[BaselBimbooooo]

I thought that maybe we could benefit from peoples' mistakes in the past by sharing examples of times that people incorrectly thought the world would end. I only know of a few examples, but I'm guessing that others here will be able to share more.

This might also be beneficial, I believe, in order to prevent religious hysteria caused by a few seemingly-fulfilled prophecies. I'm not implying that anyone in particular on this forum is guilty of this type of hysteria, but I know that I've been guilty of this in the past, and I'm sure that some others might have been as well.

Here are a few examples:
-January 1st, 2000 (Y2K bug, in particular).

-January 1st, 1000. Many Christians predicted the world would end on this date, simply because it was a nice round number.

-The 9/11 attacks on the Twin Towers in 2001. I think it's ridiculous how some people thought the world was going to end after this event. Some of my church friends started storing entire rooms full of flour at this time.

-The Black Death of the 14th century in Europe, which killed 30-60% of the entire population within a short period of time. This is my favorite example, and I believe that many events we call "disasters" today are very pale in comparison with this one.

[Optosypoeds]

Here is the first of six web pages chock-full-o-claims: http://www.abhota.info/end1.htm

The first four don't apply, but the remaining hundreds of claims probably do. There are six web pages on that site just listing apocalyptic claims through history up to the present day.

My favorite is the Jehovah's Witnesses. They have stated that the world would end in (deep breath):

1874
1878
1881
1910
1914
1918
1925
1941
1975
1984
and
1999

[LeviBrawn]

That was an excellent link! Thanks a lot for sharing it. I find it interesting that people thought the world was going to end in 2800 BC, due to the widespread corruption of the people at the time.

One interesting thing I heard from Fr Athanasios Mitilinaios (of blessed memory) is that we cannot be sure that the year 0 AD is the exact year that Christ was born. He said that the actual date of the birth of Christ might be up to 3 years off of our estimate. Then he said that the Lord left us this ambiguity so that people wouldn't be making predictions of the end of the world based on "years after the birth of Christ". If they had known this, this might have had an impact on some of the Jehovah's Witnesses predictions, but I'm not sure what they were basing those on.

[Pedsshuth]

There is also the recent claim of a Mayan prediction of the end at some point in the near future. From what I have seen many people are buying into this including some of our Orthodox people.

What is behind this interest though? That is what we should be discussing.

In Christ-
Fr Raphael

[Fluivelip]

Are you saying that people seriously believe in the 2012 thing???!!!

[BoboStin]

Didn't Jesus say that when he comes back, he doesn't expect to find a lot of the Orthodox faith on the planet? There's still a lot of that around. Also, the Jews are still Jews. I think Fr. Seraphim Rose is correct when he stated: "it's later than you think."

[ToifvT5S]

Didn't Jesus say that when he comes back, he doesn't expect to find a lot of the Orthodox faith on the planet? There's still a lot of that around. Also, the Jews are still Jews. I think Fr. Seraphim Rose is correct when he stated: "it's later than you think."

That's a good point. Fr Seraphim never meant speculating on when the End is coming. That is exactly what he cautioned against continually as part of the spirit of modern restlessness. What he did mean though was that the times we live in are seriously distorted (ie our own lives are seriously out of whack with what is sane and balanced and spiritually proper). Therefore we need as Orthodox Christians to live with the appropriate seriousness & sobriety that these times call for.

In Christ- Fr Raphael

[NewYorkDoctorD]

Didn't Jesus say that when he comes back, he doesn't expect to find a lot of the Orthodox faith on the planet? There's still a lot of that around. Also, the Jews are still Jews. I think Fr. Seraphim Rose is correct when he stated: "it's later than you think."

Similarly, when someone asked Bishop Gerasimos Papadopoulos (in the late 1980s or early 1990s) if he thought the world would end soon, he replied: "I just don't think that the Lord would give only 2,000 years of grace to the Church. It seems much too short."

[Diwokfkq]

Can someone please answer the question I tried to pose in post #5: Do some people seriously believe in the 2012 myth? Is it a common belief?

[osteoftex]

Can someone please answer the question I tried to pose in post #5: Do some people seriously believe in the 2012 myth? Is it a common belief?

What is the myth? I have not heard it. Please post it.

