End of the World

When we speak about the last days, the first obvious question would be, "The last days of what?". Based upon what we have learned from the previous section, the answer should be clear. It refers to the last days of the end of the age of the Law. If we were to be more specific, the last days would run from AD 30 to AD 70. This is the transition period from the Old, into the New. It is the Last Days for natural Israel, as a nation, to repent and believe in the Lord's Messiah and enter into His Kingdom, before the judgement would fall on them. I cover this topic in great depth in my book, Creating The Israel of God.

The first reference we have to the last days, is found in Peter's sermon on Pentecost. When the Spirit fell upon the disciples, and they began to speak in different languages, by which, many thought they were drunk. This would not be too far fetched. To hear a group of Judaics speaking in foreign languages all at once, to their own ears it would sound like garbled gibberish. However, to those who spoke these languages, they would hear "the wonderful works of God."

However, Peter responds that they are not drunk, seeing it was only the third hour of the day, i.e., between 9 am and noon. Peter states, "But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel." Peter makes it clear that what they are witnessing is the fulfillment of Joel's prophecy. Peter continues,

17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

John Gill gives us this important note on verse 17.

In Joel it is, "afterwards"; instead of which Peter puts, "in the last days"; the sense is the same: and so R. David Kimchi, a celebrated commentator with the Jews, observes, that "afterwards" is the same "as in the last days", and which design the times of the Messiah; for according to a rule given by the same writer on ( Isaiah 2:2 ) wherever the last days are mentioned, the days of the Messiah are intended.

Here we are told that the phrase last days, designates "the times of Messiah." This fits perfectly with what we are saying here. With Jesus death on the cross came the end of the age of the Law. When He ascended on High, He sat down on the right hand of the Father, from whence He began His rule [Matt. 28:19-20]. From His ascension, began the times of the Messiah, or His Messianic Kingdom rule, i.e., the last days.

Within this prophecy of Joel, we have all the elements of these Messianic times;

• The Giving of the Spirit, whereby their sons and daughters should prophecy and see visions, and their old men should dream dreams
• He would show wonders in heaven above (see signs given before Jerusalem's destruction).
• He would give signs on earth:blood, fire, and vapor of smoke. This points to the judgement upon Judea and the temple's destruction in AD 70.
• Continuing the Judgement theme: the sun turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord comes.
• The times of Messiah would also be a period of salvation for all who call upon the name of the Lord, whether Jew or Gentile.

So Peter makes it clear, that the giving of the Spirit at Pentecost, was the sign that the day of the Messiah, i.e., the Last Days, had began. It should also be clear, that besides the giving of the Spirit, these Messianic days were also characterized by Judgement. The Day of the Lord is included in this Messianic description. In Old Testament prophetic language, the idea of the Day of the Lord, is descriptive of God's judgement upon a rebellious, sinful people.

The first day of the Lord mentioned is prophesied against Jacob [Isa. 2:5-22]. Later, in Isaiah 13, a day of the Lord is pronounced against Babylon. Jeremiah pronounces a judgement day of the Lord against the nations, specifically Egypt [Jer. 46], as does Ezekiel 30. So we must dispense with the notion that there is only one Day of the Lord, which comes at the end of human history. We will see more of this idea of the Day of the Lord in the last days against Judah, when we come to 2 Peter.

Isaiah, chapter two

Isaiah's testimony concerning the coming Kingdom in the last days, allows us to see all the elements that Peter describes. In Isa. 2:1-4, we see the kingdom of God established as the highest mountain on earth, meaning it is the greatest of all kingdoms. We also see all the nations flowing into this kingdom,

3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Truly, it was out of Zion and Jerusalem that the Word of the Lord went into all the earth. We then see the remainder of Isaiah, chapter two, is given to pronouncement of judgement against those of Israel who refused to believe. They placed their trust more in their flesh and riches, than in the Lord God. This all is said to happen in the Last Days[vs.2] to Judah and Jerusalem, which it did.

Hebrews also validates the Last Days

The writer of Hebrews opens his letter with an affirmation that he also believed himself to be living in the last days.

1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

He states that the last days is the period in which the Son speaks to His people. In the Old Covenant, God spoke to His people at various times, using different methods. However, in the New, He has given His final word to His Covenant People and to mankind in general, through His Son, Christ Jesus. Outside of Christ, God has nothing else to say to man. Jesus is His Final Word. If you reject Jesus, you reject what God offers you.

The writer of Hebrews makes clear, he believed he was living in the last days. He refers to them as these last days, making the last days near to him, i.e., in his present, not far into the future.

Scoffers in the Last Days

2 Pet. 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

I have already dealt with this passage in my study on the Parousia (the word in verse 4 translated as "coming" is parousia). To read further on this passage in 2 Peter 3, click here.

Howl, you rich men

James gives a warning against the rich, who think their accumulated wealth will deliver them from the coming judgement of the last days.

James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.

It would seem very possible that James is taking his warning from the prophet Isaiah, chapter 2, who says this about the coming judgement in the Day of the Lord against Jacob.

7 Their land also is full of silver and gold, neither is there any end of their treasures; their land is also full of horses,neither is there any end of their chariots:
8 Their land also is full of idols; they worship the work of their own hands, that which their own fingers have made:
9 And the mean man boweth down, and the great man humbleth himself: therefore forgive them not.
10 Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty.
11 The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
12 For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:

Both passages above testify to the fact that the Judaics, who trust in their riches and social status, will not escape the coming judgement of God. Their gold and silver cannot redeem them. The rocks and caves will not be able to shield them from the fierce wrath of the Almighty. The Last Days Judgement, brought by the Son of man, Jesus Christ, will repay every man his due. This is exactly what happened in AD 70.

The Jewish historian, Josephus, an eyewitness to AD 70, says this about the judgement upon that wicked generation,

“I suppose, that had the Romans made any longer delay in coming against these villains, that the city would either have been swallowed up by the ground opening upon them, or been overflowed by water, or else been destroyed by such thunder as the country of Sodom perished by, for it had brought forth a generation of men much more atheistical than were those that suffered such punishments; for by their madness it was that all the people came to be destroyed.” (Wars, book 5, chap. 13, sec. 6)

Josephus himself attempts to convince the rebels that they are not fighting for God, but that God Himself is bringing judgement down upon them.

“And who is there that does not know what the writings of the ancient prophets contain in them, and particularly that oracle which is just now going to be fulfilled upon this miserable city? For they foretold that this city should be then taken when somebody shall begin the slaughter of his own countrymen. And are not both the city and the entire temple now full of the dead bodies of your countrymen? It is God, therefore, it is God himself who is bringing on this fire, to purge that city and temple by means of the Romans, and is going to pluck up this city, which is full of your pollutions.” (Wars 6.2.1)