A 1960 scientific paper placed doomsday on Nov. 13, 2026. A separate claim circulating online points to Nov. 20 for a catastrophic blackout.
Now television plots and disaster movies are being drawn into the speculation, turning November into the setting for another supposed countdown to catastrophe.
The claims involve different events and different sources. Their shared connection is a month on the calendar, amplified by interpretations that treat fiction and an old population forecast as warnings about the future.
Scripture has much to say about the end. Understanding what it teaches begins with examining these claims carefully.
The “Simpsons” Blackout Theory
The Nov. 20 claim centers on “It’s a Blunderful Life,” a “Simpsons” episode that aired Nov. 19, 2023.
The animated series has built a reputation in pop culture for making seemingly accurate predictions about future events. Fans revisit old episodes looking for scenes that resemble real developments, giving each new supposed prediction a ready audience.
In the episode, an older Lisa recalls a blackout that struck Springfield before Thanksgiving. Homer takes the blame for the disaster. Fox’s official description identifies the outage as the episode’s central storyline.
Social media users are connecting the episode’s blackout six days before Thanksgiving with Nov. 20 on this year’s calendar.
Supporters of the theory also point to delivery robots and 3D-printed food depicted in the episode. They argue that those futuristic details resemble developments already taking place, lending credibility to their fears about the blackout.
But assigning the story to November 2026 is an interpretation attached to the episode, not an established forecast.
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Disaster Stories Add Fuel
Other productions supply more ominous November connections.
“Blackout,” a German television thriller, follows a European power grid disaster that brings normal life to a halt. A former hacker discovers that code from his past is connected to the crisis. Streaming platform Joyn confirms that the series’ emergency begins on a November evening.
“Leave the World Behind” depicts a family vacation overtaken by a mysterious cyberattack. Communications fail as two families confront a collapsing world. Its November connection comes from its theatrical release on Nov. 22, 2023. The film reached Netflix that December.
“American Horror Story: 13” adds another November connection with a storyline involving a plane crash dated Nov. 13, 2026, followed by a supernatural struggle over humanity’s fate.
Together, these references create a frightening sequence of apparent connections. Similar plots and shared dates, however, do not establish that the productions reveal coming events.
The Paper Naming Nov. 13
The New York Post’s report brings an actual scientific publication into the discussion.
In 1960, Heinz von Foerster and co-authors Patricia Mora and Lawrence Amiot published a paper in Science extending historical population growth into the future.
Their model projected a population growing without limit as a date in November 2026 approached. The paper’s title identified Friday, Nov. 13, as doomsday. Its scenario envisioned fatal overcrowding, contingent on growth continuing along the projected path.
That trajectory has not continued. The United Nations’ 2024 assessment projects a population peak of roughly 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s, followed by gradual decline.
An alarming date survived in the public imagination even as the population outlook changed.
Read the Signs Through Scripture
In Matthew 24, Jesus’ disciples asked about His coming and the end of the age. His response began with a warning against deception.
Jesus described wars, famines and earthquakes, while cautioning that these troubles did not mean the end had immediately arrived. He warned of false prophets and called His followers to endure.
He also taught that no one knows the day or hour of His coming. His command to remain watchful carries a demand for faithful living.
We should know these passages well enough to test the claims competing for our attention. Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. Study the surrounding verses and take seriously what Jesus actually commanded.
Revelation describes what is coming during the Great Tribulation before the return of Jesus. Its prophecies reveal the events and judgments that will unfold as God brings human history toward its appointed conclusion. Scripture gives us these warnings to study and take seriously.
Read those prophecies, then keep reading through to the victory of Jesus.
Revelation 19 presents Jesus returning in righteousness and defeating the forces arrayed against Him. Chapter 20 records Satan’s final defeat and judgment.
Revelation 21 reveals a new heaven and a new earth, with God dwelling among His people. Death, mourning and pain come to an end.
These promises demand our attention beyond the latest prediction. Repentance matters today. So does sharing the gospel and remaining faithful to Jesus.
Read Matthew 24 to study the signs Jesus described. Follow Revelation through the judgments to His victory and the new creation.
God has given us His Word. Open it, study it and live ready for His return.
James Lasher, a seasoned writer and editor at Charisma Media, combines faith and storytelling with a journalism background from Otterbein University and ministry experience in Guatemala and at the LA Dream Center. A Marine Corps and Air Force veteran, he is the author of The Revelation of Jesus: A Common Man’s Commentary and a contributor to Charisma magazine. For interviews and media inquiries, please contact [email protected].
