The Church Fathers faced two big questions: “What is Scripture?” and “How should we read it?”

Why Two Books? “All the apostles taught that there were indeed two testaments among the two peoples: but that it was one and the same God who appointed both for the advantage of those people.… who were to believe in God.… [T]he first testament was not given without reason, or to no purpose, or in an accidental sort of manner; but… exhibited a type of heavenly things… and foreshadowed the images of those things which now actually exist in the Church, in order that our faith might be firmly established.” Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.32

Garden of Delights. “All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. Therefore, let us knock at the beautiful garden of Scripture. It is fragrant, sweet, and blooming with various sounds of spiritual and divinely inspired birds. They sing all around our ears, capture our hearts, comfort the mourners, pacify the angry, and fill us with everlasting joy.” John of Damascus, Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.17

Plain Words for the Simple; Depths for the Wise. “The Divine nature intended to teach not only those who were learned in the literature of Greece, but also the rest of mankind. Jesus adapted Himself in order to be understood by the simple multitudes whom He addressed. He sought to win their attention by using language familiar to them. This is so that after their first introduction, they might be easily persuaded to strive after an understanding of the deeper truths hidden in Scripture.” Origen, Against Celsus 7.60

Awesome Teachings. “The things [Jesus] explained [to his disciples] require even more consideration than the things which seem to have been simply stated. Those who heard such explanations didn’t ask questions, because the Lord’s words pertaining to the entire design of salvation were meant to be contemplated with awe and a deep spiritual mind.” Clement of Alexandria, Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?

Buried Treasure. “Then [we believe] that the Scriptures were composed by the Spirit of God and that they have not only a meaning that is manifest but also another that is hidden as far as most people are concemed. … About this the universal Church is in accord, that the whole law is spiritual. What the law is full of, however, is not known to all but only to those to whom it is given by the grace of the Holy Spirit in a word of wisdom and knowledge.” Origen, Dc principiis 1, praef. 8

Locked Away from the Learned. “There are many today who consider themselves leamed, yet the Scriptures are a sealed book to them. They can’t open it without the help of Him who has the key of David. ‘He that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth.” Jerome, Letter 53

Wash Before Reading. “In order to search Scripture and truly understand it, we must have an honorable life, a pure soul, and Christ’s righteousness. Then our minds can understand the Word of God as much as human nature allows.… People who want to see a city or country go to the place to see it. In the same way, if we want to understand those who wrote about God, we must begin by washing and cleansing our souls. We must live like the saints themselves and imitate their works. When we become like them and live the common life, we can understand what God has revealed to them.” Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word 57 

The Church Fathers faced two big questions: “What is Scripture?” and “How should we read it?”

Why Two Books? “All the apostles taught that there were indeed two testaments among the two peoples: but that it was one and the same God who appointed both for the advantage of those people.… who were to believe in God.… [T]he first testament was not given without reason, or to no purpose, or in an accidental sort of manner; but… exhibited a type of heavenly things… and foreshadowed the images of those things which now actually exist in the Church, in order that our faith might be firmly established.” Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.32

Garden of Delights. “All who ask receive, those who seek find, and to those who knock it shall be opened. Therefore, let us knock at the beautiful garden of Scripture. It is fragrant, sweet, and blooming with various sounds of spiritual and divinely inspired birds. They sing all around our ears, capture our hearts, comfort the mourners, pacify the angry, and fill us with everlasting joy.” John of Damascus, Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith 4.17

Plain Words for the Simple; Depths for the Wise. “The Divine nature intended to teach not only those who were learned in the literature of Greece, but also the rest of mankind. Jesus adapted Himself in order to be understood by the simple multitudes whom He addressed. He sought to win their attention by using language familiar to them. This is so that after their first introduction, they might be easily persuaded to strive after an understanding of the deeper truths hidden in Scripture.” Origen, Against Celsus 7.60

Awesome Teachings. “The things [Jesus] explained [to his disciples] require even more consideration than the things which seem to have been simply stated. Those who heard such explanations didn’t ask questions, because the Lord’s words pertaining to the entire design of salvation were meant to be contemplated with awe and a deep spiritual mind.” Clement of Alexandria, Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?

