God warns us about the earth’s horrific final destruction. The world has come to know it as the apocalypse. The seven angels who deliver the seven last plagues in Revelation 15 and 16 paint a terrifying picture of that time of great trouble.
References to the tribulation, however, indicate that the most devastating events won’t last long (Matthew 24:21-22). We also know that at some point before the final plagues are over, God’s people will be sealed and protected.
This sealing will be before Jesus comes in the clouds of heaven—after the verdict for each and every person on earth has been determined in the courts above during the pre-Advent judgment. Revelation 22:11 includes the solemn pronouncement, “He who is unjust, let him be unjust still…he who is righteous, let him be righteous still.” This might be considered our close of probation. Our cases have been decided and Jesus brings with Him our reward (Revelation 22:12).
Although the Holy Spirit is fully withdrawn from the wicked when probation closes, His powerful presence will remain with the righteous to help them survive the worst of the worst. Psalm 91:10 assures us that “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.”
Worth noting is that before Jesus comes, a strange thing happens that must be highly symbolic, but certainly useful in determining what is happening in the world. “And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.” (Revelation 16:13). What is the meaning of these three unclean frogs, coming out of three mouths?
A plausible explanation for this verse is found in The Great Controversy, p. 588, by Ellen G. White. She writes over a century ago,
“Through the two great errors, the immortality of the soul [the belief that our souls go directly to heaven or hell] and Sunday sacredness, Satan will bring the people under his deceptions.
“While the former [immortality of the soul] lays the foundation of spiritualism, the latter [Sunday sacredness] creates a bond of sympathy with Rome. The Protestants of the United States [the false prophet, with their differing, false beliefs] will be foremost in stretching their hands across the gulf to grasp the hand of spiritualism [the dragon’s first lie in the Garden that ‘you will not surely die’–Genesis 3:4]; they will reach over the abyss to clasp hands with the Roman power [the papacy, or the beast]; and under the influence of this threefold union, this country will follow in the steps of Rome in trampling on the rights of conscience.”
In recent years, Christians (both Protestants and Catholics) have united in previously unheard of ways, and are attempting to make the United States a Christian nation. By seizing control of governmental agencies and molding them to their false religious beliefs, we may soon find our religious freedoms grossly limited. The time of trouble may be much closer than many have thought.
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