If to speak about more serious scenarios end of the world and the signs of its approach, we can distinguish two approaches to this issue: religious and scientific.
A religious point of view
The idea of the end of the world is present in all Abrahamic religions: Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
The end of the world narrates the last book of the New Testament – Revelation (Apocalypse) of John. After it was written it is hard to name an era when there would be attempts to associate the events with the images of this book, announcing the imminent onset of the day of judgment. Was no exception and modernity.
Especially often think of the proverbial "seal of the Antichrist". Not so long ago itself tried to declare a Russian passport of the new sample, seeing the ornament on their pages some semblance of three sixes. Then it was the turn INN. Now, many see "the seal of the Antichrist" in the chips pilot began to implant the population of Wyoming (USA). Technology, of course, dangerous, and many residents of the state have already felt its adverse effects (irritability, headaches and other unpleasant symptoms), but is unlikely to make such global conclusions.
Call and other signs of the approaching end of the world: there will be false prophets, the world will be chaos, people will prefer the spiritual life of worldly pleasure. These signs can be attributed to any era. The only more or less specific landmark – restoration of the Jerusalem temple, which did not take place until now, although such plans were still in the Julian the Apostate. However, given the allegorical language of Revelation, it is difficult to say what might be behind this statement.
However, those who are trying to find the signs of the nearness of doomsday in the Bible, forget about the main thing: the exact date no one can know. About it unambiguously declared himself the Savior, therefore, about any the signs of the times from the point of view of a Christian speech can not be. You need to be ready always, but to specify a date not.
This opinion was shared by the Muslims. However, their creed says about the harbingers of the end of the world. A total of 12, and the first of them – the very appearance of Muhammad, which is considered the last prophet. Many of these symptoms are described vaguely, for example, the slave will give birth to yourself Madam". That is the birth of a slave child from the Lord? Maybe the disappearance of respect of children to parents? There is no single answer. Other signs – an increase in the number of rich people, ignorant people coming to power, a lot of earthquakes, etc. is Called concrete phenomenon: the Sun rises in the West.
Scientific opinion
Scientists do not deny that life on Earth is not eternal. One day it will destroy the expanding Sun, but by the time to these events is billions of years old.
It is often said about the destruction of life on Earth as a result of falling of an asteroid. Not to say that such a scenario is unrealistic, but it is unlikely. The diameter of the asteroid must exceed 10 km, all asteroids of this size are known, astronomers, none of them fall to the Ground is not at risk. However, the asteroid Apophis in 2029 will pass dangerously close to the planet. With a probability of 1:45 000 it will be captured by the gravity of the Earth, in this case, it will fall to Earth in 2036. But the complete destruction of humanity will not be wiped off the face of the Earth territory, comparable to a European country, so by the end of the world it will not be considered.
Many see a harbinger of the end of the world in the revitalization of the SUPERVOLCANO located in Yellowstone national Park (USA). The awakening of the volcano, said the emergence around him of new geysers, the rise of the earth at 1 meter 78 cm over the past four years, the tremors. Volcanologists fear that the eruption could start in the next two years. In this case, the part of the United States will be turned into a desert, and the world would suffer. Huge amounts of volcanic ash will be lost to the atmosphere, the consequences will be comparable to the "nuclear winter": the average temperature will be 25 degrees below zero, and in some areas drops below -50.
However, with these predictions, not all scientists agree. So, John.Lowenstern of the Yellowstone volcano Observatory considers that if eruption will occur, affected only the settlements located nearby.
Thus, religious figures, and scientists call the many harbingers of the end of the world, but none of these signs cannot be considered completely reliable.