THE END OF ALL THINGS There is a sound of urgency in our text. No stilted theology here! We are speaking about something all-inclusive! Peter is not writing about an isolated point in history, after which the world will go on, just as at other times. "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer" (1 Pet 4:7 KJV). "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled SO THAT YOU CAN PRAY" (NIV). He states the end of "ALL THINGS" is at hand – imminent, or looming. The word "all" means precisely that! It is not restrictive, nor does it represent something fragmentary. It comes from a word that means "all, any, every, the whole: . . . thoroughly . . ." This rules out the view that the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of Jewry was in the point of reference. -- Tomorrow:
"The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" ( Peter 4:7-10, NASB)
"All things" means everything as it is now--as it presently consists. They will ALL come to an end – an abrupt end! Present moral conditions, involving the will and consciousness, will come to an end. The lack of awareness of God will end. Temptation will end. Men will no longer be confronted with good and evil, with the opportunity to make a choice. The material universe itself will end (2 Pet 3:10-12).
Christ's intercession will end. The devil's domain will end. Flesh and blood will come to an end. Insurrection against the Most High will no longer exist. War will end. The struggles of the godly will terminate, together with the ease of the ungodly. For the saints of the Lord, sorrow, pain, death, weariness, perplexity, and struggle will end. Their crying will end, and they will no longer have within them "another law, warring against the law of their mind." No more will we be "absent from the Lord," nor will we need deliverance! "All things" are coming to an end!
Blessing will NOT come to an end, but first-fruit blessing will! We will no longer have samples from the homeland, but will be in the homeland itself. "The end of all things is at hand." For both the godly and the ungodly, their present status will be enhanced – brought to fruition. Believers will be brought closer, And unbelievers will be thrust away completely. The enjoyment of Divine favor will increase for the saints, and the wrath of God will increase for the wicked.
The Impact of This Awareness
The Spirit's exhortation, in light of "the end," is arresting. "Therefore be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers" (NRSV). The NIV reads, "be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray." In today's Western world, these words have a strange sound. They simply do not blend with the modern mindset. Humor, distraction, novelty, lightheartedness – these are all demands of the time. The person that does not live on the surface of life is viewed as peculiar and strange. The truth of the matter is that those living on the surface are the strange ones. They are living without "the end" in view, and thus it will catch them unawares and unprepared.
Sober-mindedness
Seriousness, or sober-mindedness, does not equate to moroseness, melancholy, or hardness. Rather, it means we are alert, attentive, and awake. In view of "the end," we live so the devil cannot catch us unawares, and thus bring us down to perdition. Suffice it to say, this frame of mind is exceedingly rare in our day, when entertainment and shallow thought dominate even the religious world. There is no Gospel or word of hope for such a mindset!
The word "sober," or "serious," means "to think straight,": or be in a "sound" state of mind. This is an alert mind that is not caught off guard by the devil. It is a spiritual state of mind, where the things of God are not vague or in the background of our thinking. Things that contribute to our sober mindedness are our friends. Things that jeopardize that frame of spirit are our enemies. It is interesting that the word "sober" is not found in the Old Testament Scriptures (KJV). The word "serious" is only found once in the NRSV Old Testament writings, and the term "clear minded" (NIV) is only mentioned in our text.
This is the mind God "gave us" (2 Tim 1:7), and it is our business to maintain it. Because of their propensity to foolishness, "young men" are exhorted to be "sober minded" (Tit 2:6). The NIV translates this word "self controlled" in Titus 2:6, and "sober judgment" in Romans 12:3. The latter conveys the idea more precisely. It is "self control" in the sense of maintaining proper focus; not allowing distractions or intrusive thoughts to divert us from seeing things as they really are. Few things are as conducive to sound-mindedness, or sobriety, as a proper consideration of "the end of all things." Temptation is always an appeal to "now," and never takes "the end" into consideration.
Self Controlled
In Scripture, self control is more than mere regimen. It is controlling the part of us that is unregenerate – the "old man," or Adamic nature – "the flesh." It is refusing to give the reins of life to the part of our persons that is "perishing," or "wasting away" (2 Cor 4:16). Testifying of his activity in this connection, Paul wrote, "But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor 9:27). The NRSV and NIV accentuate the manner in which this was done: "I punish my body and enslave it . . . No, I beat my body and make it my slave." Paul did not pamper his body, but refused to let it have the dominance. He was strict with it, forcing it to serve him rather than him serve it. An indulgent society cannot comprehend this mindset, but it is the only one that is acceptable in the Kingdom of God.
In view of the imminent "end of all things," it is the height of absurdity to accent the temporal and condemned part of our persons. Believers must not allow this to happen! It is not that they should not allow it to happen, they MUST not allow it to happen! How appropriate are the words of the Spirit. "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light" (Rom 13:11-12, NIV). Our minds are to be fixed on the things of God, and our lower nature subdued in the power of the Spirit. That is the intent of these words, "For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom 8:13-14).
Our text infers that contemplating the "end of all things" is indispensable to the formation of sober mindedness, and self control. The absence of this perspective, therefore, thrusts one into jeopardy. It absolutely gives the devil an advantage. If this is a proper assessment, and it unquestionably is, the current emphasis on this world, that is found within the professed church, is one of the most effective delusions ever perpetrated by our adversary, the devil. It has compelled men and women to live in a disarmed state, vulnerable to the devices of the wicked one. Thus, people exist without a lively awareness of the impending "end of all things," giving themselves to what will end, and ignoring the things that will not end. This is a tragic circumstance!
The Impact On Prayer
It is common to hear people speak of being deficient in prayer. In fact, I know of no one that is thoroughly satisfied with this aspect of spiritual life. How does one improve their prayer-life? For some, it is a matter of personal discipline, routine, or habit. It is not unusual to hear of prayer journals, and other disciplinary approaches to prayer, as superior achievements. Peter looks at prayer from a fresh perspective – praying with eternity in view! "The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray" (NIV).
Can a person pray effectively without an acute awareness of "the end of all things"? Remember, simply uttering words is not all there is to prayer. It is important "in everything" to let our "requests be made known unto God" (Phil 4:6-7). That must never be underplayed. That is the revealed alternative to allowing the cares of this world to crush us, driving us out from the presence of the Lord. The admonition is preceded by the words, "Do not worry about anything" (NRSV). The purpose of this injunction is to ensure the possession of "the peace of God," which "will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (NRSV). There is, however, another dimension to prayer which must not be neglected. James reminds us, "The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective" (James 5:16b). A due consideration of "the end of all things" will contribute to our own righteousness, and the fervency of our prayers, as well as their effectiveness.
I remember, as a young believer, being confused about things that were lawful and things that were unlawful for the believer. This particularly applied to matters not directly mentioned in Scripture. Many times I was counseled by godly people to look at the matter from the viewpoint of "the end of all things." I was wisely told to ask myself this question, "Would you like to be found doing that when Jesus comes again?" As I reflect back on those times, I am staggered by the effectiveness of that interrogation. I was always able to come up with the right answer, regardless of the nature of the activity being questioned. The contemplation of "the end of all things" brought with it an awareness of right and wrong that could not otherwise have been obtained.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, grant me grace to live and to pray with "the end of all things" in mind.