Hated for Christ (Part C)

The Jews never had a false messiah until they rejected the true messiah.

It's amazing! All the false messiahs came after Calvary and the resurrection. You'd think that alone would waken them to say, hey, something's spiritual going on here that I'm missing. After Christ, they've had a rash of them. They even had a woman, Eva Frank, claim to be the messiah.

And some of the Jews in those circles accepted that. This is Cross-Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through the Book of Mark. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross-Reference Radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. Hated for Christ is the title of Pastor Rick's message today.

He'll be teaching in Mark chapter 13. With this COVID outbreak has come not only, listen, there's a bad virus out there that can kill you. That part is true. But what about all the falsities that came with it, the lies? Okay, I expect that from a world that has an agenda. And those who have power now, the upper hand, they lie every time they talk and they say anything.

You can never tell when they're telling the truth. Well, one thing that has been revealed is how easy Bible-believing Christians can be deceived. I mean, deceived into, cave into a panic as the facts begin to come out.

They're not letting it go. This church has lost people because we wouldn't mandate masks. And you're just going to say, you know, okay, fine, if you're nervous about it, you know, with a good reason, then watch online. But why turn on the pastor? Why turn on the church? Why not give the benefit of the doubt to the righteous? I mean, you're listening to the news media.

When have they ever been honest about anything? For me, in the early stages, I thought, well, there's something to this. Well, there was.

It is a deadly disease or virus that's out there. But then I saw all the leftists really pushing us. And I said, you know what? Any team Satan roots for, I'm against.

Anytime Satan gets the ball, now you got to watch out. And it's just troubling to see that Christians were turning on the church for not sharing the level of fear they had. It's not a reason to turn on your brothers and sisters. So what is my point? My point is this.

This was a dress rehearsal for what's coming. It was global. I don't know of any time in human history where the globe was put under a mandate and it was pulled off.

Everybody, everywhere. I mean, fish were wearing masks. And I mean, Alexander the Great could not do it. The Caesars could not do it. Napoleon could. No one could bring Genghis Khan.

None of the people who were conquerors could get the entire world to do what they wanted. Until now. We're in a global age and that fits into the end time scenario. So beware. Take heed. Don't be gullible.

Don't give in so quickly. When you see the fear meter in your heart going up, that does not give you the right to collapse, to panic. Fear is fear. It's going to do what it's going to do and we are we, who we are, and we're going to fight it with faith. You can't fault anyone for being afraid. But you can begin to raise an eyebrow when they give in to that fear and logic is gone.

That becomes panic. And anyway, I hope my point in bringing that up is to say, don't think the warnings Jesus is giving about deception is for some far off group of believers in the future. It's right now.

And we should be telling people this. Verse 6, for many will come in my name saying I am he and will deceive many. Interesting, he is presupposing his disciples know that the I am he means they're saying they're Messiah. He's admitting he is the Messiah.

And all that goes with it from the Old Testament prophets and what he has expounded on. This is particularly for the Jews. Once the church is gone, this is when it's really going to happen for them. And a lot of them will be converted. A lot of them will be slaughtered. The Jews never had a false Messiah until they rejected the true Messiah.

It's amazing. All the false messiahs came after Calvary and the resurrection. You think that alone would waken them to say, hey, something's spiritual going on here that I'm missing. After Christ, they've had a rash of them. They even had a woman, Eva Frank, claimed to be the Messiah and some of the Jews in those circles accepted that. 2 Timothy chapter 3, Paul putting it to the church, evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived. You read what Paul says, men will be lovers of themselves and he goes on to itemize what they're going to be. Well, they've always been this way, but during the end times, the end of the end times is all going to be amplified.

Greatly so. The apostate churches are false churches. They will increase. That means there will be no gospel coming from churches because the true church will be raptured, taken out of here, and Christians will not be able to form assemblies because they will be killed for their belief. Well, how will they be found? Well, they will, now they can track if you get a vaccination. Well, they're going to be able to track if you get the chip or not.

