7 Last Days Passages Pastors Rarely Preach

Joel 2:28-32 is quoted by the apostle Peter in his sermon on Pentecost in Acts 2:14-21:

“But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and provides heed to my words.  For these men will not be drunk, as you suppose, for it’s only the third hour of the day;  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 ON ALL MANKIND;
AND YOUR SONS AND YOUR DAUGHTERS SHALL PROPHESY,
AND YOUR YOUNG MEN SHALL SEE VISIONS,
AND YOUR OLD MEN SHALL DREAM DREAMS;
EVEN ON MY BONDSLAVES, BOTH MEN AND WOMEN,
I WILL IN THOSE DAYS POUR FORTH OF MY SPIRIT’ (Acts 2:14-18).

According to the Prophet Joel, the Holy Spirit could be poured out in “the last days.” This prophecy was being fulfilled in Acts 2 in line with the Apostle Peter. His audience in Acts 2 are Jews from “every nation under Heaven.”

Could all of those Old Testament passages that were fulfilled and pointed to by inspired writers within the New Testament be concerning the Last Days of the Old Covenant and never the Last Days of the World? It is price your time and study to research the Scriptures.

All the Prophets we now have mentioned above were writing to the Jews of coming judgment upon them for breaking the covenant of Deuteronomy 28-32. Last days events mentioned within the Old Testament  included the birth of the Messiah, the New Covenant coming, the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, and pending judgment on the Old Covenant system. Jesus clearly states that this judgment is coming upon the generation He got here to within the First Century (Matthew 23:36, Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32).

So what does all this mean? The Old Testament references provide the context for the New Testament passages regarding the “last days.” But that is something you may rarely hear from the pulpit today, in a culture that’s more fascinated with signs from world events than Scripture.

In real estate the golden rule is “location, location, location.” In eschatology, it’s “signs, signs, signs.” How about we return to “Scripture, Scripture, Scripture”?

I challenge our pastors and teachers within the church today to start to handle these passages on the Last Days from the Old Testament. They provide the context for the New Testament passages on the Last Days and can spark healthy discussion inside our churches today.

Paul Lopez is a longtime student of the Word and a Bible teacher and small group leader at Murrieta Valley Church in Murrieta, Calif.

Based on the article “Seven ‘Last Days’ Passages You’ll Rarely Hear Pastors Preach On.”

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