In this season, it's likely that you've sensed this great spiritual shift. Though you may not be able to put your finger on it, you know deep down inside that something is changing. We're entering a new season. Something major is coming. We all know it. We all sense it. There has been a global shift. Something has moved in the spiritual realm. And if we're not careful, if we're not planted in Christ, we can fall away from the faith. Now, I'm not trying to be an alarmist and I'm not saying any of this to scare you. I want to prepare you for the times that are coming. This is what the Scripture says in Matthew 24. And I'm going to read verses three through 14. Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. 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 here the disciples ask Jesus very pointed questions. Now, a bit of information that could be helpful when approaching the biblical stances on the end times. When you're looking to the Scripture to give you insight on prophetic unfolding, it's important that you take the clear portions of Scripture and use those clear portions of Scripture as the foundational truths by which you interpret the unclear portions of Scripture, like the book of Daniel, the book of Revelation. There is some apocalyptic imagery that's not always necessarily 100% clear. So instead of building your timeline, instead of building your understanding on the end times from apocalyptic imagery, it's best to first begin with very clear foundational teaching that Jesus gave us concerning the end times and then fit all of the other Scriptures into the more clear framework that Jesus gives us.  For many will come in my name claiming I am the Messiah. They will deceive many. Hear me now, church. We often read this verse right here and we say, Oh yeah, a lot of people are going to be there in the last days claiming to be Jesus, claiming to be the Savior, claiming to be the Messiah. But this is not exactly what Jesus is addressing. Yes, in the last days there will be lunatics who arise and claim divinity. They will arise and claim that their Christ returned, although they'll say that they're Jesus or the Savior or God's one and only messenger. There will always be lunatics like that.  Look at verse five again, for many will come in my name. In other words, they will claim to be sent by Jesus claiming I am the Messiah or I am anointed. So this isn't necessarily a group of people who are coming and claiming divinity. This is a group of people who come and claim to be anointed but are not. Claim to come in the name of Jesus but are not. They are wolves in sheep's clothing. They have impure motives. They're using God to make themselves important. They're using the gospel to build their name, their brand, their fame, their power, their fortune.  And that's why this is very subtle deception, because people will come saying I'm anointed of Christ or I'm coming in the name of Jesus when in fact they are not. They will deceive many. You see it's easy to spot those lunatics who say I'm Jesus or I'm the Lord returned. We all can spot those. What's more difficult to spot is someone who comes in and simply claims I was sent by God. I have a ministry and I am anointed. And what a terrifying truth that is.  Verse six, and you will hear a wars and threats of wars, but don't panic. This is what we see, the shaking of the nations, tension between governments, treaties becoming unstable, movement on the global stage, tensions are rising. And this is what Jesus said would happen in the last days. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars or threats of wars. And he says, but don't panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. So the wars and rumors of wars is just the beginning. Hear me now, people of God, spirit family, I want you to understand that what unfolded concerning the pandemic was only the beginning. You think the pandemic shook the nations. You think the pandemic shook our economic systems. We haven't seen anything yet. For what is coming is going to make the pandemic look like times of peace. These are only the beginning occurrences. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won't follow immediately. In other words, it gets worse and worse. When my wife went into labor, and she was giving birth to my daughter, Aria, her, her signs of delivery began to intensify in the amount of pain that she was feeling. And in the frequency that she was feeling that pain, the contractions came more frequently and more intensely as it became closer to the time of birth. That's what the scripture likens the end times to. You will see the frequency of chaotic things as well as the intensity of chaotic things. All of that will increase. It's exponential over time and we're beginning to just feel the contractions of the end times. Verse seven, nation will go to war against nation and kingdom against kingdom. So there we see wars mentioned again. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. We just had another earthquake in California and anytime there's an earthquake in California, Twitter lights up. The internet lights up, people talking about it. And then the rumors of the big one begin to float around. People always talk about the big one coming to California. There won't just be the one big one. There will be many big ones and earthquakes in many parts of the world is what the Bible says. Famines, food shortages. Think about how when the pandemic hit, we were all forced to go into the grocery stores and try to search for anything that we could find. There were shortages of all kind. Just like that, everything was turned on its head. Just like that, the chain of supply was disrupted. Just like that, the stores were empty. Shelves were bare. Just like that, things were gone. I think we take for granted what we have. And I don't think we realize just how fragile the systems of the world are. The strength of society is an illusion. The strength of society is an illusion. Within a matter of days, we can be experiencing food shortages and it can come from seemingly nowhere and that's what the Bible warns of in the end times. Now again, I'm not saying this to scare you, but to prepare you, I truly believe that in times of famine that we're going to begin to see food multiplication again. Just like Jesus fed the 5000, I think Jesus will feed the remnant. Just like God the Father fed the children of Israel when they wandered through the wilderness, so God will feed his church miraculously. We don't have to worry about this, but for the world, this will be a terrifying time. We're going to see an intensity rise. We're going to see chaos rise and it's going to be prominent all throughout the globe, but the church will experience the power of God like never before. For the darker it gets out there, the brighter it becomes in the church. And after all of these things are listed, here's what's astonishing about what Jesus is saying. After all these things are listed, verse eight, but all this is only the first of the birth pains with more to come. Then verse nine, then you is talking to his followers now, you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. People are so worried today about cancel culture.  I don't know if every believer listening to this message right now is going to experience that level of persecution and who knows what the exact timeline is on all of these things, but every believer must live prepared. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. Now watch this. After the persecution, look at what happens. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. So Jesus says that people will turn away from him. These are his followers. These are those who claim to be his disciples. These are those who claim to follow his teachings. They're going to turn away from him. They're going to turn away from following Jesus. Watch this now. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. They're going to turn away from the Lord. There will be a great falling away. The scripture describes it. I'll read that portion of scripture in a moment. But when this persecution comes, it's going to purge the church of weak Christianity. Well, look at the order of it. Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed.  