Faith At The Breaking Point Part 1

Horace Jesus phone number for what it was an inch of rain destroyed the faith. We resume writing this war is coming to our shores.

Today we ask ourselves what would take us to deny our moody church is this is with Dr. Irwin's teaching seismic cross the finish line.

Christian in the days of Caesar often meant that as you speak on faith at the breaking point. I have to ask this for committed believers in American now the same thing happen again, the answer to your question is yes. You know, there is the law of merited impossibility. It will not happen here, but when it does you bigots deserve it. That's what society oftentimes says to us, but I have to emphasize that we here in America. I don't think we're ready for this. You have people denying Christ at the workplace.

You have students who deny Christ in order to graduate. Were simply not ready for the kind of persecution that the churches had to endure this message is absolutely critical faith at the breaking point, and my dear brothers and sisters. You can help us get this message to the minds in the hearts of many.

If you become an endurance partner that someone who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts. They support this ministry. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com. Click on the endurance partner button or call us at 1-888-218-9337 thanks so much for helping us standing with us even as we ourselves prepare for the day of calamity again today with a question what would it take for you to deny your faith. At what point would your faith break and you say I can't trust them anymore and I'm willing to deny him because of and then you fill in the blank. I know somebody who deny Jesus Christ simply because of bitterness. He was angry at Christians who had done him an injustice, and he was right about that, but in his anger, he decided that if that's the way they live.

I don't want anything to do with their eyes to my had received so he stayed away from church basically denied Jesus because he was better at Christians. What a tragedy tragedy to be better at Christians tragedy that Christians would treat someone unjustly bought don't deny Jesus because people.

It failed to look at Peter who was there and on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw Jesus in all of his glory. And yet when Jesus is being crucified. Peter, of all people denies that he even knew him and swore that he didn't know Jesus throughout church history. There are many people who gave up their faith during the time of persecution and one of the questions that the church had to face is simply this, what do we do with those who lapse during persecution and then want to be reinstated in the good graces of the church after the persecution is over and there was a division in the church as to what to do about Christians like that.

What if you lived in a Muslim country over in the Middle East. I have in my hands, Newsweek magazine, Newsweek, February 3, 1820 12.

I encourage you to get this magazine. That is to say this edition of the magazine. I have never dreamed that in Newsweek magazine that is not necessarily known for its conservative viewpoint would publish such an excellent article.

The cover story is entitled the war on Christians and if you look inside at the story itself. It talks about the rise of crystal phobia from one end of the Muslim world to the other Christians are being murdered for their faith. The author, who is a woman who is not a Christian says that the Western news media is quiet about this, they are silent. I am amazed by the way, the extent to which the mainstream media protects what is happening and protects Islam. She says that we are accused of Islam of phobia, but then she says, and now I'm quoting directly, but a fair-minded assessment of recent events and trends leads to the conclusion that the scale and severity of Islamic phobia pales in comparison with the blood he crystal phobia currently coursing through Muslim majority nations, from one end of the globe to the other.

The conspiracy of silence surrounding this violent expression of religious intolerance has to stop. Nothing less than the fate of Christianity and ultimately all religious minorities in the Islamic world is at stake.

Newsweek February 13, 2012.

She goes on to point out if she gives a survey of what is happening whether it's in Egypt were other Islamic countries.

She points out that in many of these countries you are killed for dishonoring Mohammed, but you don't have to say anything against Mohammed or the Quran just being a Christian is to dishonor him to believe in the Trinity which is contrary to Islam, is reason enough for you to be put to death.

At what point would you and I deny Jesus not have to be quick to point out that not all Muslims agree with sharia law. Let me tell you what happened in Canada in the year 2004, in the province of Ontario. The premier decided that sharia law could be practiced in certain Muslim enclaves and there was established at that time a ministry called the Islamic Institute for civil Justice. What happened is, there was such an uprising of Muslim women in Ontario and that these women said Mr. premier. We came from countries where there was sharia law sharia law. They said is a legalized violence against women, they said it justifies marital rape and then they went on to say that already in these enclaves where you have Muslim schools girls 13 to 15 are being married forcibly to men twice their age and this would only continue to exacerbate the violence against women.

As a result of that, the premier back down and said no sharia law in Ontario and you and I need to stand with every Muslim who stands against sharia law and we have to say that we are on your side and we will stand with you against sharia law is a matter fact there's a small group of Muslims.

Yeah let's clap Muslims. In fact, to hope to reform Islam and actually say that sharia law should not be a part of their religion. Unfortunately, as you well know, many of these who live here in America are living in hiding. Often times because of multiple death threats. But we must stand with those who stand with us for religious freedom but in other countries that people are not necessarily that fortunate are they let me quote from the voice of the martyrs and it says that these kinds of notices are increasingly being found on the doorsteps of Christians in Muslim majority nations in the name of the law and of his final prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him the true religion of Islam will arise in your area and you cannot stop all is will we have been watching your family.

