Turning Point

Guest (Male): Welcome to Turning Point. You might think the persecution of Christians has decreased in this age of tolerance. But it hasn't. In fact, Jesus promised it will only get worse. Today, Dr. David Jeremiah looks at why Christians will face more and more hatred from the world in the last days and how believers ought to respond. Here's David to introduce today's message: In a World of Persecution, Be Prepared.

Dr. David Jeremiah: And the Lord Jesus tells us that that is coming and that we should prepare ourselves for it. As I've mentioned to you many times, the prophecies of Jesus cast their shadows before them so that the things he says will happen right before the return of the Lord will happen throughout the time even before that prophecy is officially in place. Do we have evidence that the world of persecution is growing? We surely do.

In the book that I wrote from which this series of messages has been taken, I have a chart of the top 10 countries where Christians are persecuted. I'm reminded as I look down at number seven on that chart is Nigeria, where most of us have watched over this last year many, many Christians being taken out of their churches in groups, persecuted, many of them killed. Persecution is well on its way to a highest level in other countries, and it's beginning to put its foot in the door here in America in ways we never believed possible.

So what does the Bible have to say about that? We'll begin our discussion of it in just a moment. Let me remind you that the book that I'm talking about from which this series has been taken is a book called *The World of the End: How Jesus' Prophecy Shapes Our Priorities*. It's yours for the asking when you send a gift of any size to Turning Point. We'll send you this 241-page book. It contains everything that we've been talking about in this extended prophetic series.

You will have this at your fingertips and be able to go to the resources. It's footnoted, it's filled with charts and illustrations, and it will help you wrap your arms around these truths from Jesus on the Olivet Discourse. I hope you'll take advantage of that while the book is available. There's also a study guide and a series of CDs that you can get or DVDs so you can really get around this material. Maybe you want to be a facilitator for a small group or however God is using you to explain and teach the Word of God and get it out there. Use this as one of your resources. I think it will be something God will bless in your life. Here is part one of "In a World of Persecution, Be Prepared."

I want to begin with a story that you know some of the details about, and I'll fill in the empty places. Andrew and Norine Brunson were relaxing at a Turkish retreat on the Aegean Sea when the phone rang. "Andrew," said the voice, "the police have just been here looking for you." The call was from the small church that Andrew had pastored for 24 years in the New Testament city of Smyrna in Turkey. That was the beginning of a nightmare that lasted 735 days.

As he later recounted in his memoir, he was kept for a time in a small cell with no chair, nothing but a low bunk, meaning he had to be either standing or walking or lying on the bed at all times. The toilet didn't flush. His Bible and his glasses were taken away. Pastor Brunson was sometimes housed in overcrowded cells and unable to sleep because of the stifling fear and the stifling heat.

Third of the way into the ordeal, he sobbed to the prison doctor, "I can't handle it. I have constant panic. I don't sleep. I've lost 50 pounds. I have fought for eight months to control myself, and I can't handle it anymore." More than once he said he was afraid he was going insane. But the Lord didn't forsake Andrew Brunson. He said, "Each day I focused on fighting through my fear to reach a place where I surrendered myself to whatever God had for me."

He had to learn the lesson of Isaiah 50:10. And he reminded us all of this verse that I had forgotten about; perhaps you have too. So here it is: "Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God." Can we say that verse out loud? Isn't that a great verse? "Let the one who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on their God."

Andrew Brunson said, "God was teaching me to stand in the dark, to persevere apart from my feelings and my perception and my circumstance." Not long ago, Andrew Brunson spoke again, and his words were very sobering. He warned of persecution ahead for the Western church. Here's what he said: "I believe the pressures that we're seeing in our country now are going to increase, and one of these pressures is going to be hostility toward people who embrace Jesus Christ and his teaching, who are not ashamed to stand for him."

"My concern is that we're not ready for this pressure, and not being prepared is very, very dangerous." So I want us to be prepared. And Jesus wanted us to be prepared. And one of the best ways to be prepared is to listen to what he said to his disciples as he sat with them on the Mount of Olives. This is what he said in Matthew 24:9: "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

Now, the record of persecution goes way back. How long has there been persecution? Ever since there was Jesus Christ on this earth. He himself was rejected and scourged and crucified. He was a man of sorrows, the scripture says. And the early disciples were arrested and whipped and forbidden to preach in the name of Jesus, though they would not be silenced. As you remember, Stephen became the first person to die for his faith, and an entire chapter in the Book of Acts, chapter seven, is devoted to telling us the story of that event.

