The Last Days and the Coming of the Lord

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Sermons in the Year 2025
The Last Days and the Coming of the Lord

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All Scriptures quoted in this article are from the New King James Version (NKJV), unless otherwise noted (https://www.biblestudytools.com/nkjv/).

Dear Church,

In the Bible, apart from the Book of Revelation, the Book of Daniel is a prophetic book that contains many verses related to the End Time. Daniel recorded many important prophecies concerning the final days in the history of human self-rule. According to traditional understanding, the book was written between 605 BCE and 536 BCE. The last chapters—10, 11, and 12—were written in 536 BCE, after King Cyrus captured Babylon in 539 BCE.

Daniel chapter 12 records a prophetic summary concerning the End Time, the ultimate deliverance of God’s people—especially the nation of Israel—and the resurrection of those who belong to Him. Among these, verse 4 is a remarkable prophecy:

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.”

The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Peter to speak of “the last days” when he preached on the day the Lord Jesus established the Church (Acts 2:17). Therefore, we understand that “the time of the end” in Daniel 12:4 is the same as “the last days” mentioned by Peter. This period refers to the time frame of more than 2,000 years, from when the Lord Jesus established the Church on the Day of Pentecost in the year 27 until His second coming to the earth, which will conclude the End Time. This also means that the prophecies in the Book of Daniel would be unsealed and revealed during the Church Age.

The phrase “many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” also prophesies the advancement of human science and technology. This progress would occur in the era when the End Time takes place. Indeed, never before have human knowledge and mobility increased as rapidly as they do today—they are multiplying exponentially.

According to a scientific study [1]:

  • Before 1900, human knowledge doubled approximately every century.

  • By 1945, knowledge doubled every 25 years.

  • In 1982, knowledge doubled every year.

  • Today, some fields such as nanotechnology may double every 2 years, while clinical medical knowledge doubles every 18 months.

  • According to IBM, with the development of the Internet of Things, knowledge may double every 12 hours in the near future.

However, the increase of knowledge and the ability to travel do not necessarily lead humanity toward goodness; on the contrary, they only cause people to fall deeper into sin. Just as in the days of Noah, when “the Self-Existing and Eternal One saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5 – A literal translation), the End Time will also come.

When the Church was established in the year 27, most of the prophecies in the Book of Daniel had already been fulfilled during the previous six hundred years, beginning from the time of King Nebuchadnezzar of the Babylonian Empire. God’s people from the first century CE, as well as even unbelievers, clearly saw the fulfillment of those prophecies. The accuracy of the prophecies in Daniel chapters 2, 7, 8, and the first part of chapter 11 has caused many scholars to be astonished, because:

  • Even before the empires came into existence, they correctly listed their names.

  • They precisely described the characteristics of each empire (for example, Greece was as swift as a leopard, and Rome was as strong and rigid as iron).

  • They accurately predicted events, such as the division of the Greek Empire into four kingdoms.

The latter part of chapter 11 and the entirety of chapter 12 contain prophecies concerning the final period, which many believe:

  • They are gradually being fulfilled in our era.

  • They will be fully fulfilled in the very near future, possibly within no more than 10 years, counting from the Feast of Tabernacles in 2025. This is a speculation based on current world events combined with other prophecies in the Bible, particularly the prophecies of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21.

The accuracy of the fulfilled prophecies in the Book of Daniel gives us a solid foundation to trust the prophecies that have not yet been fulfilled concerning the final period, including the prophecy of the Lord Jesus’ second coming to the earth to establish the Heavenly Kingdom (Daniel 7:13–14).

Even in the Lord Jesus’ prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem and God’s Temple, His coming to the Church, and the End Time, the portion concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple was fulfilled in the year 70. What remains to be fulfilled is the Lord Jesus coming to take the Church out of the world before the End Time and His return to the earth to conclude the End Time and establish the Millennial Kingdom.

Brothers and sisters can read and listen again to the three explanations of the Lord Jesus’ prophecy posted on kytanthe.net [2], [3], [4]. These three sermons clearly distinguish the prophecy of the Lord coming to the Church from the prophecy of His second coming to the earth at the end of the End Time.

We might also learn from Daniel 12:4 that many of the Bible’s references were obscured when they were first penned. A prime example in the Old Testament is God’s seven feasts, which fully contain God’s work of salvation for humanity accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ and empowered by the Spirit. A prime example in the New Testament is the Lord Jesus’ prophecies about the final period and the revelation He showed to the Apostle John, which John recorded in the Book of Revelation.