I saw a mayan wheel cartoon once and one dude was asking the other dude "why did you stop at 2014?" and the other dude said "I ran out of rock".

[AdvertisingPo]

Ahmedinajad and many of the ayatollahs think the end is around the corner due to the arab riots. There predicting the coming of the mythical 12 lost imam who will usher in a new age.

[Evoryboypoto]

What is the myth? I have not heard it. Please post it.

Link: The 2012 phenomenon at Wikipedia.

Basically since the 5,125 year-long Mayan calendar stops in Dec. 21, 2012, some people have brought up the suggestion that the world will end on that date. Most people I talk to about it do not take it seriously. Usually I hear about it as a joke. That's why I'd be surprised if there are people who actually believe such things, especially among Orthodox Christians. There's a movie called "2012" about apocalyptic events, but I heard it was terrible.

[Caluabdum]

Do some people seriously believe in the 2012 myth? Is it a common belief? Yes they do here in the U.K. and yes some do seriously believe in it not just as a joke I know one of them.

[9rCR9hWL]

Yes they do here in the U.K. and yes some do seriously believe in it not just as a joke I know one of them.

That's amazing... and kinda sad.

The wiki page has an interesting quote about learning from previous mistakes:
NASA has compared fears about 2012 with those about the approaching new millennium in the late 1990s, suggesting that an adequate analysis should preclude fears of disaster.

[wsbizwsa]

What is behind this interest though? That is what we should be discussing.

IMHO, it seems there might sometimes be a kind of prideful gnosticism involved. Some people make it sound like the ignorant will be doomed, but they themselves (and the people they teach) are one step up because they know some "special" information that they conjured in their own minds. Also, sometimes when we are telling others about "fulfilled prophecies", we feel proud like we are actually saving these people from upcoming dangers.

I like to use holy Elder Porphyrios as a good example: He had the gifts of prophecy and clairvoyance, yet he never told one prophecy about the end-times. On the other hand, I do not have the gifts of prophecy or clairvoyance (nor any other gifts, for that matter!), so why should I teach people about prophecies when Elder Porphyrios didn't? Maybe do I have more love than the Elder Porphyrios had? I doubt it.

There's also, of course, a lack of spirituality involved, because if we followed the Fathers' advice about repentance and remembrance of death, then we would be living each day like it's the last, and we wouldn't care what's going to happen in a few years from now. As the Lord said: "Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow".

I am very interested in hearing others' opinions on why people get obsessed with prophecies about the end-times. I still can't figure out why some people would go so far as to fill up entire rooms with flour...

[br`lorance]

People in the USA take the 2012 nonsense seriously. My mother-in-law to be takes it seriously until I remind her that none but the Father know the hour, and if He is the only one who knows, why would he share the secret with pagans in the Americas but not His own adopted children? The thing about 2012, as has been pointed out, is that is when the "Big Count" of the Mayan calendar ends. What happens after that? The next Big Count starts! Mayans were interviewed about this issue, and they thought it was stupid, Some of them still use their old calendar parallel with the Wests's calendar, and for the Mayans, it's just another number ticking over.

[miel]

Some people have to have some sort of catastrophe to worry about otherwise they would simply have to worry about getting their own lives straightened out and who wants to do that!?

Of course when the asteroid hits, is any of it gonna matter? ;P

Herman the catastrophe waiting to happen Pooh

[vosteglog]

Link: The 2012 phenomenon at Wikipedia.

Basically since the 5,125 year-long Mayan calendar stops in Dec. 21, 2012, some people have brought up the suggestion that the world will end on that date. Most people I talk to about it do not take it seriously. Usually I hear about it as a joke. That's why I'd be surprised if there are people who actually believe such things, especially among Orthodox Christians. There's a movie called "2012" about apocalyptic events, but I heard it was terrible.

The calendar ends, but this does not mean that the world ends. In fact, there is evidence that it continues according to Mayan belief: It is merely the beginning of another age or era. Here is a wiki source, which isn't scholarly, but o well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baktun

As Orthodox we have nothing to worry about.

[exettybele]

As Orthodox we have nothing to worry about.

We just need oil!

[Lerpenoaneway]

We just need oil!

For the vigil lamps?