THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND: Panton de to telos eggiken (3SRAI): (Eccl 7:2; Jer 5:31; Eze 7:2,3,6; Mt 24:13,14; Ro 13:12; 1Co 7:29; 1Co 15:24; Phil 4:5; Heb 10:25; Js 5:8,9; 2Pet 3:9-11; 1Jn 2:18,19)

IMMINENCY
(See also Coming - parousia)
(Another discussion on imminency)

The end (culmination, climax, conclusion, consummation) (5056) (telos) is never used in the NT as a chronological end, as if something simply stops. Instead, telos refers to a consummation, a goal achieved, a result attained, or a realization. This term does not refer to annihilation (although indeed this present earth and heavens will be burned with intense heat - see discussion 2Peter 3:12) but is used in Scripture to refer to the end of the age. For example the angel tells Daniel

"as for you, go your way to the end; then you will enter into rest and rise again for your allotted portion at the end (Lxx uses the related word sunteleia = entire completion, consummation) of the age (which is the age we are still in and which will be succeeded by the 1000 year kingdom or "Messianic Age")." (Daniel 12:13)

The end is used here in chapter 4 by Peter in a similar way to refer to  the end of this present church age which will be brought about by the return of Christ in glory.

There will also be another "end" after the 1000 year reign of Christ and  Peter refers to this unique time in his second letter writing that...

"the day of the Lord will come like a thief (no warning), in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up." (see discussion of "the day of the Lord"  2 Peter 3:10)

This TRUTH should TRANSFORM our hearts and produce within us increasing desire to flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, disciplining ourselves for godliness.

This truth of Christ's imminent return is struck consistently throughout the NT should be a summons to every believer that it is time to wake up from spiritual dozing, for the night is far spent and the day is at hand. Toward the end of his letter to the saints in Rome Paul wrote...

And this do (love), knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation (glorification = future tense salvation) is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (see notes Romans 13:11; 12;13;14)

John in the last book of the Bible puts his exclamation point on this important truth recording our Lord Jesus' warning and encouragement...

Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward (wages or pay for service, whether good or bad) is with Me, to render (pay back) to every man according to what he has done. (see notes Revelation 22:12)

John Piper writes that 

Interpreters with less confidence in the Scriptures have sometimes concluded that the apostles simply made a mistake when they said things like this -- the end of all things at hand. The end is near, they said, but the end was over two thousand years away. So they made a mistake -- the argument goes. (Bolding added)

When a man realizes the nearness of Jesus Christ, he is bound to commit himself to a certain kind of life. If you knew that when you arise tomorrow morning you would see Jesus face to face in the evening, would it not affect the way you conducted yourself during the day!

Let Who you looking for,
And what you are living for.

Comments regarding the end:

Alford: "This was the constant expectation of the Apostolic age."

Huther: "That the Apostle, without fixing the time or the hour of it, looked upon the advent of Christ and the end of the age therewith connected, as near at hand must be simply admitted."

Salmon: "The vivid realization of the nearness of the end, which appears in all the Apostolic writings, is especially characteristic of Peter; to him the close of the present dispensation was so near that nothing seemed to stand between him and it."

Fronmuller: "Peter in common with the other Disciples expected that the second advent of Christ and the end of the whole present dispensation were nearly impending."

John Calvin: "It ought to be the chief concern of the believer to fix his mind constantly on Christ's second advent."

Is at hand (is near) (1448) (eggizo from eggus [or engus] = near) indicates imminency and not immediacy.  the perfect tense indicates that the imminency of the end of everything is an irreversible fact. The New Living translation = "The end of the world is coming soon..."

Peter's use of the perfect tense stresses the absolute certainty of this event in man’s history. Christ's return became an imminent certainty when He ascended into heaven and His return is still imminent today. In light of this truth live like those who are spiritually sane (see below), in soberness and with an attitude of prayer.