We have seen you go to church and seeing you.

Pray to your false God. We know that you are infidels and we will deal with you as our holy Quran declares in sura 927 by those who have been given the Scripture and believe not in the law or the last day or follow not the religion of truth, if you and your entire family. Do not leave your false religion and follow Islam. You will be killed. Your sons will be slaughtered, and your daughters will become Muslim wives bearing sons will fight for a law in this region. Your only option is to flee tonight.

Leave your home and everything behind all of Akbar. What would you do what I decided to do in this series of messages titled famines, deserts and hard places is to ask ourselves the ultimate question of how we would endure persecution personal death and even death to our families and to our children. How would we do in those circumstances based by millions of Christians today and in order for us to get a handle on this. I decided to talk about the most difficult time that is ever going to come up on this planet. It has not arrived yet Jesus said in Matthew 24 that a time is coming. He said the likes of which have never been on the earth before, nor will ever be afterwards. I say to myself Jesus. What could you be speaking about. Could there be anything worse than the Holocaust. The answer is yes.

Certainly the Holocaust.

Nothing can be worse than it locally, but what has happening or what happened in the Holocaust is going to eventually become worldwide at time of suffering on this planet, the likes of which we have never seen. Now you know that here at the Moody Church. Many of us believe that we are going to be rapture before the tribulation begins.

What a happy doctrine, that is.

And many of our friends who are post-tribulation is to believe that were going to go through the tribulation, as I often say they will be very glad to someday that we are right, but at the same time everybody agrees that there were going to be God's people and saints during the tribulation. They will be converted evidently by the preaching of 144,000 Jewish people who have been sealed by God, to proclaim the gospel and they will come to saving faith in Christ.

At any rate, you do have saints living during the tribulation and so because I want to talk about the worst possible scenario we're going to speak about the tribulation today and then were going to ask the question how would we endure, and then of course were going to end this message by talking about why they were able to endure, and then everybody who is listening today we are going to leave today with all fear gone. It's a promise. Thanks for being on this journey with me in the book of Revelation, we find that Antichrist arises before he does and I want to just say a word about the four Horsemen of Revelation in chapter 6, you need not turn to it because were going to hurry over it very quickly but in that passage of Scripture. We have four Horsemen the first is a white horse evidently Antichrist. He comes with a bow, but does not have an arrow because he is going to conquer and a lot of his conquering is going to be without war, but lest you think there's not going to be turmoil on planet Earth.

The next horse is a red horse with a sword that is able to take all peace from the earth.

The next horse is a black horse that's famine and starvation that were going to be talking about and then you have the death a pale horse. In fact, it says that with the coming of this writer catch this.

He has the power to kill one fourth of the world's population, which today would be about billion people die and you even imagine it.

But now were going to look at the tribulation directly and with your Bibles open to the 13th chapter of the book of Revelation. Revelation chapter 13 and it is here that we have the rise of Antichrist and the awesome power that God allows him to have for a little while you'll notice it says in chapter 13 verse one. I saw a beast rising out of the sea and then it describes it, and we don't have time to go into the description, except to say that this is a description of certain empires that were in existence in the past and he is the in body meant of them all, and it says and to the Dragon gave his power and his throne and his authority. That is the Dragon gave it to the beast. Let me get this clear. The Dragon gave to the beast his power and his authority, who is the Dragon it is the devil, as we shall see in just a few moments out of his heads one of his heads seemed to have a mortal wound but it's mortal wound was healed. And the whole earth marveled as they followed the base and I have to stop here and say that Antichrist is going to want to duplicate everything that Jesus did.

And so Jesus had a resurrection he is going to be put to death. Perhaps it will be fakery, but the world will believe that he has been raised from the dead. He has a mortal wound but it's healed and everybody wonders after the beast.

In fact, there are at least 15 parallels between Antichrist and Jesus. We can't mention them today. That's a separate message, but another is the Trinity itself. You'll notice in this passage of Scripture. You have the Dragon who corresponds to God the father.

Obviously, in a negative way. You have Antichrist who corresponds to Jesus, the opposite of Jesus and then you have the false prophet, which basically plays the role of the Holy Spirit in directing attention toward the beast so that people worship him. This will become a little clearer later on.

But I want us to understand the awesome authority of Antichrist. It says in verse five and the beast was given a mouth uttering the haughty and blasphemous words and it was allowed to exercise authority for 42 months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling so that those who dwell in heaven.

Also verse seven it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. That is to put them to death.

And authority was given it over every tribe and people, and language and nation and all who dwell on the earth will worship it with an exception. I'll talk about in a moment. Every time I read this I get chills. Imagine the authority given ultimately by God to Antichrist not of course he receives his power from the Dragon but always remember that the Dragon also is in God's hands as Luther famously said even the devil is God's devil.

