In a circus or a street fair we might have seen people walk on a rope. The forces of gravity would try to pull them down from all directions. Skillfully, they would have to manage to walk on the rope without slipping with great balance and concentration. So is the race through the narrow way we are running in. Troubles and severe trials would come from every direction and strive to push us off our spiritual path. Only if we skillfully tackle them all and continue to walk in the way with fine balance and great focus, would we reach the finish line. One thing to be noted is that the churches of different time periods, faced trials of varied nature, according to the historic and social environments of their own periods. The Church of the First Century encountered trials primarily from the Jews and the Roman Empire. On the other hand, the True Church of the Anti-Christ period was persecuted by the Anti-Christ i.e. the Catholic Church during his reign. Thus each Church was tested in different ways according to the times of its existence. Since God is impartial, we can be sure that every Church was tested to the same amount. But as we saw, the nature of the trials differed as per the time. Now we are in the end times. So shouldn’t we identify the nature of the trials reserved for the Church of these end times? Only then would we able to face them with courage and wisdom. Therefore, let us study and find out how the Church of the end times is being tried and tested.
(2) First of all, we need to resolve what exactly the “end times” are. Because the Bible talks about different time periods like – ‘last times/days’, ‘last day’ and ‘end times’. When skimming through them, many do not realize the differences between these terms. But it is very critical to understand those differences. If not, we would end up confusing different time periods. First let us study about the time periods referred to as ‘last times/days’ and the ‘last day’. The ‘last times/days’ have already begun around Jesus’ First Advent itself i.e. 2000 years ago. Listen to Peter when he says – “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.” (1 Peter 1:20). Since Peter calls the times when Jesus was revealed as ‘these last times’, it is clear that the ‘last times’ began then itself. This is not a standalone verse. Look at Paul’s following statement – “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son...” (Hebrews 1:1,2). Here too we notice that Paul terms his own times as ‘these last days’. Likewise in his second epistle to Timothy, Paul says “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.” and elaborates on the types of sins people would be committing during those times. And he warns Timothy to “Have nothing to do with them.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5). From that, isn’t it obvious that the days Timothy lived were part of the ‘last days’? The sinful people Paul describes in 2 Timothy 3:2-5 were of Timothy’s times. That’s why Paul warns him to “have nothing to do with them”. Likewise, James cries out against the rich men of his times – “Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.” (James 5:1-3). The phrase “have hoarded” indicates a present perfect tense and hence it cannot a distant future. Therefore it is pretty clear that James too considered his time as the “last days”. In a similar vein, “the last days” that Apostle Peter discusses in his second epistle when “scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires” had begun during his own time (2 Peter 3:3). That’s why he warns the church of those times to be careful. Supporting this is the fact that Jude quotes this verse in his epistle and alerts the church of his times that Peter’s warning is for them indeed. “But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, “In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.” These are the men who (have come already and) divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19). Even Apostle John unambiguously states the fact that the “last time” had already begun during his period – “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.” (KJV – 1 John 2:18). Thus it is crystal clear from all these verses we saw, that the ‘last times/days’ began during the First Century itself. So the ‘last times/days’ actually span the entire Gospel Age. As a matter of fact, Jesus was revealed during His First Advent at the end of the Jewish Age. So this implies that the ‘last times/days’ commenced then itself, at the end of Jewish Age that is. Yes, we ourselves are in the ‘last times/days’. But when we realize that the Bible calls the entire Gospel Age as the ‘last times/days’, we are reminded that the whole Church of Christ had lived (and is still living) in the last times/days indeed.
