An incredibly close asteroid flyby due to occur this coming Thursday has sparked another round of conspiracy theories suggesting that it is a harbinger of the End Times.
Stargazers will be looking to the skies later this week in the hopes of catching a glimpse of asteroid 2002 T4C as it soars between the Earth and the moon at the distance of around 4,000 miles.
However, others see Thursday's wondrous event as something far more worrisome and, as is often the case, point to a combination of religious and historical 'clues' to confirm their worst fears.
Specifically, they note that Friday the 13th will mark the 100th anniversary of the third and final Marian apparition at Fatima, a mysterious event which has long been connected to Apocalyptic speculation.
Conspiracy theorists couple this historic occasion with a carefully-chosen verse from the book of Revelations that warns of a "great sign" in the heavens in the form of an anguished woman.
This woman, they suspect, is the Virgin Mary returning to Earth a century after her last appearance in order to finish whatever chain of events she began back in 1917.
Of course, scientists and skeptics say that the asteroid flyby is simply a natural event and not a sign of impending doom.
Their stance can certainly be understood considering that 2017 has been replete with End Times expectations, including the highly-publicized September 23rd date as well as, incredibly, another Friday the 13th warning back in January.
And, of course, there's still the October 21st apocalypse prediction still to come later in the month and, most likely, one or two more before the year comes to an end.
At this rate, should the apocalypse ever truly happen in our lifetime, it's unlikely that anyone will believe the prediction which, ironically, is probably when the end of the world really will unfold.
Source: Express