“The end is near.”

This phrase has almost become worn out by images of sandwich-board prophets and wild-eyed street preachers. But it’s also what the apostle Peter said two thousand years ago: “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7). This time between Christ’s first and second comings are the “last days” (1 Peter 1:20; Hebrews 1:2; 9:26), and therefore, Christians should be especially vigilant of their behavior in order to make “the best use of the time” (Ephesians 5:16).

The time is running short, so how should we live?

Taking the end of all things soberly and seriously means that our reliance on prayer increases. Instead of working frantically to “do, do, do” before the time runs out, we should come more and more to rest in God’s sovereignty and seek his help (1 Peter 4:7). This prayerfulness does not drive us to isolation, but rather to greater and greater love for our neighbors, from the heart and in our homes (1 Peter 4:8–9).

Look at the Book is John Piper’s latest effort to help teach people to read the Bible for themselves. It’s an ongoing series of 8–12 minute videos in which the camera is on the text, not the teacher.

As part of this initiative, Desiring God is putting on regional events focused on certain passages of Scripture. This is Part 11 in a series on 1 Peter called “Hoping, Singing, and Loving in the Refiner’s Fire.” More parts will be released in the coming weeks.