How We Should Address This | Revelation Decoded Season 2

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: We know the season of his return. Yeshua told us it was going to be like it was in the days of Lot on the earth when I return. We’re in that right now. When will Yeshua return? Let me say it again. When will Yeshua of Nazareth return? Obviously, no one knows the day or the hour, but we can know the season of his return. I’m just thinking back to the eighties. I think it was 1988, and there was a tract that was going around and it was circling around the Christian world. So many people had this tract and the tract said, "88 Reasons the Lord is going to return in 1988." The author of the tract wrote 88 reasons and, of course, he didn’t return in 1988. I think it’s a good thing that that woke people up that we shouldn’t be predicting the day or the hour of his return. But that does not mean that we can’t be aware and in tune with the season of redemption that we’re in. Yeshua said to Nicodemus, "You’re a teacher of Israel, how do you not understand these things?" There are certain things as God’s people that we should understand. Yeshua gave us the signs of his return, and I’ve been speaking about that. I want to highlight again today, before moving forward, what Yeshua said in relationship to his return in the sense of comparing it to what life was like during the days of Lot. I’m going to read this verse for you now from the book of Luke, chapter 17. "Likewise, as it was in the days of Lot," Yeshua speaking here, "they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built. But on the day that Lot departed from Sodom, fire and brimstone rained from heaven and destroyed them all. So it will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed." Obviously, the straight, easy-to-understand interpretation of the text when we go back to the book of Bereshit, or Genesis, and read about what happened to Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, is that homosexuality had so gripped the culture, it was so pervasive, it was so normalized, that they literally had no shame. It was completely part of what they lived like all the time, having sexual relations with one another in terms of same-sex relationships. I just want to talk for a moment about the terrible tension we have as the church today. On the one hand, having love for all humanity, recognizing that we ourselves, every single one of you that’s listening right now, none of us are without sin. All of us were dead in our transgressions and sins before we knew Yeshua. All of us were sinners to the core before we know the Lord, even if you don’t recognize that you were a sinner to the core, you were, because what you were doing before you were born again was not inspired out of your love for God; it was inspired out of yourself. Just the way people sometimes do good things for other people, not because they’re doing it to glorify God or to honor God, but because it makes them feel good to do good things for other people. That’s completely detestable; that’s strange incense to the Lord. The only thing that’s really good is what is birthed out of the Spirit. That’s why when they came to Yeshua and called him good, someone came to Yeshua and said, "Good teacher," and Yeshua’s response to that person was, "Why do you call me good? For no one’s good but God alone." The fact is, every single one of us is guilty before God, rotten to the core. None of us is better than anybody else. We were all dead in our transgressions and sins. But God, being rich in his mercy towards us, saved us even when we were dead in our transgressions and sins. We were by nature, the scripture says, children of wrath, even as the rest. There was no difference between you and anybody else in this world as it relates to sin. Your sins might have been different, they might not have been as extreme, but you were dead in your sin. So we are all, beloved, saved by grace. However, we need to understand that we’re not better than anybody else, we’re not judging anybody else. We need as a church to take a stand for truth. And truth is that homosexuality defiles from within. The scripture says regarding sexual sin, that all other types of sin are from the outside in. They’re outside, Paul says, of a man’s body. In other words, if you steal something, that’s horrible, but stealing something you did, it was outside your body. But when you unite yourself sexually to another person, somehow that sin is so intimately connected to your inner nature that Paul said it’s a different level of sinning. When you commit sexual sin, you sin against your own body. You somehow internalize it in a way that other sin doesn’t. So I’m speaking now once again about the days of Lot, sexual sin, the pervasiveness of homosexuality. I’m saying we’re all guilty of sin, but sexual sin, and particularly homosexuality, is more defiled than any other forms of sin. I know that many people from the homosexual LGBTQ community would argue with this. They would say that the main sin in the days of Lot was not homosexuality. But all you have to do is just read the text, let it speak for itself. It’s black and white; it’s right there. Now, saying that and realizing how pervasive homosexuality is in our culture today, the church is in a tenuous situation. Because on the one hand, we extend love to everybody, not judging anybody, recognizing we’re all guilty of sin, but on the other hand, we recognize the severity of sexual sin and particularly homosexuality. So severe is it that Yeshua compared it to what the culture would be like on the planet before his return. God is going to say enough is enough, that sin will have reached such a crescendo, it will have climaxed to such a state of defilement and evil that God has to break in. He can't be patient and longsuffering anymore. Enough is enough; it has to be stopped. And so Jesus said it’s going to be to a place where it was in the days of Lot. Homosexuality is the inference there, will have become pervasive in the culture. Jesus said, "I’m going to break in." So how do we then as a church, knowing this, also extend love and compassion in a spirit of humility to the homosexual community? That’s a multifaceted answer. How would you relate to a specific individual living an LGBTQ lifestyle in the love of Jesus, wanting to see them be delivered from this sin that will defile them and destroy them, not judging them as if you’re better but recognizing that the sin that they’re living in will destroy their lives if they don’t repent? How do you deal with that as a believer? It depends, I believe, beloved, on the person that you’re talking to. If you’re talking to somebody that is lost and hurting, they know they’re lost. I mean, everybody living in an LGBTQ lifestyle is lost. We’re all lost to some degree, but particularly people living in that lifestyle, there’s a tremendous darkness and lostness there. Same is true with people that are living in pornography and immersed in immorality. It’s a great lostness. I remember somebody that was in a rock band and they talked about what life was like when they were traveling with this rock band, and they talked about all the sexual sin that surrounded the rock band. The person said when he met people that were in the porn industry, they were the most depressed people that he ever met. So it’s interesting, here was a person that was interfacing with people that were trapped in the darkest of sexual immorality and the result was that they were the most depressed of all people. So I say that to say when you’re dealing with somebody living an LGBTQ lifestyle and they’re admitting their depression, they’re admitting their lostness, they’re admitting their hopelessness, you minister to them in the softest, most gentle, most loving, most compassionate way to help them understand how much Jesus loves them, and how Yeshua is the light of the world, and that if they’ll turn their life over to him and kneel to the Holy Spirit and God’s word in their life, they will be delivered. You minister to them from a very soft, loving, gentle place.
