<\/a><\/p>\n

More recently, some doomsday forecasters have focused on the year\u00a02012. Citing the conclusion of a lengthy cycle in the ancient Mayan\u00a0calendar, certain theorists anticipate the end of life as we know it\u00a0on December 21, 2012. These theorists believe that on December 21,
\n2012, the Earth will experience unprecedented, cataclysmic disasters\u00a0ranging from massive earthquakes and tsunamis to nuclear reactor\u00a0meltdowns. In order to prepare for these events, some proponents of\u00a0the 2012 prophecy have already begun stocking up on survival
\nsupplies.<\/p>\n

The planet\u2019s major religions each have their own beliefs about the\u00a0end of the world, the triumph of good over evil and Judgment Day. In\u00a0Christianity<\/strong>, the Book of Revelation, the last chapter of the\u00a0Bible\u2019s New Testament, mentions Armageddon, the final battle on\u00a0Earth between the forces of God and Satan. The word Armageddon is\u00a0thought to come from the Hebrew for \u201cmount of Megiddo.\u201d Located in\u00a0present-day Israel, Megiddo, an ancient, strategically positioned\u00a0city, was the site of a number of battles. Some Christians interpret\u00a0the Book of Revelation as a roadmap that lays out exactly how the\u00a0world will end. They contend that Judgment Day will take place on\u00a0Armageddon and Jesus will save the true believers, while non-believers left behind will face enormous suffering.<\/p>\n

In Islam<\/strong>, the end of the world is referred to as the Hour and\u00a0involves Jesus returning to Damascus to slay an anti-Christ who has\u00a0put the planet in peril. With the anti-Christ out of the picture, a\u00a0period of perfect harmony will ensue. Jesus will later die a natural\u00a0death, which will usher in a time of destruction that leads directly\u00a0to the Hour. In Judaism, there is no term for Armageddon, but there\u00a0are references in the Hebrew bible to events that could be compared\u00a0with Armageddon, including the Day of the Lord (in which God causes\u00a0death and destruction to people who deserve to be punished) and the\u00a0War of Gog and Magog (in which Israel and its god fight their\u00a0enemies, rather than an anti-Christ).<\/p>\n

In Hinduism<\/strong>, there is the story of the god Vishnu coming back in the\u00a0last cycle of time as a figure called Kulki, who rides a white\u00a0horse, carries a sword that looks like a comet and destroys the\u00a0forces of evil. In some Buddhist<\/strong> prophecies, the equivalent of\u00a0Armageddon is Shambhala, in which good triumphs over evil; however,\u00a0the planet is restored rather than destroyed so people can pursue\u00a0enlightenment.<\/p>\n

Despite the many theories and religious interpretations, the only\u00a0thing that\u2019s certain about the end of the world is that no one can\u00a0know for sure what will happen. And until that day arrives–if it\u00a0arrives–people will no doubt continue to speculate endlessly about\u00a0when it will all be over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More recently, some doomsday forecasters have focused on the year\u00a02012. Citing the conclusion of a lengthy cycle in the ancient<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[171,7,1],"tags":[198,199],"class_list":["post-660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-lifestyle","category-vividtimes","tag-maya","tag-religions"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n