Why Do Not Predictions Come True?

When we are born, we rarely think of why we came into this world or how long it will last and when the world will end. However, as we grow up, we hear it from various sources that the world would end at this or that time. Some of them point at similar reasons and others offer alternative explanations, but the result is always the same – the end is near. Today we’ve decided to brood upon why people do that. Which predictions are the most popular and which have never come true? Also, we are going to share with you our opinion on whether you should believe those predictions. 

To start with, you need to distinguish two types of prognoses on how the world would collapse. The most popular predictions are those connected with religion. It does not matter whether the Bible or Talmud we are talking about – both holy books contain forecasts about the future that will lead humanity to its extinction. The other kind of predictions is connected to science. We say science because these are scientists who figure out that climate change and other related issues will result in our extinction.

All the religious people among you will surely step up for the first version since Judgment Day is what they fear the most. However, rational people will say that the way we destroy our planet is the sure way to destroy ourselves. No matter which type of prediction is the one you believe, you need to know the reason why these predictions are created in the first place. The fact is that in the majority of cases, all the predictions are supposed to take place within the time a prophet lives. There are times when the date is unclear, but it carries some significant meaning to believers.

So, why the apocalypse? The answer is always very simple and out in the open, but not all people choose to trust it. In our humble opinion, the predictions concerning the end of the world are merely created to distract people’s attention from other significant problems. We say that poverty, politics and other related issues are usually to remain in the shadows, and the legends and myths about the end of times work well to distract attention from those.

This is the list of the most popular predictions starting from the 19th century and up till today.

1806

One of the most long-rumored predictions is the one about Christ returning. While many people fear the day since according to what Bible says, everyone will be judged based on his or her sins, and there is no way to escape that, others make a profit out of it. So, at the beginning of the 19th century, there was a prophet hen. Yes, it wasn’t a man or a woman to predict the returning of Christ but a hen. It is said that it laid eggs having the phrase “Christ is coming’ hatched on them. This accident caused a lot of excitement and confusion, but as time passed, a hoax was discovered, and the prophecy turned out to be nothing more but a fake.

1843

It seems that the 19th century was full of various predictions. So, a farmer from New England decided that he was better at deciphering Bible than anyone else. He studied the book for over five years to figure out that the doomsday would come between the 21st of March 1843 and the same day of 1844. William Miller gathered thousands of people who believed his predictions and were waiting for the Judgment Day. Many of the followers went as far as to sell their property and precious belongings since the world was about to vanish. However, the day came, and nothing happened, while all of the followers were deeply disappointed and in debt. Some people forgot about the whole idea while others formed the Seventh-Day Adventists sect.

1891

The Mormon Church couldn’t stay behind while different variations of the end day were proclaimed and believed in. That is why in 1835, Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, gathered the followers to say that the end is near – to be precise, it would take place in 56 years after the speech. How did he learn that? The answer was simple – the god himself spoke to the man and told him to get ready. As we know now, the Mormon Armageddon wasn’t destined to happen after all.

1910

So far we have discussed religious versions of how the world would be destroyed, but at the beginning of the 20th century, there was a scientific one as well. The truth is that in 1881, a certain astronomer discovered that Halley’s Comet would let Earth pass through its tail in 1910. There would be no fuss about it if the astronomer wouldn’t have claimed that the gas that the tail contains was deadly. So, it was decided that humanity wouldn’t survive that passing. Even New York Times along with some other popular newspapers devoted their front pages to the event. Such an approach caused mass hysteria throughout the United States. However, as it turned out later, there was no danger to be afraid of at all.

1982

With the development of television, religion, especially Christianity, was widely spread. There were many preachers on the TV by the end of the 20th century, and one of them – Pat Robertson – stood out. What made him special was the fact that during one of his speeches he stated that he knew when the end would come. He stated that the world would collapse by the end of 1982 and that everyone would stand before the Author and take the blame for their sins. This didnt work out though, as you may have already guessed.

