ARE WE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS?

I was born again January 31, 1971, and ever since then, all I seem to hear about, especially from other Christians, is that we are living in the last days.  So I decided to see what the Bible has to say about the "last days."  The phrase appears eight times in the Word, and I was surprised to find that the first instance was recorded in the Book of Genesis! 

In Genesis 49:1-28, Jacob calls his sons together to prophesy to them about the future of each of the twelve tribes.  Jacob is clearly using the phrase "last days" in the same way the Apostles would use it over a thousand years later.  In verse ten, he referred to the Second Coming of Christ, although, to the Jews, the fact that there was to be a Second Coming was, and still is, a mystery.   Verse ten reads, "The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be."  "Shiloh" appears only once in the Bible, and it means "the peaceful One."  Because He shall gather Israel, this is clearly a reference to Christ at His return.  The events surrounding His return are also described in Isaiah 2:1-22 and Micah 4:1-13.

The Apostle Peter, preaching on Pentecost, the birthday of the Church, began by giving a brief description of the "last days" (v. 17), which are, in fact, the Church Age (Acts. 2:14-21).

The Apostle Paul instructed Timothy concerning the "last days" (2 Tim. 3:1 - 4:1), and again, he is describing the Church age.

The writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote, "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, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds; Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" Heb. 1:1-3).  This is a description of the time between Christ's two Advents:  the Church Age.

James, the brother of Jesus, wrote of the "last days," focusing upon the return of Christ as the Judge of the world (Jam. 5:1-9).  Again, the time between Christ's two advents:  the Church Age.

The final use of the phrase, "last days," is found in Peter's second epistle.  He wrote, "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, 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" (2 Pet. 3:3-4).  Is this not what unbelievers have been saying to Christians for two thousand years?  Remember, to the Lord, a day is as a thousand years (2 Pet. 3:8)!   It is the same chapter!

 Eight references to the "last days," each pointing to Christ's return; are you ready?