Themes in Revelation: Tribulation

Week 12, Sunday: Living above Tribulation
Christians are companions with John and the other apostles in the Kingdom and tribulation of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is part of our Kingdom-and-glory calling here and now.

But rejoice! This will not always be the case.

Read Revelation 7

Meditate on the following passages from Revelation
1.      Tribulation is unavoidable and inescapable. As Revelation 2 and 3 make clear, the saints are even at times the cause of their own trials. But, like the churches of Revelation 2 and 3, believers are called to “overcome” the sin and tribulations of the world, including those they bring on themselves. What does this involve?

2.      The picture in Revelation 7.9-17 is of events in heaven at this time. Here we may expect to know genuine rest from sin and tribulation. But even this is merely temporary. Explain. Does this “interim” status suggest even greater rest to come?

3.      Meditate on Revelation 19.1-9. Our rest from the tribulation that comes because of sin is ultimately to be found in God, in our union with Him. What does this suggest about how we may overcome tribulation here and now?

4.      Meditate on Revelation 22.1-5. How many images suggesting rest can you identify here? What will it be like to be in such an environment uninterrupted by sin or tribulation of any sort?

5.      Look again at the prayer of the saints in heaven in Revelation 6.10. Does this suggest a subject for our prayers in the here and now?

My Reflection
Summarize the rest from tribulation that is coming for us as believers, and that rest as we may know it here and now.

The Glory of God
What is it about being united with God – immersed in, surrounded and suffused by His glory – that brings us into rest? How would you counsel a new believer to access that rest?

Glory to Glory
We truly rest, even in the midst of tribulation, when we see God in His glory. When we see God in His glory, then we can rest, in spite of everything that might threaten that rest. How does this work out in your own walk with the Lord?

Memorize
Review Revelation 1.9. What does it mean that we exist in the Kingdom of God and the tribulation of the world at the same time?

Closing Prayer
I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land. Selah
Answer me speedily, O LORD;
My spirit fails!
Do not hide Your face from me,
Lest I be like those who go down into the pit.
Cause me to hear Your lovingkindness in the morning,
For in You do I trust;
Cause me to know the way in which I should walk,
For I lift up my soul to You.
Deliver me, O LORD, from my enemies;
In You I take shelter.

Psalm 143.5-9

T. M. Moore

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The book of Revelation is the culminating episode in the story of God’s covenant. To learn more about that covenant, and to discover the way it integrates all of Scripture into the Gospel of Jesus Christ, order a copy of T. M.’s book, I Will Be Your God, by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.