Many of the apocalyptic scenarios were intended to be of a world-altering nature — literally destroying Earth, but also affecting the universe at large. A few of the scenarios were of a non-planetary, but galactic nature. A few were of a non-planetary, but solar system nature. These all had one thing in common — they were not about world-ending destruction, but about world-altering changes. All of these scenarios had an ending phase — in which the Earth was essentially destroyed and rebuilt — but had an ending point that was also different from each other — either a new era had begun, a new type of life had been born, or the Earth had survived. With the possible exception of Ending Phase 2 (The Destruction of the Earth), all of these scenarios have an ending point that looks like a world without humans, or, if the Earth survives, a world transformed in a way that the humans of the world will no longer recognize. The Destruction of the Earth The Destruction of the Earth is an ending phase that will leave the Earth in ruins and is similar to the “rapture” of one of Christian religion. The most noticeable destruction is a new Earth that has been created with little or no life. Of course this is no world where humans could survive, so it seems that some form of “survival of the fittest” scenario would be in effect for all other life-forms. So, after the Earth has been destroyed, we will probably have “superior” human life forms roaming the land as the new dominant species. Another more minor difference is that with this scenario, there’s more than one kind of human — some will be more fit to survive than others. We might all be “superior” to our ancestors, but we will still be a different species altogether, just with different customs, culture, or even skin color. The Great Transformation This is similar to the transformation of the world into a garden of Eden, with humans living among the plants and animals. Even if we survive, humans will be different. It would be interesting if this was done to ensure humans survive. If we all survived, and all living things were transformed, there might be some sort of cosmic justice that would ensure our survival. There will probably be less of a gap between the human survivors of the destruction and the newly made environment than the Destruction of the Earth scenario. Rise of a New Human Species This is the human species without the restrictions of biology. As such it’s possible that our understanding of biology is only one possible way that life could have been. A lot will depend on how this new species is perceived, and on what that means in terms of communication with humans in past times. In any case, this new species has its own advantages and disadvantages. Of course with most scenarios, humans who were the least likely to survive will no longer be around to bear the consequences of the destruction — this is probably the only way the universe could ensure that a new species could be born. The End of the Universe The End of the Universe is similar to the apocalyptic ending of the Book of Revelations in which the universe ends, and a new beginning happens. In this case, that might not mean that the universe is destroyed, but that perhaps a new “planet” that’s being created has no need for humans. We’ve already seen a different apocalyptic scenario where the Earth is the one destroyed and rebuilt, and we’ve also seen one where the Earth survives and survives with us. In the case of the End of the Universe, that leaves us with a single scenario for the next part of this list — the End of All Things. Ending Phase 1 The End of All Things is an ending phase that’s somewhat similar to the End of the Universe, but more literal. In this ending phase, the last of the things known to man will come to an end. We’ve already seen a scenario with that as its ending phase — and in the case of Ending Phase 1, there’s only one thing left — humans. The End of All Things is, in a way, the opposite of Ending Phase 2 (The Destruction of the Earth). Instead of leaving the Earth, it will only affect humans, destroying all biological life and even the atoms that compose that life. This seems an extreme version of the apocalypse, where humans are left only with rocks — literally — and even rocks can be destroyed. Of course that’s assuming that we humans are somehow “the” life form on the planet, but perhaps there’s another form of life that might thrive in a world without humans. There will be survivors This scenario allows for some sort of survival among the least evolved humans. In Ending Phase 2, there’s a certain “sport of chance” in who survives. In the case of this scenario, there are no survivors. Or, at least, those who survive will have to be those most evolved humans. It will be a different sort of cosmic “survival of the fittest,” if you will, which, in this scenario, is a sort of “survival of the fittest” over the most human of us. The Restructuring of Time and Space The Restructuring of Time and Space is a scenario that involves changing everything in a way that even the fundamental laws of the universe are affected. The laws of physics that affect all matter — including the human body — are thought to be fixed and unchanging in the past. Perhaps this is a change in these fundamental laws. Perhaps the laws were always in motion, but only now are we starting to see a change. One of the key points that make this scenario different than the others is that time and space are affected by the change. What’s interesting is that with this scenario, there is no real destruction of the Earth. There is no new planet, nor is there a new ending point in the form of a new era or a new form of life. It will just be a complete restructuring of everything around us. A New Beginning This scenario actually describes a lot about how this time and space could work. In this scenario, the most likely outcome is that a new beginning has happened. In other words, the world as we know it is different, but it’s possible that it is also the same in some way, but is just looked at differently. What if the End of the Universe is like the beginning of the universe? Ending Phase 2 The Destruction of the Earth is an apocalypse where the planet itself is destroyed and rebuilt, but the scenario suggests a world without humans. It’s different from the Ending Phase 1 (The End of All Things) in that it involves an element of destruction, but it’s not the destruction of the planet. In some ways this scenario is like a version of the Ending Phase 2 (The Destruction of the Earth) that results in humans having survived to another time and place. In other words, it’s the same as the Ending Phase 2, but the form of life that survives is not humans, but some other form of life that’s evolved into something else. What if the world we thought we knew isn’t what it’s really like? Eternal Recurrence Eternal Recurrence is a scenario that describes a world where every possible future, all possibilities are played out and in some way affect or shape the world. In this scenario, the fate of the world could very well be determined by a certain number or events, and if it turns out a certain way the world could end as a result. It would mean that everything we do is the result of millions of years of past events, and that the current events we experience are also affected by those past events in some way. That’s why the word “Recurrence” is used. This version of Eternal Recurrence is the opposite of the Ending Phase 2. There’s no Earth destroyed, no Earth to rebuild, and no apocalypse or world-altering destruction. Instead, there’s just the end of one life-cycle after another in an endless cycle. A New Earth This is similar to the Destruction of the Earth scenario, but with an alternative result. Rather than destroying the Earth, a new Earth is created. It’s not clear how this will happen, but it’s possible that the destruction was a result of a time anomaly. Perhaps the end of the world as we know it is being repeated millions of years later. Ending Phase 3 (Time Anomaly) Time is relative in the universe. Einstein says so himself, and so does the Bible. We live in a universe that’s constantly moving, shifting, and reforming itself. This scenario might not make this point any more clearly, but time will be part of what’s considered when it’s all over. If the universe has some “absolute time,” then perhaps this scenario could change how “timeless” time is. Maybe time and the universe in general is constantly changing and so we can’t really know if time is an important part of reality. Perhaps the changes affect both time and space, making the universe “dynamic.” What if time was always like this? It might mean we have to look at the universe differently, but what might we find? It’s not impossible that if there is some “timeless” level to the universe, then perhaps “time” is relative in some way. That’