The end of all things is near. 1 Peter 4:7 (NIV)
Peter is speaking about the great day when the Lord Jesus Christ will return. The church has until that day, and not a moment longer. That’s our time. The end is near.
Nobody knows the day, the week, the month, or the year of the return of Jesus Christ. But the Scriptures make it clear that this is an event that could happen at any time.
God has orchestrated a chain of strategic events through the course of human history, beginning with creation and the fall. He made a covenant with Abraham, and He made his descendants into a great nation. He brought them out of Egypt and gave them their own land. They rebelled and were taken as exiles to Babylon. After 70 years, they returned. Four hundred years later, Jesus Christ was born. He lived, died, was raised, and ascended to heaven.
Then the Holy Spirit was poured out at Pentecost. This was the penultimate (the one before the last) act in God’s great drama. All that remains is for Jesus Christ to return in glory. When that happens, His people will be caught up to meet Him in the air. We call this “the rapture.”
What happened to Jesus at the ascension will happen to all His people in the twinkling of an eye. We shall be changed. This will not be the end of world history, but it will be the end of our time. God has given us the task of bringing the good news to all people, and He has given us a limited amount of time to do that. And that is what Peter is referring to here.
Does the end feel near to you? Why or why not?
