Living in the Last Days
Act_2:17And 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:
2Ti_3:1This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
Heb_1:2Hath 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;
Isa_2:2And 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.
There are several themes based on living in the last days written out for us in the Bible. Since the word of God is the final authority on life itself, we who are in the faith believe the word of God. In doing so, let us not rush to speak over the situation and circumstances over life that we face today without knowledge. That would be detrimental to us and the world. It is easier to speak a curse over things than it is to speak true life. Negativity in life is a best seller. News media thrive on it, people who live in self pity and depression thrive on it and the devil thrives on it. It is the hopelessness of living in the last days that drives people into insanity, drugs, alcohol and all manner of evil of which they are not in control. This is why they seek to end their misery by drowning out life with things that affect their entire body, soul and spirit.
Yet, God’s word speaks to us and says that in the last days in the midst of all this chaos and confusion He will pour out His Spirit and the wilderness will become a fruitful forest. Added to this, entire nations will come to Him and be blessed. Can this be true? In my opinion and in the opinions of countless millions before and during our time have come to the conclusion that the last days will bring a revival like never before. Even though it may be world encompassing, it will not have the effect of saving every single soul. That is not what it is meant to do even though the heart of God seeks for none to be lost. The emphasis is on the hearer and receiver of the word and Spirit of God.
The last days will bring with it perilous times for all. Not only those who are in the world but for Christians. The difference will be, the Christians will be able to withstand and stand against the tides of the last days in their spirits and get strong and even do great exploits. Dan_11:32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. What does this mean? I believe it means that we who believe and remain on earth will move with such power as never seen before and many wonderful miracles and the like will be done by ordinary people to show the greatness and glory of God. Living in the last days under and in the Holy Ghost is exciting and not to be missed. There is no time for self pity, sorrow and depression for believers who believe in a living God. They will move in these perilous times like lightning and do great things because they know their God. The knowledge of God will also increase like never before and one will have access to things they never had before.
What about perilous times? Well, these times are already perilous with what is going on in the world. Even the worldly people can see the dangers of living in a world out of control. Whatever sanity is left is only hanging by a thread. Reasoning has become so convoluted that it is hard to make any sense of what is happening in the ordinary man’s mind. Living in the last days require us to have a sound mind that is constantly renewed by the word of God. That word has never changed through the centuries in the best and worst of times. Little do people realise that this world was once wiped clean by God except for 8 people. Gen_6:13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. It wasn’t the earth that was destroyed but the world involving people and animals. So, in the context of the last days, what is going to happen? I believe that several things will happen.
1. There will be unprecedented evil unleashed on earth
2. There will be unprecedented salvation released on earth
3. There will be destruction like never seen before on earth
4. There will be false peace and governments set up on earth by the devil who will introduce his anit-christ
5. Jesus will come back for His own
6. Jesus will defeat the anti-christ and cause His reign to happen on earth
7. The earth will ultimately be destroyed
8. A new earth and a new heaven will be created by God
All of what I have written has validation in scripture. The sequence and timing of events is up to the Lord. What I do know is, prophecy is being fulfilled before our very eyes. It is in the timing and manner that it is happening which is taking everyone by surprise. Even the prophets who prophesy of these events only prophesy in part, as God gives them the unction. The reason for this is, all things are in the hands of God to do as He pleases. Even though much has been revealed in scripture, one can only prepare oneself as the Lord leads.
However, the last days require several preparations.
1. The preparation of the heart to be in purity and righteousness
2. The feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of Jesus the Christ
3. Keep the oil burning in our lamps by continual infilling of the Holy Ghost through prayer
4. Much reading of the word and seeking for revelation to be found worthy to escape the disasters
The last days hold in them much to be considered. One such consideration is the advent of Jesus. His coming to earth signalled the last days. Heb_1:2Hath 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; If the coming of Jesus signified the last days; the obvious question would be, how long were they to last? It has been recorded that it is nearly two thousand years since Jesus came and so the last days become a time stretched out concept. So, why do we say we are living in the last days as though it is coming soon or even tomorrow? It is because we are at the last days of the last days concept identified by the closeness of prophecies being outworked. Added to this, the events are so close to each other that there is no time to recover from one to prepare for another. This indicates the birth pangs of the end of time of an era such as our time.
So then, what is our era? Our era is the time of grace, mercy and the Holy Spirit. Once our era is over, the unleashing of evil will not be held back like before. Since no restraint will be there, evil will increase and occur with such speed that it will be impossible to contain it even for a moment. This means that we will see (if we are on earth) the destruction of life and loved ones in manners unprecedented right before our eyes. It will no longer be something happening in some far distant land but it will be happening right at our doorstep. Our era is also an era of hope. Hope in this time will bring many to salvation. People will not be able to tell the difference between good and evil. What about the last days as described to us about the millennium? There are so many schools of thought on this, it is not funny. However, since the reign and rule of Jesus on earth is inevitable, it would be safe to say that there will be a time when God will allow that and restore many things unto Himself including many nations. I believe this is what He is alluding to in Isa 2.2 stated at the start of this teaching letter.
Living in any era of last days will require one key ingredient. That is the life of Christ in an individual. If you are on earth at any one of these several “last days” concepts, you will require the Spirit of Christ to live in you or else you are not going to be part of the new heaven and the new earth. Rom_8:9But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Many people are purporting to be Christians in the last days but are not. Jesus warned of such people who are wicked and do not have a conscience. Even after the reign of Jesus for a thousand years, the devil will deceive many nations and bring them up against Jesus and then the end of all flesh will come. Rev 20:7And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, Rev 20:8And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
My friends, let us not be ignorant of the teaching of the Bible or else we will be preparing ourselves in an erroneous manner or else we will disregard the times we live in. Nothing is more pressing than the salvation of a soul. Winning a soul for Christ also requires keeping the same for Christ till the end. Many people’s hearts will fail them because of what is coming and many will be sidelined because they are not true to God. We should not be found in either camp. Whether the end comes first for our era or we go first to God, let us be prepared and live like people who occupy till the Lord comes. Luk_19:13And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. That is not a word that should be taken lightly as it is the commandment of Jesus Himself in Matt 28.18:20. To the world, Jesus speaks in parables but to us, what He is saying is clear.
Lots of love
Pastor Noble
17/09/17