In April 2024, our television and mobile screens were filled with images of long-range ballistics glowing in the night sky over Jerusalem. The barrage of missiles was launched directly by Iran from hundreds of miles away. In the tense moments where we waited for spectacular images of destruction across a land considered holy by three of the world’s largest religions, it seemed the apocalyptic event the world has long anticipated would suddenly become a reality. It did not.

Since then, the conflict has escalated with subsequent attacks from both Israel and Iran resulting in direct involvement by the United States with powerful, never-before-used bombs dropped from stealth planes on nuclear development sites deep inside Iranian mountainsides. As everyday citizens implore their leaders to act in their best interest—for better or worse—in times of growing conflict, the world anxiously contemplates what comes next. In the backdrop of this weekend’s events is Israel’s multi-front offensive in Gaza which has undeniably become a humanitarian catastrophe with no immediate, just resolution. Additionally, the grueling and high-stakes war in Ukraine initiated by Russia shows no sign of ceasing. With the United States now directly involved in the Middle East and other nuclear-capable nations such as Israel, Russia, China, and NATO allies with a material interest in the region becoming increasingly weary, the growing risk of a wider war remains a very real and calculated possibility.

Apocalyptic Narratives and Current Events

Religious traditions often refer to events and signs of coalescing great peril involving catastrophic war and natural disasters as “the end times.” For generations, Jews and Christians tell a story of a perfect world created by God that became corrupted by the sin of mankind. The Biblical narratives recount numerous stories with a familiar storyline: humanity’s self-interest and rebellion create tragic outcomes that lead people to rediscover God’s moral ways. These stories originate from ancient Mesopotamia in the Middle East, dating back 400 CE to 3,000 BCE. It wasn’t until closer to the turn of the millennium that a new form of literature became popularized in religious tradition: the apocalyptic genre.

An apocalypse isn’t a particular event, but a story that conflates current events, religious imagery, and fantasy to construct a “prophetic” outcome. These narratives regularly feature widespread destruction by oppressive or supernatural powers that threaten the existence of humanity. They are stories of war-making and legitimizing claims of superiority over others with God’s blessing or judgement.

Imagining the possibility of worldwide catastrophe through war, climate change, artificial intelligence, or a less likely asteroid strike is visualized in modern-day apocalyptic novels, television shows, and movies. Such hypothetical outcomes are not purely fictional either. Like ancient apocalyptic literature, they are grounded in observations of current events and our interpretations of them.

Where historical and current events alongside competing worldviews can incite our anxiety about the future, ideological groups seek to position themselves as the true, righteous defenders of peace and justice. This is often at the expense of others and done in the name of God. In times like these, it’s no wonder many reject religious traditions and others cling closer to them.

Reimagining Apocalyptic Narratives for the Common Good

So, are we living in “the end times” and on the brink of a total global collapse? Unlikely. 

We may be entering a dark period in human history where war, climate change, and technological disruption create never-before-seen global threats. The future cannot be fully known, but the wisdom and insights of many and our historical texts can serve as helpful guides. The ancient prophetic texts that predict the end of the world and God’s total victory are stories that seek to unite believers to persevere with faith under oppression, persecution, tragedy, and extreme hardship. These stories can be insightful, but not as fundamentalists and literalists perceive them to be. An analysis of history and the function of religious and non-religious apocalyptic literature would reveal a sobering conclusion: they do not decisively predict the future.

However, the stories of the past can caution and inspire us to pursue hope, change, and the flourishing of all people in opposition to those who seek to serve their self-interests at the expense of others. These stories remind us that chaos and calamity are ever-present realities in the human experience. They also invite us to imagine the results of injustice and evil against our One human family, even if exaggerated or disproportionately biased. An apocalypse isn’t a single event, but the story of widespread human suffering and loss. For this reason, we’re drawn to worship and pray to God for inspiration, intervention, and redemption over our collective plight.

Hope in our time is the pursuit of holistic values that cultivate unity, progress toward a sustainable future, and equitable solutions that benefit everyone, everywhere. The stories of epic battles between the forces of good and evil have been written into the very fabric of modern human consciousness, but we are not restrained by them. A peaceful world is possible when we transform our fears into compassion and love for others because we are all the children of God.