In 2022, my husband Joel and I traveled to Iceland to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary. People kept asking, Why Iceland? And our response was, “We just love nature and all the different geological features!” And it’s true. Iceland is a world of volcanoes, beaches, fjords, glaciers, geysers, barren land stretching on for miles, mountains, and waterfalls. It is truly otherworldly.

We left Iceland as seismic tremors were increasing, and two days after our return, the Fagradalsfjall volcano began erupting again. We’d hiked those hills just five days prior. Volcanic activity has always been a part of Iceland’s story.

Ever since that trip, we have talked about and dreamed of going back. So when the news stations began reporting that another round of noticeable earthquakes was occurring and that the small fishing village of Grindavik had to be evacuated (we drove those roads!), I started to pay attention. The Blue Lagoon—an incredible spa destination made from the hot water geysers and silica deposits—has been shut down, as it lies very near the seismic epicenter. Streets are cracking, roads are closed, residents have been relocated indefinitely. From a geological perspective, this event is fascinating! From a humanitarian perspective, devastating. Can you even imagine?

Anytime I hear of volcanoes and earthquakes affecting communities, or of wars breaking out, of tsunamis wiping away entire towns, or any natural event that causes such devastation, I think of Matthew 24. Maybe you do the same? It is an apocalyptic text that seems to speak of the end of the world—earthquakes, famines, wars… The End. This was the stuff of my childhood nightmares.

Opening up your news app may bring up these same feelings: the horrific events happening right now in the Gaza strip (wars…rumors of wars), the tremors and earthquakes in Iceland, the worsening droughts in many parts of the world causing hunger, wildfires, etc. Is this The End?

People have wondered that for as long as there have been people. A quick Google search reveals that prior to 1950, there had been four apocalyptic films made and released. (Granted, filmmaking was a new art at that point) Each decade there have been an increasing number of these films being produced, and in the decade of 2010-2019, there were sixty.

To me, this speaks to a deep, underlying fear, anxiety, curiosity, etc. about what the end of the world will really be like. Isn’t this the question that has plagued generations? We try to answer these questions in many different ways—expecting the worse and preparing for a zombie apocalypse, storing away food and provisions for us and our families so that we can be prepared in case Y2K happens, or we take the opposite approach: we decide that none of this is real and it will never happen and we are fine.

The reality is, at this moment, in my life, for my family, in my community, life IS fine. Things are moving along pretty much like they always have.

For you, dear reader, you may be experiencing an apocalypse of sorts: death of a loved one, a devastating divorce, the loss of a job or health or other close relationship. Maybe you have literally just lost your home. Maybe your community has been wracked by tragedy. Perhaps you are reading this from Iceland! When tragedy strikes us, it feels like the end of the world. Like we can’t possibly go on any longer. How often have you heard the words, Come, Lord Jesus! We long for his glorious appearing—his making all things right again!

There are many places where the Bible speaks of apocalypses. Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, Matthew, and Revelation (and more!) all contain these cryptic passages and stories that pique our curiosity and fear and are the fodder for the plethora of books and movies detailing the End of the World. It’s right that we should pay attention! Jesus spoke of these things in Matthew 24. Listen to the words of Jesus:

“Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.  All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Immediately after the distress of those days

‘the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

 Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Apocalyptic? Definitely.

End-of-the-World? Possibly.

Puzzling? Without a doubt.

If you’ve been a long-time reader of our blog, you might remember way back when I wrote about apocalypse and the end of the world. Read it here if you’d like. My point in that post was that, unlike our common understanding of Apocalypse (zombies and the end of the world), a biblical use of the word “apocalypse” is far different than ours. Truly, if you Google “apocalypse” it will refer to end-time events. But the biblical authors used it differently. Apocalypse actually means “unveiling”, or “revealing”. Jesus’ words to his disciples in Matthew were meant to help them to see that, although stuff was about to go down in their 1st century world, there was a cosmic Reality that Jesus wanted them to be aware of. This “unveiling” in Jesus’ words offers a heavenly perspective in the midst of what the disciples were about to endure. The most helpful resource in my understanding this is The Bible Project.**

Stanley Hauerwas* interprets Matthew 24 (and our response to apocalypse) like this:

He goes on to say that “we…make a disastrous mistake…if we allow our imaginations to be possessed by the images of the apocalypse rather than by the one on whom these images are meant to focus our attention—that is, Jesus.”

Apocalypses come. Earthquakes, wars, famines, tornadoes, death, cancer, Covid…they are real and tragic and deeply unsettling. It’s okay to cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus! Make things right!”

And, we wait. We recognize that it isn’t our role to predict the future. Our call is to grow in increasing trust in the God whose voice alone calms the chaos. Jesus’ admonition to his disciples was that “you must be ready”. What does that look like?

When John the Baptist was preparing people for the coming of the Son of Man, he called them to repentance. A re-alignment of their lives with God’s grace and mercy and reign. He asked them to be baptized and washed clean. Jesus himself revealed True Reality when he condemned the Pharisees and religious leaders for their inability to see the truth. And when Jesus encountered those living in sin? He loved them deeply and called them to leave their lives of sin. Repentance.

Jesus taught his disciples right up until the time of his tragic “end time”…his arrest and crucifixion. Surely Jesus knew how to read the signs—that things were getting really bad for him, that his time was coming. And yet he taught the disciples to hold firm, to wait patiently, and to feed and clothe and provide water for those who were hungry, cold and thirsty (see the end of Matthew 25!). Living faithfully amidst apocalypses (apocalypsii?) seems to include both faithful trust and openness towards the ways God is moving and continuing to care for each other well.

An excerpt from Blessing for Waiting By Jan Richardson

Who wait for the end of waiting

who wait for the fullness of time

who wait emptied and open and ready

who wait for you,

o bless.

*These thoughts from Stanley Hauerwas are from his commentary on Matthew, published in 2006 by Brazos Press.

**I have found The Bible Project’s videos and podcasts on apocalyptic literature incredibly helpful! Watch this quick video for more!