THE TIME OF TROUBLE by E. S. WALKER.

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 10, 1861

THE TIME OF TROUBLE.

By E. S. WALKER.

THERE are two noted times of trouble brought to view in the word of God: the one is in the past and the other is now at hand. That in the past is recorded by Matthew, in chap. xxiv, 21: "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever shall be." This time of trouble was particularly upon the people of God. The scripture just quoted is the language of the Saviour, spoken to his disciples alone, or privately. Jesus went out and departed from the temple; "and as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. xxiv, 3.

The Saviour, there alone with his disciples in a private manner, tells them of things which were to come to pass prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, and of the end of the world. He there tells them what was to befall his followers in coming time: that they should be delivered up to be afflicted, and should be killed, and hated of all nations for his name's sake. In the first fourteen verses of this chapter, the Saviour, in a chain of prophecy, links together incidents which were to take place between that time and the end of the world. In verse 15, he goes back part of the way and takes up another chain, linking other incidents together

which were to take place before his second advent into the world; and in verses 21 and 22, he appears to cover a period of some 1600 years. There alone with his disciples upon mount Olivet, he looks down the stream of time. He appears to notice nothing but the tribulations, trials and persecutions that his followers were to pass through. He sees them expiring upon the cross, led to the stake, their bodies sawn asunder, being preyed upon by wild beasts, and punished by all the modes of torture which wicked men and devils could invent. Then with this view before him, being aware of the trials and tribulations which God's people had passed through up to that time, he tells his disciples what they should expect: that there should be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no nor ever should be; and, while beholding the immense numbers of his followers who would be slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held, he tells them that except those days should be shortened there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days should be shortened. Thus he gives them the promise that for the elect's sake, those days of tribulation should be shortened; and history records the fact that they were shortened.

This time of trouble was to come upon the followers of the Saviour. It commenced in the days of the apostles, by Nero, which occurred prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, in which the apostle Peter was crucified and Paul was beheaded, and in which many thousand christians were slain. This was followed at intervals under different heathen emperors by nine other successive persecutions. The second general persecution was under Domitian, which occurred after the destruction of Jerusalem. It was under this persecution that the apostle John was banished to the isle of Patmos. Under that persecution it was estimated that about forty thousand suffered martyrdom. Ten thousand suffered that one kind of cruel death—crucifixion, in the third persecution under the emperor Adrian.

Under the fourth persecution, which began about the year A. D. 162, many suffered martyrdom in England. Thus it continued until the tenth or last, which occurred just before Constantine the great came to the throne. According to history, those who were during this time in authority, set themselves with the utmost violence to root out christianity, by burning all Bibles, and destroying all christians, and therefore they did not stand to try and convict them in a formal process, but fell upon them wherever they could find them. Sometimes they set fire to houses where multitudes were assembled, burning them all together. At other times they slaughtered such immense numbers that they were quite tired out with the labor of killing them; and in some populous places so many were slain together, that the blood ran like torrents. It is related that seventeen thousand martyrs were slain in one month. And that during the continuance of this persecution, in the province of Egypt alone no less than one hundred and forty-four thousand died by the violence of their persecutors, besides seven hundred thousand who died through the fatigues of banishment, or the public works to which they were condemned.

The persecutions we have mentioned are not near all the trials and tribulations to which the followers of Christ were subjected by their heathen persecutors, but are sufficient to show that their troubles were great, and that they endured great tribulation.

But their persecutions did not cease here. There was but a little respite given to them between Pagan and Papal Rome during the transition from Paganism to Papacy, when it commenced again, and continued at intervals, with more or less violence, until the times of the reformation, when it was far more dreadful and terrific than before; so much so, that many suppose that this persecuting power which is referred to by Daniel under the symbol of a "little horn," and by Paul as the "man of sin," was the one exclusively referred to by the Saviour. Be this as it may, it is certain that this last was referred to, and I think the first also. The heathen persecutions were very dreadful, but the persecutions of the church of Rome were studied and cultivated as an art or science in their hellish courts of inquisition. During the dark ages, as they are called, the Dragon appeared to be in a measure content, as there was very little practical christianity in the world. But when the reformation commenced, his ire was kindled, and he renewed the persecution of the saints with new zeal. Terrible persecutions then arose in various parts of Germany, and especially in Bohemia, which lasted for thirty years, in which so much blood was shed that a certain writer compares it to the plenty of waters of the great rivers of Germany. The countries of Poland and Hungary were in like manner deluged with Protestant blood. Holland and the low countries were for many years a scene of nothing but the most affecting and amazing cruelties, being deluged by the blood of Protestants. France also has been a scene of dreadful cruelties suffered by the Protestants. The persecutions commenced in the year 1571, in the reign of Charles IX. It began with a cruel massacre, wherein seventy thousand Protestants were slain in a few days, as the king boasted; and in all this persecution was slain, as is supposed, three hundred thousand martyrs. And it is estimated that about this time, within thirty years, there were martyred in this kingdom over nine hundred thousand persons, comprising all grades of society, from the prince to the peasant.

