 Hello, this is David Digger Hernandez and you're watching Spirit Church here on the Encounter TV Network. I'm beginning now a two-part message on the end times where we're going to look at the words of Jesus and what he says about the end of days. And here's the truth. Persecution is coming to America. Persecution is about to intensify all around the world and the body of Christ needs to be prepared. This is not a message of fear, but one that will bring urgency and preparation. So we're going to get right into that in just a moment, but first Steve Amok the Zoomer is here with me. He's going to lead you in some very anointed worship, and then we're getting right into this message here is Steve Amok the Zoomer. So let me be clear here, no nation is beyond redemption and the Holy Spirit can work and bring revival to any people group in the world. And I believe that revival is going to come to America, but I also believe that with that revival is going to come an intensification of persecution, not just in America, but all around the world. This I believe is backed by scripture. So let's take a look at the words of Jesus and let's see what the Bible says about the end times because the word of God has the final say. In Matthew chapter 24, beginning at verse one, we read this. As Jesus was leaving the temple, his disciples pointed out to him the various temple buildings. But he responded, do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished, not one stone will be left on top of another. Later Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, tell us when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world? So they're really asking him three questions here. When will all of this happen basically the building's being demolished? What sign will signal your return when you coming back and the end of the world? When is the world going to end? So the disciples asked the question to Jesus directly. And in verse four, Jesus says, don't let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah and they will deceive many. So first of all, we see that there's going to be a deception or a mass deception, I should say. Many people will be deceived by many different people claiming to be messiahs. Verse number six, the scripture says, and you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. So what's interesting here is that Jesus is saying that the wars and rumors of wars, though they will happen and though they will terrify people, are not in and of themselves the signal that he is returning, nor are they necessarily these signs that we're in the last days. In fact, the world has been at war for as long as it's been around basically. And so what we're looking at here is the beginning of the signs, the beginning of the birth pains, which will intensify as time goes on. Verse number seven says, nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all of this is only the first of the birth pains with more to come. In other words, these are not necessarily these signs that it's all going to end. These are the beginning of the birth pains. In fact, I believe that we're going to see an intensification of persecution before we really begin to see all of these things taking place. And the reality is that persecution is taking place all around the world, thousands upon thousands, if not millions of believers are persecuted, even killed, because they profess the name of Jesus. If you're in a nation where you can openly profess your Christianity, where you can openly worship God, then you're probably not aware that around the world there is a massive amount of persecution happening right now. And it's very easy for us to get stuck in our bubble. It's very easy for us to get stuck in our way of living. And we become distracted by our everyday lives, not recognizing that there is so much more happening outside of our own reality. The church is being persecuted. What I'm saying is that that persecution is going to intensify and spread to other parts of the world, including the United States. So these things begin to happen. We see wars. He says, but don't panic. The end is not yet. Then we see more terror. We see more things going wrong in our world. But he's saying, but these are just the beginnings of the birth pains. This is not the end all. This is not the final sign. This is just the beginning. What happens after that in verse nine is this. Then you will be arrested. He's speaking to his followers, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. So this persecution is going to intensify. Now the persecution that's coming specifically in the United States is going to be very intense. I truly believe that this is not necessarily something that we should be afraid of. Persecution has a way of sifting out the fakes. Persecution has a way of strengthening the core of the true believers. Persecution has a way of empowering the church in a way that comfort can't. When the gospel first came on the scene and the early church started ministering the truth and started spreading the message of Jesus all around the world. They were faced with heavy persecution. They were killed for their faith. And in the face of that persecution, the gospel not only survived, it thrived and spread all around the world. When that persecution comes, there is a spirit of glory that comes on the church that could not otherwise come. I'm going to show it to you in the Bible. First Peter chapter 4 verse 14, listen to what the Bible says. If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye, why? For the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. On their part, he is evil spoken of, but on your part, he