End Days-1

End Times-1 The Last Days Are Here!

February 22, 2023

Purpose: To explore the lifestyle challenge of living in the age inaugurated by the ascension of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit.

Like small children on a long journey, when we think about end times, most of us keep asking, “Are we there, yet?”

Group Discussion: What world events and life experiences have contributed to your view of the future of the human race and the future of planet earth? Are you optimistic or pessimistic? Why?

Almost immediately after salvation I was taught about the rapture and the danger of being “Left Behind.”

Did anyone go see the Kevin Sorbo film?

I started reading books that told of the rapture and the horrors awaiting those who were left behind to go through the Tribulation.

I heard “endtime evangelists” with their flipcharts (before Powerpoint) (Bill Gates graduated High School in 1973)

The Soviet Union and Cold War, threats of nuclear annihilation, communism triumphing, all contributed

Personal Reflection:What do you think and how do you feel when someone says, “The end of the world is near”?

I live in eager anticipation. I long for it. I’m old, but even as a teenager I was eager for the Rapture.

According to the apostles of Jesus, the last days began with the ascension of Jesus to heaven and the outpouring of the Spirit on the church. And we have been in the last days ever since—almost two thousand years of last days! Indeed, the last days will continue until Christ comes again.

It is hard to keep a balanced perspective on this.

This study shows that in one sense we have “arrived,” but in another sense we are still waiting. To keep the balance we must learn how to live “to the hilt” in these days of fulfillment while waiting hopefully for the last of the last days.

RAPTURE ANXIETY OR BLESSED HOPE?

by  DOUG CLAY on February 17, 2023

Will Jesus return in 2023? That question stirs hope in some and anxiety in others. How can the thought of Jesus’ return produce anxiety? Stories of “Rapture anxiety” received prominent media attention in 2022. Some “exvangelicals” — people raised in Christian homes who now question traditional evangelical doctrines, often because of traumatic experiences — say the teaching of the Rapture caused them anxiety. As a pastor, my heart aches for people who suffer trauma because of their church experiences. Should the doctrine be a source of anxiety? Absolutely not! Article 13 of the Assemblies of God’s Statement of Fundamental Truths says about the Rapture: “The resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ and their translation together with those who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord is the imminent and blessed hope of the Church.” The Rapture should calm anxious Christians rather than causing anxiety. No matter how bad things get, we know that our Blessed Hope is imminent! Our doctrinal statement lists four texts for the Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17; Romans 8:23; Titus 2:13; and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52. A close look at the broader context of each passage reveals how the Rapture inspires hope. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, Paul addressed Christians who were worried about the deaths of fellow believers. Would they miss out on Christ’s return?

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 (LSB) But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Paul calmed the Thessalonians’ anxiety by reminding them that for Christians, death is like falling asleep. The “trumpet call of God” is the alarm clock that will wake them when Christ comes. The dead will get up first, and then the living will join them “in the air” to meet Christ.

“Soul sleep” is NOT inferred. Brother Clay is talking about the physical body.

According to Got Questions Ministries. “Soul sleep” is a belief that after a person dies, his/her soul “sleeps” until the resurrection and final judgment. The concept of “soul sleep” is not biblical. When the Bible describes a person “sleeping” in relation to death (Luke 8:52; 1 Corinthians 15:6), it does not mean literal sleep. Sleeping is just a way to describe death because a dead body appears to be asleep.

The moment we die, we face the judgment of God (Hebrews 9:27).

If immediately upon death we go to heaven or hell, then we are judged.

But there are other judgments:

Revelation 20:11–15 (LSB) Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sits upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 Then I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them, and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

2 Corinthians 5:10 (LSB) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

1 Corinthians 3:12–15 (LSB) Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each man’s work will become evident, for the day will indicate it because it is revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. 14 If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. 15 If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

For believers, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:6–8; Philippians 1:23). For unbelievers, death means everlasting punishment in hell (Luke 16:22–23).

Until the final resurrection, though, there is a temporary heaven—paradise (Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4) and a temporary hell—Hades (Revelation 1:18; 20:13–14). As can be clearly seen in Luke 16:19–31, neither in paradise nor in Hades are people sleeping. It could be said, though, that a person’s body is “sleeping” while his soul is in paradise or Hades. At the resurrection, this body is “awakened” and transformed into the everlasting body a person will possess for eternity, whether in heaven or hell. Those who were in paradise will be sent to the new heavens and new earth (Revelation 21:1). Those who were in Hades will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11–15). These are the final, eternal destinations of all people—based entirely on whether or not a person trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Present-day defenders of soul sleep include the Seventh Day Adventist church, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Christadelphians and others.

