The end of the world can be called a "fashionable theme". The media write about him from time to time, they like to talk about him, however, not seriously believing that this can happen.
The leaders of totalitarian sects like to "set a date" for the end of the world. As a rule, this date falls on the next year, in connection with which all comers are invited “to save the soul” to write off the property of the next “messiah”. The degree of closeness of such "prophecies" to reality is clear without comment.
If we talk about more serious scenarios of the end of the world and signs of its approaching, then we can distinguish two approaches to this problem: religious and scientific.
Religious point of view
The idea of the end of the world is present in all Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
The last book of the New Testament, the Revelation (Apocalypse) of John the Theologian, tells about the end of the world. After its writing, it is difficult to name an era when no attempts were made to compare the events taking place with the images of this book, announcing the imminent onset of the Day of Judgment. Modernity is no exception.
The notorious "seal of the Antichrist" is especially often recalled. Not so long ago, they tried to declare such a Russian passports of a new type, seeing in the ornament on their pages a kind of three sixes. Then it was the turn of the INN. Now many see the "seal of the Antichrist" in the chips, which have been experimentally implanted in the population of Wyoming (USA). The technology is certainly dangerous, and many residents of the state have already felt its negative consequences (irritability, headaches and other unpleasant symptoms), but it is hardly worth drawing such global conclusions.
Other signs of the approaching end of the world are also called: false prophets will appear, chaos will reign in the world, people will prefer worldly pleasures to spiritual life. These signs can be attributed to any era. The only more or less specific landmark is the restoration of the Jerusalem Temple, which has not yet taken place, although Julian the Apostate still had such plans. However, given the allegorical language of Revelation, it is difficult to say what could be behind this statement.
However, those who are trying to find signs of the imminent end of the world in the Bible forget the main thing: no one can know the exact date. This was clearly stated by the Savior himself, therefore, there can be no talk of any signs of the times from the point of view of a Christian. You must always be ready, but you cannot specify the date.
Muslims are of the same opinion. However, their doctrine speaks of the harbingers of the end of the world. There are 12 of them, and the first of them is the very appearance of Muhammad, who is considered the last prophet. Many of these signs are described very vaguely, for example, "a slave will give birth to a mistress." What is it - the birth of a child by a slave from a master? Or maybe the disappearance of respect for their parents? There is no definite answer. Other signs are an increase in the number of rich people, the rise of ignorant people to power, many earthquakes, etc. A very specific phenomenon is also called: the Sun will rise in the west.
Scientific view
Scientists do not deny that life on Earth is not eternal. One day it will be destroyed by the expanding Sun, but the time before these events goes on for billions of years.
They often talk about the destruction of life on Earth as a result of the fall of an asteroid. This is not to say that such a scenario is unrealistic, but it is unlikely. The diameter of such an asteroid should exceed 10 km, all asteroids of this size are known to astronomers, none of them risks falling to Earth. True, the asteroid Apophis in 2029 will pass dangerously close to the planet. With a probability of 1: 45,000, it will be captured by Earth's gravity, in which case it will fall to Earth in 2036. But the complete destruction of mankind will not happen, a territory comparable in size to a European country will be erased from the face of the Earth, so it cannot be considered the end of the world.
Many see the harbinger of the end of the world in the revitalization of the supervolcano located in Yellowstone National Park (USA). The awakening of the volcano is evidenced by the appearance of new geysers around it, the rise of the earth by 1 m 78 cm over the past four years, and tremors. Volcanologists fear that the eruption could begin in the next two years. In this case, part of the United States will be turned into a desert, but the whole world will suffer. A huge amount of volcanic ash will disappear into the atmosphere, the consequences will be comparable to the "nuclear winter": the average air temperature will be 25 degrees below zero, and in some areas will drop below -50.
However, not all scientists agree with these forecasts. So, J. Levenshtern from the Yellowstone Volcanic Observatory believes that if an eruption occurs, only the settlements located nearby will suffer.
Thus, both religious leaders and scholars call the set reliable.
