1. The Silent Time of Trouble
A couple of weeks ago I referred to these present days as “this time of silent trouble.” I would
like to examine that idea further this week, as I believe it is important not only for our own
edification, but also as a way to explain the signs of the times to any Christian believers with
whom we speak.
First of all, we need to establish what, Biblically, a “time of trouble” actually is. We use the
phrase quite frequently, and assume (at least among ourselves) that we have some understanding
of what the term means. Much of our imagery, as Adventists, comes from some degree of
familiarity with the writings of Ellen White. While this is valuable, the foundation of our
understanding must be rooted in the Scriptures themselves, therefore we should begin our
examination with the verses that reference this period of time.
Although various times of trouble are mentioned in different Books, these are generally times of
personal difficulty for the individual authors. The first clear mention of this as the end-time
event is in the Book of Job, which is one of the earliest written. We read, “Hast thou entered into
the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved
against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” (Job 38:22, 23) This description
is particularly significant, as we will see shortly.
The next mention is found in this passage: “For thus saith Yahweh, We have heard a voice of
trembling, of fear, and not of peace. Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child?
Wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and 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 [Judah] shall be saved out of it. For it shall come to pass in that day, saith
Yahweh of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy bonds, and
strangers shall no more serve themselves of him.” (Jer 30:5-8)
Although it is clear that this is the time preceding the final day of judgment, since is described as
unique in nature, called in Joel “the great and terrible Day of Yahweh,” when “the sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood,” (Joel 2:31) it is interesting that Jeremiah calls
upon the record of Genesis when describing it. This is called the day of “Jacob’s” trouble, and if
we read the account, we find this of that day:
“And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And
when He saw that He prevailed not against him,He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the
hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with Him.
“And He said, ‘Let me go, for the day breaketh.’ And he said, ‘I will not let thee go, except thou
bless me.’ And He said unto him, ‘What is thy name?’ And he said, ‘Jacob.’

2. “And He said, ‘Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel, for as a prince hast thou
power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.’” (Gen 32:24-28)
This passage actually reveals to us very much about the nature of the Day, if we read it with
wisdom; but let us complete our survey of references first.
Here is another: “Thus saith the Lord Yahweh, An evil, an only evil, behold, is come. An end is
come, the end is come: it watcheth for thee; behold, it is come. The morning is come unto thee, O
thou that dwellest in the land: the time is come, the day of trouble is near, and not the sounding
again of the mountains. Now will I shortly pour out my fury upon thee, and accomplish mine
anger upon thee: and I will judge thee according to thy ways, and will recompense thee for all
thine abominations.
“And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy
ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am Yahweh
that smiteth.” (Ezek 7:5-9)
This shows quite a contrast. It is clear that Ezekiel is prophesying to two classes of people. To
one class, the Day that comes is the “morning,” the end of the evils and abominations in the land.
To the other class, it is a day of destruction, an “end,” and a revelation of the anger of the
Almighty. This, also, shows something of the nature of that Day.
In one of the most common references to the Time of Trouble, and the last in the Old Testament,
we read, “And 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, every one that shall
be found written in the Book.” (Dan 12:1)
There is much in common between Daniel and Ezekiel. Here again we see a split between those
who are redeemed through this troublesome time, and those that are destroyed. And yet, all go
through the time, both the wicked and the redeemed, although some, who do not understand the
last prophecies, believe that the Church will be “removed” from the earth before this time.
Now, from these references we may compile quite a bit of information.
1) It is a time associated with the “end,” not only chronologically, near the end of human history,
but also as an end to wickedness and abomination on the earth.
2) It is associated with “hailstones,” as we read from the Book of Job (its first reference) and
from the Book of Revelation (its’ last reference). We read, with regard to that, “And the seventh
[final] angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of
heaven, from the throne, saying, ‘It is done.’ And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven,