The mystery of the Gospel of Salvation was hidden throughout the ages, even during the Old Testament period, and was only revealed in the New Testament, as the Holy Spirit confirmed through the Apostle Paul:

“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ;” (Ephesians 3:8-9)

“of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Colossians 1:25-27)

Therefore, we can also understand that the mystery of the Lord Jesus coming to the Church and the End Time is only revealed to the saints of the Church in the final days immediately preceding the End Time. In fact, the mystery in the parable of the fig tree sprouting leaves, given by the Lord Jesus, was only partially revealed to the saints of the Church after the nation of Israel was reestablished on May 14, 1948. The remaining part was revealed after Israel fully regained sovereignty over the Holy City of Jerusalem on June 7, 1967. The final confirmation of this mystery was the event when President Trump announced that the United States recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the nation of Israel on December 6, 2017.

The Lord will return to take the Church before the End Time, and He will return a second time to end the End Time before the generation that witnessed Israel’s restoration and full reclaim of sovereignty over Jerusalem dies, according to the parable of the fig tree that the Lord Jesus told. This is a period of approximately 70–80 years, according to Psalm 90:10:

“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.”

On May 14, 1948, the nation of Israel was reestablished in a single day (Isaiah 66:8). That was the moment the fig tree of Israel was planted again in the Promised Land of Canaan—the land that God had promised them forever.

On June 7, 1967, Israel fully regained sovereignty over the city of Jerusalem during the Six-Day War against the Arab coalition, which included Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq. That was the moment the fig tree of Israel sprouted leaves, and it also marked the beginning of the fulfillment of the remaining prophecies in Daniel within a period of 70–80 years. In other words, the fulfillment will be completed before the end of June 2037 if the generation that witnessed Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem lasts 70 years, or before June 2047 if that generation lasts 80 years.

“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34) [5].

{“This generation” refers to the generation that witnessed the sprouting of the fig tree, symbolizing the reestablishment of Israel as a nation and the regaining of sovereignty over the Holy City of Jerusalem. A generation lasts 70–80 years (Psalm 90:10).}

Since the End Time, as prophesied in Revelation, is to last seven years, it must begin no later than June 2030 or June 2040. However, when considering the prophecy in Hosea 6:1-2, we see that the probability of the End Time beginning very soon—after the Passover of 2027—is very high. The article “The End Time and the Year 2027” provides a detailed explanation of this speculation [6].

As we have learned, the day the Lord Jesus comes to take the Church out of the world is not arbitrary but must be a day predetermined by God [7]. This means that the day must fall on one of God’s seven appointed feasts.

In the Old Testament, God commanded the nation of Israel to observe seven feasts, called “the feasts of the Self-Existing and Eternal One” (Leviticus 23:2, 4, 37, 44). The Hebrew word for “feast” (H4150) literally means a fixed or appointed time, referring to the time that God appointed to meet with His people.

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to explain that the feasts of the Self-Existing and Eternal One were a shadow of the works that the Lord Jesus would accomplish for God’s people in particular and for humanity in general:

“So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

{The Sabbaths of the feasts, not the Seventh-Day Sabbaths.}

This means that each feast represents the time when the God, through the Lord Jesus, will meet with humanity and accomplish for them what the God has appointed. A prime example is the Passover, when the Israelites killed a lamb, applying its blood on the two doorposts and the lintel of each house. They then ate the lamb together with unleavened bread (Exodus 12). This feast symbolizes the death of the Lord Jesus on the cross. He shed His blood to redeem humanity, because humanity had broken God’s Ten Commandments. The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, confirmed that the Lord Jesus is indeed “the Passover Lamb.”

“Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (1 Corinthians 5:7)

The question arises: on which feast will the Lord Jesus come to take the Church?

