Rabbi Schneider - Stand Firm Amidst Rising Hostility
We have never felt like we are living at the end of the age until now in terms of the intensity by which we’re being marked by. People realize everything has shifted. Something has changed. Jesus is getting ready to come back. Did you ever consider that Jesus' last words in the entire Brit Chadashah, the entire Bible, His last words are, «Behold, I come soon,» or «Behold, I come quickly».
So it’s important that you and I are living with a recognition and expectation that Jesus is coming back. That the creator of the world, that the one that created you and me, that the one that created the earth, He is gonna manifest himself to the world again. And when He does, every eye will see Him. One of the things that Yeshua said when His disciples were asking Him questions about the end of the age and His coming, Yeshua said, if you hear that, you know, I came over there in New Jersey, you know, don’t go to New Jersey to meet Me. Because when I return, He said, it’s going to be like lightning. It’s going to flash up the entire world. It’s going to circle the earth. Everyone’s going to know that I came.
I remember I was in (this is a true story) I was in Africa one time and… You know, the scripture says that when Yeshua returns, His feet will hit in Israel the Mount of Olives. So when we were preaching across the world one time, one of the people said, Well, when Jesus returns and His feet hit the Mount of Olives, the woman said, she said, Well, will we be watching it on the internet? And the truth is, you know, His feet will hit the Mount of Olives but at lightning speed. As soon as His foot touches the Mount of Olives, his glory will have circled the entire world. It will be instantaneous. Beloved, He’s coming back soon. He’s coming back for you and I, and we need to live with expectations.
So we’re going to pick up now where we left off last time. the middle of verse 6. «…see that you’re not frightened when these things start to happen… When you hear of the wars and the rumors of wars and begin to see the hatred,» He said, «see that you are not frightened». Now get this. «For these things, those things must take place». That is really interesting because a lot of times, you and I, we can like start bemoaning all that’s going on right now, right? We bemoan it. We hate it. You know, life has become so hard because of the spirit of the age and the darkness and all the things that we’ve talked about. We hate it. But Jesus said, «Those things must take place».
That’s a good reminder and it’s a good healthy dose of reality check because it can help us stay encouraged when we realize nothing’s gone wrong. God’s plan hasn’t failed. We don’t want to be whining all the time. Jesus said those things must take place. Why do all these things need to take place? Why the earthquakes, the wars? Why the darkness? Why the division? Why will many people be falling away from the faith? Why are all these dark things going to be happening? They need to happen, beloved, to set the stage for the Antichrist to emerge. I’m not talking about the Antichrist spirit that’s already here.
John told us that the Antichrist spirit is already on the earth. The spirit that opposes God’s anointing, the spirit that opposes the spirit of light, that’s already at work, stronger and stronger. But I’m talking about the literal person whom the devil will fully manifest through. This one is known as the Antichrist. And Paul said, let no one mislead you. He said, Jesus, Yeshua, cannot return until the anti-Messiah or the anti-Christ is first revealed, whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His coming.
So once again, all the terrible things that we’re seeing, beloved ones, Jesus said these things must happen. Why? Because they’re setting the stage for the rise of the Antichrist. And Jesus can’t return until the Antichrist first rises and is revealed. It’s just part of God’s plan. You know, a friend said to me the other day, if there was a better way of doing things… I mean, sometimes we suffer because we look in the world and we say, Well, if there’s a good God, you know, how could He allow… why did He allow this suffering? Why did He allow this evil?
A friend was telling me that somebody was saying, well, they don’t believe in God because if there was a God, why would, if He created the world this way with all the suffering that goes on and all the evil? If there really is a God, why would he have done it like this? But the fact is, beloved, there is a God and if there was a better way to have done it, He would have done it that way. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. «Even as the heavens are higher than the earth,» saith the Lord, «so are my ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts».
So the Lord said here, All these terrible things that you’re seeing happen, He says, these things have to happen. It’s part of the plan. So as things get darker, and people’s conscience gets more and more seared, and they lose their way, and they lose moral discernment, this is an environment in which the Antichrist can surface. I mean, you think about Hitler and Nazi Germany. How was somebody like Hitler able to seize control of the nation and then destroy almost the entire world? A few things. Number one, the Germans were very desperate. They had lost the last world war. Their economy was in havoc because of all the financial debt that they went into as a result of the war. The people were demoralized. They had lost their way. They had sunk into moral darkness.
