In the first study we looked at the Scenes the in the social political and religious world. In the last study we looked at the events and issues behind the Scenes; that is the movements and significance of Satan's activity in this world. We were looking at the world at large. In the next three topics, starting with this study, we want to look at the same world, only through the eyes and the lives of the saints. That is, through Gods' people. How are they going to react to this, what it is going to mean to them.

We are considering today the issues to the saints, by the saints; and then we will consider the various reactions to this in the next two studies; what God is going to do for us, and what we are expected to do for God. We want to look at the basic issues today and evaluate what it means to us to face a time of trouble. During this time we are told that we will be shaken; now, the shaking is not something induced by God. Speaking with respect Peter's life, our Lord said that Satan desired to sift you. Satan would like to weed people out of the Kingdom of God. It is an erroneous concept to ever believe that the events that are taking place are some weeding activity on Gods part (That I think is blasphemous); that is not what these events are to mean to the saints. As early as 1850, E.G. White, talking to a little flock (who had actually not formed into a denomination until nearly a decade after that), told them that they were being shaken. They were being sifted; and over the next several years such comments were repeated. In the Church paper and private letters that were circulated about; it seemed to reach a focal point in the 1880's. Something happened after that, in fact around the turn of the century, about 1902, a statement was made that when this people were ready to be sealed, then the shaking would come. Indeed it had already begun, but one gets the feeling that it had been going on for a long period of time, had been arrested, and then they were told that when they were ready it would come. For those of you who remember a little bit about the his- tory of the Seventh-day Adventist movement , you will recall that a crises developed and came to a focus in 1888, in the Minneapolis General Conference, in which this people were confronted with new insights, old truth's but new insights, pertaining to Righteousness by Faith. There were not too many who really rejected this, and there were many who did that ultimately changed their minds; so those who say that the denomination rejected Righteousness by Faith, never really have studied their history. That is not so. In fact if you really want to examine the evidence, I would suggest that you read L.E. Froom's book Movement Of Destiny. While it was not really rejected, and formally accepted, they never caught fire. We were told as early as 1882, which was a little while before this, that we should have "`err this been in the kingdom". And the interpretation was given that the reason things had really not broken loose, the reason the test had not come, was that the people were not ready and God in His mercy, instructed the Angelic beings to hold the four winds. We had been getting droppings of this shaking, but never the full force that would be initiated by Satan whenever God gives the word; "let the winds go". Until God has a representation, until God has a people who can speak for Him, who can clarify the issues, it would not be merciful on His part to let His people be shaken. I want to consider with you today four aspects of this little time of trouble. We refer to the big time of trouble as Jacob's Time of Trouble, following the close of Probation, but we speak of the Little Time Of Trouble, as those calamitous events just prior to the close of Probation. During this time begins a witness by God's people which carries through the Big Time of Trouble, following the close of Probation, and this actually is a transition. The Revelation is not complete at the close of Probation; it reaches a crescendo following the close of Probation. The shaking, when it comes in its full impact, a brief time before everyone is called to make a decision (and it will be a brief time) the final movements will be rapid ones, and it then leads into this greater time of trouble following the close of Probation. I want to ask four questions about this time to facilit- ate your thinking. What is the NATURE of this shaking? What is the CAUSE of this shaking? What is the PURPOSE of this shaking? How can we be PREPARED for the full full impact of this shaking? NATURE, CAUSE, PURPOSE, PREPARATION; if you ask these kinds of questions, and go through the reading again I think you will find that there are seemingly unrelated facts which suddenly spring into focus. Often-times it is difficult to deal with so many different details, because we do not approach this study of Revelation in any real sort of organized way. Our function in leading out is not to really answer all of the detail, although we will take up as many as we can, but to give you some kind of global perspective, so that you can organize your thinking, and thus this fourfold approach to this little time of trouble. * * * * * - - - N A T U R E - - - What is it about this little time of trouble? So often we think in terms of events that are going to happen in the world around us. Now we must consider these, but these really are causes; the real nature of this shaking is some- thing that is going to take place within. There are some aspects of this within experience that help define the nature of this experience. The first is that this shaking, this little time of trouble, is going to be an individual experience. We will have to stand-alone. That is difficult for Seventh-day Adventists to realize, at least for those who have not reached the age of seventy or eighty, a generation has grown up in an antiseptic environment in which they have been protected and spoon-fed, but the earlier generations were much more individually oriented. We have so many gimmicks that helps us to relate our Christianity to life. We have the X-Church, we have the General Conference, we have the Sabbath- School Lesson, we have the Morning Watch; if you have any question you can write to the editor of the Review and Herald, or the Gleaner. You really don't have to think to be a Seventh-day Adventist today. It does not have to be an individual experience; it was not that way when the denomin- ation was formed. People had to really scratch for them- selves. It's very difficult to have an individual experience in terms of the trappings, which really are basically worthwhile, but we have been caught in a web of denomination- alism in which they are really not standing as individuals. We are told that many will be called to stand before govern- ment agencies and courts of law, to represent what we indi- vidually believe. At that time there will not be a Church organization. The reading in the compilations suggested, seem to say in the questions; will the Seventh-day Adventist Church fall, and no it will not. Now this is deceptive, because there will not be a Seventh-day Adventist Church as a denomination at that time. These references are very clearly to the Church of God of which hopefully Seventh-day Adventists will be a part. But, can you conceive of a Seventh-day Adventist organization maintaining the beliefs that we have, being permitted by gov- ernment to carryon their operation when they would be in violation