The end of all things is near.
Summary: The end of all things is not the end for everything. In truth, it is the beginning.
When you read the words of today’s passage, what comes to mind? The end of the world? That is what I think, too. Only God gave me a cartoon brain instead of a real brain, and so I see a cartoon drawing of a man on a street corner holding a sign that says, “The end is near!” The difference between what the cartoon says and what Peter writes is important. Peter doesn’t say that the end is near. What he says is that the end of all things is near.
We live in a world made up of things and not-things. Not-things are much different than nothings because not-things are real. They just aren’t things.
Things are physical. The earth and sky, buildings and cars, shoes, and hats are all things. They exist in the physical realm, are made of atoms, and follow the laws of physics. Not-things are not physical. Not-things do not have to obey the laws of physics. Not-things are real, except they operate under a different set of rules than things.
When God brings an end to all things, that doesn’t mean it is the end of everything. It is not the end of God. It is not the end of the angels. It is not the end of you and me. We continue to exist, but we no longer are constrained by things.
The best illustration I can think of is the theater. Shakespeare put it best in his play, “As You Like It.”
”All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts…”
Imagine you are in a play. Your part is the talking horse. You put on the costume and the horse mask covers your entire head. Your world has become that of a talking horse in a theatrical barnyard. The lights, the sounds, the people around you are all artificial. They are only things in a play. When the play is over and the applause dies down, the sets are struck. The costumes go back in storage, and the theater is nothing more than an empty shell waiting for the next play. Meanwhile, you are no longer a horse but a spirit that finds its way home to a family of kindred spirits and the warmth of a smile and the words, “Welcome home!”
Is our life any different? When the curtain comes down on our own personal drama, and we take off the trappings of things, is that the end or the beginning? For those who are in Jesus, the end of all things is just the beginning.
Application: Be confident in our Lord. Trust Him. Do not trust in things.
Food for Thought: What does the word, ”near” mean in this context?
The word near means that the end is approaching. It is the same word that is used when Jesus said “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The end of earthly things are approaching. Thus, as you said, better not to trust in silver or gold or people or presidents (Psalms 118: 8-9). God will replace our things with His things. We will have a new body. There will be a new heaven and a new earth. Those things will be eternal… and better. It is approaching. This helps us keep momentary troubles in perspective.
Rich,
“Keeping perspective,” as you aptly put it, is perhaps the biggest challenge any of us face. When confronted by hardship in this world, it helps immensely to remember that this world is only a small part of our total existence.
What does the word, ”near” mean in this context?
It appears God is telling all believers we must grow in Christ and allow His light to be seen now.
As a younger person I felt getting old was a lifetime away, and it actually was. Today I am old and I have only distant memories of the past events. Where did time go? How did it pass so quickly?
My cousin left this world at 14, far too many of my friends did not see their mid 20’s and my son was taken at 44. We need to understand we are eternal beings, but these bodies are not. If we are going to allow Christ to have these bodies for ministry, the time is now. Do it now because we really don’t know how many tomorrows we have.
2 Corinthians 6:2b, Behold, now is THE ACCEPTABLE TIME, behold, now is THE DAY OF SALVATION.
Ron,
I am thankful God has blessed you with a long life. I appreciate knowing you and being able to share words with you. We don’t know the day or the hour. We just know that it is coming.
Close at hand,.. means near to me,..there are a lot of things that are near me,..I am wondering if Peter is talking about the gospel being preached nearing an end,..since most of all the apostles were about gone and there have been those that have distorted the gospel,..it was Paul’s letter’s to Timothy that explained the role of a elder and deacon,..these guys were going through a lot of persecution to preserve the words in the Bible we read today,..just my thought on near and coming to and end means here in this context,..but hey,..I have been known to wrong before,..like I have come to think that’s why John never mentioned his name to speak of in his letters,..he always refers to himself as the one Jesus loved, my thought is that he was working hard to keep his head on his shoulders while carrying out the mission to write his letters,..again,..I have been known to wrong,..but one thing for sure is that God’s word continues to be spread through out the world and it has never changed and it will never come near to an end,..Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty Who was, is and is to come,..
John,
Thank you! I really appreciate you reminding us that God’s Word will never change nor ever come to an end. Well said!