It’s the End of The World as We Know It – And I Feel “Meh”

CW for discussion of end times theology / rapture. (Also Rapture Predictions)

Everything feels ready to fall apart. I think part of that mentality is that I grew up believing that the US and the world as a whole was going to be destroyed. Stories of apocalypse dotted my childhood.¹ Hell, some of my good memories of my father are him tucking us in bed and getting lost in conversation talking about theology with us as children. I can distinctly remember one of those conversations asking “why isn’t any of the ‘new world’² mentioned in the bible.” My father’s answer was that it was going to be destroyed, probably through nuclear warfare, before the return of Christ. Try sleeping after that.

To my father this was a casual thing. Much of the world destroyed, and he was totally serious about it. Littered throughout my childhood were sermon after sermon about the end of times sermons on Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelations. The end is coming, it was a familiar refrain. It probably also didn’t help that I read a lot of fiction centered on the idea of the coming end of the world such as Left Behind.

My parents now are still caught up in this panic. Despite their belief that they will be raptured before the end of days, they continue to delve deeper into conspiracies about how the world will end. Some days it’s a Chinese bioweapon or a Bill Gates invented nanobot. Other times CERN is going to open some demonic portal to hell. EMP weapons or nuclear war are occasionally sprinkled in occasionally. Fear grips their minds and I’ve found it nearly impossible to break their focus on the end of days. Even just recently my mom’s reposted that 9/23/25 is going to be the day the world ends.

“Never realized Charlie Kirk was your age. Sad for his wife and young kids. But I believe he will be with them soon. Lots of things looking like the rapture will be soon.” (Direct recent quote from my mom. Bold text added by me.)

It’s hard to know, but I think for them it’s almost comforting to slowly watch the world fall apart. If California is on fire then that’s just another sign of God’s coming. Increased tension in the middle east? Oh god must be coming soon. Rising tensions with China, bombing in Iran and Kuwait? Here are three verses that prove it’s a sign that god is coming soon.

And I would love to laugh at this from a distance, but I know they believe it. Blood moon prophecies kept my mother from attending an out of state wedding. Lest she be away from her ¿maybe?³ unsaved child, and be unable to witness to them in her last moments on earth. This is a very real belief.

But I can see how it tears away any responsibility for taking care of the present. Even in that past story, relationships with friends were worsened due to an unfounded fear. Cheering on violence against Palestinian people will never bring peace or comfort to those affected by Israel’s genocidal actions. There is no mandate to care for the downtrodden or marginalized when your sole focus is on the end of the world and the coming afterlife. In my parents case that comes in the form of stockpiling food and guns for themselves for the coming end of days. While ignoring the current physical needs of anyone outside of their small faith community.

Honestly I’m struggling with those feelings a bit myself. My current home is in a solidly red state. One that continues to attack queer individual and wishes to help Trump deport the immigrants in their the state. Free speech is constantly feeling more and more tenuous.⁴ Those feelings of “the end of days is here” feels a little closer every day I wake up and read another executive order. Or a state bill or lawsuit attacking my spouse’s or children’s rights. It’s hard not to catastrophize.

Realistically I’m well aware it’s not the end of the world. But it’s certainly ironic to have these feeling come from the products of what is solidly a Christian fascist movement. Trump may not believe any of it, but he’s certainly leading a large group of Christian nationalists in his movement. Drill baby drill – because we don’t need to worry about the future of the planet, it’s all planned by god. Mar-a-gaza⁵ because Palestinian people have no place in a large Jewish state (that needs to happen before Christ can return). It’s prophesized in your holy book! Burn the world to the ground as long as you can see your signs and wonders foretelling the end of days.

I know that sounds angry. And yes, I am angry. The entire of the US government seems to be following the wishes of Christian nationalists. And right now, that’s a thought that has me feeling extremely helpless. Calling my (far right) congressmen, emailing them as suggested by many unfortunately isn’t going to do anything. They aren’t listening and never will. They will continue to vote along their party line regardless of how many people in their state push back. And more than likely my next state governor is going to be an ex-member of DOGE.

For now I’m working on quelling my fear. Focusing on my family and keeping them safe in the changing world we live in. And trying to focus on finding times of joy with my children. Even if that joy is mostly a shared Minecraft server with my children or short nature walks. I’ll continue to cling to the present and assuage my fears of the future. As I reminded my mom (after the above message about Charlie Kirk), Christians have been predicting the end of times since the first century. Even for my mom this is not the first time she’s predicted the end of the world (See above story).

The US has also had many violent periods where minorities have suffered. And while that isn’t a calming fact, just knowing that this isn’t a “new” thing has helped ease my mind.⁶ There are always going to be attacks against the “others” in society. That doesn’t remove any personal responsibility or action on my part, but it does provide some context. I can do my part and make sure I speak up and vote when and were I can. But I can’t individually change the US.

1. I’m currently Reading Forager: Field Notes for Surviving a Family Cult and while I can’t relate to the lifestyle the author grew up on. The theology and verses the author often quotes are firmly held in my mind. I can sing the songs she quotes and find myself muttering along with the verses about the end of days as she quotes them. Revelation and other apocalyptic literature in the bible has been used to justify so many extreme acts. Including the cult this author grew up around. ↩︎
2. North and South America ↩︎
3. I wasn’t the black sheep at the time so this actually was not regarding myself. But rather one of my other siblings. My sibling had long professed Christianity so I’m not sure why my mother doubted their word. ↩︎
4. https://www.npr.org/2025/09/18/nx-s1-5545680/kimmel-cancellation-renews-questions-about-free-speech (Recent example though many other current events could also be linked here as well. I believe our current president has recently discussed revoking network’s broadcasting licenses for objectional content) ↩︎
5. https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-posts-gaza-riviera-ai-video-sunbathing-benjamin-netanyahu/ He hasn’t dropped the idea. ↩︎
6. https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/political-violence-before-and-after-charlie-kirks-murder/ (This many be a good listen for context) Or if you want a longer read / listen “A People’s History of the United States” is a good place to start. ↩︎