What is “the Hour of Trial”?
(It’s Not Simply the Great Tribulation!)
Chapter 13 Preview: As explained in The Time After Jacob’s Trouble, Israel is the focal point of the Great Tribulation. The rest of the world will prosper under the supernatural power of the Beast, in part by thoroly pillaging the Israelite nations. After this, Elohim (God) will punish those people who were involved in the end time holocaust against the “twelve tribes” (now nations) of Israel. So what could this “Hour of Trial” be that affects the “whole world”—that is everyone who lives “on the earth”—at the same time?
There is only one reference to “the Hour of Trial” mentioned in the Bible:
Revelation 3:10 Since you’ve patiently obeyed My Word, I’ll protect you from the Hour of Trial that is coming to the entire inhabited world, to test those who live on the earth.—Gabriel Bible
The World English Bible uses the word “testing”.
The online Bible Greek Lexicon defines it as: “1) an experiment, attempt, trial, proving”
“An experiment”, “trial”, “testing” and “proving” are all different aspects of what is to take place in this generation!
Knowing what time period this is should be of interest to the end time Assembly (usually referred to as “church”), because it is our ticket away from what is obviously a dreadful situation.
Almost everyone, atheists, agnostics, pagans and Christians is aware of the Biblical concept of the “Great Tribulation”. However, almost no one seems to know that there are two very distinct end time periods of great trauma described in the Scriptural prophecies.
Actually, The Day of Yehovah (the “Lord”) is one of the most documented topics in the entire Bible. It is all about the destruction of a modern multi national government, much like Babylon of ancient times was.
The modern Babylon (a coalition of ten nations kingdoms north of israel) is extensively described in Revelation chapters 16 thru 18. “She” will easily entice the nations to become a hammer against Israel. But in the end, Elohim will “hammer” the “hammer of the whole earth”!
This chapter from Jeremiah is a succinct synopsis of the Book of Revelation! It briefly describes the captivity and Tribulation of “the children of ISRAEL AND the children of JUDAH” during the Great Tribulation as well as fully describing the time when Elohim will say to Israel’s enemies “your day has come, the time that I will visit you”. The question is: What purpose will the Great Tribulation serve? We need a “great answer”!
Jeremiah 50:23-35 See how is the hammer of the whole earth has been cut apart and broken, how Babylon has become a desolation among the nations! 24 I’ve laid a snare for you, and you are also taken, Babylon, and you weren’t aware, you were found and aught, because you’ve striven against Yehovah. 25 Yehovah has opened His armory, and brought out the weapons of His anger, because the Sovereign, Yehovah, leader of armies, has a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans. 26 Come against her from the utmost border, open her storehouses, throw her up as heaps, and destroy her completely, allow nothing of her be left. 27 Kill all her bulls, let them go down to the slaughter, woe to them! Their day has come, the time of their visitation. 28 The voice of those who flee and escape out of the land of Babylon, to announce in Zion the vengeance of Yehovah our Elohim, the vengeance of His Temple. 29 Call together the archers against Babylon, all those who bend the bow, encamp against her all around, don’t let anyone escape, compensate her according to her work, according to everything that she has done, do to her, because she has been proud against Yehovah, against the Kadosh [holy] One of Israel. 30 So her young men will fall in her streets, and all her men of war will be silenced in that day, declares Yehovah. 31 Look, I’m against you, you proud one, says the Sovereign, Yehovah, leader of armies, because your day has come, the time that I’ll visit you. 32 The proud one will stumble and fall, and no one will raise him up, and I’ll kindle a fire in his cities, and it will devour everyone who is around him. 33 This is what Yehovah said, leader of armies: The descendants of Israel and the descendants of Judah are oppressed together, and everyone who took them captive hold them fast, they refuse to let them go. 34 Their Redeemer is strong, Yehovah, leader of armies is His name, He’ll thoroly plead their cause, so that He can allow the earth to rest, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon. 35 A sword is on the Chaldeans, declares Yehovah, and on the inhabitants of Babylon, and on her princes, and on her wise men.
