In this essay we will look at End Time Things, what they are, and what elements and themes in the bible can be considered end time things. Then we will look at some contrasts between the end time things and earlier ones. The Lord has kept the best for last.
First and foremost is of course the Second Advent, or Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Revelation of Jesus Christ, chapter 19 depicts the Second Coming like this:
Re 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.
13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There are many other references to the second advent, especially those that speak of the Son Of Man coming in the clouds.
Another theme that is clearly an end time thing is The Last Day pouring out of the Spirit. It’s mentioned in Acts 2 where we read of what will happen in ‘the last days’.
Ac 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
19 And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here the speaker, Peter, is quoting the prophet Joel from Joel 2, where the translators used the term afterward instead of the last days.
Joel 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just prior to that we see Joel mentions something called the latter rain. In natural terms the former rain was the spring rain, and the latter rain was the fall rain. These were crucial to bring the spring and fall harvests. Wheat and barley were harvested in ancient Israel in the spring, just as we harvest winter wheat in the spring today. But in this instance there is a supernatural element involved as it tells of the former and latter rain coming both in the first month. That is a double rain!
Joel 2:23 Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he hath given you the former rain moderately, and he will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, and the latter rain in the first month.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Over in Hosea, we read that he will come to us as the latter rain and it will be in the third day! This clarifies what Joel is saying and makes it easy to see that the pouring down latter rain is another way of expressing the pouring out of the Spirit. And the mention of the third day lines up with the expression ‘last days’.
Ho 6:1 Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up.
2 After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.
3 Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The latter rain and the pouring of the spirit are the same thing basically and are clearly end time things. As rain enables a harvest in natural terms, the latter rain speaks of end time revival [or restoration] to precede an end time harvest.
Here in Matthew the Lord clearly identifies the harvest as an end time thing.
Mt 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The context this appears in is a series of parables on the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God. This also is an end time thing.
The Kingdom of God is a complex topic and the Lord has much to say about it. Some of what we know is what it takes to enter the Kingdom of God. [I go into this topic at length in my article Blowing In The Wind. I could repeat most of that here, but I want to move on to the next topic. ]You must be born again, you must be led by the Spirit, [John 3] and you must become as a little child [Mark 10:15].
The Kingdom of God is found wherever God is King. To speak of some future time when Jesus returns to earth to set up his Kingdom is a misunderstanding. The kingdom is not of this world, visible and political. The kingdom does not come in a way you can observe or see, it’s invisible and spiritual. Those who are led by the spirit have entered the Kingdom of God. They have become obedient in all things.
The Latter Rain Outpouring of the Spirit is what leads us into the Kingdom.
And The Kingdom of God is an end time thing.
Re 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Consider the New Covenant as mentioned in Jeremiah and Ezekiel
Jer 31:31 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:
32 Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD:
33 But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.
34 And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This tells us of a new covenant that the Lord intends to make with his people. He will write his law in our hearts. And we shall all know Him.
Here is another description from Jeremiah 32.
Jer 32:40 And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here we see that this new covenant will make it so that his people will not depart from him. Ezekiel explains it this way:
Eze 36:26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Lord is promising that he will cause us to obey him! And that by putting his Spirit in us. On other words, God says I will put my spirit in you that you might not sin against me. This can only come about during the latter rain outpouring.
The key factor in each of these themes is the Holy Spirit. He plays the leading role in the End Time Outpouring, the Kingdom of God, and The new covenant. Essentially all three of these are the same thing, and the same event. So the New Covenant or New Testament is an end time thing.
There have been individual cases of people who have been led by the spirit. Certainly many of the first apostles and disciples, and down thru history as well. Today as we approach the coming of the latter rain, and the coming of the Lord at the second advent, there are increasingly more such people. Still the full force of the latter rain, and it’s impact are yet to be seen. I believe we are in the last days. You may call it the third day, the seventh day [of God’s week], the millennium or whatever. It’s in or on this day that these things will begin to happen. The end times and the end time things will come rushing at us.
Let’s look as some important contrasts.
Old Covenant vs. New Covenant
The Old Covenant is the Letter of the Law [which kills] vs. The New Covenant is the giving [without measure] of The Spirit [which quickens].
The Old Covenant is The Law of sin and death. The New Covenant is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:
4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. When you are led by that spirit you are not under the law; you have been [or will be] set free from sin and death!
Compare the tree of knowledge of good and evil vs. the tree of life. You can see that the fruit of the tree of knowledge, a fig tree in the story, is self righteousness, a.k.a. religion. The fruit of the tree of life is the fruit of the spirit that comes with the fullness of the Spirit.
In Hebrews 12 the Lord says basically the same thing when speaking of the mountains. The mountain that burnt with fire and smoke, vs. Mt. Zion.
Heb 12:18 ¶ For ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest,
19 And the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of words; which voice they that heard intreated that the word should not be spoken to them any more:
20 (For they could not endure that which was commanded, And if so much as a beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, or thrust through with a dart:
21 And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake:)
22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note how this passage links several end time themes together. They are Mount Zion, The Church, The City of God, The Heavenly Jerusalem, The perfection of the Saints and the New Covenant. All of these are end time things.
Compare The church as depicted in 1st Corinthians vs. that of second Corinthians. The reformation of the Corinthian church happens because of the visitation of Titus. Titus in this case is a type of the Holy Spirit; his arrival totally transforms them. In Ephesians the Spirit is typified by Tychicus. In Romans He appears as Tertius. The writer of Hebrews [Heb 13:23] is Timothy. Do you see a pattern here?
The contrast between being under the law or being led by the Spirit is also expressed in Galatians as Ishmael vs. Isaac.
Ga 4:21 ¶ Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note that here mount Sinai in Arabia is the mountain that burnt with fire, while Jerusalem which is above is the Mount Zion mentioned in Hebrews 12 above; also the New Covenant. Verse 24 says there are two covenants, the first is passing away, the second is the everlasting covenant.
In Galatians there is another discussion of being under the Law.
Ga 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
18 For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.
19 For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God.
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here one of the ideas is being dead to the law. We speak of it as death to self. In death to self, the old man is dead and the new man is Christ., You put on the new man by acting like Christ. If you act like Christ, you can’t sin. You are walking in righteousness, because you are clothed with righteousness. Jesus is the Lord our Righteousness. So therefore, to say I am crucified with Christ, etc. is an end time thing. And to put off the old man and put on Christ is an end time thing.
Second Corinthians talks about becoming a new creature in Christ This too is an end time thing.
2Co 5:16 ¶ Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One last note, in Matthew, Jesus warns about false prophets in the End Times.
Mt 7:15 ¶ Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are to know them by their fruit, the real from the fake. This can only be found in those who have the spirit and the fruit of the spirit that results, from those who are totally led by that Spirit. Once we have entered into the latter day move of the Spirit, it will be clear who are really spirit led. They will have these fruits:
Ga 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~