And here's a man who is authority over all the earth and all of the dreams of people throughout the centuries that there would be one unified religion that would finally unified the world has come to pass, were all worshiping the same person we are all insane. Everybody is obeying and at last, the world has unity so Antichrist is given this kind of authority and there is finally a one world religion but notice the martyrdom it says it was given over every tribe and people in language and all who dwell on the earth will worship it. I just can hardly believe that all who dwell on the earth will worship it. Everyone whose name is not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb that was slain unless your name was written in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundation of the world.

All those on planet Earth, whose names were not in that book they will worship the beast when I was in China number of years ago with a religious leader. I remember he made an amazing statement. He said persecution wiped out all liberalism in China, what liberal theologian is going to want to go to the wall for Jesus. Everybody is going to bow down everybody is going to worship the beast except this unique company of people whose names were written in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundation of the world as a pastor, Luther. I don't like this doctrine well learn to like and learn to appreciate it and don't complain about. If you want to know whether or not your name is in this book of life. You can find out and the way in which you find out as you receive Jesus as your Savior acknowledging your sinfulness receive them as Savior as having died in your stead for your sin.

And when you do that, I promise you, you will be received and you will know that your name was in the Lamb's book of life from before the foundation of the world. Most of you know that your name is there through faith in Jesus Christ.

And this is Pastor Luther I have to say. Be sure to listen to running to win next time when this message will become leading is incredibly important and it's going to end with a prayer about a year. The acknowledgment that fear exists and resisting that fear in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a message that you need to hear and to listen to again and again. This is one of the last times we are making this series of messages available.

It's entitled famines, deserts and other hard places. If you would like this series of messages so that you can share it with your friends. Here's what you do for a gift of any amount and let me thank you in advance for supporting this ministry is because of the many hundreds and thousands of people that support the ministry of running to win that we can be in three different languages and more than 20 different countries from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Ask for famines, deserts and other hard places, and here's what you do go to RTW offer.com RTW offer.com. And of course RTW offer is all one word RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 I'm going to be repeating that info again because perhaps you've not had an opportunity to grab a pencil.

Let me tell you that we hear it running to win, do all that we can to put resources into your hands and into your home that will help you run the race successfully and the day of calamity on the day of difficulty is on its way. Here's what you do go to RTW offer.com that's RTW offer.com or call us at 1-888-218-9337 and whatever you do, be sure to listen to running to win next time. As I complete this message. Faith at the breaking point. You need to hear it is time now for another chance for you to ask Pastor Luther a question about the Bible or the Christian life.

The wider mercy doctrine is a belief that salvation can be obtained even when a person has not heard the gospel and does not know Jesus Christ it's a belief that somehow God grants status to persons who are sincere in their religious beliefs, even if those beliefs are false.

Tom lives in Indianapolis and listens to running to win on WGN radio he's asking this, please comment on the doctrine of wider mercy. This view of salvation is deeply troubling to me.

Also, it appears that a very famous evangelist holds this view.

When I first learned of this, I found it disturbing at best. My dear friend. I also find it very disturbing. Let me clarify the wider mercy view says this, that a sincere Hindu or Buddhist.

No matter what religion you are if you are sincere in your doing the very best you can. Your sin is credited to Christ without you knowing it. So even if you haven't heard about Jesus, you will be saved. So the wider mercy view wants to say that there are people who are going to die were going to be in heaven and only at death will they recognize Jesus Christ as being there Savior so they won't get to heaven without Christ.

So at this view wants to be held by evangelicals. You don't get to heaven without Christ, but you don't need to know him here on earth to get in on the benefit of his death and resurrection. The problem with this view.

Very simply, is that it has no scriptural support. There's nothing in the Bible that would lead us to believe that it is possible to be saved without conscious direct faith in Jesus. I think that's one of the reasons why Jesus gave the great commission to go into all the world and preach the gospel because faith comes by hearing hearing comes by the word of God. And while we know that God is going to deal justly with those who have not.

Haven't heard the gospel. Indeed, they are going to be less culpable than those who have so justice will be done. There simply no evidence in the Scripture that people can be saved simply because they are sincere thank you Tom and thank you Dr. lutes are if you'd like to hear your question answered.

You can just go to our website@rtwoffer.com and click on ask Pastor Luther or call us at 1-888-218-9337 that's 1-888-218-9337 you can write to us at the running to win 1635 N. LaSalle Boulevard Chicago, IL 60614. The engine Christ is known as the least to force the whole world to worship him. Using military and economic without his Mark.

No one can buy or sell next time any of us maintain our faith in Jesus during a time like this when it's worship the beast for Dr. Erwin loser this is Dave McAllister running to win is sponsored by the teacher