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The world will end in 2060, according to Newton
Last updated at 16:07pm on 19.06.07His famously analytical mind worked out the laws of gravity and unravelled the motion of the planets.
And when it came to predicting the end of the world, Sir Isaac Newton was just as precise.
He believed the Apocalypse would come in 2060 – exactly 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire, according to a recently published letter.
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The document reveals that Newton predicted the world will end in 2060
Luckily for modern scientists in awe of his achievements, Newton based this figure on religion rather than reasoning.
In a letter from 1704 which has gone on show in Jerusalem's Hebrew University, Newton uses the Bible's Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the Apocalypse.
The famous scientist
The note reveals a deeply spiritual side to a man more usually regarded as a strict rationalist. Newton, known as the founder of modern physics, secured a royal exemption from ordination in the Church of England – something normally expected of academics in his day – so he would not have to follow its teachings.
But he confidently stated in the letter that the Bible proved the world would end in 2060, adding: "It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner."
Continuing in a decidedly sniffy tone, he wrote: "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 prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."
The exact words from the Book of Daniel that inspired his prediction are not clear.
But he got at least one thing right – in another document, he interpreted biblical prophecies to mean that the Jews would return to the Holy Land before the world ended.
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The letter is on public display for the first time
Newton, who died 280 years ago, wrote that the end of days would see "the ruin of the wicked nations, the end of weeping and of all troubles, the return of the Jews (from) captivity and their setting up a flourishing and everlasting Kingdom".
Yemima Ben-Menahem, one of the curators of the exhibition, said: "These documents show a scientist guided by religious fervour, by a desire to see God's actions in the world."
The papers – including more prosaic notes about his income and the price of tin – lay in a trunk at the house of the Earl of Portsmouth for 250 years before being auctioned in the late 1930s.
Since 1969, many have been locked away in Israel's national library.
Reader views (40)
It's the end of the world as we know it..
and I feel fine.
No, really! I really do feel fine.
Considering how I've just gotten my worldview straight and am content with it, I wouldn't mind if the world ended because life is starting to get boring. I just got out of High School and life just looks bleak. The end could be pretty damn exciting!!
- Matthew Machulak, Vista
i dont know if it will end in 2012 but i been hearing it alot lately im 15 years old i had to go to the hospital for almost having a heart attack over this when i heard it, but i hope it will end in 2060 cuz i would be old by then
- Paul Dixon, dallas,texas
Well i am 14 years old and I think that no one knows accept the good lord his self you can be talking to someone right now and dead and gone the next minute. So I say just live your life and wait into it is are turn to go. God will come knocking on your door when it is time to go so like the song say just live your life. Stop thinking that the world is go end in 2012. I want to get to turn 18 if any time I would want the world to end is in 2060 like ISSAC NEWTON predicted. LIVE YOUR LIFE !
- Dericousdrake, madison nashville
all electronic product is stop and one day of week all vehicle stop and use cycle and save our world and our money
- Manjit Verma, Jalandhar Punjab India
Hi Friends,
The ending of this planet is very near that we all know considering the present unstable political and natural condition of the earth. Our earth was unstable before and will be unstable till natural disester again. A new earth or a few earth will be created natuarally. On the other hand the rapidly increase of various dengerous weapons & bombs developing by some nations which would lead 3rd WW 4th WW and many more war will also help to destroy our planet. Considering the past natural & political events it is very clear that we are very near to THE END. We know that every living things has an end so our planet has also the end. My suggestion to all of you that enjoy yoursef as much as you want and don't keep anything for tomorrow. Think for today and plan your all schedule of job as usual, don't think too long, cheers
- P K Nath, Jakarta - Indonesia
all of the people that think the world will end in 2012 or 2060 just come out the fog its not gonna happen so wake up will ye
- Seamus, cork,ireland
"Most wars are based on religion?!" Come on now, stop throwing around that tired phrase and backhanded way of demonizing the religious. Perhaps there are no economic, idealogical, rivalry, and spatial reasons for war. Perhaps there were no atheistic, power hungry dictators that ever provoked conflicts and purged millions of unacceptable ethnicities and religions . Get real.
The reasons for war are as diverse as the conditions of mankind and the facets of human nature, it takes a willful suspense of reason to boil war down to religion.