And if you do not have it, you are going to get it, not the chip. Death. This is promised and elaborated on in Revelation. And so when he says, for many will come in my name saying I am he and will deceive many, this is mainly for the Jews.

The church, of course, it applies, but we continue verse 7. But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. Well, man cannot have lasting peace on earth. He's going to mess it up. War alone is not a signal that the end of human rule on earth is about to stop.

That's what he's telling them. There's going to be wars. That doesn't mean the end is coming. They ask, when will it be?

What is the sign? He's starting off by saying, well, watch out, and here's some things that's not going to be a sign the end is near. You ask, well, with all of these earthquakes and pestilence and the horror that's coming, and what has already been, as a matter of fact, why does God permit this stuff? Well, among other reasons, he's providing believers with an opportunity to act out what we profess.

We say that we're going to believe God no matter what, even to the point of death. What about to the point of being fired? What about to the point of being divorced?

What about to the point of being sick? What about to the point of being betrayed? Are you still going to believe him? If you say, yes, I am, well, you may get a chance to act that out, to prove it. God is not a statistician.

He just sits down and says, well, these are the statistics. You know, this game's going to be played. Truth must be expressed. And when we think, when the world thinks about the end of the world, they think about annihilation of the planet. Well, God will get to that, but not first. The first phase is the ending of human rule for a thousand years, thereabout.

And then, not too long after it would seem, then comes the annihilation of the created universe as we know it, and the beginning of a new universe, planets that have not even been formed yet by God. Well, and verse 8, for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginning of sorrows. It's just warming up.

All of this stuff is, these are birth pangs. I'll get to that in a minute, but such is human history. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 2 Timothy chapter 3, know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. It's emphatic when he says, know this, Timothy, perilous times will come, still answering the signs. This verse 8 is an expansion of Isaiah 19 verse 2. And there in Isaiah 19 it had local application, in a sense mainly to Egypt. Here, the Lord picks up the verse, and he expands it and gives it end time significance.

He's saying that was just sort of a, you know, best rehearsal. What's coming is going to match that prophecy in Isaiah that was local, but this one's going to be global. He's going to do the same thing when we get to verse 12 with a verse from Micah. He's going to take a prophecy from Micah that was applicable to the time Micah lived in the prophet, and he's going to say just like it was in Micah's day, it's going to be worse in the end. And if we get to verse 12, we'll point that out. And there will be earthquakes in various places. So natural occurrences will continue to be natural.

Luke adds this. He says, pestilences, fearful sites, and great signs from heaven. That's as you begin to enter deeper into this. And there will be famines, and there will be troubles, which are always the outcome of wars and earthquakes on some level. These are the beginning of sorrows.

Not a good start. But sorrows here in the Greek, that word sorrows in the Greek is birth pangs, sudden pains from the contractions going on, the woman experiences in childbirth. It actually is signaling that the pregnancy phase is ending, that the birth is coming. And that is what it is here too, what Jesus means. This is the beginning of sorrows. It's signaling to you that the end is coming.

It begins infrequent, and it intensifies. Now, I know ladies, my understanding is a lot of ladies don't want to hear men talk about pregnancy and birth because like, what do we know, right? Well, I happened to be there when I was born.

And I was not impressed with what my mother had to go through. So I am a bit of an expert too. There you go. I will have someone else start my truck after service because I know you women are that serious about that stuff.

Okay. Revelation 6. The signs and how they intensify. After the first seal when the Antichrist rides on the scene on the white horse as an imposter, and then we read John say, when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, come and see. This was something not hidden. That's why it's called the Revelation. The book of Revelation invites us to grapple with it.

No good sermon has been preached without struggle, and no good Bible lesson elevates your understanding without hard work. Anyway, another horse, he sees, fiery red went out, and it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another, and there was given to him a great sword. All the images in that speak of war.

That's what that is. That is just pull out war that is coming in the days of Antichrist. Verse 8 of Revelation 6. So I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and the name on him who sat on it was Death and Hades, and Hades followed with him, and power was given to them over a fourth of the earth to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beast of the earth.

