Because the end of all things has never happened, the "at hand" in 1 Peter 4:7 can be understood from the viewpoint of God, for whom a thousand years is like a day (2 Peter 3:8-9).
The end of all things (1 Peter 4:7) won't occur until about 3,000 AD, when, after the future millennium and subsequent events (Revelation 20:7-10), heaven (the 1st heaven, the sky/atmosphere) and the earth (its surface) will be literally burned up (2 Peter 3:10) before the great white throne judgment (Revelation 20:11-15) and the subsequent creation of a new heaven (atmosphere) and earth (surface) (Revelation 21:1-8).
I understand that you and other literalists have already condemned the world to destruction. But that is not the case with God:
"For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." -- Jn 3:17
There are many passages that point to this earth as eternal:
"[The Lord] laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." -- Ps 104:5
"One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever." -- Ecc 1:4
"For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else." -- Isa 45:18
"For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the Lord. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh." -- Isa 66:22-24
"And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world." -- Jn 12:47
"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." -- Eph 3:21
"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." -- Rev 11:15
"And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it." -- Rev 21:24
"In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." -- Rev 22:2
.
So, if the world never ends, how do you know the "
end of all things" never happened, or ever will happen? Maybe Peter was referring to the end of the Jewish Age: the end of all things for the Jewish economy and their traditions.
These are some of the verses where the word "world" actually means "age", which is of the Greek word "
aion":
"The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world <aion>; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world <aion>." -- Mt 13:39-40
"And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world <aion>?" -- Mt 24:3
"But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world <aion> to come eternal life." -- Mk 10:30
"Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began <aion>." -- Acts 3:21
"Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world <aion> are come." -- 1Cor 10:11
"Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world <aion>, according to the will of God and our Father:" -- Gal 1:4
So, the so-called "
end of the world" is, in reality, the
end of the Jewish Age.
Jesus spake in parables, and in many instances his disciples used figurative language and symbolic imagery. For example, take this passage by Peter, which is virtually all symbolic imagery:
"But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men . . . But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?" -- 2Pet 3:7, 10-12
That prediction seems dire and
final, until an exegetical analysis is performed. Then it is revealed that the word "
elements" comes from the Greek Word "
stoicheion " which means, simply, "
something orderly in arrangement." Similar uses of that same Greek word are found in these verses:
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments <stoicheion> of the world, and not after Christ." -- Col 2:8
"For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles <stoicheion> of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat." -- Heb 5:12
So, "
elements" simply means
traditions or principles; or, in the case of ancient Jerusalem,
the myriad of rules and laws created by the control freaks
to keep the people in bondage. And they most definitely were in bondage, which was one of the items in the Lord's Mission Statement:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;" -- Isa 61:1-2
Paul explained that the earthly Jerusalem was the
city of bondage:
"For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." -- Gal 4:22-26
"Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free." -- Gal 4:30-31
So much for "elements" burning up. Now on to "fire". There are two Greek words for fire in 2nd Peter, one word derived from the other:
verse 7 -- pur: fire (literal or figurative, specially lightning): fiery, fire.
verse 12 - puroo: derived from pur; to kindle, i.e. (passive) to be ignited, glow (literal), be refined (by implication), or (figurative) to be inflamed (with anger, grief, lust): burn, fiery, be on fire, try.
These are some verses that use those words:
"And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire <pur>." -- Mt 3:10
"I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire<pur>: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire <pur>." -- Mt 3:11-12
"If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire <pur>, and they are burned." -- Jn 15:6
"Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire <pur> shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." -- 1Cor 3:13-15
"In flaming fire <pur> taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:" -- 2Th 1:8
"That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire <pur>, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:" -- 1Pet 1:7
"And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. And if any man will hurt them, fire <pur> proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed." -- Rev 11:3-5
"But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn <puroo>." -- 1Cor 7:9
"Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn <puroo> not?" -- 2Cor 11:29
"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire <puroo>, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." -- Rev 3:18
So, I think we can reasonably assume that in most places in the scripture, "
fire is
not fire". And a thorough understanding of the end times reveals that it means, in all cases, the end of the age, not the end of the planet.
Like I told you earlier, literalism always fails.
.
