Bible Study Guides – “Call on Me in the Day of Trouble”

February 17, 2001 – February 23, 2001

MEMORY VERSE: “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” Psalm 50:15.

STUDY HELP: Great Controversy, 613–634.

Introduction

“Those who are earnestly seeking a knowledge of the truth and are striving to purify their souls through obedience, thus doing what they can to prepare for the conflict, will find, in the God of truth, a sure defense. ‘Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee’ (Revelation 3:10), is the Saviour’s promise. He would sooner send every angel out of heaven to protect His people than leave one soul that trusts in Him to be overcome by Satan.” Great Controversy, 560.

“Exceeding Great and Precious Promises”

1 What promises of divine help in time of trouble have we been given? Psalm 46:1–3; Psalm 91:3–10.

NOTE: “Our God is an ever-present help in every time of need. He is perfectly acquainted with the most secret thoughts of our heart, with all the intents and purposes of our souls. When we are in perplexity, even before we open to Him our distress, He is making arrangements for our deliverance. Our sorrow is not unnoticed. He always knows much better than we do, just what is necessary for the good of His children, and He leads us as we would choose to be led if we could discern our own hearts and see our necessities and perils, as God sees them.” Signs of the Times, May 25, 1888.

2 How swiftly does God hear the cry of His children? Isaiah 65:24. (Compare Daniel 9:21.)

NOTE: “Since He has made such gracious promises, why do we not trust God? Why do we not take Him at His word? We must have increased faith.” Review and Herald, May 27, 1884.

“As Daniel’s prayer is going forth, the angel Gabriel comes sweeping down from the heavenly courts, to tell him that his petitions are heard and answered. This mighty angel has been commissioned to give him skill and understanding—to open before him the mysteries of future ages. Thus, while earnestly seeking to know and understand the truth, Daniel was brought into communion with Heaven’s delegated messenger.” Review and Herald, February 8, 1881.

“I Also Will Keep Thee”

3 What is required on our part to ensure that God will watch over us in time of trouble? Revelation 3:10.

NOTE: See The Great Controversy, 593.

4 What is even more necessary than a mere knowledge of the Scriptures? Revelation 1:3.

NOTE: “When the books of Daniel and Revelation are better understood, believers will have an entirely different religious experience. They will be given such glimpses of the open gates of heaven that heart and mind will be impressed with the character that all must develop in order to realize the blessedness which is to be the reward of the pure in heart. The Lord will bless all who will seek humbly and meekly to understand that which is revealed in the Revelation. This book contains so much that is large with immortality and full of glory that all who read and search it earnestly receive the blessing to those ‘that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.’ One thing will certainly be understood from the study of Revelation,—that the connection between God and His people is close and decided. Let us give more time to the study of the Bible. We do not understand the Word as we should. The book of Revelation opens with an injunction to us to understand the instruction that it contains…. When we… understand what this book means to us, there will be seen among us a great revival.” The Faith I Live By, 345.

“Thy Words were Found and I did East Them”

5 What brought consolation to Jeremiah in his time of trouble? Jeremiah 15:15, 16.

NOTE: “The word of the living God is not merely written, but spoken. The Bible is God’s voice speaking to us, just as surely as though we could hear it with our ears. If we realized this, with what awe would we open God’s word, and with what earnestness would we search its precepts! The reading and contemplation of the Scriptures would be regarded as an audience with the Infinite One. When Satan presses his suggestions upon our minds, we may, if we cherish a ‘Thus saith the Lord,’ be drawn into the secret pavilion of the Most High.” [Psalm 27:5.] Testimonies, vol. 6, 393.

6 What precious promise may we claim in prayer? John 14:26.

NOTE: See The Great Controversy, 600 and The Desire of Ages, 355.

“Hezekiah Prayed unto the Lord”

7 What example of prayer for deliverance are we given from the life of Hezekiah? Isaiah 37:16–20.

NOTE: “When the king of Judah received the taunting letter, he took it into the temple and ‘spread it before the Lord’ and prayed with strong faith for help from heaven, that the nations of earth might know that the God of the Hebrews still lived and reigned. The honor of Jehovah was at stake; He alone could bring deliverance.” Conflict and Courage, 239.

8 In what wonderful way was Hezekiah’s prayer answered? Isaiah 37:36. (Compare Psalm 91:7, 8.)

NOTE: “Hezekiah was not left without hope. Isaiah sent to him, saying, ‘Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, That which thou hast prayed to Me against Sennacherib king of Assyria I have heard.’… That very night deliverance came. ‘The angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.’… The God of the Hebrews had prevailed over the proud Assyrian. The honor of Jehovah was vindicated in the eyes of the surrounding nations. In Jerusalem the hearts of the people were filled with holy joy. Their earnest entreaties for deliverance had been mingled with confession of sin and with many tears. In their great need they had trusted wholly in the power of God to save, and He had not failed them.” Conflict and Courage, 239.

“Our Eyes are upon Thee”

9 What wonderful prayer of faith in God’s deliverance did Jehoshaphat pray? 2 Chronicles 20:9–12.

NOTE: See Prophets and Kings, 200.

10 How did Jehoshaphat express his confidence in God’s power to save? 2 Chronicles 20:17. (Compare Exodus 14:13, 14.)

NOTE: “We dared not venture in a mist and perplexity, and were obliged to stand still and see the salvation of God. The words from the living oracles teach us when tried and tempted and surrounded with difficulties, the safe course for us to pursue is to patiently wait, to be of good courage, and commit the keeping of soul and body to God.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 3, 325.

11 How was Jehoshaphat’s prayer answered? 2 Chronicles 20:20–22.

NOTE: See Prophets and Kings, 202.

“My God Hath Sent His Angel”

12 What examples of deliverance are to be found in the lives of Daniel and Paul? Daniel 6:19–23, Acts 27:20–25.

NOTE: “A man whose heart is stayed upon God will be the same in the hour of his greatest trial as he is in prosperity, when the light and favor of God and of man beam upon him…. The power that is near to deliver from physical harm or distress is also near to save from the greater evil, making it possible for the servant of God to maintain his integrity under all circumstances, and to triumph through divine grace.” Conflict and Courage, 255.

13 What promise of final deliverance is given to God’s people? Daniel 12:1.

NOTE: “‘They have come out of great tribulation. They have walked in the fiery furnace in the world, heated intensely by the passions and caprices of men who would enforce upon them the worship of the beast and his image, who would compel them to be disloyal to the God of heaven. They have come from the mountains, from the rocks, from the dens and caves of the earth, from dungeons, from prisons, from secret councils, from the torture chamber, from hovels, from garrets. They have passed through sore affliction, deep self-denial, and deep disappointment. They are no longer to be the sport and ridicule of wicked men. They are to be no longer mean and sorrowful in the eyes of those who despise them. Remove the filthy garments from them, with which wicked men have delighted to clothe them. Give them a change of raiment, even the white robes of righteousness, and set a fair mitre upon their heads.’ They were clothed in richer robes than earthly beings had ever worn; they were crowned with diadems of glory such as human beings had never seen. The days of suffering, of reproach, of want, of hunger, are no more; weeping is past. Then they break forth in songs, loud, clear, and musical; they wave the palm branches of victory, and exclaim, ‘Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.’ Oh, may God endue us with His Spirit and make us strong in His strength! In that great day of supreme and final triumph it will be seen that the righteous were strong, and that wickedness in all its forms and with all its pride was a weak and miserable failure and defeat. We will cling close to Jesus, we will trust Him, we will seek His grace and His great salvation. We must hide in Jesus, for He is a covert from the storm, a present help in time of trouble.” Manuscript Releases, vol. 2, 210.