You don't want to be here for this. This is, these are the beginning of sorrows, well here it is now intensifying. The birth, the actual birth of these sorrows is when Christ returns.

That is when it's wrapped up. But it is said that in World War II, 3% of the population was killed because of war. I mean you're not home, people just dying, natural causes, accidents, whatever.

In war, 3% of the population. But here in Revelation 6, verse 8, God says 25% is going to die just in the earliest stages when the tribulation begins to ramp up. And Christ says these are the beginnings of birth pangs.

This is what's going to have to happen before the delivery of the kingdom of God by the Son to the Father. Verse 9, but watch out for yourselves. There's another warning.

Because we need these warnings because we won't watch. We will tend to, you know, look for the peace and the happiness. In Israel, the Jews today, they're so hungry for peace, they're willing to cut their heads off.

And this is a big problem. That, you know, almost peace at any price, not all of them, but a lot of them. In fact, I just was reading an article and going over my notes on the temple and all those stones there, that they're covering up the evidences of the temple and other things that we crave almost as Bible students just to keep peace. They're willing to make lies and just anything for peace. And this has caused them unnecessary pain many times.

Anyway, other stories, but we need to try to move on here. Verse 9, watch out for yourselves so they will deliver you up to councils and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake for a testimony to them.

Rapidly a deteriorating situation. This has some direct application to their lives after Christ ascended to heaven. The partial fulfillments of this, that comes with prophecy. Not all prophecy has one fulfillment.

Many of them have phases and initial fulfillments. This, of course, the globally deceived culture will not watch out for God. They will deny him and they will be, get violent against those who remind them of Jesus Christ. He says, for they will deliver you up to councils. The forces of law will be used against the disciples as it was with Daniel and as it was with Daniel's colleagues. Councils here is Sanhedrin in the Greek. There was the great Sanhedrin of 70 men that ran Jerusalem and the nation and then there were lesser Sanhedrins, lesser councils throughout the land that were local authorities. The politics are designed to dig up something on someone that can be used against them in court or in public or in the family to destroy them and that's what's going to happen to the church. It's happening now and you will be beaten in the synagogues. Nice. Well, that happened to Paul for sure.

The intensity ramping up. The two faithful churches in the book of Revelation when the seven churches are called out. Smyrna and Philadelphia were the only two that were not rebuked.

Smyrna suffered. Philadelphia taught the word of God and to both of those churches and only to both of those churches, Jesus said, I know where the church of Satan is. I know where the synagogue of Satan is. It happened to be Jewish because at that time that's who was giving them the problem but of course it went beyond the Jews that were opposed to their Messiah. It includes anyone who targets the church for destruction and it's an interesting thought. We think of the church of Christ, church of Jesus Christ. Well, God says, well, there's also a synagogue of Satan. There's also his assembly and it has to do with religion and it has to do with violence against those who are mine. He says here in verse 10, you will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake for a testimony to them, giving a preaching chance, giving those who are listening to them a chance to receive the gospel.

I don't think it's going to be entirely wasted. I don't think that Paul, Paul got before Caesar because God said he's going to get there and he preached and Caesar went cuckoo after that. I mean, not that Caesar Nero is one and but, but what about those in the court?

There were those of his, of Nero's house that did convert and so it was not wasted entirely. Verse 10, and the gospel must first be preached to all nations. Well, all people are sinners except Jesus Christ and they need to hear the gospel.

This is global. Christianity has struggled to do this because of opposition and in the Dark Ages it was almost completely stopped, silenced. But for a remnant, the two witnesses will show up in the end times. They will convert 144,000 Jews who will preach the gospel and great multitudes of Gentiles and Jews will be converted. And it will, again, without the church.

There will be no church. That's how people will get converted by direct witness and leftover materials. You know how many people are going to be listening to my sermons? So anyway, verse 11, but when they arrest you and deliver you up, we're almost done, do not worry.

