The eruption of the volcanic fissure beneath Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull (pronounced Aye-ya fyah-dla jow-kudl) made headlines this past week, not just for its spectacular display of smoke and ash, but especially for its tangling of European travel.

The Eyjafjallajökull volcano has become the latest in a long list of major geologic events occurring worldwide since the beginning of the year:

• Jan. 2, 2010—Mt. Nayamulagira erupts in the Democratic Republic of Congo, threatening 100,000 in the village of Sake.
• Jan. 5, 2010—The largest earthquake swarm in 20 years is reported from Yellowstone National Park.
• Jan. 8, 2010—Soufriere Hills Volcano erupts in Montserrat in the Caribbean.
• Jan. 12, 2010—A 7.0 earthquake in Haiti leaves more than 200,000 dead.

The list goes on through February and March, including a massive earthquake in Chile, but in April alone:

• April 4, 2010—A 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes the Baja Peninsula in Mexico.
• April 13, 2010—A 6.9 magnitude earthquake strikes China.
• April 14, 2010—Eyjafjallajökull erupts, stranding passengers across Europe.

While many scientists say that this activity isn't out of the ordinary, many people are speculating as to who is next, and many are pointing to 2012 and the Mayan calendar and claiming we are nearing the "end of days."

The 2012 phenomenon

If you saw the recent film 2012, you can see the connection. In case you haven't, in the film the earth's core heats up due to an influx of neutrinos from increased solar activity. As a result, the planet comes apart at the seams. Massive earthquakes, increased volcanic activity and general worldwide panic ensue. According to the movie, the Mayan calendar foretold this—the end of the world.

The Mayan calendar is believed to have been established in the year 3114 B.C. Based on their solar, lunar and stellar observations, they established a calendar that approximated the length of a solar year (within five days) and established a long count calendar that could be used to record longer periods of history. That long count calendar ends at the close of the 13th baktun, or Dec. 21 (or 23), 2012.

The end of the world?

Believe it or not, the "end of the world" has been discussed for millennia. In fact, 2,000 years ago the disciples asked Jesus for some inside information (Matthew 24:3). Christ told them about the events of the end of the age and the signs of His second coming—earthquakes, famine, pestilence, civil unrest, world war and persecution. Not a pretty picture. He told the disciples not to worry, however (verse 6), that all these things must come to pass before His return.

Then Jesus explained to them—and us—that the day of His return will come like a thief in the night, that we are to "watch" and to be "ready" (Matthew 24:42-44).

If you've ever had your house or car broken into, you know that there's no way to know when it will happen. You can prepare for it—exterior lights, a dog, an alarm—but you can't possibly knowWHENit will happen.

To learn more about the return of Jesus Christ and the end of our age, please read "The End of the World: What Does the Bible Say?"

Dec. 21, 2012, will come and go just like all the humanly predicted end-of-the-world dates before that. We have no way of knowing the exact time—but the thing we can do is to be spiritually ready when the end comes. And thankfully, the Bible reveals that the end of this evil world will just be the beginning of a much better one! VT