Countdown to the End of the World: Why Would God Want His People to Go Through This Horrible Tribulation?

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Yes! Why doesn't God just get rid of those who are closely aligned to Satan and hell-bent on creating anarchy and destruction before they become an immediate threat to His people? Why won't He find a

way to cleanse the earth of those whom He knows will want to take over the world in an attempt to force it into compliance with the Devil's agenda? Certainly, at any rate, the world would be a better

place without them. Wouldn't it?

On the other hand some are busy courting wishful thinking that God will rapture them to heaven before this great time of adversity comes upon the world. What is worse is that a great number of those who believe in the secret rapture theory do not even want to hear about the great tribulation because, according them, they will not be here when it happens.

But, as children of God, should we be overly apprehensive about the things that are to transpire upon the earth in the last days?  Is it to the honour and glory of our heavenly Father to be so worried about the bleak future of planet earth that we would rather be in the bliss of heaven enjoying ‘milk and honey’ while sinners perish?

As students of prophecy we need to understand what God’s overall purpose is as He seeks to tackle the sin problem. We need an appreciation of the different issues to be dealt with in this great controversy between Christ and Satan. When we ask ourselves questions like these, we are not only probing an end-time issue, but we are also seeking answers concerning God's way of doing things in general.

That the people of God are going to be treated unfairly by agents of Satan in the last days is nothing new. If you should trace the experience of the people of God from the time of Israel to our time, you would see a history of enslavement, persecution, and otherwise unkind treatment of those who dare to serve God. So, the question, therefore, should really be, why does God permit His people to undergo some of the most trying ordeal and does nothing to put an immediate end their sufferings?

When we look at the history of the adversity of God's people, we will see some clear reasons for this. Here are some of the factors that cause bad things to happen to God's people:

-                      One person brought sin into the camp (Josh. 71-26)

-                      God's people went into idolatry (Judg. 10:6-10)

-                      Ungodly leadership of His people (2Kings 13:1-4)

-                      God exercises mercy toward an evil nation/king (Ex. 1:8-14; Rom. 9:17, 18)

-                      God wants to test our loyalty to Him (Dan. 11:33-35; 12:10)

-                      There’s the need for the professed people of God to see themselves for what they truly are and seek repentance (Jn. 18:10; Lk 22:48-62)

-                      God allows adversities to purify the church of hypocrites (Amos 9:9-12; Isa. 33:14, 15)

-                      The need to perfect the characters of Christians (Isa. 48:10)

-                      The need to spread the gospel far and wide (Acts 8:1-4)

Some of these factors may seem a little odd, but the scriptural evidence is there to suggest that the Lord uses these circumstances to accomplish His purposes in the lives of each of His people.

Have you ever wondered why people like Peter, Paul, James, and the later disciples were willing to die the most horrible death rather than give up their faith?

There is a long history of persecution of Christians from the 1^st to the 18th century AD (even unto this very day). History can attest to the fact that those who remained steadfast in their faith in Christ were thrown to hungry lions, hanged on crosses, beheaded, sawed asunder, suffered cruel torturing, and burnt at the stake.

And would you believe it, these faithful saints of the Most High God took it joyfully; in fact, there were frequent accounts of Christians singing in the fire while they were being burnt at the stake! They were never crying out in despair or frantically begging for their lives. Amazing!

God must have given them a special endowment of grace not only to enable them to endure suffering unto death, but also to rejoice in their sufferings! Shadrack, Mishack, and Abednego must have been prepared for this when they chose to be thrown into a 7x-heated fire, oblivious of an impending deliverance!

One of the purposes that persecution is designed to accomplish in the experience of the saints of God is a refining of character. As Christians, we have not reached the fullness of the stature of Christ; our characters still have some rough edges that needs to be smoothed down. 

The role of tribulation in the work of character perfection is thus described by the apostle Peter:

“Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:  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” 1Pet. 1:7

So, why should we be afraid of what the enemy will do to us? When I read things like these I stop asking why God allows sufferings, but how can we endure them when He allows it!? And my answer comes straight from the experiences of the early bretheren; if the grace of God was sufficient for them then it will be sufficient for me. 

And come to think of it, it is not really a matter of why God allows sufferings to come upon His people but whether or not they are accounted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake!

When John and Peter were beaten for preaching in the name of Christ, they did not whine and murmur like a sick puppy; the Bible said   “....they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.” Acts 5:41  

Therefore, if during the mark-of-the-beast crisis you find yourself living a normal life, void of hindrances it simply means something is not right with your relationship with God; you are not accounted worthy to suffer for Christ’s name. Hence, your character will not be submitted for refinement in preparation for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

I really did not intend to make this blog post this lengthy, but I just have to make sure you understand what is ahead of us in the last days and the extent to which we are going to be up against the malice of Satan at its apex. And there is no point in yearning for a way of escape from it before it comes. Like the early Christians we must be more concerned about whether we are accounted worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ because if we are not considered worthy, it simply means we are not on His side.