Christian Conspiracy Theorists Say the World Will End on Saturday

Been a while since the world was supposed to end, hasn’t it? Four years and nine months to be exact. And with the recent deluge of scandalous news, natural disasters, Donald Trump tweets and Milkshake Ducks, some might argue that everything has been going down south, slowly but surely. But according to Christian conspiracy theorist David Meade, it’s finally coming this Saturday, September 23rd. Get ready!

According to David Meade, a Christian doomsday theorist and the author of Planet X: The 2017 Arrival, this is how it's all going down: Planet Nibiru (of course) will swoosh by our planet this weekend, a catastrophic event that would bring about volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and other natural disasters of apocalyptic scale to the Earth. And the signs of the impending doomsday have all been there, we just didn't pay attention, or so he says, in the four-minute YouTube video that has garnered over three million views upon its release last month.

So why September 23rd? As you may have guessed, Meade’s theory is almost entirely based on biblical numerology and astrology bordering on science fiction, all of which revolves around the number 33. A self-described "specialist in research and investigator," Meade told the Washington Post:

“Jesus lived for 33 years. The name Elohim, which is the name of God to the Jews, was mentioned 33 times [in the Bible]. It’s a very biblically significant, numerologically significant number. I’m talking astronomy. I’m talking the Bible … and merging the two.”

Meade's doomsday also happens to fall on 33 days after the solar eclipse, which is a relevant omen, especially if you're a biblical investigator obsessed with numbers and signs. If the magic number of 33 doesn't cut it for you, consider the epic alignment of heavenly bodies. According to The Sun, Meade points to a passage from The Book of Revelation that talks about a pregnant "woman clothed with the sun" who gives birth to a son who "will rule all nations with an iron scepter." On September 23rd, the Virgo constellation (in this case, the pregnant woman) will be in such an alignment that it will be “clothed in sunlight” and positioned over the moon, during which planet Jupiter will move out of its mother constellation, signifying a new birth. To top it all off, Meade says the trials of the mankind have already begun, citing two verses from Luke 21:25-26 that supposedly describe the flooding of Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey earlier this month:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

For what it's worth, Meade does not claim the world will completely come crashing down on September 23rd, but that a series of events will be set in motion which would culminate with the end of the world as we know it. The logistics of the looming apocalypse aside, Meade's theory still faces its fair share of naysayers: science. NASA has outright called Nibiru a hoax. All of his predecessors have failed. Even some Christians are upset because he gives the religion a bad name.

“There’s no such thing as a Christian numerologist,” Ed Stetzer, a professor and executive director of Wheaton College’s Billy Graham Center for Evangelism, told The Washington Post. “You basically got a made-up expert in a made-up field talking about a made-up event.… It sort of justifies that there’s a special secret number codes in the Bible that nobody believes.”

Meade is one of hundreds who have prophesied the world’s demise, and while science and imagination do go hand in hand, the world has yet to stop spinning. In any event, should the world start to end, there’s sure to be the dankest memes about it imaginable.

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