The internet is certainly filled with ominous warnings, and it's impossible to choose between them. One reputed Polish prophet has even devised prayers [below] for the "warning" (some believe in a singular event).

"This universal Warning will be a great test for the conscience of humanity, it will not be, however, something that will alter the course of the catastrophic events that we must confront, rather it will be an opportunity to change our view concerning this reality, being able to gain from it immense spiritual benefits," proclaims another viewer who asserts mystical events (as do so many in our time; for our very careful discernment).

"I felt in my being anguish, as though something was coming closer to me, but I could not tell what it was… like something frightful, something distressful that I couldn’t figure out, though I knew something was going to happen. It was something that made my heart beat rapidly. I was in this state for around twenty minutes; then the anxiousness began to increase; I started to feel as though my soul was leaving me, because little by little I felt a terrible loneliness that was not only filling my spiritual being, but my physical body as well. Then I felt a dreadful loneliness. The anxiety had me walking to and fro because each time the loneliness grew greater I was totally aware that God was not in my being; my soul was desolated, anguished. I walked seeking consolation and couldn't find it; the loneliness, the emptiness was greater each time... And as in a movie, all the sins started to weave within me, perhaps the gravest that men could commit: I felt or I should say was experiencing everything because I felt them and I was living them as my own. I felt what goes through the mind, through the heart, in the interior of the people who take their life. I experienced the suffering moments before those who take their life; I experienced what a baby feels when it is being aborted; I experienced the abuses of the human beings that are outraged; I experienced the drug addiction, prostitution.

Practically speaking, as far as looming events, it probably doesn't hurt to study the current rating of your bank, and it's also probably not such a bad idea to invest in hard currencies. Mostly, folks don't seem quite settled with the economy (despite sporadic euphoria on the all-but-discredited stock market).

Some believe so, and not just mystics.

Here's an example (read only if you are economically inclined) from a financial blog:

"Financial Update (December 2, 2011)

"The so-called 'trap doors' of the emerging crash are closing, and the future of the world becomes clearer by the day. This is the largest socio-economic crash in more than 1,500 years, or since the fall of the old Western Roman Empire in A.D. 476. Government entities on levels (national, provincial and local), financial institutions, and many corporations are seeing their creditworthiness downgraded on a very regular basis. Banks on my 'safe list' change as well.

"Japan was the first country to fall into a deflationary crash in 1989, and they are not done crashing. The U.S.A. followed in 1999: there was a false nominal recovery from 2002-2007, a more severe crash from 2007-2009, a very weak temporal recovery from 2009-2011 and we are now falling into a far more ferocious phase of the crash. The European Union will collapse before the U.S.A., and the collapse of the E.U. is happening right now.

"The crash should bring the markets in Japan, Europe, and North America to the level of near-zero by 2014 to 2017. After this happens, interest rates in the U.S.A. will finally rise to a level where the U.S.A. will be forced to default – far worse than Greece is today. The situation in the U.S.A. is beyond dire, but as usual the mainstream media don’t even mention this. Short term U.S. treasuries yield just 0.02 percent today. This would merely have to rise to 0.27 percent to use all remaining annual income in the U.S.A. In other words, the U.S. would be paying interest on the national debt and nothing else. Rates won’t likely rise until the crash is complete (2014 to 2017) – but still: you can see what I mean.

"What will replace the modern central banks, the European Union, and the American Dollar as a global reserve currency? Silver but especially gold is the only true global currency. National currencies backed by gold such as the Yuan of China and Taiwan, and the Dinar of the Middle East, North Africa and the Balkans will become the new worldwide reserve currencies. Switzerland will remain a safe haven, and will be joined by countries such as Singapore and New Zealand as additional safe havens. The European Union will break apart. Bankrupt countries such as Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Spain, France, and Belgium will revert to their respective old national currencies and be far less affluent than they are today. Stable countries will join Germany to create a new central European regional power. These countries will likely include Austria, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Finland and perhaps others such as Slovenia and Slovakia.  Countries not yet part of the Euro currency zone (such as Poland and the Czech Republic) remain something of a question.

"Very many countries of the former Communist world and the former Third World will become both great global powers and regional powers of the future. Global powers will include the likes of China, India, Russia and Brazil.  Regional powers will abound in many places. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa now enjoy growth rates even higher than that of China.  Secondary powers in Asia will include countries like Indonesia, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea.  Even countries below the secondary category will enjoy healthy rates of economic growth.

"In the auto industry I expect many weak companies in Europe, Japan and the USA to go under.  Strong companies such as Volkswagen, Renault-Nissan, Hyundai, Daimler and BMW are already using their strength to command very high prices for both contemporary and obsolete component parts.  The companies with the real potential to challenge them in near future include those larger firms from China (such as Shanghai Auto, Dongfeng, First Auto Works, Chana Automobile and Beijing Automotive).  Shanghai is of particular interest because they own the rights to the formerly British brands of MG, Roewe, Austin, Morris, Wolseley and Princess.  MG is already being exported from China to 31 countries in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe and Latin America.  Not all the goods made in China are of low quality, so don’t make the mistake of underestimating the Chinese.  By 2020 China will have half the global auto market, and don’t forget that countries such as India and Russia are waiting in line after China.  India is pretty much the same size as China, and Russia has huge room to grow.  And after them, there are more than 150 other 'formerly poor' countries waiting in the wings."