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Birth pains, with respect to child birth are something I have never experienced. I am told, by reliable sources, that they usually begin in relatively mild fashion and then increase in intensity as the birth draws ever closer. Likewise, the pains begin spaced quite far apart and increase in frequency as the baby's arrival approaches. When I was training to be an EMT, we were taught that when dealing with pain, one of the things we should ask the patient to do was rate their pain on a scale of 1 - 10 with 1 being very mild and 10 being the worst they had ever experienced. One of the students in the class, a mother of 3 piped up and said, "For female patients, they should add an 11th class - birth pains just prior to delivery.In the picture above, birth pains are not necessarily being illustrated, but we can see the foot print of the little one pressing hard against its mother's stomach. At the very least, it's a picture of discomfort, and a sign that birth is not far off. I cannot say with certainty whether the world has now entered the birth pains stage of history, just prior to the return of Christ, or whether we are just in an ever-increasing state of discomfort. One thing is for certain, both the intensity and the frequency of troubling events is increasing.
I am far from being the most learned or informed person on the planet concerning the end-times and how current events fit into the prophesied scheme of things. I do know that many who claim to be experts, and who enjoy large spheres of influence are constantly getting it wrong. The errors range from naming the Antichrist to picking the date of the Rapture; from proclaiming an imminent (anytime, signless) Rapture, to preaching a feel-good Gospel with no mention of the prospect of suffering. And so they come, in Christ's Name, and deceive many with messages that appeal to the flesh.
In Matthew 24:3 Jesus' disciples asked Him three questions: 1) When will this happen (temple destroyed)? 2) What will be the sign of your coming? 3) What will be the sign of the end of the age?Jesus' first response was, "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name claiming, 'I am the Christ' and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains." (Matthew 24:4-8)
The "I am the Christ" deception is not speaking just of those who claim to be the Christ, but also of those who claim to speak for him. So little is being done these days to prepare the saints for the return of Christ. The Bible makes it clear that the saints will have to endure all the way through and up to the sixth seal of Revelation 6. That means that the false Christs, the false peace-maker who initiates a 7-year covenant with Israel, wars and rumors of war, famines and earthquakes, the breaking of the 7-year covenant and the persecution of both godly Jews and Christians that follows will all have to be endured. Thus, the Bible does not fit with a "Your Best Life Now" philosophy or any variation thereof. The Bible declares "...everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived." (2 Timothy 3:12-13)
Jesus was asked to give signs of His coming. Jesus gave signs of His coming. The last sign, immediately preceding the return of Christ (the event which will cut short those days of terrible tribulation for the sake of the elect - Matthew 24:22) is the darkening and shaking of the heavenly bodies and the coming of the Son of Man visibly, as lightning from east to west (Matthew 24:27 - 30). And what happens at this coming? The angels are sent to gather the elect with a loud trumpet call (Matthew 24:31). This is the Resurrection/Rapture, right down to the trumpet call (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).
When Jesus was in the midst of listing all the things that would take place prior to His coming and the end of the age, He declared, "Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm (endures) to the end will be saved." (Matthew 24:12-13). It is from this verse 13 that Encouragement for End-Times Endurance was birthed as a ministry. The only way to prepare people to endure is to speak a challenging message about the necessity to gird up our minds with a "boot-camp" mentality. Some teachers and preachers have said, with an air of righteousness, "I'm not looking for the Antichrist, I'm looking for Christ." That sounds so nice, but it disregards the fact that right in the middle of the signs that PRECEDE His coming, Jesus speaks of the revelation of the Antichrist, and his persecution which begins in Jerusalem and spreads throughout the world (Matthew 24:15 - 21; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; Revelation 13:7-8).
Contrary to other installments of this blog, there is no mention of a particular news item, followed by a Scriptural commentary. They are coming so fast and furious these days: Arab Spring Wars, Syrian oppression, Iran's nukes, economic chaos in Europe, floods in the Philippines, earthquakes in Turkey, famine in South Africa..........Rather than comment on any one, I would like to point out something I believe the Lord gave me. I say that, not to suggest that I am someone special, but to say that I have never read or heard this from any man. The signs which Jesus mentioned in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 would have meant little to people living 150 years ago, much less 1800 years ago. In fact, you and I are living in what has been dubbed "The Information Age." We are living at a time when virtually anything happening on the planet can be seen by anyone else on the planet. We are living in an age when the signs are more significant than ever, for they are signs for all people, signs that can be measured and counted, just just like birth pains.
"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:19-25)
