Very often people mistake persecution for the great tribulation. What
is the difference, one may ask? Persecution is an assault on the church
orchestrated by satan and his agents on account of faith in Christ,
while the great tribulation is God's wrath upon the enemies of Christ.
This distinction is vital to understanding the scriptures of the end
times. Jesus foretold the persecution of the church and made it clear
that those who believe in Him will suffer persecution. Through the ages,
those who are faithful to God have had to contend with persecution from
satan and his cohorts, and the same is true for us today, if we live
for Christ and His cause.
When this truth is not known, believers
tend to mistake the opposition that comes to them in the cause of
following Christ as abnormal to those who serve God. At other times,
they think that what they are going through is the tribulation spoken of
by the prophets. First, may it be noted that persecution is not an
indication that satan has power over the persecuted. There's nothing in
all of scripture that gives us the assurance or promise that in serving
God, we will be exempted from persecution. In fact, the reverse is true.
We are persecuted because we are standing on the way of Satan and his
purposes.
On the other hand, there's nothing in the scriptures
that indicate that those who are in Christ will suffer the great
tribulation. For anyone who is in Christ, there's no fear of
tribulation, which is reserved for those who have rejected the gospel,
but persecution is reserved for those who have believed in Christ and
are committed to the furtherance of the gospel of the kingdom of God.
Toni
