Table of Contents
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Chapter 39
The Time of Trouble
"AT that time shall Michael stand up, the great Prince which standeth for the
children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since
there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered,
everyone that shall be found written in the book." Daniel 12:1.
When the third angel's message closes, mercy no longer pleads for the guilty inhabitants
of the earth. The people of God have accomplished their work. They have received "the
latter rain," "the refreshing from the presence of the Lord," and they are
prepared for the trying hour before them. Angels are hastening to and fro in heaven. An
angel returning from the earth announces that his work is done; the final test has been
brought upon the world, and all who have proved themselves loyal to the divine precepts
have received "the seal of the living God." Then Jesus ceases His intercession
in the sanctuary above. He lifts His hands and with a loud voice says, "It is
done;" and all the angelic host lay off their crowns as He makes the solemn
announcement: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy,
let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that
is holy, let him be holy still." Revelation 22:11. Every case has been decided for
life or death. Christ has made the atonement for His people and
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blotted out their sins. The number of His subjects is made up; "the kingdom and
dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven," is about to be
given to the heirs of salvation, and Jesus is to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.
When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that
fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor.
The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of
the finally impenitent. God's long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy,
despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their
probation; the Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.
Unsheltered by divine grace, they have no protection from the wicked one. Satan will then
plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God
cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will
be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came
upon Jerusalem of old.
A single angel destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians and filled the land with
mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused that
terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power exercised
by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when He permits. There
are forces now ready, and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation
everywhere.
Those who honor the law of God have been accused of bringing judgments upon the world, and
they will be regarded as the cause of the fearful convulsions of nature and the strife and
bloodshed among men that are filling the earth with woe. The power attending the last
warning has enraged the wicked; their anger is kindled against all who
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have received the message, and Satan will excite to still greater intensity the spirit of
hatred and persecution.
When God's presence was finally withdrawn from the Jewish nation, priests and people knew
it not. Though under the control of Satan, and swayed by the most horrible and malignant
passions, they still regarded themselves as the chosen of God. The ministration in the
temple continued; sacrifices were offered upon its polluted altars, and daily the divine
blessing was invoked upon a people guilty of the blood of God's dear Son and seeking to
slay His ministers and apostles. So when the irrevocable decision of the sanctuary has
been pronounced and the destiny of the world has been forever fixed, the inhabitants of
the earth will know it not. The forms of religion will be continued by a people from whom
the Spirit of God has been finally withdrawn; and the satanic zeal with which the prince
of evil will inspire them for the accomplishment of his malignant designs, will bear the
semblance of zeal for God.
As the Sabbath has become the special point of controversy throughout Christendom, and
religious and secular authorities have combined to enforce the observance of the Sunday,
the persistent refusal of a small minority to yield to the popular demand will make them
objects of universal execration. It will be urged that the few who stand in opposition to
an institution of the church and a law of the state ought not to be tolerated; that it is
better for them to suffer than for whole nations to be thrown into confusion and
lawlessness. The same argument eighteen hundred years ago was brought against Christ by
the "rulers of the people." "It is expedient for us," said the wily
Caiaphas, "that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not." John 11:50. This argument will appear conclusive; and a decree will finally be
issued against those who hallow the Sabbath of the fourth commandment, denouncing them as
deserving of the severest punishment and giving
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the people liberty, after a certain time, to put them to death. Romanism in the Old World
and apostate Protestantism in the New will pursue a similar course toward those who honor
all the divine precepts.
The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress
described by the prophet as the time of Jacob's trouble. "Thus saith the Lord: We
have heard a voice of trembling, of fear, and not of peace. . . . All faces are turned
into paleness. Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time
of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it." Jeremiah 30:5-7.
Jacob's night of anguish, when he wrestled in prayer for deliverance from the hand of Esau
(Genesis 32:24-30), represents the experience of God's people in the time of trouble.
Because of the deception practiced to secure his father's blessing, intended for Esau,
Jacob had fled for his life, alarmed by his brother's deadly threats. After remaining for
many years an exile, he had set out, at God's command, to return with his wives and
children, his flocks and herds, to his native country. On reaching the borders of the
land, he was filled with terror by the tidings of Esau's approach at the head of a band of
warriors, doubtless bent upon revenge. Jacob's company, unarmed and defenseless, seemed
about to fall helpless victims of violence and slaughter. And to the burden of anxiety and
fear was added the crushing weight of self-reproach, for it was his own sin that had
brought this danger. His only hope was in the mercy of God; his only defense must be
prayer. Yet he leaves nothing undone on his own part to atone for the wrong to his brother
and to avert the threatened danger. So should the followers of Christ, as they approach
the time of trouble, make every exertion to place themselves in a proper light before the
people, to disarm prejudice, and to avert the danger which threatens liberty of
conscience.