(3) Next to consider is the timeline that the Bible calls as the ‘last day’. It has been primarily used in the New Testament to denote the Messianic Age. That’s much fitting indeed. In the sequence of ages, isn’t the Messianic Age truly the last as the ‘last day’? So it’s right that the Biblical reference of the ‘last day’ refers to the 1000 Year Messianic Kingdom of Christ. Listen to what Jesus says herein – “There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.” (John 12:48). Isn’t the judgment of those who presently reject the teachings of Jesus reserved for the 1000 Year reign of Christ? Yes, the same words of Christ that they reject now (‘that very word which I spoke’) would be preached to them again in the absence of a roaming Satan (kept bound) and then they would be judged by a test of their obedience to those words at the end (when Satan would be ‘loosed a little season’). This is what Jesus meant. He also says – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:44). The Church is of predestined people only i.e. those whom ‘the Father draws’ (Romans 8:29,30). No one can come to Christ if he/she has not been ‘predestined’ and ‘drawn’ by God. Jesus notes this in this verse and says He would raise the others (those who do not come to Him now) up at ‘the last day’ i.e. during His 1000 Year reign. We know that the Truth would be taught then to those who do not come to Christ now. That’s what Jesus mentions here (John 6:44,45). Therefore it’s obvious that the ‘last day’ is the Messianic Age. John 11:24 corroborates that further – Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.“ We know that resurrection is to commence only when the forthcoming Messianic Age begins. Let us look at another verse of similar nature – ‘And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:39,40). Isn’t the resurrection of the Church also to happen at the start of Christ’s 1000-Year reign? (Revelations 20:1-5). Therefore, the Biblical timeline of the ‘last day’ definitely refers to the Messianic Age. There is yet another verse to affirm that – ‘Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.’ (John 6:54). Thereby it is unequivocally clear that the New Testament uses the reference ‘last day’ to refer to the Messianic Age.
(4) Finally, we need to figure out what the “end times” are. As that is the time period of our concern in this issue of Grace. We have to understand that the phrase “end times” denotes the period when an age ends/concludes. The Greek word for the word ‘last’ in the phrases we had seen earlier (‘last days/times’ & ‘last day’) is ‘eschatos’ (Strong’s No: 2078). It simply means ‘last’. But the Greek word for the word ‘end’ in ‘end times’ is ‘sunteleia’ (Strong’s No: 4930) which means ‘completion’ or ‘consummation’. Therefore, the Bible calls the times of the completion of ages as ‘end times’. For instance, Paul tells the Hebrews – ‘But now he (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.’ (NIV – Hebrews 9:26). Note the phrase ‘end of the ages’ in that verse. In the KJV version, it has been inaccurately rendered as ‘end of the world’. The direct meaning of the corresponding Greek root word for the word ‘world’ in that verse (‘aion’ – Strong’s No: 165) is ‘an age’. The ‘world’ is just an implied meaning and it’s not apt for this verse’s context. So the NIV has it right as ‘end of the ages’. That Jesus Christ ‘appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin’ is indeed the fitting and correct translation. So at the end of which age did Jesus appear? What was the ongoing age when He came down to earth? The Jewish Age indeed. The Gospel Age began only after His sacrifice. Paul is just pointing to the fact that Jesus appeared during the end times of the Jewish Age. Just like the Jewish Age, the Gospel Age also has its end times. And we ourselves are right here in those exact end times. The Gospel Age is to achieve completion very soon. And the Messianic Age would commence then. That’s why the current times are called the end times. Earlier we saw that the churches of all times (including us) lived (and continue to live) during the ‘last days’ since the Bible calls the whole Gospel Age as the ‘last times’. But the ‘end times’ are not like that. We are the only church during the end times of the Gospel Age. In that way, we are different from all the other churches (of various periods) of the Gospel Age. From some of Daniel’s prophecies, we can find out the exact year when the end times of the Gospel Age began. We do not have the needed space in this issue of Grace to study that in detail though. To summarize in brief, 1799 AD was the year when the end times of the Gospel Age began. Therefore the Gospel Age’s end times started a little earlier than AD 1874’s commencement of Christ’s Second Presence. The First Advent of Christ occurred only after the end times of the Jewish Age had begun (‘at the end of the ages’ – Hebrews 9:26). Likewise His Second Advent took place only after the end times of the Gospel Age had begun. Therefore, we definitely are in the end times of the Gospel Age. Yes, we indeed are the Church of the End Times!
