God” is the end of all things that has drawn near; it is the criterion of judgment for the nations as well as for the people of God. Therefore everything depends for the nations upon having in their midst a visible sign of the messianic end in the life of God’s people, which is not only exilic, but also diasporic, sown abroad for the sake of the nations. The salvation or destruction of the nations depends upon it. Thus Peter writes that “the time has come for judgment to begin with the household