As Wednesday became Thursday and the world remained intact, the leader of a Christian group who had predicted the destruction of the world "with fire" was forced to admit his prediction was "incorrect".

Chris McCann had warned that the world would be destroyed "with fire" on 7 October.

"Since it is now 8 October it is now obvious that we were incorrect regarding the world's ending on the 7th," McCann admitted.

Previously, speaking to the Guardian, McCann had said there was a "strong likelihood" the world would be "gone forever: annihilated" by Thursday, which is now yesterday.

He had admitted that he there was a "possibility it may not happen", but maintained that "a strong likelihood means that something was pretty well set to happen."

He said he found it "surprising that it did not occur" but was comforted that "God's will is always perfect."

He had based his predictions on a prediction made by Christian radio host Harold Camping, who had earlier said the world would end on 21 May 2011. 

Camping broadcasted his prediction that the world would end over his radio station, Family Radio. When this did not occur he then moved the date to October 2011. When the world still did not end he retired from public life.

McCann holds that Camping's 21 May prediction was in fact "judgment day" and that the world would end 1,600 days later: 7 October 2015.

Although the world did not end, McCann said the time will be "soon".

"I also know that God knows exactly when that end will come," he said. "So we'll keep studying the Bible to see what we can learn."