And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened. Matthew 24: 22, NKJV.
Heavenly Father we give You thanks that everything that you do for Your children, You do in love. Please help us to appreciate Your love, and pass it on to others. In the name of Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
When these words were spoken by the Savior, they were in direct reference to the forty two months, “And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Revelation 13: 5); or, three and a half days (prophetic, a day for a year), “Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. . . Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them” (11: 9, 11); or, one thousand two hundred and sixty days, of persecution. ” ‘ “. . . And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” ‘ ” (11: 3). All three references are mathematically equal to the same amount of years, and refer to the same period of time.
Our text for today was brought to my mind, by a comment I heard, and later read, about the effect that the earthquake, of 8.8 magnitude, in Chile, had had on planet earth:
“(CNN) — The massive earthquake that struck Chile on Saturday may have shifted Earth’s axis and created shorter days, scientists at NASA say.
The change is negligible, but permanent: Each day should be 1.26 microseconds shorter, according to preliminary calculations. A microsecond is one-millionth of a second.
A large quake shifts massive amounts of rock and alters the distribution of mass on the planet.
When that distribution changes, it changes the rate at which the planet rotates. And the rotation rate determines the length of a day. . .
He determined that the quake should have moved Earth’s figure axis about 3 inches (8 centimeters). The figure axis is one around which Earth’s mass is balanced. That shift in axis is what may have shortened days.
Such changes aren’t unheard of.
The magnitude 9.1 earthquake in 2004 that generated a killer tsunami in the Indian Ocean shortened the length of days by 6.8 microseconds.”
Years ago we were talking about the signs of “the time of the end.” I believe that we can safely conclude that we are now living in, “the end of time.” Indeed, unless these days are also shortened, no flesh could survive the atrocities, and calamities, that will take place just before Jesus returns. Those days were cut short by the French Revolution, and the dawning of The Age of Reason. Our days will be cut short, by the appearing of the “Son of Man” in the clouds of heaven!
Dear friends, Jesus left us the following warning, so that by His grace, His coming need not take any of us by surprise, “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near” (Luke 21: 28).
Are you ready for Jesus to come?