The Man Who Would Not Give Up, Part II

When the time came for Jacob to return to the land of his father, he approached the country of his birth with trepidation, anticipating the welcome he would receive from his twin brother, Esau. To help soften his brother’s heart and to appease him, Jacob sent expensive gifts to him. He did everything he could, but he knew that it was not enough, and it was not enough. Esau was on his way with 400 armed men.

Jacob learned something, friend, that you and I need to learn. He was shrewd; he knew how to make business deals. But he was in a situation now where those skills were useless. There was no business deal that he could make, which would get him out of this. He knew that unless the Lord intervened, it was going to be all over.

Plea for Help

So, Jacob went to the Lord in prayer: “O God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac, Jehovah. You said to me, ‘Return to your land and to your kindred, and I will deal well with you: I am not worthy for any of your mercies which you have done with your servant.’ ” Genesis 32:9, 10.

Jacob had divided his family into two camps, thinking that if the people in one camp were killed, the people in the other camp would be able to flee on horses or mules and get away. Then he had crossed over the Jordan. His plea to God continues in verses 11 and 12: “Deliver me, please, from the hand of my brother, from the hand of Esau; because I am terrified lest he should come and strike me and the mother with the children. And now, You said, ‘Indeed, I will deal well with you, and I will make your descendants, your seed, as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.’ ”

We do not know the entire contents of his prayer; all that is recorded are those few verses in Scripture. He was, no doubt, praying there for hours, pleading with the Lord. From these verses, you can understand the gist of his prayer. He said, “Lord, You promised. You are the One Who told me to come back here, and You said that You would deal well with me. You said that my descendants would be like the sand of the sea, which could not be numbered for multitude. Now we are all about to get killed.”

Jacob kept praying into the night hours. He was alone and unprotected, having sent his family and everything that made life dear to him a distance away. He was there all by himself. In describing the region where he was praying, Ellen White wrote: “It was in a lonely, mountainous region, the haunt of wild beasts and the lurking place of robbers and murderers. Solitary and unprotected, Jacob bowed in deep distress upon the earth. It was midnight.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 196.

Midnight, and his mind is still filled with doubts and questionings: “Maybe the Lord cannot fulfill His promises to me, because I am such a bad sinner. I am a crook and a liar. Maybe, even though He promised this to me, it will not happen, because I am so sinful, and now all my children, my wives, and everything will be killed, because of what I have done.”

If you are a father, you can understand Jacob’s anguish. For most fathers, it would be easier to die themselves than to watch their children get killed. This is why, during the Dark Ages, to torture the Waldenses, the agents of Rome would kill their sons before them, cut off their heads, tie them to the necks of their fathers, and then march the fathers to their deaths.

Bless Me

“He arose in that night and took his two wives, his two concubines, and his eleven sons and passed over the Brook Jabbok.” Genesis 32:22. Verse 23 says that he “sent them over the brook,” and verse 24 emphatically states that “Jacob was left alone.” He was left alone, all by himself. No one else was around. While Jacob was praying, all of a sudden, “There wrestled with him a man until the breaking of day. And He saw that He did not prevail against him, and He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob’s thigh went out of joint as He was wrestling with him. And He said, ‘Send Me away, because the dawn is coming.’ And he said, ‘I cannot send You away unless You bless me!’ ” Verses 24–26.

You see, when his thigh was touched, Jacob realized instantly that he was dealing with a supernatural being, with someone from heaven. He was not dealing with another man. If you were struggling with another man and the man just touched you with his finger, your hip would not go out of joint. He knew, then, with Whom he was dealing.

“And He said, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob, Heel Grabber.’ And He said, ‘Not Jacob shall be called anymore your name, but rather Israel; because you are a prince with God and with men you will prevail.’ And Jacob asked and said, ‘Declare, please, Your name.’ And He said, ‘Why is this that you ask My name?’ And He blessed him there.” Verses 27–29.

The Meaning

What is the meaning of this story? During this night, Jacob struggled with the Lord Jesus. Jacob called the name of this place Peniel, which means “The Face of God,” because he said, “I have seen God face to face, and I am still alive.” Verse 30.

Jacob wrestled as hard as he could wrestle. What lesson can we learn from this? Have you ever met someone who has wrestled hard to overcome sin in his or her life, and he or she says, “I can never do it; I guess I will just have to be lost”? Jacob was fighting to overcome. He thought he was fighting Esau, one of Esau’s men, or a robber or a murderer who was going to kill him. He was determined to overcome, but he found that he could not. If you have a besetting sin in your life, you cannot overcome it anymore than Jacob could overcome. You cannot overcome unless you are blessed.

Confess and Forsake

Over and over again this night, it came to Jacob’s mind that he had stolen from his brother, and he had lied to and deceived his father. It kept coming back to him, and he told himself that was why he was going through this. But in the midst of it all, he had to keep fighting or, he thought, he himself would be killed.

While those sins kept coming to his mind, he also thought to himself, “But I have repented. I have told the Lord over and over again for 20 years that I am sorry, and I want to be forgiven. I do not do those things anymore, and I will not do them anymore. The Lord has promised me . . .”

The promise is very clear in the Bible. Proverbs 28:13 tells us, “He who hides his rebellions, his transgressions, will not prosper. But the one who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” Jacob’s transgressions were rebellions. They were deliberate transgressions against the Law of God. They were not sins of ignorance.

Although the Book of Proverbs had not yet been written in Jacob’s time, he knew the principle. He knew that if a person confessed and repented of his sins, God had promised mercy. And he kept saying, as he was fighting, “Lord, I have repented. I have confessed. I have tried to do everything I know to make it right. I am not living like that anymore.”

This experience was also recorded by Hosea, in Hosea 12:4: “He wept and pleaded.” For what was he pleading? He wanted the assurance that his sins were pardoned and that they would not be held against his account. He continued to weep and plead until, it says, “He had power over the Angel and prevailed.”

This is quite a statement, that a human being would have power over an angel! And this was the Angel of the covenant, whose name we know as Jesus Christ! Jacob was fighting with Jesus Christ!

No Excuse for Sin

This is the story of a sinful human being who, by humbling himself, by repentance, and by self-surrender, prevailed with the Majesty of heaven. He did not come to the Lord and say, “Lord, You made a promise before I was born that my older brother would serve me,” even though God had made this promise before he was born. He did not come to the Lord and say, “Lord you know that Esau is a profane person”—and Esau is called a profane person. (See Hebrews 12:16.) Jacob did not use either divine promises or the character defects of his brother to excuse his own sin. Remember this. A confession is not an excuse; there is no excuse for sin.

“Satan is jubilant when he hears the professed followers of Christ making excuses for their deformity of character. It is these excuses that lead to sin. There is no excuse for sinning. A holy temper, a Christlike life, is accessible to every repenting, believing child of God.” The Desire of Ages, 311.

There is no excuse for sin. I cannot come to the Lord and say, “I sinned because so and so did this wrong.” This is not a confession. This is an excuse. Jacob did not do this. He did not say, “Lord, my brother did something . . . .” No, he just confessed his own sin and said, “Lord, I need to be cleansed from what I have done.”