Dustin Roberts: You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider. He’s going to be right back, but first I want to let you know that you can watch full episodes of Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku Television. We have episodes that are filmed in the Holy Land and outreach events from Nigeria and Gulu, Uganda, all sorts of places. Every episode is available to help deepen your understanding of scripture and the Jewish roots of your faith. So search for Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku today. Your support is fueling a powerful move of God through the Discovering the Jewish Jesus Israel Awakening initiative. Right now, we’re equipping and strengthening congregations throughout Israel. We’re launching evangelistic outreach campaigns in the land. Lives are being changed as Israelis encounter the love of Jesus. Stand with us today and boldly proclaim the gospel in Israel clearly and without compromise. If God is moving you to join us, go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Now, back to Rabbi.
Rabbi K.A. Schneider: On the other hand, if you’re dealing with somebody living an LGBTQ lifestyle and they’re rebellious towards you, and they’re asserting that they’re right, and they’re condemning your biblical standard of righteousness and your agreement with biblical truth, then oftentimes you have to challenge them with the Word of God strongly. Paul tells us in the book of Romans that the judgment of God has fallen on mankind and that the epitome of mankind’s alienation from God, Paul tells us, is homosexuality. And you challenge people living in that lifestyle that are rebellious and obstinate and prideful, and you declare the truth that you are living an unnatural lifestyle, that a woman can never be a man and a man can never be a woman. I can never have a baby as a man. A woman can never impregnate. It’s just nonsense. I don't even like talking about it; it’s so crazy. God created them in the beginning male and female. In the Torah, God gave boundaries about this and he said that men were not allowed to dress in women’s clothes. Women were prohibited from dressing in men’s clothes. God made it very clear: male here, female here, both to be celebrated because both are expressions of who God is in his beauty and glory. But we need to not blur the boundaries in the same way the Lord said don't sow two different types of crop in the same field together. God is a God of boundaries. He told us in the Torah not to mix wool and linen together in the same garment. God is a God of separation and boundaries: the holy from that which is not holy. So when we’re dealing with people that are insisting that we should celebrate eclecticism, that we should celebrate the spectrum of sexuality, that we should celebrate all forms of human expression and that trying to delineate maleness from femaleness or manhood from womanhood, or to try to say that biblical union consists only of a man and a woman, people that oppose that view pridefully and willfully, you need to challenge them with the truth. Rebuke and exhort, Paul told us, in all righteousness with the Word of God. You need to stand your ground. You need to stand on the truth even if it makes somebody mad. Because sometimes someone has to get mad before they get glad. In other words, oftentimes when someone first is confronted with the Gospel, their initial reaction is they get mad. But that initial reaction is just the beginning of their journey into a relationship with the Lord. So I just wanted to say today that when Yeshua talked about in the book of Luke what it would be like on planet earth before his return, he highlighted the culture of Lot and saying the culture on earth when I’m going to return is going to be like it was in the days of Lot. I want to challenge you, church, to take a stand for righteousness regarding this issue. You can't stay silent. When you’re in a situation where the subject comes up, you oftentimes need to speak up and take a stand. I’m not going to say always because there’s a lot of things going on in life and there’s a time to speak, there’s a time to not speak. But too often God’s people are not speaking when they should be speaking because we’re called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. If you refuse to speak up about righteousness and biblical values and about your relationship with Messiah because you’re intimidated, because you’re afraid, Jesus had this to say: "He that’s ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous generation, I’ll be ashamed of him when I come again in the glory of my Father with the heavenly angels." If you refuse to speak up about Jesus, about truth, about this verse that Jesus said, "As it was in the days of Lot, so it’s going to be on earth when I return," if you refuse to speak up and you remain silent when you should be speaking up, what does that say about what your relationship is like with the Lord? What are you taking upon yourself by not speaking up, by not paying the price? The scripture said all that desire to live godly in Christ Jesus shall be persecuted. There’s a price to pay, beloved church, for following Jesus. We need to be warning the world about the end times. When you get together with your friends that are just embracing the culture, they’re afraid to speak up about the LGBTQ agenda because they don’t want to create any waves, they don’t want to be the odd man out, they don’t want to be rejected, they just want to fit in. When you see that happening all around you, you can't go that way. You have to be willing to pay the price. You have to be willing to speak up. You have to be willing to stand up. You have to be willing to be rejected because there is a price to pay. Jesus said, "If they persecuted me, they’re going to persecute you." You’ve been chosen, according to the Word of God, not just to reign with