(5) If we are indeed the Church of the End Times, then it has become more important for us to find out how Church of today is being tried and tested. For that, first we need to determine the characteristics of the end times. Just how the troubles of the Church of the Anti-Christ period came from the Anti-Christ and just how the trials of the Church of the First Century were from the Jews and the Romans, in a similar manner the testing of the Church of the End Times would come from the present socio-historic environments. We would be able to face them with courage only if we know what kind they would be. To do that, we need to focus on what the Bible says about the end times. In particular, the Bible tells us that three different events recorded in the Scriptures serve as a type of the Gospel Age’s end times. Those being – (1) The events of the days of Noah, (2) The days of Lot and (3) The happenings of the end times of the Jewish Age. We know that we can consider an Old Testament event as a type only if it has been directly or indirectly mentioned so in the New Testament (See Grace – Blossom 04:June 08, Para 01; Blossom 18:July 08, Para 01; Blossom 28:April 10, Paras 01, 02, 04). Later we shall find out where in the Bible those three periods have been mentioned as having typical value. By analyzing the nature of those events, we would be able to deduce what the characteristics of the end times are going to be. As a matter of fact, when we compare these times with those events, we can confirm with proof that we are indeed at the brink of the end times. Before doing that, let us look at something the messenger of God tells directly to Daniel about the end times of the Gospel Age. He says – “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” (KJV – Daniel 12:4). During the end times, it has been said that knowledge ‘shall be increased’ because many would go to and fro seeking it. This increase in knowledge denotes knowledge of all kinds i.e. scientific, historic and biblical. When we watch channels like Discovery and National Geographic on T.V., we realize how much the people of today run to and fro doing research in their quests for knowledge. Due to those kinds of research, it is true that knowledge has been increasing in every field of study. As a matter of fact, this increase in knowledge is a major irrefutable sign that we are indeed in the end times. For instance, today’s scientific knowledge is advancing by leaps and bounds every day. If we buy a cell phone now, it goes outdated within just a few months as more advanced devices come out that quick. Never in mankind’s history has scientific advancement been this fast. If a century brought forth the invention of wheel, ages would pass by before the next major invention was made. But for the last 200 years (approx.), even experts would acknowledge that the speed of man’s scientific advancement has been absolutely incredible. Why so? Why only now advancement at a rapid pace that was never before possible in the thousands of years of mankind’s history is taking place? People of the world do not have an answer for this question. But we do. It is because now is the end times. This increase in knowledge is the fulfillment of Daniel 12:4. Yes, God opened the floodgates of knowledge as the time was at hand. So we are not at all surprised at this rapid advancement.
(6) But such an increase in knowledge also serves as a test for the church of the end times. For instance, one could perceive scientific knowledge in two ways – either with a worldly eye or with a Biblical eye. To quote an example, sometime back many Christians were shocked by the news that Man had succeeded in creating a Synthetic Living Cell. Because a majority of them believe that Man acquiring God’s creative power would invalidate God. But that’s wrong. The Holy Bible declares Man was created in the image and likeness of his Creator – God (Genesis 1:26). Such a mankind would definitely possess astounding creative power. So that’s not against the Bible. What science cannot explain is the question that, even as Man is progressing at such a rapid pace with his state-of-the-art inventions, why hasn’t any other living creature on earth been able to invent or create even one simple artificial artifact on its own? Science cannot answer this question definitively. But we can. Other living creatures were not created in the image of the Creator. That’s why they can create nothing artificially on their own. So no matter how awesome a creator Man becomes, even if man creates another man (cloning), that should neither shock nor discourage us. The Biblical truth is that man can create. Similarly, scientists say that Mankind is near about 200000 years old in earth. But our Bible does not allow for that. Many lose faith in the Bible when