The Bible uses terms (last days; latter times; latter years; time of the end; etc.) that mean different things when put in context, but some people take them out of context and use them like they mean the same thing. They don’t always mean the same thing.
Put another way: When someone is talking about the last days it is important to ask “last days of what” (last days of the week, the month, the year, the Church Age, the Tribulation period, the Millennium, last days of what, etc.).
One passage about the last days may refer to Israel during the Millennium (Isa. 2:1-5) and another passage may refer to the Church Age just prior to the Millennium (Heb. 1:2; II Tim. 3:1; James 5:3; II Pet. 3:3).
The idea that the last days refers to the Church Age comes from Barnabus, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, the Jewish Talmud and, according to some, the Bible.
Some Christians believe that history will be divided into one week of God-days or seven 1,000 year periods (seven God-days; Psa. 90:4; II Pet. 3:8; Heb. 4:4-6; Rev. 20:7). They believe 4,000 years (4 God-days) passed from Adam to Jesus.
They believe the last 3,000 years (the last 3 God-days) started with Jesus (Heb. 1:2). These would include 2,000 years (2 God-days or days 5 and 6) of the Church Age and 1,000 years of rest (1 God-day; day 7; also called the Millennium; Heb. 4:4-10).
The point to notice is that the Church Age covers 2 of the last 3 days of a 7,000 (7 God-day) year period of history.
Through the prophet Joel God said, “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:28-31).
This prophecy can be briefly divided into two promises: One promise to pour out the Holy Spirit (it shall come to pass, but no time set) and another promise to show wonders in the sky and on the earth before the Tribulation period.
The first promise was fulfilled after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
When the day of Pentecost was fully come 120 believers were gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem. The sound of a rushing mighty wind filled the room, cloven tongues like as of fire sat upon everyone, they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they began to speak with other tongues (Acts 2:1-4).
Word of this great miracle quickly spread. A large crowd gathered. The 120 were accused of being drunk. Peter stood and preached.
Peter said, “these are not drunken, as ye suppose” (Acts 2:15). “This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.”
Peter tied the sound of wind, tongues of fire and speaking in tongues to the last days and the first promise in Joel’s prophecy. God had fulfilled the first promise in Joel’s prophecy by pouring out the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-18).
The Church had begun. Half of the prophecy (the first promise) was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost and it is now history.
The other half of the prophecy (the second promise) wasn’t fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, but it will be fulfilled before the Tribulation period.
In a sense, Peter was saying only part of Joel’s prophecy has been fulfilled, but that does not mean that the other part won’t be fulfilled. The rest of it (the wonders in the sky and the signs on earth; every jot and tittle of what Joel said) will be fulfilled before the Tribulation period.
We should not overlook this because the Rapture and the end of the Church Age will take place before the Tribulation period.
This is not a prediction, but the first part of Joel’s prophecy marked the beginning of the Church Age and it is very possible that the last part of Joel’s prophecy marked the end of the Church Age.
And all of it could happen as the world is nearing the end of 6,000 (6 God-days) years of history and before the seventh God-day (Millennium) begins.
Concerning the wonder in the sky, the Revelation 12 sign will be in place on Sept. 23, 2017.
Concerning blood, fire and smoke on earth, the sun being darkened and the moon turning into blood the Middle East is bathed in war, there is an unusual high number of volcanoes erupting with fire and smoke, there was a tetrad of blood moons in 2014 and 2015, there will be a total eclipse of the sun on Aug. 21, 2017 and if one of the super volcanoes should erupt we are told that darkness could cover part of the earth for 6 months.
Are we almost there? No one knows the day or the hour of the Rapture, but it is easy for some to believe that we could be on the brink of something big.
Prophecy Plus Ministries, Inc.
Daymond & Rachel Duck
duck_daymond@yahoo.com