The Beginning of Birth Pains (Part 1)

My heart is so sad about Japan. We were never stationed there in our Navy years but it was the homeland of many of the friends we made in Hawaii.  I know their hearts are anxious and grieved as they await word of their loved ones there. As I’ve scanned the internet I’ve seen many calls for the Body of Christ to pray for Japan. I hope that we will indeed rise to the challenge to intercede for this nation. As we are led by the Spirit, we should give financially or offer help to reputable organizations that will truly bring aid. But above all, we must pray. To pray for rescues and miracles and healings. To pray for restoration and aid and salvations. For some strange reason God chooses to partner with us through our prayers. Our prayers somehow do indeed move the God of the universe and though in this life we may never hear of the answers to our prayers for Japan, we must pray anyway. People’s lives are depending on it.

It’s always shocking when these types of things happen. But here in America, even as we earnestly pray for the people of Japan we may feel somewhat detached from this tragedy. After all, this sort of thing happens in other places. It wouldn’t ever happen here would it? Friends, I’m afraid our days of detachment are coming to an end.

With all of the natural disasters, uprisings, wars and blatant wickedness increasing, I can’t help but thinking of what Jesus said.

Matt. 24: 3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 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. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. “

If that doesn’t sound like the days we are living in right now I don’t know what does. Now I’m not going to get on a theological debate about when the ‘rapture’ will occur on the ‘end times’ timeline because I’m not entirely sure, but I do think the Bible is very clear that we will go through some really tough times before the Lord returns. And I believe that we have already entered the beginning stages of those ‘tough times’ even now. 

“For many will come in my name claiming, ‘I am the Messiah’ and will deceive many.”

I personally have not seen anyone on TV or in a church claiming to be the Messiah, although I don’t doubt it’s happening somewhere in the world. But what I HAVE seen is many coming in His name and claiming to speak for Him. There’s a seeker-friendly ‘gospel’ going out these days that is careful to not tread on toes, to offend or to make its hearers uncomfortable; while gingerly sidestepping the truth about repentance, surrender and holiness … having a ‘form of Godliness but denying its power’. There’s a day of reckoning coming where many will have to answer to God for spreading a soft gospel that sent multitudes to hell because it didn’t proclaim that truth is absolute, that sin is a big deal, that the way is narrow and Jesus is the only way. We must be so careful to study and to know the word for ourselves in these last days because as Matthew 24 continues, "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” Studying and knowing the truth for ourselves is something I previously blogged about here: http://kayla-worshippingwarrior.blogspot.com/2010/10/truth-whole-truth-and-nothing-but-truth.html.

“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. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”

I think of the conflicts and tension in the world going on right now in Egypt, Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Africa, Korea, the drug war in Mexico, threats to Israel and the list goes on and is added to each week. I’m not ancient but in my lifetime I’ve never seen so much conflict all at once. It doesn’t take a theologian to see these things happening as Jesus said they would. But Jesus, understanding us so well and full of love reassured us with, “but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come”.

“There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.”

It is being reported that seismic activity has significantly increased throughout the earth in the last two years. There are famines throughout Africa and just this week I have read of two incidents of new volcanic activity right here on America’s soil. The earth is going through birth pains…

I have four children and have given birth three times (I have twins for those of you who are scratching your head at that one :))… so I know a little something about birth pains. During my pregnancies it was no mystery to those who saw me regularly that I was expecting. I seemed to increase in bulk each passing day as the life I carried inside of me grew. We prepared accordingly as that day approached. We didn’t know the exact day or hour I would give birth but we knew it was imminent. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. And when the pains finally began, we weren’t surprised or alarmed. We’d been expecting them.

Jesus and the New Testament writers talked about their being in the last days when they walked the earth. For decades, even centuries the cry has gone forth, "People get ready, Jesus is coming". For the last two thousand years the earth has been ‘expectant’. But have we grown sleepy in the waiting? Have we allowed ourselves to be dulled to the point that we have forgotten what we are waiting for? Will we become surprised and alarmed now that the birth pains have begun? Jesus said in Matthew 16:“2… “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,’ 3 and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.”

During my pregnancies, in Lamaze class they taught us expectant mothers that there are stages of labor. You can be in the beginning stage of labor for several days or even weeks before active labor comes on. It’s uncomfortable but it’s not unbearable. But once active labor hits, the drama really begins. That’s the point in time where things start getting intense. The contractions get progressively harder and more painful as the body works to move the baby into the birth canal. It is an intensely painful, exhausting, even violent event that culminates in the exhilaration of joy and life.

It doesn’t take a Bible scholar to recognize what is happening right now. We cannot turn on the TV or pick up a newspaper without seeing these things spoken about 2,000 years ago playing out right before our eyes in 2011. And my friend the word says that this is just the BEGINNING of the birth pains. It's really a wonder and a tragedy that the majority of Churches have virtually ignored this subject when Jesus talked about it an awful lot in the four Gospels that recorded his words.

Let's face it nobody really looks forward to tough times, I certainly don't. But I am of the opinion that our view of the 'end of the age' really says a lot about us. There have been times in my life when I've really been excited about the return of Jesus to the earth and I could truly cry out from the depths of my heart,"Come Lord Jesus". But honestly there have also been times in my life, when thoughts of the end times have struck fear in my heart. Why? Because I was afraid of hardship and loss? Partly. But mainly it was because at the time I just simply loved the world as it was...  In my heart I might have said "Take Your time Lord. We are prospering right now. I've got these plans I want to fulfill. This really isn't that bad." That is a dangerous place to be and it is where many will find themselves when the end comes. Like Lot's wife, who along with her husband and daughters had to be literally dragged from that wicked place because they were reluctant to be rescued (and we all know what happened to her as she looked back longingly at what God called abhorent) , many will long for this world and will be content to be swept away in that comfortably wide flood of delusion. I for one want to be awake and expectant and longing for the Bridegroom to come for me.

But as our hearts, along with the earth groans for God to make things right, we can know that we are highly favored to be living in such a time as this. How blessed we are to get to participate in the great End Times Harvest and to possibly behold with our own eyes the physical return of the Son of God! Wow! But I get ahead of myself... :)

(Stay tuned for Part 2)