Having sent his family away, that they may not witness his distress, Jacob remains alone
to intercede with God. He
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confesses his sin and gratefully acknowledges the mercy of God toward him while with deep
humiliation he pleads the covenant made with his fathers and the promises to himself in
the night vision at Bethel and in the land of his exile. The crisis in his life has come;
everything is at stake. In the darkness and solitude he continues praying and humbling
himself before God. Suddenly a hand is laid upon his shoulder. He thinks that an enemy is
seeking his life, and with all the energy of despair he wrestles with his assailant. As
the day begins to break, the stranger puts forth his superhuman power; at his touch the
strong man seems paralyzed, and he falls, a helpless, weeping suppliant, upon the neck of
his mysterious antagonist. Jacob knows now that it is the Angel of the covenant with whom
he has been in conflict. Though disabled and suffering the keenest pain, he does not
relinquish his purpose. Long has he endured perplexity, remorse, and trouble for his sin;
now he must have the assurance that it is pardoned. The divine visitant seems about to
depart; but Jacob clings to Him, pleading for a blessing. The Angel urges, "Let Me
go, for the day breaketh;" but the patriarch exclaims, "I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me." What confidence, what firmness and perseverance, are here
displayed! Had this been a boastful, presumptuous claim, Jacob would have been instantly
destroyed; but his was the assurance of one who confesses his weakness and unworthiness,
yet trusts the mercy of a covenant-keeping God.
"He had power over the Angel, and prevailed." Hosea 12:4. Through humiliation,
repentance, and self-surrender, this sinful, erring mortal prevailed with the Majesty of
heaven. He had fastened his trembling grasp upon the promises of God, and the heart of
Infinite Love could not turn away the sinner's plea. As an evidence of his triumph and an
encouragement to others to imitate his example, his name was changed from one which was a
reminder of his sin, to one that commemorated his victory. And the fact that Jacob
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had prevailed with God was an assurance that he would prevail with men. He no longer
feared to encounter his brother's anger, for the Lord was his defense.
Satan had accused Jacob before the angels of God, claiming the right to destroy him
because of his sin; he had moved upon Esau to march against him; and during the
patriarch's long night of wrestling, Satan endeavored to force upon him a sense of his
guilt in order to discourage him and break his hold upon God. Jacob was driven almost to
despair; but he knew that without help from heaven he must perish. He had sincerely
repented of his great sin, and he appealed to the mercy of God. He would not be turned
from his purpose, but held fast the Angel and urged his petition with earnest, agonizing
cries until he prevailed.
As Satan influenced Esau to march against Jacob, so he will stir up the wicked to destroy
God's people in the time of trouble. And as he accused Jacob, he will urge his accusations
against the people of God. He numbers the world as his subjects; but the little company
who keep the commandments of God are resisting his supremacy. If he could blot them from
the earth, his triumph would be complete. He sees that holy angels are guarding them, and
he infers that their sins have been pardoned; but he does not know that their cases have
been decided in the sanctuary above. He has an accurate knowledge of the sins which he has
tempted them to commit, and he presents these before God in the most exaggerated light,
representing this people to be just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of
God. He declares that the Lord cannot in justice forgive their sins and yet destroy him
and his angels. He claims them as his prey and demands that they be given into his hands
to destroy.
As Satan accuses the people of God on account of their sins, the Lord permits him to try
them to the uttermost. Their confidence in God, their faith and firmness, will be severely
tested. As they review the past, their hopes sink;
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for in their whole lives they can see little good. They are fully conscious of their
weakness and unworthiness. Satan endeavors to terrify them with the thought that their
cases are hopeless, that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes
so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations and turn from their
allegiance to God.
Though God's people will be surrounded by enemies who are bent upon their destruction, yet
the anguish which they suffer is not a dread of persecution for the truth's sake; they
fear that every sin has not been repented of, and that through some fault in themselves
they will fail to realize the fulfillment of the Saviour's promise: I "will keep thee
from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world." Revelation 3:10.
