ARE WE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS?

Wayne D. Leeper

    It is almost impossible to pick up a newspaper or magazine or watch TV without someone predicting that we are living in the “Last Days.”  This has been particularly true in view of the numerous national disasters which have occurred over the past year.  The signs that the pundits and televangelist point to are all supposedly Bible based prophecy.   That being the case, it is entirely appropriate to go to the Bible and see exactly what it says concerning the “last days” and the context in which the statements are made.

    The first place which we must start is to understand exactly what the Bible writers meant when they used the term “last days.”  To understand their meaning we must first understand the three Biblical divisions or dispensations under which our world has existed.

    The first dispensation, or era, is referred to as the “Patriarchal Age.”  This age began with the creation of man in the Garden of Eden and lasted until the nation of Israel was brought out of Egypt and placed in the “promised land” under the leadership of Moses.  This age or dispensation was characterized by the fact that during this period God spoke directly to the patriarchs or heads of families.  Thus we find God speaking directly with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, etc. 

    When, following the death of Moses, Israel entered the promised land under the leadership of Joshua a new age or dispensation began which is known as the Mosaic Age.  This is the period of time when Israel lived under the “Law of Moses,” and God spoke to the people through prophets.  These prophets were given information from God concerning currents events, events in the near future, and in some cases events which would transpire during the last age or dispensation which is called the “Christian Dispensation.”  The Mosaic Age lasted from the time the nation of Israel entered the promised land until the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the tomb. 

    The third dispensation, or the Christian age lasted from the resurrection of Jesus until the present day and is referred to by both the prophets as well as the writers of the New Testament as the “last days.”  This designation is given to the present age because the Bible teaches that at the end of this age Christ will return and bring an end to the world.  We have been living in what the Bible calls the “last days” for almost two thousand years.

    Thus, it is entirely correct to state that we are living in the “last days”, but not in the sense that the pundits and televangelist would like for us to believe.  Acts, chapter two, discusses the first time that the Gospel of Jesus Christ was preached.  Notice what Peter, speaking under inspiration had to say about that event:

14 Then Peter stood up with the eleven apostles. In a loud voice he said to them, “Men of Judea and everyone living in Jerusalem! You must understand this, so pay attention to what I say.
15 These men are not drunk as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning.
16 Rather, this is what the prophet Joel spoke about:

17 ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
18 In those days I will pour my Spirit on my servants, on both men and women. They will speak what God has revealed.
19 I will work miracles in the sky and give signs on the earth: blood, fire, and clouds of smoke.
20 The sun will become dark, and the moon will become as red as blood before the terrifying day of the Lord comes.
21 Then whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'   

Acts 2: 14-21

    Peter clearly identifies the day on which he was speaking as being the beginning of the last days.  Furthermore, notice what the writer of Hebrews says concerning the days in which he is writing:

1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors at many different times and in many different ways through the prophets.
2 In these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. God made his Son responsible for everything. His Son is the one through whom God made the universe.

Hebrews 1:2

    The apostle James agrees with both Peter and the writer of Hebrews when he says:


2 Your riches have decayed, and your clothes have been eaten by moths.
3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be used as evidence against you. Like fire, it will destroy your body. You have stored up riches in these last days.

James 5:2-3

    Correctly understanding the Biblical usage of the term “last days” we can now proceed to understand some of the prophecies that are being used to support the claim that the return of Christ is immanent.  Many people choose to go to the Old Testament and point to the passages that refer to the return of the Jews to the Holy Land and the rebuilding of the temple.  There is no doubt that these passages exist but, once again,  if we are going to understand the message of the Bible writers, we must understand the time and the context in which they were writing.

