Revelation in Tribulation

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth. . ..” – Revelation 14:6

 

The Bible says, “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20). That’s an exciting verse. It means we can count on God’s promises; He is faithful to fulfill them. It’s exciting when we think of all His promises in terms of His provisions for our needs, of eternal life, freedoms from the bondage of sin, and what we might see as positive promises. But there are other promises as well. “Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12). Whoa! Wait a minute! I don’t like that one! That’s pretty ne-ga-tive. I’ll leave that one aside. I’ll leave that one on the table if you don’t mind. Well, unfortunately, God’s promises are God’s promises whether they are “good” or “bad” God is faithful to uphold them all.

But even if there are negative promises that come our way, God can bring good from them. Indeed, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). But what good could possibly come from persecution or hardship or trials or suffering or the negative things in life? Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). What does that mean exactly? That’s quite a revelation. In the world we will have hardship, “tribulation,” but don’t worry, Jesus has overcome the world. No matter how bad life in this world gets, there is a way to overcome. That way is through Jesus. When in pain, when in difficulty, when in hurt, turn to Jesus. He will help us overcome. That’s a promise and truth worth knowing about. It’s as though Jesus is telling us there is revelation in tribulation.

In the future the Bible speaks of a seven-year period of God’s judgment on the world. The time of the seven-year Tribulation will be a time of great trial and intense suffering. Why would God plan such a trying time for this world? Because it is during times of trial, loss, grief, suffering, and mourning that we are positioned to hear from God. For example, Isaiah saw the Lord high and lifted up in his heavenly vision “in the year that King Uzziah died” (Isaiah 6:1a). In Isaiah’s grief over the death of his king positioned him to see God in a deeper way. The great revelation of God received by Job came after he had lost everything (cf. Job). It was during an imprisonment that Paul discovered the reliability and reality of the joy of Jesus in his life (e.g. Acts 16:25-34; Philippians). Later Paul would plead three times with God to remove “a thorn in the flesh,” and discover “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). Trials perfect us (James 1:2-5). Trials prepare us by forcing us to look heavenward to God. Difficulties bring us to our knees especially in times when all else fails and all we have is God. Problems position us to receive from God. In the same way, the Tribulation provides a perfect setting to receive revelation from God. The difficulties described in the book of Revelation are designed by God to coax and call sinners to look up and see their redemptive need in Christ. The righteous outpoured wrath of God and all connected hardships we see in Revelation 6-18 have a purpose. The Tribulation and its’ trials are designed to shake up the Christ-rejecting world, to get their attention and present them with one last opportunity to receive Jesus as Savior, to live in Him and experience His “abundant life” (John 10:10).

The word “angel” (Greek angelos) in its most rudimentary meaning is, messenger. In the book of Revelation God uses angels to bring His righteous wrath to bear on the Christ-rejecting world. The wrath of God is always righteous, and it can be severe in a sanctified, holy way. God is willing to go to extremes to wake people up to their need of His only Son Jesus. The word “angel” occurs 51 times in the book of Revelation. “Angels,” the plural form of the word, is found another 24 times. That’s 75 times we find these messengers of God in His Son Jesus’ revelation. There is a holy message being conveyed by these angelic beings through all the seals, trumpets and bowls of judgement God pours out during this Tribulation time in history. That message can be summed up in a few words. The message is, there is revelation in tribulation.

God takes no pleasure in the hardship and even death of the sinful (e.g. Ezekiel 18:32; 33:11). “For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men” (Lamentations 3:33). His objective in His sovereign determination to allow pain and suffering in this world is to get people to the point where they seek the Lord. Jeremiah described the sentiment God is seeking as, “Let us search out and examine our ways, and turn back to the LORD; Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven” (Lamentations 3:40-41). The revelation God conveys in tribulation is redemptive in nature. The problem of sin is a humanly created problem (Genesis 3). And the sin problem is a problem that human beings are unable to solve on their own. God has provided a solution to the sin problem in His Son Jesus. He allows the consequences of sin in life to wake us up to that revelation. We should also note here that there are two aspects of sin, planetary and personal.

