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Robin said:

We see other references to "last days" being described in present terms by first century writers! The writer of Hebrews says "in these last days God has spoken to us in His Son... (Hebrews 1:2)," and the Apostle John wrote, "Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour (1 John 2:18)." (oh by the way, that's the verse just before the one I quoted earlier - "they went out from us, but they were not really of us..." - the ideas are connected. But that's a whole 'nother issue.

From these Scriptures we get the idea that "these last days" and "the last hour" were about 2,000 years ago! Or at the very least the "last days" were already underway that long ago.

The term "last days" and "last hour" do not necissarily refer to the end of the human race on earth, but often the term refers to the last days of the Old Covenant! Jesus said that terrible judgment would fall upon His own generation. He said that God would send that single generation" prophets and wise men and scribes" whom they would kill and crucify and persecute from city to city, in order that "upon you may fall the guilt of all righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah... Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation (Matthew 23:34-36)." See also Matthew 16:28 and 24:34.

I was always under the impression that, for the most part, the last days were from the time of Christ until His second coming. So, we are still in the last days even now. I realize you alluded to the fact also. I do agree that the last days may have different meanings or more than one meaning (for example, a current and future one) depending on the passage. I guess what I'm saying is that I think we are living in the last days now and have been for the past 2000-odd years. It does not necessarily mean that Christ's return is imminent.

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remain yet future). The siege and destruction of Jerusalem was so awesome that it took about 8 months to bury all the dead and burn the weapons of war. Blood ran up to the horse's bridles in the streets of Jerusalem at the peak of the slaughter of thousands of Jews by the Roman army.

I really have a hard time believing that blood ran up to a horse's bridle. There may have been enough splattering around that a horse's bridle was soaked with blood, but "ran" signifies a river which is quite a different story. Do you have references for that?

John