Dreaming that the world is ending
Dreams that the world is ending often come in periods when your world is changing: a divorce, a move, an illness, a job ending. It is the biggest image the brain has for the feeling that everything familiar is stopping. Unsettling news about war, climate or disasters can also bring on such a dream. It predicts no disaster, but shows how big a change feels.
How did the world end?
Fire, water, an earthquake, a meteor or a war: the kind of disaster colours the dream. Fire is often about something changing intensely and fast, water about feelings overwhelming you, an earthquake about the ground falling away beneath you. A dream about zombies or a virus can be about the feeling that your surroundings drain you or that something is spreading unstoppably.
Were you alone, or with others?
Whom you tried to save shows who is dearest to you. Someone left alone may also feel lonely in a change during the day. And someone who survived the disaster and saw a new world often dreams at the end of a hard period: the old is gone, and there is room for something new.
If the news weighs on you
Many people dream of disasters after images of war or natural catastrophes. That is not a sign of weakness, but of involvement. It helps to watch less news just before sleeping, and to talk to someone about what worries you. If it makes you very anxious, a doctor can help.
How the traditions read this dream
Christian
In the Christian tradition the end of the world recalls the book of Revelation, with its riders, dragons and disasters. But Revelation does not end with destruction: it ends with a new heaven and a new earth, in which God wipes away every tear. A dream about the end of the world is therefore often read as a dream about an ending that makes way for something new, and not as a personal prediction.
Biblical dream interpretation: dreams and symbols in the Bible →Islamic
In Islam the Day of Resurrection, qiyamah, is a core of the faith. A dream about the end of the world can therefore strike hard. Classical interpreters usually read such a dream not as an announcement, but as a reminder: live consciously, put right what you neglected, and trust in God's justice. If the dream is mainly frightening, it belongs to hulm, and the advice is to seek protection and not make too much of it.
Islamic dream interpretation: meanings, symbols and Ibn Sirin →Hindu
Hinduism thinks in cycles. Worlds arise, endure and pass away in endless rounds, and in pralaya, dissolution, a world returns to the rest from which a new one arises. Shiva, who destroys, thus makes room for creation. A dream about the end of the world is read in that light as a great image of change: something must end before something new can begin.
Hindu dream interpretation: meanings and symbols in Hinduism →What does your dream mean?
Write your own dream and get an interpretation straight away. Free, no account.
You already have an account. Write your dream in the app: it goes straight into your Dream Book, read within your tradition.
Write your dream in the appFrequently asked questions
Does dreaming of the end of the world mean a disaster is coming?
No. The dream is about a big change in your own life, or about worries from the news, not a prediction.
Why do I keep dreaming of an apocalypse?
Often in periods of great uncertainty or change. A lot of disaster news or films can also feed such dreams.
What if I survived the disaster?
That is often read hopefully: after a hard period there is room for a new beginning.