Not we're almost done, do not worry, but it's part of the text. So it's, but when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand or premeditate what you will speak, but whatever is given you in that hour, speak for it is not you who speak but the Holy Spirit. So when they arrest you and deliver you up, that generation will know that these prophecies are being fulfilled, but it still applies to all ages of the faith. The Lord does not expect his martyrs to be fear-stricken.

That's what he is saying. When they arrest you and deliver you up, they hate you, they're going to kill you, but I do not expect you to be fear-stricken. I pray that if I am persecuted to the death or worse, to torture in this life, I hope I make a good martyr. That is my approach.

You start getting my head around that. He says don't premeditate because God will minister, he will be present, he will be active, and he will be ready in the Holy Spirit. He says but whatever is given to you in that hour, speak. That is the unburied gospel.

What a phrase. Some of us need to be reminded the gospel is not to be buried. Speak that for it is not you who speak, it is God that's speaking through you. Verse 12, now brother will betray brother to death and father his child and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.

Nothing about that is attractive, but it is a fact and you can't sweep it under the rug. Here is where he is quoting Micah 6. In Micah's day, the Assyrian army was coming into the northern kingdom and when that happened, Micah prophesied because of your decadence and your unrighteousness, you're going to turn on each other and you're going to turn on each other to save your own skin and that is what happened. And Christ takes it now and he says not only is that human nature in sin, but it's going to be carried out in the last days.

It is constant. It is not just for the days of Micah, but he is always going to the scripture the Lord is to drive home his points. Brother will betray brother to death for the faith, for opposing the faith. And again this is, well we saw it with the civil war and that was not as directly linked as this is to scripture. These things are not the intense hatred for Christ rising up and cause them to be put to death. Islam, militant, blatant homosexuality, hedonism, secular humanism, they're already leading the way for this to happen. They've looked at the church's responses to their violations and they're saying you know what, we got to stop these people. That's what they're saying about us.

We've got to put an end to them protesting and resisting us and they will get away with it in life. Verse 13, we've arrived, if you can just hang in there a few minutes. Verse 13, and you will be hated by all for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. Hate is an opposite of peace.

Hated because men love themselves, they love their views, and they're not interested in being told what to do by God or God's people. They will, 2 Timothy again, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, bolsters, proud blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, and the list goes on and all of those amplified. And to those who take a stand for God, when Antichrist is here, you can expect no mercy.

That's where we're headed. You know already Christians are getting mercy in the courts. I just read the Supreme Court won't take a case on the florist up in Seattle because she wouldn't make a bouquet for these people. A little bunch of crybaby little, eh, she won't make flowers for me, go get your own flowers.

A little tulip. Anyway, I mean it's just, they're weasels, they are, but they're increasing in their deadliness and intolerance, and we shouldn't be surprised, we should be active. Jesus said take heed, don't be deceived, and don't be fear-driven. Temptation to abandon Christ to save your own skin has been real down through the ages.

And, well, I'm out of time to read all these verses I have, but let's finish up the little we have. He says here in verse 13, by all for my name's sake, everyone will gang up on Christians. Jesus taught that persecution of believers would be common, it would be severe, and nothing about that should surprise us, but he who endures to the end shall be saved. This is again important because if you love peace for your own self more than you love the Lord, you're going to be an apostate if you are around when this takes place. True believers will endure, make-believers will not.

This does not mean perseverance earns your salvation, it means it demonstrates you are saved, and that is a critical point. Well, I close with this verse, John 4-22. True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship him and the rest of the Bible rings in and says, even to the death, even to the death, true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in the book of Mark. Cross Reference Radio is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. To learn more information about this ministry, visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. Once you're there, you'll find additional teachings from Pastor Rick. We encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. When you subscribe, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio. You can search for Cross Reference Radio on your favorite podcast app. That's all we have time for today, but we hope you'll join us next time as Pastor Rick continues to teach through the book of Mark, right here on Cross Reference Radio.