Judgment Day Arrives at 3 p.m. on November 10, 2003
Indonesian Sect Leader Mangapin Sibuea Set the End of the World for 3 p.m. on November 10, 2003
A self-declared second coming of the Apostle Paul told his Bandung congregation they would be saved at exactly 3 p.m. Police opened the door just after three. Nothing else happened.
What was claimed (paraphrase)
Aliran ini meyakini bahwa kiamat tiba pada 10 November 2003 tepat pukul 15.00 WIB. Our translation: “The sect believed the end of the world would come on November 10, 2003 at exactly 15:00 Western Indonesia Time.”
— Mangapin Sibuea (leader of the Pondok Nabi sect, Bandung, Indonesia) · said 2003 · due November 10, 2003, 3:00 p.m. (Western Indonesia Time)
3 p.m. on November 10, 2003 passed. Sibuea was later convicted of religious defamation and given two years in prison.
The fine print
Liputan6's summary of the group's belief, not Sibuea's own words. The Straits Times: police entered 'just after 3pm, the hour cult leader Mangapin Sibuea, 59, had told the faithful they would be "saved".' It says he 'claims he is the second coming of the Apostle Paul' and started the group in 1999. Tirto reports the two-year sentence for religious defamation.
Sources
- Polisi Membubarkan Jemaat yang Menunggu Kiamat - Liputan6 (November 11, 2003)accessed 2026-10-09
- Police foil doomsday cult's final countdown - The Straits Times (November 2003), via Cult Education Instituteaccessed 2026-10-09
- Nubuat Akhir Zaman di Baleendah - Tirto.id (August 16, 2023)accessed 2026-10-09
As of Oct 9, 2026
since it didn't happen
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