What Christadelphians believe about ...

The Last Days

The ‘last days’ is an expression that is used quite a lot in various parts of the Bible. Usually it denotes the time-period immediately prior to the return of Jesus Christ to the earth, though its use also extends to the establishment of the Kingdom (see, for example, Isaiah 2:2, John 6:40). Sometimes the whole of the period from the resurrection of Jesus onwards is referred to as the last days (Hebrews 1:2, for example), but the context usually makes this quite clear.

Much specific information about the last days before the return of Jesus Christ comes from the prophecy Jesus himself gave to his disciples while on the Mount of Olives (see Matthew 24:3). This prophecy is recorded for us in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21.

Care has to be taken with this prophecy, since it was given in answer to two questions that the disciples put to Jesus on matters about which they had recently heard him speaking. First they asked when the Temple would be overthrown, and secondly, "What will be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?" Thus a sizeable part of it refers to the destruction of the Jewish Temple by the Romans in AD70.

Nonetheless it is quite clear that Luke 21:25-27 refers to the time leading up to the return of Christ. Similarly, there are sections in Matthew 24 and Mark 13 which equally refer to that time. If you are not familiar with this prophecy, we strongly recommend your reading it; to make piecemeal quotations from it here would not do it justice. Let it simply be said that a "time of great trouble" is predicted.

A confusion could arise when we read of this time of "men's hearts failing them for fear" (Luke 21:26) and then read also that the last days will be similar to the days of Noah, when the all-consuming interest is in eating / drinking / marrying, and so on. These latter words can be found in Luke 17:26 and Matthew 24:38, words that may have been spoken by Jesus more than once.

The confusion is resolved when we realise that this is the time when it is foretold that Jesus will return to gather his believers (Luke 17:34-37; Matthew 24:40-41; 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18). After that will follow a period of time of which Jesus said in Luke 21:36: "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

We are told by Jesus that at the time of his return there will be few who are faithful to him (Luke 18:8). We sincerely hope that you will consider these matters, and that you will take steps to be among that faithful minority.