21 December 2020 – Doomsday or Bright New Beginning?

A rare and visually spectacular cosmic kiss will light up the night skies on 21 December 2020, a date linked to the end of the world and the Second Coming.  Whatever the outcome, one fact is incontestable – it is the first time in nearly 800 years that Jupiter and Saturn are within a dazzling celestial embrace!

Will the world come to a screeching halt on 21.12.2020?  Are casino games really that good at Springbok Casino?  According to the ancient Mayans and their modern-day co-conspirators, the end times are nigh… or are they?  As for the Springbok Casino games, they are better than good… they are brilliant!

Doomsday Alert – What the Ancient Mayans Say 

The ancient Mayan civilisation operated according to two calendars – a 260-day ‘sacred round’ known as the Tzolk’in and the Haab, a longer 365-day calendar consisting of 18 months of 20 days apiece with five ‘nameless days’ at the end of the year. 

These nameless days are known as the five days of Wayeb – a time when the portals between the living and dead allegedly open, and evil spirits wreak havoc on earth.  Hence the reference to the end times in December which, as we all know, is at the end of the year.  It is also the season to be jolly – and that means playing real money casino games at Springbok Casino!

Brace Yourself for a Cataclysmic Event… Not! 

According to ancient Mayan prophesies, a cataclysmic global event would occur when the 13th Bakutun Cycle of the calendar ended.  The question is what date did the Bakutun Cycle end on?  Initial calculations identified 21 December 2012 as the date of Armageddon… but here’s the kicker. 

When the west first adopted the Julian calendar in 1752 and later the Gregorian calendar, 11 days were lost in the synchronisation process between the two.  If we use the Julian calendar as the benchmark and take into account the 2,948 days that have collectively been lost since 1752, we are in fact in 2012 rather than 2020!

Isn’t that great!  We are all effectively eight years younger… but only in that dream where we win a multi-million-rand progressive jackpot playing casino games on our PC or phone!

End of the World Calculations Eight Years Out 

We now know that the Mayans predicted the world would in fact end on 21 December 2020, eight years or 2,948 days later than originally thought.  What is the significance of that date?  It is the summer and winter solstice of course – the longest and shortest days of the year in the southern and northern hemispheres, respectively. 

In cultural terms, the winter solstice represents the symbolic death and rebirth of the sun – and that of course can be extrapolated to mean the end of the world followed by the Second Coming.  In the context of Springbok Casino, 21 December has more hours in the day in which to play the best casino games online!

The Great Conjunction 

The solstice is also a hugely significant day on the astronomers’ calendar as it hosts an astounding event known as the ‘great conjunction’.  21 December 2020 is when the two great gaseous planets of Jupiter and Saturn appear just 0.06 degrees apart in the night skies. 

When was the last time the two giants ‘met’ in a celestial embrace?  Precisely 794 years ago.  When is the great conjunction due to happen again?  Around sixty years from now!

The Star of Bethlehem Take Two? 

What can we expect to see in the skies four nights before Christmas?  The brightest star in the universe and one that is referred to as the Bethlehem Star.  What is the significance of the star of Bethlehem?  It was the cosmic indicator of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth.  Could the great conjunction announce the Second Coming – the grand climax of Christianity, Islam and Messianic Judaism? 

If you use the New Testament as a guide, the Second Coming is preceded by the end of the world.  According to the Gospel of St Luke, Jesus himself described the end of the world as a time when 'nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.  A time of “great earthquakes, famines and pestilences, and fearful events and great signs from heaven."

Precursors of Doomsday in 2020  

How does 2020 rate when it comes to the precursors of Doomsday?  To date, there has been conflict in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia – not to mention the increasingly ugly clashes between the Democrats and Republicans in the good old USA.

Nine major earthquakes of a magnitude of 7.0 to 7.9 on the Richter Scale have rattled the world, with the Aegean event claiming the most lives.  Even Cape Town, which has rarely been shaken and stirred, has had a couple of notable tremors, both of which enforced a pause on the casino games action at Springbok Casino!

Famine is so widespread right across the globe that nearly 700 million people go hungry, many of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa.  As for pestilence, well 2020 has been the year of devastating locust plagues, the deadly COVID-19 pandemic and increasing outbreaks of measles and malaria.

A Devastating Shock and a Blissful Beginning?  

By all accounts, the precursors of Doomsday have already aligned to the Messiah’s prophesy.  When you throw the great conjunction into the mix, the conspiracy theorists among us may well believe that we are in for a devastating shock, followed by a new and blissful beginning.

The rest of us can look forward to a dazzling planetary event where Saturn’s rings and Jupiter’s moons are clearly visible to the binoculared eye!  As for the end of the world?  Let’s wait and see… but one thing we’re all looking forward to irrespective of any prediction is a relaxing break with family and friends – hellfire and damnation be damned!

Either Way, Play Online Casino Games at Springbok Casino!

If you need to escape the Doomsday prophesies – or the forced festivities of the festive season – we suggest you sign up at Springbok Casino, claim a welcome bonus and hit the casino games as hard as you can.  Our prediction for 2020 is that winning a few rand here and there is in your immediate future!