~ Tribulation is great misery, distress, affliction and/or suffering ~

No pain; no gain!  Sowing the Word of God can be difficult but the end results of planting any or most any seed is seeing the harvest of the desired fruit or substance.

In 2nd Timothy 3:12 the Apostle Paul wrote, "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution."

Doing the right thing can be painful but at the end, the Truth will set you free.  That which does not otherwise kill us makes us strong or at least better ~

The Apostle Paul in Philippians 1:29 wrote, "For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake."

Suffering is part of the nature of business that brings forth perfection.  Another way to look at Tribulations or suffering is that of TESTING.  There are few people that I have ever met that enjoy testing.  However, testing shows a person where they are or aren’t or what they know or don’t know. 

Therefore, testing / Tribulations helps one grow ~

The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:17 wrote, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together."

It would seem from the writings of the Apostle Paul that Tribulations / suffering is part of the Life of those that would be Saints.

In 2nd Timothy 2:12 the Apostle Paul wrote, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us."

There is an Objective in serving or following Jesus and that Objective “being partaker of God’s Heavenly Kingdom as a Joint Heir with Jesus,” is worth more than all the Tribulation / suffering anyone would or will ever have to endure.

The Apostle Peter in 1st Peter 4:12-19 wrote, "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:  *But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. *But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. *Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. *For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?  *And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?  *Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator."

A Fiery Trial sounds like more than most anyone would want to go through.  If the Saints are to come forth as Pure Gold and Silver, they MUST go through the Fiery Trials.  The Fire removes the impurities that hinder Perfection without which no man shall see God.

Let’s think about the phrase, “judgment must begin at the house of God” for a moment.  I sometimes ask the question of Believers, “Is there enough evidence in your life that could be used to convict you as being a Saint?”  It’s something to think about.  Because if there isn’t, you are in deep trouble.

One scripture states, “If we would judge ourselves, we not be judged, 1st Corinthians 11:31.”  The only way one can successfully judge themselves is by using the Written Word of God, The Holy Bible the True Rule of Law as a guideline.

In 2nd Thessalonians 1:4 the Apostle Paul wrote, "So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure."

In college I had a Linguistics Professor that had a saying he used when a student complained about difficulty with a required assignment that went like this: “I’m so glad you are having a problem.  What can I do to make it worse?’ 

I think his objective was to get students to concentrate on succeeding and to stop worrying about failure.

We read in Acts 14:22, "Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."

We as Children of the Most High God / Saints need to encourage and lift up one another daily.  We also need to pray for one another daily ~

The Apostle John in St. John 16:33 wrote these words of Jesus, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Jesus said, “I am your example follow me.  As I have done, so do likewise.  We need to thank God daily for His instructions, warnings and encouragement.

The Apostle Paul in 2nd Timothy 3:11 wrote, "Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me."

We need to remember that God is of no respecter of persons.  What God has done for the Apostle Paul and others, He will do for us, His Children / Saints.  Praise His Holy Name!

In St. Matthew 24:3-31 we read this report of Jesus, "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?  *And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. *For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

The phrase, “Many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many,” simply means that there will be a lot of Ministers preaching that Jesus is the Christ while also trying to mislead people into not observing the Written Word of God and substituting their own Pernicious Ways.  One Scripture states, “Buy the Truth and sell it not, Proverbs 23:23”  The Truth will set you FREE.

*And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. *For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. *All these are the beginning of sorrows. *Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. *And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. *And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. *And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

One way that iniquity shall abound is because the Law does not go forth speedily, Ecclesiastes 8:11.

*But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
That word, “endure” means there will be difficult times to go through.

*And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. *When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)  *Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: *Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: *Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. *And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! *But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day:

Note: *For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. *And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.

Aren’t you glad that God is thinking about us and has planned a way for the time of deliverance.  Praise His Holy and Righteous Name!

*Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. *For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. *Behold, I have told you before.

The Written Word of God has duly warned the Saints that hard times are coming so, be ready ~

*Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  *For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. *For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. *Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: *And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. *And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

We read in Deuteronomy 4:30, "When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the LORD thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice."

Moses in his time spoke to encourage the Children of God to take courage, be strong and obey God so that they would be able to endure to the end.

In Revelation 7:14 we read,  "And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb."

There is a time of Great Tribulation coming upon this world and many of the Saints will have to go through this time.  Be encouraged, we shall overcome because Jesus said so.

The Apostle Peter in 1st Peter 1:7 wrote,  "That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ."

God thinks more highly of His Children / the Saints than anyone could possibly imagine ~

In 1st Peter 5:10 the Apostle Peter wrote, "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."

There’s an old saying, “It only hurts for a little while.”  This will be true for those who will be accounted worthy to attain to the Glory of God’s Heavenly Kingdom.

We read in Revelation 13:7-8,  "It was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. *And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."

Sounds to me like some of the Saints will still be around during the time of the Great Tribulations.  Don’t be deceived in to thinking or believing that you will be raptured out prior to this time.  The only way the Righteous will escape the Great Tribulation is if the die, “the breath of life leaves their body” prior to this time.

King David in Psalms 34:19 wrote, "Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all."

God knows how to deliver His Children / the Saints out of trouble.   He delivered Daniel from harm in a den of lions and He can do the same for you if, you are one of His Saints.

In Romans 5:3-5 the Apostle Paul wrote, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; *And patience, experience; and experience, hope: *And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

Praise His Holy and Righteous Name for Evermore!

Derwood A. Stewart, Minister
House of Prayer Sabbath Ministries
Comments? Email us: hope@preachersteacher.org