In the last few hundred years, we’ve read predictions about “doomsday” in several creative works, from the Great Pyramid of Giza in Europe, to Nostradamus’s book “Prophecies,” to Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawing “The Deluge,” to Isaac Newton’s text “Observations on Daniel and the Apocalypse of St. John.”
The current theory is that on December 21, 2012, there will be some type of catastrophic event that will end the world. The story started with claims that Nibiru, or Planet X, a supposed planet discovered by the Sumerians, is headed toward earth. This catastrophe was initially predicted for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved to 12/21/12 and linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice, hence the predicted doomsday date.
Conspiracy theorists, religious people, and all other kinds of people believe something terrible is going to happen that day. But there are also many people who disagree, many of them scientists. They claim there isn’t enough evidence to back up theories that the world is going to end this month.
So, what are some of the top theories? There are many, and they have a lot of followers. Some are going as far as to prepare for disaster by stocking up on food, guns, and other survival necessities.
According to Yahoo, the top 10 theories regarding 2012 range from planets colliding with earth, changes in the earth’s magnetic poles and gravity, sun supernova or solar flares, global warming. The list goes on. Some of the most popular theories have a surprising amount of followers, despite how far out they may seem.
One of the biggest theories states Earth will collide with a supposed planet, Planet X (Nibiru), from the 1980s. The theory states the world governments have been hiding the existence of Planet X since they discovered it was on a collision course with us many years ago.
Many people also believe the earth will be devastated by a dramatic shift in the earth’s magnetic poles. Scientists say this pole shift has happened with regularity throughout earth’s history, but that we are not due for a shift for some time; this doesn’t stop people from believing, however.
Another popular theory states Planet X will not collide with us, but rather will pass so closely to earth it will disrupt gravity and cause massive global disasters.
The sun supernova theory involves the death of our sun. It states that earth will be burned up when our sun goes supernova. This cataclysmic supernova would consume our solar system and wipe out our world from the Milky Way Galaxy.
The fact is that on the 21st, our planet and sun will align with the center of our Milky Way galaxy, an event that only happens every 26,000 years. Some say that this celestial event will in some way rip our earth apart, leaving no life on the planet.
Many people have heard about the global warming theories regarding 2012; if you haven’t, you can just watch the movie, 2012. The theory involves the atmosphere of our earth degrading to the point that global warming reaches new highs. The resulting temperature change would cause a snowballing polar ice cap melt that would flood oceans, wipe out our land masses and kill marine life with a massive infusion of fresh water into the oceans.
One claim states the human race has been on the verge of a shift in the collective consciousness of humanity. What this means, no one can say, but followers of the theory believe the end of the world will come with a dramatic change in the way the human mind works and that they will bring about the end of the world.
And of course, there are those who believe all the theories regarding an upcoming doomsday will be proven wrong when nothing happens that day.
Then there are the religious theories explaining what they believe will happen at the end of the world, although they don’t necessarily claim it will happen on that date. Each theory has to do with the triumph of good over evil and Judgment Day.
In Christianity, the Book of Revelations, the last chapter of the New Testament, mentions Armageddon, the final battle on earth between the forces of God and Satan. The word Armageddon is thought to come from the Hebrew word for “Mount of Megiddo.” Located in present-day Israel, Megiddo, an ancient, strategically placed city, was the site of a number of battles. Some Christians interpret the Book of Revelations as a roadmap that lays out exactly how the world will end. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on Armageddon and Jesus will save the true believers, while non-believers left behind will face enormous suffering.
The Islam version of the end of the world is referred to as the Hour and involves Jesus returning to Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has put the planet in peril. With the anti-Christ out of the picture, a period of perfect harmony will ensue. Jesus will later die a natural death, which will usher in a time of destruction that leads directly to the Hour. In Judaism, there is no word for Armageddon, but there are references in the Hebrew bible to events that could be compared with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord — where God causes death and destruction to those who deserve punishment — and the War of Gog and Magog, where Israel and its god fight their enemies rather than an anti-Christ.
In Hinduism, there is a story of the god Vishnu coming back in the last cycle of time as a figure called Kulki, who rides a white horse, carries a sword that looks like a comet, and destroys the forces of evil. In some Buddhist prophecies, Armageddon is Shambhala, where good triumphs over evil. However, the planet is restored rather than destroyed, so people can pursue enlightenment, or ultimate peace.
The popularity of the rumors and conspiracies involving December 21st, 2012 caught the attention of many important people, including scientists at NASA, who are very dismissive of the whole idea. On their Web site, they answered questions surrounding the subject, backed up with scientific evidence.
According to NASA, 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.”
Regarding “Planet X”, or Nibiru, NASA insists that the planet is simply an Internet hoax, and that there is no factual basis for these claims. Even if such a planet did exist, it would be visible to the naked eye by now.
One of the biggest theories, the reversal of the rotation of the earth, is easily dismissed, as well: “A reversal of the rotation of Earth is impossible. Many of the disaster sites 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 millennia.”
Most of the scientists at NASA aren’t buying into the hype. “For any claims of disaster or dramatic changes in 2012, where is the science? Where is the evidence? There is none . . . we can’t change the simple fact. There is no credible evidence.”
There are so many different theories, debates, stories, “facts”, etc. regarding the end of the world. It might end up being the ultimate irony; after millennia of crying wolf, we ignore the doomsday scenario we should take seriously. This article is not meant to persuade or try and change anyone’s beliefs; you can choose to believe what you want, based on your own personal thoughts and beliefs. But despite the theories and religious interpretations, no one can know for sure what will happen when the world ends. And when — if — that day arrives, people will keep speculating endlessly about when it will be over.