The World’s Stage speaks to prophecies unfolding before our eyes—in today’s headlines.
THE BIRTH PAINS: THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.
— The Son of God (Mark 13:8)
When Christ prophesied about the birth pains, he prophesied about what shall precede his return. The birth pains are what shall come upon this world prior to the Earth giving birth to the righteous souls who shall ascend off this planet to Heaven with Christ. The birth pains are omens.
Revealed in the above prophecy are the following birth pains: war, earthquakes, and famine. Certainly there have been all three of these throughout history. Therefore, there has to be more to the understanding of this prophecy.
Firstly, Christ qualified the events: they are analogous to the pains a woman feels before she gives birth. This is what defines the pains: they shall be understood not only by what they are, but by their nature—the suddenness, frequency, and/or intensity—because they are “birth pains.”
Just as a pregnant woman can’t deny the unique presence of birth pains, so this world won’t be able to deny the unique presence of the earthly birth pains. Just as the birth pains of a woman demand her attention, so shall the earthly pains demand the world’s attention. Just as the birth pains of a woman signal that a major, personal threshold is about to be crossed, so shall the earthly pains signal that a major, divine threshold is about to be crossed.
Most important is this: When Christ prophesied about the birth pains and end-time events, he gave us a time frame for the fulfillment of these prophecies: the replanting of Israel, which occurred over fifty years ago. In essence, the time to “awake” to the presence of the birth pains would have to be “now”—in our generation.
EARTHQUAKES
Consider this: in 1977, there were forty-two major, global earthquakes (magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale or greater or ones that caused fatalities, injuries or substantial damage); in 2004 there were over ninety major, global earthquakes. In just 27 years, major earthquakes have more than doubled—this is according to the U.S. Geological Survey.1 Mother Earth itself is shifting within—on an increasing scale. The sharpness of the birth pains can be seen by the escalating ruin brought upon the Earth’s surface. Without question, severe earthly pains have put mother Earth in the news—in the headlines. The 2004 tsunami—brought on by an earthquake—and the October 2005 earthquake in Asia both cried a song of abject destruction. Let not the cry of the dead fall upon deaf ears. Let not the omens go unheeded.
WAR
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.”
In the twenty-first century, a “holy war” has been openly declared—and is being fought. What is the peculiar nature of the war we read about every single day? Both sides are fighting in the name of (their) God: the God of Abraham. The question is this: What kingdom is fighting against what kingdom? One is the kingdom of spiritual darkness and the other is the kingdom of spiritual light. Let not the cry of the dead fall upon deaf ears.
FAMINES
Africa. Asia. Let not the omens go unheeded.
THE BIRTH PAINS: THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
“There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.”
—The Son of God (Luke 21:11)
PESTILENCES
In the 1980s, out of nowhere, the HIV virus surfaced and killed, and has continued to kill, countless lives. In the 1990s, out of nowhere, the Ebola virus surfaced and killed scores of people in Africa. In this century, two more names were added to the list of deadly viruses: SARS and the “bird flu.” Let not the omens go unheeded.
FEARFUL EVENTS
On September 11, 2001, the world changed forever. Can anyone on the planet seriously suggest that “9/11” was not a “fearful event”? Let not the cry of the dead fall upon deaf ears.
In August 2005, hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf coast area of America, causing New Orleans and other southern cities to succumb to the power of the “Earth.” This catastrophic experience has been compared to the catastrophe that befell the city of Pompeii in the first century A.D.—when it was buried under volcanic ash. Can it be that this twenty-first century disaster is beyond historical proportion but is of biblical proportion? Can anyone on the planet seriously suggest that hurricane Katrina was not a “fearful event”? Let not the cry of the dead fall upon deaf ears.
GREAT SIGNS FROM HEAVEN
The prophets have revealed in their ancient writings that stars and planets function like a heavenly calendar marking time. In Psalm 19, David spoke of the diamonds that sparkle against the midnight sky and the knowledge that they communicate: “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge” (Ps. 19:1, 2).
With this vantage point in mind, we now move to the calendar years of 1999 and 2000, when the Earth witnessed two significant planetary conjunctions.
Firstly, on August 18, 1999, eight planets in our solar system formed the “Grand Cross.” Thought to be one of the most significant astronomical alignments in nearly two thousand years, this configuration of planets literally formed a cross in the heavens. With the exception of Pluto, all of the planets were either “squared against” or “opposite” one another.
Nine months after the “Grand Cross,” the Earth witnessed its second, remarkable astronomical occurrence: the “Grand Alignment.” On May 5, 2000, the Earth, the sun, and the moon were in alignment with Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter. This planetary alignment formed a celestial exclamation mark.
Is it just a coincidence that a spectacular display in heavens formed a cross during such a time as this? Is it just a coincidence that the celestial exclamation mark followed the celestial cross? Are these celestial statements among the “great signs” foretold by Christ? What is a sign? It is a signal. Why wouldn’t unique celestial presentations as these be considered as divine signals?
If a celestial conjunction heralded the first coming of Christ (Rev. 12:1, 2), why can’t celestial conjunctions herald the second coming of Christ? Just as there were signs in the heavens to mark the first coming of Christ, there shall be signs in the heavens that mark the second coming of Christ.
(Cont.)