Time to Come

This story about Jacob and the Angel—called “Jacob’s Time of Trouble”—when a helpless, unworthy person pleaded God’s promise of mercy to repentant sinners, is used in the Bible as a symbol of future events. In Jeremiah 30:5–7, we read, “Because thus Jehovah said, ‘A voice of trembling we have heard of dread, and not of peace. Ask now, and see, if a male bears a child. Wherefore do I see every male with his hands upon his loins as a woman giving birth to a child, and they have turned all faces into paleness? Alas! Because that day is great, so there is none like it; it is even the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he will be saved out of it.’ ”

If you look at the whole context of this prophecy, you will understand that this is a prophecy about the end of time. We are approaching the time when the plan of salvation is going to be completed.

The Book of Hebrews teaches that Christ is our High Priest. He is an all-powerful mediator. Even if you are the worst and weakest of sinners, you have an all-powerful Mediator who, if you call upon Him, can help you. He specializes in helping people who other people consider helpless, and this is what the strongest of Christians have to learn too. This is what Jacob had to learn.

Time of Jacob’s Trouble

There is coming a time when Christ’s work as a mediator in man’s behalf is over. What happens next? The Bible says, in Revelation 22:11, 12, “He who is unjust, shall be unjust still; and he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; and the righteous one, let him do righteousness still; and the holy one, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every one according as his work shall be.”

Soon after this pronouncement is made, the time of Jacob’s trouble is going to begin, because the plan of salvation will be over. It is the end of probation. Soon after this pronouncement is made, if you are filthy or unjust, you are going to stay this way forever. If you are righteous and holy, you are going to stay this way forever. When this pronouncement is made, then the time of Jacob’s trouble will begin for all of God’s children.

Bible prophecy tells us, in Revelation 13:15, that there is coming a time when, if we do not accept the mark of the beast or do not worship the beast, there will be a death decree against our lives. It will be just as it was with Jacob. Was Jacob in danger of losing his life? Yes, he was. Every member of his family was in danger of losing his or her life. If the Lord had not worked a miracle on Esau’s heart, they all would have lost their lives.

Jacob knew that the only way he would be saved was if he received the mercy of God. This is the only way you and I are going to be saved too.

Repent and Confess

Almost driven to despair, Jacob began to plead for deliverance. Imagine having to wrestle with someone from midnight until almost dawn! He held on. He would not give up. This is going to be the experience of God’s people who are alive during the last days, in their final struggle with the powers of evil spoken of in Jeremiah 30:5–7. It will seem to each person that his or her case is hopeless. Did Jacob’s case look hopeless? It looked absolutely hopeless.

God’s people will have a deep sense of their shortcomings. We all have shortcomings. If we look at our pasts, we are tempted to lose all hope. This is the feeling the devil tries to impress upon people. If the devil can convince us to believe we are absolutely hopeless and our hold on God is broken, then he has us. The people of God are going to do the same thing as did Jacob, when they know the greatness of God’s mercy, and they know that they have repented and confessed their sins.

My dear friend, right now is the time. If you have any sins on your record, which the Holy Spirit brings to your remembrance, say, “Lord, I want to be through with sin.” Repentance means that you are sorry for your sins—sorry enough to not keep repeating them. Confess the sin. If it is a private sin, confess it to the Lord. If you have injured someone, go to him or her and make it right. Jacob had to make things right with Esau.

Just think of coming to the end of the world and realizing the devil can point at you and say, “This sin you have concealed; you have never repented of it; you have never confessed it!” If this is true, what will happen? You will lose salvation. Now is the time to make sure there is nothing on your record for which you have not repented and confessed.

Remember, the other person’s sin does not excuse your sin. You can never say to the Lord, “I sinned because he sinned.” He does not accept this excuse. No matter what the other person does, you are not responsible for it, but you are responsible for what you say and do.

Assurance of Salvation

Are you going to be as persevering in your Christian walk as Jacob was in his struggle? If you are willing not to give up, then it is absolutely guaranteed that you are going to be saved, as is Jacob.

Mrs. White penned a very encouraging statement about Jacob’s experience. “Jacob’s history is an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true repentance. It was by self-surrender and confiding faith that Jacob gained what he had failed to gain by conflict in his own strength. God thus taught His servant that divine power and grace alone could give him the blessing he craved.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 202, 203. Jacob learned that he could not do it on his own. This is what we must learn.

“Thus it will be with those who live in the last days. As dangers surround them, and despair seizes upon the soul, they must depend solely [only] upon the merits of the atonement. We can do nothing of ourselves. In all our helpless unworthiness we must trust in the merits of the crucified and risen Savior.” Ibid., 203. Acknowledging that we are unworthy, we must put our trust in His merits. If we do this, we are given the promise: “None will ever perish while they do this.” Ibid.

What good news! If you realize that you are helpless and you put your complete trust and confidence in Him, you cannot perish, because you serve an all-powerful Mediator.

“The long, black catalogue of our delinquencies is before the eye of the Infinite. The register is complete; none of our offenses are forgotten. But He who listened to the cries of His servants of old, will hear the prayer of faith and pardon our transgressions. He has promised, and He will fulfill His word.” Ibid.

Greatest Need

Many people believe that we need more talent, more education, more money, or more manpower to finish God’s work. I want to tell you that we will never finish God’s work with all the talent, education, money, or manpower in the world. Where must we go to gain the victories that we need for ourselves and as a church?

“The greatest victories to the church of Christ or to the individual Christian are not those that are gained by talent or education, by wealth or the favor of men. They are those victories that are gained in the audience chamber with God, when earnest, agonizing faith lays hold upon the mighty arm of power.” Ibid.

Do not say, “We need more money; we need more education; we need more talent; we need more manpower.” It would be nice to have all of those things, but what we need more than anything else is people who will go to the audience chamber and pray, as did Jacob, “Lord, I am not going to quit asking until a change happens in my life.”

When God sees that you are serious, a change is going to happen in your life. He said that, if you lay hold of God’s promises, “I am going to take away your stony heart, and I am going to give you a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11:19; 36:26. Claim this promise and say, “Lord, I must have a change in my heart or I am lost, and I am not going to give up. I am going to keep asking. I am going to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and I am going to plead with you for this until I have it.”

John Knox went to the Lord and said, “Lord, if you don’t give me Scotland, I am just going to die.” He kept praying, and Scotland became a Protestant country as the result of one man’s prayers. Just think what could happen if people went to the Lord and said, “Lord, I am like Jacob. I am helpless. I am vile, and I am wretched. I know I must have a change in my heart or I will be lost, so I am not going to quit asking. I am coming to you, because I have a great need. I want to be ready for heaven, and I want you to change my heart and my life.” God would gladly hear and answer such a prayer! He heard Jacob’s cry for help, and He is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34.)

[Bible texts quoted are literal translation.]

Pastor Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by e-mail at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

Children’s Corner — Trapped

When I was eight years old I lived with my family on a farm in Nebraska. My favorite time of the year was harvesttime. At harvesttime, the leaves on the trees were yellow, and the air was fresh and chilly and scented with the smell of freshly harvested grain. My brother Nathan and I loved to ride with our Dad in the big combine as he went back and forth, down the rows in the field, harvesting the corn. The golden pile of corn grew as more corn streamed into the combine’s holding bin. When that was full Dad would empty the load into a grain cart that was pulled by a tractor. From there it was moved into a large grain trailer and finally into the huge grain bin.