Planetary sin speaks of the effects that sin brings on the world. There is an effect on the planet itself from sins entrance into the world. Planetary sin is a way of expressing sin’s infection of the DNA of the natural world. Sin does not only affect the spiritual, it also effects and drags down the material. This is described as, “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly” (Romans 8:20). This is the effect of sin on nature itself. It is the “bondage of corruption” (Romans 8:21). Indeed, “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (Romans 8:22). When God created this world, including us, He said it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). But sin, planetary sin, changed all that for the worse.

Planetary sin is the cause of disease and natural disaster that impacts the just and the unjust alike. Other than the first cause of our first parents choosing to sinfully choose to disobey God, there is no volition involved in experiencing the effects of planetary sin. Christians get sick because of the planetary effects of sin. It’s important to realize the planetary nature of sin so that when affliction comes to those walking in the Spirit, we don’t compound the problem with guilt or condemnation.

Satan and his minion messengers are all to willing and able to exacerbate our difficulties with wrong thinking and heavy-hearted emotions. Job was a righteous man, and he suffered. The larger part of Job’s story has four friends arguing with him and trying to mistakenly discover the sin in Job’s life that led to all his loss and suffering. But we know his hardship was due to spiritual warfare (e.g. Job 1-2). And in the end Job and his friends are put in their place by God (Job 38-41). And notice that God’s response to Job and his friend’s futile discussion, is not an explanation of why what happened to Job happened, no, it is a revelation of God’s almighty power and position. God is sovereign. God is not always going to explain Himself. He has given us His word as a revelation for life.

There will be times when our circumstances lead us into grey confusing unknowable areas of life. In such times we won’t be able to find a clear connection to a principle or applicable truth in God’s word. In such times we shouldn’t walk away from God. Instead, in such times we should express our faith and trust in God and His sovereign determination. In such times we shouldn’t turn inward and become morose. No, when we come to the unknown mountains of life we should step into the outstretched hands of the One Who we know. When you come to what you do not know, trust the One you do know. Trust Jesus. He will carry us. He will lift us up.

Yes, in confusing times of uncertainty, turn to Jesus. And also turn to God’s word. For instance, turn to Job 38 through 41 and revel in the revelation of God’s awesome power. Turn to God’s word where it states such things as:

Psalm 30 (NKJV)

¹     I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my foes rejoice over me.

²     O Lord my God, I cried out to You,

And You healed me.

³     O Lord, You brought my soul up from the grave;

You have kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.

⁴     Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,

And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.

⁵     For His anger is but for a moment,

His favor is for life;

Weeping may endure for a night,

But joy comes in the morning.

⁶     Now in my prosperity I said,

“I shall never be moved.”

⁷     Lord, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong;

You hid Your face, and I was troubled.

⁸     I cried out to You, O Lord;

And to the Lord I made supplication:

⁹     “What profit is there in my blood,

When I go down to the pit?

Will the dust praise You?

Will it declare Your truth?

¹⁰   Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me;

Lord, be my helper!”

¹¹   You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;

You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,

¹²   To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent.

O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.

These words of David are a simple singular sample of the rich encouragement and comfort that can be found in the revelation of God’s word (cf. also Psalm 23; 31; 33;36; 37; 38;40; 41; 42; etc.). The truth of the matter of planetary sin is, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:19).

One last thing about the planetary effects of sin. We live in a fallen world, a world wracked with the effects of planetary sin. This world will not change until after the period of Tribulation. Until God creates a New Heaven and New Earth (Revelation 21-22), this world will continue to be wrecked by planetary sin and the righteous as well as the unrighteous will be susceptible to its fallen forces. That means that even when or if we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, even after we’ve been forgiven our sins, we will still be vulnerable to the disasters of planetary sin. For now, we live in this fallen world. Accepting Jesus opens the door to hope for a new day, a new eternity where there is no more suffering, no more sin. One day, through Jesus, we will be able to experience an eternity where, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). Until that glorious day, we travel through the inevitable storms of life. The present and very real question for now and the future is, “Will we travel the storms of life with Jesus or without Him?”

