It’s the end of the world as we know it - or will be, according to many who think the world will end sometime in this decade.

2011: Harold Camping, Family Radio

This radio host had a horde of true believers ready for the Rapture back in 1996, but they were disappointed. He’s going for a trifecta this year, with predictions covering three dates: The Rapture, supposedly scheduled for May 21st, and the destruction of the world on either September 29th or October 21st, 2011.

2012: The Mayan Calendar

The long calendar of the Mayan peoples is thought to be reaching an end on December 21st, 2012. Some think this marks the end of the world as the planets and our galaxy align in such a way as to cause a polar shift, creating chaos across the globe, while others believe superior beings from the planet Nibiru who genetically engineered the human race will return.

2013: Isaac Newton’s End-Times Clock

The famous physics genius often thought about the possible end of the world, and left many hints as to when he thought it would occur. He hit on 2060, but modern day scholars adjusting his timeline to account for what is now thought to be the accurate date of the rebirth of Rome have determined that 2013 is more likely.

2014: A Catastrophe of Biblical Proportions

According to many Bible scholars, the Rapture will take place on May 9th, 2011, and the subsequent complete and utter destruction of the world will occur on September 5th, 2014.

2015: Jubilee

According to another faction of Biblical researchers who follow the Jubilee cycle, or calendar of 7s, 6,000 years of sin will come to an end near the end of 2015. At this point the Rapture will occur and the world will end, allowing 1,000 years of rest before a New Earth is created.

2016: The Donner Party Predictions

When a band of California bound settlers was caught in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1847, they reportedly resorted to cannibalizing the bodies of the dead in a desperate bid for survival. That failing, they left behind a time capsule which among other things included a prediction that the world would be ended by a disease spread by biological warfare in 2016.

2017-2020: Wrath of God, Asteroid - Who Knows!

The Sword of God Brotherhood claims that Gabriel told them the world will end in 2017, with only members of their cult spared the hellfire to come. Others claim Israel will be restored prior to an asteroid and comet hitting the earth between now and 2018. Astronomers predict that a large asteroid will crash into the earth at 11:47 AM on February 1st, 2019. Many other scholars pinpoint Armageddon as due to occur in 2020.

Not a lot most of us can do about the possible end of the world, so eat drink and be merry - for tomorrow, we die!

© Copyright RosebudMag.com, 2011