 

Most fun of all was when Dad would let Nathan and me play in the grain trailer full of corn. We would jump from the sides, and slide down into the corn. What fun!

 

One day, when Dad was out in the field, Nathan and I decided we were going to play in the grain trailer. This time though, the corn in the grain trailer was being augured into the grain bin, where it would be stored for the winter. That means that the corn flowed through a trap door at the bottom of the grain trailer, and was then carried up to the grain bin by a piece of equipment called an auger.

 

We were having a wonderful time, jumping into the corn, and then climbing out before the corn pulled us down very far. In and out we went for a while until we were ready for something new. My brother decided that it would be fun if, when I jumped into the corn, he would hold me there for just a minute and then pull me out. And that is what he did.

 

Unfortunately, the pull of the corn was much stronger than he had imagined. It pulled me down, and down. When he tried to pull me out, I just sunk down deeper. Very quickly I was being buried in the corn. In seconds the corn was over my waist, then it was up around my shoulders. Both of us were really scared by now. Nathan tried as hard as he could to dig me out, but the pull of the corn was too strong. I felt the corn coming up—it was right around my face. Nathan shoveled with his hands as fast as he could to keep the corn from covering up my head so that I could breathe.

 

He started calling to my Grandfather, to stop the auger, but the machines were so loud that he could not hear. We screamed as loudly as we could, and finally, after what seemed like a very long time, the auger stopped. My Grandfather quickly climbed up the ladder of the grain trailer to see what was the matter.

 

I can still remember his look of fear at that moment. He and my brother started digging me out of the corn. Now that the corn was not pulling me down anymore it was not difficult, and soon I was out, safe and sound.

 

You know, our sins are like the corn in that grain cart. The devil tempts us to do wrong, and if we sin we start sinking. We might think that a sin is so small that it will not hurt us, but each time we sin we sink a little deeper. We become trapped in a pit of sin.

 

Jesus is like my Grandfather was for me. If we accept Jesus as our Savior, and give our lives to Him, He will dig us out of the pit of sin. Not only that, He will help us to overcome, so that the devil can not drag us down anymore with sinful habits.

 

I hope that you have chosen to give your life to Jesus completely. Every morning pray to Him and ask Him to take care of you that day, and help you to say NO when the devil tempts you to do wrong. Remember this verse found in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

 

Questions and Answers: The Little Time of Trouble

Could you explain Revelation 20:4 and when the events in this verse occur as related to the little time of trouble?

First we will establish the time and setting of Revelation 20:4. This verse is part of an event that is described in verses 4–6. The event described in these verses is the executive (sentencing) phase of the judgment which takes place during the 1,000 years or millennium.

Immediately preceding the millennium is the second coming of Jesus as described in Revelation 19:11–21. In the battle that takes place at the coming of Jesus (verse 19) the beast (papacy) and the false prophet (Protestant United States) are captured and thrown into the lake of fire (verse 20). The rest of the people are destroyed and the birds eat their flesh (verse 21). In this battle the dragon is not destroyed, but bound and held as a prisoner on this earth for 1,000 years as described in Revelation 20:1–3.

Next follows the executive phase of the judgment during the 1,000 years in which the sentences of the wicked are determined. This is the event that is described in Revelation 20:4–6. Following the millennium is the execution phase of the judgment in which the sentences are carried out on the wicked. The execution phase of the judgment is described in Revelation 20:7–15.

Next we want to understand how the little time of trouble relates to the executive phase of the judgment. There are two specific times of trouble mentioned in the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. They are the (1) short (little) time of trouble and (2) the time of Jacob’s trouble. These two times of trouble make up the whole period of the time of trouble.

The little time of trouble takes place during the final warning which begins with the falling of the latter rain and ends soon after the close of probation. At this time the death decree is issued which immediately brings on the time of Jacob’s trouble. The time of Jacob’s trouble ends on the date that has been set by the world on which to kill God’s people at which time God delivers them.

So we see that the little time of trouble and Revelation 20:4–6 are two separate events, the little time of trouble taking place before the close of probation, and the sentencing phase of the judgment (Revelation 20:4–6) occurring during the 1,000 years after the second coming of Jesus.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please write to Steps to Life or e-mail it to: landmarks@stepstolife.org.

The Widow and the Unjust Judge

In the last verse of the Gospel of John, it says that in addition to what is written, there are many other things that Jesus did. In fact, he said that if they were all written down, the world itself could not contain the books that could be written.

There were many incidents in the life of Jesus that are recorded, but of the stories that He told and the miracles that He worked, there are seventy-five recorded. In Matthew 9 you can read how He went through all the cities and villages healing people. Ellen White says in the book The Desire of Ages that there were whole villages where you could go without finding one sick person, because Jesus had passed through town and healed every sick person in that town. (See The Desire of Ages, 241.)

I doubt that there is a single village or town of any size in the United States today where there is not a single sick person. The few miracles that are recorded were the ones that the Holy Spirit inspired to write down because of special significance.

In Luke 17, starting at verse 21, Jesus related to His disciples not only the truth about His second coming, but also conditions in the world in the last day just before He would return.

Note that when the Bible was written, there were no chapter and verse divisions, so this account continues into the eighteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke. Jesus said that in the last days it would be like it was in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot and gives a number of counsels. Luke 17:33 says, “Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.”

Luke 18:2–5 tells the story about a lady whose husband had died, leaving her in debt. Her adversaries had come and taken everything she had, and she was in a position where she did not know how she was going to get it back. It says, “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ And he would not for a while.” Verses 2–4. The judge persistently repulsed the woman. Again and again she was treated with contempt, and he continually said “No.”

Jesus described the judge as being unrighteous and unjust. The woman was in trouble and needed help, but he refused to help her. In this parable Jesus describes the situation that His children will go through in the last days. The woman did not give up; she persistently kept going back to the judge. Ellen White wrote, “It was Christ who gave the pleading widow courage and determination before the judge.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 175.

Many people at times have been short-circuited by the legal system. This was the widow’s experience. She kept going to the only place that she could go in this world to get help, and though she was continually refused and could not get the help she needed, she just kept asking. Finally, something happened. Luke 18:4 and 5 continue, “Afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’ ” This judge was selfish, but to save his own reputation he gave in to her demand. He was afraid that if she came too many times, eventually there might be some publicity about this, and his partial one-sided judgment might become open to the public. To save his reputation, though he had no pity or compassion, he decided to avenge her to get rid of her.

This story is not only to demonstrate the kind of legal system that His children will have to deal with, especially in the last days, but also to draw a contrast between this earthly judge and the Judge that we have in heaven. Notice what Jesus said in verses 6–8:

“Then the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unjust judge said. And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’ ”

This is one of the most striking stories in the Bible about the conditions in the world in the last days just before Jesus comes. Notice how it ends in the last part of verse 8: “Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” What is the implication of that statement? Jesus said in Luke 17 that it would be like the days of Noah, and it would be like the days of Lot, and now He says when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth? Does this text sound like all the world is going to be converted before the Lord comes? No, it sounds like just the opposite. It sounds just like in the days of Noah and in the days of Lot.

Jesus describes our heavenly Father in exactly the opposite way as the unjust judge. The unjust judge would not do anything to help, but verses 7 and 8 of Luke 18 say, “Shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him … I tell you that He will avenge them.” How? “Speedily.”

