The Days of the Last Day
When I graduated from my final year of school, I had four last days. One was the last day that I had classes: my last school day of learning. Another was the day of my final exam: my last academic responsibility. Another was my graduation day: when it was publicly recognised in the school community that my school days were over. And another was the last day I was physically at school as a student: where the school held a guard of honour, after which I walked out of the school grounds and was no longer a student. But which was my actual last day? In the months leading up to my graduation I was looking forward to my last day, and every aspect of these different days, but it wasn’t until I was graduating that I realised that my last day was actually many last days. And I believe that this discrepancy between the expectation of and the actual realisation of the last day is a helpful when we consider what the Bible has to say about The Last Day.
Prior to Jesus’ death, The Last Day goes by a few different names; ‘the last day’ (Jn. 11:24), ‘the Day of the Lord’ (Am. 5:18-20), ‘that day’ (Zec. 9:16), ‘the latter days’ (Mic. 4:1), or ‘the day/s’ (Jer. 31:31). And as the biblical evidence mounts throughout the Old Testament, the exact nature of this Day crystallises more and more. It is a day of many expectations; judgement against Israel (Is. 2:12), judgement against the nations (Joel 3:9-21), salvation of Israel (Mal. 4) and the nations (Zep. 3:9-13), security, justice, peace (Mic. 4:3-4) and the personal coming of God to institute His kingdom on earth (Zec. 14:1-9). Succinctly put, it is a day when the opponents of God will be defeated as He re-establishes His rule (Is. 2:1-5).
Immediately after Jesus’ ascension, His future return is promised (Acts 1:11). And as the New Testament will flesh out, at the time of His return, all these expectations for the Day of the Lord will become a reality. Jesus’ second coming will completely unite all things under His rule (Eph. 1:15-23), establish God’s eternal kingdom and destroy death (1 Cor. 15:24-28) and will be a day of judgement through which the new creation will be ushered in (2 Pet 3:13). Perhaps most significantly though, it will be a day of resurrection when all will be raised (Jn. 5:29); unbelievers into judgement, and believers with a new Spirit-enpowered body into the kingdom of God (1 Cor. 12). What an exciting future!
However, as we read through Jesus’ ministry and the rest of the New Testament more carefully, it quickly becomes evident that the Day of the Lord is not just a future hope, but a present reality. And like my schooling experience, the Last Day is not so much a single day in time, but actually many last days. And to merely think of the Last Day as Jesus’ second coming is too simplistic. In a somewhat complicated sense, the Last Day has already been, we are currently living in the Last Day and we are still waiting for the Last Day, all at the same time. When was the Last Day? Well… in the first instance, the day Jesus was killed on the cross[1]. When was the day of judgement against Israel and the nations? When was the day of salvation? When was God’s rule established and His kingdom instituted? Well, in Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension! Jesus’ crucifixion is not merely Jesus paying for the sins of all people but is actually the Last Day. The end is not only nigh, the end has already arrived. In Jesus’ death, the end of the world has come. The cross is not just a significant event in history, but defines history. This cataclysmic event has ushered in the new age of God’s kingdom and rule.
However, despite the inauguration of the God’s new age, the old age is not yet done with. While sin is defeated, it is not yet destroyed. While we have been spiritually raised to life, we still physically die. While Jesus is Lord, the world still rejects Him. Like a tube that when viewed face-on appears as a circle, and not until you enter into it do you realise it has depth, similarly it is not until we pass through Jesus’ death and resurrection that we realise the Last Day is actually many Last Days. The end has begun but is not yet fully over. Commonly this period in history is referred to as ‘the Overlap of the Ages’, ‘the Last Days’ or ‘the Now and Not Yet’.
This delay in the final day, however, is not a reason to despair, but a reason to rejoice. First and foremostly because as inevitably as the fall of the first domino ensures the fall of the last, so too does the coming of the ‘first’ Last Day ensure the coming of the end. Secondly, because every day of delay by God is another day of mercy towards the unrepentant, and an opportunity to escape the judgement to come (2 Pet 3:9). And finally, because this has a myriad of profound implications for our lives now with the outpouring of blessings that accompany the Last Day. For believers, judgement for sin is fully achieved on the cross (Rom. 5), we are no longer enslaved to sin (Rom. 6:15-23), we can live lives of holiness (Eph. 4:1-5:21), we are guaranteed of inheriting the kingdom by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:14) and much more besides. And most significantly, Jesus is currently reigning as king (Acts 2:22-36). We are living anno domini (AD), in the Year of our Lord.
[1] Peter Bolt’s ‘The Cross from a Distance’ is immensely helpful in fleshing this out, particularly in its third chapter: ‘The Cross as ‘The End of the World’’. Although I would recommend reading the entire book.