such contradictions arise. That’s the main reason that an increasing proportion of the people of well-educated Western nations do not have faith in God. On the other hand, in order to defend the Bible a few put forth self-defeating empty arguments that science is absurd and that all scientists are liars. We should avoid both these approaches. Since this end time increase in knowledge is something foretold by the Bible, if we take a moment and study the advancing science with a Biblical perspective, we shall definitely get clear answers. For instance, if mankind had been on earth for nearly 200000 years as the scientists say, then millions of corresponding skeletons (Stone Age Skeletons) must be buried under the earth as many ancients had burial system. It is calculated that atleast 8 billion skeletons must be buried. But archaeological excavations have not revealed any such thing. Not even close. This continues to perplex many. But we who know the Biblical Truth know better. Why do the scientific studies show that mankind originated 20000 years ago? It’s because they miss taking into account the great Flood of the times of Noah. The Bible calls the world before the Flood as the first world. The climatic conditions of that world were different. There was no rain. Man did not eat meat. Moreover men of those times lived for many centuries. The earth’s atmosphere and its layers were of totally different nature. But the scientific studies that use chemical methods and others, fail to take into account that vastly different first world and also the biological/chemical changes that came about due to the destruction of that world (Even the body composition of Man and other living creatures would have undergone serious changes). That’s why those studies arrive at wrong conclusions and propose false theories (including the theory of Evolution). But we know what the Bible says and so we see that everything fits in just right. Advanced scientific research methodologies are not absurd. Scientists are not liars. They just end up with wrong deductions as they miss to factor into their calculations the first world and the tremendous changes its destruction brought in. Thus, if we dig deeper into the increase in knowledge of our times, they turn out to testify in favor of the Bible and strengthen our faith in God. We also realize that the increase in knowledge is truly an increase permitted by God (See Grace – Blossom 32:August 10, Para 01). At the same time, to those who do not study in-depth and get perplexed, this very increase in knowledge serves as a severe trial. Not only that. Instead of doing a detailed research, if we just put forth lame self-defeating and empty arguments against science, we ourselves would become the cause of many insulting the Truth. Let us always keep that in mind.
(7) Actually the increase in knowledge is not limited to just science alone. In the end times, Biblical knowledge also increases. But we do not mean the knowledge of fundamental Biblical truths. The true Church of all times has always been proficient in fundamental Christian truths like Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, baptism and resurrection (See Grace – Blossom 27:Memorial 10, Para 04). As we are aware, no one could have truly come into Christ without knowing these fundamental truths. That being the case, what kinds of Biblical knowledge abound only during the end times? One particular kind is prophetic knowledge. Two reasons why. First – Many prophecies including those concerning the Anti-Christ achieved fulfillment only recently. So they could not have been understood before these times. Second – As part of the increase in knowledge during these end times, Man’s knowledge of history is also increasing. Therefore we are now able to approach many prophecies with precise dates. This burst of prophetic knowledge helps us in our spiritual growth. But it also serves us as a trial. How so? For instance, new historic discoveries might decidedly disprove a historic date that we might have long believed as right. That would essentially quash our beliefs in the prophetic interpretations we used to hold, based on that date. Such times should not dismay us. Instead with renewed energy we should try to interpret those prophecies by applying the newly confirmed date. Such newly revealed dates are the fulfillment of Daniel 12:4 and hence God-permitted indeed. So they would only enhance and enrich the prophecies for sure. You might remember how we underwent such an experience in the issue of Grace where we studied the ‘seventy sevens’ prophecy (See Grace – Blossom 32:August 10). On the contrary, if we ignore the new historic information that God Himself has permitted during these end times, we certainly would not be able to grow in prophetic knowledge.