Eleven of the 12 apostles perished violently, every one of them except John, who was banished to the island of Patmos in an old age. By now, you might think we'd see a decrease in persecution and that somehow the world, which is supposedly getting better, would mean that persecution was decreasing and no longer were people being persecuted for their personal faith. Unfortunately, that is not true. In many parts of the world, the persecution of Christians now exceeds any period in history.

According to Dr. Todd M. Johnson of Gordon-Conwell Seminary, more than 70 million Christians have been martyred throughout history, and more than half of those deaths occurred in the 20th century. He also estimates that one million Christians were killed between 2001 and 2010 and another 900,000 between 2011 and 2020. Persecution has been on the increase in the time in which you and I have lived, but we don't know much about it because so much of it happens other places.

It's starting to creep into our culture more than you can imagine. But most of the time, it's been in places we don't know about, but it's continued to grow. The reality of Christian persecution is evident. Each year, the Christian charity Open Doors releases a World Watch List highlighting the 50 places where faith in Jesus costs the most. In 2022, Afghanistan, North Korea, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen topped the list.

Furthermore, they estimate that 360 million Christians in the world today experience extreme persecution because of their faith. And to give that some context, that is one out of every seven believers in the world. One out of every seven believers lives under the pressure of persecution. Jesus saw this coming. He didn't want us to be caught off guard. Once again, he said, "They will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake."

And each phrase in that prophecy is important, so let's take them one by one. First of all, the promise of tribulation: "They will deliver you up to tribulation." Now, the word "tribulation" is an interesting word. It comes from a Greek word that describes a grinding pressure. It's a word that was used for the grinding of wheat. Think of how they ground grain in the ancient world. The kernels were pounded and pulverized between two millstones, and there was no chance of relief.

That's tribulation, and that is what Christ has promised we will experience if we follow him. That begs the question: are we already feeling that kind of persecution and tribulation? And the answer is yes. In fact, there are a couple of examples of Christians being persecuted that I called out from my study. Here's one in Kaduna State, Nigeria: a group of Fulani herdsmen attacked four villages, killing 18 Christians, burning down 92 houses. The victims were specifically targeted because of their faith in Jesus Christ.

In eastern Uganda, a man named Yusufu converted to Christianity even though he was the head of a private Muslim school. When the teachers at the school heard him praying in Jesus' name, they beat him and scarred him with third-degree burns and fired him from his position. There are hundreds of stories like that every day. I could give you any number of them, and I don't read a lot of them because they really discourage you and they make you sad, and you feel bad for the people who are going through all of this.

But notice Jesus' second promise. He says they will persecute you, and then in verse nine, he says they will kill you. This is really getting good, isn't it? From persecution to murder. The world of the end will see a dramatic increase in the rise of martyrdom and religious killings, not only in regions of the world dominated by Islam and Hinduism and socialism, but in all the nations. The Bible uses the word "martyr" to describe someone who is slain for their faith.

That's what they called Stephen in Acts 22:20: "the blood of your martyr Stephen." Jesus reminded the church in Pergamum: "Antipas was my faithful martyr." Now, the word "martyr" was used, but it means "witness." And it means somebody who dies because of their witness, someone who dies because they say what they believe about who Jesus is and they proclaim him as Savior. They preach on the corners. We see people out there we think they're weird, but they're preaching. They're doing what they think is right.

They're doing something to witness for Jesus Christ. And the Bible says that in the future, when somebody does that, they will be taken out. Kayla Mueller understood that reality. As a Christian, she believed it was her responsibility to join in God's work of relieving suffering in the world. "I find God in the suffering eyes reflected in mine," she once wrote. Addressing God, she added, "If this is how you are revealed in me, this is how I will forever seek you."

While serving as a relief worker in Syria, Kayla was taken hostage by members of an ISIS cell. She remained a prisoner for 18 months, enduring abuse of every kind along with several other female captives. She eventually became a personal prisoner of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS. When a group of her friends, four women, made a plan to escape their captors, she refused to join them. She said, "I am an American, and if I escape with you, they will do everything to find you again, so I shall stay."

And the four women did escape. They smuggled out a letter that Kayla wanted to give to her parents. I told you this story because I really want to read this letter. Here's a portion of what that amazing young woman wrote during one of the darkest circumstances you can imagine. This is to her parents: "If you could say I have suffered," she wrote, "throughout this whole experience, it is only in knowing how much suffering I have put you all through."