There will be nowhere to go. Using the pandemic as an example of again, again, I was astonished to see how the pandemic affected every part of the world from every major city to every small town. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing a sign on the door requiring you to wear a mask. You couldn't go anywhere without seeing those stickers on the floor telling you to social distance. Now this was at the beginning stages. That's not the case right now. But I was amazed to see how when it first hit, how the pandemic affected the entire world. There was nowhere to go. Nowhere to escape. No safe place to run and hide. It was all over the world. It affected everything. Now this pressure that comes on God's people is global. Look at this. And you will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. Well, that's the system we see coming into place now. The world is united in its rebellion against God. Governments, the entertainment industry, all of it coming together, big tech, all of the major companies, they're coming together and they're consolidating their power into one big conglomerate anti-Christ beast system.  So we'll be hated, not just in some parts. We'll be hated all over the world. We'll be considered the problem. And then many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Think about that. That they turn from Jesus and then they turn on each other. Well, that's the order of rebellion.  Isn't it sad how that's become acceptable to talk about the church that way? I really am sick of hearing the church talked about so negatively. That's the bride of Christ. And it's become acceptable, almost expected to speak negatively of the church. Almost like we just concede that point like it's a given. Well, yeah, the church is horrible. Well, yeah, I agree with you, church people are mean. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Most of the church people I've met are sincere, Jesus-loving, kind-hearted individuals. What I find, it's the rebellious people who turn away from Jesus that hate the church. But in pop culture, in movies, Christians are the crazy mean ones. In TV shows, in books, we're portrayed as these bigots, these anti-intellectual bigots who don't care about anyone, who don't practice what we preach. That's the portrayal that the world has made of the church. And I think that's the work of the enemy because it's not true. A majority of believers, a majority of the church are sweet people who love Jesus and who practice what they preach. That's the majority of the church. But it's become acceptable to describe the church in other ways. And it's become almost expected that we just concede that point. Oh yeah, I agree. The church is horrible when it's not. And then we have people leaving the faith and deconstructing their faith and claiming that, oh, there's something needs to change in the system. Something needs to change in the church. No, no, no, wait a minute. The church is the bride of Christ. And what actually is the problem is people love the world rather than loving Jesus. And that's why they turn on the church. The pressure got too much. They didn't like the persecution. They didn't like being hated all over the world. And so this is what happens. Then you will be arrested, persecuted and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers and many will turn from me. So it's the persecution and the pressure and the need to be accepted, the desire to be liked, the desire to be relevant and cool and loved and one with the world. That's what causes the great falling away. They can't handle the pressure of persecution. Verse 11, and many false prophets will appear and we'll deceive many. Now here it's interesting because Jesus mentions a second group of people claiming to speak for God. Up a couple verses we see in verse number five that many will come in his name claiming to be the Messiah. In other words, many will come in his name claiming to be anointed. And those are the people who claim the name of Jesus, who are wolves and sheep's clothing, who preach a form of the gospel. And it sounds really close to the actual gospel, but they're hypocrites. And then Jesus mentions another group of people and many false prophets will appear and we'll deceive many people. So those who claim to be anointed are within the church and people think they're of the church. But the false prophets, these are people who preach false religions. These are people who preach New Ageism. These are people who preach the philosophies of the world, false religions. These are false prophets. Verse 12, sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold, but the one who endures to the end will be saved. Well, we've seen the amplification of sin in this world, haven't we? And people of God, they're not just satisfied to have their sin. They want to pull others into it too. That's why they're coming after your children. It's why they're working in the school systems because they're not just satisfied in sinning. They want to bring everyone else in with them. Sin will be rampant everywhere. And the love of many will grow cold, selfish, narcissistic, egomaniacs. The world is full of them now. Why? Because of sin. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Watch this now. Here's the note of victory. Verse 14, so all these signs that we see described and all these signs that indicate the end times, well, they're just describing the lead up. But what actually indicates the end of the world right here? And the good news about the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world so that all nations will hear it and then the end will come. In other words, we end on a high note, the gospel going out throughout the world. We end on the note of God giving another opportunity to humanity for repentance. So persecution causes this great falling away. It's the persecution that triggers the great falling away because we want to continue to participate in society. We want to continue to be like, we don't want to be labeled religious anti-intellectual bigots. We don't want to be labeled as mean-spirited hypocrites. We want to be accepted. We want to be loved. We want to be cool. We want to be relevant. We want to be looked to as spiritual advisors in some cases, but that's just not going to be the case all the time. And because of this, there's this great falling away. People apologizing for a gospel that they should be standing firm on. People apologizing that the gospel is offensive by nature. And it's not that we want to offend. We love people. We want people to come to know the goodness and the love of God and the forgiveness of sins, of course. But you can't apologize for aspects of the gospel that the world finds unpalatable. You can't apologize and try to change it and shape it so that they accept it as a part of their system. It will never fit. It's two different systems. It's two different kingdoms. You can't blend those kingdoms together. And so what happens is because of the pressure of persecution, because of this pressure of not being liked, because of this pressure of not really being able to be one with society, people are pushed out and there's this great falling away. I talked to you about that great falling away, the portion of Scripture in that I'd read it. I'll read it now. Second Thessalonians chapter two verses one through four. I'm reading out of the NLT. That's second Thessalonians chapter two verses one through four. Now dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him. Don't be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don't believe them even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. So the Thessalonian church had been experiencing some rumors that Jesus had already returned, that the rapture had already happened because in first Thessalonians that was addressed. So here the record is being corrected. Verse three, don't be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there was a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed. That's the Antichrist. That day will not come until there was a great rebellion against God or a global one. The one who brings destruction is what's being described, this man, this Antichrist. He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call God and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God claiming that he himself is God. So this great rebellion