03-The Last Days: When?

I start with the key scriptural phrase – „the last days‟. What
does Scripture mean by it? Believers not infrequently use the
phrase – what do they understand by it? Are the two the same?
Often – nearly always, in my experience – they are not. When,
bemoaning the dire spiritual straits in which we find ourselves
today, many believers will solemnly wag their head and mutter:
„Well, it‟s the last days, you know!‟ What they mean is that
they think that Christ is about to come again, and that Scripture
tells them that the final days before his appearing will be
appalling – this is what we are to expect, and that‟s where we
are. Is that what Scripture means by „the last days‟?