REVIEW of the SCRIPTURE RECORD

 

Part SIX.

 

This section aims to show the unity of all those periods in both the Old Testament and the New which are called 'The Last Days' by the same Hebrew(or Chaldee) or Greek phrase:

O.T.    Hebrew:   MYMYH TYRXAB

           Chaldee:  AYMFY TYRXAB  [Dan 2:28]

N.T.    Greek:     escatais emerais.

The Hebrew term is used 13 times, the Chaldee once, and the Greek 5 times. The first stated fulfilment of The Last Days was made by the Apostle Peter when he quoted the Prophet Joel regarding the pouring out of The Spirit. Other references in the New Testament are also given in the present tense, indicating that The Last Days were present during that period. There are two notable references in the New Testament which are made in letters written by Peter and Paul which were written in 62ad after the close of the Acts Period. Both these latter statements revert to the future tense, thus indicating that The Last Days were no longer present.

The Ministry of The Lord Jesus Christ followed by The Acts of The Apostles was the period which opened the fulfilment of Gabriel's prophesy given to Daniel. The purpose of that prophesy is to be carried out by those works of The Christ which he quotes from the prophet Isaiah in the Synagogue of His home town of Nazareth. Thus it is shown that this period is coincident with that of the first part of the Last Days. Please see the following chart which clarifies this statement in a diagrammatic form:

 As we have said above, this chart shows that the opening period of The Last Days contains the opening period of the  '70 weeks' of years of Daniel chapter 9.[see http:christianindividual.me.uk/seventyweeks.htm].  Both recommence at a later date following this present period of the Administration of God's Grace. This simple, but mostly unrecognised fact is shown in the following chart:

Gabriel's prophetic statement:  '70weeks[490years] are determined upon thy people' began its fulfilment in 27ad when The Lord Jesus Christ began His ministry. The Spiritual blinding of The Jews in 62ad, 35yrs.later, when the Apostle Paul in Rome quoted the prophet Isaiah: 'Hearing ye shall hear and not understand, and seeing ye shall see and not perceive......the Salvation of God is commissioned for the Nations', indicates that Gabriel's prophetic statement had been brought to a premature end, leaving a further 455years to its completion.

The following nineteen extracts are taken from each descriptive reference to those days and will serve to remind the reader of each prophetic statement:

1

GEN 49:1 And Jacob called unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the last days.   Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father.

Comment: The character of each Israel Tribe in the LD

2

NUM 24:12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying,
If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the LORD, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; but what the LORD saith, that will I speak?   And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days..

Comment: Prophecy regarding the Christ and His action upon Moab, Sheth(Seth), Edom, Seir, Amalek, Kennites, Chittim, also Israel, Assur and Eber in the LD.

3
DEU 4:28 And there ye shall serve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and stone, which neither see, nor hear, nor eat, nor smell.   But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.   When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice;   (For the LORD thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.

Comment: Prophecy regarding the scattering of Israel and his opportunity in the LD to be obedient to The Voice of God.

 4
DEU 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.   And Moses spake in the ears of all the congregation of Israel the words of this song, until they were ended.

Comment: Moses tells Israel that in the LD they will do evil, therefore evil will befall them.

5
ISA 2:1 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.   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.

Comment: Isaiah prophesies that Judah & Jerusalem will be established above all nations in the LD.

6
JER 23:20 The anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have executed, and till he have performed the thoughts of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly.

Comment: The Lord's anger against Israel will not end until they consider it perfectly in the LD.

7
JER 30:23 Behold, the whirlwind of the LORD goeth forth with fury, a continuing whirlwind: it shall fall with pain upon the head of the wicked.  The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he hath done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it.

Comment: The Lord's anger with Israel will not return until He has done it, in the LD they will consider it.

8
 JER 48:47 Yet will I bring again the captivity of Moab in the latter days, saith the LORD. Thus far is the judgment of Moab.

Comment: Having prophesied that Moab will be made captive, God tells them that it will be repeated in the LD

9
 JER 49:39 But it shall come to pass in the latter days, that I will bring again the captivity of Elam, saith the LORD.

Comment: Having prophesied that Elam will be scattered and consumed, God tells them that He will bring again their captivity in the LD.

10
EZE 38:14 Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?   And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army:   And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes.

Comment: God tells Gog that He will be sanctified in the eyes of the nations when He brings Gog against His land of Israel in the LD

11
 DAN 2:27 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;   But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

Comment: God reveals to Nebuchadnezzar the image and its interpretation which represents the nations which are important to Israel in the LD. He tells him that there will be a Spiritual deterioration in their condition throughout this period resulting in the parousia of Christ. The metal represents God's delegation to angelic control over the nations during this time.


DAN 10:12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.  But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came  to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.   Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.

Comment: The Angel of The Lord reveals to Daniel the wars of the nations surrounding Israel which leads eventually to the action contained in the 7 years of the 70th week of the Word of God given by Gabriel to Daniel(Dan 9:21-27)

13
HOS 3:4 For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:   Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Comment: Following the diaspora of both Ephraim and Judah, when the LD are present, then will they seek the Lord their God.