is glorified. When persecution comes against the people of God, whether it be simple insults or the actual killing of someone for their faith, that persecution brings about a spirit of glory. It brings about a heaviness of power on the church. I'll put it to you this way. The greater the persecution against the church, the greater the power within the church. The church of God was designed to be able to thrive in the midst of resistance, governments, media, political parties. It doesn't matter. Whatever comes against the church will fail. And in fact, in coming against the church, they're actually bringing power to the church because then the spirit of glory rests on us. So when they start to hate us, when they start to speak evil of us, which they already do, I mean really think about what's going on in the world. You can say anything you want about a Christian. In the movies, you can say anything you want about Christians. You can make fun of them any way you want. You can even depict them being killed. In pop culture, it's understood that Christians are a target that you can hit no problem. People criticize Christianity. People make fun of Christianity. People hate Christianity. People openly speak against Christianity. And governments do this. Businesses do this. Wicked people in power do this. But what's interesting to me is that you can speak against Christianity. You can speak against Jesus. But the moment you speak against any other belief system or any religion, then all of a sudden everyone becomes offended and they're bothered that you would even say something against something so beautiful in their minds. That is proof to you that there's a spirit behind all of that. The world is unifying against Christianity. The world is unifying in their hatred for Christians. They don't want to hear what we have to say. They don't want to hear what we have to preach for the most part. This is why we must continue to preach it, because it is in that preaching that the Holy Spirit works, shines that light in the dark places and brings about the redemption of those who are lost. But still, this I believe is how God truly designed the church to function. As I was saying, in comfort, that's when the church becomes stagnant and stale. We become consumed in our blessings and consumed in our influence and consumed in our own events and our own things. And nothing's wrong with those. I do events all the time and we have Christian media and so forth. What I am saying is that it's easy to become comfortable when there is nothing but comfort and there is no resistance. Now, as believers, we're going to face these difficult times, but this is not something to be frightened of. This is not something to cause you to hide or to cause you to shrink back in your faith or to cause you to speak less of the name of Jesus. No, this is something that should encourage you, not because we're going to face resistance. Nobody wants to face resistance, but it is in that resistance that we find our true flow in the Spirit. It is in that resistance that we find a greater level of glory. And this is what God is going to do in His church as the world begins to come against us, as all of the systems unite against us. We will see a revival such as we have never seen before. Miracles on different levels, the power of God increasing to levels we haven't seen since the early church. And this is the season in which we are entering. I believe this with all my heart because I'm starting to experience it. Even with our media ministry, I'm not going to name names because I'm going to leave that to the Lord to do what He has to do. But there are people who've come against us. There are businesses, corporations, tech companies that have come against us. This ministry, I'm talking specifically about this ministry, who tried to shut us down or who tried to tether what God is doing to us, who try to hide us behind other things and they change algorithms and so forth to make sure that our message isn't heard. But here's the truth. This gospel shall be preached to the ends of the earth. It's not going to change a thing. The gospel is going forward. The power of God is moving in the earth. And as we continue to stand strong during these times, you're going to see that God is going to multiply His church. We're not losing ground. We are gaining ground. We are winning. Jesus is Lord. Jesus reigns. Jesus has dominion and power and authority. And there's nothing anybody can do about it. The gospel is advancing. Hearts are being turned. The church is growing. And this is the doing of the Holy Spirit, despite what the world is trying to do in causing us to fail. That resistance will not work because we return for that resistance. Instead of anger and hatred, we return to them love and the power of God and the ministry of reconciliation and the declaration of the forgiveness of sins. We give them a light in exchange for their darkness and they will know us by our love. This gospel is being preached. The church will thrive. The church is moving forward. The kingdom is advancing. So as you see what seems to be walls closing in around the church, remember that it is in that season that the church gains its true power, where nothing can stand in the way of God. Nothing can hold back His hand. His power will accomplish its purpose. Well, that is it for the lesson. Now I want to pray with you. I want to pray that God would give you the strength to stand in times of persecution. Whether that be again insults, insults is still persecution. It's not the greatest level of persecution, but it still can cause fear in some. Whether God has you in a place where you're facing persecution at an extreme level or at a lower level, it doesn't matter. You need the strength to stand. So we're going to pray right now that the Holy Spirit will give you the strength to stand and the discernment to tell when something is not truly of God. So let's pray right now, Father, in the name of Jesus, I lift that one to you now who is receiving this message and who wants the strength to stand under persecution. I pray, Father, that they would reverence your word and you above all else. They would not fear man, but rather they would reverence God. And I pray, Lord, we would not shrink back from declaring your word. We would not shrink back from praying and from worshiping and from shining the light in the dark places. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Touch that one watching. Strengthen them. Empower them. I give you the glory, Lord. And I want you to say it because you agree, say amen. Well, that is it for the lesson. I want to welcome now the new members of Spirit Church. There you are up on the screen. We love you and we are praying for you. I always say that because I always meet it. If you like information on how you can join the Spirit family, now over 10,000 members strong. Then go to David Hernandez Ministries dot com slash Spirit Church. When you sign up, it's absolutely free and you'll receive from me every single week a brand new teaching, a brand new worship cover from Stephen Mock, the Zuma, and the best part, you can reply to that email for prayer support from our ministry staff. Now I want to read your comments. And these comments are from last week's teaching, how to win the loss. If you're wondering how you might be able to win your loved ones to the Lord, maybe you know someone who's really stubborn. They're not really budging when it comes to the evangelism and you're trying to win them to the Lord, but they seem to be coming more and more stubborn than you got to go and listen to that lesson. Make sure you watch how to win the loss. They give you biblical keys to winning the loss. And while you're there, be sure to also subscribe. If you're watching on YouTube, click that notification bell so you can receive all the notifications. And as usual, if you'd like me to potentially read your comments from this week's teaching next week, then go ahead and leave a comment in the comment section now. Here are the comments from last week's teaching, how to win the loss. Jesus moment writes, we have to tell the whole truth. Amen. You really are my online mentor, Pastor David. Thanks Stephen for singing one of my favorite songs, Reckless Love. Keo Keo writes, thank you for allowing the Holy Spirit to use you to give such a vivid explanation on how to share the gospel. It's definitely going to help me to share it a lot better and to allow the Holy Spirit to give me the words to speak. The next commenter writes, thank you, EncounterTV. I'm about to finish my high school journey and David's teachings have guided and molded me to be a surrendered person to the Holy Spirit, Lloyd from Zimbabwe. And finally, Eric Lukomsky writes, you have blessed me so much through your messages. You have taught and you are continuing to teach me more and more how to walk in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for your continual obedience to the Holy Spirit. God bless. And thank you for your viewership, you guys. You know, we love you. I really do see you as our family. This is a really special thing that the Lord is doing by joining us together. And I believe this. It's not by accident you're watching. It's not by accident you feel connected. I feel connected with you too. When you watch the content, I know that you can sense that in the Spirit. I can sense it too, even as I'm teaching you now through that camera. I can feel how the Lord has brought us together. And it's for such a time as this, it's for a purpose. So together, you and I are going to accomplish great things for God. Together, you and I can change the world. As I was saying, it's easy to look at the world and say, wow, it's so dark, there's nothing we can do, but there is something we can do. The gospel has not lost its power. The blood of Jesus has not lost its power. The message of salvation has not lost its power. It still has the power to transform lives. And this is where you and I can work together. You see, this ministry functions off of support from viewers like you. We don't sell the gospel. We don't believe in selling the gospel. We give all the content out for free. All of our events are free. 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So we added another option for those of you who are in business or maybe want to give through stock this way. Some people have actually been able to donate to the ministry who otherwise could not have donated. You know, we have people who give gifts of all sizes. We have those people who are able to give the small gifts. We even have some of those who give those large gifts to the ministry. And those larger gifts help to accelerate what's happening in the ministry as we continue to spread the gospel all around the world. So we now added Apple Pay and a way to donate stocks for working on cryptocurrency, which should be up soon. But whatever you can do, whether it be a monthly gift or a one-time gift, you can give from all around the world through multiple different means. Do it today. Go to davidhernanisministries.com slash donate and help us today to continue to reach the lost time is running out. And that is it for this edition of Spirit Church here on the Encounter TV Network. 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