THE LAST DAYS

I. WHAT DO THE SCRIPTURES SAY ABOUT THE LAST DAYS?

A. Joel refers to a future event we now know to be the coming of the gospel and the church.
1. Joel 2:28-32
28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the
LORD come.
32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in
mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD
shall call.

B. In similar language, Isaiah refers to the last days.

1. Isa 2:2-4 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall
be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow
unto it. 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. And he shall judge among
the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their
spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more.

C. Peters offers a clarification of Joel 2:28-32.

1. Acts 2:16-21
16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
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.

D. The inspired writer of Hebrews summarizes it thus:

1. Heb 1:1-2 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;

a. God clearly stated His command on this matter.

i. Matt 17:3-5 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then
answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three
tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright
cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
Eschatos [last; final] – eschatology.
II. THE LAST DAYS – JESUS SPEAKS THROUGH HIS WORD – OF SALVATION BEING OFFERED.
A. A time of salvation.
1. 1 Peter 1:18-20 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as
silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Last times=last days>last day>last hour
B. A time of peril.
1. 2 Tim 3:1-5 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful,
unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those
that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [be turning away – Timothy and Paul
were in the last days.]

III. THE LAST DAYS – GOD’S LAST OFFER OF REDEMPTION.

A. Understand the parable of the wicked husbandmen.
1. Mark 12:1-10
1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it,
and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit
of the vineyard.
3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and
sent him away shamefully handled.
5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They
will reverence my son.
7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall
be ours.
8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the
vineyard unto others.
10 And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:

B. God’s last offer – the one and only way.

1. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me.

2. Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given
among men, whereby we must be saved.

C. Jesus stated the truth of the matter very plainly.

1. Matt 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth
to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

IV. THE LAST DAY

A. What Jesus had to say about the last day.
 1. John 6:37-40 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise
cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is
the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and
believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

2. John 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will
raise him up at the last day.

3. John 6:53-54 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my
blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.
a. These 3 above references speak of the resurrection of the righteous.

4. John 12:48 He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word
that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.
a. This is the resurrection of the unrighteous – or wicked. [On this same last day. There cannot be 2
last days.]

b. This makes the doctrine of premillenialism false, for it posits 2 resurrections: one for the
righteous, and another – a thousand years later – for the unjust.

B. All the dead will be raised in the last hour.

1. John 5:28-29 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves
shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and
they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
a. Reaffirms the falseness of premillenialism.

C. One resurrection of the dead.

1. Acts 24:14-15 But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I
the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have
hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both
of the just and unjust.
a. Also reaffirms the falseness of premillenialism.

We have been in the last days for almost 2000 years. The last days will continue until Christ returns. On that
last day, in that last hour, the earth will be destroyed. As prophesied in God’s word:
2 Thess 1:6-10 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord
Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the
glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe
(because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
2 Peter 3:9-12 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great
noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned
up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens
being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
MAKES YOU THINK, DOESN’T IT?