1 Peter 4:13
But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.
We have every reason to rejoice not because of the things of this world but for the glory of the LORD that is about to be revealed on this Earth. For the moment, we should rejoice in all the sufferings we are going through daily. These sufferings are not ordinary sufferings known to man, they are the sufferings of Christ that we are participating in. How do we participate in these sufferings of Christ? The god of this age who is about to be destroyed when the glory of LORD is revealed, is at war with you. Even before you come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ and His completed work on the cross at Calvary, you were attacked by him and the demons. He attacked your mind to blind it. Inspite of the blinding, God opened your eyes so that you could see Christ our Lord as He is. After you had come to Christ and believed in Him and all His works on the cross, you were born again in your spirit and you surrendered your live to Christ who leads you by the power of God's Spirit within you. The war continued inside of you between the sinful nature of the Devil and God's Spirit in you who is stronger than the Devil.
Now, its up to you. Who do you choose to side with? Who do you choose to obey? The majority of people in this world have chosen to live obeying the sinful nature of the Devil in them. As compared to the "new wine" in you, many will still prefer the "old wine". Many will still continue to obey the sinful nature of the Devil in them, instead of the Spirit of the Lord in you who leads you to the formation of the divine nature of Christ within you through your obedience to Him and all that Christ had commanded. Many still find it more pleasurable to live according to the sinful nature of the Devil in them. But as for those who choose to live according to the Spirit of God's leading within them towards Christformation in them, they will face much tribulations, trials of their faith that are the sufferings of Christ they participate in. The Lord Jesus Christ went through these sufferings first before we do. He suffered in resisting sin even to the point of shedding His blood on the cross for our sins, not His! For there was no sin in Him. Today, we do the same by the power of God's spirit in us who reminds us everything Christ had commanded us and everything He did while on Earth..
Revelation7:13-17
Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, "they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Do you mean to say that; if you do not go through the great tribulation, you cannot wash your sins away by the power of the blood of the Lamb? These are those who had rejoiced in their sufferings. Not many can do this by the way. Many would not want to do this. Why should they do this, when they can live a comfortable life while on earth? Anyway, "everything in this world belongs to my God, why can't I enjoy myself with these things", is their argument. I am only going to live on this Earth once. Shouldn't I live this life to the maximum and enjoy it? Then, who are these men who go through the great tribulation? Where do they come from, another planet?
No, they are right here on this Earth! How did they wash their robes? Why robes? Can you see that Christformation occurs in you, when you put to death the misdeeds of the sinful nature of the Devil in you through much tribulation, and if, you are chosen to go through the great tribulation you can do it because you have been in the continous battle with the sinful nature of the Devil in you to put its misdeeds to death. Facing the great tribulation would not be difficult because you have been depending on God the Holy Spirit in you all this while. You better get worried if you have not been doing this. Greater is He who is in you than he who is in this world, the "god of this age"- the Devil.
These who obey the leading of God's Spirit in them, have been faithfully following their shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has been leading them to full Christformation, meaning the "springs of living water" is His divine nature. His divine nature is the heavenly Father's divine nature too. They have followed their shepherd to be filled with the divine nature of their Shepherd. They did this because they were thirsty for this. They were never forced to drink from the springs of living water. They willingly obeyed everything Christ had commanded so that they will be filled with every part of His divine nature, even if it meant encountering unimaginable sufferings along that path. Like the Old Testament people of God who entered Canaan Land successfully and defeated their enemies with the help of the LORD, these too have entered into eternal life in Christ or full Christformation in them. Now, tell me, is it possible to have full Christformation in you or not? Yes, it is! These who have put to death the sinful nature of the Devil in them fully, have "eaten" from the Tree of life for full Christformation in them. Remember, they were given this right because they have successfuly overcome the sinful nature of the Devil in them. The power of the blood of the Lamb was truly found in them, not for an outward show only!
Revelation 22:12-14
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city