So all of a sudden they were in this dark place. They lacked hope. So in this place of hopelessness, lack of discernment and desperation, Hitler was able to seize power. Similarly, the world’s going to be in a place of hopelessness that has lost its way. And it’s in this place of moral bankruptcy and hopelessness that the Antichrist will be able to emerge. So Jesus says all these terrible things they must happen. They’re setting the stage for the world to be gullible enough to receive the Antichrist. That’s why Jesus began Matthew 24 by saying, see that you’re not misled. The primary power of the devil is deception. When Jesus described the devil, He said he’s the father of lies and was a liar from the beginning.
So that’s why we need to be so grounded in God’s word. That’s why we need to be in fellowship with other believers. That’s why we need to be in regular Bible study, because all these things are happening. It’s the power of delusion all around us. It’s an influence of delusion. The Bible tells us that the people that do not receive the love of God, when the diluting influence comes upon them, they’re going to believe it. In fact, the Bible says, I know this is hard to accept, but the Bible says that the Lord, that God is going to send a diluting influence upon those that would not receive a love of the truth so that they might believe a lie and be judged. It’s serious, friends. We need to get grounded in God’s Word so we know the truth, and we need to fall in love with Jesus and live for Him, because Jesus said, hard times are happening, they’re coming, and I want you to be able to stand. That’s why it’s important for you to get grounded today.
So, let’s continue on. He said, «…those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there’ll be famines and earthquakes». We’re going to see natural disasters happen, more plagues of every kind. «But all these things,» in verse 8, «are merely,» get this, «the beginning of the birth pangs». That’s why I have a problem with a lot of the so-called prophets and prophetic words that seem to be continually coming forth about this great, you know, new awakening that’s coming to the world, where somehow, you know, the world’s going to turn back to Jesus and the world is gonna become Christianized, and Jesus is gonna exercise His dominion over the world, and we’re gonna put everything in order, and we’re gonna become the Judeo-Christian nation again in the Golden Age.
I don’t believe that, my friends, because I don’t see it in the Word of God. What I see happening is things will go from bad to worse. That’s what Paul said. This is, to me, what Jesus seems to preach. I’m not saying there can’t be revivals. I’m not even saying that there can’t be another great revival. But overall, even if there are revivals and even if there is another great revival, overall, the scripture says that things are going to go from bad to worse and you and I need to get prepared. Okay? So I’m sticking with the word of God, not a person that says, oh, the latter reign is greater than the former reign. That’s the scripture that so many of these prophets use forecasting the great revival that’s coming. They base their prophecy a lot of times on a scripture from the Hebrew Bible that says, The latter reign will be greater than the former reign.
That’s a very, to me, weak argument to build a whole theology around a great revival coming. It’s not even in context, and it’s only… The Lord didn’t say a great revival is coming, and this great revival that’s coming is gonna be greater than the formal revival. All He talked about was a latter reign being greater than a former reign. You know, had to do with agriculture and everything else. So I would be very hesitant to build a whole theology around it. It’s a beautiful verse, but not enough to build a foundation on of a great revival coming to America that’s going to be the biggest revival the world has ever seen. Is it possible? It’s possible. But I don’t think you can build a solid case based on the word of God that it’s going to happen. It’s a possibility.
But what the Bible teaches is these bad things Jesus is talking about, these terrible things that the world is entering into, He said, these are merely the beginning of the birth pangs. «Then they will deliver you to tribulation». Okay. So in other words, you’re going to suffer for taking a stand for Jesus. And those of you that are really living righteously, I mean, you’re not silent Christians, those of you that are not ashamed to wear your love for Jesus on your sleeve, you talk about Him, you praise Him. People that you work with, they know you love Jesus. Your neighbors, they know you love Jesus. Most of you that are truly living as those that are praising God, like that song, Hallelujah, that we sing, your whole life is about praising God, that the fruit of his salvation is on your lips.
