January 3: Edgar Cayce, and a Christian group seeks to destroy al-Aqsa

Two dates to note:

In 1945, Edgar Cayce died. The famous "sleeping prophet" had predicted Jesus' second coming for 1998 with the Battle of Armageddon following in 1999. These events were to be triggered when documents detailing the history of Atlantis were first discovered in a secret chamber beneath the Great Sphinx.

Founded by Monte Kim Miller, the group Concerned Christians began as an anti-cult and deprogramming resource but over time evolved an apocalyptic focus. A group of members led by Miller was expelled en masse from Israel on this date in 1999 for a suspected conspiracy to destroy the al-Aqsa Mosque. This act would clear the way for the establishment of a Third Temple in Jerusalem, widely viewed by Christian apocalypticists as a precondition of Christ's return.

Shortly after his expulsion from Israel, Miller claimed he would be killed in December 1999 and rise from death three days later.