Christians who talk about the end times attract a lot of eye rolls. We’ve all seen the guy on a street corner with a cardboard sign with red letters that say “the end is near”. But Jesus and the Apostles spend a great deal of their ministry warning people that the “end is at hand”. Jesus preaches with apocalyptic fury calling people to repent in light of coming judgement. He also encourages Christians not to buckle in the face of suffering in light of that same judgement. The Apostle Peter carries on that apocalyptic tradition with an exhortation to the church: the end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. In other words, the end transforms the way we live in the present. This is Understanding First Peter.