In January 2020 a paper produced by an Australian think tank predicted that human civilisation would come to an end by the year 2050 unless something drastic was done immediately to combat climate change. Scary stuff, but it’s not the first time the end of the world has been foretold. Ancient cultures have pondered our fate since they first became aware of time, and religious tomes are full of fateful forewarnings.
There have been so many predictions made that it’s almost impossible to keep count. The vast majority of these have proven false. In fact, the only ones which have not are those which haven’t yet been tested as they predict the end to come in future years.
But it’s not all doom and gloom – there’s fun to be had reading some of the prophesies which have failed to materialise. How well do you know your mystics and seers? Have a go at this light-hearted quiz and find out. I predict you will score 10 out of 10!
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According to this prediction, the world will end with a battle between the gods, causing natural disasters and the drowning of the world. After these, a new world will rise from the waves and be repopulated by two surviving humans
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Revelation describes the last seven years on earth, the return of the Messiah, and a final judgment of mankind – cheery stuff!
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Mother Shipton’s most famous prophecy said:
The world to an end shall come, In eighteen hundred and eighty-one. However, this did not appear in print until 1862. Later, a Mr. Charles Hindley admitted that he had added it himself |
Manson and his followers began a murder spree in an effort to bring about the war. His prediction was based on his interpretation of lyrics from the Beatles’ White Album!
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The Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Adam was created in the autumn of 4026 BCE, so 1975 would mark 6000 years since then. They admitted their error in 1980, and said that they “regretted” their claim
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Predictions which Nostradamus “successfully” made include the Great Fire of London, the French Revolution, the rise of Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, and both world wars
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The Mayan Calendar, which began at the “creation of the world” in 3114 BCE, ended on December 21st, 2012. Despite expectations of catastrophe, the day came and went, just like any other
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Weinland predicted that Jesus would return in 2011. When the Messiah failed to show his face, Weinland changed the date to 2012, then 2013, 2018 and finally 2019. Apparently, he then began to doubt his predictive ability!
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Rasputin claimed that a great storm would occur on August the 23rd that year, and that a fire would burn most life on Earth. But it’s not all bad - Jesus would return to comfort those in distress!
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The Sun is expected to become a red giant star and to grow up to 250 times its current size, swallowing up Mercury, Venus and the Earth. Long before then, life on Earth will become impossible as the Sun becomes steadily hotter
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