How Long Do the Last Days Last?

 How Long Do the Last Days Last? - by Bill Perkins - https://compass.org/how-long-do-the-last-days-last/ I’m guessing most of the people reading these Compass eNews emails sense we’re living in the very last of the last days. It’s almost surreal gleaning the news from a Biblicalperspective. We refer to the last days a lot because 17 out of the 18 times the Bible says “last days” or “latter days” it’s referring to what’s going on at the end of the age. So just what are the “last days”? When did that time period start? How long does it last? How many days are in the “last days”? When do the “last days” end? The Bible tells us exactly how long the “last days” will last in several verses. Peter famously stated that the last days began back in Acts 2 at Pentecost, by quoting Joel2. But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heedto my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day; but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘AND IT SHALL BE IN THE LAST DAYS,’ God says, ‘THAT I WILL POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT ON ALL MANKIND;’” Acts 2:14-17 Hebrews, written I think by Paul, also refers to that time being in the last days. (God) 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. Heb. 1:2 So the last days began almost two thousand days ago in the spring of 33AD. The "last days" beginning some 2000 years ago sounds a little odd until you understand what Peter and Paul were referencing. They were simply stating what most Jews livingat that time already knew. They believed the 7-day Creation Week was a template for all time.(1) The six, 24-hour creation days and one day of rest (as outlined in Genesis 1) is God’s template for all of human history. Seven is God’s number for completion. Therefore anything divisible by 7 (i.e., 7, 14, 21, 49, 70, 7000, etc.) used in the Bible refers to "completion." So God’s total designfor human's time on earth will be based on 7. How long will humans live in these sinful bodies on earth? In Psalms God equates 1000 years to a single day. For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it passes by, or as a watch in the night. Psa. 90:4 Peter also equated 1000 years to a single day when he was talking about the last days…with an interesting emphasis on “don’t miss this one fact.” But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 2Pet. 3:8 Therefore, we’ll make the case that each 24-hour day in the creation week could be 1000 years on our human-time template, 7000 years total. Again, creation week lasted onlyseven literal 24-hour days. But they are representative of seven x 1000 years of human history. And there are other verses that back that up assertion. For instance, creation week ended after six days of work with a day of rest. And we also know that the Millennial Reign of Christ is a 1000 years long, which fits like a glove—theMillennium equals God’s day of rest. We also know it was almost exactly 4000 years from Adam to Jesus by adding all the quite-specific but rarely studied genealogy records in the Bible. The most famous was Ussher’sBible Chronology, completed in 1650, that counted 4004 years between Adam and Jesus. Other more recent research has also come up with similar conclusions showing approximately 4000 years between Adam and Jesus. Now if we have 4000 years at the beginning of our 7000-year timeline accounted for, plus 1000 years at the end, that leaves 2000 years between Jesus and the Millennium, theChurch Age. Other verses also confirm the Church Age being about 2000 years long. For instance, the only reference to Jesus staying with the non-Jews was when he specifically stayed fortwo days and then returned to the Jews on the third day. So when the Samaritans (the non-Jews) came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days…. After the two days He went forth from there intoGalilee [returned to the Jews]. John 4:40, 43 And consider these two prophetic verses in Hosea 6: Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us. He will revive us after two days; He will raise us upon the third day, that we may live before Him. Hos. 6:1-2 Translation: AFTER the 2000 years of being scattered, Israel will be raised up to LIVE before Jesus their Messiah for 1000 years. That is one amazing prophecy. Using the 7 days equals 7000 years timeline, it’s predicting Israel will be scattered and wounded for two days/2000 years. Then God will raisethem up again for the third day/Millennial Reign of Christ. This “two days = 2000 years” is also seen in Exodus when we see God talking to Moses on Mt. Sinai: The LORD also said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments; and let them be ready for the third day, for on thethird day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.” Ex. 19:10-11 Those of us living in the Church Age are the only living humans ever consecrated by the blood of Christ. Today and tomorrow are two days or 2000 years. And on the third day(day seven of the creation model), the Lord will come down for the Second Coming—in sight/in person. We know that’s not referring to the Rapture because it says, “in the sight of all the people.” In the Rapture Jesus is not seen by anyone on earth. But in the Second Coming, “Every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7). Now think about what these three prophecies are all saying: The Church Age has to be completed before the Millennium begins with Jesus’ Second Coming. In other words, thereis no mid-Trib Rapture. That dog won't hunt. This also proves that the 7-year Tribulation is over before the Third Day begins. Which means if the Church Age is 2000 years long, and began in 33 AD, the Rapture would logicallyneed to happen prior to October 2026, sometime between now and three years from now. Jeepers that’s getting close. However, I know better than to date set. I certainly could be wrong. Shoot, when I was a new Believer I thought the Rapture was happening in 1977. Sorta missed that one abit. Whenever He comes, He comes. But He did tell us we should be able to discern when it’s close. The only time we can KNOW for sure the date of the Rapture is if the Lord gives the Church that same 7-day warning that He gave Noah before the flood. “For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights;” Gen. 7:4 If something obvious happens 7 days prior to Rosh Hashanah… oh boy, that will be one wild week of loading the ark… AKA witnessing like crazy! But the warning would have to be something obviously from the Lord, not something Satan could counterfeit—purposely trying to trip us up to make us look like idiots. Satan probably has more scriptural understanding than most Christians, if not all. Hey, 2000 years ago he was quoting scripture to Jesus…albeit out of context...trying totrip Him up. I’ve had several cards, letters and phone calls lately regarding the ungodly mid-Trib Rapture theory. So I would like again to point out that when Jesus said the Rapture wouldbe “just like the days of Noah,” (Matthew 24) and we know Noah represents the Church, then it is safe to say that Noah, and Jesus, were pre-flood, not mid-flood, in their doctrine. Even Peter alluded to the fact that Noah was pre-flood. who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons [representingthe church], were brought safely through the water. 1Pet. 3:20 And it was only the ungodly who received the punishment: and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; 2Pet. 2:5 There were no Godly people on the earth under the ark. Just like there will be no Godly people left on the earth immediately after the Rapture. You can’t be brought safely through the Tribulation. To argue the mid-Trib position you have to have believe millions of Believers will die horrible deaths. Sorry, I've gotmy eyes up for my rescue, not down on the world's wrath. Just saying. If you’re one who gets saved in the Tribulation then you’ll likely die! Those that make it through the entire seven years are few in number (Isaiah 24:6). That's why we’rerescued FROM the Wrath, just like all eight in Noah's family. So this Sunday is seven days away from the last trump of Rosh Hashanah. We’ll see if God talks turkey to the Church… in a way we know for sure it's the Lord. Watching all that’s going on in the world it sure seems like the Rapture could happen this year. You can make a definite case for it. As Andy Woods says, there's not one problemhe has that the Rapture won't solve. But I have to say, due to the gold and silver yet to be discovered in Israel, I think that’s a deal-killer for Rapture this year. However, I certainly could be wrong. If the Lord does an obvious miracle that, in no uncertain terms is of the Lord, somehow telling Born Again Believers in the Church thatthe Rapture is happening in seven days, it’s time to be bold and tell our unsaved friends and family it’s the last opportunity to get out of Dodge. CQLJ! BP The thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. 1Cor. 2:11 References https://compass.org/the-berisheet-prophecy/