Interestingly, beyond the specific meanings of each feast, every feast carries an implication of the Lord Jesus’ coming for the Church. This coming is often referred to as the “Rapture,” meaning the Church is caught up into the air to meet Him, as prophesied by the Apostle Paul:

“Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17)

If any feast could be the time when the Lord Jesus comes for the Church, then God’s people can and should prepare themselves, being ready to receive Him whenever a feast approaches. Perhaps this is the meaning of “watching” for the Lord’s coming and the significance of the command in Hebrews 10:24–25:

“And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

{The Bible instructs God’s people to assemble only on the Seventh-Day Sabbaths or on the Sabbaths of the appointed feasts.}

The one who watches for a thief does so at the time when the thief could come. Likewise, the one who watches for the Lord’s coming to the Church watches at the times when He could come—that is, the appointed feasts. It is precisely because of the fixed times of the feasts that God’s people can “see the Day approaching” without neglecting to gather together in anticipation of the Lord’s coming. God’s Word affirms that those who know how to “watch” for the coming of the Lord Jesus will not be caught by surprise when He comes:

“But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (1 Thessalonians 5:4–6)

Proverbs 25:2 states, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” God has hidden the mystery of the timing of the Lord Jesus’ coming to the Church within the prophecies. God’s people in the Church are kings, because they will reign with Christ in the Heavenly Kingdom (2 Timothy 2:12; Revelation 20:6; 22:5), and by examining these prophecies, they can discern the time when the Lord Jesus will come for the Church. While they certainly will not know the exact day or hour, they can know the general time frame.

Now, the Holy Spirit has revealed to the Church that Christ could come for the Church during any of the seven appointed feasts of God. Whoever in the Church receives this revelation will rejoice and eagerly await Christ whenever a feast approaches. They sanctify themselves from body to spirit in preparation for Christ’s coming (2 Corinthians 7:1; 1 John 3:3). This is their glory: diligently examining the prophecies concerning His coming.

“Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” (1 John 3:2–3)

We thank the Lord for granting our Church the grace to be moved to gather and commemorate the feasts of God, beginning with the Feast of Trumpets in 2025. From now on, whenever a feast approaches, we will gather to celebrate together and reflect on what the Lord Jesus has done and will do for us through the meaning of that feast—especially to anticipate His coming to take the Church out of the world and into heaven. We gather with hearts eagerly longing for Christ.

Today, Sabbath, October 11, 2025, we are in the fifth day of the Feast of Tabernacles 2025. It is very possible that the Lord will come to take the Church at the conclusion of this year’s Feast of Tabernacles. That would be at 6:09 p.m. on October 13, 2025, in Jerusalem, which corresponds to 10:09 p.m. on October 13, 2025, in Vietnam. If that is the case, then we can understand that:

  • Feast of Trumpets 2025: The Lord begins calling His people to prepare for the Rapture. A revival occurs within the Church.

  • Day of Atonement 2025: Following the revival, the Lord sanctifies the Church.

  • Feast of Tabernacles 2025: The Lord is present with the Church throughout the seven days, in every final effort of the Church, in every pastoral ministry to new believers, and in every spiritual ministry proclaiming the Gospel. Then He takes the Church out of the world at the conclusion of the Feast of Tabernacles.

  • The High Sabbath following the seven days of the Feast of Tabernacles 2025: This is the day when the Church is with the Lord in heaven, in the eternal Sabbath.

Certainly, the heartfelt longing for the Lord’s coming, gathering together to worship Him, and waiting for Him at each feast is the “watching” that pleases the Lord and for which He will reward us justly. It is also a righteous work of ours on this earth, contributing to the glory of our physical bodies that will be transformed.

O our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, please come soon! Amen!

May the Word of God sanctify us and strengthen us. May we all stand firm in faith and remain faithful to the Lord until the day Christ returns. May the love, grace, and fellowship of the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit—cover all of you. Amen!

Huỳnh Christian Timothy
Huỳnh Christian Priscilla
10/11/2025

Notes:

[1] https://shepleywood.com/news/april-knowledge-the-doubling-curve

The next four notes [2], [3], [4], [5] are links to sermons in Vietnamese. Readers can use the browser’s translation feature or ChatGPT to translate them into English.

[2] https://kytanthe.net/007-loi-tien-tri-cua-duc-chua-jesus-christ-phan-1/

[3] https://kytanthe.net/008-loi-tien-tri-cua-duc-chua-jesus-christ-phan-2/

[4] https://kytanthe.net/009-loi-tien-tri-cua-duc-chua-jesus-christ-phan-3/

[5] https://kytanthe.net/060-cay-va-i-so-ra-en-diem-chua-den/

[6] https://preachingfromthebible.net/067-the-end-of-the-world-and-the-year-2027/

[7] https://preachingfromthebible.net/a-theological-mistake/

About Using “God” or “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as “*God” or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.