described in Second Thessalonians is a global one. In other words, it's a global intentional organized rejection of God on a global scale. That means the governments of the world will be united in their rejection of God. The systems of the world will be united in the enforcing of the rejection of God. Society will not allow you to participate with it if you don't reject God. That's just how it's going to unfold. And we see these systems coming into place now. We see these systems being forced upon us now. Systems of compliance, systems of conformity, systems of social credits. Do you do what everyone says to do? Do you think like everyone says to think? Do you behave how we want you to behave? If not, they're threatening to take away your ability to participate in society. And so we see this mentioned in Scripture. And when this global intentional rejection of God occurs, there will be those within the church who defect from the faith. It's coming. People of God. If I didn't love you, I wouldn't tell you this. It's coming. I know this type of preaching doesn't score me points. I know this type of preaching won't make me popular. That's never been a goal. But it's coming. And you need to make sure that you're standing firm. You need to make sure that your roots go deep in Christ. You need to make sure that you're abiding in the vine. 1 Corinthians 9, 27. Paul the apostle writes this, I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified. Whoa, wait a minute. Paul wrote this. Paul, the apostle wrote this. He gave us epistles. He saw Jesus, the Christ in person. And he is telling us that he disciplines his body like an athlete. Why? Otherwise, I fear, this is Paul writing this. I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified. I pray, Lord, don't let that be me.  Don't preach it to others and then yourself be disqualified. This great falling away is coming. Now, every generation has a falling away of sorts. People leave the church in waves, it seems, at least on, in the historical perspective. But this great falling away will be unlike anything we've ever seen. There will be a choice that's forced upon us. You serve the system of the kingdom of darkness or you remain loyal to the cause of Christ. And if it wasn't so tempting, no one would fall for it. There will be a temptation to conform. There will be a temptation to comply. That's why it's so attractive. That's why so many fall. And they gain the world, their ability to be a part of the world, yet they lose their own soul. What will that profit a man? Okay, chat, tell me in the comments that the great falling away has already begun, not a falling away, the great falling away. Do you think the great falling away has already begun? Why or why not? Tell me about it in the comments section right now, whether you're watching live or whether you're watching on the replay. I'll also take this moment to encourage you to make sure that you leave a like on this live stream. You're hearing what's being said. You know that other people need to hear this. Help us spread this message of warning and preparation by leaving a like, believe it or not, that actually does help to spread the word all around. So leave a like on this live stream. Make sure you share it. And if this is your first time joining us here at Encounter TV, make sure you also subscribe. Here at Encounter TV, we have a two-fold approach to ministry. It's simple. Spirit-filled, we believe in God's power. We believe in miracles. We believe in the gifts of the Spirit and biblically balanced. We also believe in building on the foundation of the Word and not veering off into the strange world of heresy and superstition and religion. So if you're looking for spirit-filled and biblically balanced, you've come to the right place. We love the Holy Spirit. We love the Word, the Word and Spirit. Subscribe to Encounter TV right now. Click that notification bell when you do so that you can receive updates when we release new content. This is a very important thing that we're talking about right now, standing firm in the face of persecution. So I'm going to see some of the comments here coming in. I had asked just a few moments ago, do you think the great falling away has already begun? Why or why not? And I see on the comments section right in front of me. Let me see here, guys. I have to slow it down because you guys sometimes are so fast and I love it. Keep the comments coming. I see people commenting on the likes. Thank you for that.  I believe it. Jessica writes, be spirit-filled and stand in your Word. Amen. We must stand in the Word of God. MySingsBeauty writes, yes, I believe so. So-called Christians say they are saved but don't hear the voice of God. They are completely oblivious to the fact that God is not the head of their life but Satan is. Well, yes, some people are trapped in that deception. That's a scary thing about deception is you don't know you're deceived. Amber Rickard writes, it has already begun. Too many are compromising their call for freedom the world offers. Another comment to write, the great falling away is close. Hasn't started but all it needs to have stay are already in place. Okay, so they're talking about the systems in place. Rain writes, not yet just a precursor. And then Octavia Harris says, yes, because people are beginning to compromise. So lots of different opinions there. Whatever your opinion on whether or not the falling away has begun, it's important that we stay grounded. So I want to show you different forms of persecution. And then I want to talk to you about how to keep your faith strong in persecution. So there are four kinds of persecution that the believer will face that you will face. Well, maybe not all four of them. Some believers, thank God, won't face some of the more severe forms of persecution. Paul did write, I wish that you would be as I am minus these chains. So Paul the apostle did not wish persecution on every believer. But persecution does come on some believers. And when the great falling away happens, when things begin to unravel on a global scale, we will see a great persecution of all believers all around the world. That eventually will happen. In the meantime, I want you to take note of these four kinds of persecution so that you can be aware of how the enemy tries to use this and how the world tries to use it to shut down the gospel. Now, there's this misconception about persecution where when someone's persecuted or insulted for the sake of the gospel or maybe suffering some form of rejection or oppression, sometimes we as Christians will point to those who are being beheaded or being killed for their faith. And we'll say, oh, you're not suffering persecution, they're suffering persecution.  Well, that's a very immature approach to looking at persecution. Just because you're not experiencing the most intense degree of persecution doesn't mean you're not experiencing persecution at all. So the first kind of persecution are insults. Yes, insults are a form of persecution. Jesus Himself said so in Matthew chapter 5. Matthew 5, I'm going to read verses 11 and 12.  Verse 12, be happy about it. Be very glad for a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets, watch this now, were persecuted in the same way. So insults are a form of persecution. People speaking against you, people gossiping about you. That is a form of persecution. Now don't be, how shall I say this? Don't be religious in your approach to this because, again, I want to emphasize this. Sometimes we as believers will say, well, you were just insulted for the gospel. You should be able to take that.  So don't even come to me complaining about insults. Well, this is not biblical because Jesus Himself addressed this issue and acknowledged that this is a form of persecution. Saying that I can't be upset because others have it worse is like saying I can't be happy because others have it better. It's not a comparison game. When you're experiencing insults, that hurts. That can be painful, especially when the insults and the hatred and the gossip comes from family members. There are some of you listening to this message right now who are experiencing persecution from loved ones who don't like the fact that you serve Jesus. Think about, for example, how around the world churches are being forced to lock down because of the government control in response to this pandemic. Now the churches who are brave, the pastors who have courage and boldness are rising and saying, we're not going to lock down. We're not going to shut down.  