Are We Living Now in the “Last Days”?

Episode 2 June 12th, 2022 Neil Woodbury

We ended our session last week with the statement made concerning our “question”;

There can be only one true answer to the question, ‘Are we living now in the Last Days’?

I would submit that only through the careful study of The Word of God can we be sure the answer is true and reliable.

I. The Words of Jesus of Nazareth

a. Read Matt. 16: 27-28

i. “Mello” – ‘about to be’

ii. “Shall not taste death at all” – (LXX impossible)

1. Who said this? Jesus

2. When? A.D. 30

3. Where? Caesarea-Philippi

b. Read Luke 9: 26-27

i. “Some of those standing here (present tense) who shall not (strong negative) taste death – until they have seen the Kingdom of God

ii. He shall come in Glory – His and of the Father, and of the Holy Angels!

These things happened within the life span of some of the people hearing Jesus speak in A.D. 30!

c. Read Matt. 10: 16-23

i. Jesus is speaking to his Apostles concerning their ministry and His return to them. Does this passage infer a wait of two-thousand or more years?

d. Read Matt 20: 22

i. Jesus was “about to” (mello) drink from the cup – death on the cross!

ii. Are we still waiting for Jesus to shed His Blood? No!

Why do we not interpret this passage in the distant future?

e. Read Matt. 24: 1-3

i. Came to Him the disciples: Peter, James and Andrew (ref. Mark 13:3)

ii. “Tell us – when shall these things be (Destruction of the Temple) and the completion of the age?” – Age here is singular, noun, genitive.

iii. What age? The First Covenant Age – the Jewish Age

iv. The word translated ‘coming’ is actually “Parousia”, meaning “presence”

His Holy Presence – the return of Messiah;

1. Read II Thess. 1: 3-10, written A.D. 54

f. Read Matt. 24: 4-14

i. Read Col. 1: 21-29, A.D. 63