The widow, having lost her husband, was alone in the world with no one to help her. In the same way, because of the sin of our first parents, all on this planet have lost their connection with God, and we have no means to save our self except through Jesus Christ. Because of the infinite price that has been paid on the cross of Calvary, the elect of God are dear to His heart, and when we are in trouble and make an appeal to God, that appeal will be heard. And it will be answered.

It may not be answered in just the way that we think or expect. There are some experiences where it seems as if our prayers are not being heard or are not being answered, but it is for us to believe by faith. David also went through some similar trying experiences in his life. While being chased and hunted like a wild beast, he came to a point that he was perplexed as to what to do. Whom could he trust? Would somebody else betray him? He had lost confidence in everybody.

“He saw in every man a spy and a betrayer. In a great emergency David had looked up to God with a steady eye of faith, and had vanquished the Philistine giant. He believed in God, he went in His name. But as he had been hunted and persecuted, perplexity and distress had nearly hidden his heavenly Father from his sight.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 657. In this condition, David made some very serious mistakes. But, “Oh, what a God is ours, who deals gently with the erring and manifests His patience and tenderness in adversity, and when we are overwhelmed with some great sorrow!

“Every failure on the part of the children of God is due to their lack of faith. When shadows encompass the soul, when we want light and guidance, we must look up; there is light beyond the darkness.” Ibid.

“God works out His plans, though to human eyes they are veiled in mystery. Men cannot understand the ways of God; and, looking at appearances, they interpret the trials and tests and provings that God permits to come upon them as things that are against them, and that will only work their ruin.” Ibid., 672.

There are many people today who continually have this kind of perplexity. “David looked on appearances, and not at the promises of God. He doubted that he would ever come to the throne. Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.” Ibid. David had suffered through long trials, being hunted like a wild beast by the king of Israel for approximately ten years. This, no doubt, felt as if it was going to last forever.

When I first started working at Steps to Life, my family was living in north Texas about 380 miles from the ministry. Because of the long commute, I went home one to three times a month. I remember, after I had done that for over three years, that in my mind I would ask, “Well, Lord, how long am I going to keep doing this?” Now it didn’t happen forever. No trial that you have in this world is going to be forever, though at times it seems that way while you are going through it and you don’t know how you are ever going to get out of the situation. That is also the way it seemed to David, and that is the way it looked to this poor widow. Concerning David, “Long trials had wearied his faith and exhausted his patience.” Ibid.

Remember, this is a story that applies to God’s people in the last days. The widow said to the unjust judge, “Avenge me of my adversary.” Who was her adversary? The word Satan comes from the Hebrew word, saw-tawn. It is an exact transliteration of the Hebrew word that is a name for the devil, which means, your adversary.

As the woman pleaded, God’s children plead and say, “Lord, avenge me of my adversary. I need help and I can’t help myself; I cannot get out of the situation that I am in, and I don’t know how long it is going to go on. Lord, please deliver me from this.”

The Bible says that God will avenge His own elect speedily.

In Zechariah 3, there is a story recorded where Satan stands up to oppose God’s children. He is their adversary and wants to destroy them. Satan does not simply work alone, but he has many agents. When God’s children pray, “Avenge me of my adversary,” their adversary is the devil and his agents. Those agents are the majority of human beings in this world, and they are working out some social conditions that will exist in the last days. James describes this, “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded.” James 5:1–3. This could be translated rusted or cankered. In other words, it is not pure anymore; it has become destroyed.

It “will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.” Verses 3, 4. Sabaoth is a Hebrew word that means hosts, the Lord of hosts, or the Lord of armies. “You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter. You have condemned, you have murdered the just [the righteous person]; he does not resist you.” Verses 5, 6.

The situation described here did not exist in the world in 1750. It started in the United States of America with the slave trade. Abraham Lincoln had some interesting things to say about it. He saw the inequity in the workplace and queried if it was right for one man to work for 70 cents a day and for another man in the same company to be making 70 dollars a day.

This is the kind of world that we live in today, full of oppression and extortion so there are some classes in the world that are starving. I have met people in Africa with children, men who have told me that they cannot afford to eat more than one meal a day. In Isaiah 59:14 it says, “Justice is turned back, and righteousness stands afar off; for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.” What do you do when, because of the legal system and because of the social system, some become wealthy and others cannot survive? Maybe you are on the short end of the stick and you are in a situation where you do not know how you are going to survive. What will you do?

In Psalm 50:15 it says, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble.” If you and I are going to survive until the end of the world, we are going to have to learn how to pray. When we get into difficulty and there is no way out, we are going to have to learn how to call upon the Lord and to depend upon Him to solve our problem, rather than depending on human beings. The temptation is always to depend on human beings to solve our problem. When we are in difficulty, we think that we need a physician. Physicians, lawyers, or even insurance agents certainly have their place, but the kinds of troubles that God’s people are going to have to deal with in the very last days are not going to be solved by physicians or lawyers or insurance agents.

Those who endure to the end will live by faith. In Hebrews 11:33, 34 it says, “Who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”

Ellen White comments on this text in Christ’s Object Lessons, 172. She says,

“The children of God are not left alone and defenseless. Prayer moves the arm of Omnipotence. Prayer has ‘subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire’—we shall know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith—‘turneth to flight the armies of the aliens’ (Hebrews 11:33, 34).”

Remember, when you pray you have an audience in the chamber of the One who is the most high God, who has absolute authority and power over the whole universe. Ellen White said, “We shall know what it means.” In other words, we do not know now; we do not know what it means, but we will know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith. There are some texts in the Bible we do not now understand. “By faith they quenched the violence of fire”? We do not know what it means, but she says, we will know what it means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith.

In Christ’s Object Lessons, 173, it says, “If we surrender our lives to His service, we can never be placed in a position for which God has not made provision.” Have you surrendered your life to the Lord?

I do not know what situation you are experiencing. I meet a lot of people who describe to me situations that I can scarcely comprehend even after they describe them to me. I do not know what kind of trouble you are facing, but it is impossible that you could be in a situation where God has not made provision to help you.

As long as we are in this world, we are going to have problems on the outside. Jesus wants to come back and take His children out of the world to where there will not be any more trouble. We want to be delivered from the devil’s power. The widow said, “Avenge me of my adversary.” We want to be delivered from the devil’s power that is all around us and is causing so much trouble. But here is the problem. In Christ’s Object Lessons, 174, 175, it says,

“Christ desires nothing so much as to redeem His heritage from the dominion of Satan. But before we are delivered from Satan’s power without, we must be delivered from his power within.”

That is the reason why we are still here. It is not that Jesus does not want to come back and get us out of this place, but before He can deliver us from the devil’s power on the outside, we must first be delivered from the power within. He said, “When you cleanse the cup, first cleanse the inside, then you can clean the outside.” Remember what He said in Matthew 23:28, “That’s the trouble with you Pharisees. You look good on the outside, but inside you are full of all kinds of corruption. You are full of hypocricy and lawlessness.” (Literal translation.) He said to clean up first what’s on the inside; then get the outside clean. Man’s way is always to try to make himself/herself look good on the outside. Keep up the appearance! Whole industries in the world are devoted to glossing over any imperfection in order to make us look good on the outside. But Jesus wants us to look good on the inside. Where is your heart? What is going on in your heart? Are you delivered from Satan’s power within?

