In 1704, Isaac Newton predicted the end of the world around or after 2060 using mathematical calculations tied to the Book of Revelation. He treated scriptural interpretation as his most important work rather than focusing on the “book of nature.” Religious end-times predictions have long been part of Christianity, but Newton’s involvement is notable. Over three hundred years later, end-times claims using Bible codes persist, and some modern scientists now make forecasts based on climate research, sustainability estimates, population growth, and resource decline. These predictions are framed as causal outcomes of overproduction and consumption rather than divine wrath, yet they have arrived at apocalyptic dates similar to Newton’s, within a decade or two.
"The scientific predictions do not draw on ancient texts or theology, nor involve final battles between good and evil. Though there may be plagues and other horrible reckonings, these are predictably causal outcomes of over-production and consumption rather than divine wrath. Yet by some strange fluke, the science has arrived at the same apocalyptic date as Newton, plus or minus a decade or two."
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