Should I buy guns and go “off the grid” to prepare for the Time of Trouble?
3 March 2025 |
Dear Aunt Sevvy,
Recently I heard of an Adventist group that was putting together a whole seminar on how to live off the grid and be self-sustaining for the Time of Trouble. I’m wondering: should we prepare for the end of time? Is it necessary to live “off the grid”? Or is “prepping” showing a lack of trust in God to provide for us?
Signed, Conflicted
Dear Conflicted,
Through the years some Adventists have thought they needed to dig in in some remote spot for the Time of Trouble. Frightened believers have moved far from cities, hoping to be safer. Some have stored quantities of food—only to see it spoil when the Time of Trouble didn’t happen. A few have insisted that the key to surviving it is to stockpile weapons and ammunition to fight off those who would try to enforce the National Sunday Law.
Aunty has even heard of enterprising Adventist developers who tried to cash in with Time of Trouble housing developments in the mountains!
Ellen White encouraged people to live in the country—but beyond that, almost everything she said about the Time of Trouble had to do with spiritual preparation, not physical. She counseled people not to arm themselves or hoard food, warning very clearly against it: “The Lord has shown me in vision, repeatedly, that it is contrary to the Bible to make any provision for our temporal wants in the time of trouble.”
While Aunty knows societal order can break down—and has in many places on the globe—she doubts that preparing for a Time of Trouble is a worthwhile endeavor. All it does is make us selfish and suspicious. How much better to cultivate a good relationship with Jesus, to live in peace with our neighbors, and trust in the assurance of a better life beyond this one!
As for that seminar: Aunty reminds you that the people who are charging lots of money for this class aren’t off-the-grid themselves—or you wouldn’t have read all about it on the internet! And they even let you pay with a credit card or ApplePay!
Aunt Sevvy
Aunt Sevvy has collected her answers into a book! You can get it from Amazon by clicking here.
You can write to Aunt Sevvy at DearAuntSevvy@gmail.com. Your real identity will never be revealed.
