Faith Over Possessions: Surviving the Time of Trouble

No, houses, lands, and hoarded food will be of no use and actually detrimental during the time of troubleExV 45.1+1. While God provides for our needs now through the harvest, the coming crisis will require a total reliance on His miraculous power rather than on physical stores or possessionsCCh 281.4+1.

🏠 Possessions and Properties

• Encumbrances to Faith: Houses and lands will be of no use to the saints because they will be forced to flee from their possessions before infuriated mobsExV 45.1+1.

• No Market for Sale: At that time, it will be impossible to dispose of property to advance the cause of truth; therefore, the Lord desires His people to cut loose from these encumbrances nowCS 59.4+1.

• The Altar of Sacrifice: If you place your property on the altar and ask God for duty, He will teach you the right time to dispose of these things so you are not weighed down by clogs during the crisisExV 45.1+1.

• Violence and Loss: Any food or property laid up in the field will be taken by violent hands, and strangers will reap the fields that were meant for the saintsHOMI September 1893, page 171.9+1.

🌾 The Futility of Hoarding Food

• Contrary to Divine Instruction: Making provision for temporal wants in the time of trouble is contrary to the BibleCCh 281.4+1.

• Supernatural Spoilage: Some who fear rising prices and buy food to lay it by will find that their stores breed worms and become unfit for use when the time of need arrivesBroadside2 January 31, 1849, par. 9.

• Economic Restrictions: The wicked will cut off resources so that the people of God can neither buy nor sell, making traditional means of sustenance impossible Revelation 13:172MR 207.5+1.

✨ God's Sure Provision

• Bread and Water are Sure: During this period, God will sustain His people; our bread and water will be sure, and we shall not suffer hunger Isaiah 33:16CCh 281.4.

• Miraculous Sustenance: If necessary, the Lord will spread a table in the wilderness, send ravens to feed His children as He did for Elijah, or rain down manna from heavenCCh 281.4.

• The Opportunity of Necessity: Human necessity becomes God's opportunity to impart strengthening power and sustain those who have made a covenant with Him by sacrifice Psalms 50:51T 206.1.

• Focus on Spiritual Preparation: Now is the time to lay up treasure in heaven and ensure the law of God is written in our hearts, rather than seeking to secure temporal goodsEW 57.2+1.

In summary, while we are to labor with our hands and be industrious now, the time of trouble will be a season where we must stand wholly by faith, trusting that the Lord, who owns the world and is rich in resources, will provide for every need1T 206.1+2.

The time of trouble is a period of unparalleled national calamity and religious persecution that concludes the history of this world, while the period immediately preceding it is a short interval of preparation known as the "commencement of the time of trouble"ExV54 3.4+1. This transition involves the closing of human probation and the movement of Christ within the heavenly sanctuaryEW 85.3+1.

🕒 The Commencement of the Time of Trouble

The period right before the plagues are poured out is a short duration specifically designated as the "commencement of the time of trouble"GP 90.7+1.

• Christ's Final Mediation: During this short period, Christ is still in the heavenly sanctuary finishing His work of salvation for mankindEW 85.3+1.

• A Time of Growing Unrest: While the work of salvation is closing, trouble begins to come upon the earth and the nations become angryExV54 3.4+1.

• The Latter Rain: It is during this specific time that the "latter rain" or the refreshing from the presence of the Lord is given to empower the loud voice of the third angelEW 85.3+1.

• Angelic Restraint: Though the nations are angry, they are held in check by heavenly messengers so as not to prevent the final work of the gospel from being completedGP 90.7+1.

• Preparation for the Plagues: This period is granted to the saints to revive and strengthen them, preparing their faith to stand through the subsequent outpouring of the seven last plagues1T 353.3+1.

🔥 The Great Time of Trouble

The great time of trouble begins once Jesus finishes His mediation in the sanctuary and the intercession for guilty humanity ceasesSH 105.3+1.

• Close of Probation: This period is marked by the solemn declaration that every case is unalterably fixed and the door of mercy is shut Revelation 22:11SH 105.3+1.

• Unrestrained Evil: When the Mediator steps out from between God and man, the restraint of the Holy Spirit is removed, and Satan takes entire control of those who refused to repentSH 105.3.

• National and Universal Calamity: Unlike previous tribulations that affected only the church, this is a time of national calamity such as never was since there was a nation Daniel 12:1DAR1909 322.3.

• The Seven Last Plagues: During this time, the wrath of God is poured out in the form of the seven last plagues upon those who have the mark of the beast Revelation 16:1-21SH 105.3.

• Living Without a Mediator: The righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor, having previously purified their souls through obedience to the truthLDE 229.4+1.

🛡️ The Time of Jacob's Trouble

A significant portion of the great time of trouble is characterized as "the time of Jacob’s trouble," a season of intense mental anguish and testing Jeremiah 30:7GP 93.1.

• Deep Soul Searching: Just as Jacob wrestled with the Angel, God’s people will experience a deep sense of their own unworthiness and will cry earnestly for deliverance Genesis 32:24-30Pr 276.1+1.

• A Trial of Faith: This period requires a faith that can endure weariness, hunger, and delay without faintingPr 276.1+1.

• Certain Deliverance: Although threatened with destruction and suffering from the pangs of hunger, those whose names are written in the book of life will be delivered Daniel 12:1ST November 27, 1879, par. 8+1.

• Purification of the Church: God permits this affliction to come upon His heritage for their purification and eternal good, ensuring they partake of His spirit and gloryLDE 153.4+1.

Yes, there is clear evidence for a "lesser" or early time of trouble and a "greater" time of trouble, which represent distinct phases of the final events1EGWLM 51.3+1. These periods are separated by the close of human probation and the cessation of Christ's work as High Priest in the heavenly sanctuaryGP 89.4+1.

