End Of The World Predictions

This 2012 blog entry is written in the style of "Are You Serious!" 

As everyone knows by now, December 21 2012 is going to be the end of the world when the earth is either struck by or fatally wounded by a near hit from planet X, otherwise known as Nibiru – even though you can’t see it (that's because it doesn’t exist), which you should be able to by now.  If it was real, it would need to have travelled well into our solar system by now and be visible to amateur astronomers all over the world if it was going to collide with the earth on December 21 2012…

But all of this is beside the point because the enlightened ones have told us that a rogue planet will bring about the end of the world on December 21, 2012 so they must be right.  And what if they’re wrong?  Well, that’s easy; there are some serious back up doomsday predictions for a 2012 end of the world doomsday.  

If Nibiru doesn’t get us, there plenty of other 2012 end of the world doomsday options.  Consider the line-up below…

1.    Giant Solar flares could wipe us off the grid.  Pity that the next solar maximum is now scheduled for around May 2013 and is predicted by NASA scientists to have the lowest number of sunspots since 1928.  Otherwise, solar flares might have been a serious contender for a December 21 2012 end of the world prediction.   

So that’s one 2012 doomsday prediction burnt up.  Let’s look at some more….

2.    A giant asteroid called Apophis is heading our way… well, actually, don’t tell anyone but it’s, um….. it's not coming near us again till 2029 and is not rated as a threat.  But don’t worry; there is an even more serious asteroid than Apophis called Toutatis which is 4.6 by 2.4 kilometers.  An asteroid collision with Tautatis would be big enough to cause worldwide destruction.  It’s a real shame though that it’s only going to come as close as 6,900,000km, which is about 18 times further away than the moon, and passes on 12 December 2012.

If it weren’t for these factors, a giant asteroid could have been a winner for a 2012 end of the world doomsday prediction.

3.    Joining the 2012 doomsday line-up is a galactic line-up, called “galactic alignment”.  There are two types of galactic alignment.  One kind of galactic alignment happens every year at the time of the winter solstice (when the sun – from earth’s perspective only – lines up with the centre of the Milky Way galaxy).  The other alignment has already passed and won’t happen again for a long long time (when the solar system crosses the galactic plane).  

These facts don’t seem to have thrown any cosmic water on this doomsday prediction which New Agers in particular are preaching about. It’s easy to confuse people with science; even easier with bad science.

4.    Ah, here’s a good one!  Pole Shift!!!  Two types have been predicted: magnetic and physical.  Now that should get you worried.  Well, it could get you worried if you lived long enough to see them happen.  There is evidence that we are currently in the middle of a magnetic pole shift right now (where north and south magnetic poles change places) but get this: it will take thousands of years to happen and the worst effect will be that in a couple of hundred years, our compasses will need to be changed.  Some think that we’ve had a physical pole shift in the past but they are speculating 5 to 10 degrees per million years.   

This 2012 doomsday prediction is definitely up the pole!  

5.   Aliens Invasion.  If you’re not convinced by any of the above 2012 end of the world doomsday theories, you probably won’t be convinced or fooled by the next: a December 21 2012 Alien Invasion.  Hmmm, do they come in peace or to destroy us?  True, people have had paranormal experiences which they describe as UFO sightings and abductions.  But really, honestly, are these people coming back and saying that when they were on board the alien ship, they spotted a calendar on the wall and under the date: December 21, 2012 they read “Invade Earth!”  

Sure, there is definitely something happening with all these UFO sightings and reports of abductions (which you should check out on our Aliens and 2012 page) but seriously, this has been going on for decades, even longer, so why no 2012 alien invasion date till now?   

Anyone who says they know December 21, 2012 is the day aliens will come because aliens have been channelling with them, is definitely tuned into the wrong channel.

6.    Finally, there is the Mayan 2012 prophecy.  This one certainly sounds authentic with its reference to a 5,125 year calendar by a people whose knowledge about the cosmos was light years past many other civilisations at the time the calendar was made.   The theory is that when the calendar runs out so does the earth.  The fact that the Mayan people themselves don’t believe this and that we are talking about a calendar, seems to have been overlooked by some….

Well, maybe they are not so much overlooking it but ignoring it because it would spoil a great commercial opportunity to make a fast dollar through movies, books and survival kits.   Have you seen the 2012 movie?  By the way, survival kits aren’t a bad idea as they may well save lives in a disaster.  But I would question the integrity of someone promoting survival kits using a 2012 end of the world prediction as the key motivator.  

So, when the Mayan calendar runs out, it’s time to get a new one!

7.    And in conclusion, if all the above 2012 end of the world doomsday predictions seem ridiculous, at least we can be sure that December 21, 2012 really is the end of the world because we have such an appealing doomsday date: 12.21.12 (for those who prefer to put the month first) or 21.12.12 (for those who put the day first).  Even 21.12.2012 (with the “0” in there) still has the unmistakable look of a genuine doomsday scenario don’t you think?  

OK, so who was I kidding, you don’t believe a word of it either.    

All this leads a person to wonder how in the world (the end of the world) do you know that a doomsday prophecy is correct?  How do you test them?  Here are a few quick suggestions…

1.    Wait till the day and see if it happens!  OK, so this could have serious consequences if the prophecy is correct.  But at least you will know.  

2.    Check the track record of the person making the prophecy – Harold Camping had three failed end of the world prophecies before his fourth and fifth in 2011.

3.    When people start talking dates, you can be sure that it’s not going to happen.  We are not that smart so as to know the day and hour.    

So does all this mean that earth is safe from destruction?  To answer that question, consider what happened to the boy who cried "Wolf!"  Though we cannot predict a date (unless there was a giant meter entering our atmosphere right now in which case, “today” or “tomorrow” could be quite accurate) and though there will always be false prophecies/predictions about the end of the world, the fact is that we are a vulnerable planet and constantly under threat of destruction from many sources: human, cosmic and, some would argue, divine.

I will leave you with a story from the Bible about some people who asked (nearly 2,000 years ago) when the end of the world would be…..

The end of the world question has been asked before... 

“And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.  For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.  And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.  All these are the beginning of sorrows.  ( Matthew 24:3-8 )