Another example of man changing the meaning of Gods time words is in Amos. God warned Israel the time had come for her to be judged, 8:2-3. In spite of the warnings Israel put far off the evil day. In spite of Gods warning that judgment was at hand they insisted All things continue as they were, They refused to believe God meant the end has come. As a result God said Woe to them for putting of His words! 6:3. As we have just seen if God do not keep the when part of the time statements then He has not kept his promise! Jehovah would not tolerate this interpretation of His time statements. He rebukes it Himself in scripture.
Most honest students of the Bible already realize that the New Testament is full of time statements that point to an imminent last days of the Old Covenant. Once Scripture is allowed to speak for itself, one cannot honestly deny the overwhelming amount of Scripture passages which declare that the last day prophecies were to shortly come to pass. By listing these numerous verses, we can see that the first century saints believed they were living in the last days of the Old Covenant. Peter specifies. Who (Christ) verily was fore ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. (1 Peter 1:20)
The apostle John made a similar statement: 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Here, the same word eschatos is used for last. However, the Greek word for time is slightly different, though very related: it is the Greek word hora defined by Strongs as: 5610. hora, ho-rah; appar. a prim. word; an hour (lit. or fig.):--day, hour, instant, season, X short, [even-] tide, (high) time.
John believed they were in the last or farthest season or hour of the Jewish age.
Peter specifies the range of this period, commonly called the last days, in his sermon in Acts 2:16-21. He declares that, it was fulfilling the prophecy of (Joel 2:28-32). What is significant about Peters statement is that he was claiming that they were in the last days. The writer of Hebrews expressed this identical sentiment as he began his discourse comparing the fading Old Covenant with the Everlasting New Covenant:
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, {2} Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Jesus was manifested, not at the beginning, or start of the last days but during the last days. The period between A.D. 30 and 70 is, as the apostle Peter describes it, these last times (1 Peter 1:20).
Hath in these last days the writer confirms. Without any speculation those in the first century believed they were in the last days. Certainly the writers of the New Testament were very aware of those passages we have studied involving the last days of Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore it is safe and logical to say that the New Testament writers believed that they were in the last days of the Jewish age.
The apostle John made this time statement: 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Here, the same word eschatos is used for last. However, the Greek word for time is slightly different, though very related: it is the Greek word hora defined by Strongs as: 5610. hora, ho-rah; appar. a prim. word; an hour (lit. or fig.):--day, hour, instant, season, X short, [even-] tide, (high) time.
John believed they were in the last or farthest season or hour of the Jewish age. Paul believed the same:
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. There are two different Greek words used here translated as time. In the first cause Paul says knowing the time. The Greek word here is 2540. kairos, kahee-ros; of uncert. affin.; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:--X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Comp. G5550. Strongs.
In the second clause Paul uses the phrase high time. High time is the same Greek word used in first John. Both Paul and John firmly believed that they were in the last time or days of the Jewish age. Paul believed they were living in the end of the Jewish age as well: 1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come.
Paul was describing the history of the Jews and their rebellion against God in the wilderness. We should not ignore the fact that Paul, in discussing the ancient rebellion which took place in the wilderness says it was written for their admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come.
New consider the time statements of James as he addressed the unbelieving Jews: James 5:1-4 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Clearly James taught that these men were in the last days.
Jude, in describing the same group of unbelieving Jews, also speaks of this period, although with a different phrase: But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 1:17-18)
The word time is the Greek word chronos, defined by Strongs Exhaustive Concordance as: 5550. chronos, khron-os; a space of time. The word last is defined as: 2078. eschatos, es-khat-os; a superl. prob. from G2192 (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of place or time):--ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost. Certainly we can conclude from Jude that they were in the farthest or uttermost space of time of the Jewish age. They were in the last days of the Jewish state.
The impression of the Apostles is the nearness of the end is worthy of notice that there is a marked gradation in the language of the different epistles. Going from know that in the last days perilous times will come To the last times and the last times became the last days, and the last days become the last hour [escath wra esti]. The period of expectation and delay was now over and the decisive moment was at hand. And that, knowing the time.. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. (Romans 13:11-12)
There are many other passages that could be used to support the fact that the first-century believers and particularly the apostles believed unanimously that they were in the end of the Jewish age or the last days of the Jewish age. The fact is that anytime Scripture uses the phase last days it means, a period from 30-70 AD. This was the period during which the Apostles were preaching and writing, the last days of Old Covenant Israel before it was forever destroyed in the destruction of the Temple (and the Old Covenant sacrificial system) not the end of the world or physical universe.
