Revelation (The John Walvoord Prophecy Commentaries)

by John Walvoord

The problem of human suffering is as old as humanity. It is not difficult to understand why the ungodly suffer, but what about Christ’s own, as in the case of the Smyrna church? The answer to this question is largely bound up in the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. The Bible does help us with these explanations: In some cases, suffering for a child of God may be disciplinary as indicated in God’s dealings with the church at Corinth (1 Cor. 11:30–32; cf. Heb. 12:3–13). Suffering may also be preventive, such as Paul’s thorn in the flesh (2 Cor. 12:7). Through this affliction Paul was kept from pride in the revelation. A third reason for suffering is that we may learn obedience. Suffering teaches us what we could not learn otherwise (cf. Rom. 5:3–5). Even Christ “learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5:8). Suffering also allows us to bear a better testimony for Christ. This was true of Paul: “For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:16).