(8) Moreover, in the knowledge increase of these times, many ancient manuscripts of the Bible (including the Dead Sea Scrolls, Alexandrian Text Type Manuscripts, Codex Vaticanus and many more) have been discovered. Their discoveries are also due to the God-permitted end time increase in knowledge. So using those manuscripts we are now able to identify the sections of the Bible that are incorrect or spuriously added. By wielding those originals, we are able to disprove wrong doctrines like the ‘Trinity’ that had been built up on those incorrect or spurious texts. Not only that. We are also able to defeat the arguments of the Bible’s detractors who claim Bible is erratic in nature. Because the errors they point out arose due to the carelessness of the scribes of the later editions. For instance, 1 Kings 6:1 implies that there were 480 years from the year the Israelites had come out of Egypt till the 4th year of King Solomon’s rule. In that case, according to this verse the time period during which the Judges ruled Israel would be 350 years. How so? The period of the Judges began only after the Israelites settled down in Canaan. But the 480 years of 1 Kings 6:1 began right from the day they left Egypt. So if we subtract the 40 years they roamed in the wilderness and the 6 years they took to divide Canaan, we get (480 – 46 =) 434 years. Therefore, from the beginning of the period of the Judges till the 4th year of Solomon’s reign, 434 years passed by (1 Kings 6:1). The period of the Judges lasted only till the reign of Saul began. And Solomon came after Saul and David. Therefore to calculate the period of the Judges, we need to subtract from 434, the years of the reigns of Saul and David and also the aforementioned 4 years of Solomon’s rule. Saul and David ruled 40 years each. So 80 years in total. So that 80 + 4 (of Solomon’s) = 84 years. And 434 – 84 = 350 years. Thus 1 Kings 6:1 shows the period of the Judges as 350 years. That being so, older English translations of the Bible have Acts 13:20 stating the period of the Judges as 450 years – “And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.” (KJV – Acts 13:20). And for a long time skeptics had used this as an excuse to ridicule the Bible, trumpeting that the Bible is contradicting itself. But ancient New Testament manuscripts – that were obtained as a result of the end time knowledge increase – (including the most reputed ones like Codex Vaticanus and Codex Sinaiticus) show that the 450-year period of Judges stated in Acts 13:20 is nothing but a careless transcription error of later day scribes. The latest English translations (like the NIV and NASB) have this correction incorporated – “The God of the people of Israel chose our fathers; he made the people prosper during their stay in Egypt, with mighty power he led them out of that country, he endured their conduct for about forty years in the desert, he overthrew seven nations in Canaan and gave their land to his people as their inheritance. All this took about 450 years. After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet.” (NIV Acts 13:17-20). This is the right translation based on the original manuscripts. Furthermore, as Paul says here, God chose Abraham and confirmed his calling by giving him the promised seed – Isaac (Genesis 17:21). And from the birth of Isaac till the time Israelites inherited Canaan, exactly 450 years passed by. Hence, Acts 13:20 is accurate. So is 1 Kings 6:1 that ascribes 350 years as the period during which the Judges ruled Israel. With this, the contradiction between 1 Kings 6:1 and Acts 13:20 that had long been used as a matter of ridicule by the Bible’s detractors has now been eliminated totally and their blaspheming mouths have been shut. A stain on the Bible has been wiped out clean. Likewise in many other verses as well, what the detractors had been deriding as errors in the Bible, have been weeded out with the help of the newly found ancient manuscripts. But wouldn’t it be wrong to just use those manuscripts only when it suits our beliefs and then to conveniently ignore them where they bear witness against any of our interpretations or traditional understandings? So it is imperative that we respect their proofs impartially.
(9) The increase in knowledge during the end times not only serves us as a major trial, but also gives us an opportunity to grow further in our spiritual lives. God had ‘sealed’ all kinds of knowledge – scientific, historic and prophetic – ‘until the time of the end’ (Daniel 12:9). Since we are now in the time of the end, that seal has been broken. So when the increase in knowledge of our times raises questions on our long-held traditional (historic, scientific, biblical and all kinds of) beliefs or on our familiar biblical interpretations, we should not be demoralized and lose our faith in God. At the same time, it’s wrong to blindly stick to our traditional beliefs calling all newly revealed information as absurd. As a matter of fact, God wants us to be ‘wise’ and ‘understand’ the abounding knowledge of these times (Daniel 12:10). To take it further, it’s actually vital to understand this increase in knowledge to stand firm in God during this period. In the next issue, when we study more about the earlier-mentioned three events that serve as a type of these end times and compare them with now, we would further realize the importance of rightly using this increase in knowledge. As we saw with many proofs, even though the knowledge-surge of these times may sometimes superficially scare and test us, since they are permitted by God, when we study them in-depth they certainly turn out to testify to the Biblical truths and end up strengthening our faith. So let us pray to God for His Holy Spirit so that we may boldly approach the increase in knowledge of these times with a Biblical perspective and a constructive open mind! Amen.
– to be continued –