Dear Members and Friends of IBCZ,
Last Sunday I began a new sermon series on the Book of Hebrews, this wonderful account of the supremacy of Christ in all things.
In the introductory first three verses, we encounter an interesting phrase I did not have time to explain in the sermon – “these last days.” In Heb. 1:1, the writer began by saying that in the past God spoke to His people through the prophets, “but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.” At first, that may be confusing to us, for we tend to think of “the last days” as the period of time immediately preceding the return of Christ. The Book of Hebrews was written almost 2,000 years ago, and yet life continues as before. Did the writer of Hebrews get it wrong, thinking that the end of the age and the return of Christ would come during that ancient period of history?
Not at all. When the Bible speaks of “the last days,” it is not referring to quantity. That is, it does not mean that most of history is now behind us and there is only a short number of days left before Christ returns. Rather than having to do with the quantity of time, this has to do with the quality of time. Heb. 1 makes this clear. It says that in the past God spoke through the prophets. The Old Testament prophets spoke about different themes, but one of the main ones had to do with the coming of the Messiah. So, this was the age of promise, of living in anticipation of the fulfilment of the promise of the Messiah’s coming.
Then the writer goes on to say, “but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son.” In other words, we are no longer living in the time of promise but in the fulfillment of the promise. “The last days” refers to the whole period of time between the coming of Jesus and the second coming of Jesus. The time of promise is over for the Savior has come.
Therefore, let us make the most of the wonderful gift of living in the last days. We don’t have to simply wait and hope for a Savior; He has come and is with us now and always. We have seen the faithfulness of God in keeping His promise, as well as the depth of His love for us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Each day as we await His second coming is a day to be grateful, to celebrate, and to delight in the Father’s love for us that He has lavished on us in Jesus Christ. Each day is a day to surrender afresh to the presence and power of His Spirit who dwells in us.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Bob