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Peace with God amid the “Great Tribulation”The Watchtower—1970 | January 15
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In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short.” (Matt. 24:21, 22)
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Peace with God amid the “Great Tribulation”The Watchtower—1970 | January 15
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There is yet ahead the “great tribulation” upon the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem, a tribulation that is bound to affect her worldwide political associates and patrons. Jesus’ description of it makes it plain that, like the global flood of Noah’s day, the tribulation threatens all human life in the flesh. (Matt. 24:21, 22, 36-39) If allowed to continue too long, it would exterminate all “flesh.” Hence the purpose of God is to shorten the number of “those days” of this unparalleled “great tribulation.”—Mark 13:19, 20.
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Peace with God amid the “Great Tribulation”The Watchtower—1970 | January 15
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14. (a) According to the word that Jesus used, how will the coming “great tribulation” be shortened? (b) Why can God shorten the days thereof, and why is it urgent?
14 It is this coming “great tribulation” that must have its days “cut short” [Greek, koloboʹo], curtailed, lopped off at the extremity, not split in the middle. This is done on account of God’s “chosen ones” and in order that ‘some flesh’ may be saved. (Matt. 24:21, 22) God has a fixed “day and hour” for the start of that “great tribulation,” without any delay. (Matt. 24:36) On account of having by that “day and hour” all the remnant of his “chosen ones” safely outside of the antitypical unfaithful Jerusalem and outside of its associated secular system of things, God can then make it a swift work in executing divine vengeance and destruction upon this entire wicked system of things. As in the case of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., the number of days of this coming “great tribulation” can be “cut short,” there being no need for prolonging them. This will permit also of the saving of ‘some flesh’ alive through the “great tribulation,” since ordinarily frail human “flesh” would, without divine protection, be unable to endure the lengthening too long of this “great tribulation” that will be the worst in all human history.
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