Eggizo is the word constantly used of the coming of Christ and His kingdom. Jesus begin His ministry sounding the alarm on the imminency of His return!

And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (eggizo - imminent); repent and believe in the gospel." (Mark 1:14, 15)

Peter speaks of the idea of imminency in this passage, an important doctrine for the church to cling to. If we really believe He is returning and could return at any time, it will radically effect our lifestyle and our interaction with the lost world. Since Jesus may come at any time, we must be ready all the time.

One dictionary defines imminent as "ready to take place; especially hanging threateningly over one’s head" (Ed note: Such could be said of all scoffers and rejecters of Jesus.) (Merriam-Webster). The idea is impending. Overhanging. About to happen. Just around the corner. In the pipeline.

Dwight Edwards writes that...

The first century church was gripped by the reality that Christ could invade their timetable at any second. Though history proved them wrong in their estimation of Christ's return, they proved beyond question the immense value of possessing this perspective. No other generation has come close to having the same impact on their world... No wonder they were called, "These that have turned the world upside down" (Acts 17:6). May we each regain this purifying perspective of the first century church. (1 Peter)

Alexander Maclaren described the perspective of the early church writing...

The primitive Church thought more about the second coming of Jesus Christ than about death or heaven. They were not looking for a cleft in the ground called "the grave," but for a cleavage in the sky called "glory." They were not watching for the "undertaker" but for the "Uppertaker." They felt man's chief end was to get right with God or be left behind when Christ returned.

 Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,
In His glory they shall share;
If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,
Will He find us watching there?--Crosby

Tony Garland writes that...

Imminence is “The quality or condition of being about to occur.” In Scripture, the coming of Jesus Christ is portrayed as an imminent event. This means that Jesus can come at any moment: there is no event which must transpire before He comes. Imminency makes it impossible to know when He might come so the believer must remain constantly on the lookout in case the Lord were to return and find him unprepared (Mt. 24:43; Luke 12:37-39; 1Th. 4:15-17; Rev. 3:3). Many passages which teach the imminency of events utilize phrases such as “soon,” “quickly,” and “is near.” These events are described from the perspective of God Who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10). From His perspective, these events are certain but their timing is unspecified. They are “imminent”:

(Quoting Thomas Ice) Just as (the word) “quickly” is used in Revelation to teach imminence, so also is “near” or “at hand” (eggus) used to mean imminency and thus its usage does not support a first-century fulfillment. Philip E. Hughes rightly says, “The time is near, that is to say, the time of fulfillment is imminent. This interval between the comings of Christ is the time of the last days, and the last of these last days is always impending.” . . . It is better to see eggus as a term that teaches the imminency of a period of time that could begin to happen without the warning of signs. (Thomas Ice, “Preterist ‘Time Texts’,” in Tim LaHaye, and Thomas Ice, eds., The End Times Controversy Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2003, 106.) (See Notes on Revelation)

John MacArthur writes that...

Since Jesus could rapture His church at any moment, triggering all the end-time events culminating in His return, believers (and unbelievers) need to be ready.

A natural reading of the New Testament yields the truth that to the early church Jesus’ coming was imminent; that is, that it could happen at any time. They believed that He could come back for them in their lifetime. For the early church, imminence contained elements both of certainty and uncertainty. They were certain that Jesus would one day return, but (unlike numerous modern date setters) were uncertain when. Not knowing when He might return, they wisely lived prepared for and hoping for Jesus to return at any moment.

