The End Of All Things Is Near

The End Of All Things Is At Hand

1 Peter 4.7-11; Mk 1.15; Luke 17.21

Peter utters a phrase that so many self-proclaimed end time prophets (more like end time profiteers) have built a shallow, but lucrative, ministry out of. Peter warns that, “the end of all things is near;” another translation reads, “Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up . . .”

Even with a cursory reading of the New Testament, one will observe that its writers believed that Christ’s return to this world was imminent. So, were Peter and the other NT writers, two thousand years since, wrong in their end time pronouncements?

Before I address that question, I must share a grave pastoral burden of mine: I’m gravely concerned for so many believers that are so easily programmed and influenced by smooth, fanciful and forceful Middle East prophetic rhetoric.

Among many Evangelicals there even exists doom’s day delight in the current wars happening in the Middle East; that is, there are believers that are happy about the current wars because they believe that those wars are ushering in the End Times and the 2^nd Coming of Christ.

“At the center of it all is Pastor John Hagee, a popular televangelist who leads the 18,000-member Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas. While Hagee has long prophesized about the end times, he ratcheted up his rhetoric this year with the publication of his book, "Jerusalem Countdown," in which he argues that a confrontation with Iran is a necessary precondition for Armageddon and the Second Coming of Christ. In the best-selling book, Hagee insists that the United States must join Israel in a preemptive military strike against Iran to fulfill God's plan for both Israel and the West.

When addressing audiences receptive to Scriptural prophecy, however, Hagee welcomes the coming confrontation. He argues that a strike against Iran will cause Arab nations to unite under Russia's leadership, as outlined in chapters 38 and 39 of the Book of Ezekiel, leading to an "inferno [that] will explode across the Middle East, plunging the world toward Armageddon.’” (Sarah Posner)

Bruce Prescott recently expressed his concern:

“Theological and exegetical incompetents who roll out their end-times charts and impersonate fortune-tellers for their gullible followers might be considered harmless.

When they roll into Washington and lobby to have the government launch wars to fulfill their warped fantasies, they are dangerous.

These warmongering Evangelicals do not faithfully represent the Prince of Peace.”

Lets get back to better understanding Peter’s pronouncement, “The end of all things is at hand.” First, I think putting Peter’s statement in context with Jesus teaching is paramount to our understanding of Peter’s end time’s phrase.

Jesus taught that the Kingdom of God, in a real way, is already here. Jesus said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe the gospel;” or as another translation reads, “Time’s up! God’s Kingdom is here. Change your life and believe the Message.” (MK 1.15)

Was Peter wrong or are we looking for the Kingdom of God in the wrong places and wrong ways?

One time, the Pharisees cornered Jesus on the topic of the coming kingdom of God; Jesus told them:

“The kingdom of God doesn’t come by counting the days on the calendar. Nor when someone says, ‘Look here! Or, ‘There it is!’ And why? Because God’s kingdom is already among you.” Or “The kingdom of God is within you.” (LK 12.20-21)

The kingdom of God is not merely an external destination; it’s an ever present and internal growing seed. The Kingdom of God is within the Believer and its fruit becomes evident by the Believer’s prayers, showed love, kind hospitality and ministry toward others (1 Peter 4. 7b-11).

Too many have made the End Times into a single geographical and external sensational event, when really the biblical End Times are more about the advent of a new era and reign, namely the kingdom of God within our hearts and faith.

It’s harmful to look and see the kingdom of God as solely an external happening. Like the Pharisees, we are tempted to pride ourselves in outward appearances and actions. Not just in our culture and era, but also over all human history:

Humanity has been obsessed with outward beauty over inward purity.

We have also been infatuated with external material possessions more than internal and inner character and integrity.

Our human nature has become so distracted by superficial and outer concerns, so much so, that our human notions of God and God’s kingdom have all been reduced (perverted) to outside works of righteousness, appearances and events (Pharisees).

God looks at the heart and humans have judged life upon outer appearances. This is why the Pharisees and others were rocked (shocked) when Jesus said, “I tell you: the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you [because they truly repented].” (LK 21.31)

The Kingdom of God is a present reality; however, there also seems to be a future and fuller realization as well.

I do believe that future realization and manifestation of the kingdom of God is partly up to our faith actions. That is, that this present world system is rapidly passing away and that the Kingdom of God is coming into sharper and clearer focus, more and more, with each act of sacrificial love, pursuit of peace, heartfelt prayer, and immediate acts of obedience by Christians to Christ.

Brian McLaren states that, “this kingdom [of God] advances slowly, quietly, under the surface—like yeast in dough, like seed in soil. It advances by faith: when people believe it is true, it becomes true. And it advances with reconciling, forgiving love: when people love strangers and enemies, the kingdom [of God] gains ground.” (The Secret Message of Jesus, 32)

Now Peter would later write that the timing of the fruition of the kingdom of God is somewhat relative:

“There is no difference in the Lord’s sight between one day and a thousand years; to him the two are the same. The Lord is not slow to do what he has promised, as some think. Instead he is patient with you, because he does not want anyone to be destroyed but wants all to turn away from their sins.” (2 Peter 3.8-9)

Peter in considering that the end of all things is near, seems to admonish believers to hearken the Kingdom of God’s full arrival with inner faith expressed through fruits of prayer, sacrificial love, kind hospitality and ministry toward others (1 Peter 4. 7b-11).

Today, we break bread and observe the Lord’s Supper. Jesus once said the Kingdom of God is like yeast (MT 13.33). Yeast works its way through the flour and over time and within the right conditions the yeast causes the dough to rise and then bread occurs.

The kingdom of God received by faith into your life, works its way through your heart, mind, spirit and life. But we have to receive it and let it work into our lives. It’s a subversive action and often we are unaware of its transformation. There are times, nevertheless, when we pray, sacrificially love others, and continually submit our lives to the reign of Christ then we can perhaps glimpse into the very nature and person that is the Kingdom of God, Jesus our Lord.