THESE LAST DAYS

Preface

The Banquet in the Mansion

Imagine being chauffeured up a smoothly paved drive to the front door of a luxurious mansion.  You are met at the door by a formally attired butler who escorts you into a lavishly appointed dining room, lit by the most spectacular crystal chandelier.  You marvel at the abundantly laden table overflowing with a vast array of delectable food, the most eloquent cuisine that a master chef can present. You and the other invited guests begin to sample the many mouthwatering selections of food offered at this plush banquet.

Even before you and the other guests can sample the selections at the plush banquet, the luxurious mansion must first be built.  Before the chandeliers are hung and the carpet is installed, before the walls, doors, windows and roof are in place there must be a firm foundation upon which to build.

Pouring concrete, laying blocks, sawing lumber and sweeping sawdust is a far cry from sitting down at a great banquet.  The banquet is the end result.  Too many times we want to start with the end result. Many times we look at Biblical prophetic concepts from a banquet point of view without having the foundational understanding in place. Often we want to look ahead and see what’s coming but what we really need to do is to look back at the foundation.  We want to look ahead to the banquet in the mansion without making sure we have the foundation firmly in place.

Many people misunderstand the last book of the Bible because they misunderstand the first book of the Bible and many of the books in between.  We must examine the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation to understand these last days.  It includes foundation building as well as feasting at the banquet.

We must let Scripture lay the foundation, put up the walls, the roof, install the carpet, and hang the chandeliers.  As in building a mansion, the foundation must come first.  Without these foundational prophetic concepts firmly in place we might just as well be sitting in an empty field eating a sandwich.  Why settle for a sandwich when God has prepared a banquet?

There will be much food for thought as we allow Scripture to put the foundation firmly in place in order to understand the events of these last days.

Prophetic events in this book are offered in several forms.  A narrative of the events is presented for those who appreciate learning through story accounts.  The narrative presents an overview of these last days in story form.  The narratives are followed by Holy Scripture, the foundation for the narratives.  Scriptures were taken from the New International version unless otherwise stated.  Emphasis has been added for calling attention to a particular verse or verses. For a more detailed study, additional Scripture references are listed for the serious research student.  Maps for identification purposes may be found on the website at www.philandpatti.com.

This book is a nontraditional inductive study and an investigation of Biblical prophecy concerning these last days.  It is an inductive search for the truth and not a deductive search to verify dogma, doctrine or preconceived notions.  It is not based on many erroneous traditions born of deductive thinking.

Using the inductive approach to study we began with gathering evidence in Scripture and letting it come together to form a conclusion.  We let the Bible tell the story.

Deductive study begins with a general conclusion and evidence is collected to support only that conclusion.  Often a general conclusion is a preconceived notion that may not be consistent with Scriptural truth.  By using the deductive method of study even atheists can make the Bible say, “There is no God.” as found in Psalm 53:1.  Proper context is essential.

In an inductive approach to studying Scripture it is essential to let the Bible speak.  However, the Bible does not record every historical event.  In order to get the full story, we must use the Bible, its prophecies and explanations, along with the honest historical record and the proper interpretation of current events to discern the signs of these last days.

Conclusions written in this book were diligently drawn by analysis of original languages for the true meaning of prophetic Scripture found in both Old and New Testaments. Our primary resource material has been the Holy Bible.  We have used mainly the New International Version, the King James Version and the New American Standard Version.  We have consulted writings from the complete works of Josephus, writings from Ignatius, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, Martin Luther, John Calvin, John Wesley, William Tyndale, John Wycliffe and others. For clarification on certain issues we have used the Douay Rheims Bible, Latin Vulgate Bible, Greek/English Parallel Bible, Hebrew/English Parallel Bible, and Greek and Hebrew dictionaries and encyclopedias. These study tools have helped us to understand words, phrases and concepts that reflect the Hebrew and Jewish language and culture.  We have consulted Bible research centers as well.  Visits to Israel in 2005 and 2011 have given us a better understanding of the culture, customs and the symbolism used at the time the Bible was written and has greatly enhanced our study.

It is understandable that some of the conclusions written in this book might be hard to accept by those with a knowledge base borne of traditional teaching (Mark 7:8). Many times people plant their faith in traditional thinking and the opinions of others as opposed to what the Bible actually says and what the Holy Spirit teaches (John 14:26).

No one should take one person’s opinion of what Scripture says against another person’s opinion of what Scripture says, not the opinions of Biblical teachers, not seminary professors and not professional theologians. Theological seminaries alone are poor substitutes for the Holy Spirit, who guides us into God’s Truth. (John 16:13) God’s Word is an unmovable Monument of Truth, one single source of truth from which to learn.  Each individual must have a personal relationship with the author of THE WORD.

Approach the reading and studying of Scripture with “Holy expectation”.  Pray for discernment, for knowledge, for understanding and for wisdom.  God gives His wisdom generously to all.  He gives it gladly and He gives us all we can handle.  (James 1:5-6)

God reveals Himself to us through His Word.  He reveals those things He wants us to know.  The secret things He keeps to Himself.

Deuteronomy 29:29

The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

Luke 10:21

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.

Praise God!  He reveals these great and mighty things to us little children!

So we have studied Scripture in a search for answers to our many questions concerning the events of these last days.  God has revealed many things to us, the little children.  Through this book we pass on to you what we have learned.  

For His Glory,

Phil and Patti Moore