There are a number of New Testament texts that reflect the early church’s belief in imminence. Paul commended the Corinthians because they were “awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 1:7). He further exhorted them, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God” (1 Cor. 4:5). The apostle included the untranslated Aramaic word Maranatha (“O Lord, come”) in a letter to the Greek-speaking Corinthians (1 Cor. 16:22). That word had evidently become a familiar byword, expressing believers’ longing for Christ’s imminent return. To the Philippians Paul wrote, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (see note Philippians 3:20). He commended the Thessalonians because they “turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven” (see note 1Thessalonians 1:9; 10). Later in that same epistle, Paul expressed his own hope that he might be alive at the Lord’s return: “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep” (see note 1Thessalonians 4:15). The apostle rebuked those believers at Thessalonica who were so preoccupied with the Second Coming that they were not working:

For even when we were with you, we used to give you this order: if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life, doing no work at all, but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. (2 Thess. 3:10-12)

Though they drew improper conclusions from it, they nonetheless believed in Christ’s imminent return. Paul reminded Titus that Christians are to be “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus” (see note Titus 2:13). James encouraged his readers to “be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7). In his first epistle the apostle John exhorted his readers, “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming.… Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is” (1 John 2:28; 3:2). These passages demonstrate the early believers’ anticipation of their Savior’s coming again. (MacArthur, J. Revelation 12-22. Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press)

In Outlines of Theology written in 1879 by A. Hodge we read the pertinent application question...

What should be the moral effect of the Scripture doctrine of Christ’s second advent ?

Christians ought thereby to be comforted when in sorrow, and always stimulated to duty.—Philippians 3:20; Colossians 3:4; 3:5; James 5:7; 1 John 3:2, 3. It is their duty also to love, watch, wait for, and hasten unto the coming of their Lord.––Luke 12:35, 37; 1 Cor. 1:7, 8; Philippians 3:20;  1Thessalonians 1:9; 10; 2 Timothy 4:8; 2 Peter 3:12; Revelation 22:20.

Unbelievers should be filled with fearful apprehension, and with all their might they should seek place Cor. immediate repentance.—Mark 13:35, 37; 2 Peter 3:9, 10; Jude 14, 15.

Quite
Suddenly

Quite suddenly—it may at the turning of a lane,
Where I stand to watch a skylark soar from out the swelling grain,
That the trump of God shall thrill me, with its call so loud and clear,
And I’m called away to meet Him, whom of all I hold most dear.

Quite suddenly—it may be in His house I bend my knee,
When the Kingly voice, long-hoped-for, comes at last to summon me,
And the fellowship of earth-life that has seemed so passing sweet,
Proves nothing but the shadow of our meeting round His feet.

Quite suddenly—it may be as I tread the busy street,
Strong to endure life’s stress and strain, its every call to meet,
That through the roar of traffic, a trumpet silvery clear,
Shall stir my startled senses and proclaim His coming near.

Quite suddenly—it may be as I lie in dreamless sleep,
God’s gift to many a sorrowing heart, with no more tears to weep,
That a call shall break my slumber and a Voice sound in my ear;
Rise up, My love, and come away! Behold, the Bridegroom’s here! (from Phil Keaggy)

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During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.” Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we’re to be lights as we watch and wait. - Harry Heintz

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CHRIST'S COMING FORETOLD REPEATEDLY - Biblical prophecy provides some of the greatest encouragement and hope available to us today. Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments are filled with references to the second coming of Christ. One scholar has estimated that there are 1,845 references to Christ’s second coming in the Old Testament, where 17 books give it prominence. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, there are 318 references to the second advent of Christ—an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses. Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ’s first advent, there are 8 which look forward to His second! - Today in the Word, April, 1989, p. 27

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See also the studies of several related Greek verbs that speak of waiting with expectation or anticipation and are often used in the setting of the doctrine of imminency...

Anemeno (362) conveys the meaning of expectant waiting—sustained, patient, trusting waiting. It pictures an eager looking forward to the coming of one whose arrival was anticipated at any time, waiting for one whose coming is expected.

Apekdechomai (553) means waiting in great anticipation but with patience (compare our English expression "wait it out"). To expect fully. To look (wait) for assiduously (marked by careful unremitting attention) and patiently. Awaiting eagerly and expectantly for some future event and so to look forward eagerly.  Marvin Vincent writes that...