3. every stone about the weight of a talent; and men blasphemed Yahweh because of the plague of
the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great.” (Rev 16:17, 21)
3) It arrives at a time when humanity is divided into two classes, those who are redeemed by the
events of the Time of Trouble, and those that are destroyed thereby.
4) Those who are destroyed by the Time of Trouble are subjected to the anger of the Creator,
because of their “ways” and their “abominations,” not only in terms of what they do, but also
those that they allow in the “midst” of them. This has connections to the Mark of The Beast,
which may be taken in the forehead (deliberately) or in the hand (allowed).
5) Those who are redeemed through the Time of Trouble undergo a transformative experience.
This is the reason why it is called the time of “Jacob’s” trouble. He entered the trial as Jacob,
and he emerged as Israel, the Overcomer.
We could speak of any of these points at length, but this fifth one is that which is most
immediately useful for us, so let us focus on that. We must examine Jacob’s experience to see
just what this transformation was, or else we will fail to recognize the time when it comes (and
has come) upon us, and how we may be overcomers with Yahweh through it.
The Time of Trouble is a wrestling-match. It is described three different times, with three
different (apparent) opponents. In the Book of Genesis, Jacob is wrestling with a “man.” In
Hosea 12:4, the man is identified as an “angel,” and yet again in Genesis, when Jacob is
reflecting on his experience, he says, “I have seen Elohim face to face, and my life is preserved.”
(Gen 23:30)
There is one Being in all the universe that may rightly be described as fully man, and fully God,
and also (as Adventists know) at least at one time fully angel. Each of these three witnesses is
fully correct, because Jacob wrestled with Yahshua in those nightly hours, and was victorious
because of his faith.
Now, what makes this experience unique is that Jacob was not wrestling an enemy. In human-
to-human competitions, each side is trying to prevail over the other. This is not the case when
Yah wrestles with mankind. When He permits man to fall into trials, to experience temptation, it
is not a contest to get him to fail. It is not a trap or a competition, for in this sense “Yahweh
cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man.” (James 1:13)
Jacob and the last-day saints wrestle not with one who is truly trying to destroy them, but with a
Divine Friend. It is difficult, in the moment, to consider that the one exerting effort against you
is on your side, and when human beings go through various trials, the flesh insists that it is being
unjustly subjected to difficulty.

4. But the purpose of the trial is for
humans” to something greater, so
glory of the Creator Himself.
Now as Adventists, we have be
trouble will be a great shaking o
so on. Yet we find ourselves, to
the SDA Trademark Lawsuits,
perspective, this may cause som
(perhaps even within) to wonder
has not taken a “break;” and whi
to symbolism such as the four an
blow... and we know that they are
But now, here is a question for y
it means. If the angels are holdi
their foreheads, (Rev 7:3) then w
our interpretation of prophecy is
To answer the question above,
silence. They must be sealed (tr
struggle. So... if Jacob’s time of
must be transformed, and sealed
Adventists have been taught to e
the time we are in?
Shall we wait for the Dragon to
cannot be. It is now that we are
“I will not let you go, unless you
6:9) because it is not yet the time
It is in silence that Yah’s people
herding sheep for forty years, tha
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or refinement, for – as I said – transformation. W
, something that both shares and reveals the divin
been taught to expect, whether officially or not,
of the earthly powers, destruction, fleeing to the
today, being persecuted – in a sense – by the Bea
s, and yet in a time of (apparent) peace. From
ome to question our interpretation of prophecy,
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hile we may claim that Yah is protecting us, whi
angels holding back the winds of strife, we know
are held back for a specific purpose.
you to consider... and if the answer seems obviou
lding back the winds of strife UNTIL Yah’s peo
when are those people sealed? Let us see, as we
is perfectly in line with Biblical history.
e, clearly, they must be sealed in a time of rel
(transformed in a time of trouble) in the period b
of trouble is what transformed him from man to
ed, before the winds of strife blow, before that tim
expect global persecution, then shall we not aw
to roar against us to say, “Now I will work for
re wrestling with the Angel, to see who will cling
ou bless me,” to see if any will grow “weary in w
e for harvest, and thus be sifted out of the spiritu
le are prepared for the visible struggle. It was in
that Moses was prepared for His conflict with Pha
as after this time of silent preparation that Moses
s in silence that Noah waited in the Ark for th
nts of rain. He and his family entered, and Yah
it was seven days until the destruction began. (
t wonder what thoughts, what temptations, may
s family... except that they knew Yah had dire
the sign of Yah’s voice, and Yah’s shutting the
We go from “mere
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t, that the time of
the mountains, and
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, and cause some
vacation. Surely he
hile we may point
w those winds will
ious, consider what
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e answer this, that
relative peace and
before the visible
to Israel, and if we
time during which
awaken and realize
r Yahweh?” That
ng to Him and say,
n well-doing” (Gal
tual nation.
in the wilderness,
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ses could bring the
the coming of the
ah shut the door...
. (Gen 7:10) We
have come upon
irected them; they
he door, to remind

