One of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Something of a Stock Phrase, this is a common humorous hyperbole used to emphasize how unlikely a given event or action is in the current context, such as Out-of-Character is Serious Business. Alternately, it can be used to suggest that something is so awful that it must be a sign of the impending end of the world, usually with a knowing wink at the exaggeration. It is often used to lampshade when the Dumbass Has a Point.

In use it takes either a declarative form ("X is One of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse.") or an interrogative ("Isn't X One of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse?").

The Trope Namer (but not an example), of course, is The Bible, and references the Seven seals which are opened in Chapters 5-8 of the Book of Revelation; as each is opened a judgment is released or an apocalyptic event occurs, which are the actual signs.

Note that this trope is not about the serious use or identification of current or historical events as literal signs of an (or the) Apocalypse, or speculation on the same. It is only about amusing hyperbole.

This trope does include any other phrase with similar meaning which is used in the same manner, such as "<trivial event> -- the end times are clearly here", or "does anyone see four horsemen riding up?"

Not to be confused with The End Is Nigh or Signs of the End Times. If it's someone saying the end is nigh if this thing happens, and then it does, see Cue the Flying Pigs.

Examples of One of the Seven Signs of the Apocalypse include:

Anime and Manga

Kenshin: Kaoru cooking? Is it a sign of the apocalypse?

Fan Works

Dawn put on a smile and held out her hand to help him to his feet. "Hi Dean. You're the first to arrive."
Dean smiled back, and started to brush the soot from his clothes. "Of course. Couldn't have the Weasleys show up on time. That's one of the signs of the apocalypse."
Buffy smiled at him. “"Actually, no... I think I've seen most of the signs, and that's not one of them."

  • In Xendra by Diane Castle Xander briefly ponders the wisdom of joking about the trope on the Hellmouth:

 Even Cordelia was eating a human-sized lunch, when normally she was on the salad-and-a-toothpick diet. That was definitely a sign of the apocalypse.
Okay, he should stop making jokes that included the words ‘sign of the apocalypse’ because, well, real apocalypses that were happening all over the place. Who the hell decided there should be an apocalypse twice a year? Okay, the word ‘hell’ there was probably totally relevant, because things from hell dimensions were probably a part of the whole mess anyway. And hadn’t Giles told him that the things that created vampires were maybe still around in their own hell dimensions? Jerks.
Nah, he should keep making jokes about the signs of the apocalypse. Because if you couldn’t make ‘signs of the apocalypse’ jokes anymore, then the apocalypsers have already won. Or something like that.

  • When Sirius Black volunteers to help with some important research in the Harry Potter fanfic This Means War by "Jeconais", Harry hides and announces, "Padfoot wanting to study is one of the signs of the Apocalypse."

Film

  • Played with in Summerslam

Don't be ridiculous, it's not one of the signs of the apocalypse when he starts quoting Judy Garland. When he starts singing like Ethel Merman, then you've gotta worry.

Mike, in a relationship? Isn't that one of the signs of the Apocalypse?

Literature

  • In Zombie Zero: The First Zombie by J.K. Norry, there is the following passage:

"Well, hell," Tod hooted. "Allen disagrees with you, Maya. Isn't that one of the seven signs of the apocalypse?"

  • The Dangerous Animals Club by Stephan Tobolowsky has this comment at the beginning of its 22nd chapter:

While most people look toward a nuclear Iran or melting ice caps to get a heads-up on the end of the world, I train my eye on the programming of the Hallmark Channel. The more modern the time frame and the more cynical the casting, the closer we are to the end of the world. For example, if you see a Hallmark movie entitled The Search for Mrs. Santa starring Liza Minnelli and Simon Cowell, consider it one of the seven signs of the Apocalypse.

  • In Nice Girls Don't Bite Their Neighbors by Molly Harper:

"Did Mama just hand me a cup of human blood and then make a joke about a horror movie?" I asked Jenny, who nodded, all astonishment. "Doesn't the Bible list that as one of the seven signs of the Apocalypse?"
"Well, not in the King James version," Jenny said.

I started to get annoyed, but was struck by the disturbing thought that if I did, I would be coming down on the same side of the situation as Charity, which might be one of the signs of the apocalypse.

Live-Action Television

  • In episode 10 of the 2005 FOX series Point Pleasant, there was this line of dialogue:

Judy: [to Christina] Hey, you're falling in love, it's not one of the seven signs of the apocalypse... Is it?

Miss Fine and Miss Babcock walking arm in arm. Isn't that one of the biblical signs of the apocalypse?

Oh, sh*t. Sean Garrity readin' a book. That's the first sign of the apocalypse.

My God, no more attention. This is like one of the signs of the Apocalypse.

Lois Lane: Clark Kent and Karaoke - isn't that a sign of the Apokolips?

  • In the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer they point to the band playing in the Bronze (Nerf Herder, a song from whom also provided the theme tune throughout the series) as a sign of the Apocalypse. At the same time as a lot of rather more conventional signs of the apocalypse are occurring.
  • Family Ties:

Alex: She's right. I'm wrong, and Mallory's right. The world is ending!

Newspaper Comics

Rat: What is true happiness?...How does a dumb pig like you answer a question like that?
Pig: I think happiness is finding an extra couple of french fries at the bottom of the bag.
Rat: ...Pig made sense. The apocalypse is upon us.

Web Comics

Chuck: Does this seem like a particularly awkward silence?
James: Dude, Miriam's not saying anything. It's the end times, man.

"But it can't be the Apocalypse today, the Mayan calendar says..."

Web Original

Rumor has it that Jersey Shore's Snooki is preggers. Since this is clearly one of the seven signs of the Apocalypse, we’ll keep this short. How long before we see this magazine cover?

If the show had started any later, [Vogue editor Anna Wintour] might have started posing with people and delivering phone-cam shout-outs to their mothers. We believe that’s one of the seven signs of the apocalypse, so keep an eye out for it. The world can’t end before Fashion Week does.

Taco Bell Is Making a Taco Shell Out of Fried Chicken
Isn't this one of the seven signs of the apocalypse?

We've checked, and it's not actually one of the seven signs of the apocalypse (but we're pretty sure that was just an oversight by the Bible's authors. BECAUSE LOOK AT THEM).

Web Video

  • In episode 3 of Bad Obsession Motorsport's Project Binky!, narrator Richard says, "I'm sure that Nik not using a grinder when the opportunity presents itself is one of the seven signs of the Apocalypse."

Western Animation

Hordak: The end of the world is upon us, Grizzlor has had an idea!

"These are the end times."

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