Just close everything. You need to stop complaining because on the other side of the world, people are dying. So you stop being silly. That's not persecution. Now wait a minute. That is a form of persecution which I'll get to in a moment. And they'll say things like, well, don't insult the martyrs by complaining about having to close your church. I say, don't insult the martyrs by cowering at the threat of fines when they didn't cower at the threat of death. Some parts of the world, they don't find you.  And they still stood up for the gospel yet we can't do it in the face of fines. So let's turn that thing on its head. Let's turn that mindset on its head.  You can't complain about shutting your church down.  There's people on the other side of the globe who are dying. I say, how dare you? There's people on the other side of the globe who are dying and you want to lock down the church? That's insulting to them. That they're willing to give their lives. We're not willing to give our reputations. Insulting. So no, just because they're dying on the other side of the world doesn't mean that in these parts of the world that we should just say, okay, let's stop obeying the word of God and please man instead. That's just not biblical. So insults, first and foremost, are a form of persecution.   Again, as I alluded to earlier, Christians are portrayed in the media as evil and mean. And they talk about the bride of Christ in this way. There's a whole movement of offended, rebellious people who think that it's healthy to criticize the church in an unrealistic way. And this is just not biblical. They don't reject God because of so-called bigots. They reject God because they love their sin. Luke 626 says, What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds for their ancestors also praised false prophets? Think about that. What sorrow awaits you who are praised by the crowds for their ancestors also praised false prophets? This is actually an interesting one because I think that sometimes we imagine that the world is just going to go, you know what? We love the church. We love what you stand for. But do you realize that the more wicked the world gets, the more they're going to hate the message of the gospel? That doesn't mean we say, hey, let's change the message of the gospel so they stop getting upset. That means you stand firm on the gospel and the further the world goes into sin, the crazier we're going to look. Let me say that again. The further the world goes into sin, the crazier you and I are going to look. Biblical righteous virtues and principles that a hundred years ago were accepted by a majority of society are being rejected as people progress into the darkness of sin. Their hearts are being darkened. Their minds are being darkened. They're being spiritually blind and deaf. And instead of saying, okay, well, let's change the gospel, we must continue to shine that light because it is the hope of humanity, the only means of salvation and the only truth. So insults will come at you.  People will call you mean.  And that's what's accepted as a common cliche in society. Christians are just these mean spirited hypocrites, but that's not the case and they will insult you though.  They will criticize you because you speak the truth. They will criticize you because you preach the gospel. They will criticize you because you believe in a thing called sin. Yes, sin is still sin and woe to that generation. Woe to that generation who calls evil good and good evil. That's what's happening now. We are more and more becoming less tolerated in this world. So insults number one, number two, the second type of persecution is rejection.  They don't want you to have influence. They don't want you to have say in society. They don't want to hear the message. Have you ever realized that all other opinions, philosophies, religions are tolerated, accepted, celebrated, understood, but the message of the gospel is rejected harshly so. You ever notice that you can speak the name of any false deity, but you speak the name of the one true God. You say the name of Jesus. Suddenly people start getting offended. You ever see those one world stickers coexist? You know who that's aimed at? It's aimed at Christians because Christians are the ones who claim exclusive truth. They will reject you. Now just because you're rejected doesn't mean you're right. So let's get that straight because some Christians are rejected because they're weird. They're weird. They're unbiblical. They get into some bizarre things that just aren't of scripture. So that's sometimes valid. I know that some people have it in their mind. They have like a messiah complex. If they're rejected, oh, it must be because I'm of God. No, not every rejection is a sign that you're of God. But when you're rejected for speaking the truth, when you're rejected for speaking of Christ, then that's a form of true persecution. John 15 versus 19 and 20. This is powerful. John 15, 19 and 20. The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it. But you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world. So it hates you. Do you remember what I told you? A slave is not greater than the master. Since they persecuted me naturally. This is Jesus speaking.  And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. So rejection is another form of persecution. That's insults. Number two, rejection. Number three, oppression. Let me read a portion of scripture to you. This is Acts chapter five. I'm going to read verses 17 through 29. The high priest and his officials who were Sadducees were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But an angel of the Lord came at night, opened the gates of the jail and brought them out. Then he told them, go to the temple and give the people this message of life. So at daybreak, the apostles entered the temple as they were told and immediately began teaching. So the angel broke them out. When the high priest and his officials arrived, they convened the high council, the full assembly of the elders of Israel. Then they sent for the apostles to be brought from the jail for trial. So this is kind of funny. But when the temple guards went to the jail, the men were gone. I love that. So they convened for trial. Okay, bring them in. They're like, hey, they're gone. They're not here. So they returned to the council and reported the jail was securely locked with the guards standing outside. But when we opened the gates, no one was there. When the captain of the temple guard and the leading priest heard this, they were perplexed wondering where it would all end. Can you imagine how frustrating that is? They're trying to get them to stop preaching this message. They finally got them in prison or in jail. And then suddenly they disappear and they're wondering where they're going. When is this all going to end? This has to stop. So I love that, that they were wondering where it would end, verse 25. Then someone arrived with startling news. The men you put in jail are standing in the temple, teaching the people. The captain went with his temple guards and arrested the apostles, so they got them again. But without violence for they were afraid the people would stone them. Then they brought the apostles before the high council where the high priest confronted them. Here's what he says. We gave you strict orders. Never again to teach in this man's name, he said. So he said, look, we told you already to stop this. Instead, you have filled all Jerusalem with your teaching about him.  Verse 29. I love this. But Peter and the apostles replied, we must obey God rather than human authority. Number three is oppression. They will try to limit your movement with imprisonment. They will try to limit your speech with censorship and intimidation. They will try to limit your gathering with tyrannical government control. Let he who has eyes to see see, let he who has ears to hear hear. That is a form of persecution.  