Happy New Year everyone! I find it difficult to believe that I’m sitting here talking about a new year already. Doesn’t the last New Year feel like it was here only a few months ago?
I hear it all the time from Christians and non-Christians alike.
“It feels like time has been speeding up lately…”
I’m sure you’ve felt this, said this, and have heard others talking about it. Most people outside of Christianity say it with a grain of salt, not thinking that time has literally sped up a bit.
Most Christians on the other hand, would say,”Yeah, it certainly has literally been sped up. The Lord said he’d cut the days short, and he has.”
Of course there’s no way to prove it. Nobody can place some time in a jar, paint it red, and wait around to see if a different sample behaves differently. We only know it from living it, it’s palpable.
I remember when five minutes felt like an hour. Now, if feels like an incredible short amount of time. I remember when an average eight hour workday felt like eight hours. But just prior to my “early retirement,” it felt like half that time.
Matthew 24:
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
Some could interpret this as Jesus meaning that literal days will be chopped off the timeline, in order to make things happen sooner. The thing about that, is what’s the point in saying it, when we’ll never know it in the first place?
Jesus was giving signs of his coming, a build up and so on. He was telling his apostles things noticeable to look for.
Do we dare to take this seriously? If we don’t take it seriously, I’m sure we can come up with some valid sounding reasons as to why time only “feels” like it’s sped up.
Worldly Excuses
We cram too much into one day, every day. We’re too preoccupied with all of our digital gizmos and doodads filling up our spare time. All combined gives the appearance of time being sped up, but really just packing too much into what we have time for. Sounds reasonable, right?
If that’s the case, why does it seem to go by just as fast while doing nothing? Try it, take a day without the busyness or the gizmos. I’ve done it, and found that the day goes by just as fast.
Is it Just Me?
Well, maybe it’s just because I’m getting older, slower, and want to take more time to do things? That also sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
I’d suppose it sounds fine on the surface, but personally, I don’t think so. I’d guess this may be true for some, but I’m every bit as impatient as I’ve ever been, except in areas of my life where the Lord has driven that out of me.
This is something I noticed several years ago, well before I wound up with different physical issues. Time just has a different sense to it than it used to have.
Living in the End Times
Could it be, that we’re living in the end times, and the Lord has sped things up for our sakes? The verse above was taken from Matthew 24, which is a chapter that concentrates on end times.
If the Lord has sped up time, what’s his reasoning?
Jesus gives us one reason… If he did not cut the days short, no flesh would be left alive. But are there other reasons to consider?
Biblically, none that I can think of at this time. Maybe if any of you can think of a piece of scripture that coincides with this one, and gives different reasoning, you could help out and leave it in the comments below.
But we can speculate. He loves us, and wants to hurry up the process a bit. There’s one speculation. To confuse and disarm the enemy to a certain extent could be another.
I’m sure you could come up with some of your own reasons that the Lord would do this, outside of “no flesh would be saved,” or “for the elect’s sake.” Personally, those are good enough reasons for me.
Have a Safe and Happy New Year!
That’s enough rambling I suppose. I pray that you all have a safe, happy, fruitful, and Spirit-led, new year. Though time may be speeding up, we’re all the closer to the coming of the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords!
Thanks for reading, and may the Lord bless you all abundantly throughout this next year, in Jesus mighty name!