If they could have the assurance of pardon they would not shrink from torture or death;
but should they prove unworthy, and lose their lives because of their own defects of
character, then God's holy name would be reproached.
On every hand they hear the plottings of treason and see the active working of rebellion;
and there is aroused within them an intense desire, an earnest yearning of soul, that this
great apostasy may be terminated and the wickedness of the wicked may come to an end. But
while they plead with God to stay the work of rebellion, it is with a keen sense of
self-reproach that they themselves have no more power to resist and urge back the mighty
tide of evil. They feel that had they always employed all their ability in the service of
Christ, going forward from strength to strength, Satan's forces would have less power to
prevail against them.
They afflict their souls before God, pointing to their past repentance of their many sins,
and pleading the Saviour's promise: "Let him take hold of My strength, that he may
make peace with Me; and he shall make peace with Me." Isaiah 27:5. Their faith does
not fail because their prayers
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are not immediately answered. Though suffering the keenest anxiety, terror, and distress,
they do not cease their intercessions. They lay hold of the strength of God as Jacob laid
hold of the Angel; and the language of their souls is: "I will not let Thee go,
except Thou bless me."
Had not Jacob previously repented of his sin in obtaining the birthright by fraud, God
would not have heard his prayer and mercifully preserved his life. So, in the time of
trouble, if the people of God had unconfessed sins to appear before them while tortured
with fear and anguish, they would be overwhelmed; despair would cut off their faith, and
they could not have confidence to plead with God for deliverance. But while they have a
deep sense of their unworthiness, they have no concealed wrongs to reveal. Their sins have
gone beforehand to judgment and have been blotted out, and they cannot bring them to
remembrance.
Satan leads many to believe that God will overlook their unfaithfulness in the minor
affairs of life; but the Lord shows in His dealings with Jacob that He will in no wise
sanction or tolerate evil. All who endeavor to excuse or conceal their sins, and permit
them to remain upon the books of heaven, unconfessed and unforgiven, will be overcome by
Satan. The more exalted their profession and the more honorable the position which they
hold, the more grievous is their course in the sight of God and the more sure the triumph
of their great adversary. Those who delay a preparation for the day of God cannot obtain
it in the time of trouble or at any subsequent time. The case of all such is hopeless.
Those professed Christians who come up to that last fearful conflict unprepared will, in
their despair, confess their sins in words of burning anguish, while the wicked exult over
their distress. These confessions are of the same character as was that of Esau or of
Judas. Those who make them, lament the result of transgression, but not its guilt. They
feel
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no true contrition, no abhorrence of evil. They acknowledge their sin, through fear of
punishment; but, like Pharaoh of old, they would return to their defiance of Heaven should
the judgments be removed.
Jacob's history is also an assurance that God will not cast off those who have been
deceived and tempted and betrayed into sin, but who have returned unto Him with true
repentance. While Satan seeks to destroy this class, God will send His angels to comfort
and protect them in the time of peril. The assaults of Satan are fierce and determined,
his delusions are terrible; but the Lord's eye is upon His people, and His ear listens to
their cries. Their affliction is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume
them; but the Refiner will bring them forth as gold tried in the fire. God's love for His
children during the period of their severest trial is as strong and tender as in the days
of their sunniest prosperity; but it is needful for them to be placed in the furnace of
fire; their earthliness must be consumed, that the image of Christ may be perfectly
reflected.
The season of distress and anguish before us will require a faith that can endure
weariness, delay, and hunger--a faith that will not faint though severely tried. The
period of probation is granted to all to prepare for that time. Jacob prevailed because he
was persevering and determined. His victory is an evidence of the power of importunate
prayer. All who will lay hold of God's promises, as he did, and be as earnest and
persevering as he was, will succeed as he succeeded. Those who are unwilling to deny self,
to agonize before God, to pray long and earnestly for His blessing, will not obtain it.
Wrestling with God--how few know what it is! How few have ever had their souls drawn out
after God with intensity of desire until every power is on the stretch. When waves of
despair which no language can express sweep over the suppliant, how few cling with
unyielding faith to the promises of God.
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Those who exercise but little faith now, are in the greatest danger of falling under the
power of satanic delusions and the decree to compel the conscience. And even if they
endure the test they will be plunged into deeper distress and anguish in the time of
trouble, because they have never made it a habit to trust in God. The lessons of faith
which they have neglected they will be forced to learn under a terrible pressure of
discouragement.