But all these persecutions were, for cruelty, far exceeded by those which occurred in the reign of Louis XIV, which indeed are supposed to exceed all others, and being long continued, by the long reign of that king, they almost wholly extirpated the Protestant religion from that kingdom. There was also a severe persecution in England in queen Mary's time, wherein great numbers in all parts of the kingdom were burned alive. Scotland was also the scene, for many years, of cruelties and blood. Ireland was as it were overwhelmed with Protestant blood. In the days of king Charles I, about two hundred thousand Protestants were cruelly murdered in that kingdom in a few days, the Papists by a secret agreement rising at an appointed time intending to kill every Protestant in the kingdom at once. Besides there have been cruel persecutions in Italy and Spain, and other places. Thus did the Devil through his emissaries rage with such fury against the people of God, that, had not those days of persecution been shortened, no flesh (that is, no christians) would have been found upon the earth, but for the sake of the people of God those days were shortened.

Such then is a brief account of the persecutions and trials endured by the followers of the Saviour, and referred to by him in his conversation with his disciples upon the mount of Olives. In this he was talking to his disciples, and talking of his followers in coming time, and had no allusion to the wicked and ungodly world. But there is a time of trouble spoken of in the Scriptures which has to do with the wicked. This time of trouble is to come upon the whole world; and although this too is to be a trying time to the people of God, they have the promise that they shall be saved out of it. This time of trouble is brought to view in the following scriptures: "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. xii, 1. "Alas! for the 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." Jer. xxx, 7. "A noise shall come, even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh, he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord." Jer. xxv, 31.

Then this time of trouble, unlike the first, is to come upon all the world, with this difference, however, between the wicked and the righteous: it is to come upon the wicked unawares, as a thief in the night; but the righteous are to know when it is near, and be enabled to make the necessary preparations to escape the things that are coming upon the earth. We are informed that "the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand" [Dan. xii, 10]; that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived; and that because they received not the love of the truth, "God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness," having their minds wholly engrossed with the things of this world; but the righteous are to occupy the position of pilgrims and sojourners on this earth, having their citizenship in heaven; and during the time of trouble, occupy a waiting position, in expectation of the return of their Lord.

This state of things is to occur just prior to, and in connection with, this time of trouble. Let us look about us and see whether we are not now nearing this momentous time; whether it is not nigh, even at the doors. The days of the tribulation and persecution of the people of God were to be shortened. It was done. Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun was to be darkened, the moon was to not give her light, and the stars were to fall from heaven, all this has become a subject of history. There was to be a peace-and-safety cry proclaimed. It has been meeting its fulfillment in the modern doctrine of a temporal millennium. Satan, knowing that his time is short, just prior to his destruction, is to work with all power and signs and lying wonders. Behold its opening fulfillment in Spiritualism. Evil was to go forth from nation to nation. It is now going. Our own nation has been visited, and is now in the midst of a terrible rebellion.

Have not all the signs that were to precede Christ's second advent either been fulfilled, or are they not now meeting their fulfillment? We think they are. If then, we are correct in our conclusions, how important that we should realize it and speedily get on the whole armor of God, so that we may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand; for we have but a short time to work. "For He will finish the work and cut it short in righteousness; because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth," Rom. ix, 28. "Thus saith the Lord God: an evil, an only evil, behold is come. An 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 will 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 the Lord that smiteth. Behold the day, behold it is come: the morning is gone forth." Ezekiel vii, 5-10. Yes, the morning, or commencement of the time of trouble is soon to go forth. The sword is already in the land; and the pestilence and famine will soon follow. "They who are in the field shall die with the sword, and he that is in the city, famine and pestilence shall devour him. All hands shall be feeble, and all knees shall be weak as water. They shall also gird themselves with sackcloth, and horror shall cover them, and shame shall be upon all faces, and baldness upon all heads. They shall cast their silver in the street, and their gold shall be removed; their silver and their gold shall not be able to deliver them in the day of the wrath of the Lord." Eze. vii.

Although the time of trouble is upon us, it is still tempered with mercy. God's anger is enkindled against the nation; but his arm is stretched out still, and all who will may come and obtain salvation while Christ still occupies the office of a mediator.

Sinner, would you escape the perils of the last days? Would you be saved out of the trouble that is coming upon the world? Would you be saved from famine and from the noisome pestilence? Then make the Lord your shelter and your fortress while mercy may be sought and pardon may be found. Come while Christ is still pleading in the heavenly sanctuary. Come while the Father is still willing to be gracious. Come while all heaven is interested in your salvation. Come while holy angels are still wooing you. O come before they take their everlasting flight, and you are given over to hardness of heart and reprobacy of mind. Will you not come now and seek salvation? for now is the only acceptable time, behold now is the day of salvation. To-morrow may be too late. Then while mercy still lingers, O come and obtain salvation, so that you may be hid in the day of the Lord's fierce anger.

Soon it will be said to the righteous, "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: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain." Isa. xxvi, 20, 21. E. S. WALKER.