Continuing with our theme of “training for reigning” by seeking to understand the book of Revelation, we can see that the entire church—and the world—will go through great troubles before His coming kingdom. These tribulations are for the purpose of helping the church, and then the world, enter the kingdom of God. As the apostle Paul said in Acts 14:22, “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.” So, tribulations are a gateway to the kingdom for us, and ultimately for the whole world.
The Lord said, “In the world you will have tribulation” (see John 16:33). Everyone in the world has tribulations, but as Christians, we can have the great advantage of understanding their purpose and using them to enter the kingdom of God. We’re called to live in the kingdom of God now, not just in the next life. As we’re told in Hebrews 12, the kingdom of God cannot be shaken, so if we build our lives on His kingdom, we will not shake when “everything that can be shaken will be shaken.” That time is upon us, and the Lord is using trials to help us establish our lives on solid ground. This is not just so that we won’t be lost, but so we can pull others out of the quicksand this world is becoming.
If we understand our trials, it is easier to derive the maximum benefit from them. This can also make the trials easier to endure, as we know that the Creator and sustainer of all things has promised He will not let us be tested beyond what we are able to endure. For this reason, when we are getting close to the point where we don’t think we can take anymore, we know that the end of the trial is near.
This being understood, we know that the Lord knows much better than we do what we can take. If we trust Him, even when we get to this place we don’t think we can take any more, the longer we can endure at this point, the more our capacity will grow.
As Francis Frangipane used to say, “We never fail one of God’s tests; we just keep taking them until we pass.” If we give up prematurely, we just have to take the test again. So, don’t give up! In Luke 21:19, the Lord said, “By your endurance you will gain your lives.”
In Hebrews 10:36, we are exhorted, “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.” Hang on just a little longer, and it will be over. If we endure, we don’t have to keep going through the same trials over and over. As James wrote, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance, and let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4).
As Winston Churchill said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” The book of Revelation reveals how trials are a part of every life on earth, and the earth will go through them until the end of the age to come. As we mature, the trials are no longer just for our maturing, but so we learn to help bear the burdens of others until they can stand. Then, they start to help others. This is when we don’t just have to just count the trials as joy; they truly become joy as we see the victories.
Jesus could have taken His authority over the earth immediately after His resurrection and bound the devil then. He had paid the price to redeem us and the whole earth, so why didn’t He do this and make it easier for us? He did not want it to be easy. If we’re going to be the overcomers He speaks to in the book of Revelation, we have to get the “easy” mentality out of our thinking. He wanted it to be hard so that those who were called to rule with Him could be proven, and have their capacities enlarged, so they could reign standing firmly on His kingdom authority, not their own.
There is a saying that, “If we do not have the experience of growing wealth, we will not have the wisdom to keep it.” This has proven to be true, and it is also true with authority. If we do not have the experience of growing and maturing in kingdom authority, we will not be able to maintain it. Our trials are “training for reigning,” so don’t waste them!
