Are These the Last Days?
Overview
In this booklet from the Crucial Questions series, Dr. R.C. Sproul examines the discourse to glean from it truths regarding who Jesus was, what He really meant, and what His words mean for us today.
Top Highlights
“I am convinced that what Jesus is talking about in this passage had special reference to a judgment of Christ coming on the Jewish nation, thus ending the age of the Jews. This Jewish age ended with the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews, which triggered the beginning of the New Testament time period, which is later called ‘the age of the Gentiles.’ This is where we still find ourselves today.” (Page 7)
“In the Olivet Discourse, when Jesus spoke about ‘the end of the age,’ I am convinced that He wasn’t talking about the end of the world, but about the end of the Jewish age. When Jerusalem fell, the age of the Jews, which spanned from Abraham to AD 70, ended. It marked the beginning of the times of the Gentiles.” (Page 15)
“It seems to me that the most natural reading of Matthew 24:29–35 would be that everything Jesus said would happen has already taken place in history. He was not referring to a yet-future fulfillment from our standpoint. He was referring to a judgment upon the nation of Israel that took place in AD 70.” (Page 39)
“But if we look carefully at this passage, we learn that Jesus is not talking about the signs that trigger the end of time, but the signs that had to take place before the destruction of Jerusalem.” (Page 16)
“Based on what we know of that time period, it seems clear that Jesus was talking about a near-future event for His original audience, not something centuries and centuries down the road.” (Page 27)
- Title: Are These the Last Days?
- Author: R. C. Sproul
- Edition: First edition
- Series: The Crucial Questions Series
- Volume: 20
- Publishers: Reformation Trust, Ligonier Ministries
- Print Publication Date: 2014
- Logos Release Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subjects: Bible. N.T. Matthew 24 › Criticism, interpretation, etc; Jesus Christ › Prophecies; Second Advent › Biblical teaching
- ISBNs: 9781567693768, 1567693768
- Resource ID: LLS:RETHESELASTDAYS
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-30T02:41:21Z
R. C. Sproul (1939– 2017) was a respected teacher, theologian, pastor. He was the founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries where he served as executive editor of Tabletalk magazine.
Sproul held degrees from Westminster College, Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary, Free University of Amsterdam, and Whitefield Theological Seminary. He taught at several colleges and seminaries including Reformed Theological Seminary and Knox Theological Seminary. He served as senior minister of preaching and teaching at Saint Andrew’s Chapel, in Sanford, Florida. Sproul’s teaching can be heard daily on the ‘Renewing Your Mind’ radio broadcast which plays in over 40 countries.
Sproul wrote over 70 books and articles including the classic The Holiness of God and several theological articles in Tabletalk magazine.