Maybe you are troubled because of the power of temptations on the inside, and like David, it just seems as if your patience, your faith, has just been exhausted and there is just nothing left. Some may have prayed for so long for something that they say, “Lord, I cannot keep going.” Keep holding on; there are invisible armies of light and power who attend the meek and lowly ones who believe and claim the promises of God. These angel visitants keep a record of every detail of your life. They know every trial that you are going through.

They are also measuring your character development. Are you getting free from the power of the devil inside? A sure record is kept of any injustice or cruelty that is done whether mental, spiritual, or physical. Paul said, in his letter to the Hebrews, “A little time is going to pass for yet a very little time and then the One who shall come will come and He will not tarry.” Hebrews 10:37, literal translation. But James says, “The husbandman who waits for the precious fruit of the earth has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. You be patient and establish your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is drawing near.” James 5:7, 8, literal translation.

God is doing a mighty work in the world. He is getting people ready in the midst of all of their troubles. The Bible says that we must, through much tribulation, enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22). God is working out a plan in your life to prepare you for heaven. Jesus said, “He will avenge them speedily, though He bear long with them.” Luke 18:7, literal translation.

Because of God’s long forbearance, men have become bold in trampling upon His authority. And they say what the Psalmist said, “Well, does God really know? Does He know what I am doing?” But there is a line beyond which they cannot pass. This also applies to nations. The United States as a nation has gone through a number of crises in the last few years. These crises are increasing both in number and also speed. Nations, families and individuals are in trouble more today than in any time that I can remember. God has often permitted matters to reach a crisis so that His interference might be more marked. We are fast coming to a time when the defiance of God’s law is almost universal. In talking to religious people, they talk as if we have the authority to adjust it. It would be a fearful thing in the Day of Judgment to be asked why liberty was taken to adjust something in His law. That is a question that I do not ever want to be asked.

The time is coming when man will change and adjust the law of God. Ironically, the only part they want to change and adjust is the very heart of the law and the longest commandment in the law. Jesus said it would be easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for a part of a letter to fail (Matthew 5:18). Very soon God is going to say to His children, “Come, my people, enter your chambers, and shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, until the indignation is past. For behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; the earth will also disclose her blood, and will no more cover her slain.” Isaiah 26:20, 21.

The Lord is coming, and when He comes the widow who could not get justice is going to be avenged of her adversary, the devil. The widow represents God’s people, His church, His flock, His fold, who in this world have been destitute, afflicted, and tormented. But the day is coming, the Bible says, when God will be Judge Himself, and when that happens, the decisions of all the unjust judges in the world, whether in the church or the state, will be reversed.

Whatever cross you have borne, whatever loss you have sustained, whatever persecution you have suffered, even if you have lost your life, Jesus is going to recompense you. In Hebrews 11, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, because he had respect unto the recompense of the reward (verse 25, 26). What is the recompense of the reward? Jesus said, in Matthew 19:29, “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.”

The story of the widow and the unjust judge is a story from which, when studied, we may find great comfort. Jesus said that God is going to avenge His own elect, speedily. He is going to deliver them and give them a reward for what they have suffered in this world.

Whatever trouble or trial you may be going through right now, I encourage you to cry out to the God of heaven. Remember, prayer moves the arm of omnipotence, and your prayer will not be lost. It may not be answered immediately the way you think, but your prayer will never be lost. It will always be answered.

Commit your life to the Lord, to His service. If you do, you can never be placed in a situation in this world for which God has not made provision. If you commit yourself to Him, He is going to save you. The question is not whether God will hear your prayers. The question is, “When you are in trouble, will you keep praying?”

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation, unless noted otherwise.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.

The Opportunity of a Lifetime

We live in a day of technology such as was not even imagined just a few years ago. Years ago we never dreamed that we would have so much access to so much information that is available today. Study methods were so different; copies were made of things we wanted to remember. My grade school teacher had a whole box full of cards that she studied.

My parents copied important statements in notebooks, and in the last few months, while going through my mother’s things, I found a whole book of quotations about heaven that my father recorded from his devotional reading, many of them while a soldier in Burma and India during World War 11. We are just pilgrims and strangers in this world, and if you lose your vision of heaven, you are lost and will just start living for this world and whatever is down here.

There are some things, especially about future events, that are important enough that, even if they are studied out before, are beneficial to review. What is referred to as “the little time of trouble,” is bigger trouble than that of which you have ever seen or heard. It is called “the little time of trouble” because it is not nearly as bad as the big time of trouble that is coming right after it. We often study about the great time of trouble described in Daniel 12:1, which occurs after the close of probation. The progression of events and life do not go just from peace and safety to the great time of trouble in one great leap.

If you had just learned to swim and could swim across the pool, it would not mean you could swim the English Channel. Before that could be possible, there would have to be a period of training. Just so, the great time of trouble! To be equipped and able to endure this time, it would be necessary to first go through a little time of trouble.

In many places in the New Testament, it talks about the trouble that is coming upon this world. Jesus talked about it. Paul talked about it. Peter talked about it. James talked about it. John talked about it. Over and over again the Bible talks about the fact that in the last days there are going to be troublous times. Ellen White was shown in vision, in 1847, about this little time of trouble that was going to come. This is recorded in the book Early Writings, 32, 33.

It is a wonderful privilege we have as Seventh-day Adventists to have access to the Spirit of Prophecy. In the vision given to Ellen White in Topsham, Maine, while she was in a prayer meeting with a group of believers, she describes what she saw. In vision she was taken to heaven. This was the same experience as Ezekiel and John. Though their bodies remained on the earth, while in vision, their minds are taken to anywhere in the universe.

Mrs. White had been taken to heaven many times in vision, but this time she was taken to where God’s sanctuary is; the veil was lifted, and she was taken into the Holy Place. She describes what she saw there. She saw a table of showbread, seven golden candlesticks, and an altar of incense, but then she says the veil was lifted, and she was allowed to go into the Most Holy Place. This is very interesting, because in the Old Covenant, women were not even allowed in the sanctuary, and Ellen White was a woman and allowed to go into the Most Holy Place. She was a prophet.

In the Most Holy Place in the sanctuary in heaven she saw the ark. In the earthly sanctuary there were two cherubs made from pure gold placed above the mercy seat. However, in heaven real cherubs, real angels, stand at either end of the ark facing each other just like it was in the earthly sanctuary. While still in vision, the Lord lifted the lid on the ark, and she was allowed to look inside and see the Ten Commandments written on tables of stone. (See Early Writings, 32, 33.)

She was astonished when she saw the tables of commandments. On one table were the first four and on the second table were the last six. The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God, and the other six deal with our relationship to our fellow man. She noticed that the commandments on the first table were brighter than the last six, but then she was most astonished that the Sabbath commandment had a halo of light over it more than all of the rest. The Sabbath commandment is the most important commandment of the law. We are not depreciating any other commandment; breaking any commandment will keep a person out of heaven, but the Sabbath is the most important commandment of the law. The reason the devil wants to change the Sabbath is to cause men to forget God. The Sabbath causes men to remember Him. The very first word in the fourth commandment is “remember” [Exodus 20:8].

“Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.”

In the book Early Writings, 33, she says, “I saw that the holy Sabbath is, and will be, the separating wall between the true Israel of God and unbelievers; and that the Sabbath is the great question to unite the hearts of God’s dear, waiting saints.

