David Diga Hernandez - Persecution is Coming to America

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. I believe that revival is going to come to America, but I also believe that with that revival will come an intensification of persecution, not just in America but all around the world. I believe this is backed by Scripture, so let’s take a look at the words of Jesus and 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 1, 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, and 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 are really asking him three questions here: when will all of this happen—basically, the demolition of the buildings; what sign will signal your return—when are you coming back; and when will the world end? The disciples asked these questions to Jesus directly, and in verse 4, 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.»

First of all, we see that a mass deception will occur; many people will be deceived by various individuals claiming to be messiahs. Verse 6 states that «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.» What’s interesting here is that Jesus is saying that wars and rumors of wars, though they will happen and terrify people, are not in and of themselves signals that he is returning, nor are they necessarily signs that we are in the last days. In fact, the world has been at war for as long as it has existed, basically.

What we are looking at here is the beginning of the signs—the beginning of the birth pains—which will intensify as time goes on. Verse 7 says that 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 signs that it’s all coming to an end; these are the beginnings of the birth pains.

In fact, I believe that we will see an intensification of persecution before we really begin to see all of these things taking place. The reality is that persecution is occurring all around the world; thousands upon thousands, if not millions, of believers are being persecuted or even killed because they profess the name of Jesus. If you are in a nation where you can openly profess your Christianity and worship God, you may not be aware that a massive amount of persecution is happening around the world right now.

It’s very easy for us to get stuck in our bubble and 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 am saying is that this persecution is going to intensify and spread to other parts of the world, including the United States. So as these things begin to happen, we see wars; he says, «Don’t panic. The end is not yet.»

Then we see more terror, more things going wrong in our world, but he is saying these are just the beginnings of the birth pains; this is not the end. All of this is not the final sign; this is just the beginning. What happens after this in verse 9 is that «then you will be arrested,» he speaks 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 is 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. It has a way of strengthening the core of the true believers. It has a way of empowering the church in a way that comfort cannot. When the gospel first came on the scene, and the early church started ministering the truth and spreading the message of Jesus all around the world, they faced 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 upon the church that could not otherwise come. I’m going to show it to you in the Bible. In 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 14, listen to what the Bible says: «If you are reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you. Why? For the spirit of glory and of God rests 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 is simple insults or the actual killing of someone for their faith, that persecution…