The Apocalypse Goes Mainstream

AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTYou have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.Supported bySKIP ADVERTISEMENTBelievingThe Apocalypse Goes MainstreamAbout 40 percent of American adults believe that we are living in the “end times,” according to a 2022 poll. Where did that idea come from?Listen · 12:28 min Share full article131The Ruby Ridge standoff in Idaho, in August 1992. Credit...Mason Marsh/Associated PressBy Lauren JacksonI am the host of Believing.April 26, 2026Updated 12:51 p.m. ET window.registerInteractive && window.registerInteractive("100000010805361"); !function(){var e="gps_module_impressions",s="gps_suppress_module",t=new URLSearchParams(window.location.search),o="1"===t.get("gps_debug")?function(e,s){console.log("[gps]",e,void 0!==s?s:"")}:function(){};if(o("version",16),(document.documentElement.lang||"").toLowerCase().startsWith("es")&&(document.body.classList.add("gps-lang-es"),o("language: spanish")),"1"===t.get("gps_reset"))try{localStorage.removeItem(e),localStorage.removeItem(s),o("localStorage reset")}catch(e){}if(document.querySelector(".NYTApp"))o("hidden: NYTApp context");else{var a=!1;try{a=!!localStorage.getItem(s)}catch(e){}if(a)o("hidden: suppressed via "+s);else{var r=0;try{r=parseInt(localStorage.getItem(e),10)||0}catch(e){}o("impressions so far",r);try{r+=1,localStorage.setItem(e,String(r)),o("impression recorded",r)}catch(e){}document.body.classList.add("gps-show"),o("module shown")}}}().gps-module{display:none;background-color:var(--tpl-color-background-secondary,#f8f8f8);font-family:nyt-cheltenham,georgia,serif;text-align:center;padding:1rem 16px 16px 16px;max-width:600px;margin:1.25rem 20px;text-wrap:balance}.gps-show .gps-module{display:block}@media (min-width:640px){.gps-module{margin:1.25rem auto;box-sizing:border-box}}.gps-link{text-decoration:none;color:inherit;display:block}.gps-body{display:block;margin:0;font-family:nyt-franklin,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:.9375rem;line-height:1.4;font-weight:500;color:var(--tpl-color-content-primary,#121212)}.gps-cta{display:inline-block;margin-top:6px;font-family:nyt-franklin,helvetica,arial,sans-serif;font-size:.8125rem;font-weight:700;line-height:130%;border:1px solid var(--tpl-color-stroke-tertiary,#dfdfdf);background-color:var(--tpl-color-background-primary,#fff);color:var(--tpl-color-content-primary,#121212);padding:.375rem 1.125rem;border-radius:2rem}.gps-caret-sep{display:inline-block;width:.25rem}.gps-link:hover .gps-cta{border:1px solid var(--tpl-color-stroke-tertiary,#dfdfdf);background:var(--tpl-color-background-tertiary,#ebebeb)}.NYTApp .gps-module{display:none}.gps-es{display:none}.gps-lang-es .gps-module .gps-es{display:inline}.gps-lang-es .gps-module .gps-en{display:none}See more of our coverage in your search results.Encuentra más de nuestra cobertura en los resultados de búsqueda. Add The New York Times on GoogleAgrega The New York Times en Google !function(){if(document.body.classList.contains("gps-show")){var e="1"===new URLSearchParams(window.location.search).get("gps_debug")?function(e,t){console.log("[gps]",e,void 0!==t?t:"")}:function(){},t=document.getElementById("gpsModule"),s=document.getElementById("gpsLink");document.body.classList.contains("gps-lang-es")&&t.setAttribute("aria-label","Añade a The New York Times a tus fuentes preferidas en Google.");var…

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