“I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath.” Ibid. How many children does God have who do not see and keep the Sabbath? There could easily be many millions. What is going to happen to these children of God who do not see and keep the Sabbath? When probation closes, there is no more a Mediator in the heavenly sanctuary. As long as Jesus is presenting Himself as our High Priest, our sins of ignorance are covered and forgiven. Sins of ignorance are those of which we are unaware. But what about those children He says are His who do not see and keep the Sabbath?

Some people have a very simplistic view of the Ten Commandments, but they cover the entire moral duty of man and involve the thoughts and the feelings and the affections of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). In the beginning of The Ellen G. White 1888 Materials, it says that before probation closes, all of these things must be revealed to us, and then we must change so that our life is in perfect harmony with God’s law. But right now God has children out there in the world who are His children; they are breaking the Sabbath every week, and they don’t know about it.

Well, what is going to happen to them? Every command of God is a promise (see Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, 76). It is fair to say then that when God commands something, you accept that command as a promise. The Holy Spirit will enable you to start keeping the Sabbath. So what is going to happen to those children that God has in the world who are not keeping the Sabbath now because of ignorance? Mrs. White says, “I saw that God had children who do not see and keep the Sabbath. They have not rejected the light upon it. And at the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” Early Writings, 33. Before probation closes, those whom God claims as His will be made aware of the Sabbath, as it will be proclaimed more fully at the commencement of the time of trouble.

Now, when Ellen White wrote this statement, some Adventist people were confused, thinking that “the time of trouble” refers to when Michael stands up, the close of probation when the plagues begin to fall and there is no Mediator. So what good would it do to proclaim the Sabbath more fully after that?

What did the statement mean: “At the commencement of the time of trouble, we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully”? Ellen White had to write an explanation, and it is recorded in “An Explanation,” Early Writings, 85.

“This view was given in 1847 when there were but very few of the Advent brethren observing the Sabbath, and of these but few supposed that its observance was of sufficient importance to draw a line between the people of God and unbelievers. Now the fulfillment of that view is beginning to be seen. ‘The commencement of that time of trouble,’ here mentioned does not refer to the time when the plagues shall begin to be poured out, but to a short period just before they are poured out, while Christ is in the sanctuary. At that time, while the work of salvation is closing, trouble will be coming on the earth, and the nations will be angry, yet held in check so as not to prevent the work of the third angel. At that time the ‘latter rain,’ or refreshing from the presence of the Lord, will come, to give power to the loud voice of the third angel, and prepare the saints to stand in the period when the seven last plagues shall be poured out.” Ibid., 85, 86.

The time of trouble that she referred to is just before probation closes, when the latter rain and the loud cry of the third angel are given. During that period of time, everybody in the whole world will learn about the commandments of God, the law of God, and the Sabbath, and everybody in the world will make a decision and be on one side or the other.

What is going to happen during this little time of trouble that takes place just before probation closes and how do we get ready for it? Many people have made the whole focus of their life a physical preparation for a time like this. However, while physical preparation is all right, it is the spiritual preparation that is most important. If you have the spiritual preparation, the Lord can get you through whatever kind of situation in which you find yourself. But if you do not have the spiritual preparation, all the physical preparation in the world is not going to help you.

During the little time of trouble that is coming, God’s children are going to be scattered to many countries as a result of persecution. There are a lot of people who think the way to get ready for it is to get a place that is way out in the country where there is an independent water supply, independent electricity, and to be totally self-sufficient and able to grow your own garden. I am not saying that God has not sent somebody to do something like that. But what are you going to do in a situation like that if, after you have all this in place, you have to flee to Mexico, or Canada or South America or somewhere else because of persecution? It has been predicted that God’s children will be scattered into many countries.

It is most important to prepare spiritually for the times that are coming on this earth before Jesus comes. “When the reasoning of philosophy has banished the fear of God’s judgments; when religious teachers are pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity, and the world are absorbed in their rounds of business and pleasure, planting and building, feasting and merrymaking, rejecting God’s warnings and mocking His messengers—then it is that sudden destruction cometh upon them, and they shall not escape.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 104.

I remember so well in 1989 when the Iron Curtain fell. Articles appeared in the national magazines and people were just rejoicing and adoring Ronald Reagan [40th president of the United States] and Pope John Paul 11, giving them the credit for bringing the barrier down. The national magazines even claimed there was no longer need of a military; now there will be peace! Paul said, “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3. Only a few short years later, in 1991, we were in war again. The peace did not last very long, and we found out right away that we were still in need of the military, and it has been evident more and more since that time.

We have been warned that the people are not going to fear; they are going to believe that they have nothing to worry about with God’s judgments and that the religious teachers will be pointing forward to long ages of peace and prosperity. For this reason, the little time of trouble is going to take most of the world by surprise, except those who believe the prophecies and are aware of what is happening. They will think they are getting together for a millennium of peace. They will think they are going to get together for a great celebration, a great rejoicing. (See Maranatha, 317.) People will be urged to join the millennium of peace that has already started. All that is needed is to be in harmony with the Sunday Law and all will be harmonious.

“The people are dreaming of prosperity and peace. ‘Escape for thy life,’ is the warning from the angels of God; but other voices are heard saying, ‘Be not excited; there is no cause for alarm.’ The multitudes cry, ‘Peace and safety,’ while Heaven declares that swift destruction is about to come upon the transgressor. On the night prior to their destruction [the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah], the cities of the plain rioted in pleasure and derided the fears and warnings of the messenger of God; but those scoffers perished in the flames; that very night the door of mercy was forever closed to the wicked, careless inhabitants of Sodom. God will not always be mocked; He will not long be trifled with. ‘Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and He shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.’ Isaiah 13:9. The great mass of the world will reject God’s mercy, and will be overwhelmed in swift and irretrievable ruin. But those who heed the warning shall dwell ‘in the secret place of the most High,’ and ‘abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ His truth shall be their shield and buckler [Psalm 91:1, 4].” Ibid., 167.

At the beginning of the time of trouble, God’s people will proclaim the Sabbath more fully, and it is going to everybody in the world in a very, very short time. We do not know exactly how long it will be. With our telecommunications today, very soon it will be possible to communicate to every person in the world in about 24 hours. God is making the necessary preparations, so it is going to close down very, very fast.

While God’s people are proclaiming the Sabbath more fully to the world, the religious teachers are going to be telling the people not to listen to the Adventists, because there will be a long period of peace and prosperity. The devil will make sure that happens for a period of time and the world will be convinced and will scoff at the warnings of God. You have to be willing to have some opposition if you are going to be on God’s side of the great controversy as we approach the end, because people will scoff.

At the end of the world, whole nations will be destroyed, but first, just cities or local regions will be affected. “Calamities will come—calamities most awful, most unexpected, and these destructions will follow one after another. If there will be a heeding of the warnings God has given, and if churches will repent, returning to their allegiance, then other cities may be spared for a time. But if men who have been deceived continue in the same way in which they have been walking, disregarding the law of God and presenting falsehoods before the people, God allows them to suffer calamity, that their senses may be awakened.

“The Lord will not suddenly cast off all transgressors or destroy entire nations; but He will punish cities and places where men have given themselves up to the possession of Satanic agencies.” Evangelism, 27. Recently, there have been many cities destroyed by floods and earthquakes. Daily you can read of disasters taking place all over the world.