Prosdechomai (4327) means to accept favorably, to receive one into intercourse/companionship, to give access to oneself or receive to oneself. It can also mean to wait for with a sense of expectancy. It is used of things future, in the sense of expecting and with the meaning of accepting.

Prosdokao (4328)  - means literally to look forward toward, to wait for, to look for, to anticipate. It means to give thought to something that is in the future and the context indicates whether one does this looking/waiting in a hopeful sense, with a longing, with fear (wait with anxiety, live in suspense), or in a neutral state of mind. It describes the attitude saints should have as anticipating, waiting with watchfulness, being in expectation.

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Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming. --Matthew 25:13

As a teenager, Jim Tait wanted to make maple syrup, so he purchased some catch buckets and a boiling pan. Then he tapped the trees and collected the sap. His father told him what to watch for after he began boiling the sap. But instead of keeping his eye on the steaming liquid, Jim left it for a few moments to consult with his father. While he was gone, the sap became milky and began to bubble. Moments later Jim returned, but it was too late. The sap had turned to syrup, and the syrup had crystallized and burned.

In the parable of the 10 virgins, Jesus was instructing His followers to be ready at all times to meet the bridegroom, whose coming represented Christ's any-moment return to this earth. They were to live so that the Lord would find them as ready as if they had known the exact moment of His appearing.

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Vance Havner said that...

The church missed the road centuries ago when it stopped looking for the King to come back and began building the kingdom down here. The early church went forth with the proclamation of Christ come, living in the prospect of Christ coming by the power of Christ contemporary . "lo, I am with you .(Matt. 28:20).

We are bypassing the Lord's return. Any doctrine as prominent in the New Testament as this cannot be disregarded completely. Years ago Dr. Hinson of Portland preached a great sermon one Sunday on the Second Coming. Some students spoke to him after the service and one said, "We just can't get this out of the New Testament the way you preached it today." "Of course not," replied the great preacher, "it's in there to stay!"

We bypass the Lord's return because the belief that He may come at any time, and that God is not converting the world but taking out a people for His name, does not fit our grandiose plans for building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.... It is about time we got around to God's program, not of Christianizing society but of evangelizing the world, taking out a remnant from a doomed civilization.

It is the day of the bypass. It will be a great day for the church when we get off our detours and onto the King's Highway!

---

The New Testament Christians were not only ready, they were expectant, hilariously anticipating the Lord's return.

And we are bidden not only to prepare but to look for our Lord. "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of the Lord"; "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." "Look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." It is one thing to be ready for someone to come; it is another thing eagerly to expect and await the coming of someone.

Let us visualize a small‑town railroad station at train time. Inside the little ticket office is the station agent. He is an authority on the train schedule, he has read up on that, he knows when the train is due. Out in the station yard is a young bride‑to‑be who is looking for her lover to come on the next train. She does not know a great deal about the train schedules and the only reason why she is interested in this schedule is because of him who is coming. The station agent may be an authority and yet he may be very dull today, because he is not eagerly expecting anyone on the train. The girl in the station yard may not be an authority on the schedule but she is so happy that she can hardly live. If I had to choose between them, I'd rather be the girl in the yard. But I don't have to choose between them, for the old station master also may have dear ones coming in on the train, loved ones whose advent turns the time‑table from prose into poetry. And yet it is possible, in this matter of our Lord's coming, to study the time‑table and miss the Visitor!
 

With regard to our Lord's return, we emphasize preparation without expectation.

Of course, all too generally nothing is said of His return at all. Bringing in the Kingdom is preached, but not bringing back the King. One wonders how many today love his appearing. (see note 2 Timothy 4:8). The precious doctrine is like an unwanted stepchild, ignored as though it were beneath the dignity of some even to mention it.