Jesus but to suffer with him. The word that I’m bringing you today, beloved, is Yeshua’s getting ready to return. We know the season of his return. Yeshua told us it was going to be like it was in the days of Lot when I return. We’re in that right now. You and I should be bold witnesses. We should be warning people about this. When we have a bunch of people around us that are celebrating the LGBTQ movement, celebrating what they call inclusiveness, you need to be speaking up and standing out and say, "You know what Jesus said? That before he returns, the earth was going to have a pervading homosexual culture about it. That’s the time we’re living in. This is not to be celebrated. This is to warn us." And you have a choice to make. Beloved, we have a call on our life. Jesus said, "You shall be my witnesses to the uttermost part of the earth." You’ve been called to that. You’ve been called, beloved, to speak up. The Lord said, "Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid." Yeshua is coming back to reward each one of us according to what we’ve done. I want to ask: maybe you just need to get on your knees right now and ask the Lord for courage. The words that I’m sharing with you, beloved friend, they’re convicting you. You know that what I’m speaking is right. I’m speaking the Word of God and you want to do right. Some of you need to get on your knees right now and just say, "Lord, forgive me and help me. I know that what Rabbi Schneider is saying is your word and your truth and I need to be doing something different than what I’m doing." Just ask the Lord for power. Let me pray for you right now. Father, I pray for everyone that’s hearing that recognizes that the things that I’m sharing reflect your heart. Father, we want to be faithful to you in this culture of darkness. Yeshua, I ask you to strengthen everyone right now that’s calling out to you for help. You said that we’d receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon us to be your witnesses. Father, I pray for power. I pray for a supernatural anointing, for edge, for fire to come upon every soul right now that’s hearing this word and wants to be a bold witness for you and stand up for you and to warn the world, Jesus, that you are about to return. We say together right now, King Yeshua, come quickly. Let the Spirit and the bride say, "Come." Come, Lord Jesus. Beloved, we live in a world that’s surrounded by darkness, and in the supernatural realm, we know that God is generous and he’s an abundant God. But in the natural, we sometimes get a scarcity mentality, like we don’t want to honor God fully with our finances because we’re afraid that by honoring him fully with our finances, we’re going to lose something. But Yeshua actually taught the opposite. He said, "He that loses his life for my sake shall find it." When we honor the Lord by trusting him and doing unto him what might feel unnatural to us in our humanity, what that does is it prepares us to receive a supernatural blessing. The Lord even promised us a supernatural blessing when we honor him with our finances. I just want to humbly ask you, if you’re feeling a witness about what I’m saying and you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to make an offering to the Father through this ministry, I just want to encourage you: be obedient. You will be blessed. Now, Dustin, can you share with our listeners how they can support us and give?
Dustin Roberts: Absolutely. As the Lord leads you to support this ministry, go online to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. You can also call us at 800-777-7835. We’re really grateful for your gifts of any amount. And if you’d prefer to send your check in the mail, our address is: Discovering the Jewish Jesus, PO Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan, 49228. Your faithfulness, it allows us to share the Gospel in places like Israel, Uganda, Russia; we’re reaching people everywhere with the truth about Jesus. Our Spanish channel is across the United States, it’s in Spain, it’s in South America; it hits so many places, even in Central America. And as a token of our appreciation when you give to support this ministry, we want to send you our latest newsletter where you can hear testimonies of people we’re reaching in those places. But you know what else? We’re also going to send you Rabbi’s exclusive monthly teaching booklet. It’s really nice; it’s a physical mini-book, and I think you’ll really like it. And for those who want to deepen their connection with the ministry and become a monthly partner, I want to let you know, when you become a monthly partner, you’ll receive a handcrafted shofar that’s made right in the Holy Land. And it’ll remind you that Jesus is returning and this mission of sharing the Gospel is urgent. So to donate or partner with us, visit discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Now, let’s turn things back over to Rabbi. He’s going to speak God’s sacred blessing over our life. We hope that this benediction will bless you and encourage you to share God’s grace with everyone that you meet. Rabbi?
Rabbi K.A. Schneider: What I love about the Aaronic Blessing is that it did not originate with man. The words actually proceeded from the very essence of God himself. The blessing comes from the Book of Numbers, chapter six. So listen to these words and receive the blessing of the Lord into your life today. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. And now in Hebrew. Yevarechecha Yahweh veyishmerecha. Ya’er Yahweh panav elecha vichunecha. Yissa Yahweh panav elecha veyasem lecha shalom. God bless you and Shalom.
Dustin Roberts: I’m your host Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Make sure to join us again when Rabbi Schneider continues to highlight the return of the Lord and the end times. That’s Tuesday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.