Jesus said, You shall be my witnesses. Those of you that are living this way, you’re already facing some tribulation and some persecution because of it. Jesus said, «Blessed are you when men persecute you and say all types of evil slander against you for righteousness sake. Great’s your reward in heaven. They did the same thing to the prophets of old. And when you’re persecuted for Me, the spirit of glory will rest on you». «They will deliver you to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name». It’s already happening, beloved. The world is gathering a spirit of hatred around it towards Christianity and Jesus. The world’s hatred towards the Bible and Christian values and God’s Word, it’s growing by leaps and bounds every month.
We hear all the time, «Oh, Christians are bad people. Christians are hateful people. Christians are the people that they won’t include, you know, same-sex marriage in their inclusiveness. They won’t include people of other religions. People that believe in Jesus, Christians, they’re narrow-minded haters». That spirit is growing. That spirit is growing. Listen, it’s not going to be long before the whole world hates you and I and those of us that really love Jesus because we love Jesus. This is what Jesus is saying is going to happen. His people are going to be hated by the whole world. We already feel it. How many of you have lost friends because you love Jesus? This is going to intensify. It’s going to intensify.
So once again, He says to you, «…they will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time,» He said, «many will fall away». Isn’t that interesting? When people have to suffer for Jesus, when there’s a price to pay for loving Him, when there’s a price to pay for naming Him, what is a lot of people’s response? Jesus says, they will fall away. So listen again. «They will deliver you to tribulation and will kill you,» and get it again, «and you will be hated by all nations because of My name. At that time, many will fall away».
What does that mean? It means people will not be willing to pay the price. They’ll fall away from Jesus because they want to be accepted by man. They’ll fall away from Yeshua because they’re not willing to pay a price to walk with Him and to name Him and to suffer with Him and to be a devoted verbal follower of His. So rather than staying faithful to Him, instead what they do is they fall away because they want to fit into the world. You know, Jesus said in the Gospel of John to the religious leaders of His day, He said, «How can you believe»? It’s not even possible, He was saying. «How can you believe when you seek the glory that comes from man instead of the glory that comes from the one true God»?
And so today we see it all around. I see it all around. People that claim to be Christians, they won’t say anything about Jesus on their Facebook site. They won’t say anything about Jesus in their neighborhood. They won’t say anything about Jesus in their school. What’s going on? They’re falling away because they’re not willing to be hated by the world. Jesus said He was going to spit the lukewarm out of His mouth. Get hot or get cold. Time is now. Get ready, beloved, to suffer for Jesus' sake. Recognize that there’s a cost to pay.
The Bible says everybody that desires to live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. That includes you, and it includes me. We’re entering into difficult days. This is serious. And you need to sink your teeth down into the solid rock of God’s Word and be prepared to pay the price. Jesus said those that go to heaven didn’t love their own lives even to the end. They persevered because of their love for Him even to the end. So once again, he says, «At that time, many will fall away,» and listen to this, «and will betray one another and hate one another».
In other words, maybe it’s a true Christian friends. And so one of them, you know, says, «You know what? I’m not going to be bold about Jesus anymore». So they become like Judas. Satan fills their heart and then they start hating their old Christian friends. Because they betrayed Jesus, Satan filled their heart, now they hate their own Christian friends. The hatred that we feel in society, it’s just going to increase. Jesus said people will hate one another. Listen again. «Many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another».
Could you feel the hatred rising? Somehow, you know, the woke culture is trying to make us believe that, you know, they’re leading us in to a more loving culture. You know, all the propaganda. We’re more inclusive now. We’re more loving now. I was out fishing the other day on a river. My boat broke down in the middle of the river. I was stranded. Two people came by that could have helped me. Do you think they helped me? No, they didn’t help me.
I called them over to try to get some help. They acted like they were going to help. They just drove away and never saw him again. Cynthia and I, Baruch Hashem, God saved us in a miracle. I’m going to tell you about that. I’ll tell you about it in the next episode, okay? I love you guys today. I’m just trying to tell you we are God’s beloved ones. We’re His kids, we’re His children, and He is warning you and I, get ready. I’m coming soon, but you got to be ready to go through some hard times.