Shaken Up or Shaken Out

I have gone white-water rafting only once in my life. It was a stormy, rainy weekend, and the Ocoee River was at flood stage by Sunday afternoon. A few friends joined me in the raft with a professional guide sitting in the back. Our raft was one of the last vessels that was allowed to enter the raging river that day. Because of the dangerously rising water, the Tennessee Valley Authority closed all access to the river for everybody waiting behind us.

Our guide taught us several important commands. When he shouted, “Get down!” that meant that the raft was dropping into very turbulent rapids, and every person in the raft must immediately get down as low as possible, hold tightly to the raft, and do everything possible to stay inside and not get shaken out. My raft made it through the white-water rapids without flipping over or ejecting any passengers that day. Another raft in front of us was not quite so fortunate. One of their passengers fell overboard and broke her arm when she was slammed against a rock.

The Bible gives a vivid warning to believers before entering rough waters at the end of time: A shaking is coming! Get ready! Those who let go of their faith are shaken out. Those who hold on are shaken up but not shaken out.

A Multidimensional Shaking

The end-time shaking will be multidimensional. In a very literal way, the elements of nature will be terribly shaken. In the last days “there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25). Jesus uses these external forces of nature to symbolize what will be ultimately happening internally in people’s hearts. He said that you will see “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (verse 26). When the powers of heaven are shaken, people’s hearts will also be shaken.

As Planet Earth suffers severe storms and natural disasters, believers weather their own spiritual storms. They face tremendous pressure to conform to the world. From outside the church, believers can expect that people “will lay their hands on you and persecute you” (verse 12). This is a time of intense opposition and persecution. From inside the church many will give up their faith and turn against one another. “You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends” (verse 16). There will be many Judases in the church in the last days—insiders who defect and join the other side. When the storm hits, instead of holding on to their faith, they are shaken out.

The book of Hebrews also uses the elements of nature to describe people being shaken out of the church: “ ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain” (Heb. 12:26, 27). When the shaking comes, some people’s faith will be broken, while others’ faith will remain firm. The time of shaking causes a separation within the church. Those who conform to the world are shaken out while the faithful remain.

The book of Hebrews repeatedly challenges believers to strengthen their faith now so that they will not be shaken out. “Hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end” (Heb. 3:6). “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” (Heb. 6:19). “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Heb. 10:23). Every believer must decide whether they will lose their faith or defend it at all cost. Those who do not personally develop a robust faith will bounce out when the testing time comes.

Some people have misunderstood the shaking, believing that as the shaking approaches, the church will be filled with so many superficial believers and corrupt leaders that the faithful must leave the church to remain loyal. To the contrary: “The shaking of God blows away multitudes like dry leaves. . . . Adversity purges them out of the church. . . . They go out from us because they are not of us; for when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, many are offended.”[1] The shaking purifies the church by removing the unfaithful. Under one pretext or another, many people leave.

What Causes the Shaking?

Every generation has experienced their own set of challenges that have shaken out certain believers. The end-time shaking will be triggered by a variety of pressure points that will include the following:

Persecution:Many who have joined the church at little cost to themselves during times of relative peace will exit the church when they face persecution. “Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands and conformed to worldly customs will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death.”[2] And yet persecution is not the only cause of the shaking.

Knowing about the shaking does no good unless we take steps to prepare.

False doctrines and counterfeit revivals: Speaking of the challenges in the last days, Jesus said, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24). Supernatural events unite the masses in a counterfeit revival that sweeps the land and leads to mass conversions. Many believers are not prepared to resist religious deceptions coming from charismatic leaders backed by impressive miracles and healings. “Satan will work his miracles to deceive; he will set up his power as supreme. The church may appear as about to fall, but it does not fall. It remains, while the sinners in Zion will be sifted out—the chaff separated from the precious wheat. This is a terrible ordeal, but nevertheless it must take place.”[3] A new religious awakening with special supernatural power draws large crowds out of the church and away from the truth.

The straight testimony:The shaking is also caused by a proclamation of truth that comes in conflict with false teachings and challenges believers whose spiritual fervor has cooled. During the early years of her ministry Ellen G. White wrote, “I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen and was shown that it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. . . . Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God’s people.”[4] A call to renewed spiritual commitment is met with resistance, which shakes the church.

People of influence apostatize:The end-time shaking will be compounded by people of influence who leave the church and take many followers with them. “Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.”[5] This will be a very challenging time for God’s people, especially when people we have placed much confidence in lose their way. Even today, departures from the faith should remind us of the importance of becoming firmly established in our own beliefs before the testing time comes.

Many people who have spent years in church will suddenly find themselves in a crisis they never imagined. But anticipating these challenges ahead of time can help us prepare spiritually.

How to Prepare?

On my white-water rafting trip, my rafting guide shouted warnings when we needed to prepare for rough water. For the same reason, God gives us warnings through the prophets so that none of us need be surprised when turbulent times come. Knowing about the shaking does no good unless we take steps to prepare. Scripture calls us to take our faith very seriously today, ask the tough questions, search for answers, and become firmly anchored in our beliefs now before the storm hits. Many people neglect this essential preparation. Some of us are merely cultural Adventists. We are Christians because it’s part of our family tradition. We often forget that every one of us needs to personally “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15). This preparation involves not only understanding our faith but also learning how to better explain the reasons for our beliefs.

To prepare for the shaking, we must ask critical questions and be willing to challenge ourselves on a deep level. One of the best ways to gain a deeper understanding of our own beliefs is to conduct Bible studies with unbelievers, skeptics, members from other churches, and individuals with diverse worldviews. Our friends from other perspectives will ask probing questions that we have never before considered. Many times our only answer to their tough questions will be “Let me look into that and get back with you about that next week.” Their questions will drive us to search the Bible with new eyes, which will ultimately give us an opportunity to better understand the reasons for our beliefs.

Perhaps the most important way to prepare for the shaking is to live by faith in all the big and small decisions we make every day. Ask yourself: Do I honor God at home, at work, and at school? Do I prioritize God with my time, my finances, and my skills? Am I willing to take risks for God and follow when He calls? Do I stand for the right even when my friends and family are going another direction? How do I handle ridicule and persecution? Am I obedient to God’s instructions even when it costs me something? Is my faith growing stronger and my relationship with God flourishing?

Every little challenge is a fresh opportunity to strengthen our faith, trust Christ more deeply, and be ready for greater challenges ahead. With Christ in the boat and with Him as our guide, we have nothing to fear on this river—even at flood stage.

[1] Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church (Mountain View, Calif.: Pacific Press Pub. Assn., 1948),vol. 4,p. 89.

[2] Ibid.,vol. 5, p. 81.

[3] Ellen G. White, Selected Messages (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1958, 1980), book 2, p. 380.

[4] Ellen G. White, Early Writings (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Pub. Assn., 1882, 1945), p. 270.

[5] E. G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 5, p. 81.