The Endtime Mystery of
“The Days Shall be Shortened”
Robert D. Pace
Jesus often spoke of the Endtime and the mega-signs (Luke 21:11) that will appear in that day. It’s especially important to notice Christ’s description in Matthew 24:21 where he said, “There will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.” Ominous indeed! But it’s the next verse that portents the horrors of this unprecedented epoch. Matthew 24:22 says, “Unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”
Are Christ’s Words to be translated literally or figuratively? Should Christians of the Endtime expect the Lord to literally constrict time to the point that it will work for their survival? If so, how will this occur? I have heard people postulate that God will shorten the seven-year timespan of the Great Tribulation in order to fulfill this prophecy. However, one must recognize that the Bible has carefully measured Daniel’s 70 Weeks and has mandated those days to fully run their course. So what is the answer?
Again, closely notice Christ’s words. He said, “unless the days were shortened.” That phraseology indicates that God will actually shave off the hours of a day. Before this assertion is relegated to the realm of fiction it should be noted that geophysical science affirms this postulation! In fact, the days have already been shortened! They just haven’t been shortened to the magnitude that Jesus forecasted.
Geophysicists have calculated that since 2004 the Earth has accelerated its spin and shortened our 24-hour day by about 10 microseconds. And they even explain how this has happened. The planet is made to increase its spin when a violent earthquake pushes Earth’s landmass closer to its polar axis. This concept is best illustrated by watching Olympic ice skaters. At some point in their routine, the skater glides to center rink and with arms wide out gracefully begins spinning. But as the skater slowly pulls in their arms to their body (or axis), their spin increases to a blazingly indiscernible speed.
I want you to consider this proposition: It is altogether plausible that a series of violent earthquakes rippling around the globe, would shift massive portions of landmass toward the North and South poles. Such an occurrence would produce an unprecedented increase of Earth’s spin! The velocity of this gyration could constrict a 24-hour day up to eight hours!
But while this scenario stirs the imagination, does the Bible forecast a series of massive earthquakes rocking the world? And does Christ’s prophecy of “shortened days” appear anywhere else in Scripture? The answer to both questions is Yes! And there are several passages of Scripture that affirm this.
First, notice the riveting words of Isaiah 24:18—20. As you read this passage, count the times that Isaiah pictures our planet being rocked by mega-quakes: [One] “The foundations of the earth shake. [Two] The earth is broken up, [Three] the earth is split asunder, [And four] the earth is violently shaken.” That’s a four-fold pummeling! And be certain to notice verse 20, because this is where Isaiah discloses the surreal repercussion of these quakes: “The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again.”
Next, observe Revelation 8:12, as it shows the reverberations of the blazing star “Wormwood,” colliding with our planet: “The fourth angel sounded his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of them turned dark. A third of the day was without light, and also a third of the night.” Wormwood could be the strike-point that detonates the succession of mega-quakes around the globe.
Finally, Amos 8:9 forecasts this: “And it will come about on that day,” declares the Lord GOD, “That I will make the sun go down at noon, and make the earth dark in broad daylight.”
The debilitation from these earthquakes staggers the imagination! Isaiah wrote that “the LORD lays the earth waste, devastates it, twists its surface, and scatters its inhabitants” (24:1). Though scientists and sinners will relegate this multi-faceted event to “time-and-chance,” to God-fearing Christians they will appear as another exclamation point to Bible prophecy! And it’s the Sovereign God that’s arranged everything: The earthquakes will judge the world of its guilt, while Christ’s prophecy to “shorten the days” will alleviate the suffering of the “elect.” Praise God!
ATTENTION:
If you enjoyed this Endtime insight of Robert D. Pace, you can order his fascinating book, APOCALERT!, which discloses the Bible’s irrepressible forewarning of its march into the Apocalypse. To order, postage free, click here.