Imagine you have just seated yourself in a fine opera theater, anticipating the start of the production in about 20 minutes. You hear the sounds of scenery being moved into place behind the curtain, and before long, the shuffle of feet as actors and singers all begin to take their various places. The orchestra members in the pit are tuning up their instruments. But the orchestra conductor hasn’t taken his place on the podium yet, and there’s still the occasional shifting of props heard behind the curtain. While you are eager to have things start, you understand that it won’t until all the necessary components are in place and everything is ready.
Friends, we are all anticipating the dramatic events of the “Last Days” foretold in Scripture, and we are seeing the participants in that grand drama starting to take their place. Even though we can’t predict the start time, we know things are close because most participants weren’t here years ago, but now they are!
Here are two key verses that lay out a general timeline for the events of the Last Days:
“Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (Luke 21:24, LSB)
“Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, ‘The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob; and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins. As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” (Romans 11:25-29, ESV)
While careful Bible students might have slightly differing understandings of how these two verses might be fulfilled, or a timeline for when they will be fulfilled in the future, it’s important to understand that many things in the Bible happened during a “transitional period,” rather than all at once. A well-known example is the pronouncement of death upon Adam and Eve for their disobedience. Through the Bible, we know a period of many years until they actually passed. But in God’s reckoning, the moment that they disobeyed, they lost eternal life and entered into the dying stage. Another example is the transitional nature of the book of Acts, marking the beginning of the “Dispensation of Grace” at the cross. Yet, another 40 years during which sacrifices continued to be offered at the Temple in Jerusalem, only then came its prophesied destruction.
So, let me suggest that there are three ongoing trends that characterize this transitional period in which we find ourselves. I’m going to organize these trends using three keywords: Restoration, Redemption, and Reascendancy.
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