We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises. Angels record every
prayer that is earnest and sincere. We should rather dispense with selfish gratifications
than neglect communion with God. The deepest poverty, the greatest self-denial, with His
approval, is better than riches, honors, ease, and friendship without it. We must take
time to pray. If we allow our minds to be absorbed by worldly interests, the Lord may give
us time by removing from us our idols of gold, of houses, or of fertile lands.
The young would not be seduced into sin if they would refuse to enter any path save that
upon which they could ask God's blessing. If the messengers who bear the last solemn
warning to the world would pray for the blessing of God, not in a cold, listless, lazy
manner, but fervently and in faith, as did Jacob, they would find many places where they
could say: "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved." Genesis
32:30. They would be accounted of heaven as princes, having power to prevail with God and
with men.
The "time of trouble, such as never was," is soon to open upon us; and we shall
need an experience which we do not now possess and which many are too indolent to obtain.
It is often the case that trouble is greater in anticipation than in reality; but this is
not true of the crisis before us. The most vivid presentation cannot reach the magnitude
of the ordeal. In that time of trial, every soul must stand for himself before God.
"Though Noah, Daniel, and Job" were in the land, "as I live, saith the Lord
God, they shall deliver neither son
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nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness." Ezekiel
14:20.
Now, while our great High Priest is making the atonement for us, we should seek to become
perfect in Christ. Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the
power of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a foothold;
some sinful desire is cherished, by means of which his temptations assert their power. But
Christ declared of Himself: "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in
Me." John 14:30. Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to
gain the victory. He had kept His Father's commandments, and there was no sin in Him that
Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition in which those must be found who
shall stand in the time of trouble.
It is in this life that we are to separate sin from us, through faith in the atoning blood
of Christ. Our precious Saviour invites us to join ourselves to Him, to unite our weakness
to His strength, our ignorance to His wisdom, our unworthiness to His merits. God's
providence is the school in which we are to learn the meekness and lowliness of Jesus. The
Lord is ever setting before us, not the way we would choose, which seems easier and
pleasanter to us, but the true aims of life. It rests with us to co-operate with the
agencies which Heaven employs in the work of conforming our characters to the divine
model. None can neglect or defer this work but at the most fearful peril to their souls.
The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming: "Woe to the
inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great
wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Revelation 12:12. Fearful
are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of
Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction will reach
its culmination in the time of trouble.
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Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in the heavens, in token
of the power of miracle-working demons. The spirits of devils will go forth to the kings
of the earth and to the whole world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to
unite with Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these agencies,
rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise pretending to be Christ
Himself, and claiming the title and worship which belong to the world's Redeemer. They
will perform wonderful miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from
heaven contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.
As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself will personate Christ.
The church has long professed to look to the Saviour's advent as the consummation of her
hopes. Now the great deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts
of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic being of dazzling
brightness, resembling the description of the Son of God given by John in the Revelation.
Revelation 1:13-15. The glory that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal
eyes have yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: "Christ has come!
Christ has come!" The people prostrate themselves in adoration before him, while he
lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples
when He was upon the earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle,
compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly truths which the
Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people, and then, in his assumed character
of Christ, he claims to have changed the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the
day which he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy the seventh
day are blaspheming his name by refusing to listen to his angels sent to them with light
and truth. This is the strong, almost overmastering delusion. Like the Samaritans who
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were deceived by Simon Magus, the multitudes, from the least to the greatest, give heed to
these sorceries, saying: This is "the great power of God." Acts 8:10.
But the people of God will not be misled. The teachings of this false christ are not in
accordance with the Scriptures. His blessing is pronounced upon the worshipers of the
beast and his image, the very class upon whom the Bible declares that God's unmingled
wrath shall be poured out.
And, furthermore, Satan is not permitted to counterfeit the manner of Christ's advent. The
Saviour has warned His people against deception upon this point, and has clearly foretold
the manner of His second coming. "There shall arise false christs, and false
prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect. . . . Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in
the desert; go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not. For as the
lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming
of the Son of man be." Matthew 24:24-27, 31; 25:31; Revelation 1:7; 1 Thessalonians
4:16, 17. This coming there is no possibility of counterfeiting. It will be universally
known--witnessed by the whole world.
