Christians should be wary of allowing current events to shape the way Scripture is interpreted. There is a long history of failure. In addition to the impact such end-time views have on Christian involvement in the culture and society, there is also the impact that predictive prophecy has on those who want to discredit the Bible.
But aren’t we living in the “last days”? A lot of confusion exists over what the Bible means by the “last days.” At least three views have been offered: (1) a concentrated period of time just prior to Jesus’ second coming, making the time yet future; (2) the period of time between Jesus’ first coming and second coming, what is typically and erroneously called the “church age”; (3) the forty year period from a point in time just prior to Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, what the Bible describes as a generation (forty years) which constitutes the “last days” of the Old Covenant. Which is the biblical view?
The New Testament writers told their first readers that the “end of all things is at hand” (1 Peter 4:7), that is, the end of the Old Covenant with its types and shadows was about to pass away. These events were said to be “near” (James 5:7–9), near to those who first read the prophecies not near to people who wouldn’t be around for 2000 years! There’s no getting around the biblical language of nearness as it relates to Bible prophecy.
Hebrews 1:2 says “in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son.” But the question must be asked (and answered), “the last days of what?” The “last days” were the final days of the Old Covenant order that brought an end to the shedding of blood for atonement, the need for a physical temple, and an assembly of sinful priests to officiate in the temple. Jesus was the better and once-for-all sacrifice (Heb. 9:11–22; 10:10–18); His body became the new and everlasting temple (John 2:19; Heb. 9:11–12); and He was a better priest “after the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7).
Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths
Christianity's failure to show itself practical in the past 150 years has guaranteed the success of secularism and militant Islam, both of which are doing incalculable harm at home and abroad. The rejection of any type of ‘this-worldly’ application of the Bible has resulted in the proliferation of man-centered worldviews that have steadily drained the life out of our world and left behind a spiritual vacuum.
Buy NowOn today’s podcast, Gary discusses this topic as covered in Chapter 14 of his book Myths, Lies, and Half-Truths. He answers this question and makes it clear that the last days of Hebrews 1 are past days, not a two-thousand year time period that continues until the present.