Are we living in the last days? Part 2

The Last Days Part 2 - The days that come at the end of these last days

Wait a minute! I thought my last post, Are we living in the last days? Part 1, said we have been living in the last days since the first advent of Christ?? You can read it here. I’ll wait while you catch up . . . . . 

It sure did! As the Apostle Peter wrote, Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.+ I also admitted this is not what most people think of when they talk about the last days. There is a reason for that. You see, last days also refers to the end times, or the end of the world.

2 Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

Perilous times shall come, in the future. The last days, the days of the end times, will be perilous times, troublesome, dangerous, hard to bear.

James 5:3 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. 

He is speaking to the rich, who have a tendency to be greedy, corrupt, and abusive. “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” (1-2) When? at the return of the Lord (7-8), that is, the last days.

2 Peter 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts 

There have always been scoffers, but there shall come is future tense, this scoffing will increase in the last days.

There are last days still coming, they are the end times.

There is another phrase that also refers to these yet future last days, it is the last times. Three different Greek words are translated times in the King James (the version I use).

1 Timothy 4:1-3 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

In the latter times or seasons, there will be a great falling away from the faith.

1 Peter 1:5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 

I love this, salvation ready to be revealed in the last times or season. Just when it looks like we lose, Christ will be revealed in the skies, bringing salvation!! Maranatha!!

1 John 2:18 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.

In the last times antichrist will come, and even now this antichrist spirit is at work, opposing Christ and in His name offering new doctrines and a new holiness. John uses the word for hour, the last hour. Man, we need to live in expectation of His return! Even so, come, Lord Jesus! 

Jude 1:18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

Jude quoted Peter or Peter quoted Jude. Peter said last days, while Jude wrote last times. Same period.

There are many other signs of this final period we know as the end times and honestly, this is what people are thinking about when they ask, Are we living in the last days? We look around and it sure looks like the last times. So, Are we living in the last days? and I mean by that, the end times? Still an excellent question! And one we need to be careful answering.

Listen, Jesus himself was asked, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? He answered the question,* so there is an end of the world, there will be last days, and we can apparently have some kind of idea about it all. But the first thing he said was, Take heed that no man deceive you.±  It would seem there is a great danger of being deceived in this matter. So I will answer the question this way, again quoting the Lord:

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.§

 

NEXT: The last day – the day he appears, the day of resurrection

+ 1 Peter 1:20
* Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21
± Matthew 24:4
§ Mark 13:33