Personal sin is an effect of sin we bring on ourselves and others. Personal sin, sin that is the result of our sinful choices, our disobediences to God, these always have a negative effect. The sins you do in secret, the ones you think no one knows about, God knows about (Hebrews 4:13). And whenever we choose to sin, to disobey God and indulge our sinful nature (i.e. our flesh), there is an impact, a negative effect. Every sin we choose to indulge in distances us from God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23a). And, “for he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption” (Galatians 6:8a). “Corruption” (Greek phthora) is ruin, corruption, destruction, perishing, moral decay. When we choose to sin, a little bit of our spiritual condition rots. When we sin, we become a little deader toward God, a little less sensitive to His still small voice, a little less able to hear and see and know His words of truth.

Are you going through a personal trial? Is someone close to you experiencing difficulty? Whatever the cause whether it be planetary or personal sin, there is revelation to glean from your tribulation. Perhaps God has allowed hardship and even pain to enter your life for the purpose of either coming to know Him in a personal saving way, or to help you get to know Him better than you already do. If so, I encourage you to consider the following biblical overview of the everlasting Gospel. This Gospel of Jesus Christ is the way to life, abundant life, eternal life. Don’t pass it by. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by.

The term gospel means literally, “good news.” There are a number of places where the gospel is laid out quite succinctly and we should be aware of these references. If we were going to define the gospel, which is everlasting, it would have the following elements:

First, salvation is needed because of humankind’s sin problem. If anyone is ever going to understand the goodness of the Good News of the Gospel they will need to understand the bad news of humankind’s sin problem.

“What’s the big deal about sin?” you might say. Sin is a big bad deal. Sin is not bad because God forbids it. God forbids sin because it is bad. Sin is a big problem because sin separates people from a holy God. And that sin problem, if left unchecked will lead to an eternal separation in a hot spot called hell. This problem of sin is described in the following verses:

• Isaiah 59:2 – “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.”
• John 3:18-20 – “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.19 “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.20 “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”
• Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
• Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Ephesians 2:1-3 – “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.”

Second, God’s love provides a solution to the sin problem. God does not desire to condemn the world, He wants to save the world. God could have wiped the slate clean and started over. But that’s not God. God is love and love rescues, redeems, reconciles, restores. We may ask, “Why does God love us so?” That’s a powerful question. Why does God love us? We certainly don’t deserve His love. He loves us because “God is love” (1 John 4:8 and 16). It is God’s Divine nature to love. He is Holy and Just, but He is also loving. And He loves us because He chooses to love us; it is His nature to love us. And for that we should thank the LORD for eternity.

God is loving and has taken the initiative to provide a solution to humankind’s sin problem.

• John 3:16-17 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
• Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

Third, God’s solution to sin is simply, profoundly, solely in His Son Jesus. God’s desire to see humankind saved from sin led to His making salvation as clear and available as possible. He did not make salvation vague and varied. He made salvation simply, profoundly, solely through His Son Jesus Christ. He did this so there could be no mistaking the way to be saved.

• John 14:6 – “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
• Acts 4:12 – “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 – “Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand,2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
• 1 Timothy 2:5 – “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,”

Fourth, God’s solution to sin is costly, to Him. God not only took the initiative to save humankind but He dealt justly with the sin problem. Sin in humanity since the time of Adam and Eve had accrued a great debt, a great justly deserved penalty. Because of God’s righteousness the debt of sin must be paid. God is a Just Judge (Psalm 7:11). Therefore, Jesus paid that debt on the cross. Jesus died in our place on the cross bearing our sins for us. Jesus paid a debt He did not owe, for those who owed a debt they could not pay.

• Isaiah 53:4-6 – “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.6 All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.”
• 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2:21-25 – knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,19 but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: 22 “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.25 For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

Fifth, God’s solution to sin involves Him personally. The Bible tells us that God directly intervened on our behalf in a way we will probably never fully grasp. It would be hard to comprehend a more profound truth in this universe than God’s personal part in solving the problem of sin. God provided Himself as our sacrifice to pay off the debt of sin we owed Him!

• 2 Corinthians 5:19 – “that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.”

