A Ball of Fire Descends, September 1999
Kabbalah Centre Leader: In September 1999 'a Ball of Fire Will Descend.' September Stayed Fireproof
Philip Berg said the end might arrive in September 1999, when 'a ball of fire will descend . . . destroying almost all of mankind.' Studying Kabbalah, he added, would help.
What was said
“a ball of fire will descend . . . destroying almost all of mankind, all vegetation, all forms of life.”
— Philip Berg (dean, Kabbalah Centre) · said 1998 · due September 1999
September 1999 ended with mankind, vegetation and all forms of life accounted for.
The fine print
The New York Times Magazine (December 27, 1998) reported that Berg had 'proclaimed, quite seriously, that the End might arrive on September 1999.' The hedge, as the magazine put it: 'If mankind takes to sharing more and studying Kabalistic texts, the species will most likely be spared.' Some later lists give September 11, 1999 as the date; the magazine says only September.