“For in those days there will be tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake, whom He chose, He shortened the days.”[1] As those seeking to understand the times and seasons in which we find ourselves, we are drawn to consider this teaching of the Lord Jesus. Why are the end times so dangerous that the very future of mankind is threatened as the days progress? Who are the elect? Which days will be shortened? Will time speed up so that the days pass more quickly, or will the number of days allotted to mankind be reduced, or will both these interpretations apply? The context of Jesus’ teaching is the Antichrist’s future desecration of the yet-to-be-built temple when those in Jerusalem are urged to flee the city. Hence, the primary meaning is that, in order to stay alive, to save their flesh, the Jewish people in Jerusalem will be forced to escape from the furious frenzy of the Antichrist, who will be seeking to destroy them. Jesus describes the scene in Matthew 24:15-16, “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains”...
[1] Mark 13:19-20
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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®.