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Hello Alex,
I think one of the great comforts of Einstein's predictions comes from one of his professors, Hermann Minkowski.
He noticed that Einstein's spacetime causality equations looked somewhat similar to 3D distance equations. He then posited the idea of Minkowski space (a snappy name from a guy called Minkowski) where everything exists in a 4D framework and what we see as time is simply a result of existing on a 3D membrane floating through it.
As you are aware, this sounds awfully similar to some of the interpretations of M-Theory. But oddly enough, I can't find anything suggesting Minkowski's ideas informed Witten in his unification of String Theory. Not sure if this is just kismet or oversight in reporting.
Anyway, the cool thing with Minkowski space is that the end (crunch, tear, heat death etc) exists and has always existed in some respect with as much causal effect as today has. And so does now and yesterday.
It's like living in an alien painting or sculpture and I find it a neat framework to ponder these things. Certainly makes the concept of causality easier to swallow.
-Matt
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