There are no surprises to this, when Israel was in the wilderness suffering, the people rose up against Moses and Aaron. Trials often cause conflict. These congregations were not only suffering from without but also from within. Peter used the word deep or it can be translated fervently to describe the depth of the believer’s love for one another. Fervent is an athletic word used of muscles stretching or straining; it pictures a person running with stretched muscles, giving maximum effort. Listen to what Warren Wiersbe said about the Christian’s love:

One of the ways Peter encourages these saints in their suffering was by telling them the end is near. Part of the reason many Christians don’t suffer well is because we only have an earthly view of life, primarily concerned with what is seen instead of what is unseen. Living in view of eternity will radically change how we deal with suffering but also how we treat one another while suffering. So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.

Sections

God is omniscient. (2′) If God is omniscient, then God knows what time it is. So (3′) God knows what time it is. (From (1′), (2′)) (4″) If S knows what time it is, then how S believes

Each person has been given gifts by the Holy Spirit to serve Christ and the church. These gifts are put into two categories: (1) speaking and (2) serving. Speaking gifts include such things as the ability to encourage others, exhort others, preaching, teaching, singing, evangelism, prophecy, etc. God has given us his own love, agape, the love of God. This is the same love that died for believers while they were still enemies of God. The love of God has been poured out in our hearts. The word “pouring” is a picture of abundance. This is why Christ can command us to love our enemies. He can command it because he has equipped us to do it. He has lavishly poured out his love in us. If we can love our enemies, how much more can we love the brothers and sisters in the church who fail us? When we use our gifts as part of the body , God brings glory to himself through Christ. We honor him and glorify him.This is probably the reason Peter calls for them to “ love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. ” They needed to love one another deeply because they were being hurt by one another. Are you faithfully using the grace that God has given you to serve? Are you praying? Are you loving? Are you showing hospitality? The end is near: let us live in the view of his imminent return even in the face of suffering. In fact, Peter in this text is encouraging these saints to be prepared to suffer by focusing on the nearness of “the end of all things.” Look at what he said in the beginning of chapter 4: “Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude (emphasis mine), because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin (1 Peter 4:1). Application Question: How can Christians develop a better focus on the end times so they can live lives that honor Christ especially in suffering? facts. So (3) God knows the fundamental temporal facts. (From (1), (2)) So (4) if there are fundamental tensed facts (i.e. the A-theory is true),