When Did the "Last Days" Begin?
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, June 30, 2026 (Donate)
Have you noticed that in some church circles people talk a
lot about the end of the world and the last days? I’ve been in
some of those discussions. I’ve also been the fly on the wall to listen in on
some conversations.
My best advice is let God be God and Christ’s return will
come when Christ returns. But we must be ready for Him—receiving Him as Lord
and Savior. Then, because of our love for Christ, obey His commands—which aren’t
burdensome.
One thing that people keep asking is, “when will the last
days begin?” It surprises to me to hear this question—but I hear it extensively.
And yet, the Bible answered that question. Let’s evaluate what God says.
The Last Days Already Began
According to the Bible, the "last days" began in
the 1st century with the 1st coming of Jesus Christ and
the establishment of the New Covenant. They are not limited to the few years
immediately preceding Christ's Second Coming—this is a common misconception.
Although, the final period before His return is certainly still
part of the last days. The New Testament consistently presents its own era as
already living in the last days.
On the Day of Pentecost, Peter explained the
outpouring of the Holy Spirit by quoting the prophet Joel:
"But this is what was spoken
by the prophet Joel: 'And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God,
That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh...'" (Acts 2:16-17, NKJV)
Peter did not say the last days were thousands of years away. He declared that Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled in his own day.
Living In The Last Times
The Apostle Peter likewise writes:
"He indeed was foreordained
before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for
you." (1 Peter 1:20, NKJV)
Again, the apostle places himself and his readers within the
last times. Peter further states:
“knowing this first: that scoffers
will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts” (2 Peter 3:3,
NKJV)
Jude confirmed that the Petrine prophecies regarding the
last time were being fulfilled contemporaneously. He said:
“how they told you that there would
be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly
lusts.” (Jude 1:18, NKJV)
John writes:
"Little children, it is the
last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many
antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour." (1 John
2:18, NKJV)
John viewed his own generation as already living in the last hour. Further confirmations are James 5:3 and 1 Peter 1:5.
Paul tells the Corinthian church:
"Now all these things happened
to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the
ends of the ages have come." (1 Corinthians 10:11, NKJV)
The "ends of the ages" had already arrived during
the apostolic period. The capstone of this was when the Temple was destroyed
and the sacrificial age had been put to history—sacrifices were no longer
necessary since the ultimate sacrificial lamb—Jesus Christ—bore all our sin at
the Cross.
The writer of Hebrews says:
"God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son..." (Hebrews 1:1-2, NKJV)
The coming of Christ marked the beginning of the final era of God's redemptive plan. The age of sacrifice, Temple worship, high priests, temple taxes, and so on has passed and the new age of Christ began with His crowning glory from the Cross into the Resurrection—the New Covenant in His blood.
What Does "Last Days" Mean?
The phrase doesn’t simply mean "the last few years
before Christ returns." Rather, it refers to the final age of God's
redemptive history. The Old Testament era looked forward to the coming Messiah.
With Christ's first coming, His death, resurrection, ascension, and the coming
of the Holy Spirit, that final age began.
Many theologians describe this as the "already, but not
yet" nature of God's kingdom. Christ has inaugurated His kingdom, yet it
has not been brought to its final consummation until His return.
Are We Still Living In The Last Days?
Yes. Christians today continue to live in the last days
because we remain in the era between Christ's first and second comings. This
period has now lasted around two thousand years. During this time, Christ
reigns at the Father's right hand (Psalm 110:1; Acts 2:33-36) over heaven and
earth with all authority (Matthew 28:18). Believers await Christ's visible bodily
return, the general resurrection, the final judgment, and the new heavens and
new earth.
Conclusion
According to the New Testament, the "last days"
began with the first coming of Jesus Christ, were publicly inaugurated at
Pentecost, and continue throughout the entire Church era until Christ returns.
Therefore, every Christian from the apostles until today has lived during the
biblical last days.
The final events immediately preceding Christ's return occur
within the last days too, but they do not define the beginning of that period.
This understanding best fits the plain reading of passages such as Acts
2:16-17, Hebrews 1:1-2, 1 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:18, and 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Bodie Hodge, Ken
Ham's son in law, has been an apologist defending 6-day creation and opposing
evolution since 1998. He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as
a speaker, writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie
launched Biblical Authority Ministries in 2015 as a personal
website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a 501(c)(3). He has spoken
on multiple continents and hosts of US states in churches, colleges, and
universities. He is married with four children.
Mr. Hodge earned a
Bachelor and Master of Science degrees from Southern Illinois University at
Carbondale (SIUC). Then he taught at SIUC for a couple of years as a
Visiting Instructor teaching all levels of undergraduate engineering and
running a materials lab and a CAD lab. He did research on advanced ceramic
materials to develop a new method of production of titanium diboride with a
grant from Lockheed Martin. He worked as a Test Engineer for Caterpillar,
Inc., prior to entering full-time ministry.
His love of science
was coupled with a love of history, philosophy, and theology. For about one
year of his life, Bodie was editing and updating a theological, historical, and
scientific dictionary/encyclopedia for AI use and training. Mr. Hodge has over
25 years of experience in writing, speaking and researching in these fields.
*Image generated by ChatGPT