Open your spiritual eyes. That is a form of persecution. It's a form of oppression. And as I was saying just a few points ago, I think it's a mistake to look at our brothers and sisters dying on the other side of the world and come to the conclusion that we should therefore put up with this kind of oppression. Oh, well, they have it so much worse. So quit your complaining. No. If they could stand in the face of death, we could stand in the face of tyranny. If they can give their lives, we can give our reputations. We must obey God rather than man. That's just the biblical truth. So oppression is a form of persecution. Now, you notice the Bible says in the narrative that we just read that they arrested them a second time and it says without violence. So there was no physical beating, no torture, no killing, but they were oppressing them. They were restricting their freedoms in an effort to silence the gospel. Why? Because the government wants to be God. The government wants total control. And so long as the church is alive and well, the government cannot be God because we won't bow to the government as God. We're non-compliant in that way. We don't bow to the government as God. There's only one God. There's only one throne. There's only one name. It's the name of Jesus. And so the government can bring oppression, not just the government, but groups of people, powerful groups of people, people who will use either their authority or intimidation. That's two types of oppression, either through authority or intimidation. Again, they limit your movement with imprisonment. They try to limit your speech with censorship, and they try to limit your gathering with control, enforcement. This is a form of persecution. Stop saying that, oh, because our brothers and sisters across the world have it so much worse that it doesn't count as persecution over here. I'm going to say it again one more time. If they can stand in the threat of death, we can surely stand in the face of tyranny. We must have the courage and the boldness to obey God. Look, I understand exercising wisdom. You know, I'm very balanced in the way I approach everything. But on this matter, after much prayer, after much study of the Word, after hearing from the Holy Spirit, I must tell you people of God, it is time to rise. It is time to obey God rather than obeying man. Enough is enough, period. Obey God, not man. The fourth kind of persecution is violence. In Acts chapter 7, verses 54 through 60, we see the story of Stephen the martyr. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God and said, Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord. And they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, Lord, do not charge them with this sin. And when he said this, he fell asleep. They didn't like what he was saying. It cut right to the heart.  They stopped their ears. They put their hands over their ears. They begin to shout. They lost their minds. Think about this. What's being described here is the loss of their minds. They were so convicted that they went insane and killed the man. That's what's being described here. Look at this. And they cast them out of the city and stoned him. They cried with a loud voice, stopped their ears and ran at him. So they all rushed him. They were so convicted they lost their minds. Why? Because Stephen was preaching truth that pierced right to the heart and they killed him. This is the fourth kind of persecution. It's violence, beating, torture and killing. Paul, the apostle was beheaded. Peter was crucified. And upon his request, he was crucified upside down because he didn't feel worthy to be crucified in the same manner Jesus was. It is said that Andrew also was crucified. Thomas, they say, was killed by spears. Matthew stabbed to death in Ethiopia. James was stoned and clubbed to death. Simon the zealot was killed after refusing to make a sacrifice to an idol. And John, the author of the book of Revelation, was boiled in oil and survived, of whom the world was not worthy. God help us stand up in the face of insults, rejection and oppression for the sake of the dignity of the church in honor of those who've stood in the face of violence. God convict us. God help us. Chat, I want you to tell me in the comments section. What kind of persecution have you faced and how has God helped you through it? From insults to violence, I've had beer bottles thrown at me. It's almost violent, but it didn't hit me. So I don't think you're quite counted. But you know, insults, that's a form of persecution. It is rejection. That's a form of persecution being shunned by those who you love. That's a form of persecution. Oppression is a form of persecution. Violence certainly we all know is a form of persecution. What kind of persecution have you faced and how did the Lord help you through it? Ruben, let's check it on the chat. I mean, before I check it on this chat, I can personally say forms of persecution in my life were very little things just like in the workplace being made fun of because I was the Christian kid in my workplace being made fun of and looking down upon because, oh, I was doing so good at my job, but people would be like, oh, but you're a Christian and we don't like you. Get away from us.  Don't work with us because I was a Christian. That's a form of persecution I had faced in my personal life.  He left the marriage and he turned my children against me. Wow. Liz Eslava says insults or injections from family members. Janine says lots of mocking. People are saying, you know, I was laughed at by my family. People are saying a lot of things, you know, family. I've been oppressed by, you know, people around me. The church has, you know, even laughed at me. All these comments coming in, how people have experienced their own persecution. So wow, man, this is, this is very, very eye-opening.  Well, it's time we stand strong people of God. I'll stand with you. I'll stand with you. I'll, I promise to always preach the truth. I'm not going to compromise this. Stand with me because I stand with you as we stand for Christ together. I want to encourage you in this moment to leave a like on this live stream and I'm not being, I hope, I hope it doesn't seem out of turn, especially because the material we're covering is so holy and it invokes such reverence in our hearts. But please understand that when I ask you to leave a like, I am not asking you that for clout. It really does help to spread the message all around the world. It triggers something in the algorithm and make sure you're leaving comments too. Don't stop with the comments. Make sure you share. And if you're new to this channel, you haven't seen this content, or maybe it just popped up on your feed and you happen to click, we believe in the power of the Holy Spirit and we believe in the foundation of the Word of God, spirit-filled, biblically balanced. That's this ministry. If you love the Holy Spirit, teachings on spiritual warfare, prayer, miracles, healing, faith, the call of God, evangelism, sacrifice, the surrendered life, this is the channel for you. Make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV and click that notification bell when you do subscribe so that you can receive updates and alerts when we put out new content. Subscribe now if you're new to the channel. We also show video of the power of the Holy Spirit in action. We show videos of healing testimonies, people being set free by God's power, people receiving the baptism with the Holy Spirit. So it's the Word and Spirit. Make sure you're subscribed now and join what we call, we affectionately refer to our subscribers, followers, supporters, all of you as the spirit family. So I love you all. Make sure you're leaving comments and we'll be interacting in a moment toward the end of the broadcast. If you're watching this live, wonderful. If you're watching this on replay, make sure you're also interacting the same way. It'll still have the same effect. Okay. I want to talk to you now about how to keep your faith strong in times of persecution, because we will all face persecution. Now that we know what the different forms of persecution are, we know that we will all face persecution at one point or another. So how to keep your faith strong in times of persecution? Number one, watch and pray. Matthew chapter 26 verse 41. Keep watch and pray so that you will not give in to temptation, for the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. Cowering in the face of persecution is a temptation. Compromising the gospel so you're not insulted is a temptation. Wanting to be liked by the world, wanting to be accepted by the world is a temptation. Now, am I saying that we should all live as hermits, completely disconnect from the world and treat people like they're the enemy by no means? People are not the enemy. But I am saying that we must live first with our allegiance to Christ at every cost. Now, if people are offended by the gospel, it's because they're in the wrong place in their heart. We don't try to offend. We don't try to be mean. We don't say things to provoke and agitate and try to get a reaction out of people. If you do that, that's a very immature, ungodly, unloving approach to spreading the gospel. But in spreading the truth, though our goal is never to offend, you will at some times offend people.  