    In 721 BC the northern kingdom, Israel, was carried into captivity by the Assyrians.  These tribes became dispersed throughout the Assyrian empire and were never heard from again.  They are often referred to as the “lost tribes of Israel.”  In 606 BC the southern kingdom, Judah, was carried into captivity by the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar.  Judah remained captive in Babylon for a period of seventy years until 536 BC.  When Judah was carried into captivity the prophet Jeremiah remained in Jerusalem where he wrote the books of Jeremiah and Lamentations.  The prophet Daniel was one of the captives taken into Babylon where he wrote the book of Daniel.  The book of Ezekiel was also written just prior to this time as was the book of Isaiah.  All five of these books deal in part with the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity in 536 BC.  They have nothing to do with anything happening with the Jewish nation today.

    All of these prophets predicted a time when the kingdom of Judah would be allowed to return to the land of Israel and rebuild the temple.  Daniel goes into an entire chronology beginning with the return from captivity until the coming of the Messiah.  These many prediction and statements were literally fulfilled when under King Cyrus of Persia permitted the kingdom of Judah to return to Israel under the Leadership of Ezra and Nehemiah. 

    Upon their return they did indeed restore the city of Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple of Solomon.  Just before the birth of Christ Solomon’s temple was rebuild and improved and became known as the “second temple,” or “Herod’s Temple.”  There are no predictions in the Bible of any return of the Jews to Israel or the rebuilding of the temple contained in any writings following BC 536. 

    The pundits and televangelist also love to use Mathew 24 to support their dire predictions.  Once again we need to take a close look at exactly what Jesus is saying in Matthew 24.  To correctly understand Matthew 24 we must first look at the question which Jesus was asked in Matthew 24:3.  Jesus and his apostles were passing the temple when the apostles pointed out the grandeur of the temple (Matt 24:1)  Jesus response was:

“Do you not see all of these things?  Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down. 

Matthew 24:2

    Astounded by Jesus comment, the apostles then ask the following question:

“Tell us, when will these things be?  And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the Age.”

Matthew 24:3

    Notice that the apostles actually asked three different questions although in their minds they equated all three events with the end of the world.  Jesus, however, broke their question down into its three correct components.

    1.  When will these things (the destruction of the temple) be?

    2.  What will be the sign of your coming?

    3.   What will be the sign of the end of the age?

    Jesus then proceeds to answer the three questions.  He first addresses the destruction of the temple.  He does this in verses 4 to 14.  Notice he concludes verse 14 by saying “and then the end will come.”  He is obviously not referring to the end of the world because he goes on to describe events which will follow the events described up to and including verse 14.

    He then proceeds to answer the second part of their question.  His coming as described in verses 15 through 33 is not his coming at the end of the world because he clearly states in verse 34  “assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”  Much of the wording of these passages is very strange to us but it is very familiar language to the Jewish scholars who understand this language to refer to the destruction of a nation.  See Isa. 13:10 (concerning Babylon)  Isa. 34:1-5 (concerning Idumea) , and Eze. 32:7-8 (concerning Egypt).  Jesus is here using the same apocalyptic language in referring to the destruction of Jerusalem that would take place in AD 70 when the city is totally destroyed by the Roman armies under Titus.  This language all refers to events that would take place in their lifetime.  There is no place in the New testament where the term “this generation” refers to anything other than the lifetime of the people then living.

    Finally, in verses 36 to 51 Jesus answers the third part of their question.  It is very clear that His final coming will be without warning and when “least expected.”  Those who would point to the events occurring today as precursors to Jesus second coming are clearly ignoring His admonition that there will “be no warning and it will occur when least expected.”

    Are we living in the “last days”; without a doubt.  Is Jesus coming “immanent”; maybe yes, maybe no.  Our task is not to try and guess when He will come but to be ready when he does come.  Ignore the pundits and the televangelist and study your Bible and you will have a better understanding of things eternal than any of them do.

    My fear is not that we may be living in the last days of the world, but that we may be living in the last days of the United States as we know it.  When we kick God out of our nation and our world we will also loose His divine protection.  That may well account  for the present catastrophes more than the immanent coming of Christ and the end of the world.  Think about it.