much tribulation
Acts 14:22
14:22 much tribulation. Paul realized that, if these new disciples were really to “continue in the faith” (compare John 8:31), they needed to be organized into local churches and taught more concerning their place in God’s plan. This included recognition that all true believers will be opposed by Satan and ungodly men and so must undergo tribulations. This does not mean, however, that the final generation of believers (any more than any previous generation) will go through the “great tribulation” which will be visited by God on a rebellious world in the last days (Matthew 24:21; I Thessalonians 5:9). In the meantime, however, “all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (II Timothy 3:12), and new believers need to understand this.
