Are you offended?

It amazes me that despite the knowledge of Scripture, the closer we get to the endtimes schedule of events that so many are offended, and not just offended, BUT so easily offended. So what am I talking about? God's Word is twisted and distorted consciously and subconciously by many, and when the truth is spoken, it offends people because it is contrary to what they have heard. Still others are offended by those offended and they stop preaching the truth simply because it means costing them friends and family, and even wealth, power, and prestige. This leads me back to my question, Are you offended?

A person may be offfened in many ways and by many different things. I can talk with you and while talking mention something that you take derogatory, I state that most people do not spell well at all, and you think in your mind that I am somehow condemning your ability to spell. Are you offended? As I have stated many times since being called to ministry, If the shoe fits, wear it, if not allow those that it fits wear it, and you remain calm and pray for them. Suppose while I am preaching I quote Scripture about the endtimes and then make a statement that many in pulpits today are ungodly and interested in building their own kingdoms rather than Yashua's kingdom, but you think I am talking about you or your pastor. Are you offended? Now all of this is true, but I am not talking about this type of "being offended".

4624 skandalizw skandalizo skan-dal-id'-zo ("scandalize")

from 4625; TDNT-7:339,1036; v

AV-offend 28, make to offend 2; 30

1) to put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall, metaph. to offend
    1a) to entice to sin
    1b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey
      1b1) to cause to fall away
      1b2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority
      1b3) to cause one to judge unfavourably or unjustly of another
    1c) since one who stumbles or whose foot gets entangled feels annoyed
      1c1) to cause one displeasure at a thing
      1c2) to make indignant
      1c3) to be displeased, indignant
In these last days, the endtimes that are leading to His parousia, there will be many who are offended, but they will be offended because they decided to reject Yashua after showing some in a minute manner or way that they had known Him to some degree. John 16:1 ¶ These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. Yashua makes this statement about His concern that His disciples might be offended, and that would hurt Him deeply because He loves His disciples, and He doesn't want them to be offended. So is He talking about hurt feelings over something said?

Notice what Yashua says, These things have I spoken unto you! To understand the statement we must first look at what These things are specifically. Therefore we must examine the context because from good grammar we know that the word these is a pronoun describing a noun, and in this case the noun is neuter, so only the context which allows us t understand the antecedent law of grammar will give us the answer to this question about what These things are.

The antecedent law could mean the whole Word of God, and some would have us to believe that, and despite being correct that we should live the Word, those are not sound grammar skills being applied. The antecedent could mean the entire Last Supper Discourse, and we have still others that teach this, but again that would violate sound grammatical skills; for this to be true it would come either in the beginning, starting in John 14:1 (it doesn't exist) or at the end in John 17:27 (it doesn't exist), but is found in neither place, so it rules out this application of the antecedent. The next most common error of application of the antecedent law is saying that Yashua refers to Chapter 15 as a whole, but this thought although somewhat valid is actually from a wrong perspective since John did not write his Gospel in chapters, it was man who placed Scripture in chapter and verse centuries later. These are all common hermeneutical errors by well meaning people, but it produces foolish exegetes of passages, especially this passage, and the results are false teachings and false doctrines. So what does the phrase These things refer; what are These things?

The answer comes in some verse from the previous Chapter (keeping in line with the antecedent law), but not any verses, it is about Yashua's concern for His discples that we see the understanding. Take a look for a minute. John 15:17 These things I command you, that ye love one another. Here we have in this verse another need to discover the antecedent, and from this we may conclude quite logically that the answer we have been seeking must be after this verse since this verse will deal with details before it to have its own answer for its antecedent. Therefore to find our answer we have been able to narrow down the context for that answer to be found in John 15:18-27. For those who would argue that the context for verse 17 is after it because of the love one another statement in the sentence, that is partially true, it does include that part of the sentence and the details discussed by Jesus prior to it as well, and what we will look at now in verses 18-27, we will see clearly what are These things.

John 15:18-27 ¶ If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin. He that hateth me hateth my Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law, They hated me without a cause. ¶ But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.

These things:
    1) The world will hate a genuine Christian because it hated Jesus. vs17
    2) Because one chosen is different than the world, it hates a genuine Christian. vs 18
    3) If they persecuted Yashua, they will persecute us for His name's sake. vs 19
    4) A true Christian will recognize a genuine Christian and love that person. vs 20, 21
    5) A genuine Christian removes the false doctrines that allow sin to be accepted. vs 22
    6) The person who rejects a Christian and the Word rejects Yashua, and rejects the Father. vs 23, 24
    7) Rejection fulfills prophecy dealing with hating Yashua without a cause. vs 25
    8) The Holy Spirit will confirm and affirm Yashua, and lead believers into the truth. vs 26
    9) Disciples will also affirm Yashua, specifically the 120 who were from the beginning. vs 27
Agains, let's look at what Jesus said. John 16:1 ¶ These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. Jesus establishes His concern that disciples may be offended when facing These nine things! Now given this, we must hone into clarity the definition of being offended, since Yashua doesn't want any disciple offended when facing These nine things.

The word, skandalizw, has a basic essence of definition, and from its literal meaning, we can use part 1 for the definition:
    1b) to cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to trust and obey
      1b1) to cause to fall away
      1b2) to be offended in one, i.e. to see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority
When someone faces persecution, Yashua doesn't want that person to distrust Him, and desert Him in their relationship together. When someone is hated by a neighbor or even one who attends a church, Yashua doesn't want that person to run from Him and reject Him because of it. When we face false doctrines and false teachers who endorse sin, and are building their kingdoms strengthening the hands of those who do evil, we must not distrust the Lord Jesus, we must not run from Him, but rather know that He was hated first and may comfort us in His Word and through His Spirit because He was hated first. Yashua wants us to know that we can stand firm in Him and His Word, and we can discern what is true and what is false based upon the Word, and we can take comfort in Yashua's prayer in Chapter 17 that will encourage us, strengthen us, edify us, and build us up in our faith because Yashua, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are on the side of truth and righteousness and holiness.

I am convinced now more than ever that we must ask ourselves whether we are offended at Yashua and His righteousness or not. We must ask honestly this question where we work, where we dine, where purchase our food, we must ask and ask and ask because our eternal future is at stake. If we live offended lives and believe that we are okay and on our way to heaven, we are living a lie, we are deceived, and we must hear the truth. So Are you offended?