A question was posed to me in a comment, that question was "how do I know when I am going through a trial or a tribulation." My answer was the following;
Unbelievers go through trials and tribulations as well as believers.
Matthew 5:45 "so that you may prove yourselves to be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous."
Definition of trial: "Examination by a test; experiment; as in chemistry and metallurgy."
Definition of tribulation: "a cause of great trouble or suffering."
Trials are events that test us, with believers a test shows us ourselves so that we will confess to be cleansed causing a spiritual growth spurt. God already knows what we are but in order for us to become aware of our flaws and sinful heart attitudes, we must see our own responses and reactions in the midst of a trial. This is when the real us emerges when we are being tested.
Tribulation is more severe testing to show us our weaknesses and to strengthen us through the experience.
Romans 8:28 "28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose."
Trials and tribulation are common in life for everyone. Those who are unsaved are allowed to encounter them to learn their need to repent and trust in Christ. For the believer, they are for leading us to confession to be cleansed for growing in holiness.
1 John 1:9 "9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
The Great Tribulation is for the purpose of bringing the Jews back to God. God began with the Jews, abandoned them to go on to the Gentiles and will return to the Jews during the Great Tribulation.
Two-thirds of the Jews will be destroyed and the one-third remaining will trust in Christ and take the gospel to the rest of the world toward the end of the tribulation.
The nation of Israel will remain a nation the entire time, God will fight for her in miraculous ways without the help of any other country of the world. The Lord wants the world to see the miracles. Israel will be saved trusting in Christ because of those miraculous protections for the remaining one-third.
Some Jews will be martyred during this time with the promise of great reward in heaven for having died for Christ and His gospel.
The key here is it doesn't really matter what we are going through, when we hang onto Christ He will go through with us if we are believers, but those who are not born again will have no help from Him unless they confess their sinfulness and trust in Christ.
Isaiah 1:15-16 " 15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. 16 Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight. Stop doing evil!…"
Matthew 7:21-23
"“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’"
There are many people in these last days who believe they are good people going to heaven who were not good but only thought they were good. God said no one is good without Him.
Good people are not going to heaven, only forgiven people who trust in Christ by faith will go to heaven.
When we trust in what Christ did for us on that cross, dying to pay the penalty for our sin, He will change us into an entirely different person, we no longer think the same way we did before, we are a new creation.
2 Corinthians 5:17
"17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new [a]creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."
Ephesians 2:10
"10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Those who have become born again no longer think the same way they did before, they no longer walk a sinful lifestyle anymore. They are sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise as a guarantee of their inheritance, they are signed, sealed, and delivered.
Ephesians 1:13-15 "…13 And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory. 15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,…"
Ephesians 2:5-6 "…5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, "
1 Peter 4
Keep Fervent in Your Love
4 Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer for human lusts, but for the will of God.
3 For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of indecent behavior, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and wanton idolatries.
4 In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them in the same excesses of debauchery, and they slander you;
5 but they will give an account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
6 For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as people, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God."
Hallelujah!
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