“Strictly will the cities of the nations be dealt with, and yet they will not be visited in the extreme of God’s indignation, because some souls will yet break away from the delusions of the enemy, and will repent and be converted, while the mass will be treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath.” Ibid.

So, there are going to be calamities or, what we call today, natural disasters. Tornadoes, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, all manner of great fires, all manner of natural disasters are going to occur, and at the same time that there are these natural disasters, there’s going to be what we call “political trouble” that will be developing.

“The world is stirred with the spirit of war. The prophecies of the eleventh of Daniel have almost reached their final fulfillment.

“Soon strife among the nations will break out with an intensity that we do not now anticipate.” Maranatha, 174.

There had already been a tremendous slaughter in Russia in 1905, but for several decades before World War I in 1914, leading statesmen in Europe were very concerned about a general war breaking out in the last part of the nineteenth century. When World War I broke out, the world was changed forever.

World War I was the most awful war the world had ever seen up until that time. As a result, the entire army was almost totally destroyed. Before the war, the Czar of Russia had an army of about two and a half million soldiers, but since his army was practically destroyed, the Czar was left almost powerless. A revolution erupted; the Czar and his family were all killed in cold blood, which led to a communist takeover of over half of the world and lasted until the 1970s. World War I destabilized the whole world and World War II destabilized it even further.

Ellen White said that, “Soon grievous troubles will arise among the nations—trouble that will not cease until Jesus comes. As never before we need to press together, serving Him who has prepared His throne in the heavens and whose kingdom ruleth over all. God has not forsaken His people, and our strength lies in not forsaking Him.” Maranatha, 25.

Concerning this period just before the war broke out, Ellen White wrote, “The present is a time of overwhelming interest to all living. Rulers and statesmen, men who occupy positions of trust and authority, thinking men and women of all classes, have their attention fixed upon the events taking place about us. They are watching the strained, restless relations that exist among the nations. They observe the intensity that is taking possession of every earthly element, and they realize that something great and decisive is about to take place—that the world is on the verge of a stupendous crisis.” Maranatha, 174. That stupendous crisis has started and will not cease until Jesus comes; it will never again be stable like it has been in the past. Now, during this period of time while there are grievous troubles among the nations, natural disasters and calamities, and strife among the nations, the Three Angels’ Messages and the Sabbath message must go to the whole world. It may be that this will not be fully understood until the time comes when the Lord gives us the message. We know from a number of statements that God is going to give His people special messages and truth that we have not understood before, right at this period of time, right at the end of time.

At the right time, if we are ready, she says, “… we were filled with the Holy Ghost as we went forth and proclaimed the Sabbath more fully.” The Review and Herald, July 21, 1851. Being in a condition to receive the Holy Spirit is of paramount importance to us as we approach the end of time, for without it, it will be impossible to go out with power and spread the final message.

In The Great Controversy, 589, 590, it says that God is going to allow the devil to bring disasters upon the people of this world, because they are disobedient to this law. Tornadoes, earthquakes, fires and other terrible disasters will be blamed on Sabbath-keepers for refusing to reverence Sunday worship and honoring the resurrection of Christ. Those who stand true to God at that time will be brought before rulers and interrogated before courts.

Jesus said, “You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you shall speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:18–20.

Being brought before a court today, with the technology now available, may give opportunity to bear witness to more people in one day than in a whole previous lifetime. At that time we are told that “when brought into trial the Holy spirit will bring to their remembrance the very truths that will reach the hearts of those who shall come to hear.” Maranatha, 45. In order for that to happen, there must have been some prior studying. “The servants of Christ are to prepare no set speech to present when brought to trial for their faith. Their preparation is to be made day by day, in treasuring up in their hearts the precious truths of God’s word, in feeding upon the teaching of Christ.” Ibid.

“The time will come, when we shall be brought before councils and before thousands for His name’s sake, and each one will have to give the reason of his faith.” Ibid., 252. Men and women will be standing alone to answer for their faith.

Are you ready to give an answer as to why you believe what you believe? “Every position of truth taken by our people will bear the criticism of the greatest minds; the highest of the world’s great men will be brought in contact with truth, and therefore every position we take should be critically examined and tested by the Scriptures.” Ibid.

The Scriptures are explicit. Our faith is not built on implicit evidence. It is built on explicit evidence. Explicit evidence is what the Bible actually says and not what you think it means. “Now we seem to be unnoticed, but this will not always be. Movements are at work to bring us to the front, and if our theories of truth can be picked to pieces by historians or the world’s greatest men, it will be done.” Ibid.

The most difficult speech to give is one that you have to give to a hostile audience, to those who do not like what you believe and would love to prove you wrong. Though the audience at that time will be hostile, it will be a marvelous opportunity for those who are ready to witness for Jesus. “The Lord Jesus will give the disciples a tongue and wisdom that their adversaries can neither gainsay nor resist. Those who could not by reasoning overcome satanic delusions, will bear an affirmative testimony that will baffle supposedly learned men. Words will come from the lips of the unlearned with such convincing power and wisdom that conversions will be made to the truth. Thousands will be converted under their testimony.” Ibid. Isn’t that exciting?

Thousands of people will hear the message for the first time, and though the majority will reject it, there will be someone listening who responds to the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

“The time is not far off when the people of God will be called upon to give their testimony before the rulers of the earth. Not one in twenty has a realization of what rapid strides we are making toward the great crisis in our history. … There is no time for vanity, for trifling, for engaging the mind in unimportant matters.

“Kings, governors, and great men will hear of you through the reports of those who are at enmity with you, and your faith and character will be misrepresented before them. But those who are falsely accused will have an opportunity to appear in the presence of their accusers to answer for themselves.

“They will have the privilege of bringing the light before those who are called the great men of the earth, and if you have studied the Bible, if you are ready to give an answer to every man that asketh you of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear, your enemies will not be able to gainsay your wisdom.

“You now have an opportunity to attain to the greatest intellectual power through the study of the word of God. But if you are indolent, and fail to dig deep in the mines of truth, you will not be ready for the crisis that is soon to come upon us. O that you would realize that each moment is golden. If you live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, you will not be found unprepared.

“You know not where you may be called upon to give your witness of truth. Many will have to stand in the legislative courts … .” Ibid., 253.

A legislative court is different than a judicial court. A judicial court is the court in which we usually stand. A legislative court is either a court in the capitol of the state or the country where the laws are made. A legislative court of the United States is its Congress, its House of Representatives, and its Senate. However, there are legislative courts in each state that make laws for that state. Mrs. White goes on to say, “Many will have to stand in the legislative courts; some will have to stand before kings and before the learned of the earth, to answer for their faith.

“Those who have only a superficial understanding of truth will not be able tclearly to expound the Scriptures, and give definite reasons for their faith. They will become confused, and will not be workmen that need not to be ashamed. Let no one imagine that he has no need to study, because he is not to preach in the sacred desk. You know not what God may require of you.” Ibid.

Are you getting ready? This is going to be the greatest opportunity of your life. If that promise is going to be fulfilled, you will need to know what the Bible says.

If your argument is established on the word of God, no matter how wise the opposition is, truth will still stand and if you have faith, if you have been a student of the Bible, it will be the greatest opportunity of your life.

[Bible texts quoted are NKJV translation.]

Pastor John J. Grosboll is Director of Steps to Life and pastors the Prairie Meadows Free Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wichita, Kansas. He may be contacted by email at: historic@stepstolife.org, or by telephone at: 316-788-5559.