PEACE in a World of Tribulation

“In the world ye shall have tribulation:”
—John 16:33

Yes, the world is full of tribulation for the believer.

Many believe that “tribulation” means a time of persecution–and it CAN mean that. But strictly speaking, “tribulation” means a constriction, a feeling of being hemmed in, of having no escape.

TRIBULATION: thlípsis – properly, pressure (what constricts or rubs together), used of a narrow place that “hems someone in”; tribulation, especially internal pressure that causes someone to feel confined (restricted, “without options”).

/thlípsis (“compression, tribulation”) carries the challenge of coping with the internal pressure of a tribulation, especially when feeling there is “no way of escape” (“hemmed in”).

Everywhere the believer travels in this world, he gets the feeling of being “hemmed in.” This world is fallen and corrupted by sin: the evidence of it is everywhere the believer looks. There is a constant reminder that the believer is a foreigner, a stranger, in this world; that this world is not his home.

“For we are strangers before thee, and sojourners, as were all our fathers: our days on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding.”
—1 Chronicles 29:15

Sojourners, Pilgrims, Strangers: Christians are Just Passing Through

SO: if the above is all true–and it is–what of the promises of Jesus and the Father about the believer having peace?

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
—John 14:27

Does this mean those promises are somehow not true?

God forbid.

The world offers nothing but tribulation and reminders that this present world is not the home of the believer.

There is no peace in the structures men call “churches.” There is no peace in the schemes of man. There is no peace appealing to the powers of spiritual darkness.

YET peace may be had in this world.

On one’s knees, in the Father’s presence: in prayer.

It is in prayer that the tribulation and pressures of this world melt away. THAT is where peace is to be found. Any time the believer feels the sin of the surrounding world, he may enter into the presence of God in prayer.

All of God’s promises are true.

But then, the believer already knows this.

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
—John 16:33

Does the reader know the peace that passeth all understanding?

Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation

THE GOSPEL

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16

RELATED ARTICLES

• Persecution, Tribulation, Troubles, Trials: What the Bible says to Christians
• Do You Know if You are Going to Heaven? Be Sure!
• The Wicked Will Not Prosper
• MAN OF SIN: The Man of Sin is Coming
• Hate Your Life in This World: Gain Eternal Life
• Where Do Evil Spirits Come From?
• Destruction and Deception: Of the People, By the People and For the People

by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier

image: master isolated images, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

© Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report, 2012-15. © Mondo Frazier and End Times Prophecy Report, DBKP 2007-2015. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Jeremiah J. Jameson and End Times Prophecy Report with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

Link Disclaimer: inclusion of links to other blogs/websites is not necessarily an endorsement of all content posted in those blogs/websites.