{Chapter 39: The Time of Trouble}
Please be advised to read the whole book of the Great Controversy to get Context.
#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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 613
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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."
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 613
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 613-614
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Every case has been decided for life or death. Christ has made
the atonement for His people and blotted out their sins.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 613-614
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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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614
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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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614
******* #7 *******
The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation; the Spirit of
God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614
#8
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614
#9
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614
#10
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614-615
#11
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 614-615
#12
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 615
#13
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 615
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 615
#15
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 the people liberty,
after a certain time, to put them to death.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 615-616
#16
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 616
#17
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 616
#18
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 618
#19
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 618
#20
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 618
*** #21 ***
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 618-619
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Their faith does not fail because their prayers 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."
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620
#23
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620
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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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620
#26
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620
+++++++ #27 +++++++
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620-621
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They feel 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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 620-621
#29
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 621
******* #30 *******
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 621-622
#31
We should now acquaint ourselves with God by proving His promises.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 622
#32
Angels record every prayer that is earnest and sincere.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 622
#33
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 622
#34
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 nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their
righteousness." Ezekiel 14:20.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 622-623
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 622-623
My Note: The Key to becoming an Overcomer. When going through the Jacob Time Of Trouble, we will have to leave all earthly things behind because we will soon see Jesus Christ appear in the Sky to take us to Heaven. This Earth will be Destroyed with everything in it. Jesus Christ have laid aside treasures for you in Heaven. But the treasures should not be the reason to want to go to heaven, but the reason should be of who Jesus Christ is to you, a friend and your Creator. Read Colossians 3:1-2/Matthew 6:20
My Note: Jesus Christ did not set his HEART on Earthly Things when he was being Tempted in the Wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), He Set His Heart on Heavenly Things, Scriptures, the Word. That is how he overcame and continue to overcome during His life here on earth. Satan could not find nothing EARTHLY in Him to tempt Him with, therefore Jesus Christ Knew no Sin and thus no Sin is, was , and will be in Him.
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 623
My Note: The Key to becoming an Overcomer. When going through the Jacob Time Of Trouble, we will have to leave all earthly things behind because we will soon see Jesus Christ appear in the Sky to take us to Heaven. This Earth will be Destroyed with everything in it. Jesus Christ have laid aside treasures for you in Heaven. But the treasures should not be the reason to want to go to heaven, but the reason should be of who Jesus Christ is to you, a friend and your Creator. Read Colossians 3:1-2/Matthew 6:20
My Note: Jesus Christ did not set his HEART on Earthly Things when he was being Tempted in the Wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11), He Set His Heart on Heavenly Things, Scriptures, the Word. That is how he overcame and continue to overcome during His life here on earth. Satan could not find nothing EARTHLY in Him to tempt Him with, therefore Jesus Christ Knew no Sin and thus no Sin is, was , and will be in Him.
#37
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 623-624
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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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 624
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 624-625
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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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 625
#41
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 625
#42
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 625
**** #43 ****
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 626
#44
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 626
#45
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 627
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These plagues are not universal, or the inhabitants of the earth
would be wholly cut off. Yet they will be the most awful scourges
that have ever been known to mortals.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 628-629
#47
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 628-629
#48
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 629
#49
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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 630
#50
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 631
#51
Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet often in their
councils angels have been spokesmen.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 632
#52
The heavens glow with the dawning of eternal day, and like the melody
of angel songs the words fall upon the 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 Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 632-633
#53
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 634
#54
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.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 634
#55
Glorious will be the deliverance of those who have
patiently waited for His coming and whose names are written in the book of life.
The Great Controversy 1911 Edition, Page 634