Hi Marilyn....First of all, I totally admire all the years and love you have put into your studies of the biblical timings. You were one of my biggest inspirations in my journey to where I am today. But, when you stated to Ron Reese:
"What you are failing to take into consideration is the fact that the Great Tribulation is to be shortened."
I think you are wrong here, Marilyn. I read nowhere that the length of the Tribulation will be shortened. What I read is that God will SHORTEN THE DAYS....that is, some of the days will be less than 24 hours long. I think I posted this piece of an article a couple days back:
What other implications does the speeding up of the planet Earth after the 4th Trumpet Judgment have on the Tribulation Week? The LORD Jesus succinctly stated one of the most important implications of the speeding up-- "those days shall be shortened" (Matthew 24:22). Remember, after the 4th Trumpet Judgment until the End of the Tribulation Week is approximately 18 months. If the planet Earth speeds up by 50%, then a day will be 1/3 shorter, or the equivalent of 16 hours. Likewise, 1/3 of the remaining 18 months is 6 months. Accordingly, the Tribulation Week would be shortened by a period of 6 months. And still, the Tribulation Week will be 2,520 days long. True, the last 18 months of the Tribulation Week will be 16 hour days; but, shortening "those days" (24:22) will complete the Week quicker. Thus, it will result in Salvation "for the Elect's sake" (24:22). (If you were surviving those days, wouldn't you want them to come to an end quicker?) Israel will be saved as a Nation Born in a Day (Isaiah 66:8) as well as the "Gentiles [that] shall come to [His] light" (60:3). "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" (Genesis 18:14).
It's not possible that God would say some period of time is "1260 days" and then "shorten" the length of the time to less than the 1260 days. But he can SHORTEN a few of the days themselves as he changed the length of days for Hezekiah and Joshua. If God says "1260 days", He means EXACTLY 1260 days....but those 1260 days may be only 16 hours in length, if He so chooses.
Oh, btw, I saw your yesterday's posting about Elijah and Enoch, or Moses...I forget who it was this time. Recently it came to my attention that the "2 witnesses" may actually be the 144,000 that are sealed. What is the purpose of the 2 witnesses anyway? "In the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."...Matthew 18:16. God is going ! to judge the whole world for unbelief. He needs "witnesses" to establish the wrongs that are being done. If there are only TWO witnesses for the entire population of even 6 BILLION people (I'm deducting for 1/3 being killed).....these are going to be having to do some extremely rapid traveling. (I'm sure AC is going to give them plenty of air time on tv to broadcast their message). These are WITNESSES to something. By their testimony, the whole population of the world is going to be judged. There has to be more than 2 people, even for miracle workers like Elijah and/or Moses. Jonah just had Ninevah...these witnesses have to cover the whole world.
Besides, you, yourself, pointed out to me that everything in the NT has a "shadow" in the OT. So, if Enoch has to die after completing the 1260 days, then where is the example in the OT of someone who is ra! ptured and never dies? It would leave us with none, and that would be a "first" for God.
The "2 olive trees" and "2 candlesticks, by definition, are the Hebrews (Zechariah chapter 4)and the Church (Revelation 1:20). There are 12 Tribes of Israel (see James 1:1) scattered over the world, and today many of them are unknown, and they may include some of the "body of Christ" who don't even realize they are part of the Israelites. It is my conviction, that those left behind after the rapture and those Israelites who repent and become Christians after the rapture will constitute a large body of "witnesses" who are protected by God during this 1260 day time. It's impossible for just 2 people to witness to billions....but it is possible for 144,000 (72,0000 X 2), sealed for protection by God, to do this. This time God will be using one huge body combined with both the "natural branches" and the "grafte! d in branches" to do the job that was supposed to be done by the Jews f! irst and then by the Greeks. We are, at this time, all one in our Lord Jesus Christ for the first time. There is nobody saved except through Jesus Christ. Jews must become Christians during this time just like all the other tribes. That's the purpose of the 144,000.
So, therefore, I still believe Ron is on the right track and needs no corrective thinking about God changing His time lines. I just had to clarify this. We are still having the Books of Daniel and Revelation opening up to us now, since we are closer to the end.
With deep respect and agape love,
Arlene