Revised February 3, 2014
Copyright © 2013 Ronald W. Leigh
Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible
To what is the Bible referring when it uses the phrase "last days" and similar phrases? Do such phrases point to a particular day or time period? (In other words, are they technical phrases such that the mere use of the phrase identifies the exact time?) Or, depending on the context, do they refer to different time periods or events?
Below is a list of 22 different phrases used in an eschatological sense in over 50 passages in the New Testament (NASB). We have tried to interpret these passages, not in light of any predetermined scheme or chart, but solely within their original context.
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| John 6:39-40, 44, 54 — And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him, may have eternal life; and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. (same wording in v. 44, 54) | 32-58 | The day of resurrection |
| John 11:24 — Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." | 21-26 | The day of resurrection |
| John 12:48 — He who rejects Me, and does not receive My sayings, has one who judges him; the word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. | 44-50 | The day of judgment |
| Acts 2:16-17 — … but this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 'And it shall be in the last days,' God says, 'That I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all mankind; And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And your young men shall see visions, And your old men shall dream dreams … | 1-4, 7-8, 13-21 (quoting Joel 2:28-32) (compare Acts 2:20 below) | The days surrounding Pentecost (perhaps AD 30) |
| 1 Timothy 4:1 — But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons … | 1-5 | The time period when Paul wrote to Timothy, and following |
| 2 Timothy 3:1 — But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self … | 1-13 | The time period when Paul wrote to Timothy, and following |
| Hebrews 1:1-2 — God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. | See v. 8 and 2:1-4 | The time of Jesus and the writing of Hebrews |
| James 5:3 — Your gold and your silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! | 1-8 | The time of James up to the coming of the Lord |
| 1 Peter 1:5 — who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. | 3-7 | The time of the revelation of Christ |
| 1 Peter 1:20 — For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you … | 18-21 | The time of Peter |
| 2 Peter 3:3-4 — Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." | 1-13 | The time leading up to the day of judgment and destruction |
| 1 John 2:18 — Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. | 15-18 | The time of John |
| Jude 18 — … they were saying to you, "In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. | 16-18 | The time of Jude |
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 13:39-40, 49 — and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. Therefore just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. … So it will be at the end of the age; the angels shall come forth, and take out the wicked from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. | 24-30, 36-43, 49-50 | The work of angels at a future end of the age |
| Matthew 24:3 — And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" | 1-4, 30-31 | The future return of Christ and the gathering of all the elect by the angels |
| Matthew 28:19-20 — Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. | 18-20 | A time future to Jesus |
| 1 Corinthians 10:11 — Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. | 1-12 | The time of Paul and the Corinthians |
| Ephesians 1:10 — … with a view to an administration suitable to the fulness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things upon the earth. | 7-12 | The time of Jesus and Paul and the Ephesians |
| Hebrews 9:26 — Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. | 24-26 | The time of Jesus and the writing of Hebrews |
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 2:20 — The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great and glorious day of the Lord shall come. | 16-20 (compare Acts 2:16-17 above) | The "great and glorious" day (Is this the time of Christ's death, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost? More likely, some time still future to us.) |
| 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 — … so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. | 4-8 | The day of the future revelation of Christ |
| 1 Corinthians 5:5 — I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. | 4-5 | A future day of judgment |
| 2 Corinthians 1:14 — … we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus. | 13-14 | Same as "the end"? |
| Philippians 1:6, 10 — For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. … so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ … | 6-11 | A day future to Paul |
| Philippians 2:16 — … holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may have cause to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. | 14-16 | A day future to Paul |
| 1 Thessalonians 5:2 — For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. | 1-10 | A sudden day of judgment still future to the Thessalonians, at the return of Christ |
| 2 Thessalonians 2:2 — … that you may not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. | 1-10 | A day yet to come (for the Thessalonians) after the apostasy and the revelation of the man of lawlessness |
| 2 Peter 3:10, 12 — But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. … looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat! | 3-13 | A future sudden day of judgment and the destruction of the world |
| Revelation 16:14 — … for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty. | 12-16 | A day of final world-wide war and calamity |
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 10:15 (compare 11:22-24) — Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. | 11-15 | A day of judgment future to Jesus' time |
| Matthew 12:36 — And I say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak, they shall render account for it in the day of judgment. | 35-37 | A day of judgment future to Jesus' time |
| Luke 19:44 — … and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation. | 41-44 | The destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70) |
| Romans 2:5, 16 — But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God … on the day when … God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. | 4-16 | A day of wrath/judgment future to Paul's time |
| 1 Peter 2:12 — Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may on account of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. | 11-12 | A day of accounting future to Peter's time |
| 2 Peter 2:9 — … the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment … | 4-10 | A day of judgment future to Peter's time |
| 2 Peter 3:7 (compare v. 10, 12) — But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. | 3-13 | A future sudden day of judgment and the destruction of the world |
| 1 John 4:17 — By this, love is perfected with us, that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. | 15-19 | A day of judgment future to John's time |
| Jude 6 — And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. | 4-7 | A day of judgment future to Jude's time |
| Revelation 6:17 — … for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand? | 12-17 | A fearful day of divine wrath |
