I Pet. 4:7 ... "The end of all things is near; therefore be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer."
In the Bible, time is considered to be linear, that is, it had a definite beginning, it proceeds on a continuous course, and it will eventually come to an end. The Bible's opening statement is, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." And II Pet. 3:10 declares that "the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." Before the "beginning" and after "the end of all things," (which is the same as "the day of the Lord"), there stretches out into mind-numbing infinitude what the Bible calls "eternity." Time is really only a "little blip" in eternity.
But where on the continuum of time is the position of earth existence now? First Peter 4:7 says we are rather near "the end" of it. Does this mean the curtain shall be drawn to terminate time within a decade, a century, or perhaps two or three centuries? Will the world terminate before the century is over? Or will it endure a few more generations to 2200? No one knows the answers to such questions, (Mat. 24:36), but misguided folk persist in setting end dates. We are informed in II Pet. 3:8 that "with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." By God's measure of time it has been only a couple of days since Jesus was crucified, so a full week on this scale would extend to 7000 AD, and one of our typical lifespans amounts to only one hour and 41 minutes. The point is that the warning, "the end of all things is near," has lost no meaning at all in the approximate 2000 years since it was written. And it will still be entirely meaningful in the year 7000 AD.
Our reponse to such meditation should be sobering, or as II Pet. 3:11 advises, "Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness." Realizing that God's wrath upon the impenitent, as well as His mercy on the penitent, shall be revealed, we should seriously prepare to make ourselves the recipients of His mercy on that day by devoting ourselves every days we live to "holy conduct and godliness." At the same time we must be praying with sober minds and sound judgment. In anticipation of the Lord's coming, which Christians ought not to fear, we should rather be "looking for and hastening" its arrival, (II Pet. 3:12). We are not pray with apprehension for the Lord to delay His coming, but much rather we must pray with joy that He will acutally hasten His return!
How much do we yearn for Christ's return to call us up into the glory of heaven? Mothers of young children often have this experience. When supper is about ready, Mom goes out on the porch and calls, "Johnny, come in! Supper's ready." But the reply comes back, "Not yet Mom, I'm having fun!" Some day God will also call us to the Great Supper in heaven which even now is being prepared, (Rev. 19:9). As we contemplate that call, had we rather it be later rather than sooner because here in this present world we are "having fun"? A lady once told me in a Bible class, "I would be perfectly willing for heaven to be right here on earth." It was great that this lady, now long deceased, enjoyed life so much. But the wonder and glory of heaven will surely cause the delights of earth to become miserable, (see I Cor. 2:9 and Php. 1:23-24).
Are we ready to express eagerness in our prayers for Christ's return? The first Christians were, for according to I Cor. 16:22, they would cry, "Maranatha!" This word in their native Aramaic tongue meant, "Come, our Lord!" We must likewise think continually upon the imminent return of our Lord, and even seek to hasten it by anxious, joyful prayer. And each day we must diligently prepare for it by developing our lives in "holy conduct and godliness."