- Thinkindependently, USA
when will the world end at 2012 or at 2060 every body has this doubt but i have a feeling that all of it is just a rumor and nothing else.if the world was to end why it didn't end earlier??????
- Pravin Neopani, mongar,bhutan
I think to debate on end of world will go on and always a fear mania creat world over. but what Newton or Charles burlitz said is a probability and based on logical thoughts available to them in their period. Now computer,internet revolution has brought sea change, so whether we can logically predict on latest knowledge what will be the future of human race is important. No one has yet understood mystery of mind and still we guess about it because countinuous thoughts is a symtom of mind. let us also think if we can find other planet to survive and how it will be feasible for human life. destructive thoughts creat fear but constructive thoughts make us happy. so think about altenatives also to save human race.
- Sureshchandra Vaidya, THANE (MAHARASHTRA ), INDIA
Im kinda scared but im not sure if it will come in 2012 or 2060! All these people and scientists say the world is gonna end this day NO! God chooses when the world ends not man. Because you never know there might be sumtin bad about to happen and it misses us. Just stay calm and live your life and imagine everythings ok and act like this 2012 and 2060 thing never came into your life. They say at the end of time a trumpet will sound and God will descend from the clouds and call all whos saved up to Heaven! All y'all people that are not saved you need to get saved because God can come anytime and if your not saved then you will be casted into the lake of fire! And then you will go to hell. I dont believe the world ends in 2012 or 2060 because they said the world would end in 2006 and DID IT! noooooooo! it didnt! So dont believe what these people are saying there just trying to scare you! And for you people trying to make safety for when the world ends DONT your just wasting your time because whenever God comes if your saved youll go with him and if your not then you go with satin to hell. Wherever your at! Only believe in God not these people saying the worlds gonna end this day because its what God says that matters! CANT WAIT till he comes see yall saved people in heaven at the last dinner!
- Kerri Barriera, united states
according to newtons translations from daniels book prop5,6 in the letter of page no do match with the newtons hypothesis paper that was published in the net.i tried to decode the language in the book.,only one of them came to be true.but i dont think that religion goes with science ,i dont say anything bad about the religion but .this cant be true .why only newton has put forth this hypothesis,why the other people could not proove it.according to indian mythology ,in 2060 there will be a big explosion {they say thed god mahadeva }has opened his third why.but this is a unplesant thruth.no one can say that it is true or not let us wait and see till 2060.
- Bhavanjan, hyderabad,india
It is quite difficult to test theories on the end of the world apart from waiting for that year or date to reach and seeing what happens. On the other hand, Newton had a great analytical mind and I feel that apart from religion, there is no other concept that reminds men of the end or something to curb the excesses for. I know that many times persons avoid excesses in the hope of a reward after this life and I think all of us would try our best as our parents taught us or we are personally convinced, will get us a better role in the afterlife. I hope to meet Newton in Heaven. After all, most religions say Heaven never ends.
- Phil Tarpeh Dixon, Monrovia, Liberia
LET IT END WHEN IT HAS TO END IM READY TO GO WITH JESUS CHRIST,
- Luis Ramos, HUANUSCO ZAC.MEXICO
I believe that many things were left out of the bible. There are things the church does not want people to know. No different than our government. They also don't want us to know anything only what you see and read. Talk about separation of church and state.
- Alice, Texas, USA
I have heard and saw these preditions on TV, and it is scary that i could live to see such a disaster, But when i think about these predictions of the end coming in 2012 or 2060, I believe in god and his son jesus christ, and if the end of the this world is coming, then i have faith that a better one is near.
Only god himself knows what will happen in the future.
- Ken, massachusetts, usa
We just need to learn to embrace. Not fear, or try to see the outcome. Just embrace.
- Torey Bendavid, United States
Only our Heavenly Father knows for sure...
- Archiri, Los Angeles USA
Most of you,Including Newton are completely wrong,nowhere in the Bible does it give a specific date for the end of the world,I know that many of you feel the need to explain the unexplainable and it makes one feel better or even more spiritual to have secret knowledge that others dont,but the reality is that we are to live our lives as if the world will end today,whether the Lord comes or we die,every day every breathe is a gift and shouldnt be taken for granted,lCARPE DIEM
- Angelfire, usa
Surely, the world would end and it can even happen as i write this but how it will end, nobody knows and i don't think newton specifically stated that the world would end in 2060. His notes must have been misinterpreted.
