The Last Days
Bible Study Time for 6-10-07
When Paul got to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he went to the temple to participate in a Jewish ceremony which was according to the Law of Moses. While he was there, he was recognized by some Jews who were aware of Paul’s ministry in Asia Minor. They were very disturbed about Paul’s doctrine concerning salvation by grace apart from the Law of Moses. To them, Paul’s doctrine was a frontal assault on the Jewish people, the Law of Moses and the temple. When these Jews saw Paul at the temple in Jerusalem, they began to cry out to the crowd that this was the man whose teaching was in opposition to everything that the Jews believed in.
As a result, Paul was arrested and ultimately sent to Rome to stand trial. When Paul got to Rome, he called for the Jewish leaders of that city so that he could explain exactly why he was there. He said:
Acts 28:17-28 (NKJ)
17 . . . "Men and brethren, though I have done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans,
18 "who, when they had examined me, wanted to let me go, because there was no cause for putting me to death.
19 "But when the Jews spoke against it, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar, not that I had anything of which to accuse my nation.
20 "For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."
21 Then they said to him, "We neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren who came reported or spoken any evil of you.
22 "But we desire to hear from you what you think; for concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere."
23 So when they had appointed him a day, many came to him at his lodging, to whom he explained and solemnly testified of the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets, from morning till evening.
24 And some were persuaded by the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved.
25 So when they did not agree among themselves, they departed after Paul had said one word: "The Holy Spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet to our fathers,
26 "saying, 'Go to this people and say: "Hearing you will hear, and shall not understand; and seeing you will see, and not perceive;
27 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them." '
28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"
Now to us Paul’s reaction might seem a little strange. Wasn’t Paul over reacting just a bit? After all, the Bible says that some of the Jews were persuaded by the things that Paul said.
When we go out to witness to unbelievers, we are very encouraged when we see even the slightest interest on the part of an unbeliever, and if even one person becomes fully persuaded of the truth of the gospel, we feel that God has truly blessed our efforts.
So why was it that Paul became so angry when only some of these Jews believed what he told them about Jesus Christ? Why was it that Paul denounced them so vehemently when they didn’t all believe?
It would appear that Paul knew that this was Israel’s last chance to believe in Jesus Christ. Paul knew that this was the last stop along the way, and unless there was an overwhelmingly positive response by these Jews, it would be all over for this particular generation of Jews.
Well, at this point, we have to ask, how many believing Jews would God require before He could send the Lord Jesus back to establish the kingdom? The simple answer is that God required every Jew to believe before the kingdom could come. When Peter spoke in Acts, Chapter 2, he spoke to the men of Israel and said:
Acts 2:36 (NKJ)
36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
In Acts, Chapter 4, when Peter stood before the Council of the Jews to defend the healing of the lame man, he said:
Acts 4:9-11 (NKJ)
9 "If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well,
10 "let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 "This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
Peter’s message was to all the Jews because all the Jews would have to believe in Jesus before the Jesus could return to the earth to establish the kingdom.
Therefore, Paul knew what was at stake as he shared the gospel with the Jewish leaders in Rome. It would have taken an overwhelmingly positive response on their part to keep the hope of the kingdom alive for that generation of Jews. When only a few of them were persuaded by his words, Paul pronounced judgment upon the whole nation of Israel, saying:
Acts 28:28 (NKJ)
28 "Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!"
This certainly stands in contrast to Paul’s objective and expectation in regard to the Gentiles. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:22 (NKJ)
22 . . . I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
Paul certainly had no expectation that every Gentile would believe as he went out preaching the gospel of the grace of God. If this was true for Paul during the Acts period as the kingdom was being offered to the nation of Israel, certainly we should not be discouraged if very few respond to the gospel of Jesus Christ today.
We should not be deceived by the large number of people who are drawn to the mega churches of our day. It is as true today as it has ever been that many are called but few are chosen.