Buried Treasure. “Then [we believe] that the Scriptures were composed by the Spirit of God and that they have not only a meaning that is manifest but also another that is hidden as far as most people are concemed. … About this the universal Church is in accord, that the whole law is spiritual. What the law is full of, however, is not known to all but only to those to whom it is given by the grace of the Holy Spirit in a word of wisdom and knowledge.” Origen, Dc principiis 1, praef. 8

Locked Away from the Learned. “There are many today who consider themselves leamed, yet the Scriptures are a sealed book to them. They can’t open it without the help of Him who has the key of David. ‘He that openeth and no man shutteth; and shutteth and no man openeth.” Jerome, Letter 53

Wash Before Reading. “In order to search Scripture and truly understand it, we must have an honorable life, a pure soul, and Christ’s righteousness. Then our minds can understand the Word of God as much as human nature allows.… People who want to see a city or country go to the place to see it. In the same way, if we want to understand those who wrote about God, we must begin by washing and cleansing our souls. We must live like the saints themselves and imitate their works. When we become like them and live the common life, we can understand what God has revealed to them.” Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word 57 

The Last Days?” (Are we living in the last days?) The Biblical last days spoke of the extinction of the earth or the Old Testament economy of Temple, sacrifice, priest, etc.?

Because of recent events, we hear the question, “Is this what the Bible refers to when it speaks of ‘the last days’?” Should we prepare ourselves for the “end of time” and the “second coming of Christ?” In this study, we shall look at verses concerning last days” madness.

Unlike Old Testament prophets, who announced the coming of the kingdom in some unknown future, John the Baptist announces that its arrival is imminent. The last days were introduced by John the Baptist when he said: “the axe is laid unto the root of the tree” (Matt. 3:10,12) and introduced Jesus to Israel as the One who will divide the true seed from the chaff. The images of the “axe” and the “fan” both call attention to the radical nearness of the kingdom. The one holding the axe is standing by the foot of the tree. He is not merely thinking about cutting the tree down. The axe is in His hand and has already penetrated the life giving support, the “root.” The “fan” refers to the winnowing fork used by farmers to separate the wheat from the chaff. The picture here is not that Jesus is heading to the barn to get a fan. It is already in His hand and He is about to begin His work of winnowing. After John introduces Jesus to Israel, Jesus began speaking to them about “the last days” and the oncoming age. Paul speaks of the days when Jesus spoke to Israel:

Hebrews 1:2 “(God) hath IN THESE LAST DAYS (at the end of these days) spoken unto us by (through) His Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by (through) Whom also He made the worlds (ages: past and those coming),” Paul recognized the days of Jesus’ ministry on the earth as “these last days.”

After Jesus was rejected and killed by rulers in Israel, Peter rose to the occasion and accused them and proved that they were still in their last days by defending what was happening at Pentecost:

“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’.” (Acts 2:17)

Later, James warned the 12 Tribes in writing:

“…Ye have (now) heaped treasure together FOR THE LAST DAYS.” (James 5:3) James was the brother of Jesus and a truthful witness to the Hebrews during those “last days.”

Then, Peter warned Jews who were scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Asia, Cappadocia and Bithynia about scoffers in their midst:

“Knowing this first, that there shall come IN THE(SE) LAST DAYS scoffers, walking after their own lusts.” (2 Peter 3:3)

The words, “in these last days” are very plain and speak of the end of a time period that was understood by the first century Christians and should be thought of as a definite point of time, a terminus in itself, or a certain segment of time that concludes the purpose of it’s arrival. Today, for example, if we speak of a week-end visit, we do not mean a visit sometime during the week. We mean “at the end of the week” in the sense of one or more days at the close of the full week of seven days. It is in this sense that the word “last” is used, both by the Old Testament prophets and the writers of the New Testaments. “These last days” are the conclusion of a known period of time. Then Paul tells the Hebrews believers about their Christ:

Hebrews 9:26 “For then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now (C.E. 30) once IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”

The words, “these Last Days” are also understood to be the same as in Hebrews 9:26, which says, “in the end of the world” (in the end of an economy). The Gospel writer, John gives us the meaning of the word “world.” Jesus said in John 18:20, “Jesus answered him, I spoke openly to the world; I always taught in their synagogue, and in their temple, where the Jews always resort…” In John 12:19, the Pharisees were worried because, “the world has gone after Him.” The leaders of the Jewish economy called themselves and their people “the world.” The statement, “in the end of the world” is referring to the end of the Jewish nation and to the time of their last Prophet, John the Baptist and the judgment of the Jews in C. E. 70, the time when the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy commenced. However, how is “the end of these days” to be interpreted in harmony with this statement of the case? Just what did the writer mean by “these days” and “the end”? The words, “these days” mean the very days in which He and His readers were actually living in that first century and spoke of their end coming soon. The Second Coming of the Messiah was near and would close “these days” according to their prophetic culmination. Jesus answered Pilate’s questioning, “My kingdom is not of this world.” In other words, Jesus said that He was not connected with an economy that was going to be destroyed soon. C. E. 70 brought an end to that “world” of synagogues, temple, priests and specific people.