“And so we will be with the Lord forever,” Paul concluded. “Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

In Romans 8:18–25 , believers were troubled by their “present sufferings.”

Romans 8:18–25 (LSB) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the anxious longing of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. 24 For in hope we were saved, but hope that is seen is not hope, for who hopes for what he already sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we eagerly wait for it.

Those sufferings weren’t merely personal; they were cosmic. “The whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Few things make us despair as much as deep, persistent suffering. Is there an end to our suffering? Paul wrote that our suffering ends when Christ returns and accomplishes “our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.” Paul immediately added this crucial statement: “For in this hope we were saved.” Hope appears again in Titus 2:11–14. Indeed, verse 13 gives Article 13 of the Statement of Fundamental Truths its title: “The Blessed Hope.”

Titus 2:11–15 (LSB) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, 12 instructing us that, denying ungodliness and worldly desires, we should live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all lawlessness, and purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works. 15 These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you.

In this passage, what caused believers anxiety was sin, which Paul described as “ungodliness,” “worldly passions,” and “wickedness.” Christ’s coming into the world shone a ray of hope on sinful humanity. “The grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people,” Paul wrote. In the meantime, believers should strive to lead godly lives as they await “the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior.” Notice the time stamps on Paul’s words. “The grace of God has appeared” points to the past. Our wait for “the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory” points to the future. As Christians, we don’t live between one anxiety and another. We live between grace and hope. That is our present reality! In 1 Corinthians 15:50–58, death once again is the cause of anxiety.

1 Corinthians 15:50–58 (LSB) Now I say this, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the corruptible inherit the incorruptible. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on the incorruptible, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this corruptible puts on the incorruptible, and this mortal puts on immortality, then will come about the word that is written, “DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP in victory. 55 “O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS YOUR STING?” 56 Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; 57 but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Few things worry us as much as our own mortality, not to mention that of our loved ones. We think of death as the end of life, but it isn’t. “Listen, I tell you a mystery,” Paul wrote. “We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” For those who put their faith in Christ, death is not the end of life, for Jesus gives eternal life. And so, we come back to the question: Should the Rapture be a source of anxiety? If we let the Bible teach us doctrine, the answer must be no. Sin, suffering, death — these are sources of anxiety. By contrast, Christ’s coming for His saints is always a source of hope. I love what former Assemblies of God General Superintendent G. Raymond Carlson said about the link between Christ’s coming and Christian confidence:

"The Christian’s hope centers in a Person and the sovereignty and the final triumph of that Person. For this reason, the Christian is the most optimistic person in the world. He knows that the chaos of today was predicted by our Lord as a forerunner to Christ’s second coming. He’s aware that God’s holy purposes will be fulfilled and Christ will be victorious. Belief in the coming of our Lord makes us incurable optimists."

If the Rapture is a source of hope, why do some people experience Rapture anxiety? Let me close by suggesting three reasons and a pastoral remedy for each. First, too much speculation. Perhaps you remember the believer who published a book titled 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. When that didn’t happen, he issued revised editions in 1989, 1993, and 1994. In all four cases, his predictions were wrong. We shouldn’t be surprised by this. After all, Jesus said, “About that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:32–33). If even Christ didn’t know the day or hour of His return, then neither do we. We harm others (and our own reputations) when we claim to know more than we possibly can. Second, too much bad news. Remember the 1972 end-times thriller A Thief in the Night? This film emphasized the horrors of the Great Tribulation that will occur after Christ raptures the Church. When we overemphasize the bad news of the Great Tribulation, people don’t hear the good news of Christ’s coming for His saints. Our preaching and teaching should not just paint a dark picture of the human condition, but they should also shine the light of God’s grace. Third, too much legalism. Scripture clearly teaches we are saved by grace through faith, not by works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Titus 2:11–14 encourages us to live godly lives in light of the grace that has appeared and the hope that will appear. Our motivation for godly living, then, is grace and hope, not fear of judgment. Hope is a fundamental need for people. Everyone needs some kind of hope! If you have a personal relationship with Christ then the message of the Rapture is about the hope of being found! This article originally appeared in the Winter 2023 issue of Influence magazine. Used with permission.

Read Acts 2:1–41.

