Last Days

[B-A-C]

Isa 2:2; Now it will come about that In the last days The mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains, And will be raised above the hills; And all the nations will stream to it.
Jer 23:20; "The anger of the LORD will not turn back Until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; In the last days you will clearly understand it.
Jer 49:39; 'But it will come about in the last days That I will restore the fortunes of Elam,'" Declares the LORD.
Ezek 38:16; and you will come up against My people Israel like a cloud to cover the land. It shall come about in the last days that I will bring you against My land, so that the nations may know Me when I am sanctified through you before their eyes, O Gog."
Hos 3:5; Afterward the sons of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king; and they will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.
Mic 4:1; And it will come about in the last days That the mountain of the house of the LORD Will be established as the chief of the mountains. It will be raised above the hills, And the peoples will stream to it.
Acts 2:17; 'AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,' God says, 'THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND; AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY, AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS, AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;
2Tim 3:1; But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
Heb 1:2; in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Jas 5:3; Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!
2Pet 3:3; Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,

Have you ever wondered about the "last days". Last days of what? When? For Christians, our days will never end. Literally, there will be no night where we are going.
But the Bible seems to indicate, there will be a time when this current age comes to an end. It says there will be a new Heaven and a new Earth.

Dan 2:21; "It is He who changes the times and the epochs; He removes kings and establishes kings; He gives wisdom to wise men And knowledge to men of understanding.
Acts 1:7; He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
1Thes 5:1; Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.

They taught me in school about periods of time called an "age". The Jurassic age, the stone age, the bronze age, the iron age, the space age. The Bible uses similar language for long periods of time.

Matt 12:32; "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matt 13:39; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
Matt 13:40; "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
Matt 13:49; "So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous,
Matt 24:3; As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?"
Matt 28:20; teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Mark 10:30; but that he will receive a hundred times as much now in the present age, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and farms, along with persecutions; and in the age to come, eternal life.

There is the current age, some say this is the "church age". But the Bible speaks of an age to come. Mark 10:30, says that age is eternal life.

Luke 18:30; who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life."
Luke 20:34; Jesus said to them, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,
Luke 20:35; but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;

Luke 18:30 says the same thing, in the next age, people will have eternal life. Luke 20:35; says the resurrection of the dead, will happen in "that age", presumably the next age.

Gal 1:4; who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
Eph 1:21; far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
Tit 2:12; instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age,
Heb 6:5; and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come,

I'm not exactly sure what defines the end of one age, I would guess the "last days" of that age. I would guess the millennial reign would be the start of the next age.
When will that be? I don't know. I don't believe anyone but Father God knows. I've heard a lot of predictions and so called prophecies about it in my life. But none of them has ever come true.
But I know these things will happen. Jesus will return. There will be a resurrection. There will be a new Heaven and a new Earth.

 

[B-A-C]

After studying this and thinking about it a little more. I think the day of the Lord is what signifies the end of the age.

Isa 13:6 Wail, for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, Cruel, with fury and burning anger, To make the land a desolation; And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
Ezek 13:5 "You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD.
Ezek 30:3 "For the day is near, Even the day of the LORD is near; It will be a day of clouds, A time of doom for the nations.
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, And it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 2:1 Blow a trumpet in Zion, And sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, For the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near,
Joel 2:11 The LORD utters His voice before His army; Surely His camp is very great, For strong is he who carries out His word. The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome, And who can endure it?
Joel 2:31 "The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood Before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
Amos 5:18 Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, For what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be darkness and not light;
Amos 5:20 Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, Even gloom with no brightness in it?
Obad 1:15 "For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head.
Zeph 1:7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, For the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
Zeph 1:8 "Then it will come about on the day of the LORD'S sacrifice That I will punish the princes, the king's sons And all who clothe themselves with foreign garments.
Zeph 1:14 Near is the great day of the LORD, Near and coming very quickly; Listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly.
Zeph 1:18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to deliver them On the day of the LORD'S wrath; And all the earth will be devoured In the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a terrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
Zeph 2:2 Before the decree takes effect—The day passes like the chaff—Before the burning anger of the LORD comes upon you, Before the day of the LORD'S anger comes upon you.
Zeph 2:3 Seek the LORD, All you humble of the earth Who have carried out His ordinances; Seek righteousness, seek humility. Perhaps you will be hidden In the day of the LORD'S anger.
Mal 4:5 "Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the LORD.
Acts 2:20 'THE SUN WILL BE TURNED INTO DARKNESS AND THE MOON INTO BLOOD, BEFORE THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS DAY OF THE LORD SHALL COME.
1Cor 5:5 I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1Thes 5:2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
2Thes 2:2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
2Pet 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.

Peter says when the day of the Lord comes, the heavens will pass away and the Earth will be burned up.
I was surprised to learn that "the day of the Lord" is mentioned almost four times as much in the Old Testament as in the new. Also, it seems the day of the Lord will not be a pleasant experience for many.

 

[Bill Taylor]

I believe the present age will be over with the Great Tribulation and the final age for human beings will begin and end with the Rule of Yashua.

 

[Brad Huber]

I would guess we are in the "church age" with the reaching out to all nations to spread the gospel. When that is completed per God's ideal, will be the great tribulation age, a short but very violent and deadly age, followed by Christ ruling for a thousand years, the age of peace and much less corruption through an iron scepter of Jesus. Then release satan from his chains and the last showdown between satan and his forces against Jesus and those who wish to fight with him against satans forces. I would guess there would still be plenty of sheep that wouldnt lift a finger to help Jesus though (not that He needs help, He just likes to include us in the important things to help us learn His ways better). And those sheep will probably be the stewards of earth until its destruction, then switch their stewardship to some other place.

 

[Curtis]

2Ti 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2Ti 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
2Ti 3:4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
2Ti 3:7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

 

[Bill Taylor]

2Ti 3:1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2Ti 3:2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2Ti 3:3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
2Ti 3:4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
2Ti 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2Ti 3:6 For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
2Ti 3:7 always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Curtis,,
We all are familiar with this passage but what are you trying to demonstrate?

 

[First and the Last]

In 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Paul outlines various negative traits that will manifest in people during the end times. Among these traits is a form of intellectual curiosity or pursuit of knowledge ("ever learning"), but without a corresponding attainment of true spiritual understanding ("never able to come to the knowledge of the truth").

The key issue here is not simply about acquiring knowledge or information, but about the spiritual discernment and wisdom that come from a genuine relationship with God and a correct understanding of His truth. People described in this manner may engage in continuous learning, perhaps exploring various teachings and ideas, yet they fail to grasp or accept the core truths of the Christian faith.

This failure could stem from a variety of reasons such as intellectual pride, spiritual blindness, or being misled by false teachings. It highlights the distinction between knowledge in a general sense and the transformative, saving knowledge of God's truth as revealed through Jesus Christ. True knowledge of the truth involves not just intellectual awareness but also a personal encounter with Jesus Christ and a life transformed by His teachings and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

In essence, Paul's warning in 2 Timothy 3:7 serves as a caution against mere intellectual pursuit divorced from a genuine pursuit of God and His truth, urging believers to seek a deeper, more intimate relationship with God that leads to spiritual enlightenment and growth in faith.