The Early or Lesser Time of Trouble

This phase occurs while Jesus is still interceding in the sanctuary and before the plagues are poured out1EGWLM 147.6+1.

• Commencement of the Trouble: This "commencement" of the time of trouble is a short period where the nations are angry but are held in check by the four angels so the work of the third angel can be completed1EGWLM 99.1+2.

• Spiritual Refreshing: During this time, God's people receive the "latter rain" and the sealing of the living God, which prepares them for the trials ahead1EGWLM 51.3+2.

• The Loud Cry: Filled with the Holy Spirit, the church proclaims the Sabbath more fully and gives the loud cry, warning the world before probation closesGP 89.4+2.

• Political and Religious Crisis: Religious and political leaders will form an image to the beast and issue a universal Sunday law, leading to the persecution and martyrdom of some who stand for the truthGP 89.4+2.

• Signs of the End: Events such as the distress of nations, social unrest, and the repudiation of republican principles serve as signs that this period has begun Luke 21:25GP 90.7+1.

The Great Time of Trouble

The "great time of trouble" begins officially when Jesus finishes His priestly office, lays off His priestly robes, and puts on the garments of vengeanceGP 89.4+2.

• Close of Probation: At this point, the decree of Revelation 22:11 is issued: "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still... and he that is holy, let him be holy still" Revelation 22:11GP 89.4+1.

• Withdrawal of Restraint: The angels of God cease to hold the fierce winds of human passion, and the Spirit of God is finally withdrawn from the earth, leaving the wicked under the full control of SatanLDE 239.3+1.

• The Seven Last Plagues: This is the period of the "unmingled wrath of God," where the seven last plagues are poured out upon those who have the mark of the beastGP 93.1+2.

• Unparalleled Distress: It is described as a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation, involving the whole world in ruin more terrible than the destruction of Jerusalem Daniel 12:1LDE 239.3+1.

• Living Without a Mediator: The saints must stand through these terrific scenes without an intercessor in the heavenly sanctuary, relying entirely on the strength of Christ and the protection of mighty angelsBDOC 32.21+2.

The Time of Jacob’s Trouble

While it begins with the death decree just before the end of probation, this specific experience of intense mental anguish occupies most of the great time of troubleGP 93.1+1.

• Wrestling with God: Like Jacob wrestling with the angel, the saints experience a "night of anguish," fearing that every sin has not been repented of and they will fail to realize the Savior's promiseEP 130.4+2.

• Mental Anguish over Sin: Their distress is not a fear of physical persecution but a deep sense of their own unworthiness and a fear that God's name might be reproached through their defectsGP 93.1+1.

• Final Deliverance: This period ends when the saints, having cried day and night for deliverance, are finally freed by the voice of God Jeremiah 30:7SH 107.3+2.

It is a clear and solemn instruction that houses and lands will be of no use to the saints during the time of trouble1EGWLM 145.4+2. Therefore, the will of God is for His people to cut loose from every encumbrance and dispose of their homes and properties before the time of trouble actually beginsCCh 281.5+1.

🏠 Disposing of Property Before the Crisis

• Obstacles to Flight: If the saints were to hold on to their property until the time of trouble, these possessions would become like a mountain to crush them, as they will then have to flee from infuriated mobs1EGWLM 145.4+2.

• The Inability to Sell: Once the crisis has fully arrived, it will be impossible to sell or dispose of properties to advance the cause of present truth1EGWLM 145.4+1.

• Covenant by Sacrifice: Believers are encouraged to make a covenant with God by sacrifice, placing their property on the altar and asking Him for wisdom regarding when to sellCCh 281.5+1.

• A Source of Mourning: Those who cling to their possessions with selfish tenacity will later mourn that their property is useless, wishing they had instead used those resources to support the work of God while they had the chanceCS 58.2+1.

🕊️ Following God’s Individual Guidance

• Divine Timing: God does not require all of His people to sell their property at the exact same time; rather, He will teach each individual when and how much to sell according to the needs of the causeBroadside2 January 31, 1849, par. 9.

• The Role of Prayer: If you earnestly inquire of the Lord regarding your duty, He will make the path plain and reveal when it is the right time to let go of your home1EGWLM 145.4+1.

• Avoiding Rash Movements: While the message is to get out of the cities and eventually dispose of property, we must not act in a rush, in excitement, or in a rash manner that would lead to a great loss or future regretCL 25.2+1.

• A Means for the Gospel: Some are permitted to keep their property until a time of special need, at which point their duty is to sell so that the means can flow into the treasury to finish God's workBroadside2 January 31, 1849, par. 9+1.

🛡️ The Condition During the Trouble

• Freedom from Clogs: By disposing of houses and lands before the conflict intensifies, the saints will be free and have no earthly "clogs" to weigh them down during their final trial1EGWLM 145.4+2.

• Flight from Villages: In the heat of the time of trouble, the people of God will flee from the cities and villages and be pursued by the wickedLDE 121.2+1.

• Trusting in God's Shelter: During this final period, the righteous find their safety not in physical buildings, but in the secret of God's tabernacle and under the protection of holy angels Psalms 27:5GC 634.1+1.

• Preparation is Essential: Those who neglect this preparation will find themselves without a shelter when the plagues begin to fallEW 71.2.

Ultimately, the goal is to be in a position where our hearts are not fixed on earthly treasures, but on the incorruptible inheritance reserved in heaven for us 1 Peter 1:420MR 170.3+1. Every soul is encouraged to deal truly with themselves and ensure their treasure is laid up in the heavenly courts before the time of mercy closes Matthew 6:33CS 49.1+1.