1
U
NLESS
T
HOSE
D
AYS
W
ERE
S
HORTENED
by Craig Wm. Peters
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:22
a
Our world is bent on confusion, disarray, and destruction: From violent, power-hungry, Israel-hating dictators, to the supposedly “civil” nations of the “free world,” all mankind fails to know the things that make for peace.
1
In religious sectors, matters are not much better: Many false prophets have used doctrinal fear tactics to keep the multitudes under their thumbs. The major claim here is that they are the only “true church,” and, thus, they are also the only source of salvation. Other fal$e prophet$ have u$ed doctrinal fear tactic$ to obtain their following and to harve$t tithe$ and offering$ from the many $heep who are willing to blindly follow them. One of the greatest clarion call$ of $uch fal$e profiteer$ ha$ been a cry ba$ed on our opening text. These false teachers will cite the above Scripture and then make the grand proclamation: “Nuclear destruction is coming, so come join me and be saved!” But carnal man always turns things upside down.
2
We argue that, instead of warning us of a nuclear holocaust, the opening Scripture is actually showing us the Messiah will prevent just such a catastrophe! The Sovereign
eswhy
will do something to forever end man’s reign of terror! The Messiah King will
render useless
the nuclear arsenal which has been amassed worldwide by the various “superpowers!” And based on the Savior’s own words, it appears He will do this by shortening the days! In the Day of
hwhy
, it is
1
Luke 19:41-42, Romans 3:17, Isaiah 59:8
2
Isaiah
29
:16,
5
:20
His wrath that will come forth upon the lawless nations of the earth, and in that Day,
hwhy
alone will be exalted!
t s r q u p e o n m l k y j x z w h d g b a
The Days Will Be Shortened
In other studies, we have contemplated the nature of the forthcoming cataclysms which will be characteristic of the Day of
hwhy
: These fiery judgments of burning devastation will be immense, they will be overwhelming, and they will come upon the entire world in the near future.
The forthcoming judgments in the Day of
hwhy
will contribute towards wiping out much of the world’s population: Monumental earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis; fire and brimstone from heaven; asteroids hitting the globe; the scorching heat of the Sun; and warring nations seeking to conquer other peoples for life-giving sustenance – all these judgments will not only end life as we know it on planet Earth, more importantly, they will be sent forth to punish the lawless nations of the Earth and to begin the establishment of the Kingdom of
hwhy
worldwide.
Many people have long-speculated that mankind will destroy himself via an all-out nuclear exchange between the world’s superpowers. But
eswhy
assures us this will
not
be the case: He knows what is in the heart of man,
3
and the Messiah will shorten the days to
prevent
the complete annihilation of all mankind:
3
John 2:24-25
2
And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened.
Matthew 24:22
We argue that this
shortening of the days
has nothing to do with the planned moment of the Messiah’s return: in that respect, the unerring timetable of
hwhy
will come to pass right on schedule. In other words, the Messiah will not come back a moment sooner or a moment later than has already been planned from the foundation of the world!
4
Said still another way, it is not as though
hwhy
had originally planned to send forth the Messiah on say, October 1, 2015, and then something will occur that He is suddenly shaken into a panic saying, “Oh no! Mankind is about to get wiped out in a nuclear exchange! I better send the Messiah forth on September 30
th
!”
5
However, the prophecies of
Revelation
do give us an indication of what the Savior meant by the days being shortened. And readers should note these events all occur at the behest of the Sovereign Messiah, the Ruler of All Creation:
And the fourth messenger sounded, and a third of the Sun was struck, and a third of the Moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them were darkened. And a third of the day did not shine, and likewise the night.
Revelation 8:12,
ISRV
How can this text be explained? What happens when Sun does not shine for a third part of the day? What happens when Moon and the stars do not shine for a third part of the night? The promise of
hwhy
associated with the Rainbow-Covenant gives us the best clue:
4
Hebrews 4:3
5
Important:
The date provided for this hypothetical example is just that: hypothetical! This future date is used here
only for the sake of example
! We make
no claim
as to the exact date of the Messiah’s return to catch away the Firstfruits (John 14:1-3) for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Matthew 22:1-10, Revelation 19:6-9
During all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and
day and night
, shall not cease.