1. Jesus has been crucified and resurrected. He has also ascended into heaven out of sight (1:9). What happens to the waiting disciples to assure them that Jesus will continue to expand his worldwide mission?

Question 1. The later occurrences of the gift of tongues (Acts 8:17–18; 10:46–47; 11:17; 19:6) are probably a direct extension of this supernatural endowment as new frontiers were broken in the crosscultural mission of the church, in contrast to the Corinthian tongues, which required interpretation (1 Cor 14:2, 27). Taking the occurrences of glossolalia (tongues) in Acts together, it appears that God wanted to convince the disciples experientially that their vocation was now to share in the worldwide mission of Christ by empowering them to speak foreign languages and dialects they had never learned. There is in this a possible allusion to a Jewish tradition that at the giving of the Law the voice of God was heard in every nation under heaven, then considered to be seventy in all (F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles [London: Tyndale Press, 1965], p. 83). That the Jerusalem event was clearly a supernatural phenomenon is evidenced by the jeer of the cynical bystanders. Later, missionaries had to learn some of those languages.

2. The Feast of Pentecost (fifty days after the Passover) was one of the three great festivals of Israel. Why do you think Luke, the author, is careful to note the countries of origin represented by the visitors to Jerusalem for this great feast (vv. 9–11)?

Question 2. In contrast to the breakdown of communication at Babel (Gen 11:1–9), the Spirit empowers the disciples to experience community of speech.

The three great festivals of Israel at the time of Jesus were Passover (remembering deliverance from Egypt), Tabernacles (recalling the wilderness wanderings) and Pentecost (a harvest festival coming seven weeks after Passover, during which the first fruits were offered to God—Ex 23:16; Lev 23:15–21). Sometimes over a million people jammed into Jerusalem for these festivals, arriving from all over the Mediterranean (from modern Italy to Egypt). Many of the visitors were Jews in dispersion. Some were proselytes (Gentiles who had become Jews by baptism and circumcision). Some were God-fearers (non-Jews who were earnestly seeking God—see Zech 8:23). It was an auspicious occasion for the missionary vocation of the church to be sealed, and for the first harvests of Christ’s resurrection and ascension to be made. Significantly, the apostle Paul later chose the feast of Pentecost to bring the love-gift from the Gentile churches to the Jewish believers in Palestine (Acts 20:16) in the true spirit of the international, interracial community born that day, anticipating as Paul said “the full measure of the blessing of Christ” (Rom 15:29).

Speaking to Jews and proselytes, Peter declares the finality of Jesus by quoting psalms that envisioned a triumph over death by God’s anointed messenger and the ascension by the Messiah to rule over everything at God’s right hand. It is not surprising that at least some of Peter’s audience were “cut to the heart” by this revelation as they realized they had unwittingly participated in the murder of God’s anointed One, even though they may have believed at the time they were doing God’s will in eliminating who they believed was an imposter and a blasphemer. What is surprising and troubling is the apathetic response of people today to the same message. Noteworthy and helpful to us in our mission is the way Peter addresses the need of the people to believe by appealing to Scripture, to the facts of the crucifixion and the empty tomb, and to the supernatural phenomenon of Pentecost, evidences that carry weight even today.

3. When, if ever, have you experienced deep fellowship with people from other races and cultures whom you would normally have difficulty communicating with?

4. With what arguments does Peter counter the charge that he and his friends were intoxicated (v. 13)?

Question 4. John Stott takes this passage and carefully outlines what the events of Pentecost were not: (1) not the result of intoxication, (2) not a miracle in hearing, in contrast to speaking, (3) not a case of incoherent speech. Rather, “the glossolalia on the Day of Pentecost was a supernatural ability to speak in recognizable languages.” Stott carefully shows the multifaceted reality of Pentecost as (1) a final unrepeatable act in the saving ministry of Jesus; (2) the empowerment of the apostles for their unique role; (3) the inauguration of the new era of the Spirit—so that Pentecost gets extended through history; and (4) the first revival in the church. He wisely concludes, “The wind and fire were abnormal, and probably the languages too; the new life and joy, fellowship and worship, freedom, boldness and power were not” (The Spirit, the Church and the World [Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1990], pp. 60–61, 65–66).

5. Peter explains the strange events of this feast day in terms of the Old Testament prophecy of Joel (Joel 2:28–31). What evidence does Peter give that he is correct in claiming the “day of the Lord” (v. 20, the last days) has arrived? (Note that he quotes Psalm 16:8–11 and Psalm 110:1, which are generally regarded as pointing to the Messiah.)

