Greetings All
Disclaimer: To be up front and clear, I do not subscribe to pre-tribulationism but believe as per the Scriptures that there is one revelation in glory and one gathering of one elect, and that this is a post-tribulational event.
With that being said, let us look at the following passage.
Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
How will this happen and how much shorter will those days be?
Revelation 8:12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
The consensus among our English translations seems to be that this speaks about a supernatural "reducing" of the luminosity of the celestial lights. That it speaks about normal 24 hours days that become darkened for a third of their duration. But if you've studied what Scripture speaks concerning the state of the earth during the tribulation, it only becomes clear that John is using knowledge contemporary to the first century in order to explain this phenomenon he is seeing.
Let us go to the Greek. The word of interest is "shine".
Strong's 5316
phainó: to bring to light, to cause to appear
Original Word: φαίνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: phainó
Phonetic Spelling: (fah'-ee-no)
Definition: to bring to light, to cause to appear
Usage: (a) act: I shine, shed light, (b) pass: I shine, become visible, appear, (c) I become clear, appear, seem, show myself as.
NASB Translation
appear (5), appeared (7), appears (1), became evident (1), become (1), flashes (1), noticed (2), seem (1), seen (2), shine (3), shines (1), shining (4), shown (1), visible (1).
The Greek interlinear in fact uses "appear", this is the root meaning. Depending on textual indicators, "shine" might be the word that is adopted - but what is John truly speaking of here?
Follow the language. Part of the celestial bodies are "struck" so as to make a third of them "not appear". When a name is "struck" out of the Book of Life, it no longer "appears". Understanding that the Apostle John was a man of Scripture and used Biblical language, in what context should we be viewing the celestial bodies?
Genesis 1:14-15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years...
The meaning is missed when the passage is interpreted literally. The celestial bodies are in fact not being physically affected in any way, this is apocalyptic language that is in actuality referring to the passing of time.
Even if we were to interpret this literally, how will it work? What "third part" of the celestial bodies could be "struck" so as to make a third of the day and nights completely without light?
What John is telling us, essentially, is that our 24 hour days will become 16 hour days.
There is not a single change made to the amount of days themselves, the prophecies all stand. But the total time needed to make it through the tribulation period is simply accelerated by a third.
Some theoretical numbers, keep in mind that this is based on the relative passing of time:
Daniel's Mid 70th Week = 3.5 years / 1290 days becomes 2.45 years / 903 days
[ Which is synonymous with... ]
Revelation's Reign of the Beast = 42 months becomes 29.4 months
Now the big question, how does this happen?
Part 2 to follow!
Disclaimer: To be up front and clear, I do not subscribe to pre-tribulationism but believe as per the Scriptures that there is one revelation in glory and one gathering of one elect, and that this is a post-tribulational event.
With that being said, let us look at the following passage.
Matthew 24:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
How will this happen and how much shorter will those days be?
Revelation 8:12 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
The fourth angel sounded, and a third of the sun and a third of the moon and a third of the stars were struck, so that a third of them would be darkened and the day would not shine for a third of it, and the night in the same way.
The consensus among our English translations seems to be that this speaks about a supernatural "reducing" of the luminosity of the celestial lights. That it speaks about normal 24 hours days that become darkened for a third of their duration. But if you've studied what Scripture speaks concerning the state of the earth during the tribulation, it only becomes clear that John is using knowledge contemporary to the first century in order to explain this phenomenon he is seeing.
Let us go to the Greek. The word of interest is "shine".
Strong's 5316
phainó: to bring to light, to cause to appear
Original Word: φαίνω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: phainó
Phonetic Spelling: (fah'-ee-no)
Definition: to bring to light, to cause to appear
Usage: (a) act: I shine, shed light, (b) pass: I shine, become visible, appear, (c) I become clear, appear, seem, show myself as.
NASB Translation
appear (5), appeared (7), appears (1), became evident (1), become (1), flashes (1), noticed (2), seem (1), seen (2), shine (3), shines (1), shining (4), shown (1), visible (1).
The Greek interlinear in fact uses "appear", this is the root meaning. Depending on textual indicators, "shine" might be the word that is adopted - but what is John truly speaking of here?
Follow the language. Part of the celestial bodies are "struck" so as to make a third of them "not appear". When a name is "struck" out of the Book of Life, it no longer "appears". Understanding that the Apostle John was a man of Scripture and used Biblical language, in what context should we be viewing the celestial bodies?
Genesis 1:14-15 New American Standard Bible (NASB)
Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years...
The meaning is missed when the passage is interpreted literally. The celestial bodies are in fact not being physically affected in any way, this is apocalyptic language that is in actuality referring to the passing of time.
Even if we were to interpret this literally, how will it work? What "third part" of the celestial bodies could be "struck" so as to make a third of the day and nights completely without light?
What John is telling us, essentially, is that our 24 hour days will become 16 hour days.
There is not a single change made to the amount of days themselves, the prophecies all stand. But the total time needed to make it through the tribulation period is simply accelerated by a third.
Some theoretical numbers, keep in mind that this is based on the relative passing of time:
Daniel's Mid 70th Week = 3.5 years / 1290 days becomes 2.45 years / 903 days
[ Which is synonymous with... ]
Revelation's Reign of the Beast = 42 months becomes 29.4 months
Now the big question, how does this happen?
Part 2 to follow!