Sixth, God’s solution gives life to those dead in sin. The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23a). God’s solution of salvation in Christ provides not only forgiveness for our sins, but replaces the death caused by sin with the life in Christ. The Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner who turns to Jesus as Savior. The Holy Spirit is the One who gives us a second birth, a spiritual birth. We are all born physically, but not everyone is born spiritually. Spiritual birth does not come automatically when we are born physically. Spiritual birth comes when we receive Jesus as our Savior and Lord. This is the testimony of God’s word:

• • John 3:3–7 – ³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” ⁴ Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’
  •  Romans 8:2 – ² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.
  • Titus 3:4–7 – ⁴ But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, ⁵ not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, ⁶ whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, ⁷ that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Seventh, God’s solution is by grace; (We don’t deserve it! We can’t earn it!). The salvation solution to sin is totally a work of God. We don’t deserve what God has done for us. That is what grace is – unmerited; undeserved favor. That is why salvation is done by God in Christ and presented to humankind as a free gift. The gift of salvation is free, but we should not interpret that to mean that salvation is cheap. Our salvation cost God in Jesus Christ His life in a brutal sacrificial death.

• John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”
• John 6:44 – “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.”
• Romans 6:23 – “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
• Ephesians 2:4-9 – “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Because God’s salvation is free and a gift, we cannot earn salvation:

• Titus 3:5 – “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit,”

Eighth, God’s salvation from sin is appropriated by faith. To experience the benefit of God’s gracious provision of salvation from sin we need only put our faith in Jesus and His work upon the cross.

• John 6:29 – “Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

• Romans 10:8-13 – “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
• Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”

Ninth, God’s salvation involves repentance. Wait, you said salvation is not by our works. Is repentance a work? No, it is not. Repentance is the attitude of saving faith. The faith that appropriates God’s gift of salvation involves a change of heart in a person. The work of Christ on the cross provides the only basis by which God can forgive our sin once we put our faith in His Son. That faith includes a turning from our old sinful ways to God for forgiveness and healing. The faith that is “not of yourselves” (Ephesians 2:8-9). That faith, by its nature, is repentant. Repentance is a change of heart that results in a change of life. Faith precedes this change. Faith opens the door for the Spirit to come in and bring about this change in our life. This is regeneration.

There cannot be forgiveness without repentance. Saving faith includes repentance. Repentance literally means “to have a change of mind” or “to turn.” Sin is what separates sinners from God and has led to pain, hurt and suffering for the sinner and those they have sinned against (both God and people). As Jesus illustrated the folly of not repenting when He said,

• Matthew 9:16-17 – “No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear is made worse.17 “Nor do they put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.”

Salvation, if it is true and has actually occurred in a person leads to a changed life or “new wineskin.” The change of salvation is not only outward but inward involving repentance.

• Matthew 3:8 – “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance,”
• Mark 1:15 – “and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”
• Luke 13:3 – “I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
• Luke 15:7,10 – “I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance. 10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
• Luke 24:45-48 – “And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.46 Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,47 “and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.48 “And you are witnesses of these things.”
• Acts 2:38; 3:19 – “Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. . .. 19 “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,”

Tenth, God’s salvation deals completely with sin’s debt. Accepting Jesus as your personal Savior results in peace with God. It results with His love poured out into our hearts. It results in a righteous standing before God, and an elimination of condemnation before God and a new nature. There is no need to try and add your own efforts or “works” to the completed work of Jesus Christ. This is the testimony of scripture:

• Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
• Romans 5:5 – “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
• Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
• 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.”

Eleventh, God’s salvation provides power to live an abundant life. Once God saves us, He desires to mold us in the image of His Son Jesus. He uses the time we have in this temporary world to prepare us for eternity in the next world.

• Romans 1:16-17 – “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” “

• Romans 8:29 – “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
• Ephesians 2:10 – “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
• Philippians 2:13 – “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

 These are the elements of the everlasting Gospel. This certainly, is good, (great!), news for those who respond to the salvation offered by God. And in this Tribulation God will take one final step to warn the world of their impending doom. He uses an angel to go throughout the earth to proclaim this everlasting Gospel. God goes to the extreme to save the lost. His love propels Him to extremes to save the lost. There is a solution to tribulation. Jesus said it best, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Jesus is the solution for the sinner’s tribulation problem. That is true historically in the past, it is true presently, and it will continue to be true in the future and through all eternity. Tribulations are going to come. Will you waste your tribulations profiting nothing from them, or will you seek the Lord for revelation in such times? There is revelation from God in tribulation. I pray we all have our eyes opened the next time we encounter trials in life. I pray we find His revelation in tribulation.