Many Will Turn Away From the Faith and Betray and Hate Each Other

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The next thing Jesus lists that will happen, after the persecution of Christians leading to many being put to death and being hated by all nations (Matthew 24:9), is this:

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other… (Matthew 24:10, NIV).

This is what will happen under the pressure of the persecution. Some will turn away from the Christian faith. (Tweet that!) 

I guarantee this scares every true believer in Jesus. We wonder, Will I be one who turns away? Will I lose my faith? Will I be the one to betray fellow Christians? Will I hate other Christians…or be the hated one?

I believe those who are truly believers in Jesus will never turn away. (Tweet that!) Jesus himself will be with us and strengthen us.

Why is all this persecution happening? What is God doing? Why is He allowing this?  (Tweet that!) 

He is separating the true believers from those who are not true believers. The wheat from the weeds. His sheep from the goats, the fake sheep. (Tweet that!) 

Here is how Jesus explains what will happen a little later, in Matthew 25:31-34, 41 (NIV):

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. [Tweet that!] 

"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world…' 

"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' "

Do not be afraid, my Christian friend. You are safe in Jesus. Again, the words of Jesus in John 10:25-30 (NIV):

Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. [Tweet that!] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." 

Here's another passage of assurance:

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. [Tweet that!] For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day" (John 6:35-40, NIV).

Just stand. We are strong enough in Jesus to stand. Just stand there in your faith in Jesus! When you have reached the end of your strength, when you are frightened and weak and can do nothing more, when there's nothing left to say and nothing left to do, just stand. (Tweet that!) 

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

Persecuted, Put to Death, and Hated

http://www.persecutedmovie.com/downloads

Right after Jesus said, "All these are the beginning of birth pains," in Matthew 24:8, verse 9 starts with "Then…" and tells us what will happen next:

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." (Matthew 24:9)

I don't know if this is happening quite yet here in the United States because things could be so much worse. But I do believe we are seeing the beginning stages of this persecution. (Tweet that!) 

If we remember what the Nazis under Adolf Hitler's leadership did to the Jewish people in World War II, and also to the Christians who supported and protected them and others Hitler wanted to get rid of such as homosexuals, we are nowhere near that level of persecution today.

Later, in verse 21, Jesus says all these events leading up to His return will be greater than ever before (Tweet that!) : greater wars, greater famines, greater earthquakes, greater roaring and tossing of the seas in hurricanes and tsunamis, greater pestilences…etc. And greater persecution. He said:

²¹ For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. (Matthew 24:21)

In light of the torture and abuse of individuals in Hitler's Nazi Germany, that's pretty scary.

While those of living in the United States may not be seeing this kind of persecution, today we are seeing horrible persecution of Christians in other countries. (Tweet that!) Recent stories that come to mind are:

• The kidnapping of 276 (of which 57 quickly escaped) schoolgirls in Nigeria on April 14, 2014. "Most of Boko Haram Kidnapped Schoolgirls Are Christians, Nigerian Evangelist Says" Christian Post, May 6, 2014 

• In Sudan a woman jailed and facing a death sentence because of her Christian faith was forced to deliver her baby on her cell floor on death row. She was released then rearrested and is still working to gain her freedom. "Sudanese Christian mom spared death sentence detained trying to leave country" Fox News, June 24, 2014 

• In Iran a Christian pastor jailed for three years, freed in 2013, for refusing to recant his Christian faith. "Christian pastor Nadarkhani freed from jail in Iran after Christmas Day arrest" Fox News, January 7, 2013

In the United States and probably other western countries, Christians are currently feeling the pressure to hush up and keep Christian principles to themselves. Recent stories within the U.S. that come to mind are:

• Chick-fil-A's president and CEO, Dan Cathy, coming under fire for his comments against homosexual marriage: "Two years after controversy, Chick-fil-A is Number One in Chicken" Examiner.com, July 15, 2014 

• The outrage over the company Hobby Lobby refusing to pay, based on their Christian principles, for contraceptives through Obama-mandated health insurance. "Hobby Lobby law firm plays role in faith cases" The Columbian, July 21, 2014 

• And Phil Robertson of the A&E TV show "Duck Dynasty" felt the heat after reading a passage in the Bible and grouped homosexuality with other sins. "'Duck Dynasty' star Robertson unsurprised by controversy over gay remarks" Fox News, May 30, 2014 

Wikipedia Fair Use

If movies in America are any indications of the undercurrents of what people are thinking and feeling, last Friday a new movie released called "Persecuted," a fictional story about a Christian who is framed for crimes he didn't commit because he stands in the way of sweeping religious reform in the United States.

Jesus said, "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me."

The good news is we will not stand alone. Jesus Christ will help us, strengthen us, and will tell us what to say when our time comes. (Tweet that!) Here’s his promise:

¹¹ “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, ¹² for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” (Luke 12:11-12)

How will you, as a Christian, now prepare and pray for your future self and those you love to stand firm in your faith as you are persecuted, put to death, and hated? (Tweet that!)