the past.

Famines – Included in the recent and new signs of the end of world are famines. In particular, many countries in Africa have been severely suffering from famine. Nowadays, the numbers of people having food and water shortages extremely increased. Many undernourished children have died not just in Africa, but in several other parts of the world. Clearly, recent and new signs of the end of world have been sensationalized because of reports such as famines and earthquakes.

The Emergence of False Prophets – Recent and new signs of the end of world would not be complete without news about false prophets. Each of them claimed that they were the chosen one. A handful of people saying that they are the Messiah have emerged in the news. However, there are still lots of false prophets that did not make it to the news but continue to preach about the recent and new signs of the end of world.

The words of God will spread all over the world – Arguably, it is one of the most credible recent and new signs of the end of world. With the advancements in technology, the words of God have reached nations all around the world. Through TVs, radios and on the Internet, people can seek the words of God. Even missionaries from different religions are preaching God’s teachings in many nations. Really, recent and new signs of the end of world will never fail to entice the minds of people.

There are other recent and new signs of the end of world, but the aforementioned signs are the ones that rise up to the top. Those recent and new signs of the end of world have become remarkably consistent, which is why it has been on the top of the list.

To further give an idea, there are famous future end of the world dates that indicate the possibilities the worldwide pandemonium. Even though some prophecies in the past have failed, there are still more. Included here are some of the famous future end of the world dates:

(2011- 2018) – One of the most talked-about prophets that predicted the end of the world is Jack Van Impe. According to his calculations, the year between 2011 and 2018 will be the end of the world. However, there is no specific evidence he divulged. Still, his prophecy belongs to the famous future end of the world dates.

(2012) – Arguably, one of the most famous future end of the world dates is 2012. The Mayan Calendar suggested that by December 21, 2012, the word will suffer from total annihilation. Although there are no concrete statements on how the world will end in 2012, experts who have studied the Mayan calendar stated that it will likely to end due to an astronomical phenomenon.

(2016) – Another one of the famous future end of the world dates came from Professor Lloyd Cunningdale. In 1847, during an excavation he did with his students, they discovered a time capsule. It contains lots of predictions for the future. One of the most alarming rumors included in it is that the world will enter a biological warfare in 2016. Eventually, a certain type of disease will emerge and will wreak havoc among humans all around the world. With news like that, the famous future end of the world dates has become more popular these days.

2047 – In September 14, 2047, at exactly 3:28 AM, mankind will be erased from the face of the planet. The prophecy came from The Church of !BLAIR!. They believed that if human will not change for the better, the gods will strip away their protection to them. Also, the church stated that extra-terrestrials called “Astro-Lemurs” will wipe away the human race. Some famous future end of the world dates are intriguing.

2060 – One of the famous future end of the world dates was made by Sir Isaac Newton. At his time, he was trying to formulate the exact year when apocalypse will occur and wipe away the whole mankind. One of the most alarming information gathered by experts indicated that 2060 will be the year that the earth will experience mass destruction.

The aforementioned famous future end of the world dates are only a few among many more predictions. There are prophecies that have failed in the past, but the famous future end of the world dates should not be taken for granted.