The Great Tribulation is the test tube of “the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world ....” It is not the test itself. The “Great Experiment” being conducted is for the purpose of determining the character of the people involved, whether they are the tormented or are the tormentors and their supporters! Only Israel is being tormented during this time period, which for them is the Great Tribulation. However the occupants of the whole world are part of the great “experiment”! Let’s take a very close look at the phrase “hour of trial”. The word peirasmos, “trial”, is translated into English from four separate Greek words. Let’s look at the particular Greek word that is used in the comment to the Philadelphian Assembly: “I also will keep you from the hour of trial”. It is usually translated as “temptation”. This experiment serves the same exact purpose as did Elohim’s first experiment with mankind in the Garden of Eden. The first experiment of this kind was to allow Satan to tempt Adam and Eve with forbidden fruit, to test their character. In this large scale experiment, some of the participants will pass. Hopefully you will!
Here is a link to the definition of “temptation” in the Greek.
The first meaning is “experiment”. Nothing of an apocalyptic nature is implied! During the Hour of Trial, Elohim will be conducting an experiment to judge the character of both Israel AND Israel’s captors! The Bible calls this experiment “the Great Tribulation”. After the experiment, during “the Day of Yehovah”, Elohim must eliminate those who failed the test!
The word “test” continues in the vein of thought about the Great Experiment. This particular test is being conducted to ascertain the quality of the character of the inhabitants of the earth.
... the Hour of Trial that will come on the entire inhabited world, to TEST those who live on the earth..
Here is a link to the definition of the word used for “test”, a word of similar derivation to that of “experiment”:
The Book of Revelation was primarily written to tell the Seven end time Assemblies what is going to happen just prior to the end of the age. From the vantage point of John’s vision it will happen “soon”. However the literal translation for soon is “quickly” or “speedily”, and this may refer to how quickly these events will take place once they begin to transpire. Hopefully, the Seven Assemblies will understand and benefit from the message at some point:
Revelation 1:1-2 THE Revelation of Yeshua (Jesus) Messiah, that Yehovah gave to Him to show to His servants—certain events that must of necessity soon take place. He revealed these events by sending His Messenger to His servant John. 2 He was a witness to the Word of Aloha [God] and to the Testimony of Yeshua Messiah [2] about everything he saw.
[2] The “Word of YHVH” (Yehovah) is the “Old Testament”, while the “Testimony of Yeshua” that John mentioned six times is what he was calling the “New Testament”.
Notice that it was not written to scare the “hell” out of non Believers.
John’s prophecy was sent to the concurrently existing Seven Assemblies of his age. Most assuredly, Elohim kept secret the fact that many centuries would pass before the kadishea) would see the fulfillment of these prophecies and particularly the initiation of the Everlasting Kingdom. This way, the kadishea of every century could have hope and pray “thy Kingdom come”.
The emphasis is on the Day of Yehovah. John the envoy (apostle) was told to write down “the things which you have [already] seen”, and “the things which will take place AFTER this”, as well as, of course, “the things which are” taking place during the central time line of the Book of Revelation—The Day of Yehovah. So we have additional information about the Tribulation preceding the Day of Yehovah, as well as some inspiring information about the inception of the Everlasting Kingdom and the New Jerusalem, following the Day of Yehovah.
Notice that the “prototypical” Seven Assemblies of the first generation of Believers coexisted simultaneously in the first century. By the close of the final generation of the kadishea (saints) of this age, the Seven “antitypes” of these Assemblies will have simultaneously fulfilled their own destinies. Are you in one of the Seven?
Revelation 1:10-11,19 I was in the spirit realm on YHVH’s Day, and I heard a loud voice behind me like a shofar that said, 11 “Write what you are seeing in a document and send it to the seven assemblies: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”... 19 So record what you have already seen, the things that presently are, and the things that are going to happen in the future.
The Hour of Trial will soon test those who live on earth. Many will fail the test and die—forfeiting the opportunity to live on over into the age to come and witness The Restoration of All Things. Some few will have received Elohim’s approval and will “be counted worthy to escape all these things that will happen”:
Luke 21:35-36 Like a hunter’s snare, it will spring shut on everyone else who lives on the face of the whole earth. 36 So always be vigilant and prayerful, so that you are worthy to escape everything that is about to happen and take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.
