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of Christians or the people of God, individually or collectively. The word is ―thlipsis‖.

It has no exclusive or technical meaning that will confine it to saints, and is a thing
that the world itself experiences in the course of human sin and rebellion against God.
The same evil heart that causes the world-system to hate God and to heap persecution
and tribulation on His people, always proves a boomerang to itself in suffering and

affliction. It is a recompense for the infraction of moral laws in what is called the
―natural‖ realm, as opposed to that which is a direct divine visitation. Christians then
are participants in the effects of the sins of the world in which they reside, though
guiltless of the causes. They are, moreover, the victims of the hatred of Satan who

makes suffering for them through his minions. ―…all that will to live godly in Christ
Jesus shall be persecuted.‖
Christians suffer then in two ways. (a) From natural causes, due to their possession
of ‗bodies of death‘ and residence in a wicked world (b) From deliberately inflicted

suffering, due to being God‘s representatives in a world ruled by Satan. Worldings
also suffer in two ways (a) Also by reason of the frailties of physical bodies, and from
the natural penalties of sin. (b) From the direct judgments of God in wrath outpoured.
The (a) and (b) of the sufferings of Christians and the (a) of the sufferings of

worldlings are included in ‗thlipsis‘, and the (b) of the sufferings of worldlings falls
under the head of ‗wrath‘.
May we repeat that 36 out of forty-four of the uses of the word ―thlipsis‖ in the
New Testament are in connection with saints and their afflictions from the

world-system and as a result of being in the world. There is only one use of the word
(that in II Thess. 1:6) in which there is the sense of a divine visitation of punishment,
and a reading of the context will show that it is a requital in kind by God, of the
tribulation inflicted upon His people by His and their enemies. The verse could be

literally translated: ―Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to give back tribulation to
them ‗tribulating‘ you.‖ The word ‗trouble‘ in this connection is the cognate verb of
the noun ‗thlipsis‘. The other seven uses are general, for various kinds of suffering as
in John 16:31 of the ―anguish‖ of a woman in childbirth.

Since 36 out of forty-four occurrences of the word are used in connection with
saints, it would seem abundantly demonstrated that Christians are definitely
associated with ‗thlipsis‘-tribulation, usually at the hands of the Lord‘s enemies and
because of their relationship to Him.

Indeed it is declared by Christ and the Apostles to be their expected portion
throughout the course of the age. Let us emphasize again that it is what the saints
endure in and at the hands of the world-system, not what God pours out in vengeance
upon that world-system.

Now let us examine the two great words for ‗wrath‘, that are used in the New

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