THis, I think, is often overlooked. Those end-times stories aren't necessarily even *predictions* -- they are models for the ending of a world/way of life and a rebirth of another. The emphasis can *also* be on how we persevere to create the new, better world.

I'm thinking specifically of the Norse Ragnarök, or "fate of the gods." The entire world was destroyed, but the survivors of gods and people built a new place to live, called Gimli.

When Icelanders immigrated to North America (they did so in various waves), one of the groups tried settling in different places, with disastrous results. In Ontario there were no jobs as promised, they faced starvation, disease and inadequate winter housing.