And in order to do this, I must be prayerful. I must be watchful in order to not give into that temptation to be liked, to circumnavigate the persecution or to just be done with being treated that way. Again, it is tempting to compromise or to water it down. But in order to resist that temptation, you must watch and pray. This means be alert. Be aware of what's going on. You know, we as believers can use the discernment of the Holy Spirit, not just for spiritual gifts, not just to see whether or not there's a demonic spirit of all. We can see what's going on on a global scale if we simply put our ears to the spiritual ground. We have the ability to discern what is happening, but that ability to discern is sharpened by prayer. So don't just pray. Be vigilant. Watch. Be informed. Do your research on things. Make sure you understand. Don't just take things at face value. My goodness, people of God, stop just reading the headlines. Read the story. And that's both literal and I'm using that as a metaphor. That's the culture we live in. Ten seconds, we'll read a headline and that's it. Then we go spreading rumors. I've seen it done to preachers, where a preacher will supposedly be caught in a scandal and maybe the preacher was completely innocent because somebody read a headline. Oh, well, that's it. Oh, so sad. Oh, I followed this guy. Oh, I love them so much. Oh, I can't believe this. And then they go and spread that around. And everyone just kind of accepts that because it was said it was true. That's just not how we should be handling things. That's not just good advice for the church. That's good advice for everybody. But don't just take things at face value. Be discerning. Be wise. Exercise the ability to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Watch and pray. Why? So that you won't fall into temptation. Be vigilant. Be discerning. Be informed. Sometimes I think we don't do a very good job. I'll put myself in this category too. We don't always do the best job at being informed. I myself sometimes will just take things at face value and assume that it's true only to find out later that I didn't really do my research and I probably should have done a little better. We can all do better at this. Watch and pray. Number two, know the word. Oh, this is so important. Matthew chapter seven. I'm going to read verses 24 through 27. Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise. Like a person who builds a house on solid rock, though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won't collapse because it is built on bedrock. But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn't obey it is foolish. Like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash. Are you building on God's word or are you building on your own opinions and assumptions? Are you building on God's word or are you building on the philosophies of this world? Are you building on God's word or are you building on the words of your college and university professor? Are you building on God's word or are you building on the promises of politicians? Are you building on God's word or are you building on what the music industry and the movie industry tell you? Are you building on the systems of the world? Are you building on the opinions of man? Are you building on on emotionalism and how you feel on certain days or are you building on God's word? If you're not building on God's word, a great crash is coming to your life. If you are building on God's word, then when the storms come, you're gonna stand strong. So that's number two, know the word. Number three, think about eternity. Matthew chapter 10, verses 38 to 39, one of my favorite portions of scripture.  If you cling to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find it. Here Jesus is talking about giving up our lives in exchange for eternity. We give up our temporary lives in exchange for the gift of eternal life that he gives to us freely. Now, this perspective can only come if you're doing the first two. If you're not watching, if you're not praying, if you're not in the Word, there's no way you can have a perspective that's eternally focused. Don't focus necessarily on just the here and now, but focus on the then and there.  But in fact, the more heavenly minded I am, the more good that I can do on the earth. This doesn't mean that you should be weird nor is it a license to be weird. This simply means that when I'm grounded on God's truth and when I've built my life on the foundation of the words of Christ, then I can participate in this world in a way that's spiritually victorious. And so I think about eternity. I think about what's then and there. I think about what God has for me. I think about my heavenly reward. I think about souls that I'm winning. I think about heaven itself. I think about those words, well done, good and faithful servant Matthew 25, 23, the master said, well done, my good and faithful servant. You've been faithful in handling this small amount. So now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together. Wow, I wanna hear those words. I don't know about you. I wanna hear those words. Imagine, and it will be your reality if you simply allow the Lord to reign in your life. That will be your reality.   You're going to hear those words, well done, good and faithful servant. And that's what I'm living for. That's what we should be living for. We need to live our lives in light of his return. We need to live our lives with eternal perspective. We must live our lives for the then and there. Yes, we can focus on the here and now. Yes, invest. Yes, buy property.  Yes, it's okay to build here. But don't build so much here that you forget about building there. Don't be so focused on the earth that you're not focused on the heavenly reality. So think about eternity. Think of your heavenly reward. Think about souls that you win. Think about heaven itself. Think about hearing well done, good and faithful servant. So one, watch and pray. Two, know the word. Three, think about eternity. Four, love your persecutors. This is key to standing under persecution. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood. People who persecute you are not the enemy. They themselves are bound by sin. They're captives, their minds are darkened. People aren't the enemies. They're the mission. We're not called to retaliate against them. We're called to rescue them. We're not called to attack them. We're called to preach the truth to them. We're not called to hate them. We're called to love them. We're not in a war against people. We're not in a war against necessarily even the systems of the world. We're in a war against spiritual darkness, spiritual forces. I may not agree with people of the world, but I don't hate them. I want them to know the forgiveness of God and the love of Christ. I want them to know the joy and the peace of the Holy Spirit that only he can bring. Luke 23, 34. Jesus said, this is so powerful. Jesus said, Father, forgive them. For they don't know what they are doing. And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice. So there Jesus is pronouncing forgiveness over them and the soldiers are gambling for his clothes. Father, forgive them. For they don't know what they're doing. The people who insult you, Father, forgive them. They reject you, forgive them. Opress you, forgive them. They get violent with you, forgive them. Father, forgive them. Truly, they don't know what they are doing. As persecution intensifies, Christians will be dehumanized. Let me say that again. As persecution intensifies, Christian people will be dehumanized, meaning we're not gonna be considered heroes. It's going to be considered a noble thing to insult a Christian. It kind of already is to reject a Christian, to oppress the gospel, to rid the world of Christianity. That will be the mission of Jesus, really. They want to rid the world of Jesus. We're going to be dehumanized. We will be looked at as the bad guy. We will be looked at as the villain of the story. We must continue to love. They insult you, bless them. They reject you, accept them.  