Genesis 8:22 According to this text, the covenant of day followed by night will simply never cease!
hwhy
later said the very same thing through the prophet Jeremiah:
20 Thus says
hwhy
, “If you can break My covenant of the day, and My covenant of the night – so that there should not be day and night in their season – 21 then My covenant may also be broken with David, My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne; and with the Levites the priests, My ministers.
Jeremiah 33:20-21 So we see the order of day followed by night cannot be broken! With these facts in mind, we once more ponder the prophecy of
Revelation
(8:12): We understand this is telling us the day and night will both be
cut short
by a third of their normal durations. So if it is no longer day, what must it then be: A four-hour period of “limbo?” No. According to Genesis 8:22, if it is no longer day, then it must be night! And if it is no longer night, then it must be day! So we believe the Revelation 8:12 prophecy indicates the days will literally be
shortened
! If the day and night are both cut short by a
third
of their normal durations, then the entire day will be cut short by 8 hours. We see this as implying the Earth’s rotation will be markedly accelerated. And since 24 - 8 = 16, we see that days will be 16 hours in length instead of 24. Given the Earth’s circumference is about 24,902 miles, and given we have just about 24 hours in each day, the approximate speed of rotation at the equator is 1,038 miles per hour. Of course, this also means a person living at the equator is actually moving at 1,038 miles
3 per hour, the same speed as the Earth’s surface.
6
Presently, one can only speculate as to how
hwhy
will affect this predicted increase in the Earth’s rotational velocity, but if cosmic upheavals somehow result in the Earth’s rotation time being
reduced
by 8 hours, this would literally
shorten the days
and fulfill the prophecy.
7
Sixteen-hour days will mean the Earth’s rotational velocity at the equator will be
increased
to about 1,556 miles per hour. We have yet to experience what this will do to the electro-magnetic and gravitational forces of the Earth. But many indications are that this
increased rotational velocity
will result in, and be accompanied by, massive cataclysmic events – events which will be so apocalyptic in scope that they will
forever end
man’s capability of wiping out the entire human race!
8
So said the Messiah!
9
This writer believes that, somehow, the Earth will be so electro-magnetically energized that modern-day electronics will be rendered null and void: they will no longer be functional! And this includes electronically operated and guided nuclear warheads! When speaking of the upheavals surrounding the Last Days,
hwhy
said through Isaiah,
“Cease from man whose breath of life is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be esteemed?”
Isaiah 2:21 The implied answer is:
Man is not to be esteemed in anything!
And we believe
hwhy
is going to take away all the pride, all the esteem,
6
This speed gets lower as one approaches either the South or the North Pole: In Johannesburg this velocity is about 933 miles per hour; in Los Angeles this speed is about 864 miles per hour; and in Boston, this rate is about 771 miles per hour.
7
(i.e., Matthew 24:22)
8
Psalm 10:17-18
9
Matthew 24:22
of man’s technology: In the Day of
hwhy
, the Most High is going to bring down all of man’s pride!
10
And
hwhy
alone will be exalted in that Day!
11
We now progress to ponder the numerous Scriptures which clearly indicate man’s technologies are to be rendered
powerless
in the Day of
hwhy
, the Day of His wrath upon all that has been raised up
12
in opposition to His Kingdom and righteousness.
Man’s Modern Day Technology Will Be Rendered Powerless
There are many indications in the Word of
hwhy
that mankind will be returned to the days of using barbaric weaponry, just as he did before modern-day technology reigned supreme. Scripture upon Scripture speaks of chariots and horses, of bows and arrows, of shields, of swords, and of spears. Because of the indescribable nature of the coming apocalypse, we believe the texts that foretell of such ancient weaponry are to be interpreted and understood in a literal fashion.
6 The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted. 7
hwhy
of hosts is with us; the Elohim of Ya’acob is our refuge. Selah. 8 Come, behold the works of
hwhy
, what desolations He has made in the earth. 9 He makes wars to cease to the ends of the earth; He breaks the
bow
, and cuts the
spear
in sunder; He burns the
chariots
in the fire. 10 Be still, and know that I am Elohim: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalm 46:6-10 The context of these words speaks of the time in which the seas will so powerfully roar that their waves will cause earthquakes when they impact the mountains.
13
It speaks of the time in which the surface of the Earth will melt
10
Isaiah 2:10-21
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Isaiah 2:11,17
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Isaiah 2:10-12, 2Corinthians 10:3-5
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Psalm 46:2-3, Luke 21:25
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