The concept of the remnant is seen throughout the Bible. Only eight souls were saved from the judgment waters of the flood, and only Abraham said to be righteous during his day. Only Lot and his daughters were saved when Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Over and over again in the scriptures we see that only a small remnant of people at any given time will be willing to truly put their faith in the true and the living God. Only a small number of people at any given point will believe what God has said.
We today are no different from the people of any other period of time. We should not think that we will win over the majority of people to Christ, much less every single person.
Paul wrote to Timothy after he had already revealed the mystery concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, and in I Timothy, Chapter 4, Paul warned Timothy that:
1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NKJ)
1 . . . the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,
In this passage, Paul is talking about the latter times of our present age, not the tribulation period. He says nothing about the antichrist or the man of sin, as he did when wrote to the Thessalonians. In II Thessalonians, Chapter 2, Paul said:
II Thessalonians 2:9-11 (NKJ)
9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
10 and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
To the Thessalonians, Paul specifically spoke of the strong delusion which will be the result of the lie of the antichrist. Obviously, Paul had the tribulation period in mind.
Paul wrote to Timothy some twelve or thirteen years after he wrote his letters to the Thessalonians, but in his letters to Timothy, he never mentions the antichrist. He simply says that in the latter times, some will depart from the faith as they give heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
This lends evidence to the idea that Paul has been given new information about the future. Now that Paul has been given the revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ, Paul was no longer worried about the antichrist or the events of the tribulation period because he knew that the Church will be taken up to glory before the tribulation period begins.
As Paul writes to Timothy, he goes on to show that during the latter days of the Church age, people will be very religious. He says that they will be:
1 Timothy 4:3 (NKJ)
3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Then he says that:
1 Timothy 4:4-5 (NKJ)
4 . . . every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;
5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
People in the last days of the Church will be very legalistic, but their laws will be according to their own vain imagination and demonic deception. They will give no credence to the word of God. At the end of the Church age, there will be demonic deception, but without the literal presence of the antichrist.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he once again warns Timothy and us about the apostasy that will occur at the end of the Church age. He says:
2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJ)
1 But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come:
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
2 Timothy 3:12-13 (NKJ)
12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.
Again, we see no mention of the tribulation period or the antichrist in this description of the perilous last days of the Church. People are going to be proud and greedy, unthankful and unholy, but there will be no literal presence of the antichrist until after the Church is taken up to be with the Lord in the glory of heaven.
Paul’s full revelation concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ was given in his letters to the Ephesians, the Philippians and the Colossians. Paul’s letters to Timothy were written several years afterward. Therefore, as Paul wrote to Timothy, he emphasized that Timothy should be careful to hold fast to the doctrine of Paul, and this is still essential for anyone who wishes to avoid the apostasy of the perilous last days of the Church.
Immediately after warning Timothy of the dangers and heresies of the last days of the Church, he says:
2 Timothy 3:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . you have carefully followed my doctrine . . .
2 Timothy 3:14 (NKJ)
14 (And) you must continue in the things which you have learned and (have) been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
How do we keep ourselves and our children from falling prey to the demonic deception and the evil men and imposters of the last days of the Church? We must follow the doctrine of the Apostle Paul.
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul knew that the end of his personal ministry was near. He said:
2 Timothy 4:6-7 (NKJ)
6 . . . I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Paul could see the trials and the tribulations that lay ahead of Timothy so he said:
2 Timothy 2:1-2 (NKJ)
1 You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.
2 Timothy 4:2-5 (NKJ)
2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers;
4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, (and) fulfill your ministry.
Timothy needed to understand, hold fast, and teach the truth concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. Like the people of Timothy’s day, we too need to understand the truth concerning the Church which is the Body of Christ. Without this foundational truth, it would be so easy for us to be swept away with the demonic form of legalism that will flourish during the perilous last days of the Church.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. It’s been a pleasure studying with you, and I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
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