Surviving the Tribulation with St. Patrick

Practicing Faithfulness in Times of Uncertainty

Photo by Sergio Mena Ferreira on Unsplash

I remember a time when I was pastoring, somewhere around 2015, when I began to feel that we were entering apocalyptic times. The world seemed to be unraveling—politically, socially, and spiritually. By the time President Trump's first tumultuous term had ended and the chaos of COVID had settled over us like a thick fog, my parishioners became more curious than ever about the apocalypse, the tribulation (as dispensationalists call it), and the antichrist. Their questions weren’t new, but the urgency behind them was growing.

One of my staff members, a student of history with a deep appreciation for context, once challenged my perspective. "Times have been much worse," she reminded me. Then, with a careful nuance that stuck with me, she said, "If this is not a final apocalypse, or tribulation, or the end of the world—then it is at least a dress rehearsal.

Her words have stayed with me. A dress rehearsal. A practice. Just as a lawyer practices law and a doctor practices medicine—not because they have mastered their craft, but because mastery is a lifelong pursuit—so too must we practice faithfulness. Spirituality is not something we arrive at; it is something we engage in daily, refining our hearts and minds through the spiritual disciplines such as:

• prayer

• study

• service

• meditation

• neighborliness

• celebration

• confession

The life of a disciple is not about waiting for the final test but about practicing our faith in every moment so that when trials come, we are already prepared to endure.

Jesus himself told us that there would be "wars and rumors of wars," but he also warned, "See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet" (Matthew 24:6). History is full of upheavals and tyrants; each age faces its own trials and tribulations. And yet, the end remains unknown to us—until it happens. What remains within our control is our practice of faithfulness, our daily commitment to being shaped into Christ’s image, so that whether tribulation is now or a thousand years from now, we will be found ready.

Too often, though, end-times enthusiasts search for signs, trying to pinpoint the next antichrist, the next tribulation, the next fulfillment of prophecy. This used to be a feature unique to conservative Christianity. It seems the desire to know the times, know the good guys and bad guys, and who to ultimately scapegoat has spread across the faith and our society. But rather than anxiously scanning the horizon for signs, what if we prepared ourselves for faithfulness regardless of when or if the tribulation arrives in our lifetime? Rather than assuming we can predict the end, we should commit to living faithfully every single day, prepared to endure whatever may come.

Take St. Patrick for instance. He lived in a time of great upheaval, a world that surely must have seemed like it was ending. At sixteen, he was kidnapped from Britain and enslaved in Ireland. It was a tribulation of the most personal kind. But rather than despair, Patrick cultivated faithfulness. In fact, he found faith in Christ while enslaved. Not unlike the Babylonian exiles: Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego-- he prayed in captivity. He escaped by faith. And later, when he could have remained safe, he chose instead to return to the land of his captors—not as a victim, but as a missionary. He preached the gospel in hostile territory, facing persecution, opposition, and spiritual warfare at every turn. If anyone understood tribulation, Patrick did.

Legends surround Saint Patrick, and while they may not all be historical, they serve as powerful symbols of his spiritual battle. The most famous of these is the story that Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. There is no evidence that Ireland ever had snakes, so scholars believe this to be a metaphor for Patrick’s confrontation with the spiritual forces of his time. He stood against the spirits of antichrist—those that enslaved, oppressed, and sought to control both body and soul. The Ireland Patrick returned to was a land ruled by tribal warlords, steeped in violent customs, and filled with fear-driven spiritual practices that kept people in bondage. Patrick’s mission was one of liberation—not through the sword, but through the gospel. He preached against injustice, fear, and spiritual deception, calling people to faith in Christ. Mythology, after all, is not about factual accuracy; it is about meaning. In the same way, the book of Revelation presents us with grand, symbolic images that call believers to faithfulness, urging them to resist the corrupting influences of their age.

Revelation 13:10 declares, "...Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints." This verse stands at the heart of a chapter describing the rise of the beast, the deception of the nations, and the oppression of the faithful. It is a reminder that tribulation is not merely a distant event, but a present reality for Christians globally and throughout history. The chapter warns of a world where the powers of darkness seek to dominate, where idolatry demands allegiance, and where believers must choose between compromise and faithfulness.

This passage is not a call to panic but a call to endurance. It does not invite speculation about which modern figure might be the antichrist, but instead urges the saints to remain steadfast when confronted with the forces that oppose Christ’s kingdom. It echoes Christ’s own words in Matthew 24, cautioning against fear while emphasizing the necessity of perseverance. The antichrist spirit, whether embodied in oppressive regimes, corrupt systems, or moral decay, is always present in some form. The question is not when the end will come, but whether we will be faithful when tribulation arrives.

If we are indeed in a dress rehearsal for the apocalypse, then let us be faithful in every scene. Let us practice perseverance, courage, and love. Let us be the kind of people who, should the final tribulation come in our lifetime, will not be caught off guard, but will instead be found already faithful. Just like Patrick, just like the saints before us, we must remember that every age has its trials, every generation has its challenges—but faithfulness is always the calling.