5. them that, although nothing visible was happening, this was according to His perfect will.
Consider how this may be applied also to our day.
So then, how will it be with us? Are we taking advantage of this time
of preparation? It is a time of trouble, mentally, spiritually, because
Satan attempts to distract us from the stakes, the sinfulness of sin and
the glory of holiness, without the dragon right before our faces. But it is
such a people as this that the Father seeks, those who trust His Word
beyond their limited senses, and know that the enemy is there, even
when he lurks in the shadows, to know that the rain will come, and that
Yah’s voice can be trusted, even if a time of relative quiet passes over.
I have said it is a dangerous time, this silent trial, and so it is... but not
only for the people of Yah. There is also a danger for the world in this:
it can be more difficult to effectively evangelize, because there is little
apparent urgency with regard to global events. SDAs know this... it is why they are constantly
examining every shred of evidence that supposedly leads to the National Sunday Law being on
the immediate horizon. They must do this, to convince themselves that their outdated
information is still relevant, and also to inject an artificial sense of urgency into their
outreaches... all while ignoring the corporate evil that they do in the name of God.
But it is still possible to evangelize with the truth. In such a time as this, souls can be brought to
the moment of decision by focusing on the inner struggle against sin, personal salvation. This is
also why the Three Angels’ message must be taken in order; the personal victory, the personal
reliance on Christ for salvation, this must be the focus, while at the same time educating others
about what the Mark of The Beast actually is. But the Victory doctrine must be clearly
understood and then firmly grasped; after that, and only after that, can the principles be
generalized to the world, with regard to the SDA Trademark, with a true sense of the coming
judgment, and the time of visible trouble.
I would like to conclude tonight’s study with a warning, and it is this, that history easily repeats
itself.
The mainstream Seventh Day Adventist Church has had its silent time of trouble, and it has been
found wanting. While today SDA believers discuss the coming of the National Sunday Law, the
truth is that many decades ago A.T Jones and others successfully prevented the Sunday Laws
from being passed in the US, and the SDA Church had the opportunity, at that time, to be
transformed into the triumphant Church.
Sadly, it did not take advantage of the angel holding back the winds of strife, to accept the
sealing message brought at that time by that same Jones and others, and to prepare for the return
of the Dragon’s wrath. In the apparent lack of danger it became passive, slothful, and it was not

6. sealed. The angel held back the winds of strife, but the people were not sealed, so the Garden, the
Vineyard, passed to new keepers.
Creation 7th Day Adventism
flyingcreature@hotmail.com
Question: How can SDA church members be tested and shaken by a National Sunday Law in the U.S, when the
General Conference Corporation of SDAs has actively support the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) for
their own protection? Please Google the blog: What is the RFRA? Why should Adventists and U.S Citizens
care? Times and developments have changed my beloved.