of the Law if they stand up for what they believe? If you followed closely, two studies ago, when Babylon is fallen (and Babylon refers to the constellation of mans' efforts to organize religiously), When Babylon is fallen we would have to say that any religious organization that is in- tact is going to be Babylon. We are told that at this time the "Just shall live by faith", it will be an individual exp- erience. That is something we are going to have to keep in mind. What ever we are at that point, will not be buttressed by an organization. It is going to be you and God; it is going to be very individual. In fact the very particulars of the manifestation of the temptations is going to be very in- dividual; Satan would be kind of foolish to approach everyone in the same way. It is an interesting question to raise; If you were the Devil, How would you tempt you? That's kind of scary, but it might be worthwhile to ask. So the first ting we can say about this little time of trouble, this shaking, the real dynamics are going to take place on an individual level; it will be manifest for everyone in a different way. The second thing we must say about this Nature of this shaking and this sifting, is that it is going to be very intense. If you read the many references that refer to this time, you'll find statements that refer to the agonizing struggle that Gods' people have during that time. Our cages will be rattled, our little boats' will be on very big waves, and it will be very intense. I think that is significant because we live in a culture which is very concerned about equanimity, peace of mind, where we are relaxed, and we can be tranquilized. One of the great cultural goals is that we not be perturbed, not to be agitated. They’re myriad gimmicks to un-agitate us. We want to be tranquilized, we want to be comfortable. And to individuals who place a high value in never being shook, the intensity of this experience is going to be very trying. I'm not so sure that the best preparation for the time of trouble is to be relaxed. Perhaps those individuals who are having very intense struggles now, there is one blessing in disguise; it will be a very smooth trans- ition into this time. I think for many of us it will be quite a shock. But if we look at the dynamics of this exper- ience we would have to say it is going to be very intense. There is one other thing, which we can say about this experience, and that is that it is going to be very incisive. The word incisive means to cut, to penetrate; to make an incision, you cut. It's going to get right down to the very heart of the matter. You know that in Hebrews 4:12, the word of God is very sharp and powerful, a two edged sword, cutting right into the marrow and the matter of things. So whatever this test, it is going to be very basic, and we know that the issues are going to reside in this basic test of moral integ- rity; standing alone as individuals, under very intense cir- cumstances. The question is going to asked in the Universe; Will this person serve God out of pure love, when it seems that there is no earthly advantage? It will be very much like the experience that Job had. It seems that at that time our senses will betray us; judging simply from a human stand- point, it will not make sense. The very test that was first given to our first parents will be repeated in our in- dividual lives. You remember this test of these two trees; why eat of one and not the other? Was there something that could be determined by a sensed experience, could they by closer examination of these trees determine what they should do? Was there anything that conscience could tell them that they ought to do? No, it was based simply on a "Thus saith the Lord", as far as they could see. So why should they do that? The whole thing hinged on their personal relationship with God. Do they believe that He is that kind of a person, that can require that kind of allegiance; can they really trust Him as a person. Does God have to append some kind of goodies onto the structure of reality so that people will love Him and serve Him, or is there something in His character that will elicit that kind of response? This is going to be the quality that God is going to cut into. Does it exists in every individual? Do we have to have earthly support before we chose to serve God? That same issue will be reflected in what Seventh-day Adventists refer to as the Sabbath Test. Why worship on this day, and not another day; Say Sunday? There is nothing in nature that would help one to discover that this is the day that God has set aside for a spiritual date. It's rooted in the request of a person; will you do it on my terms, will you do it because you love me? But what if that collides with culture, what if it collides with government? Will you do it for My sake, will you do it because you love Me? When we have that basic integrity... Sometimes we are deceived by our own motives; sometimes the things that we really like to do we think that these things are evidence that we are loving. Sometimes we do these things because of what we can get out of it. It can be nice to be nice; there is nothing wrong with that. I'll scratch your back if you scratch my back. You see, you could be very selfish and do that; but what about in a situation where nothing is going to be done for you, almost like you are forsaken? Then, at that time, the only basis for making a decision will be, Do you love Jesus Christ enough, has He been so much a part of our lives that we would choose to serve Him; even though we were under some kind of economic boycott, even though we were derided, even though we were considered recalcitrant, militant, subversive, even worthy of being put to death? That's the basic decision; the whole Universe has been awaiting this moment. Can God have a people of individuals who will serve Him out of this pure love, with no other support? That kind of people would be great to populate the Universe with, you would all like to have neighbors like that; that would be loving even when it wasn't to their advantage to be loving, even when they don't feel like it and when you don't deserve it. But that would be God like you see; to have that kind of people, that people would be gracious, this is what grace means; to love a person even when they don't deserve it. God is like that; we refer to that as unmerited favor; but what it means is that God is that kind of person, He loves people whether they deserve it or not. It is based on His integrity and He wants us to reflect that. This now, Satan will cut right into. It's not simply a collection of proof texts about the Sabbath; we have been proving that for a long time. God is still waiting, because more important that just proving a day, is to have people live an experience; God doesn't want us just to sell or show people a bunch of ideas; He wants us to show them a life. When God this kind of people, when they are ready to be sealed, when they are ready to be settled into the truth, a mark which can be seen. They will be settled into the truth spiritually and intellectually, so that they cannot be moved; is what it means to be sealed. Then the four winds can be loosed and God will say to the Universe, "This is my people." He never had that people before. God never had a people that was visibilized in mass; He's waiting for that day. This is the nature of the shaking. * * * * *

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