Questions 5–6. Two things are noteworthy in the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. First, Old Testament prophets were more concerned with holiness in time than holiness in space: the day of the Lord was more important than the house of the Lord. But the day is not to be calculated on a clock or a calendar. It is God’s own time—a season extending, as we now know, through centuries. Second, two dimensions of the day (grace and judgment) locked together in Joel’s prophecy are separated at least temporarily in Christian fulfillment. The day now is a day of opportunity to experience new life, forgiveness and the full endowment of the Spirit. But it will eventually mean final irrevocable judgment for the obstinate and unbelieving. Our detailed study of Joel will show this.

6. The “day of the Lord” (the last days) in Joel 2:1 is a day of both searing judgment on evildoers and gracious salvation and fulfillment for true servants of God (Joel 2:28–31). Interpreting this passage, Peter does not pronounce irrevocable doom on unbelievers and the executioners of Jesus, but rather stresses the grace of the day of the Lord. Why do you think he does this?

7. What must people do to respond to the arrival of the last days (v. 38)?

Question 7. While some might prefer to debate the relative merits of infant and adult-believer’s baptism, it is advisable to focus on the issues raised by this first generation of new Christians in this missionary situation. There is some question as to the relationship between the baptism mentioned in this passage and two other baptisms—John’s baptism of repentance and the baptism of Gentile converts to Judaism. It is uncertain when Jewish baptism of proselytes began, so John’s baptism may or may not have been modeled after Jewish tradition. Although there could be a connection to the ritual daily cleansing prevalent in Jewish law, both the baptism after Pentecost and John’s baptism were one-time events reflecting an inner change in a person’s life, not the daily need for repurification.

8. What evidence in the text suggests that the Spirit outpoured on Pentecost is now the permanent endowment of the church for its mission in the world?

What indication is there that Pentecost might be a one-time event?

Question 8. Whether Paul thought there would be a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost when he presented the huge love-gift from the Gentile believers to the Jewish believers, he must have seen the significance as entering into the true meaning of Pentecost and so pressed his travel schedule to get to Jerusalem in time for the feast (Acts 20:16). See also “Now or Later.”

9. In very few places of the world today are people asking Christians, “What shall we do?” (v. 37). Why do you think this is so?

10. Read Acts 2:42–47. What clues do we have in the passage to explain the growth of the church (v. 47) then and today?

Question 10. Though the temporary experiment in what has been called “a religious communism of love” had a disastrous moment (Acts 5:1–11), and was soon transformed into almsgiving (4:1–7) and relief missions (11:27–30; Rom 15:25–28), a crucial principle is demonstrated: fellowship is more than “spiritual” sharing. During the period before the persecution and scattering of the Jerusalem Christians (Acts 8:1–3) and the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, these first believers participated in sanctuary worship with other Jews and a new form of home fellowship distinctive of the new life Jesus brought. It was said of early Christians that they shared a common table but not a common bed, thus redeeming and redefining the word for love in the ancient world and making their life together a sermon. A last-days lifestyle is neither superspiritual nor impractical. This winsome community that attracted outsiders (Acts 2:47) was authenticated by Spirit-endowed preaching, a radical life of practical love, and wonders and signs (2:43).

11. What does living “in the last days” now mean to you?

Ask the Holy Spirit to continue to fill the church with love, joy and empowered mission.

Now or Later

Years after the first Pentecost the apostle Paul was racing across the Mediterranean to present a love gift from the Gentile churches to the relatively poor Jewish believers in Palestine. He was determined to do this in the annual feast of Pentecost.

Read Acts 20:16; 21:4–14; Romans 15:23–29; 2 Corinthians 8–9.

Why do you think presenting this gift at Pentecost might be important for Paul and for the wider church?

In what ways would this ministry of giving constitute an authentic extension of the Spirit’s outpouring on Pentecost?

Community of language leads to community of property (Acts 2:42–47). Some dimensions of the community life of the first Christians reflect the emergency situation of pilgrims stranded in Jerusalem after the feast or not wanting to go home and leave this new community. What, however, are the dimensions of living in the last days that can be applied to your own life in this present age?

A Christian is a controlled drunk, purposively intoxicated with the joy of the life which is perpetually created by God himself.

Canon Evans[1]

[1]Stevens, R. P. (2004). End Times: 13 Studies for Individuals or Groups: With Notes for Leaders (pp. 11–12). IVP Connect: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.