2007-06-15 The Time of Trouble

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in IAUA (ee-ah-oo-ah) our Father, Greetings on this day of preparation for the weekly Sabbath. I hope this newsletter finds you in good health and happy in the service of the Lord. This is the 29th day of the 3rd month of God's Sacred Calendar. It is twelve weeks and five days until the beginning of the Fall Sacred Holydays starting with the evening of the 1st day of the 7th month which is Trumpets Sabbath (Thursday, September 13 on the 2007 Gregorian calendar). The motto of this ministry is "Preparing for the End of Time". It is not possible to prepare for the end of time without addressing the topic of the coming "Time of Trouble". As I indicated in a previous newsletter "2005-02-18 The Time of Trouble", I will be able to address just a portion this major topic in the confines of a brief newsletter. One of the reasons I am drawn back to this subject, is that I have spoken against a common belief that the time of trouble is three and a half years. A reader has provided me with a document which explains the belief in a far more satisfactory manner than anything I have ever heard before. A couple of years of additional Bible study since that newsletter also provide a different perspective. There are several reasons I will present about why I now accept that belief as reasonable. Now that I am going to address this subject again I am going to be a little more thorough. In particular I am not going to assume that the phrase and concept "time of trouble" is well understood. This study will begin with an examination of the Bible texts on this topic. This topic will probably occupy several installments of the newsletter. This will be valuable because the coming time of trouble such as never was is drawing very close. The first observation I would like to make is that the entire reign of sin on this earth is a "time of trouble". Genesis 3:16-19 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. 17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. The experience of Egyptian slavery was also a special "time of trouble" with illustrations and prophetic examples to consider. Exodus 1:11-14 11 Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. 12 But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. 13 And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: 14 And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour. The experience of Babylonian captivity was also a special "time of trouble" with illustrations and prophetic examples to consider. This trouble occurred because of sin and disobedience. Many of the prophecies warning of the Babylon captivity and eventual release have dual applications to end-time fulfillments. Babylon is symbolic of the final corrupt powers of sin. At the end of time, Babylon is destroyed instead of Jerusalem. A study of II Chronicles chapter 36 is valuable for an overview of this event. The destruction of Jersualem in 70 AD is a type of the "time of trouble" and is used as a parallel of the "end of time" by the Messiah. This is a classic example of a prophecy that has dual applications. In the discussion of events of the end of time, He mentions the "time of trouble" ("great tribulation") and refers to the book of Daniel. Matthew 24:15-21 15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: 17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 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. Revelation also speaks of the time of great tribulation. Revelation 7:14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. The Old Testament is again the first source of information about the final "time of trouble". Daniel 12:1 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. This chapter in Daniel contains a prophecy of a 1260 day (three and a half year period), a 1290 day period and a 1335 day period. Kenneth Cox has made the observation that the times and days in chapter 12 are a different wording in Hebrew from Daniel 7:25 and Daniel 8:14. He suggests that they can be interpreted as literal time and not prophetic time. It is also practical to assume that they can have fulfillments both ways. Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Daniel 12:11-12 11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. This leads to the idea of a three and a half year "time of trouble". It is interesting to calculate backwards with these numbers. Let us assume these periods all start at the same time and that the patient wait ends at the return of the Messiah at Tabernacles which is the 15th day of the 7th month. Then something significant is expected to occur 45 days before that at approximately the 1st day of the 6th month. Thirty days before that is the 1st day of the 5th month. Three and a half years before that would be the 1st day of the 11th month. These dates do not line up well with yearly Sabbaths which we expect to be times of significant events. There is a need of greater revelation from the Holy Spirit to understand the meaning of these things This will probably only occur as the final events are unfolding. This is one reason I can now accept the possibility of a three and a half year time of trouble. Next week I will discuss another possibility based on the Spirit of Prophecy. I pray that we may all continue to strive for love, peace and unity in truth preparing for the soon coming of IAUShUO (ee-uh-oo-shoo-oh) Messiah, the Son of God. Shabbat Shalom, Frank T. Clark Webmaster@IAUA.name www.IAUA.name Next: 2007-06-22 The Time of Trouble II

Revised 2007-06-22