In his posthumously-published Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John, Newton expressed his belief that Bible prophecy would not be understood until the time of the end, and that even then none of the wicked shall understand. Referring to that as a future time (the last age, the age of opening these things, be now approaching), Newton also anticipated the general preaching of the Gospel be approaching and the Gospel must first be preached in all nations before the great tribulation, and end of the world.
Over the years, a large amount of media attention and public interest has circulated regarding largely unknown and unpublished documents, evidently written by Isaac Newton, that indicate he believed the world could end in 2060 AD. (Newton also had many other possible dates e.g. 2034). The juxtaposition of Newton, popularly seen by some as the embodiment of scientific rationality, with a seemingly irrational prediction of the end of the world would invariably lend itself to cultural sensationalism.