Only those who have been diligent students of the Scriptures and who have received the
love of the truth will be shielded from the powerful delusion that takes the world
captive. By the Bible testimony these will detect the deceiver in his disguise. To all the
testing time will come. By the sifting of temptation the genuine Christian will be
revealed. Are the people of God now so firmly established upon His word that they would
not yield to the evidence of their senses? Would they, in such a crisis, cling to the
Bible and the Bible only? Satan will, if possible, prevent them from obtaining a
preparation to stand in that day. He will so arrange affairs as to hedge up their way,
entangle them with earthly treasures, cause them to carry a heavy, wearisome burden, that
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their hearts may be overcharged with the cares of this life and the day of trial may come
upon them as a thief.
As the decree issued by the various rulers of Christendom against commandment keepers
shall withdraw the protection of government and abandon them to those who desire their
destruction, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages and associate
together in companies, dwelling in the most desolate and solitary places. Many will find
refuge in the strongholds of the mountains. Like the Christians of the Piedmont valleys,
they will make the high places of the earth their sanctuaries and will thank God for
"the munitions of rocks." Isaiah 33:16. But many of all nations and of all
classes, high and low, rich and poor, black and white, will be cast into the most unjust
and cruel bondage. The beloved of God pass weary days, bound in chains, shut in by prison
bars, sentenced to be slain, some apparently left to die of starvation in dark and
loathsome dungeons. No human ear is open to hear their moans; no human hand is ready to
lend them help.
Will the Lord forget His people in this trying hour? Did He forget faithful Noah when
judgments were visited upon the antediluvian world? Did He forget Lot when the fire came
down from heaven to consume the cities of the plain? Did He forget Joseph surrounded by
idolaters in Egypt? Did He forget Elijah when the oath of Jezebel threatened him with the
fate of the prophets of Baal? Did He forget Jeremiah in the dark and dismal pit of his
prison house? Did He forget the three worthies in the fiery furnace? or Daniel in the den
of lions?
"Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman
forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea,
they may forget, yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of
My hands." Isaiah 49:14-16. The Lord hosts has said: "He that toucheth you
toucheth the apple of His eye." Zechariah 2:8.
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Though enemies may thrust them into prison, yet dungeon walls cannot cut off the
communication between their souls and Christ. One who sees their every weakness, who is
acquainted with every trial, is above all earthly powers; and angels will come to them in
lonely cells, bringing light and peace from heaven. The prison will be as a palace; for
the rich in faith dwell there, and the gloomy walls will be lighted up with heavenly light
as when Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises at midnight in the Philippian dungeon.
God's judgments will be visited upon those who are seeking to oppress and destroy His
people. His long forbearance with the wicked emboldens men in transgression, but their
punishment is nonetheless certain and terrible because it is long delayed. "The Lord
shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He
may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act."
Isaiah 28:21. To our merciful God the act of punishment is a strange act. "As I live,
saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked." Ezekiel 33:11.
The Lord is "merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, . . . forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin." Yet He will "by no
means clear the guilty." The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not
at all acquit the wicked." Exodus 34:6, 7; Nahum 1:3. By terrible things in
righteousness He will vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law. The severity of the
retribution awaiting the transgressor may be judged by the Lord's reluctance to execute
justice. The nation with which He bears long, and which He will not smite until it has
filled up the measure of its iniquity in God's account, will finally drink the cup of
wrath unmixed with mercy.
When Christ ceases His intercession in the sanctuary, the unmingled wrath threatened
against those who worship the beast and his image and receive his mark (Revelation 14:9,
10), will be poured out. The plagues upon Egypt when God was about to deliver Israel were
similar in character to those
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more terrible and extensive judgments which are to fall upon the world just before the
final deliverance of God's people. Says the revelator, in describing those terrific
scourges: "There fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of
the beast, and upon them which worshiped his image." The sea "became as the
blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." And "the rivers and
fountains of waters . . . became blood." Terrible as these inflictions are, God's
justice stands fully vindicated. The angel of God declares: "Thou art righteous, O
Lord, . . . because Thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and
prophets, and Thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy." Revelation
16:2-6. By condemning the people of God to death, they have as truly incurred the guilt of
their blood as if it had been shed by their hands. In like manner Christ declared the Jews
of His time guilty of all the blood of holy men which had been shed since the days of
Abel; for they possessed the same spirit and were seeking to do the same work with these
murderers of the prophets.
