The events describe in the Bible as the time of “great tribulation,” have a determined number of days. There are numerous references in the Bible as to appointed times. On the Mount of Olives, Christ gave us a clue as to Gods’ shortening of days that we might not perish during the tribulation to come:
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.
This prophecy is echoed in Mark 13:20.
Although some have postulated that this shortening of days means that God will end the time of tribulation early, this speculation does not fit with the way God does things. If an event is determined by God to occur on a certain day, it is beyond comprehension to imagine that he will change his plan. For example, we do know that his two witnesses will prophesy for 1,260 days. The “man of sin” whom we call the Antichrist, will rule for 42 months.
The question then remains, how could God accomplish a “shortening of days” without changing the number of days determined for the tribulation?
The length of a day is approximately 24 hours. The reason for this, is that the circumference of the Earth at the equator is 24,901.55 miles.
The rotational speed of the Earth at the equator is almost 1,038 miles per hour. If the spin rate of the planet were increased, the days would be “shortened.” The question then, is how could the spin of the planet be increased?
If an extraterrestrial object of sufficient mass, having a trajectory of west to east, were to land in the ocean west of a continent, the result would be that the force of the impact would cause the planet to have an increased spin rate. This would indeed shorten the days on planet earth.
Of course, this would no doubt cause perplexity and distress of all nations. The waves of the sea would be roaring seen. It would seem as though the powers of the heavens were shaken. As they looked upon such things coming upon the earth, men's hearts would fail them for fear.
And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
There is evidence that such an event is not without precedent. There are a number of craters on the planet which have been caused by asteroids impacting earth. One such catastrophe occurred in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. The massive depression in the earth called the Chicxulub crater, shows that such an episode has indeed taken place in the past.
We are told in Luke 21:11, that there will be "fearful sights and great signs" in the heavens which precede our Savior's coming. Could something which appears as "a great mountain burning with fire" be one of those signs?
And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.
It is reasonable to ask, what could cause an asteroid or other such debris from space to strike the earth? Such an occurrence would have to have some physical cause by which God would accomplish it. A great astronomical body coming close to earth such as has been postulated by Zecharia Sitchin, which he calls Nibiru, could very well accomplish that task.
The Bible speaks of a similar episode, where the planet was not only pelted by "great stones from heaven "but ceased rotating as well. The Bible tells us that the “sun stood still” during that event.
Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.
Sitchen's Nibiru could well have been the mechanism to accomplish that “longest day,” and would draw with it a great deal of space debris as was mentioned in Joshua 10:11.
Of course, if such a thing did occur in the land of Israel, we would expect to see a similar time of darkness in the western hemisphere. Interestingly enough, there is a legend among the Meso-American peoples of a extremely long night. There are legends from South America of a “Day of Darkness” where the sunrise was delayed for twenty hours.
In Don Fernando de Montesinos‘ Memorias Antiguas Historias Politicas del Peru (Old memories Political Histories of Peru), he recounted an ancient legend of a day when the sun refused to rise:
In the third year of the reign on the 15 th Capac, Titu Yupanqui Pachacuti II, good customs were forgotten and people were given to all manner of vice, there was no dawn for twenty hours
Given our modern understanding that the apparent movement of the sun is actually due to the rotation of the earth, it would seem as though something had suspended the rotation of the earth to cause that "long day."
Such a body as Sitchen’s Nibiru could indeed be the means by which an asteroid could impact the planet, but might even precede our Savior, hiding his great glory until it is revealed at the time of God’s choosing. We cannot at present, do any more than speculate about these things. Should the “Planet X” actually be God’s conveyance to accomplish his judgment, it would most certainly be the sign of the “Son of man,” coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Of course, the physical cause of such an affair is pure conjecture at this point. What is beyond dispute for the Bible believing Christian, is that God will bring these things to pass before that great and terrible day when appears to judge the world.
© 2010 Craig Portwood
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Comments
Great article, It may be that the shortening of days means that if God didn't intervene by starting the tribulation earlier than He intended the world would destroy itself. Just a thought.. And we know that things will get much worse than they are now. This is just a prelude...in my opinion of what is to come!
Judy,
An interesting thought! Although I think it will not start early, you do make an excellent point. It is not beyond the realm of possibility.
Things will indeed get worse before they get better.
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