Lesson 6 - Bamboozled Believers by Michael Biehler
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Lesson 6 The Last Days before The Day of the Lord

Objective:

To carefully scrutinize the phrase “last days” as used by Peter on the Day of Pentecost.

 

  1. Please read Acts 2:1-21
  • The disciples had just miraculously spoken many foreign languages. Peter stood up and said that this is one of the signs of the last days as predicted by the prophet Joel (vs. 16 and 17).
  • Peter went on to say that there would be more miraculous signs before the Day of the Lord comes (20)… we know that miracles were performed during the apostolic era, before the day of the Lord in 70 AD.
  • Many Christians insist that the phrase “day of the Lord” cannot refer to the events of 70 AD… they believe that the phrase “day of the Lord” refers to a yet future coming. So let’s see what Joel says about that day of the Lord.

 

  1. Please read Joel 2:28-32. Here you can read the words that Peter quoted on the Day of Pentecost. The day of the Lord is described as “terrible, dreadful and awesome” in the various English versions of the Bible. But were the events of 70 AD the dreadful “day of the Lord” that Joel had in mind? Let’s note a few facts:
  • There was a time of terrible, dreadful and awesome judgment in 70 AD. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was leveled, 1,100,000 Jews were killed, many in the most grotesque ways, and most of the survivors were sold into slavery. The sacrificial system of worship came to an end and can never be reestablished because the Romans destroyed the genealogical records that identified those who were qualified to be priests.
  • Please go to Blueletterbible.com search for Joel 2:32 click on “tools” then click on “Bibles”. Read the various English translations of Joel’s words. You will see that on that day of the Lord, “in Jerusalem, there will be those who escape… and among the survivors will be those whom the Lord calls.” Please note that this passage focuses the prophesy on Jerusalem and says that some will survive and some of those survivors will be “those whom the Lord calls”.
  • Christians (those whom the Lord calls) did escape the horrors of 70 AD. They escaped because they obeyed their Lord. He told them that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and he told them when to run for their lives… You can read his warning in Luke 21:20-24.
  • In most futurist scenarios, the day of the Lord is the day that Jesus returns and time comes to an end; but Joel said that some believers and some non-believers would survive that catastrophic day.
Lesson 6 The Last Days before The Day of the Lord

Objective:

To carefully scrutinize the phrase “last days” as used by Peter on the Day of Pentecost.

 

  1. Please read Acts 2:1-21
  • The disciples had just miraculously spoken many foreign languages. Peter stood up and said that this is one of the signs of the last days as predicted by the prophet Joel (vs. 16 and 17).
  • Peter went on to say that there would be more miraculous signs before the Day of the Lord comes (20)… we know that miracles were performed during the apostolic era, before the day of the Lord in 70 AD.
  • Many Christians insist that the phrase “day of the Lord” cannot refer to the events of 70 AD… they believe that the phrase “day of the Lord” refers to a yet future coming. So let’s see what Joel says about that day of the Lord.

 

  1. Please read Joel 2:28-32. Here you can read the words that Peter quoted on the Day of Pentecost. The day of the Lord is described as “terrible, dreadful and awesome” in the various English versions of the Bible. But were the events of 70 AD the dreadful “day of the Lord” that Joel had in mind? Let’s note a few facts:
  • There was a time of terrible, dreadful and awesome judgment in 70 AD. Jerusalem was destroyed, the temple was leveled, 1,100,000 Jews were killed, many in the most grotesque ways, and most of the survivors were sold into slavery. The sacrificial system of worship came to an end and can never be reestablished because the Romans destroyed the genealogical records that identified those who were qualified to be priests.
  • Please go to Blueletterbible.com search for Joel 2:32 click on “tools” then click on “Bibles”. Read the various English translations of Joel’s words. You will see that on that day of the Lord, “in Jerusalem, there will be those who escape… and among the survivors will be those whom the Lord calls.” Please note that this passage focuses the prophesy on Jerusalem and says that some will survive and some of those survivors will be “those whom the Lord calls”.
  • Christians (those whom the Lord calls) did escape the horrors of 70 AD. They escaped because they obeyed their Lord. He told them that Jerusalem and the temple would be destroyed and he told them when to run for their lives… You can read his warning in Luke 21:20-24.
  • In most futurist scenarios, the day of the Lord is the day that Jesus returns and time comes to an end; but Joel said that some believers and some non-believers would survive that catastrophic day.
  1. Those words of Joel and Peter seem conclusive to me, but there are more reasons to believe that Peter’s “day of the Lord” refers to the events of 70 AD:
  • Writing shortly before 70 AD, Peter said: “the end of all things is at hand”. (1 Pet. 4:7) Christ’s glory was “about to be (mello) revealed” (1 Pet. 5:1). Use blueletterbible.org to see “mello” in 1 Pet. 5:1.
  • On that day of Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago, Peter said that he was living in the last days before the day of the Lord. Dear reader, “last days” is a strange way to describe 2,000 years yet some of our bamboozled leaders insist that we have been in “the last days” for 2,000 years. Please reflect on this truism: “When smart men spout nonsense, it is still nonsense”.

 

  1. It is time to tie up some loose ends. Joel and Peter said that the sun would go dark and the moon turn to blood before that day of the Lord. This is similar to Jesus statement that the stars would fall before he returned. So futurists say: “these things haven’t happened so the day of the Lord is yet future”. Wrong… these words are poetic language. You should know that the Bible often uses metaphors in prophesy. Therefore, our next four lessons will discuss poetic language in Scripture and you will also see that there have been other “days of the Lord”. That phrase simply refers to a day of calamity, a day of judgment.

 

  1. If you want more information concerning the last days, chapter 4 of Bamboozled Believers deals with that subject and it refers you to other books that give even more information.
  1. Those words of Joel and Peter seem conclusive to me, but there are more reasons to believe that Peter’s “day of the Lord” refers to the events of 70 AD:
  • Writing shortly before 70 AD, Peter said: “the end of all things is at hand”. (1 Pet. 4:7) Christ’s glory was “about to be (mello) revealed” (1 Pet. 5:1). Use blueletterbible.org to see “mello” in 1 Pet. 5:1.
  • On that day of Pentecost almost 2,000 years ago, Peter said that he was living in the last days before the day of the Lord. Dear reader, “last days” is a strange way to describe 2,000 years yet some of our bamboozled leaders insist that we have been in “the last days” for 2,000 years. Please reflect on this truism: “When smart men spout nonsense, it is still nonsense”.

 

  1. It is time to tie up some loose ends. Joel and Peter said that the sun would go dark and the moon turn to blood before that day of the Lord. This is similar to Jesus statement that the stars would fall before he returned. So futurists say: “these things haven’t happened so the day of the Lord is yet future”. Wrong… these words are poetic language. You should know that the Bible often uses metaphors in prophesy. Therefore, our next four lessons will discuss poetic language in Scripture and you will also see that there have been other “days of the Lord”. That phrase simply refers to a day of calamity, a day of judgment.

 

  1. If you want more information concerning the last days, chapter 4 of Bamboozled Believers deals with that subject and it refers you to other books that give even more information.