Top 10 Scariest Religious Prophecies
#10: The Three Secrets of Fátima
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The story goes that the Virgin Mary visited three children - Lúcia Santos, Francisco Marto, and Jacinta Marto - six times throughout 1917 and shared with them three visions and prophecies. These are now known as the Three Secrets of Fátima. Perhaps the scariest was the second, in which Mary supposedly promised a catastrophic global war should people “not cease offending God.” This is considered by some to be a reference to World War II, which broke out decades after the prophecy was allegedly made. Defenders argue that Mary predicted the war, while skeptics point out historic flaws in the prophecy and the fact that this secret wasn’t publicly shared until 1941 - after the war had already broken out.
#9: Joanna Southcott
Raised by a farmer, Joanna Southcott was an unassuming English woman with a humble background. After working as a shop girl and domestic servant, Southcott developed a religious fervor and deemed herself the Woman of the Apocalypse. She garnered about 100,000 followers by 1814, which was also the year she would supposedly give birth to the new Messiah. Southcott announced that on October 19 of that year, she would birth the Shiloh mentioned in the Book of Genesis, and with it would come the end of the world. This obviously did not come to pass, and Southcott died two months later on December 26.
#8: Kalki
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Apocalypse harbingers don’t get much cooler than Kalki. He is said to be the final incarnation of Vishnu, the main God of Vaishnavism. According to that religion, our existence cycles through four ages, or “yugas.” The worst of them all is the fourth, known as the Kali Yuga, which we’re currently living in. Kalki is responsible for bringing the Kali Yuga to an end. It is believed that he will eliminate all evil in the world while riding his white steed and brandishing a sword of fire. This will restart the Yuga cycle and bring about the happiest of the four ages, the Satya Yuga. When this will happen is unclear, but the Kali Yuga is said to last 432,000 years.
#7: Chen Tao
Originating in Taiwan, Chen Tao blended various religious influences, including Buddhism, millennialism, and even everyone’s favorite, ufology, into one unique concoction. The group moved to Garland, Texas in 1997, supposedly because “Garland” sounds like “God Land.” They then made a highly publicized prophecy, claiming that God would appear on TV and announce His Second Coming. This divine announcement was set for March 31, 1998, and when that time came, the media flocked to the group’s Garland neighborhood in anticipation. It was such an event that the city’s Police Department had officers on standby should things get out of hand. Of course, God did not appear on our TVs, and Chen Tao essentially disbanded after their very public embarrassment.
#6: The Great Fire of London
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Surely you’ve all heard of the demonic number 666. While it’s generally linked to the Devil, its ominous origins can actually be traced back to a vague figure in the Book of Revelation known only as The Beast. It is only through personal interpretation that scholars have linked The Beast to the Antichrist. The association of this number with the Beast led some religious figures to anticipate a disaster of some kind in the year 1666, which indeed came to pass. In early September of that year, a Hellish fire raged through London. While the death toll was relatively low, the fire destroyed most of the city and left it an apocalyptic ruin.
#5: Frashokereti
Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion which could date as far back as the 2nd millennium BCE. Their concept of the apocalypse is called Frashokereti, and it sounds very scary, indeed. A giant battle between good and evil will erupt, and the savior figure Saoshyant will raise the dead. The Earth’s natural metals will then be melted and made to flow throughout the world like a molten river. Everyone on Earth, including the newly-raised dead, will then walk through this river, with the good being saved and the evil being burned alive. Once all evil is extinguished from the material world, the river flows down to Hell and destroys the evil spirit Angra Mainyu.
#4: Montanism & New Jerusalem
Back in the middle 2nd century, in what is now Turkey, a man named Montanus began spouting prophecies. These eventually gave rise to his eponymous religion of Montanism. The predictions offered by the religion were highly controversial, resulting in it being deemed a heretical movement. Montanism borrowed an apocalyptic event from The Book of Revelation, in which John of Patmos stands on a mountaintop and watches New Jerusalem descend to Earth. Montanists believed that New Jerusalem would descend onto a high plain in Phrygia - now in Turkey - where the survivors were expected to spend eternity with God. Based on this belief, many abandoned their homes and moved to the area, in anticipation of the great event.
#3: Yawm ad-din
A central tenet of the Islamic faith is that of Yawm ad-din, or Judgement Day. The portents alone are terrifying enough. A cunning figure called Al-Masih ad-Dajjal will first kill those Muslims he can deceive, while the tyrant Sufyani will harm women and children. Subsequently, the sun will rise from the west, and a fatal wind will blow, peacefully eliminating the remaining believers. And that’s when things get really scary. The Earth is completely destroyed, with the sun darkening, stars falling, and seas boiling. The dead will then resurrect for God’s judgment, before proceeding to walk the bridge of as-Sirāt. The virtuous will easily cross into Jannah, or “Paradise,” while the sinners fall to Hell below.
#2: Ragnarök
Apocalyptic events don’t get much more detailed than Ragnarök, the foretold end times in Norse mythology. It begins with a terrible winter that sends humanity into violent chaos, and it’s followed by the complete destruction of the world. The stars and sun will disappear, the mountains will fall, and the seas will rise and flood the Earth. Meanwhile, an unimaginably massive wolf named Fenrir will run through the world with his mouth open, devouring ground and sky alike. The Gods will then fight against these creatures, resulting in the demise of Odin, Thor, Loki, and Heimdall, among others. Following the apocalyptic fight, the ruined remains of the Earth will fall into the sea, and everything that we know will blink out of existence.
#1: The Book of Revelation
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The Book of Revelation, the final installment in the Christian Bible, is a remarkable work of apocalyptic literature that presents a series of vivid prophecies regarding the end times. It begins with the opening of seven seals, which reveal apocalyptic events such as a disastrous earthquake that sends stars falling to the earth. This is followed by seven trumpets that bring devastating judgments and the emergence of the Beast, who marks people with the number 666. The ultimate climax arrives with the Battle at Armageddon, where the forces of good and evil clash. Finally, the New Jerusalem descends from heaven, and people are judged according to their deeds on earth. The righteous then get to spend eternity with God. Do you fear any of these prophecies? Let us know in the comments below!
