馬太福音 24:21–22｜為選民縮短的日子 Matthew 24:21–22｜Days Shortened for the Elect

 

1️⃣ 「日子必減少」到底在說什麼？

What does “those days shall be shortened” actually mean?

中文：
這裡的「必減少」，不是指一天變成20小時或宇宙時間被改變，而是指整個災難持續的總時間被神「截短、縮短」，不讓那段災難拖得更久。
（馬太福音 24:21–22）
English:
Here, “shall be shortened” does not mean that each day had fewer hours or that cosmic time changed, but that God cut off / curtailed the overall duration of the tribulation, preventing it from dragging on longer.
(Matthew 24:21–22)

中文：
原文「必減少」的字（ἐκολοβώθησαν ekolobōthēsan）有「截斷、砍短」的意思，用在這裡就是指神縮短災難持續的時間。
English:
The Greek verb translated “shall be shortened” (ἐκολοβώθησαν, ekolobōthēsan) literally means “to cut short” or “curtail,” indicating that God limited the length of the tribulation period.

（這一段是根據原文字義與保守派解經立場整理）

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2️⃣ AD 70 耶路撒冷被毀：大約持續多久？

How long did the A.D. 70 destruction of Jerusalem last?

中文：
羅馬將軍提多正式圍攻耶路撒冷，大約是從主後70年4月13日到9月8日，約五個月左右，約瑟夫稱之為「將近六個月」。
（約瑟夫《猶太戰史》5卷序；現代對「主後70年圍城」的歷史重建） Wikipedia+1
English:
General Titus’ formal siege of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 ran from about April 13 to September 8—roughly five months—which Josephus summarizes as “almost six months.”
(Josephus, Jewish War Book 5 preface; modern reconstructions of the A.D. 70 siege) Wikipedia+1

中文：
耶穌說「若不減少那日子，凡有血氣的，總沒有一個得救」，意思是：若神沒有限制這場圍城的時間，戰亂、饑荒與屠殺會延長到幾乎無人存活。
（馬太福音 24:22；可比較約瑟夫對饑荒與內亂的描述） penelope.uchicago.edu+1
English:
When Jesus said, “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved,” He meant that if God had not limited the siege’s duration, the war, famine, and slaughter would have continued until virtually no one remained alive.
(Matthew 24:22; compare Josephus’ descriptions of famine and civil strife) penelope.uchicago.edu+1

中文：
所以，「縮短」就是：神讓這場約五個月、近六個月的極端災難沒有再拖得更長，以保留生路給選民。
English:
So the “shortening” means that God kept this roughly five-month, nearly six-month catastrophe from lasting even longer, thus preserving a way of survival for the elect.

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3️⃣ 選民是怎麼「有機會逃難」的？逃到哪裡？

How did the elect “have a chance to escape,” and where did they go?

中文：
耶穌早就警告門徒說，當他們看見耶路撒冷被軍隊圍困時，要「逃到山上」。
（路加福音 21:20–21） Our Christian Heritage
English:
Jesus had already warned His disciples that when they saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, they should “flee to the mountains.”
(Luke 21:20–21) Our Christian Heritage

中文：
第四世紀的教會歷史學家以弗所的優西比烏記載，耶路撒冷的教會在戰爭前蒙啟示，被帶領遷往約旦河東、比利亞地區的一座城——比利亞（Pella）。
（優西比烏《教會史》3.5.3） newadvent.org+1
English:
Fourth-century church historian Eusebius records that, before the war, the Jerusalem church received a revelation and relocated to a town called Pella in the region of Perea east of the Jordan River.
(Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History 3.5.3) newadvent.org+1

中文：
比利亞（Pella）位在約旦河以東、彼拉（Perea）北部、屬於十城區的一座城，周圍居民多為外邦人，相對遠離猶太人反抗與羅馬軍主戰場，因此成為基督徒暫時的避難所。
（關於比利亞地理位置與十城區背景） Wikipedia+1
English:
Pella lay east of the Jordan River, in northern Perea, as part of the Decapolis; its population was largely Gentile and it stood away from the main Jewish-Roman battlefront, making it a temporary refuge for Jewish Christians.
(for Pella’s geography and Decapolis background) Wikipedia+1

中文：
雖然學界對「逃往比利亞」的傳統是否每個細節都歷史上精準仍有討論，但整體共識是：早期基督徒確實依照主的警告，在城徹底陷落前撤離耶路撒冷，這正呼應「為選民的緣故，那日子必減少」這句話。
（優西比烏、以巴弗紐的傳統，及現代學者對此傳統的評估） Wikipedia+2digitalcommons.luthersem.edu+2
English:
Although scholars debate how exact the “flight to Pella” tradition is in all its details, there is broad agreement that early Christians, heeding Jesus’ warning, left Jerusalem before its final fall, which fits the promise that “for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.”
(the tradition in Eusebius and Epiphanius, and modern evaluations of it) Wikipedia+2digitalcommons.luthersem.edu+2

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4️⃣ 最精簡結論

Most concise conclusion

中文：
「日子必減少」＝在主後70年，神親自限制了耶路撒冷被圍與災難的總長度（約五個月、近六個月），使審判不被無限延長，讓照主話行事的選民有實際逃生的空間。
English:
“Those days shall be shortened” = in A.D. 70 God Himself limited the total length of Jerusalem’s siege (about five, nearly six months), so that judgment would not be endlessly prolonged and those elect who obeyed Christ’s words would have real opportunity to escape.