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The Amish Voice 10
time of great trouble:
It will not last very long!
The Great
Tribulation that our Lord spoke about in Matthew 24:21 will
only last 3½ years. This is good news for those people who will
be living on earth during this time. God will not make this a
long time; He will make it a short time (see Matthew 24:22).
Even though it will be a very difficult time in which to live, the
good news is that it will be over soon!
World War II was a very terrible and difficult war, but one good
thing about it was that it only lasted about five years. Most
people do not enjoy sitting in the dentist's chair, but they do it
anyway because they know that it is needful, and they know that
they only have to sit there for a short time (usually for an hour
or less). It will soon be over! It you told them that they would
have to sit in the dentist chair for three days, they would
probably never do it!
When we get into times of trouble in our own lives, we need to
remember that the trouble will not last forever. There will be an
end to it. Job went through a time of great trouble and suffering.
Was there an end to it (James 5:11; Job 42:10-17)? ______
Joseph was thrown into a pit (Genesis 37:24). Did he stay in
that pit forever? _______ Joseph was also thrown into prison
(Genesis 39:20). Did he stay in prison forever? _____ The time
of great tribulation will not last forever. It will only last for 3½
short years.
The Worst Will Be Followed by the Best
The time of greatest trouble will be followed by the time of
greatest blessing! According to the Bible, what will happen
immediately after this time of great tribulation (see Matthew
24:29-30)? __________________________________________
___________________________________________________
___________________________________________________
The KING OF KINGS will return to this earth and set up His
kingdom on the earth!
Have you ever seen a thunderstorm approaching? Everything
gets very dark and then the storm begins and the thunder
crashes and the rain pours down. But then the storm passes, the
sun comes out, and everything is quiet and peaceful. There
might even be a rainbow in the sky! This is the way it will be on
earth after the stormy time of tribulation. The "sun" will come
out (see Malachi 4:2). Jesus Christ will return to this earth. It
will be a time of peace and blessing. It will be the most
wonderful time the world has ever known. The worst will be
followed by the best!
It is true that the worst days are still ahead. The time of great
trouble is coming. But it is also true that the best days are still
ahead. No matter how dark the days might be, we can pray,
"THY K______________________ C__________!" (Matthew
6:10). LET THY KINGDOM COME! After the storm, there is a
great day coming!
The Length of This Time of Great Trouble
In Daniel 9:27 the prophet talks about "ONE
W___________." He is talking about the one week before
Jesus Christ returns to this earth. This is a very special week.
Usually when we talk about a week we are talking about a time
period that is made up of seven days. But Daniel is not talking
about a week of days. He is talking about another kind of week.
He is talking about a WEEK OF YEARS. When Daniel spoke
of ONE WEEK he was talking about SEVEN YEARS! He was
talking about the seven years before Jesus Christ returns to
earth:
Also in Daniel 9:27 the prophet talks about "the midst of the
week." This means "the MIDDLE of the week." Remember, this
week is made up of seven years. If you put a line right in the
middle of this week, then you have divided this week into two
parts with each part being 3½ years:
The time of Great Tribulation that Jesus spoke of in Matthew
24:21 is the last 3½ years (the last half of this week). This time
of great trouble will take place during the 3½ years before Jesus
Christ returns to earth. The Bible uses different ways to describe
this 3½ year period of time:
1.
1,260 DAYS
(Revelation 12:6,14)
2.
_______ MONTHS (Revelation 11:2; 13:5)
3.
"A time, times, and half a time" (Revelation 12:14)
A time = l year
Times = 2 years
Half a time = half a year
What is the total number of years? _________
4. "A short time" (Revelation 12:12)
Time of Trouble,
Continued
Continued
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