God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.
Hebrews 1:1-2
“When are the last days?” Few questions have stoked more discussion, books, imaginations, and trouble than this question. Within the evangelical world there are those who imagine the last days to be well into the future, nearby in the future, or unknown. Some believe the last days are tied to the physical nation of Israel and the city Jerusalem. Some believe the last days will be the glory days of the church, others think they will be a time of greatest persecution for the church. Occasionally these discussions lead us closer to God and His Word, often they take us far from it. Because of the latter, some prefer not to be involved in these thoughts or discussions at all.
In matters of controversy, we must always go to the Scripture with our questions and glean answers from God who speaks to us in the Scripture. When are the last days?
The last days is not a phrase unique to the New Testament. The prophet Joel spoke of the last days in Joel 2:23-32. This was picked up again by Peter at Pentecost when he revealed to all in Jerusalem that what they were seeing was that which Joel prophesied, “in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Acts 2:17). In the last days the Spirit of God will be poured out.
The Scripture goes further when Paul tells us that in times past God spoke to the fathers by the prophets but in these last days [God spoke] unto us by His Son. The last days are when God speaks directly to us by His Son.
John in his first epistle is even more direct, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time (I John 2:18).
The Lord does not want us to be ignorant concerning the last days or the last time but He wants us to know with certainty that we are in those days. Three things represent the end of the former days of the prophets and the Old Testament and the wait for Christ’s second coming. 1) The Son will speak to us the Word of God. 2) The Spirit will be poured out. 3) Many antichrists will be in the world. All those things came to pass with Christ’s first coming, His resurrection, and His ascension so that John can be very clear, little children, it is the last time.
John does not tell us the time is coming, he told us, it is here. We learn then that the last days of the Old Testament system have past and the last days before Christ’s returns are upon us.. The first days were before Christ, when God spoke through the prophets to the fathers. The last days of that era came with the incarnation of Christ the Son who spoke to us in the flesh. Those last days are ended, Christ has ascended, and we are in the last time waiting for Christ to descend on “that day”. While we watch and pray the Holy Spirit is going out with power. Antichrists are resisting the truth. Those who we thought were wise virgins are proving themselves to be foolish virgins. They are leaving the Kingdom of Heaven so that we might know that this is in fact the last time, just as God has said.
We are in the last time and in the last days between the first and second coming. While we wait for Christ’s final return, our God is reigning! He is conquering all His enemies and bringing them under His footstool. He is advancing His church. He is bringing all His elect to saving faith in Christ. Since these are the last days that we are in, the coming of Christ is imminent. The wise and the foolish virgins are today present in the Kingdom of Heaven. There are no other days we are waiting for or looking for before Christ’s return, we are in those days! Therefore, we must watch for Christ to descend and pray for Him to come. His coming will be sudden, swift, and surprising! Watch therefore, the Son of Man is coming at a time you do not expect!
.
.
.
.
.
Copyright ©, LikeTheGreatMountains.com, 2022
.
.
.
0 Comments