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.

Common Experience of Suffering

Tribulation, kingdom, perseverance As we have discussed, all Christians partake of tribulation. "Through much tribulation we must enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22). Many things can trouble us in this life, and Christians are not immune to troubles. Indeed, being a Christian can attract even more trouble because of the stand we must take. Nevertheless, 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.

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.

Look elsewhere in the world, and the story is the same.

• It is a part of the Christian experience to suffer tribulation.
• It is a part of the Christian faith to understand tribulation.
• It is part of the Christian way to endure tribulation.

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.

If the parable of the sower and the seed is still applicable to the kingdom of God today, then so is the part about the seed which fell upon rocky ground: "They have no root in themselves but are only temporary; when affliction or persecution arises, because of the world, immediately they fall away" (Mrk 4:16-17). The book of Revelation reminds us that, until Jesus comes, there will always be "affliction or persecution" and we must endure it faithfully.

Paul summed it up like this: "We suffer with Christ in order that we may be glorified with him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be" (Rom 8:16-18). All who have the hope of glory must daily bear the cross of tribulation.

We must trust in "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort who comforts us in all our affliction". Rather than taking our affliction away, He allows us to suffer tribulation for a very good reason: "that we should not trust in ourselves but in God" (2Co 1:3-11). That reason is as valid in the twenty-first century as it was in the first.

Tribulation Keeps on Coming

Whilst most of us are granted respite from tribulation from time to time, we have to live with the understanding that traumas and tears might be just around the corner. One time of suffering passes, but another is likely down the track. This would be a pessimistic view, but because we understand tribulation, we can be optimists in the face of it.

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.

You will have observed the depressing cycles of tribulation which John saw in his visions recorded in Revelation chapters six to eighteen.

• In chapter six, the Lamb opens, one by one, six of the seven seals of his scroll. The opening of each seal reveals some terrible distress. But after these six horrors there is revealed, in chapter seven, a full number of the faithful who have come out of great tribulation with their robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev 7:14). In other words, they shared in the suffering of Christ, by enduring the suffering that came to them, without giving up their faith in him.
• In chapter eight, the seventh seal is opened. We might expect the seventh seal, like the seventh day, to be one of rest. Instead, to our horror, it reveals yet another litany of sufferings! There are seven trumpets given to angels. As the first six trumpets sound, one by one, some terrible distress is revealed, just as when the six seals were opened.
• In chapter eleven, the seventh trumpet is sounded. Nor is this seventh a sabbath! We are assured that God is still in his heaven, yet there are even more horrifying visions culminating in seven angels with seven plagues which are poured out upon the earth.
• In chapter sixteen, when we come to the seventh angel's outpouring, there follow still more visions of tribulation and woe. Not until we reach chapter nineteen do the visions take a turn for the better and bring an end to sufferings at the end of this world.

Christian Immunity from Suffering

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.

Tribulation Principles

I want to stress several principles that help us to understand and endure our own tribulations.

• 1. No respite is permanent. Just as "there was silence in heaven for half an hour" (Rev 8:1), we may have times of respite from suffering, and we should enjoy these, as for example did the first Christians after they were persecuted (Acts 9:31). But be prepared for new problems to arise and learn "the secret... both of having abundance and suffering need" (Php 4:11-14).
• 2. We may suffer in empathy. Sometimes we "weep with those who weep" (Romans 12:15). John called himself "your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus" (Rev 1:9). You may be called upon to suffer not in your own pain, but as someone's companion in theirs.
• 3. We may suffer persecution. Jesus warns in the "Beatitudes" that we may be persecuted and reviled because of our allegiance to him (Mtt 5:10-12). Yes, even members of our own family may turn against us (Mtt 10:34-39), or members of the church, albeit false brethren, may seek to cause us distress (Php 1:15-18). We have already mentioned those who were "slain for the testimony of Jesus" (Rev 6:9) but there were also those who suffered persecution in other forms, for example discrimination in not being allowed to buy or sell (Rev 13:17).
• 4. We must see the purpose in suffering. Jesus says, "I counsel you to buy of me gold tried in the fire, so you can become rich" (Rev 3:18). Only by going through the fire of pain can we attain the glory of God. By allowing us to suffer, God is removing the dross by the cross. Only by constantly coming up against difficult tests can our faith be made strong. When we understand that fact, we can react properly and "count it all joy" when we suffer various trials (Jas 1:2-4).
• 5. We must be in God's hands. At the end of all the tribulations, John heard the multitude in heaven shouting, "Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!" (Rev 19:1). Jesus says, "Behold I am coming soon! My reward is with me" (Rev 22:12). When things get really bad, just hold on, because our God has got an outcome that nobody can change. "What he opens, no one can shut; what he shuts, no one can open" (Rev 3:7). We must simply wait for him to turn the key. We will not be required to endure more than we are able to bear (1Co 10:13). God actively binds Satan. "God is faithful and will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able to bear" (1Co 10:13). What may seem like two times or even ten times too much trouble to us, is only half what we'd get if God did not bind the hand of Satan even as he did in ancient times for Job
• 6. We must bear our trials through prayer. In John's visions, he saw "bowls full of incense which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev 5:8 Rev 8:4). Sometimes we get discouraged, and feel like those souls of the beheaded who cried, "How long, Lord?" (Rev 6:10). We don't know how long, but we know it's not as long as it seems. In the meantime we persevere in prayer.
• 7. We must keep in mind the crown. "Be faithful until death, and I will give you a crown of life" (Rev 2:10). In the turmoil of life, and in its turning shadows, we are encouraged if we remember that the unchanging Father knows our suffering and our needs. The King of Kings is fighting on our side, and he will not let us down.

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