What about in the west? Well, in the west, it's a little bit different, but it’s here. In the west, increasing hatred is being shown towards anyone who has either a conservative, or a Christian, or a Bible perspective of life - increasing hatred. If you hold an opinion that is different from the progressive left, you will be vilified. It's not like, oh well, I disagree - I've got my opinion, and you've got yours. No! If you hold a different opinion, there will literally be a whole range of things happening. They will name you, blame you, shame you, and just attack and destroy you, in every way possible.
A person holding a Christian view, in much of the western world now, is likely to be bullied - publicly and privately. Two forces are coming together - religion and politics. You see the political system (the far left particularly), and the religious system (Islam) coming together, and forming friendships. What do they have in common? They've got nothing in common! If you go to any of the countries where there's radical Islam, you'll find they kill homosexuals! They don't promote them; but the left is promoting them - so how can they come together? It's because they have a common enemy.
The common enemy is Christ!
Mark 3:6 – “The Pharisees went out, and plotted with the Herodians, on how they could kill Jesus”.
The Pharisees were religious; Herodians were political. They had nothing to do with one another. What brought them together was a common hatred. This is what's emerging in the world now. Once your eyes are opened, you can see; and Jesus taught people how to respond. He said: when it happens… when you get hated by all men, for My sake - then rejoice, and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.
He said: don't get all ‘oh no, it's all bad’. No! He said: listen, when this comes, they realise you've got something, and that you're a danger, and a threat, and they're pushing back on you - and it's because you identify with Jesus Christ! Man, stand up, hold your ground, rejoice - because God's says He will reward those who will stand their ground, and faithfully serve Him. Hallelujah!
He said: love your enemies. Bless those who curse you. Do good to those who hate you, and spitefully use you, and persecute you.
The next sign will be… offences and hatred - among Christians.
Matthew 24:10 – “Many will be offended, and will betray one another, and hate one another”.
Many! Many! Many Christians are carrying offences in their heart. The question is, are you carrying offences in your heart? Offences inevitably are about relationships with people who are in authority over us. Offences - the word literally means ‘to be scandalised’. It refers to the bait in a trap. Literally, when you set a trap for a bird, you put the bait in, and the thing you attached it to was called the ‘skandalon’ - that's the offence. That's the trap-stick; and the bird would see that, and come and eat the food, and then the trap closes.
It's very easy to want to be offended by people. People get offended everywhere. You know, they happen to have, in some places, a thing called ‘safe-spaces’. Some of you may not have heard of that. A “safe-space” means that I'm not allowed to say certain things, in case I might offend you. It's happening in the American education system now, right through up to tertiary. I've got to be careful about “trigger-words”, in case I upset you, and hurt you with the words I say, because my opinion might be different to yours. That's because people are growing up with an “offended spirit”, so little things offend them.
Little things offend them, and then it becomes “hate speech”, if you've offended them. They've taken having a different opinion to mean that you hate them. How wrong is that? We need a love for the truth; but offence is a horrendous thing. Offences lead to betrayal in relationships, and then to open hatred - and it's far easier to get into this state, than you realise.
Why do people get offended? To be offended means ‘to be tripped up’. So, you're running well, then you trip up, and fall on your face. Splat! A lot of Christians are in that state. They've tripped up and fallen on their face. Maybe you're like that now?