They get violent with you, love them. Turn the other cheek. Jesus could have called down a legion of angels. What did he do? Father, forgive them. It's by our love. It's by our love that we win them. That's what makes us different, isn't it? Isn't that what makes us different? Shouldn't that be what differentiates us from the world? Love them, be kind to them, warm toward them, not condescending? Patient, forgiving? That's what we should be. That's how we'll win them.  And there are actually many of them, but the one in particular that I'm thinking of is in Psalms where the scripture says, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. Now, a lot of people look at that scripture and they think that God is going to bless you to taunt to your enemies. In other words, you're blessing me.  So they gotta watch as God blesses me. They gotta watch as God prostrates me. They gotta watch as God promotes me now. That's not what the scripture's saying. Do you realize that one of the Old Testament concepts of covenant is the covenant meal and that when you would share a meal with someone, it was making peace with them in some cases. So you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies is reconciliation. Not victory over them, but reconciliation with them. We're not called to dominate. We're not called to control. We're not called to have authority over. We are called to love them. We're called to show kindness to them. We're called to, despite persecution, try to win their souls. That's where the true power is. So number four is love your persecutors. Pray for them, forgive them and love them. Finally, number five, celebrate the victory. Philippians chapter two, verses nine through 11 really is the game changer here. Ultimately, no matter what happens, this is the reality. Therefore God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father. In the end, Jesus is victorious. I think that sometimes we have this idea that in the end times Christians are gonna be huddled in some basement somewhere, wondering if we're going to be captured. Maybe true in some parts of the world, but it doesn't end on that note. It ends on a victorious church. We are to be establishing God's kingdom despite persecution, liberating the captive from sin. We must learn to celebrate our victory. I've read the scripture, Genesis the Revelation, and I'm telling you, the Bible makes it clear, in the end, Christ is victorious. Jesus wins in the end. Light overcomes darkness. Truth overcomes deception. Jesus overcomes the devil and sin and death and the grave and hell. He overcomes it all. In the end, Christ is victorious and we get to participate in his victory because of the sacrifice he made for us on the cross. So don't be afraid, don't worry. Let joy and peace spring forth from you, a fountain of the spirit from deep within. Love, have peace, have joy, be kind, let the fruit of the spirit be demonstrated in your life. Though the world may tremble, though there may be wars and rumors of wars, we are victorious in Christ who is the victor. So tell me, chat, what did I miss? What else should God's people be doing to stand firm in persecution? Maybe I missed something. Maybe I forgot to mention something that would help you stand firm in times of persecution. Tell me about it in the comments section right now. What did I miss? What else should God's people be doing to stand firm in persecution? Whether you're watching live or whether you're watching the replay. Leave a comment, it'll have the same effect. Leave a like, make sure you're leaving comments, liking, and share this. Look, a lot of Christians, I want every Christian, I wish every Christian could hear the truths from the scripture presented in this way. Please help spread this truth by sharing it. You will help somebody to stand firm. You never know who needs this encouragement. So by sharing this video, you're helping to spread the gospel around the world in this message in particular. Also, if you're new to this channel, make sure you're subscribed to EncounterTV. Do click that notification bell. You will not regret it so you get notices when we put out new videos. I teach on the Holy Spirit, prayer, spiritual warfare, evangelism, miracles, faith, the power of God, the surrendered life, the call of God. We also show footage of the Holy Spirit's power in action.  And you're looking for a ministry that's both spirit-filled and biblically balanced, biblically grounded. We don't get into weird heresies and superstitions and religious thinking. It's biblically balanced and spirit-filled. Then subscribe to EncounterTV if you want content like that. In the meantime, Ruben, I will check on the chat. How are we doing? Yeah, and then to answer your question, people are saying we need to fellowship. We need fellowship in these times. People are saying- That's a good one. Oh, we need to be fasting in these times. That's what Gile says, we need to be fasting. People are saying like Liz, devotion to the Lord. Beth is saying don't compromise in these times. People are saying fear not for I am with you, quoting scripture, prayer and fellowship. Many repetitive comments saying prayer, fellowship, devotion to God, fasting. Those are the things that I'm seeing constantly during the chat. And I want to share something that I read earlier that I really liked is Peachy Love said, I'm literally crying in right now. Thank you so much, Pastor David, for this message because I've been so hurt and rejected. Thank you so much, man, just touching people's lives. And once again, I'm so glad that you're sharing this message, David, because when I saw the notes earlier, I was like, oh man, this is gonna be a good one today. But man, people are receiving. To God be the glory. I wanna share one more point with you. I think this is important to hear. Then I'm gonna pray with you and then we'll get into the Q and A. I wanna talk to you real briefly about how persecution brings greater power. Now, earlier I mentioned Stephen the martyr and how he preached the word with such power that those who heard him were convicted to the point of insanity, it seemed. Acts 6, 11 to 15. So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen saying, we heard him blaspheme Moses and even God. So here they're lying about him. Verse 12, this roused the people, the elders and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the High Council. The lying witnesses said, this man is always speaking against the holy temple and against the law of Moses. Now watch this, this is incredible. Verse 14, we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy the temple and change the customs Moses handed down to us. Now watch this, verse 15, at this point, everyone in the High Council stared at Stephen. Why? Because his face became as bright as an angel's. Persecution brings glory. As they were lying about him, his face began to glow. You wanna see the greater realms of glory? Go see the greater realms of persecution. John 21, 19, Jesus said this to let him know by what kind of death he would glorify God. Then Jesus told him, follow me. So in death, there was glory. Now I'm not by any means saying that you should purposefully intentionally put yourself in danger or harm's way, nor am I talking about suicidal tendencies or anything like that. I'm simply saying that the greater the pressure against the church, the greater the power within the church. 1 Peter 4, 14, if you are insulted because you bear the name of Christ, you will be blessed for the glorious spirit of God rests upon you. I'm gonna read that again. 1 Peter 4, 14, out of the new living translation.  