John Calvin Commentary 1 Peter 4:7

"But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer:" — 1 Peter 4:7 (ASV)

But, or, moreover, the end of all things is at hand. Although the faithful hear that their happiness is elsewhere than in the world, yet, because they think that they will live long, this false thought makes them careless, and even lazy, so that they do not direct their thoughts to the kingdom of God. Therefore, the Apostle, so that he might rouse them from the drowsiness of the flesh, reminds them that the end of all things was near; by which he implies that we ought not to remain idle in the world, from which we must soon depart. He is not, at the same time, speaking only of the end of individuals, but of the universal renewal of the world, as though he had said, “Christ will soon come, who will put an end to all things.”

It is, then, no wonder that the cares of this world overwhelm us and make us drowsy, if the sight of present things dazzles our eyes; for almost all of us promise ourselves an eternity in this world; at least, the end never comes to our mind. But if the trumpet of Christ were to sound in our ears, it would powerfully rouse us and not allow us to lie dormant.

But it may be objected that a long series of ages has passed away since Peter wrote this, and yet the end has not come. My reply to this is that the time seems long to us because we measure its length by the spans of this fleeting life; but if we could understand the perpetuity of future life, many ages would appear to us like a moment, as Peter will also tell us in his second epistle. Besides, we must remember this principle: from the time when Christ once appeared, there is nothing left for the faithful but, with expectant minds, always to look forward to His second coming.

The watchfulness and sobriety to which he exhorted them belong, as I think, to the mind rather than to the body. The words are similar to those of Christ:

“Watch ye, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of Man cometh.” (Matthew 25:13).

For as indulgence in overeating and sleep makes the body unfit for its duties, so the vain cares and pleasures of the world intoxicate the mind and make it drowsy.

By adding prayer, he points out an especially necessary exercise, in which the faithful ought to be particularly engaged, since their whole strength depends on the Lord; as though he had said, “Since you are in yourselves extremely weak, ask the Lord to strengthen you.” He still reminds them that they were to pray earnestly, not formally.