ARE THESE THE 'LAST' DAYS?

Scripture: Joel 2:1-2, 10-32; Acts 2:16-21

The term The Last Days appears 8 times; 3 in OT. The phrase “In That Day” appears 108 times; and the phrase “The Last Time” appears 3 times. It often connects with the phrase “The Day of the Lord” (found 25 times) or “The Day of God” (used twice) or "The Day of God Almighty” (used once).

IT BEGAN WITH THE POURING OUT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! Acts 2:1 tells us that it was the Day of Pentecost (Shavuot in Hebrew) when a part of Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled - the part which said that the Holy Spirit would be poured out on all flesh. The “last days” began on the Day of Pentecost, and will continue until the end of The Time of Jacob's Trouble, great Tribulation. Ezekiel 39:29 says; “for I have poured out My Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God.” Zechariah 12:10 says, “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon Me Whom they have pierced…”

It will involve serious perils that will come 2 Tim. 3: 1-7. It's also described as a period of time known as The Day of the Lord. It will be a day of general deception! Ezk. 13:1-10, 16; Matt. 24: 4-5, 24; 2 Tim. 3:13; 2 Pet. 3:3-4. It will also be a day of gross darkness! Amos 5:18-20; Zep. 1:15; Rev. 8:12

It will be a day of great distress! Joel 2:1-2; Zeph. 1:14-18; Luke 21:25-26. It will be a day of geological disaster! Rev. 6:12-17. It will be a day of global destruction! Isaiah 13:6-13; Zech. 14:1-3; I Thess. 5:1-3. It will be a day of gruesome death! Rev. 6:8; 8:11; 9:14-15, 20; 11:7; 13:7, 15

It will be a day of Godly deliverance! Joel 2:10-14, 27-32; 3:13-2, and it will culminate in the promise of His Second Coming! 2 Peter 3:1-14.

DOES ISRAEL REALLY MATTER?

It is indeed troubling to read frequently these days that obvious apathy and indifference of so-called "evangelicals" to the current situation in the land of Israel. The reasons for this indifference seem to fall into several categories:
1. Replacement Theology - the belief that the Church has replaced Israel is God's prophetic program

2. Preterist Beliefs - that the Book of Revelation was written before 70 AD and has nothing to do with future events beyond the Roman invasion and destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Temple - this view often argues that God has forsaken Israel because they crucified Jesus (which they did NOT do - the Romans did it after being manipulated by a corrupt Jewish leadership who held an illegal trial of Jesus)

3. Fear of Islam - this particular problem is now showing its ugly head - instead of speaking the truth about Islam, its beliefs and goals, certain evangelicals now speak of cooperation and compromise - some stating now that "Allah" is the same God as the Bible teaches! That is false - the name "Allah" was one of 360 pagan deities from pre-Islamic Arab culture. The only true God is the LORD GOD of ISRAEL!

4. Desire for church growth and acceptance by contemporary society - this has become an obsession by many churches - wanting to be "user-friendly" and "comfortable" for non-believers.

5. Lack of Biblical teaching - especially from the Jewish Bible, the Old Testament - there is very little teaching going on in churches today that encourages expositional and exegetical understanding of the Old Testament. The departure from historical/grammatical interpretation of the Bible is also affecting the Biblical understanding of believers.

6. Ignoring of the Jewish roots of our faith - it has become almost non-existent as pastor after pastor has ignored innocently or deliberately the Jewish roots of our faith - there seems to be a growing resentment by many of the growth of the Jewish Messianic congregations. Anything "Jewish" becomes "suspect" and "questionable."

It is time for all true believers in our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah of Israel, to speak up and to speak out and to say what God says in the power of the Holy Spirit! Israel has NEVER been forsaken by God and His covenant with them is EVERLASTING!

By : David Hocking Maranatha!