When we read the statement in John 7:7, by our Lord, “the world cannot hate you; but it hates Me because I testify of it, that it’s deeds are evil.” We see something of why that “world” of Jews hated Him so much. Can we expect our President, George Bush to get away with describing the Terrorists’ actions as evil deeds against mankind? The religious crowds of the first century are no different than the religious crowds of the New Millennium. Evil deeds come from sick and sinful minds. They do not reason with others. Our world (the American economy) may come to an end. However, it is not the subject of Bible prophecy. All prophecy was fulfilled in C. E. 70.

We must put forward this phrase as the technical Old Testament expression, “be-acharith-ha-yamim” be acharith ha yamim (Numbers 24:14), which in the Septuagint is rendered many times, “in the last days” or “at the end of the days.” These expressions which in themselves simply stand for the end of certain days, became to the ancient Jews an expression for “the times of the Messiah.” That is the reason Peter said at Pentecost (C. E. 30) that his generation is now in what Joel called ‘the last days’. (Acts 2:16, 17).

The Jews divided their religious history of the world into two periods. One period they called Olam Hazzeh ( Olam Hazzeh ), the time before the Messiah ( B.C. 6) whom they were expecting, the time which preceded the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Messiah. The other period they called Olam Haba ( Olam Haba ))), (C.E. 30) the time after the Messiah had come, which coming, in their minds, was to be accompanied by the resurrection of the dead. They knew nothing of a second coming in judgment and a delayed resurrection of the dead.

The Jews called the former of these periods “this age” (Greek, aion outos). and the latter period they called “the age to come” (Greek, aion mellon). The end of “this age” was “the last days” of the Old Testament period that concluded as the Body of Christ was being formed, giving the world the age of Grace. The book of Acts is the transitional period from Old Testament economy to the new life “in Christ” economy.

The first century Christians believed that the Messiah had come and the former period, as conceived by the Jews, had, in their mind, already ended in C. E. 70. They were living in the Olam haba, what was, in reality for the Jews, the “age to come.”

Dr. Lindsay says, “The word ‘these’ was added by Paul to plainly indicate that the days referred to had already begun in their life time. Those days were styled ‘the end of the days,’ and ‘the last days’ by the most ancient prophets. And now, says Paul, these are ‘the last days’ because the long expected Messiah had appeared.

God spoke in ages past by the prophets. However, “in these last days, (God) hath spoken to us by His Son.” The “last days” were during the “days of His flesh” and the closing of the New Testament … B. C. 6 to C. E. 70, when the words of Christ were spoken and written down for our learning. The New Testament, which included the writings of Paul were written during “the last days.” There are no words beyond the New Testament that are considered the words of His Son, Jesus Christ. Christ does not speak in “the ages to come.” We now to live according to the words spoken “by His Son” in “the last days.” The last books of Paul (Ephesians & Colossians) give us the key to living in the age or the new economy of Grace.

A Preterist is someone who believes that prophecies have been fulfilled, that is, their fulfillment is in the past. Most Christians are preterist, concerning the 322 distinct predictions which were fulfilled in Christ during the days of His flesh. Jews, who look for a Messiah are anti-preterist since they reject the fulfillment of the prophetic passages concerning the coming of Christ. Jews are futurists. Therefore, for them no other view on prophecy can exist.

Old Dispensationalism was always in a development and refinement. It should be called Progressive Dispensationalism. The new “2002” refinements in this system have to do with past fulfillment of prophecy. Many dispensationalist are becoming Dispensational Preterists. Therefore, each student of the Bible should take another look at the topic of eschatology, the study of last things and get out of the sand that their old theology was built upon. Do not get trapped in an eschatological system that is filled with contradictions..