Last Days
2 Timothy 3:1-5 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: (2) For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, (3) unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (4) traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (5) having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
What are the Last Days Biblically?
The term “last days” is not always used in the same way in every passage of scripture. For example in Hebrews 1:3, the last days seem to refer to the time when the Lord was here on this earth speaking to the Hebrew world. Before that God had spoken though conscience and creation and prophets. But now in these last days, He speaks to us through His Son. Last days in our passage above may refer to the end of the church age just before the events of Matthew 24 which occur during the tribulation period. Or it may refer to that seven year period called the tribulation. These conditions will exist in both periods.
What does the Future hold?
I believe that the Lord will come again. Sometimes we hear about the rapture of the church and of the Lord’s coming to set up his kingdom as though there were two second comings. But there is only one second coming. That coming involves a number of events. I believe the second coming involves the Lord’s coming to take away the church from the “wrath that is to come" (1 Thessalonians 1:10) as well as the Lord’s coming to establish his righteous reign of one thousand years (Revelation 20:1-7). It also involves the tribulation period that precedes the one thousand year reign.
Prominent People of the Future
Obviously the Lord is the theme of the future prophetic plan. But we have a person known as the Antichrist or perhaps as the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:3) that is prominent in prophecies of the Lord’s second coming. This Antichrist presents himself as a man of peace but he uses religion to take economic control of the world. He then wants to be worshiped as God so He establishes a one world religion that opposes the true worship of the Lord. He has a second lieutenant who is a Jew that convinces the Jews to bow to his demands. He controls the world, politically, economically, and religiously. He is the one who requires people to be marked with a number identified as 666 in order to buy or sell in the market place. This number marks people as worshipers of the Antichrist. It is likely his second lieutenant that sets up this system and requires people to be loyal to his boss.
Question?
Could the Antichrist and his second lieutenant be alive today? Absolutely. Would we recognize him today? No. We need to be careful with prophesy because many people have tried to make current events fit the prophetic events and when it becomes obvious that the current events did not fit, it makes the Bible seem suspect. The Bible is not suspect; its prophecies will be fulfilled to the letter. The prophecies connected with the Lord’s first coming were accurate and the prophecies connected with His second coming will also be accurate. While we do see things like those that are predicted happening today, setting dates for the Lord’s return is not scriptural. Trying to identify the man of sin with Hitler or Mussolini or Stalin has proven to be wrong since the rapture has not occurred yet which is one of the first events of the Lord’s second coming. The spirit of antichrist is in the world today but the Antichrist will not be obvious until after Israel signs a peace treaty with someone connected with the old Roman Empire in order to secure peace. That will usher in the seven years of tribulation. Others thought President Obama was the man of sin. They used prophecy to instill fear rather than respect in the minds of people over the last eight years. And now, I am being asked how President-elect Trump fits into the prophetic plan. I want to assure you that if he is the Antichrist, it will not be obvious as long as true believers of the present age are still on this earth. President-elect Trump’s election was allowed by the Lord and Christians are commanded to pray for Him and to respect Him as long as He holds the position of President. Perhaps he like Nebuchadnezzar of old will have a miraculous conversion to the Lord and will actually be a man who protects believers and the worship of the Lord. We should not let our understanding of what the future holds to cloud our understanding of our current responsibilities to those in authority.
So What is the Lesson Here?
Instead of assuming that current events are part of God’s prophetic plan, we need to let the Lord work things out in His way and in His time. The signs of the Lord’s return are signs of His coming to set up His Kingdom and will most likely be the events occurring during the tribulation period. We need to continue preaching the Gospel of God’s grace and if we are among those who have put our faith in the Lord Jesus, we should act like it. Instead of trying to get others to act right, we need to make sure we act right. And we should remember that the Lord has told us, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24:44.
Bruce Collins
Meditation for the week of December 11, 2016