"In those days and at that time"

Why I believe we are in the season of the end

We are in the season of the end. Where I live, in the Metroplex area of Texas, the seasons are definitely changing. Fall is here. The holidays are approaching. The changing of seasons always reminds me of a prophecy in Joel:

“For behold, in those days and at that time,
When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem,
2 I will also gather all nations,
And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;
And I will enter into judgment with them there
On account of My people, My heritage Israel,
Whom they have scattered among the nations”—Joel 3:1-2

In the passage above, the word we translate “time” in English was actually a reference to seasons.

This is the voice of God speaking to the prophet Joel. When He speaks of gathering all nations “down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat,” He is talking about the valley that lies between Jerusalem and, to the east, the Mount of Olives. This is a reference to Armageddon, the final battle between the forces of God and the forces of evil.

God says that battle will take place “in those days and at that time”—within that season—after He brings back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem. That’s a reference to Israel. This is a prophecy about the regathering of the scattered Jews “among the nations” and the rebirth of Israel as a nation.

In other words, Armageddon will happen in the same season after Israel’s rebirth. Israel became a nation in 1948. That was more than 72 years ago. Are we still “in those days and at that time”?

The answer is YES.

Within a Generation

Consider Matthew 24, another prophecy about the end times. In this passage, Jesus also talks about seasons. While standing at the Temple Mount, talking to His disciples about the signs of the “end of the age” and the Tribulation and the Second Coming, He tells them a parable about a fig tree:

“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”—Matthew 24:32-36

We know what season it is based on how trees respond. The seasons show us a cycle of life and death and rebirth, and it’s no accident that He spoke of the end times in terms of seasons.

Jesus said no man would know the day or hour of the end, but He does seem to indicate that we will know within a larger context of time—like a season. Or, in other words, we’ll know within a “generation.”

The million-dollar question is to ask “How long is a generation?” This is where you have to be careful. Back in 1988, very early in my career, I remember when a man named Edgar Whisenant decided that a biblical generation was 40 years, and so he published a short booklet about how the rapture was going to happen in September of that year. It was called 88 Reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988.

I knew a lot of people who took his predictions very seriously. He was on the TBN programs and he sold millions of copies of his booklet. Whisenant claimed that he would stake his life on being right. He even said that, if the Rapture didn’t happen as he predicted it, the Bible was in error—not him.

He was wrong, of course. He tried to predict the Rapture several times again over the next few years but eventually people stopped paying him any attention. Rightly so!

The moral of the story is this: Don’t listen to preachers who tell you their own personal calculations about the Bible. Don’t listen to anyone who says, “God told me a generation is XX years.” According to 2 Peter 1:20, “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation.” Any preacher who says they can pull these esoteric meanings out of Scripture is dangerous.

Let the Bible Interpret the Bible

We have to let the Bible interpret the Bible. If we want to know how long a generation is, we have to ask the Bible how long a generation is.

Psalm 90 gives us an idea:

“The days of our lives are seventy years;
And if by reason of strength they are eighty years,
Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow;
For it is soon cut off, and we fly away.”—Psalm 90:10

In other words, on average, people live between 70 and 80 years. Obviously this changes slightly as humans learn more about nutrition, science and medicine. In 1959, the average life expectancy was 69.9 years. In 2016, it was 78.9 years. But that’s still around 70 or 80 years.

I’m 67, so this is not my favorite conversation, by the way.

But we see here the truth of the Bible. People live around 70 or 80 years. Is that how the Bible defines a generation?

Let’s say a generation began at the birth of Israel on May 14, 1948. How long has it been?

It’s been 72 years and nearly six months. We’re already past the 70-year point. Remember what Jesus said: “This generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34).

When Jesus said that, He was talking not just about the Rapture, but about the Tribulation, which will last seven years. (I explain the Tribulation timeline in detail in this post.)

We Christians won’t be around during that period, but some humans who saw the rebirth of Israel in 1948 will be around for the seven years of the Tribulation.

So let’s do a little quick math. Israel was born 72 years and six months ago. Seven years of Tribulation will follow the Rapture.

72.5 + 7 = 79.5

If a generation is 80 years at most, and Jesus said this generation will see all these things take place, do you understand why I believe we are nearing the end?

The End is Here

Now you see why the subtitle of my book Tipping Point is “The End is Here.” You’ll note that’s not the same thing as “The End is Near.”

The reason I say the end is HERE is because I believe we are at the end of the timeline. Now, I don’t set dates. I’m not going to say “We have six months before Jesus comes back.” Edgar Whisenant tried that and the world laughed at him, because he was wrong.

All I’m telling you is this: Jesus is coming soon. If you believe the Bible—30 percent of which is prophecy—then you’ll recognized that we are living in the most prophesied period of time in the history of the world. God wants us to know.

In these days of COVID-19, election disputes, social unrest, economic upheaval, climate catastrophes and everything else, aren’t you glad that we know the future? Thank God for prophecy. Thank God we are the last generation.

We are approaching the end. It’s not going to go on forever. And this is not our home. Our home is in heaven. We need to remember that as we live for God and stand up for our faith in Jesus.