WHY MUCH TRIBULATION?
(week 49/09)
OLUBI JOHNSON
In our last article we saw that God allows much tribulation to come against us to cause us to seek God for much grace by much humility, and so use much labour to overcome the much tribulation, causing us to experience much exaltation!
When we now experience great exaltation, through this process of much tribulation, we will be able to maintain the position of great exaltation without falling through pride like Lucifer did (Ezk. 27:14-17, Is. 14.12-17).
This week, we will look at another reason why God allows the devil to bring us much tribulation when we get much revelation through the Word.
Mark 4:17 MKJV: but they have no root in themselves, but are temporary. Afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Word’s sake, they are immediately offended.
When Satan and his cohorts (principalities, powers etc (Eph. 6:12)) are allowed by God to attack us, it gives God a legal basis to punish them by eternal confinement in the lake of fire.
When Satan first rebelled against God, he was thrown out of heaven and his kingdom on earth was destroyed and taken from him:
Revelation 12:7-9 MKJV: and there was war in Heaven. Michael and his angels warring against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels warred, (8) but did not prevail. Nor was place found for them in Heaven any more. (9) And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent called Devil, and Satan, who deceives the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Jeremiah 4:23-26 MKJV: I looked on the earth, and, lo, it was without form and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. (24) I looked on the mountains, and, lo, they quaked; and all the hills were shaken. (25) I looked, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens had fled. (26) I looked, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down before the face of Jehovah, before His fierce anger.
God now recreated the earth in Gen. 1:2-Gen 2:2 and put Adam in authority (Gen. 1:26) over the earth: the position Lucifer used to have.
Ezekiel 28:12-15 MKJV: Son of man, lift up a lament over the king of Tyre, and say to him, So says the Lord Jehovah: You seal the measure, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13) You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. (14) You were the anointed cherub that covers, and I had put you in the holy height of God where you were; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until iniquity was found in you.
Isaiah 14:12-15 KJVR: how art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Satan’s sin against God in heaven was rebellion; but his sin against the Lord Jesus as a man on the earth in killing an innocent man and trying to do the same to you and I, the seed of Christ, is murder.
1 Peter 3:18 KJVR: For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1 Corinthians 2:7-8 MKJV: (7) But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, which God has hidden, predetermining it before the world for our glory; (8) which none of the rulers of this world knew (for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory).
The punishment for rebellion was expulsion and removal from his throne of authority over the earth (which he is currently usurping through the fall of Adam (Lk. 4:6)); but his punishment for the murder of the Lord Jesus and attempted murder against you and I in bringing much tribulation to us to try to destroy (Jn. 10.10) us, is eternal confinement and punishment in the lake of fire.
So just as the unjust sufferings of the Lord Jesus is the legal basis for our justification:
Isaiah 53:5-11 KJVR: but he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with 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 hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. (8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken. (9) And he made his grave with the wicked and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth. (10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. (11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
Our unjust sufferings of much tribulation from Satan for the Word’s sake is the legal basis for the eternal confinement and punishment of Satan and all who follow his example of rebellion against God in the lake of fire:
2 Thessalonians 1:4-9 KJVR: (4) 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: (5) Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer: (6) Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; (7) And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (8) In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (9) Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
Revelation 20:10 KJVR: And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:14-15 KJVR: (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
So, God allows us to be attacked with much tribulation (though, like we saw last week, we are to use much humility, grace and labour to overcome the tribulation) to give Him a legal basis to recompense much tribulation to Satan and his cohorts in the lake of fire for eternity!
