HARMONY OF PROPHECY
Lesson # 6

ESCHATOLOGY

I The Last Times
Joel 2:31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
While much of the prophecy of the end-times deals with the events of the tribulation period, there is also a large body of Scripture that deals with the events leading up to that time.

That which is referred to as the ‘last days’ actually began with the coming of Christ.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

1 Pet 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

II John told us that he was already in the last days and that opponents of Christ would increase.
1 John 2:18 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.

III Peter said that scoffers would come.
2 Pet 3:3 Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
2 Pet 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. [scoffers = make sport of]

IV Peter explained the events of the Day of Pentecost in the light of the prophecy of Joel of the last times, and told of other things yet to happen before the Day of the Lord.
Acts 2:16 But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts 2:18 And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
Acts 2:19 And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Acts 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:

V Paul tells us that perilous times shall come.[Because of man’s own actions.]
2 Tim 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 Tim 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
2 Tim 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
2 Tim 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
2 Tim 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
2 Tim 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
2 Tim 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.
2 Tim 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.
Lovers of self - self-centered.
Covetous - Money lovers.
Boasters - Ostentatious (I did it MY way!)
Proud - Arrogant, seeking preeminence
Blasphemers - Revilers seeking to destroy one's good name.
Disobedient to parents- Seriousness of this must be seen in the light of:
Eph 6:1 Children, obey your parents in theLord: for this is right
Eph 6:2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
Eph 6:3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. And:
Col 3:20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
Unthankful - Impolite, without grace or charm; Gross; Boorish.
Unholy - The opposite of the word which means to be free from all crime and fulfilling all duties.
Without natural affection - Void of family ties or loyalty. This always goes before judgment and helps to bring it on.
Rom 1:31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:
Rom 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
Truce breakers - Can’t keep a promise.
False accusers - [diablos - slanderers]
Incontinent- Lack of self control over one's passions.
Fierce - Wild, savage.
Despisers of those who do good.
Traitors - Betrayers. This word was applied to Judas Iscariot.
Lu.6:16. and Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
And to the Jews who turned Jesus over to the Romans.
Acts 7:52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which showed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:
Heady- Falling forward; Hasty; headlong; restless.
High minded- Filled with smoke; puffed up; conceited.
Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God- Placing the desires OF the flesh above God’s desires FOR the flesh.
Having a form of Godliness but denying the power thereof- Having an outline or sketch of a relationship with God but never going ahead with it. ( Able to talk about spiritual things but never acquiring them.)
False teachers- Appealing to those who are like giddy women; Religion which reaches only the emotional level
Ever learning - (from false teachers or misinterpretation) but never coming to the knowledge of the truth.

Jesus told of four fields of prophecy for the Last Days.
Mat 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must
come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines,
and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
Mat 24:8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.

Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Mat 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Mat 24:38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
A. False Christs.
Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
He also said they would be more readily received than He.
John 5:43 I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.

Paul Warns of the same thing.
1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1 Tim 4:2 Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
1 Tim 4:3 Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
B. Political Turmoil.
Mat 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Mat 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. Ethnic group against ethnic group and political power against political power.
C. Natural Disasters. Famines, pestilences [deadly infectious disorders] Earthquakes in divers places.
D. Social signs [as in the days of Noe.]
Increase in Knowledge and in Travel.
Dan 12:4 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.

VIII. Conflict of Capital and Labor.
James 5:1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.
James 5:2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten.
James 5:3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.
James 5:4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.
James 5:5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.
James 5:6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.
James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
James 5:8 Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

The Parable of the Fig Tree.
Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
Luke 21:30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand.
Luke 21:31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand.
Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

Next Week: The History of Israel prewritten