So that glorious spirit comes when you're being insulted. Persecution brings glory and power. Now I want to ask you one more question, chat. And I want you to tell me in the chat below whether you're watching live or in the replay. What are some of the benefits of persecution for the church? Tell me. And personally in your life. What are some of the benefits of the persecution? Now, Father, I pray in the name of Jesus that you would give us strength. Come on, ask him right now. Ask him for strength. Holy spirit, give us strength, discernment. Courage, boldness and love. Help us, Father, to stand firm against the pressures of this world. Help us to exalt your name above all else, to cling to your truth, never compromising your word. Help us to live and declare your truth. And thank you, Father, for the privilege and joy of being persecuted for your name. I want you to just begin to thank him for his goodness. I want you to begin to ask him for his strength. Father, in the name of Jesus, give us strength. Give us strength for the times ahead. In the mighty name of Jesus, we pray. I want you to say it because you believe it. Say amen. Now, before I get into the Q and A and before you log off, I think that sometimes in the live stream, it's easier to stick around, but on the replay, people usually click out right about here. Stay with me just for a couple minutes. You know, right now there is a war, spiritually speaking, a war for the soul of a generation. When all is said and done, when history has been swallowed by eternity, and we stand before our heavenly Father, we're not going to be worried about the things of this world. All we will care about is what we did for eternity. What did we do to live for God? How did we live in a way that was pleasing to him? And I really believe this, one of the things that will be foremost on the mind of the believer who's crossed into eternity, one of the things we'll be thinking about is what we could have done on earth to win more souls. I don't want to get to heaven. Hear me now, please. I don't want to get to heaven and find that someone could have been there had I only obeyed, that someone could have been there had I stepped out in faith. I don't want to get to heaven and find that there was more I could have done to see someone's eternity altered. See, with other causes, with other movements, you can change lives, but only with the gospel can you change eternities. Eternities, somebody's eternal soul saved because of obedience. How shall they hear unless someone tells them? That's the scripture Romans 10. How shall they hear unless someone tells them? And how will someone go and tell them unless they are sent? Send this ministry to the world. Help us, help us win the soul of a generation. This is the matter of eternity. When all is said and done, none of this will matter, but what we did for eternity. We get so caught up in the things of the world. When all is said and done, all that will matter is what we did for eternity. Help us win souls. Help us spread the gospel through media, through live streams, through events, through the Holy Spirit School, through so much more, through all the operations and functions of this ministry. Help us win souls. I want you to pray this prayer. It's a daring prayer. I dare you to pray this. I dare you to pray this. Close your eyes, I dare you to pray this. Say Holy Spirit, say it out loud. Say Holy Spirit, challenge me. I dare you to pray that. Say Holy Spirit, challenge me. Now I want to challenge you to give to the gospel, not to me personally. You're giving to a ministry, but really in a spiritual sense, you're giving it to Jesus. Help us win souls. Your support matters. I know it's easy to watch a stream like this and say, oh, there's thousands of people who will see this. There's thousands of people who will give. No, no, no. Don't worry about what others are doing or not doing. You respond. If everyone watching this were to simply respond to the challenge of the Holy Spirit to do something for this ministry, our reach would be untold.  Give a one-time gift. Some of you can do different amounts and whatever you can give, it's gonna make an impact. You may say, oh, it's too little. I don't think that it'll make that big of a difference. Or you may say, oh, Holy Spirit, that's too much. I don't know how I'm going to go on. Just do what God tells you to do. Give according to how the Holy Spirit challenges you. Some that will be more than others and he'll challenge you in proportion to what you have. He'll challenge you in proportion to what he's given to you. So I challenge you now. Give as you're led by the Spirit for one purpose right now, help us win souls. Go to davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. Do it now. Don't say someone else will do it. Someone else will give. Oh, there's so many people watching. Someone else I'm sure will take care of it. No, no, no. You hear the Holy Spirit. I know you love souls. I know you love the Lord. I know you love the gospel and I know you believe in this ministry. So go right now. One more time, davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. Give a one-time gift or become a monthly supporter or if the Holy Spirit so leads you, do both. Give a one-time gift and become a monthly supporter. I can already see gifts coming in from around the world. Thank you, Claudia. Thank you, Marita. Thank you, Ashley and Jessica. Thank you to the Patrick family. Thank you, Lili. Thank you, Owen. Thank you, Ling. Thank you, Zoila. Thank you, Samuel. Thank you, Ronald. Thank you, Helen. Thank you, Juan. And then on the Super Chat, so many more are also giving, but we highly encourage you to give it davidhernandezministries.com slash donate. Help us win souls. Look, this ministry is going and growing strong. Help us continue going and growing. We're just getting started. I should say the Lord is just getting started with his ministry. We're seeing the events grow. We're seeing the media reach grow. We're seeing the ministry grow in general. That means more souls won, more believers encouraged and empowered. This is God's work and help us do this. Join hands with believers from all around the world and let's do this. Let's push back against the darkness. Let's make a real difference.  This is how we do it. This is how we change the world. All of us together unite, give to the gospel and tell the world that Jesus lives.


100-meter hurdles for under 17 girls, two semifinal races, semifinal one-and-trap, Madison Moss of the Bahamas, Teni Vincent of Trinidad and Tobago, Malia Duncan of Jamaica, Lindy Saha of Guadalupe, Zaza Frans of Curacao, and Teja Nique Huggins of St. Kitts and Nevis. Fastest in the field by a distance, Malia Duncan of Jamaica, Zaza Frans of Curacao, bronze medalist last year, she goes in lane number seven with the Jamaican in five, Teni Vincent of Trinidad and Tobago already has high jump bronze at these Carrifta games here in Grenada. Top two short to go, top three short to go through, plus the next two fastest. Off they go, Duncan got up quickly the Jamaican, the Bahamian Moss also going well, Zaza Frans coming through on the outside, Vincent finishing well, Malia Duncan ahead of last year's bronze medalist, Zaza Frans with Teni Vincent getting the third and final automatic qualifying spot, Malia Duncan and the opening leg for the Jamaicans on the under 17 girls four by 100 winning team last night and she returns this morning with a 14-26 effort to ease through qualifying and advanced to the final, represents St. Jago High School back home, her schoolmate Brianna Davidson has won the last two under 17 girls title, so St. Jago High School looking to make it three in a row for Jamaica in this event and Duncan starting very, very well coming through to take that first semifinal. Here's another look at it. Duncan is in lane number five, she gets to the first, her to first, Zaza Frans rugged in lane number seven on the outside but she fast and focused as the Jamaican is easy and comfortable, beautiful technique and she eases across the line snapping beautifully. Real quality hurtling going on at St. Jago High School, Duncan negative 1.9 meters per second, the wind speed 14.26, Zaza Frans qualifies 14.33, Teni Vincent of Trinidad and Tobago is also through at 14.75, we watched 14.91 for Madison Moss of the Bahamas and 14 and 15.20 for Zaza of Guadalupe.