1997

In the majority of cases, there were rarely some dire consequences to all those predictions, however, in 1997, a tragedy happened. To start with, it all began with a comet. The name of the comet was Hale-Bopp. It was spotted in 1997. No one knows who started the rumor that there was an alien spaceship behind it, but some people believed it. The fact is that all scientists and astronomers claimed that it was just a false rumor, but the cult of UFO followers believed. By the end of 1997, a group of 37 people was found dead due to mass suicide they committed. However, the prediction still didn’t come true.

2000

2000 was that year that was supposed to bring in various cataclysms and catastrophes mainly connected with computers. People around the world thought that computers wouldn’t be able to figure out the difference between 1900 and 2000 and this would lead to major disasters, such as nuclear explosions and things related. It should be added that 2000 was the year when the majority of Earth’s population had bought the greatest number of weapons, built numerous bunkers and stored canned goods to survive the apocalypse. The fact that we are still living proves this one wrong too.

May 5, 2000

Another prediction that came out in 2000 was the Ice Age. We are not joking here! Richard Noone, a writer, published his book that was supposed to prove that planets in 2000 would align in such a way that the world would freeze. Well, we are not sure where the idea came from, but the only result it brought was the mass sale of Noone’s book. The rest remained the same. 

1999

Among all the mentioned above people, the only name that anyone would recognize is Nostradamus, of course. The fact is that his predictions were relied upon for over 400 years. Many translations and re-translations were revealed to the world, and many of his forecasts about the future were claimed to come true. The only reason why not all of them are true to life is that they were not that simple to decipher. For instance, Nostradamus wrote that in August 1999 something terrible would come from the sky. Many people chose to believe that it was an express statement about Armageddon. However, since we are still here, it was definitely the wrong assumption.  

2008

At first, it may seem that only people from the past centuries believed in predictions. However, that is not true. Not so long ago, in 2008, Ronald Weinland claimed that by the end of the year the humanity would perish to exist. He claimed that 2008 would be the worst year of all, and no one would survive. 

2011

A couple of years later, there was another preacher who said that the world is about to end and the Judgment Day is upon us. The day was set to May 21st, 2011. The preacher said that there was going to be a series of earthquakes that would destroy the planet. What is more, what will not be destroyed by the earthquakes will be destroyed in other horrible ways, and by October 21st, there will be nothing left of the world we know. However, the day passed quietly, and the prophet had to retire for a while. However, he didn’t leave his beliefs behind. What he did was stating that instead of physical earthquakes, God chose spiritual ones, and even though we didn’t feel them, the souls were weighed, and now God knows who is a devoted believer and who is not. 

High Speed and Rail Travel Does Not Combine

We have recited lots of predictions concerning the end of the world, but there are other types too. For instance, a while ago, it was said that traveling by train at a high speed is impossible because people would merely suffocate. If you like to travel, and you take a train once in a while, you can easily figure out why this prediction is not true.

No One Would Use Telephone in the Future

Well, that is a weird prediction and simple to discard, especially these days. However, in the past, telephone communication was considered as something not that useful. Little did they know, since today, it is hard to imagine anyone who does not have this multifunctional smartphone in his pocket or her purse. Besides, the chances are high that you are reading this article from your phone. Not to mention the fact that in a couple of decades, mobile phones will become so powerful that it is hard to imagine.

There Is No Future for Cars

Just like with phones, people in the past also predicted that horses are to substitute cars. Nevertheless, when you look out of your window, there is rarely a chance to spot a carriage, but all types of cars are there, and they are difficult to count.

No Computers for Everyone

When the first computers went into the world, Ken Olson, who was the chairman of Digital Equipment Corporation, as well as its founder, stated that there is no need for one computer in every house. Well, she was right to a point because these days, every family member has his or her own computer, and this is more than one computer for every house. 

Just as you proceed with the article, you may assume that we are totally negative about predictions. However, that is not true. The fact is that if you set the Apocalypse aside, some of them came true.

