Time of Trouble
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The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in heaven exclaiming:
“Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come
down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath
but a short time.”
Revelation 12:12
. Fearful are the scenes which
call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of
Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and
destruction will reach its culmination in the time of trouble.
Fearful sights of a supernatural character will soon be revealed in
the heavens, in token of the power of miracle-working demons. The
spirits of devils will go forth to the kings of the earth and to the whole
world, to fasten them in deception, and urge them on to unite with
Satan in his last struggle against the government of heaven. By these
agencies, rulers and subjects will be alike deceived. Persons will arise
pretending to be Christ Himself, and claiming the title and worship
which belong to the world’s Redeemer. They will perform wonderful
miracles of healing and will profess to have revelations from heaven
contradicting the testimony of the Scriptures.
The Crowning Deception
As the crowning act in the great drama of deception, Satan himself
will personate Christ. The church has long professed to look to the
Saviour’s advent as the consummation of her hopes. Now the great
deceiver will make it appear that Christ has come. In different parts
of the earth, Satan will manifest himself among men as a majestic
being of dazzling brightness, resembling the description of the Son of
God given by John in the Revelation.
Revelation 1:13-15
. The glory
that surrounds him is unsurpassed by anything that mortal eyes have
yet beheld. The shout of triumph rings out upon the air: “Christ has
come! Christ has come!” The people prostrate themselves in adoration
before him, while he lifts up his hands and pronounces a blessing
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upon them, as Christ blessed His disciples when He was upon the
earth. His voice is soft and subdued, yet full of melody. In gentle,
compassionate tones he presents some of the same gracious, heavenly
truths which the Saviour uttered; he heals the diseases of the people,
and then, in his assumed character of Christ, he claims to have changed
the Sabbath to Sunday, and commands all to hallow the day which
he has blessed. He declares that those who persist in keeping holy