- Ras, ACCRA, GHANA
so people say the world would in 2012....and now they sayin 2060...which is it.. well god will choose our faith on how we die...
- Keke, nolanville; united states
thats alright ill be okay ill have a party
- Molly, ware hertfordshire england
I am one of few people that understand prophecy and newton is wrong here. The 2300 days which is really 2300 years started in 457B.C. and went to 1844 which is when Jesus went from the Holy place to the Most Holy place in the Heavenly Sactuary.......There is no time prophecy after this, other than that the plagues will come in one year but we don't know when exactly they will start....only after a national sunday law is passed in the usa.....the 1260 year prophecy started in 538a.d. and went to 1798a.d. when the pope was taken captive and the beast received the deadly wound....see where newton messed up was not knowing who or what the little horn power is in Dan.7 ...it's the papacy and he also didn't know when the decree was given to start the 2300 year prophecy which was in 457bc of ezra 7 the going forth of the decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem until the messiah the prince jesus christ was 69 prophetic weeks which is 483 years then jesus was baptized in 27a.d. ...in the middle of the week he was cutoff but not for himself ...he was crucified 3 and 1/2 years later which was the middle of the prophetic week and then 3 and 1/2 years later the jews stone stephen ending their probation period then the preaching went to the gentiles...if ye be christ's then you are abraham's seed and heirs to the promise gal.3:29 ...the 70 week prophecy is inside the 2300 day prophecy and the 1260 day is also inside the 2300 day prophecy...seventh day adventists have the truth2562833644
- Bo Williamson, Piedmont, Al USA
the world will not end a depicted in the movie 2012, i had give this a thought over when i was 19 years old and finall came to a conclusion thta the world will keep rotating the same but the poles will change position by revolving through 180 degrees and we will not feel a thing except that where there will be night it will be for 3 days and where it will be dayit will be for three days just as the earth rotates on its axis every 24 hours for a full turnand we dont feel a thing the same way the earth will rotate on the equator over three days for half the turn. eventually the sun will rise from the west and set in the east. life will carry on as usual but the only thing is that god will close the door of repentence for those who dont believe in him and all his prophets may peace be upon them all. this has also been told in the quran but the exact details are for us to understand.people start believing in god and his prophets and religions of adam,moses,jesus and finally muhammed pbuh
- Mr M S Al-Memani, london uk
im 15 years old and the world ending in 2012 or 2060 thats not true none of it is true god would come soon only he and him only knows when the world would end.
- Kimberly, brooklyn
okay the world didn't end in 2006 or 2009
but what if it does later?
You never know
as Natasha said the lord only knows
and maybe it will end tomorrow
who knows
it's like you go to bed and you don't know if you will wake up (you can die anywhere anytime) it's pretty much the same
so lets stay open-minded shall we?
- Diana V, Haarlem, The Netherlands
I writing a screenplay on Newton. I have a number of angles based on rivalries and his peculiar personal life. Fatio, Challoner, Hooke, his interests in biblical interpretation. Any interesting leads most welcome.
- Steve Green, london
I believe more in the law of attraction, than I do the end of the world.
Every decade we have a new year, that someone thinks the world will end. In 1999, a lot of people thought the world would end with Y2K.
I knew about Mayan prophecies in the late 1980s. And now as 2012 approaches, quite a few think the world will end and are stockpiling food for Dec 21, 2012.
We are a, species of fear and we breed fear in to our society and consume everything around us, as if there is no tomorrow. This is the problem with people who think the world will end.
There is no after thought of the future of mankind. This has been one of our biggest problems, as a species and something we will have to get past, as the human race WILL live on and eventually move in to space and colonize the solar system and beyond.
The world will not end in 2012, 2060, nor will it any time soon. We will however waste a lot of our natural resources, destroy and inflict pain on each other and as I said at the beginning, the law of attraction is at work.
Like minded people are pooling together . That means that everything good or bad is evolving and growing. So people who believe in the end times are creating their own end time.
