End Time Insights

In the Book of Acts , the application of Joel’s prophecy to the events in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost links the initial outpouring of the Spirit to the start of the “ Last Days .” In Acts , the activity of the Spirit beginning on the Day of Pentecost is essential for understanding the rapid spread of the Gospel from Jerusalem to the very center of the Roman Empire, a process that must continue until the “ arrival ” or Parousia of Jesus.

In his letters, Paul links the start of the “ Last Days ” with the death and resurrection of the Son of God. The time of fulfillment arrived, and all God’s promises now find their “ yea and amen ” in the risen Nazarene. Similarly, the Letter to the Hebrews declares that “ in these last days ,” God has “ spoken ” His definitive “ word ” in His Son who now reigns at the “ right hand of the Majesty on High .” Paul’s position is not unique among the documents that make up the New Testament.

When the subject of the Second Coming is raised, inevitably, the question of what recognizable “signs” will precede it is asked. Invariably, wars, earthquakes, tsunamis, famines, and similar catastrophes are pointed to as harbingers of the rapidly approaching return of Jesus. But he gave the definitive answer to this question, one that has nothing to do with spectacular calamities and wars, namely, The completion of the mission of the Church to proclaim his Gospel in every inhabited corner of the Earth.

Jesus did not teach that his followers must know end-time chronologies, the “ times and seasons .” He did not provide them with specific “signs” by which they could decipher the day, the hour, or the “ season ” of his return or otherwise decode God’s prophetic timetables. Instead, he warned that many deceivers would come and “ deceive many ,” false prophets who perform “ signs and wonders ” and thereby misdirect and mislead the “ elect .”