The coming tribulation a blessing not a curse

“Resistance is futile.” This has been the message of every typical straitjacket, high security door, and solitary confinement cell. Likewise is the message of the juggernaut tribulations that God brings to His sinful, but savable people. He has blessed them greatly, but they have loved the blessing more than the Blesser. They have loved the created blessings more than their blessed Creator. 

Often has ancient Israel and the church of Christ waxed fat, and kicked Jehovah. They “new-modeled the cause”. “Has not the same process been repeated in nearly every church calling itself Protestant? As the founders, those who possessed the true spirit of reform, pass away, their descendants come forward and ‘new-model the cause.’” They “new-model” the cause, and write their God, the God of their  fathers, out of the script. Then He brings them trouble, big trouble.

“But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.” (Deut. 32:15-17).

As individuals, the rotten apples in Israel would be forced to learn surrender, or die. As a nation, they were redeemable. Although disobedient, if repentant and willing to surrender, then tragedy and catastrophe, toil and trouble, would remove their blessings. But, Christ was not insensitive to their terrible plight. “In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old.” (Isa. 63:9 ).

Of the children of Israel it could be said as the Father said of their Lord, the spiritual Mother of all living, “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. He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied” (Isa. 53:10,11).

In captivity the children of Israel learned patience. As, to the Roman brethren, Paul made plain the glorious results of the sanctification process that occurs after justification, “We glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope….” (Rom 5:3 ,4 ).

This was Paul’s message also to the Jewish Christians. They were under attack from two opposite directions. Their heathen overlords persecuted them for being Jews, and their Jewish countrymen persecuted them for not being loyal to Judaism but becoming Christians. So Paul encouraged them, “For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward is name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister,” (Heb. 6:10); and, “For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God.” (Heb. 6:7).

But, Paul needed to show them the other aspect to their withering resolve to remain faithful. So he added his hard thrusts, “...That which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned” (Heb. 6:8), and, “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” (Heb. 6:4-6).

Then, per his main theme for writing to the Hebrews—patient endurance—Paul admonishes them to disdain slothfulness at this key juncture in their efforts to obtain the victory. Thus his admonition to patience in the midst of their divinely administered persecutions, their great straitjacket of opposition and satanic conflict, Paul attaches the powerful argument from Abraham’s experience. The apostle brings in the two immutable things: the emphatic promise and the divine vow.

“We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end: that ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:11,12). “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36).

“For when God made promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no greater, He sware by Himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will multiply thee. And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise.” (Heb. 6:13-15).

Abraham patiently endured, and at the end he received his promised only begotten beloved, Isaac. Oh, the Jewish Christians could identify with Isaac and love that truth about Abraham. Now they could confidently be edified by the reproof from their veteran apostle!

His reproof accomplished, Paul flings open his portfolio of scriptural promises before the Jewish Christians. He gives them a weapon loaded with more ammunition against the persecuting Jews and Romans, and against Satan and his harassing hosts. Paul spreads out before them the arguments they can take to the unlimited God in heaven.

“For men verily swear by the greater: and an oath for confirmation is to them an end of all strife. 

Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath: 

That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: 

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; 

Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made an High Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec.” (Heb. 6:16-20).

Then a further thrust:

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 

Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 

Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 

Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 

And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 

They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 

(Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 

And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11:32-40).