The evangelist says, “it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18), for however long this period lasts, it counts only as a “last hour” in comparison to eternity. He wants us always to be ready for His coming. St. Peter also says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night” (2 Pet. 3:9–10). And further, “Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matt. 25:13).