"I remember Mom always telling me that all in all, in the end, the only one you really have is God. I have come to a place in this experience," Kayla wrote, "where in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our Creator because literally, there was no one else. By God, by your prayers, I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall. I have been shown in darkness light, and I have learned that even in prison you can be free, and I am grateful."

Kayla Mueller died at the hands of Baghdadi, yet she is victorious today because her story is proving once again that the power of light is greater than the power of darkness, and that freedom over tyranny and love over hate is always the right equation. Kayla's witness will forever reveal the power of the Gospel, a power that endures even to the face of death. So Jesus said to Peter, James, John, and Andrew: "Guys, I want you to understand something. There's some tough days coming."

"And I'm not going to smooth them over. I'm not going to tell you they won't be tough. They'll be tough. And here's something you need to know: you're going to be persecuted, they're going to try to kill you, and here's why. Then you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake." I would ask this question: Have you ever felt anything negative because people know you're a Christian? Have you ever felt any pushback or anguish or maybe even fear or rejection because people know that you're a Christian?

One of the grimmer realities of Jesus' revelation in this verse is that persecution against his followers is not clinical or detached. It's the persecution of God's people during the world of the end, fueled by emotion. We will be hated. Of course, such hatred is unwarranted. It will be unwarranted in the future. But for 2,000 years, the world has raged against us, seeking to disband the movement that Jesus began, seeking to ban the Bible that he gave, seeking to disrupt the ministries he started, and seeking to destroy the souls that he saved.

You don't have to look very far or listen very long to find out the world isn't standing up to applaud the Christian faith. So what motivates people to do that? I mean, we're good people. We help our neighbors. We try to be kind. Why do they hate Christians? Why do the people of the world, especially people in places of responsibility, in media, the elites, if you will, why do they look down their nose at Christians? And the motivation behind it is the motivation that goes back to who Jesus is and what he has done.

He came to deal with sin. He came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. He offers salvation. But in order for you to be saved, you have to admit that you're lost. And my dad used to tell me as a pastor, the hardest thing about getting people saved was getting them lost, because most of them don't think they're lost. They think they're pretty good. They think they got it made. They think they're good enough to go to heaven without God. They don't need Jesus.

But Jesus said, "You'll be hated by all nations," and then he said for this reason: "for my name's sake." The reason Christians experience persecution is because we have aligned ourselves with Jesus Christ, and the world hates Jesus Christ. "If the world hates you," Jesus said, "you know that it hated me before it hated you." John 15:18. John 15:20 says, "If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you." Now, it's important for me to clarify this because I hear this word used a lot improperly.

"I got a D on that test. I'm just going through persecution." No, you didn't study. Or, "I don't have any money left in my account. I'm going through a time of persecution." No, you should have saved some. We use the word "persecution" as sort of a cover word for everything that's negative in our lives. But persecution doesn't fit any place except in this narrow place. Persecution is what happens to you particularly because of the fact that you are a Christian, a follower of Christ.

And that raises an important question I'm going to ask you, and I hope you'll think about it. I'm not asking you about your salvation. I'm asking you: Have you ever publicly identified yourself with Jesus Christ in such a way that those who know you know what you believe? And have you ever told anybody that you didn't think wanted to know this that you are a Christian, that you are a follower of Christ? Here's another way to ask that question. This is a great question for all of us, especially for the younger ones.

If you got arrested for being a Christian, is there enough evidence to prosecute you? Everywhere you look today, there are people who are tucking their New Testament in their inward pocket and walking by because they don't want anybody to know that they belong to Jesus. "If they don't know I'm a Christian, I'm still a Christian." Yeah, but not a very good one. He doesn't want us walking around sticking our faith in everybody's nose, but he doesn't want us covering up our faith in any situation for any reason.

We're to stand up for what we believe and not be ashamed to do it. And sometimes you have to confront what's wrong. When I was a pastor back in Fort Wayne and I was first getting started, I was probably in my late 20s, early 30s. Much to my wife's frustration, I played in two industrial basketball leagues every week. One was in the Y in downtown Fort Wayne, and another was in another place, so I played basketball two nights a week.

And I made a lot of friends there. It was the only contact I had with people who weren't Christians. Because if you're a pastor, as soon as you walk in the room, they get on report, you know? A pastor's here, you got to behave and all that. But when you're playing basketball, nobody cares about that. So I'm playing against this guy, and this one particular game I remember, he was using the Lord's name in vain every time down the floor.

