Lots of people have predicted the end of the world. Not one prediction that the world would end before now has been correct.
So, when will the world end? Since past predictions have failed, prognosticators tend to avoid making any guesses about the future that could embarrass them. So, most recycle, or invent, prophecies from others.
The Mayan Calendar has become a popular source for end-of-the-world prophecies. People who want to appear to have deep concerns about important things gravitate to such sources. There, they find ready-made crackpot theories. Quoting them is not as embarrassing as making up one’s own theory and having it not come to pass.
It’s easier, too.
Catholic Fundamentalism suggests one end-of-the-world date. The Catholic Church suggests that John the Baptist came at the “middle of time”. If that period of time began at the First Covenant, with Abraham, that clock started ticking around 2,000 B.C.
Since our time is now two thousand years after the midpoint, two thousand years after John the Baptist was beheaded, things could be winding down. Since John was beheaded between 29 and 36 A.D., we could look for the end to be coming then.
Or, before. Or, after.
Asking “When will the world end?” has salutary effects. It gets us thinking about our own end and the Judgment that follows. So, we should consider reasonable suggestions on the subject, bearing in mind that we may use them to the greatest possible advantage if we use them to encourage ourselves to become better, more obedient people.