Organ Transplantation

As long ago as in 1660, Robert Boyle said that in the future, people would be able to cure diseases at a distance and do organ transplantation. He was right, and organ transplantation is one of the majors in modern medicine. What is more, these days, doctors can diagnose diseases even before they progress – all due to modern technology, which does not stop developing. It is hard to predict what is going to happen in the field of medicine in the future, but it is sure to be something even greater that we have on offer nowadays.

Computers’ Educational Power

It may seem that 1988 wasn’t that long ago, but back at the time, people couldn’t surf the web the way we do it. To learn something, you needed to read through lots of material, visit libraries and classes. We do not say that this is not required today. However, can you imagine your life without Google? We knew it! There are various educational programs available online, and you can even take remote classes without leaving your house. These things seem customary today, but 30 years ago, it would have been considered science fiction.

Smart Homes

In 1999, Bill Gates stated that in the future, your home would adapt to your needs. He was undeniably right. The truth is that these days, you wouldn’t surprise anyone with a smart home that dims the lights and turns on the music or TV automatically. But, 20 years ago, people could hardly believe that.

Instant Communication

In 1835, he might have been considered either a sorcerer or a lunatic. Prince Vladimir Odoevsky said that in the future, people would be able to communicate instantly. They will be able to share their thoughts and opinions with others in a blink of an eye. These days, Facebook or Twitter are the usual elements of your life but at the beginning of the 19th century, people wouldn’t even dream about something like that. This remains a mystery how could the Prince predict it, but it is clearly true to life.

Why Don’t All Predictions Become a Reality?

We have mentioned many facts in the article: some of them support predictions and prove them right while the others – no so much. Why do we see this sort of duality in something that seems like a regular notion? For years, people have been afraid of the unknown, and also they are frightened of what they have done. In some cases, the deeds are anything but good. Human nature is fragile and easy to corrupt. However, at times people find god, and this is seen as the only salvation of the image. When someone says that the second coming is near, people who have faith tend to panic. This is that sort of panic that leads to mass hysteria if not worse. However, as the circle repeats itself, even the most religious and spiritual people refuse to believe it.

If we take Christianity, the Bible speaks about the second coming, but it also states that the time and the date will be unknown. However, this does not stop true believers: they tend to seek for clues and hidden meanings. The fact that there is no one-for-all interpretation makes it possible for everyone to come up with their own theories. Once you have an idea of what is stated in the Bible about the Apocalypse, all that remains is to spread the word and find followers. As soon as you do that, the hysteria starts affecting more and more people by the day.

A prediction is a form of decoded language, and the better you are at it, the more likely you are to predict something correctly. We do not want to say that all the prophets are fake ones. They just know how to read signs and how to combine them with upcoming events. There are events that are merely inevitable, and some people know how to make use of it. That is why in the vast majority of cases, predictions fail.

It is true that predicting the day of doom using the Bible or any other religious book may be tricky and not that precise. However, if you use science to predict something, it turns out to be far more effective. With all the technology and all the knowledge we have at hand, scientists observe those changes that happen to our planet. If you can analyze facts, it is easy to assume what will happen if one or another action takes place. We all know about global warming as well as the ozone hole. We also know that both are no good for humanity, so you can come up with your own prediction just like that.

We are not trying to convince you that all the predictions are total fakes – no one knows this. What we are trying to say is that most of them do not come true just because they made up by humans. People are not divine, and only in rare cases some of them were touched by God. It is easy to come up with an idea as well as to spread it, but it is a lot harder to prove it. Next time when you hear about the doomsday, it is best to avoid giving in to panic and just keep on with your daily routines. The truth is that if you are religious and you are aware of Judgment Day, you won’t be able to prepare for it in a day or two. If you do not spend your life righteously, it does not matter whether you know when that day will come since it will not save your soul. 

In case you are a non-believer, you should consider the fact that people do tremendous harm to the planet. That is why you need to start with yourself to postpone the inevitable. The less harm you do to nature and the planet, the longer it will survive!