Revelation Unlocked #255.

The outcome of the tribulation may be positive, but most still dread the thought of going through it. However, it will be the greatest time in history to be alive. Not simply clinging to the thought, true as it is, of some future in which all that is wrong will finally be made right. It isn’t just a matter, either, of taking heart in assurances that bread and water will be supplied (Isa. 33:16) or that the guardian angels will shield us from the looming threats that could snuff us out in an instant. The real glory of this time lies in the paradoxical truth that God’s presence will become especially real and, dare I say it, especially joyful to us during these exacting days. Here are some reasons why I think this way.

First, it’s worth noting the surprising and hopeful twist that pervades the biblical passages that foretell last day upheavals. In fact, none of them seem particularly preoccupied with trouble. Instead, the emphasis is on deliverance and triumph. While Daniel predicts a great time of trouble, in context the trouble itself, as he describes it, looks like a brief aside. Daniel’s depictions burst with affirmations of hope and deliverance. The saints of the Most High are pictured not as beaten down with suffering but instead they are seen in their joyous, liberated state as shining “like the brightness of the firmament” (Dan. 12:3).

Jesus foretells a variety of birth pangs in the Olivet Discourse. But, He interrupts His own description of wars and world upheaval to say, “‘see that you are not alarmed'” (Matt. 24:6). He also promises that “‘for the sake of the elect, those days will be shortened'” (v22). The most significant sign of His coming is not trouble but the preaching of the gospel to the whole world (v4). And the comparison to the days of Noah when people are caught up in pleasure and prosperity suggest the general tone of much of earth’s closing history will be that of deceptive prosperity, not merely endless trouble.

Revelation, the book that presents the most horrific imagery of earth’s final upheavals, bursts with songs of praise. The most significant imagery is not of beasts or plagues or bloodshed but of singing saints and a triumphant Lamb.

Second,  God’s promises will come alive for us in a way most of us haven’t even begun to imagine. A key passage exposing this theme is found in Romans 8. In the face of tribulation, distress, and persecution we are “more than conquerors through him who loved us” (v37), and that there is absolutely “nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord (v39). We can take heart also in the assurance of Jesus  “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:32). Luke, quoting Paul, said, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” Acts 14:22.

Some of the Psalms, originally vital expressions of faith in the face of experiences such as David’s flight from Saul, may become even more luminous in the face of earth’s final tribulations. Psalm 27:5, for example, affirms that “he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble.” Assurance is also found in Psalm 32 “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” (v7).Psalm 59:16 portrays God as “my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” – Psalm 138:7  expresses a similar thought: “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.” Psalm 91 depicts God as “my refuge and my fortress” (v2). The psalmist promises that God “will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge” (v4).

Third, we will experience an unprecedented sense of purpose and vitality during this time. Ask anybody to describe the moments of life when they felt most alive and a clear pattern emerges. We talk about the times of challenge, the times of adversity, the times when we have been stretched to the limit. Veterans gather to share their war stories. Athletes tell of the harrowing ski run or the agonizing race. Regardless of the arena, the pattern is the same. We celebrate the crucible, not the easy chair.

And when we aren’t in the crucible we seem to seek meaning by making crises out of trivia. A thoughtless driver who cuts us off, a bad hair day, a domestic tiff, a difference with somebody at work, a dinnertime interruption by a rude telemarketer, or a dead battery on the car can seem life-dominating.

But the day comes when suddenly, in the face of earth’s final upheaval, the host of annoyances recede into nothingness. Life comes into focus. Every other issue is swallowed up by the big issue, the one truly important issue the matter of ultimate allegiance. Who is worthy of our worship? Is Jesus truly Lord or not? Is He Lord of our lives? As during this awful time we experience His Lordship in new and powerful ways, as the “latter rain” of the Holy Spirit drenches us, and a host of distractions fall away, I believe there will be a life and vitality we have never known before.

Fourth, we will experience profound personal transformation during this time, an inner struggle, not with the beast and the external powers of evil, but with and within ourselves. The purpose of this time goes beyond the unmasking of Babylonian evil “out there” and confronts us with the ways in which it has taken root inside our own hearts.

Jacob’s night of struggle is a fitting metaphor because in the heavy blackness of night he suddenly feels the hand of a stranger upon him. In fear and desperation he struggles to the point of absolute exhaustion. For a hopeful moment, he gets a new surge of energy. The stranger cries for freedom before the rising sun. The stranger touches his thigh. Jacob collapses in excruciating pain. When, in the light of dawn, he comes limping out to meet Esau, he might give the appearance of having been diminished by his night of struggle. But he is not diminished he is transformed. The new name bestowed upon him is a fitting recognition of this. Thus, when comparing Jacob’s time of trouble to the time through which, in the end, those loyal to Christ must walk, it could be described as the best answer to our petitions for cleansing and transformation.

Finally, we must never lose sight of the fact that all these tribulations are but a great prologue to something stupendous. They are but a prelude to a future of joy beyond our wildest imagination. Although we have seen happy mothers with their babies on the other side of childbirth, we haven’t seen Christians on the far side of the time of trouble. But John gives us a glimpse of those who gather on the sea of glass singing the song of Moses and the Lamb. The Redeemed, in triumphant chorus overflow with praise toward the worthy Lamb who was slain (Rev. 5).