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew 7:22 — Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' | 21-23 | A day of reckoning future to Jesus' time |
| Matthew 24:36 (parallel: Mark 13:32) — But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. | 36-39 | The day of Christ's return* |
| Matthew 26:29 (parallel: Mark 14:25) — But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom. | 27-29 | A day future to Jesus' time when his disciples will be with him in his Father's kingdom |
| Luke 10:12 — I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. | 8-15 | A day of judgment future to Jesus' time |
| Luke 17:30-31 —It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, let not the one who is on the housetop and whose goods are in the house go down to take them away; and likewise let not the one who is in the field turn back. | 26-31 | The day the Son of Man is revealed |
| Luke 21:34-35 — Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap; 35 for it will come upon all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. |
34-36 | A future universal day of reckoning* |
| John 14:20 — In that day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. | 16-20 | The time of Christ's resurrection, or his return |
| John 16:23, 26 — And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. … In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf … | 7-33 | The church age, after the coming of the Holy Spirit |
| 2 Thessalonians 1:10 — when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed – for our testimony to you was believed. | 6-10 | The future day when Jesus will be revealed and glorified |
| 2 Timothy 1:12, 18 — … I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. … the Lord grant to him to find mercy from the Lord on that day | 11-18 | a day of reckoning future to Paul |
| 2 Timothy 4:8 — in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. | 5-8 | A day of judgment future to Paul |
*Based on the analysis presented in the paper "Jesus' Olivet Discourse about Two Future Events"
| Passage | Context | Refers to: |
|---|---|---|
| John 5:25, 28-29 — Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear shall live. … Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, and shall come forth … | 24-29 | Both a day of individual regeneration and a future day of resurrection |
| Ephesians 4:30 — And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. | 25-32 | The future day of redemption |
| 2 Peter 3:18 — … but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. | 17-18 | The future day of eternity |
Although there may be patterns (such as those mentioned in the first two sections below), there is no magic "key" to the interpretation of the various phrases. Context is determinative.
Certain phrases ("last days," "ends of the ages," "last time," " last hour," and "consummation of the ages") frequently refer to the time of the new covenant, that is, the time of Jesus, Pentecost, the ministry of the apostles, and following – what we often call the "age of grace" or the "church age." Thus we can say that we are in the last days.
Other phrases (usually singular) often refer to a day future to the time of the New Testament that will occur suddenly. We conclude that this day is still future to us, indeed a final day, because:
This passage is somewhat unique in that it uses four different phrases which we can relate to each other. The first phrase, "the last days" (v. 3), refers to the time when Peter wrote this letter, when nothing out of the ordinary had yet happened causing mockers to question Christ's coming. The other three phrases must refer to a certain event at a time not only future to Peter's writing of this letter but also still future to us, based on their similar descriptions:
Peter uses these three phrases to refer to the same final event (or, as Buswell likes to call it, the final "complex of events"). Thus, we should not overly "divide the word" by thinking that the "day of judgment" is different than the "day of the Lord" which is also different than "the day of God." This fact may suggest a similar meaning for these phrases in other contexts (other passages where the event being referred to is not quite so clear).
None of the passages listed in the above tables explicitly mentions either a future seven year tribulation or a future 1,000 year millennium. Of course, this is an argument from silence. (An argument from silence cannot prove a point, but it can raise a legitimate question.) If a future tribulation period or a future millennium is an integral part of the final events, we are rather surprised that that fact is not mentioned in any of these passages.
There is, of course, a reference to tribulation in Matthew 24:29 (related to the Matthew 24 reference under "that day" above). However, this is not a future seven year tribulation, but a tribulation which starts with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and continues throughout the church age (see the analysis presented in the paper "Jesus' Olivet discourse about two future events")
Regarding the private judgment of individuals, keep in mind that there is a very real sense in which judgment (a divine decision or declaration) has already taken place prior to the final day of judgment. Indeed, this is the essence of our positional salvation, and is why Paul can say with confidence that to be absent from the body is to be "at home with the Lord" (2 Corinthians 5:8). But there remains another aspect of judgment – a future day of public judgment in which the divine sentence will be carried out. The same word, "judgment," can be applied to both aspects.
Buswell mentions both aspects of judgment when he comments:
The eternal punishment of any who die rejecting the grace of God in Christ in any age is a settled doom; but not until the Judgment before the Great White Throne at the end of the Millennium is it the case that "whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life, was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:15). (James Oliver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, 2nd edition, Zondervan, 1962, vol 2, p 423)
Besides the two aspects of judgment mentioned above, other doctrines also have multiple aspects. This sort of language (using the same term to refer to different aspects of the same subject) appears often in everyday speech, so we are not surprised to find it frequently in the New Testament. For example:
These are not examples of double meaning. Rather, they involve complex concepts (salvation, eschatology) which have a present aspect, a future aspect, and other aspects (too many to be discussed here).
It is important to recognize that any subject can have multiple aspects, and that similar language applied to more than one aspect can cause confusion. For example, consider the subject of:
The phrase "day of the Lord" is used frequently in the Old Testament to refer to a day of judgment and punishment. Such days are either against the nations around Israel, or against Israel itself, including its dispersion by Assyria in 722 BC, Judah's exile to Babylon in 586 BC, and its judgment at the hands of the Romans in AD 70. Thus, the phrase "last days" often refers to either the days after Israel's repentance and return from exile, or the days of the new covenant.
Regarding the occurrences of "last days" and "day of the Lord" in the Old Testament, Bible scholars differ on whether or not certain occurrences of such phrases refer to the future coming of Christ and a future judgment against heathen nations. (A careful study of each passage is required, which is beyond the scope of this paper.)