What to Do When the End of the World is at Hand
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When someone asked Martin Luther what he would do if the end of the world were to come that very day, he replied that he would plant a tree and pay his taxes. He meant, of course, that he wouldn’t do anything different with how he was living. He would continue to look for ways to bless others in the future and be faithful with his obligations. It’s an interesting question for us to consider because the Bible tells us we are living in the last days. What would you do if you knew today would be your last day?
It’s important for us to understand that faithfulness and obedience to God’s Word matters, all the way up to the last moment we live and breathe on earth. We are indeed living in the last days (James 5:8; 1 John 2:18), as all believers have done since the New Testament era began after Jesus’ death. The Bible also tells us that as the day of Christ’s return draws near, life will grow increasingly more difficult, especially for believers as the world grows more openly hateful of God and His people (2 Timothy 3:1). Yet, we can gain courage just like Esther did when Mordecai reminded her she had been sovereignly placed in the king’s court for such a time as this. We each have a part to play in these last days.
We don’t know how long this season of “last days” may last. It’s quite possible the Lord may tarry for many more years or hundreds of years. Yet we do know His return is closer than it’s ever been, which, though exciting, also brings with it unexpected pressures. Like many of you, I’ve been searching the Scriptures for God’s wisdom on living well in times of increased difficulty, trial, and oppression. It’s been tremendously comforting to see how often the New Testament writers counseled the believers about what to do “when the end of world draws near.”
One such passage was penned by Peter as he sought to prepare and strengthen his readers for the trials and difficulties of living in a fallen world. Near the end of his letter, Peter tells his readers in 1 Peter 4:7 that “the end of all things is near,” and then tells them some of the most important things they can do in last days. What we’re looking for here is focused, narrowed down, “do the most important stuff” kind of instruction for living well to the very end.
When the End of the World is at Hand, Keep a Proper Perspective
Peter tells us that since the end of all things is near, we are to be of sound judgment and sober spirit (1 Peter 4:7). Of course, this exhortation makes perfectly good sense, and we can understand why Peter urges us to live this way. Flying into a hysterical tizzy or curling up into a catatonic ball on the floor isn’t helpful when “the end of all things is near!” Instead, what we need in times of crisis, difficulty, and impending global judgment is clear-minded thinking and self-controlled responses. To have sound judgment has the idea of preserving your sanity and not giving way to fear. William Barclay points out that when we’re of sane mind and spirit, we see what’s important and what’s not. He writes, “It is only when we see the affairs of earth in the light of eternity that we see them in their proper proportions; it is when God is given His proper place that everything takes its proper place [emphasis added].”1
Peter tells us to be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Thomas Schreiner helpfully comments, “Their sensible and alert thinking is to be used for prayer, for entreating God to act and move in the time that still remains. The realization that God is bringing history to a close should provoke believers to depend on Him, and this dependence is manifested in prayer, for in prayer believers recognize that any good that occurs in the world is due to God’s grace [emphasis added].”2
When the End of the World is at Hand, Increase Your Love for the Brethren
When the end of all things is near, Peter tells us to “keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8).” You have to ask, “Of all the things Peter could have told us, why exhort us to energetically and persistently love one another?” I think I understand his reasoning more now than I ever did before. The ongoing virus “crisis,” presidential election, riots, and increasing oppression and restriction of rights, privileges, and “normal” life have been upsetting, to say the least. It’s not exaggerating to say that most of us have struggled with fear. Fear is an interesting sin because it invariably leads to other sins like worry, anger, fretting, hoarding, hiding, grumbling, criticism, and bitterness, and that’s just getting started.
Yet, what are we called to do for one another when the end is near, troubles increase, and we encounter sinful responses in one another? We’re to love one another fervently because as we do so, our love will see past the sin to the root issue in the heart. The goal isn’t to merely brush the sin under the rug, but to lovingly “strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble (Hebrews 12:12),” so we can help each other move past our sinful responses and in humility and repentance turn to the Lord. We need to love each other well, clear up to the very end, whenever that end may be.
When the End of the World is at Hand, Show Hospitality
Yes, you read that right! Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:9 to “be hospitable to one another without complaint.” Again, we need to ask, “Why should we show hospitality when the end is near?” Let’s think again about what happens when we’re afraid and life grows increasingly difficult and desperate. If people are in fear for their lives or their livelihood, people tend to hide, hoard, or huddle. Fear certainly does make us want to hide from others, sometimes because we’re convicted of our sin, sometimes because we don’t want others to find out what’s really going on in our hearts, or because we don’t want to change. Yet, God expects us to show hospitality instead of hiding out in fear. As we do so, we’ll exercise our spiritual gifts, encourage the hearts of the saints, and be encouraged ourselves.
Hospitality calls on us to exercise faith over our fear when fear tempts us to hoard our resources. We reason that we can’t share because what if we need that 3-year supply of toilet paper, or the bottles and bottles of cleaning supplies, or even the many packages of bacon we have stored in the freezer? Instead of hoarding, we’re called upon to show hospitality and share our resources, time, energy, and homes without complaint especially when trials and difficulties increase.
Fear can make us turn inward and want to huddle only with our family or a small, well-defined group, yet showing hospitality requires us to serve others outside our comfort zone. It requires us to get out of our cozy sweats and slippers, invite someone over, possibly share a meal, and purposely seek to impart the blessings of true, biblical Christian fellowship by speaking to one another of God’s good promises, His faithful character, and the truths of Scripture. God wants us to remember that when we are living in the last days, spending time with the saints is of primary importance.
When the End of the World is at Hand, Exercise Your Spiritual Gifts
Wait…what? We don’t know the day or the hour of Christ’s return, we only know that His return is imminent, and until then, we are commanded to use our spiritual gifts to bless others in the body of Christ. Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The end may be near, but that doesn’t mean we quit living. In fact, the emphasis in this passage is upon being more faithful, not less, and being more engaged in the lives of others, not less. With life uncertain and fear constantly working to undermine our steadfast faith, ministering to one another with our God-given gifts is crucial.
We’ve been given special gifts by God to serve and strengthen others—especially when living in the last days. Peter gives us some examples of what it looks like to exercise our gifts in 1 Peter 4:11 when he writes, “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Peter reminds us that whatever our spiritual gifts are, we are to employ them in serving others who are hurting, fearful, lonely, and unsure about what to do next, and as we do so, God gets the glory. Dear ones, when the end of the world is at hand, be found with a proper perspective, a fervent love for the brethren, an eager hospitality, and a faithfulness to use your spiritual gifts for the good of the church.
Jesus tells us in Mark 13:32-37, “But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’”
The Lord’s return is near, though we don’t know when that may be. Until then God wants us to live differently because of Jesus’ soon return and the increased difficulties that are predicted in the last days. What we don’t need to do is fear for the Lord will never leave us or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.” Be comforted knowing the Lord watches over His children. He has always done so. And He will continue to do so. He is our rock, our refuge, our strength, and our hope.
We can rest in the commands and promises of His Word, obediently fulfilling our calling for as long as these last days last. We don’t need to fear judgment, suffering, change, or uncertainty, because God will always give us what we need when we need it. His grace is more than sufficient (2 Corinthians 9:8; 12:9) to help us, deliver us, and meet every need. In writing to the Thessalonian believers who were also living in the last days, Paul said, “To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12).”
1 William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter, 3rd ed. fully rev. and updated, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press, 2003), 290–291.
2 Thomas R. Schreiner, 1, 2 Peter, Jude, vol. 37, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2003), 211.