In the plague that follows, power is given to the sun "to scorch men with fire. And
men were scorched with great heat." Verses 8, 9. The prophets thus describe the
condition of the earth at this fearful time: "The land mourneth; . . . because the
harvest of the field is perished. . . . All the trees of the field are withered: because
joy is withered away from the sons of men." "The seed is rotten under their
clods, the garners are laid desolate. . . . How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle
are perplexed, because they have no pasture. . . . The rivers of water are dried up, and
the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness." "The songs of the temple
shall be howlings in that day, saith the Lord God: there shall be many dead bodies in
every place; they shall cast them forth with silence." Joel 1:10-12, 17-20; Amos 8:3.
These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth would be wholly cut off.
Yet they will be the most
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awful scourges that have ever been known to mortals. All the judgments upon men, prior to
the close of probation, have been mingled with mercy. The pleading blood of Christ has
shielded the sinner from receiving the full measure of his guilt; but in the final
judgment, wrath is poured out unmixed with mercy.
In that day, multitudes will desire the shelter of God's mercy which they have so long
despised. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in
the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the
Lord: and they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they
shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it." Amos 8:11,
12.
The people of God will not be free from suffering; but while persecuted and distressed,
while they endure privation and suffer for want of food they will not be left to perish.
That God who cared for Elijah will not pass by one of His self-sacrificing children. He
who numbers the hairs of their head will care for them, and in time of famine they shall
be satisfied. While the wicked are dying from hunger and pestilence, angels will shield
the righteous and supply their wants. To him that "walketh righteously" is the
promise: "Bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure." "When the
poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the
Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them." Isaiah 33:15, 16;
41:17.
"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the
labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut
off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls;" yet shall they that
fear Him "rejoice in the Lord" and joy in the God of their salvation. Habakkuk
3:17, 18.
"The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not
smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil:
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He shall preserve thy soul." "He shall deliver thee from the snare of the
fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His fathers, and under
His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be
afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the
pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A
thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come
nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation;
there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling."
Psalms 121:5-7; 91:3-10.
Yet to human sight it will appear that the people of God must soon seal their testimony
with their blood as did the martyrs before them. They themselves begin to fear that the
Lord has left them to fall by the hand of their enemies. It is a time of fearful agony.
Day and night they cry unto God for deliverance. The wicked exult, and the jeering cry is
heard: "Where now is your faith? Why does not God deliver you out of our hands if you
are indeed His people?" But the waiting ones remember Jesus dying upon Calvary's
cross and the chief priests and rulers shouting in mockery: "He saved others; Himself
He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we
will believe Him." Matthew 27:42. Like Jacob, all are wrestling with God. Their
countenances express their internal struggle. Paleness sits upon every face. Yet they
cease not their earnest intercession.
Could men see with heavenly vision, they would behold companies of angels that excel in
strength stationed about those who have kept the word of Christ's patience. With
sympathizing tenderness, angels have witnessed their distress and have heard their
prayers. They are waiting the word of their Commander to snatch them from their peril. But
they must wait yet a little longer. The people of God must drink
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of the cup and be baptized with the baptism. The very delay, so painful to them, is the
best answer to their petitions. As they endeavor to wait trustingly for the Lord to work
they are led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been too little exercised
during their religious experience. Yet for the elect's sake the time of trouble will be
shortened. "Shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him? . .
. I tell you that He will avenge them speedily." Luke 18:7, 8. The end will come more
quickly than men expect. The wheat will be gathered and bound in sheaves for the garner of
God; the tares will be bound as fagots for the fires of destruction.
The heavenly sentinels, faithful to their trust, continue their watch. Though a general
decree has fixed the time when commandment keepers may be put to death, their enemies will
in some cases anticipate the decree, and before the time specified, will endeavor to take
their lives. But none can pass the mighty guardians stationed about every faithful soul.
Some are assailed in their flight from the cities and villages; but the swords raised
against them break and fall powerless as a straw. Others are defended by angels in the
form of men of war.
In all ages, God has wrought through holy angels for the succor and deliverance of His
people. Celestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have
appeared clothed in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come as men in the
garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to men of God. They have rested, as
if weary, under the oaks at noon. They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes.