The early believers were not looking for something to happen, they are looking for Someone to come. Looking for the train to arrive is one thing, but looking for someone we love to come on that train is another matter. I fail to find in all our vast religious activities, our plans and projects to build a better world, our complicated machinery with wheels within wheels‑in all this I fail to find much of that simple warmhearted longing for the personal return of our Lord.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

There is one more glorious possibility tomorrow, but I do not like to say "tomorrow" for I like to think of it always as possible today. Our Lord may return. That is an absolute certainty some tomorrow. I like the story of the gardener who kept his master's garden immaculate. The owner of the garden was away and no one knew when he might return. Someone said, "You keep this place as though the master might return tomorrow." "Not tomorrow," the gardener replied, "today!"

It has been said that Paul had only two days on his calendar, "Today" and "That Day." He who is ready for today is ready for that day and he who is ready for that day is ready for today. He is ready for all five tomorrows and for the Great Tomorrow that may be today!

When General MacArthur was driven out of the Philippines by the Japanese invasion, he said, "I shall return," and return he did. Before our Lord left this earth He said, "I will return . . . (Acts 15:16), and return He will.

THEREFORE BE OF SOUND JUDGMENT: oun sophronesate (2PAAM) oun: (1 Peter 1:13; 5:8; 1Th 5:6-8; Titus 2:12)

Therefore (oun) is a term of conclusion. In the context of the imminent return of our Lord Jesus Christ, Peter gives some definitive commands.

The approach and suddenness of Christ’s return should challenge believers to be watchful and morally upright.

It is only when we see the affairs of earth in the light of eternity that we see them in their proper proportions. It is when God is given His proper place that everything else takes its proper place.
 

Be of sound judgment (4993) (sophroneo from sozo = to save {from sos = sound} + phren = mind, which would then literally describe a "saved mind"!) (Click study of related word sophronismos) means literally to keep one’s mind safe and sound. It means to be able to reason and think properly and in a sane manner. It means to have understanding about practical matters and thus be able to act sensibly.

Peter uses the aorist imperative (command) calling for his readers to do this now, even with a sense of urgency in light of the dawning of the new day.

Sophroneo is used in the gospels of the demon possessed man who Jesus cleansed of demons:

And the people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; (sophroneo = sane) and they became frightened. (Luke 8:35)

This description of the man, in contrast with his previous behavior, suggests that any person in his or her "right mind" will also be fully clothed and, as it were, sitting at the feet of Jesus, a good place to maintain a sane outlook!

The "sane" believer is to avoid excess so that he can see things clearly, and that clarity of thought should lead to an orderly, disciplined life. Such a man or woman knows how to order their priorities.

For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, (sophroneo) as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. (see note Romans 12:3)

John MacArthur comments on sophroneo in this verse in Romans writing that...

To think of ourselves with sound judgment leads us to recognize that, in ourselves, we are nothing at all, but that, in Christ, we can be used to the glory of God through the gift of the Spirit bestowed on us. We must realize that from ourselves, from our fleshly humanness, nothing eternal can be produced, but that in the power of the Spirit we can be used to build the kingdom and honor the King. (MacArthur, J: Romans 9-16. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

William Barclay has a note on the related words sophron and sophrosune which helps us understand the meaning of the verb sophroneo:

The corresponding noun is sophrosune, and the Greeks wrote and thought much about it. It is the opposite of intemperance and lack of self-control.

Plato defined it as “the mastery of pleasure and desire.”

Aristotle defined it as “that power by which the pleasures of the body are used as law commands.”

Philo defined it as “a certain limiting and ordering of the desires, which eliminates those which are external and excessive, and which adorns those which are necessary with timeless and moderation.”

Pythagoras said that it was “the foundation on which the soul rests.”

Lamblichus said that “it is the safeguard of the most excellent habits in life.”

Euripides said that it was “the fairest gift of God.”

Jeremy Taylor called it “reason’s girdle and passion’s bridle.”

Trench describes sophrosune as “the condition of entire command over the passions and desires, so that they receive no further allowance than that which law and right reason admit and approve.”