As when Elohim asked Abraham to offer (sacrifice) his son, He was really conducting a test of loyalty and faith. That test ultimately led to the greatest blessing a man could receive. Today, directly due to that test, Abraham’s descendants number “like the stars of the heavens, and like the sand which is on the seashore”. Multiple millions of people in primarily the English speaking nations are unaware that they are Abraham’s descendants. And we, the British Commonwealth in the 19th century and the Americans in the 20th century, have possessed all of the strategic sea “gates” of our enemies:
Genesis 22:8-18 Abraham said: Elohim will provide Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, son. So they both went together. 9 They came to the place that Elohim had told him of. Abraham built the altar there, and laid the wood in order, bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar, on the wood. 10 Abraham reached out his hand to take the knife and kill his son. 11 The Messenger of Yehovah called to him out of the sky: Abraham, Abraham!” He replied: Here I am.” 12 He said: Don’t lay a hand on the boy, or do anything to him, because now I know that you fear Elohim [Father], seeing that you haven’t spared your son, your only son, from Me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw that behind him was a ram caught in the thicket by his horns. Abraham went and got the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 Abraham named the place ‘Yehovah will Provide.’ As it’s called to today: On Yehovah’s mountain, it will be provided. 15 The Messenger of Yehovah called to Abraham a second time out of the sky, 16 and said: I’ve sworn by Myself, declares Yehovah, that because you’ve done this thing, and haven’t withheld your son, your only son, 17 that I’ll bless you greatly, and I’ll multiply your descendants greatly like the stars in the heavens, and like grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will own the gates of his enemies. 18 All the nations on earth will be blessed by your descendants, because you obeyed My voice.
We are now nearing the time when “the stars of the heavens” and “the sand which is on the seashore” will be tested all over the earth. This is another test being conducted by Elohim by which He will judge the character of Abraham’s descendants. Few of Elohim’s people even know that they are descendants of Abraham. However, the time is coming when Israel’s false “gods” of materialism and ignorance will be exposed. This will happen when our military “power is gone”.
Deuteronomy 32:35-38 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, at the time when their foot slides, for the day of their calamity is near. The things that are to come on them will hurry. 36 For Yehovah will judge His people, and have compassion on His servants, when He sees that their power is gone: There is no one remaining, shut up or left at large. 37 He’ll say: Where are their gods, the rock they took refuge in, 38 that ate the fat of their offerings, and drank the wine of their wine offering? They should rise up and help you! They should be protecting you.
The Great Tribulation, will expose all cowards. The Tribulation will reveal our heroes. The Tribulation will focus everyone’s minds on the essential issues of good and evil. The time by which Elohim judges the character of humanity, or lack of it, will be concentrated into a brief period of time. Those who choose evil will unknowingly be choosing “death”. This will happen before the “day of their (the rest of the world’s) calamity”.
Deuteronomy 30:19 Today, I am summoning heaven and earth to witness that I have set before you life and death, blessings or curses. Now choose life, so that both you and your descendants can live.
Those who seek to preserve their own lives without regard to the fate of others will lose their lives. Those who would rather die than do evil will either be spared and continue to live or else receive a martyr’s reward:
Luke 17:33-36 Anyone who tries to save their life will lose it, and anyone who is willing to lose their life will rescue it. 34 I tell you, on that night, two will be the same bed, one will be taken and the other left. 35 Two women will be grinding together. One will be taken and the other left. 36 Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left.
However, some will not have to endure the trial taking place “on the earth”:
Revelation 3:7-10 “To the Messenger of the assembly in Philadelphia write: ‘The One who is dedicated, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shuts, and shuts and no one opens, says: 8 I know your works. Look, I have put an open door in front of you that no one can shut, because you have a little strength and you’ve kept My Word and haven’t denied My name! 9 I have something for those of the cabal of Satan who claim to be Jews and arent, but lie, I’ll make them come and worship before your feet, and realize that I have loved you! 10 Since you’ve patiently obeyed My Word, I’ll protect you from the Hour of Trial that is coming to the entire inhabited world, to test those who live on the earth.
In Chapter 19, Part 3: The New Covenant and the Great Multitude, I show convincingly 15 reasons why the “Great Multitude” of Revelation Chapter 7 are millions of unconverted Israelites who are “coming out of the Great Tribulation”, having learned the hard way, and that they are quite eager to join the Second Exodus to Israel. That being the case, why would only one of the seven end time “churches” be so priveliged as to be spared the year long Day of Yehovah (the “Lord”), if that is all they are being spared, when most of the unconverted survivors of Israel will be spared that final year of Yehovah’s wrath following the Tribulation anyway?
The next Chapter is all about the time after the Great Tribulation, that Jeremiah (30:7) refers to as the time of Jacob’s Trouble
But the Mystery of the Seven Assemblies (Revelation 2-3) is another story, and the Mystery of “keep[ing] you from the hour of testing” in an “awesome ... place” is yet another story.
Chapter 14 is The Time After Jacob’s Trouble
