David Diga Hernandez - The Privilege of Persecution

If you’re paying attention, you will begin to recognize that there is a demonic agenda at work right now, and this demonic agenda is unfolding in our day. There is a system that is coming against the church; it is an antichrist system. Whether or not it is the antichrist system, it is an antichrist system, and this system is working to silence the gospel. But remember this: the greater the pressure upon the church, the greater the power within the church. This isn’t the first time that the people of God have gone through persecution. In fact, in Daniel chapter 3, verses 1 through 6, we see a similar situation—a prophetic parallel, if you will. Beginning at verse 1 of Daniel chapter 3, King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue 90 feet tall and nine feet wide and set it upon the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. So all these officials came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then a herald shouted, «People of all races, nations, and languages, listen to the king’s command! When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments, bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.» Here we see a man setting up a system, and everybody going along with it. All of the people went along with it; some of the people of God went along with it. There was this pressure to conform; there was this pressure to go along with the system. This was a demonic agenda, and it parallels what’s happening today. There is a demonic agenda at work right now. May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see what is happening. There is a system that is working to cause preachers to no longer focus on the gospel because it might become offensive to some. There is a system that’s trying to silence the church. Now, everyone went along with this. Today, it’s not the furnace—it’s cancel culture. Today, it’s not the furnace—it’s social media hype. Today, it’s not the furnace—it’s the mob attacking all the believers. Do you realize that this mob mentality is dangerous? Everyone thinking in one mind but against the things of God—that is certainly a demonic agenda. It seems that there’s been a consensus that has been reached—a consensus in the world that they no longer want to hear the gospel. They no longer want to hear the name Jesus; they no longer want you to talk about the blood and the cross. You can talk about hope; you can talk about encouraging things, but the moment you mention Jesus, they want to shut you down. The moment you stand for truth, the moment you begin to declare holiness, they want to come against you. And today, they’re suing believers; they’re canceling believers; they’re bringing social media attacks against believers. Believers are losing their jobs because of things they say or things they believe, and we need to open our eyes to see it. It’s happening right now in our world. The pressures are coming against the church. Remember this: here’s how you can identify a demonic move: the Holy Spirit doesn’t pressure; He guides. The devil pressures; the Holy Spirit guides. Continuing now, we see that there are three young men in the Book of Daniel who didn’t bow to that statue. Daniel chapter 3, verses 7 through 12 say, «At the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. But some of the astrologers went to the king and informed on the Jews. They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, 'Long live the king! You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.'» You see, when you begin to obey God, you start to stand out. The men of God who were singled out were singled out because of their obedience. The enemy—hear me now—the enemy will single out the obedient believer; only the obedient are persecuted. Therefore, persecution is a badge of honor; persecution is a privilege. It means that I have the honor of sacrificing for the Lord. Now, there are different levels of persecution; at the very least, you have insults, and at the very highest form of persecution, you’ll see death, suffering, and torture. Whatever level of persecution you’re facing today, remember this: you’ve been singled out because of your obedience to the Lord, and that is the privilege of persecution. Some pastors today, sadly, would be preaching about the need to honor King Nebuchadnezzar; they would be saying, «Oh, we should bow because it will give us a bridge to the world; it will give us a bridge to the culture.» The problem is, some are more focused on the culture than they are on the Word of God. They know the subtleties, the ins and outs of the culture; they’re cultured, but they’re not matured in the Word. This is the disconnect that begins to take place…