They have acted as guides to benighted travelers. They have, with their own hands, kindled
the fires at the altar. They have opened prison doors and set free the servants of the
Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to roll away the stone from the
Saviour's tomb.
In the form of men, angels are often in the assemblies of
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the righteous; and they visit the assemblies of the wicked, as they went to Sodom, to make
a record of their deeds, to determine whether they have passed the boundary of God's
forbearance. The Lord delights in mercy; and for the sake of a few who really serve Him,
He restrains calamities and prolongs the tranquillity of multitudes. Little do sinners
against God realize that they are indebted for their own lives to the faithful few whom
they delight to ridicule and oppress.
Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet often in their councils angels have been
spokesmen. Human eyes have looked upon them; human ears have listened to their appeals;
human lips have opposed their suggestions and ridiculed their counsels; human hands have
met them with insult and abuse. In the council hall and the court of justice these
heavenly messengers have shown an intimate acquaintance with human history; they have
proved themselves better able to plead the cause of the oppressed than were their ablest
and most eloquent defenders. They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would
have greatly retarded the work of God and would have caused great suffering to His people.
In the hour of peril and distress "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them
that fear Him, and delivereth them." Psalm 34:7.
With earnest longing, God's people await the tokens of their coming King. As the watchmen
are accosted, "What of the night?" the answer is given unfalteringly, "The
morning cometh, and also the night.' Isaiah 21:11, 12. Light is gleaming upon the clouds
above the mountaintops. Soon there will be a revealing of His glory. The Sun of
Righteousness is about to shine forth. The morning and the night are both at hand--the
opening of endless day to the righteous, the settling down of eternal night to the
wicked."
As the wrestling ones urge their petitions before God, the veil separating them from the
unseen seems almost withdrawn. The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day, and like
the melody of angel songs the words fall upon the
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ear: "Stand fast to your allegiance. Help is coming." Christ, the almighty
Victor, holds out to His weary soldiers a crown of immortal glory; and His voice comes
from the gates ajar: "Lo, I am with you. Be not afraid. I am acquainted with all your
sorrows; I have borne your griefs. You are not warring against untried enemies. I have
fought the battle in your behalf, and in My name you are more than conquerors."
The precious Saviour will send help just when we need it. The way to heaven is consecrated
by His footprints. Every thorn that wounds our feet has wounded His. Every cross that we
are called to bear He has borne before us. The Lord permits conflicts, to prepare the soul
for peace. The time of trouble is a fearful ordeal for God's people; but it is the time
for every true believer to look up, and by faith he may see the bow of promise encircling
him.
"The redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and
everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow
and mourning shall flee away. I, even I, am He that comforteth you: who art thou, that
thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be
made as grass; and forgettest the Lord thy Maker; . . . and hast feared continually every
day because of the fury of the oppressor, as if he were ready to destroy? and where is the
fury of the oppressor? The captive exile hasteneth that he may be loosed, and that he
should not die in the pit, nor that his bread should fail. But I am the Lord thy God, that
divided the sea, whose waves roared: The Lord of hosts is His name. And I have put My
words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of Mine hand." Isaiah
51:11-16.
"Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted, and drunken, but not with wine: Thus saith
thy Lord the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people, Behold, I have taken
out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of My fury; thou shalt
no more drink it again: but I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee; which
have said
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to thy soul, Bow down, that we may go over: and thou hast laid thy body as the ground, and
as the street, to them that went over." Verses 21-23.
The eye of God, looking down the ages, was fixed upon the crisis which His people are to
meet, when earthly powers shall be arrayed against them. Like the captive exile, they will
be in fear of death by starvation or by violence. But the Holy One who divided the Red Sea
before Israel, will manifest His mighty power and turn their captivity. "They shall
be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels; and I will spare
them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." Malachi 3:17. If the blood of
Christ's faithful witnesses were shed at this time, it would not, like the blood of the
martyrs, be as seed sown to yield a harvest for God. Their fidelity would not be a
testimony to convince others of the truth; for the obdurate heart has beaten back the
waves of mercy until they return no more. If the righteous were now left to fall a prey to
their enemies, it would be a triumph for the prince of darkness. Says the psalmist:
"In the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His
tabernacle shall He hide me." Psalm 27:5. Christ has spoken: "Come, My people,
enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it were for a
little moment, until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His
place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity." Isaiah 26:20, 21.
Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have patiently waited for His coming and
whose names are written in the book of life.
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