He was having a bad day and he wasn't making his shots, and every time he missed a shot, he took the Lord's name in vain. And finally, during a timeout, I went over to him and I said, "You know what? You got to quit doing what you're doing." He said, "What's that?" I said, "First of all, Jesus isn't missing the shots you are, so quit using his name. And secondly, Jesus Christ is very special to me, and you use his name in a way that's very dishonoring to him and is hurtful to me."

"And if you keep doing it, I'm going to have to not play in this league anymore, and you know that wouldn't be good." The rest of the year, I never heard him peep one word that wasn't—I mean, he might have said "jeepers" once, but I'm not sure. Now you say, "Well, Pastor Jeremiah, that's a silly little illustration." Yes, it is. But how easy do we just accept what happens by other people because we don't want people to know that we're Christians?

And the Bible says that's not being a Christian. We will have to stand up for our faith, and when we do, we will have issues. Jesus is telling his disciples this because he wants them to get ready. He knows they're going to face some stuff like this. And so we have the record of persecution and the reality of it. Here's the response to it. Let me tell you another story, most of which you may know. Coach Joseph Kennedy has inspired those of us in America with his example.

As a high school football coach in Seattle, he would always take a moment to kneel in prayer on the 50-yard line after the game. No matter win or lose, sometimes members of his team joined him for the prayer, and sometimes even players from the other team joined in. But whether in a crowd or alone, Coach Kennedy prayed after every game. And he did it for seven years. Then in 2015, an opposing coach noticed what he was doing and reported him to the Bremerton High School principal.

Soon after that, the school athletic director told Kennedy to stop praying, citing the school district's policy regarding religious expression. The coach tried to do as instructed. In fact, he skipped his weekly prayer after one game and felt so guilty and regretted his decision so much that before he got home, he turned his car around, went back to the empty stadium, tearfully returned to the 50-yard line, asked God to forgive him for not doing what he should do, and expressed his love for the Lord.

He resumed the ritual of postgame prayer the following week and the week after, and that's when the officials placed him on leave and then declined to rehire him for the following season. Joseph Kennedy had spent 20 years serving his country as a United States Marine, and he was fired for 20 seconds of prayer. And the coach, he's a fighter. He sued the Bremerton School District in 2015, claiming they violated his religious freedom and constitutional guarantee of religious liberty.

And seven years later, in January of 2022, his case was taken up by the United States Supreme Court. And on June 27th of that year, the news flashed across the internet that in a six-to-three decision, the Supreme Court ruled in the coach's favor, and I say, "Hallelujah!" May his tribe increase. May there be more Joe Kennedys. Whenever possible, we need to kindly and bravely stand up for the freedom that allows us our faith.

In some places, there's no concept of religious liberty. Followers of Christ will have to navigate the best way to handle instances of persecution. We don't have solid answers for every particular situation we face or that you face. But we have one deep desire, and that is to honor the Lord with our lives, not to be cowardly, not to run away from our faith and cover it up because it's under attack, but to be God's people and be God's people in a gracious, godly way.

One man that I read many years ago, whose statement sticks in my heart, said something like this: "If the only time you speak about an issue is when it's not being contested in the world, you're not showing strength. What really matters is when you stand up for the truth when that truth is being attacked." Many of us are called to do that. And when God calls us to do it, we must do it and do it with the confidence that God is with us and he will help us, as he always has.

I'll have some more about this on Monday when we get together after the weekend. I hope you'll make sure to be with us for these next two weeks as we continue and conclude this series, *The World of the End*. As we head into the weekend, I remind you that Turning Point is on television almost everywhere in America and many other places in the world. And watch us if you can, but don't watch us and not go to church. Get to church. That's the priority, the most important thing you can do this weekend. Until we meet again on Monday, I'm David Jeremiah. Thank you so much for listening.

Guest (Male): Our message today originated from Shadow Mountain Community Church and senior pastor Dr. David Jeremiah. Turning Point is also on radio and TV this weekend. To learn where you can find it, visit our website, davidjeremiah.org/radio. That's davidjeremiah.org/radio. Or call 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's informative book, *The World of the End*, with the special "Be the Answer" bookmark, yours for a gift of any amount.

You can also purchase the Jeremiah Study Bible in the English Standard, New International, and New King James versions, complete with notes and articles from Dr. Jeremiah's decades of study. If you're encouraged by this ministry, let us know by writing to Turning Point, P.O. Box 3838, San Diego, California 92163. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us Monday as we continue the series *The World of the End* on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.