Gilbert Murray wrote of sophron: “There is a way of thinking which destroys and a way which saves. The man or woman who is sophron walks among the beauties and perils of the world, feeling love, joy, anger, and the rest; and through all he has that in his mind which saves. Whom does it save? Not him only, but, as we should say, the whole situation. It saves the imminent evil from coming to be.”

E. F. Brown quotes in illustration of sophrosune a prayer of Thomas Aquiwhich asks for “a quieting of all our impulses, fleshly and spiritual.”

The man who is sophron has every part of his nature under perfect control, which is to say that the man who is sophron is the man in whose heart Christ reigns supreme." (Barclay, W: The Daily Study Bible Series. The Westminster Press or Logos)

Unless we are sober in mind (not drunk on the sensual intoxicants of this present world system) true vigilance or watchfulness is impossible. Anything we do that is purely temporal (including that believers do in the power of their flesh rather than the power of the Spirit) is doomed to extinction, but all good deeds in the power of the Spirit will yield eternal treasure. Be sensible! If you are regenerate, to ignore this basic law of sowing and reaping is tragic.

John Piper warns that...

The end is near indeed. If anyone dallies with sin and the world, thinking, "I have lots of time," he plays the fool. The Judge is at the door. And the time remaining should be spent in earnest prayer that we not be made drunk and hard by the cares and pleasures of this world.

AND SOBER: kai nepsate (2PAAM):

Be sober (3525) (nepho) literally means to be free of intoxicants and thus sober or not drunk. In the physical sense nepho literally was used to refer to either complete abstinence or in a relative sense to refer to temperance (drinking but not to the point of intoxication). It calls for one to behave with restraint and moderation, not permitting excess. Be self-controlled and restrained, moderate in your behavior.

Take things seriously being aware of their real importance and be ever mindful of their consequences in time and in eternity. The sober saint approaches life, not as a jest, but as a serious matter for which he is answerable to God. Let us not become intoxicated by Satan's three vintage wines - the lusts of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, or the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:15-16).

An expectant attitude toward Christ’s return involves a serious, balanced mind and an alert, awake prayer life. The test of our commitment to the doctrine of Christ’s return is not our ability to draw charts or discern signs, but our thinking and praying. If our thinking and praying are right, our living should be right.

Christian living needs order as well as ardour. (E. P. Clowney. The Message of 1 Peter. page 63)

FOR THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER: eis [with a view to] proseuchas: (1Peter 3:7; Mt 24:42; 25:13; 26:38-41; Mk 13:33-37; 14:37,38; Lu 21:34,36; Lu 22:46; Ro 12:12; Eph 6:18; Col 4:2; 2Ti 4:5; Rev 16:15)

In other words prayer should have in it that anticipation, that expectation of the coming of Christ. Our prayer meetings are dead today because we are not looking for Him (or to Him). This admonition had special meaning to Peter, because he went to sleep when he should have been “watching unto prayer” Mk 14:37-40

If we really believe that we live in the last days, it is all the more appropriate that we give ourselves to prayer

A calm and collected spirit is conducive to the act of praying. It results in prayer. The Christian who is always on a tear, whose mind is crowded with fears and worries, who is never at rest in his heart, does not do much praying. If we are sober-minded, we will “watch unto prayer.” If our prayer life is confused, it is because the mind is confused.

Prayer (4335) (proseuche from pros = toward or immediately before + euchomai = to pray or vow) is the more general word for prayer and is used only of prayer to God. The prefix pros would convey the sense of being immediately before Him and hence the ideas of adoration, devotion, and worship.  The basic idea is to bring something, and in prayer this pertains to bringing up prayer requests. In early Greek culture an offering was brought with a prayer that it be accepted. Later the idea was changed slightly, so that the thing brought to God was a prayer. In later Greek, prayers appealed to God for His presence.