14
MIC 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.  And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Comment: In the beginning of the LD, when the nations accept the exaltation of Israel, in that time of the image's Head of Gold(the resurrected Nebuchadnezzar), The Word and The Law go forth from Jerusalem when the resurrected Prince David rules.

15
ACT 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;   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:

Comment: This is the commencement of the 'recruiting period' for the 'Good Work' of the Kingdom of God in Israel; this hope of Israel which was postponed(Phil 1:6) by God because of the lack of Israel's wholehearted desire(Acts 28:26-28). God will fulfil the conditions of this Kingdom in the LD when The Good Work will continue.

16
JAM 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that are(gk.) come upon you.   Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.   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 in the(gk.) last days.

Comment: Contrary to the KJV translation, James condemns Israel's rich men for heaping up treasure in those days in which he was living, i.e. the Last Days.
17
HEB 1:1 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;

Comment: At the time that this letter was written to the Hebrews, the writer believed he was living in the LD even as Peter did when announcing the LD(Acts 2:16)

18
PE2 3:3 Knowing this first, that there will(gk.) come at(gk.) the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
And saying, Where is the promise of his coming(parousia)? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.

Comment: Peter's statement concerns days yet to come. The days in which he wrote were not the LD, even as those referred to in Paul's letter to Timothy.

19
TI2 3:1 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.
For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.   Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.   But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was.

Comment: At the commencement of the LD, Satan's resistance to that which is about to be established by God will become apparent. Satan will counterfeit that which God introduces but it will end and be seen to be man's folly, by all men.

In the main these prophecies of God concern His people, the Tribe of Judah and the Tribe of Israel. Nine prophecies either relate to other tribes exclusively or contain references to them as well as men generally. After Jeremiah's second reference to the LD, only three are exclusively referred to Israel.

If we refer back to the diagram in Part 2 we will see that the first part of the Last Days commenced in 27ad and ended in 62ad. It is to be continued when the present Administration ends. It is important to bear this in mind, because one speaker(Peter) and three writers('to Hebrews', James and 1John) clearly understood that the period of the Last Days was present when they spoke or wrote:

The five New Testament prophecies are in correct sequence according to the dates on which they were written or spoken. Those of them acknowledging that the Last Days were present at the time of their communication (Peter at Pentecost, James to the Diaspora and Paul to the Hebrews), are seen to lie within the first 5 weeks of years of the LAST DAYS prophecy. The Last Days are in the future after 62ad, in Peter's second letter to Christian Jews and Paul's second letter to Timothy.

Because Paul's prophecy to Timothy concerning the Last Days, was made before God revealed the Mystery of this present Administration of His Grace, it can now be seen to apply directly to God's chosen and enlightened people whose future conditions will be similar to the ekklesias described in the Book of Acts and those letters of the N.T. applying to them (Phil 1:6).

Paul has told the Philippian ekklesia that God, who had begun a 'Good Work' in them would bring it to a full end until(epitelesei achri) the Day of Jesus Christ(Phil 1:6). He encouraged them to be sincere and without offence for(gk.) the Day of Jesus Christ(Phil 1:10) and expected to meet them again at that day when he would rejoice with them(Phil 2:16). The 'Good Work' is therefore expected to be continued when the 'interruption', caused by God's hidden purpose in this Administration of The Grace of God, is concluded(Col 3:4). This will occur when the Last Days recommence. We know also that the 'Good Work' of the Acts Period was the beginning of The Kingdom of God in Israel, it also will continue after this Administration is completed. This PART SIX has shown the extent of the Last Days and reveals that the end of the period coincides with the end of the 70 weeks of years of Daniel ch.9.(Dan 12:7 & Dan 9:27)

Thus, the five periods listed in PART FIVE run concurrently, each illustrating a different purposes of God.

It is evident that conditions change throughout these hundreds of years of the Last Days, but one thing we can be sure of is the increasing apostasy of God's people at that time. The world order is no better, from the devotion of Nebuchadnezzar, the Spiritual quality of the nations gradually deteriorates until their condition is finally mixed with men's ways and philosophies to the point of corruption. Towards the end, the nations of the Middle East are in turmoil, warring incessantly around the united, but corrupt nation of Israel, until eventually God's judgement comes upon them all(Rev 16:16), at the invasion of Israel by the Kings of the earth.

(This battle is NOT the later battle, also involving Gog and Magog, recorded in Rev 20:8). God's personal intervention eliminates and imprisons all unrighteousness(Rev 19:20 to 20:3) and finally establishes His king, the Messiah, The Lord Jesus Christ, upon the throne of Israel (The parousia...Rev 20:4).

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Note:
a. Paul's 'prayers' in Col 1:9-14 and Eph 1:15-23 reveal an intimacy with the purposes of God, prayerfully considered, bringing the student much blessing. It could be said that Paul's mind on these matters needs a diligence in understanding.

b. A further study is in preparation. It will show the features and prophetic fulfilments of the Transitory period terminating this present period of God's Grace and the fulfilment of Paul's promise to his Philippian readers that 'He which began a good work in you will bring it to a full end until the Day of Jesus Christ.

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