According to Hebrews 1:2, God has spoken to the Jews (us in the text) through his Son in what is termed these last days. These Last Days have been interpreted to extend even into our modern era of the 21st century. Some scholars have interpreted these days, not as a specific time period, but as a block of time like the antediluvian age and the age of the patriarchs etc. In other words, according to this point of view, these last days are simply the last age that God intends to use to deal with mankind’s rebellion. This idea, however, is unscriptural. The Gospel Age is an age that will never end (Daniel 2:44-45; cf. Isaiah 9:7; Ephesians 3:21). Therefore, these last days **must** refer to a specific time period, and the Bible seems to claim that period of time pointed to the last days of the Jewish nation in terms of their covenantal relationship with God (cp. Deuteronomy 31:29).
The modern nation of Israel, in reality, has absolutely nothing to do with Scripture. According to the Scriptures God initiated his covenant with Israel through godly leaders: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Joshua etc. He gave them godly men to judge them throughout their history. Yet, in 1947 modern Israel was born through the efforts of unbelievers, atheists and agnostics. What does this have to do with God? When has he ever blessed unbelief? When has he ever been the guide to people who don’t even believe in him? By what rule of Scripture could God have been directly involved in what occurred in 1947, in 1966 or any other war in the Middle East before or after these dates?
The Scriptures seem to point to 70 AD as the end of the Old Covenant and the establishment of the New. Moses spoke of the evil that would befall Israel in **their** latter days (Deuteronomy 31:28-29), when their vine would be like that of Sodom, and they would yield bitter grapes like the fields of Gomorrah (Deuteronomy 32:28-29, 32).
Paul tells us that God spoke “in these last days by his Son” (Hebrews 1:2). History is written from the perspective of the coming of Jesus. It is dated either prior to him or from a point of view of looking backward to him. He is at the center of God’s communication with mankind. How would an extension of these last days to our modern error point to Jesus? That worldview points to an end of time, not to Jesus’ coming! Looking to modern Israel for a word from the Lord, either a new word or for fulfillment of the Scriptures takes our eyes off Jesus, and what he has already done. In fact, looking for fulfillment of the Scriptures to come from modern Israel implies that all things were not fulfilled in Jesus. If Jesus is the ultimate in God’s revelation to mankind, why would we look elsewhere for a revelation from God? Notice what Paul claims here:
- …God in these last days spoke unto us by his Son
- …whom he hath appointed heir of all things
- …by whom also he made the worlds (i.e. ages – G165; aion)
- …being the brightness of his glory
- …the express image of his person
- …upholding all things by the word of his power
- …he had by himself purged our sins
- …sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high
All these things point to a revelation of God and his labor with mankind. How does 1947 do that? The theme of this epistle points to the uniqueness and the surpassing greatness of Jesus over all who came before him. The word from God, which he spoke, was a new word that initiated a New Covenant, and brought judgment upon unbelief. Modern Christianity’s desire to look back upon that judgment, wishing and hoping for its undoing (viz. God raising up Israel in 1947) is to imitate Lot’s wife when she longingly turned to see the destruction of Sodom, wishing it never occurred (Genesis 19:26). To say that God guided unbelief to form a new nation in 1947 is to mock what God did in 70 AD. God judges unbelief. He never rewards it.
The epistle’s recipients, and we today, need to listen to Jesus, because he is the Son of God, which, by the way, doesn’t point to his deity. Rather, the term points to his royalty. It means he is the Messiah (Psalm 2:1-12; Acts 4:25-27), whom the Father begat at Jesus’ resurrection (Romans 1:4). He has been appointed heir of all things, and any reward we may hope to receive is found in and given to us by Jesus (Ephesians 1:3). He is not merely a man, for he has been our dwelling place for countless generations. He is God, the very God whom we understand created us (Psalm 90:1-2). This is the One who became Jesus. He created the ages (time), and, if time was created by the One who became Jesus, it would be logical to conclude that he doesn’t dwell in, nor is he hampered by time. We grow old, but from age to age, he does not, because he is GOD.
Smoodock's Blog 
2 responses to “These Last Days and 1947”
Eddie, these blogs, as well as readings of Gary DeMar and Don Preston (kinda hard to follow) have helped me move away from dispensationalism. However, I am still struggling with scripture such as I Thessalonians chap 4; commonly quoted at funerals. I have read explanations from the preterist point of view but they are confusing to me. I understand that these are spiritual statements but do you have a blog that goes into detail on this?
Bless you,
Dave
Greetings Dave, and thanks for reading and for your kind words, Lord bless you.
I have studied both first and second Thessalonians, but I haven’t posted that study yet. I was planning to do so after posting my study on Hebrews, which will take about seven months. What is it, exactly, that troubles you concerning 1Thessalonians 4? If any of my studies answers your problem with the text, I can email it or them to you (if you provide an email address). Otherwise, I can reply in comment here. My email address is locator32@gmail.com.