It is obvious to me, at least, that with the christian coalition, and other sects growing, with the fighting in Israel against the Palestinians, we are CREATING a global collision course between these factions, that inevitably will lead to a lot of death, but not the end.
- Kelly Sigethy, Calgary Canada
Right ok i'll bend lets say the world was going to end! but dont you think with all the predictions and stuff that it would of happend by now, i mean what about that prediction in 2006 that the world will end (hmm must of skiped us then) and now we've got some clown predicting the world will end in 2009. im not saying it wont! but i really agree with the people who beilive that the only person who knows when and how the world will end is the lord himself! and mean the world has survived for billions of years and im really sure that is will survive for many more billions of years. but everybody has has there own opinion about these things and whatever you say wont change the way they think!.
- Natasha, london
Oh Please, we are just an animal like any other. The difference is we are mentally ill. We are deluded , arrogant and naive. Let me explain. We believe we are superior because of our large brain/ superior intellect/that we have a consience/that we have morals. Try turning that on it's head. Other animals have abilities that we don't have, for instance a lion runs faster than we can, a bird can fly , a tortoise lives longer than we do. It's quite convenient that we choose the criteria on which to decide which animal is superior. Other animals aren't impressed by us.A lion runs fast enough to catch it's prey, a bird flies far enough to live but maybe , just maybe the human race can't think far enough to survive (think about it) maybe we're not superior but inferior. We're clever in the way an autistic person has an ability to draw or play music but do we really see things the way they really are ? We are a species out of control blinded by arrogance.Just as it was wrong to assume that everything revolved around the Earth we are wrong to assume that everything revolves around the human race. We are maybe just not clever enough, not as clever as we like to think we are. It's estimated that 99% of all species that have ever existed are now extinct, so why not us. If you were to take a keyboard as a a timespan of time on earth we have been around for less than the width of a piano string !! So why do we believe there is a God, Why did we bother with all that 'pre history' ?
- Ian Moss, Huddersfield , uk
I think it's all RUBISH!!! THIS is what the bible says, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left." (Matthew 24:36-41 [NIV])
- Hippie, Groves, US
There are many signs of the end of the world coming. For example: natural disasters, war, economic down falls. All in all, the end of the world will come when no one expects it. It is not our place to judge when it comes because it says in the bible, Trust in the Lord with all of your Heart, and you shall have ever lasting life.
- Rachel, Orlando, Florida
The End is near but it's interesting to see even one of the most well-known and respected scientists, Newton, couldn't avoid the temptation of date-setting. The Bible clearly states that we could taste the season of the end time, but no one for sure could predict the hour and day. It will not only disgrace the Bible but also disgrace directly to God Himself. However, I strongly believe now is the season and the last generation that Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24. See you all up there! God bless!
- Ansen Li, San Gabriel, US
The end of the world is in 2060? That is funny because the last I heard it is supposed to end in 2012. I also heard that in 2012 the world ends by a natural diaster, probably by man himself. Karen
- k.k., burbank california
be ready its coming...soon........
- Christ Mase, wilts uk
Boy...did he miss the mark by a generation? The world will end in sometime in the next decade according to biblical history, probably beginning in spring 2016 and concluding with total destruction of the Satanic reign in the fall immediately followed by the messianic reign of a thousand years. I wonder if it will all end this year but things must get worse then better. One thing IS for sure..it will get here when it gets here...EH?
- Et, AZ USA
Newton is one of the greatest we had. He tried many different ways to find the true answer to life and the whole world.
- Carol G. Lin, Oregon
I will be over 100 then so will not feel I am losing out. Personally I would like to witness it from a beautiful beach with an attractive lady friend. A toast with Louis Roederer Cristal would seem appropriate!
- Michael, London
If true, this will be perfect.
I'll be 88, an ideal age, I believe, to witness the end of the world.
I hope my teeth will still be able to manage popcorn by then.
- Md, London, UK
"Newton based this figure on religion rather than reasoning" -
Phew! Luckily it's all not real then.
- Andy, London
He was probably right to base it on religion. What are most of the wars based upon - religion. There was the theory that the war to end all wars would start in the middle east - reason for the war going on there now religion. Why can't we look at the man rather than his god?
- Minime, Southend, England
