The world, as we know it, would come to an end in 2060 predicts Sir Isaac Newton.
In a letter written over 300 years ago, Sir Isaac Newton, the celebrated scientist known for his formulation of the laws of motion and gravity, made a stunning prediction.
When will the world end?
The world, as we know it, would come to an end in 2060.
Newton scribbled this warning on a slip of paper above a series of mathematical calculations, foretelling a dire future for humanity. His prediction was deeply rooted in his interpretation of biblical prophecy, particularly the Battle of Armageddon, an event described in the final chapter of the Book of Revelation. This apocalyptic confrontation is depicted as a showdown between the forces of good, led by God, and the forces of evil, represented by the kings of the Earth.
According to scripture, the Battle of Armageddon would signal the end of the world, marking the dawn of a new era of peace and divine rule. Newton, a devout Protestant, drew from his faith and knowledge of the Bible to arrive at his ominous forecast. He believed that the timeline of the Apocalypse could be understood through mathematical calculations based on the biblical text.
Sir Isaac Newton penned a foreboding prediction on a letter slip above mathematical calculations over 300 years ago, claiming that the world as we know it would end in 2060.
By interpreting specific days mentioned in scripture as symbolic years, Newton sought to pinpoint when this cataclysmic event might unfold. One particularly significant period was 1260 years, which he believed marked the time span of the Church’s abandonment and the rise of what he considered corrupt Christian denominations, particularly Catholicism—viewed by some Protestants as a cult.
Through a detailed examination of historical events, Newton pinpointed the year 800 AD—the year the Holy Roman Empire was established—as the beginning of this fall from grace. Adding 1260 years to this date, he arrived at 2060 as the year the world would come to its end. In his 1704 letter, Newton wrote, "So then the time times & half a time are 42 months or 1260 days or three years & an half, reckoning twelve months to a year & 30 days to a month as was done in the Calendar of the primitive year."
He continued, "And the days of short lived Beasts being put for the years of lived [sic] kingdoms, the period of 1260 days, if dated from the complete conquest of the three kings A.C. 800, will end A.C. 2060. It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner."
According to Stephen D. Snobelen, a history of science and technology professor at the University of King's College in Halifax, Newton's prediction was based on "simple arithmetic that could be performed by a child" rather than the complex calculus he invented. Newton used several time periods found in the Bible, such as 1260, 1290, 1335, and 2300 days, all of which are referenced in the Book of Daniel and Revelation as markers of significant prophetic events.
However, rather than interpreting these periods literally, Newton applied the "day-for-a-year principle," which treats a day mentioned in prophecy as representing a year. This method helped him predict that, by 2060, a number of biblical events would come to pass.
Snobelen noted that according to Newton's interpretation of Revelation, Christ and the saints would intervene to establish a Kingdom of God on Earth, a reign that would last for 1,000 years. This divine kingdom would coincide with the downfall of corrupt branches of Christianity and the revival of the true Gospel.
Newton also believed that, according to biblical prophecy, the Jews would return to Israel and rebuild the Temple before the second coming of Christ. Despite his deep study of the scriptures, however, Newton was cautious about the implications of his prediction. Snobelen wrote that Newton was "wary of prophetic date-setting" and concerned that failed predictions based on divine prophecy could tarnish the credibility of the Bible.
Newton even expressed doubt about his own calculation, acknowledging that the world may not end in 2060. He remarked, "It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner."
In a separate reflection on the date 2060, Newton stated, "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, [and] by doing so bring the sacred prophecies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."
He further reminded his readers, "Christ comes as a thief in the night, [and] it is not for us to know the times [and] seasons [which] God hath put into his own breast."
Though it may seem surprising for a scientist of Newton's caliber to focus on biblical prophecy, Snobelen clarified that "Newton was not a 'scientist' in the [modern] sense of that term. Instead, he was a 'natural philosopher.'" Natural philosophy, practiced from the Middle Ages through the eighteenth century, encompassed not only the study of nature but also an exploration of God's role in the natural world.
For Newton, there was no separation between religion and what we now consider science. He dedicated much of his life to uncovering the divine truths, whether through the study of nature or through scripture.
