I didn't read this as a prediction, as it is foolish, as a rule, to make very specific short-term predictions that can easily be proved wrong. Seems like more of a thought experiment, or an exaggeration to get attention. Always a good idea to prepare for the worst, even if we hope for a better result. Personally, I believe that even if the "bad guys" had a master plan, it's giving them too much credit to think that they can influence the timing of events so precisely to correspond to someone's apocalyptic calendar.