FTA: If the Big Rip is true, it should simply tear all the matter apart, leading to a very empty Universe with a large amount of energy inherent to space itself. If we extrapolate this arbitrarily far, to the highest energies imaginable, space itself will tear apart, which is why it’s called the Big Rip. But perhaps there’s a cutoff, and perhaps there’s another transition in store. If this is what our Universe is headed towards, then the Big Rip might not be the last thing that ever happens; instead, it might be a precursor to the birth of a brand new Universe.

Perhaps it’s actually the case that, as J.M. Barrie put it, “All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.”