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What Must I Do To Be Saved?

  

FROM: 12/1/02 Radio Program

Question:

Who are the elect for whom the days are shortened?

Answer:

First of all, let us read the passage that has reference to what you are asking. In Matthew 24, Jesus speaks to his disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem (v. 1-2). They ask a question in reference to this, wanting to know when this will happen (v. 3). It is from this point, that Jesus begins to give them hints, or signs which will point them to the occasion when the Temple is destroyed. (This happened in 70 A.D.)

In this context, Christ tells the disciples: "And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:19-22). Notice, there is emphasis placed upon "those days" in this passage. "Those days" has reference to the time period in which the Temple was destroyed (70 A.D.) when Rome besieged Jerusalem.

What will happen in "those days"? A great tribulation would be experienced, in which were it not for "the elect's sake," the days would not be shortened and all would be destroyed. Who are "the elect"? They are the same people referred to in such passages as: Romans 8:33; Colossians 3:12; I Thessalonians 1:3-4; and II Peter 1:18. These are the Christians. In context, we see the "elect" to which Christ has reference in Matthew 24:22 must be the Christians who were living during that time period. For their sakes, God would shorten the days that there may be some saved from the wrath of Rome.

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