Most honest students of the Bible already realize that the New Testament is full of time statements that point to an imminent last days of the Old Covenant. Once Scripture is allowed to speak for itself, one cannot honestly deny the overwhelming amount of Scripture passages which declare that the last day prophecies were to shortly come to pass. By listing these numerous verses, we can see that the first century saints believed they were living in the last days of the Old Covenant. Peter specifies. Who (Christ) verily was fore ordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you. (1 Peter 1:20)
The apostle John made a similar statement: 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Here, the same word eschatos is used for last. However, the Greek word for time is slightly different, though very related: it is the Greek word hora defined by Strongs as: 5610. hora, ho-rah; appar. a prim. word; an hour (lit. or fig.):--day, hour, instant, season, X short, [even-] tide, (high) time.
John believed they were in the last or farthest season or hour of the Jewish age.
Peter specifies the range of this period, commonly called the last days, in his sermon in Acts 2:16-21. He declares that, it was fulfilling the prophecy of (Joel 2:28-32). What is significant about Peters statement is that he was claiming that they were in the last days. The writer of Hebrews expressed this identical sentiment as he began his discourse comparing the fading Old Covenant with the Everlasting New Covenant:
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, {2} Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Jesus was manifested, not at the beginning, or start of the last days but during the last days. The period between A.D. 30 and 70 is, as the apostle Peter describes it, these last times (1 Peter 1:20).
Hath in these last days the writer confirms. Without any speculation those in the first century believed they were in the last days. Certainly the writers of the New Testament were very aware of those passages we have studied involving the last days of Judah and Jerusalem. Therefore it is safe and logical to say that the New Testament writers believed that they were in the last days of the Jewish age.
The apostle John made this time statement: 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. Here, the same word eschatos is used for last. However, the Greek word for time is slightly different, though very related: it is the Greek word hora defined by Strongs as: 5610. hora, ho-rah; appar. a prim. word; an hour (lit. or fig.):--day, hour, instant, season, X short, [even-] tide, (high) time.
John believed they were in the last or farthest season or hour of the Jewish age. Paul believed the same:
Rom 13:11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. There are two different Greek words used here translated as time. In the first cause Paul says knowing the time. The Greek word here is 2540. kairos, kahee-ros; of uncert. affin.; an occasion, i.e. set or proper time:--X always, opportunity, (convenient, due) season, (due, short, while) time, a while. Comp. G5550. Strongs.
In the second clause Paul uses the phrase high time. High time is the same Greek word used in first John. Both Paul and John firmly believed that they were in the last time or days of the Jewish age. Paul believed they were living in the end of the Jewish age as well: 1 Cor 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come.
Paul was describing the history of the Jews and their rebellion against God in the wilderness. We should not ignore the fact that Paul, in discussing the ancient rebellion which took place in the wilderness says it was written for their admonition, upon whom the ends of the age are come.
New consider the time statements of James as he addressed the unbelieving Jews: James 5:1-4 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Clearly James taught that these men were in the last days.
Jude, in describing the same group of unbelieving Jews, also speaks of this period, although with a different phrase: But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. (Jude 1:17-18)
The word time is the Greek word chronos, defined by Strongs Exhaustive Concordance as: 5550. chronos, khron-os; a space of time. The word last is defined as: 2078. eschatos, es-khat-os; a superl. prob. from G2192 (in the sense of contiguity); farthest, final (of place or time):--ends of, last, latter end, lowest, uttermost. Certainly we can conclude from Jude that they were in the farthest or uttermost space of time of the Jewish age. They were in the last days of the Jewish state.
The impression of the Apostles is the nearness of the end is worthy of notice that there is a marked gradation in the language of the different epistles. Going from know that in the last days perilous times will come To the last times and the last times became the last days, and the last days become the last hour [escath wra esti]. The period of expectation and delay was now over and the decisive moment was at hand. And that, knowing the time.. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. (Romans 13:11-12)
There are many other passages that could be used to support the fact that the first-century believers and particularly the apostles believed unanimously that they were in the end of the Jewish age or the last days of the Jewish age. The fact is that anytime Scripture uses the phase last days it means, a period from 30-70 AD. This was the period during which the Apostles were preaching and writing, the last days of Old Covenant Israel before it was forever destroyed in the destruction of the Temple (and the Old Covenant sacrificial system) not the end of the world or physical universe.
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