Through Much Tribulation
Through Much Tribulation
We have been studying the “four horses of the apocalypse” and the four horsemen who rode them. They represent typical tribulations that human beings must continue to suffer until the end of the world. One human being, because he is the very Son of God, can lead us through all tribulations, even death.
In the man Jesus, we can endure and have victory no matter what ills befall us. His gospel is the revelation (Greek apokalupsis the apocalypse), that shows us the way. It is now unsealed and all the mysteries revealed. We can have perfect confidence in its message and instruction, and in the power and glory that Jesus Christ the Lamb and the Lion imparts to all who believe in him and follow his words until death.
Jesus once said, "Whoever finds his life shall lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it" (Matthew 10:39). The book of Revelation serves its main purpose by encouraging us to continue in the faith and to put all our trust in Jesus Christ our God.
Jesus promises, "Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life" (Rev 2:10). In two visions, John saw "the souls of those who had been slain because of their testimony for Jesus" (Rev 6:9 and 20:4). But even if your death is not that of a martyr, you still have to be faithful until you die, and cope with tribulations meanwhile.
The whole world is subject to various trials and tribulations, and Christians are not immune. Because they are in the world, Christians will be among those who suffer. This is true even when the suffering is not natural, and wickedness is to blame.
Christians can be the victims of wickedness, and at times may even be singled out. Violence and war, rape and torture, sickness and death, plague and pestilence, fire and flood, earthquake and drought, cruelty and injustice, divorce and disloyalty, poverty and destruction, atrocities and abominations... If you personally haven't suffered from such as these, or known someone who has, then I am very surprised.
John started his letter by referring to "the tribulation, and the kingdom, and the perseverance of Christ" (Rev 1:9). Yes, we belong to the kingdom of heaven (Rev 1:6), so we endure the temporary troubles of this world with "the patience and faith of the saints" (Rev 13:10). Our response to hardships and trials is perseverance, not dismay.
Many folk think that Christianity immediately takes away all pain, solves all problems, wipes every tear away, and makes life one long sweet stretch of sunshine. It may even be felt that only sinners suffer tribulation, and suffering is a sign of sin in your life. But the promise in Revelation is different. Only when life is over, and Jesus returns to judge the world, does God "wipe every tear from their eyes" (Rev 7:13-17, Rev 21:1-4). Until he comes, there will be traumas and tears.
Tribulation was the common and general experience of Christians all across the world. Sail westward across the water from Revelation's seven churches of Asia, and you come to Thessalonica. The Christians there were told, "...all the persecutions and afflictions which you endure are a plain indication of God's righteous judgment, that you be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you indeed are suffering" (2Th 1:4-5).
Or ride eastward a similar distance to Lycaonia and Pisidia where Paul stated this hard fact to the Christians there: "Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:19-22). If I had to find another title for the book of Revelation, that quote would be it.
Nothing happened in the first century or since that enables us today to enter the kingdom of God through much tranquillity rather than through much tribulation.
Lesson continued