Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
203342 tn?1328737207

Birth Pains

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.)
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
203342 tn?1328737207
When I first read about those great signs from Heaven I found that fascinating. What do you all think of these things?
Helpful - 0
203342 tn?1328737207
(Cont.)

THE PEACE AGREEMENT

The next place to begin looking at the fulfillment of prophecy is the Holy Land. So much of the world’s attention is now focused on Israel and the rest of the Middle East. Here in the twenty-first century, the march of events in Israel is not to war, but to peace. Israel wants peace with its Arab neighbors. Israel has expressed its willingness to bring peace to the Holy Land by giving away some of its land. It is land for peace.

As of this writing, Israel has pulled out of the Gaza strip. The media described this event as “historical.” The media couldn’t be more right. The significance of this event is its impact on the peace process in the Middle East.

Not only is the Gaza pullout historical, it is biblical. The angel Gabriel through the prophet Daniel foretold that a peace agreement would be signed during the latter days. According to the prophecy, the agreement would be with Israel and its enemy. The enemy, however, is not just any enemy; it is the enemy of God: the Antichrist.

By moving back in time to Daniel’s prophecy, the correlation between the headlines and biblical prophecy can be seen.

He [the Antichrist] will confirm a covenant [an agreement] with many [of Daniel’s people: “Israel”] for one “seven” [the final seven years of Daniel’s prophecy]. (Dan. 9:27)

How do we know today that it will be the Antichrist who signs the peace agreement? The prophecy goes on to say this: “In the middle of the “seven”[the final seven years] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him” (Dan. 9:27). It is the Antichrist who will “put an end to sacrifice and offering,” “set up an abomination that causes desolation,” and who will witness “the end . . . poured out on him.”

The peace agreement between Israel and the enemy of God will mark the start of the final seven years of Daniel’s prophecy—which applies to the followers of the Old Covenant.

What is the significance of this to the followers of the New Covenant? Where will Christ’s church be when this peace agreement is signed? The church will already be gathered into Heaven.

The Gaza pullout is a major step forward in the peace process. Truly, events are moving toward the peace agreement, and the church will not be here to see it. That’s how close we are to the fulfillment of Christ’s prophecy regarding his return for us.


CONCLUSION

The earthquakes, viruses, famines, wars, fearful events, great signs from Heaven, and the march toward peace in the Holy Land echo throughout the Earth: Wake up! A divine threshold shall soon be crossed. >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Consider this quote: “We still have difficulty grasping the notion that we are not safe from disaster in our own country. We couldn’t imagine a foreign terrorist attack on our own soil. It happened. We couldn’t imagine an entire city disappearing under water, its population evacuated—but too late. It happened. . . . ‘The most important failure was one of imagination.’. . . People could not deal with what they believed to be remote, low-probability, high-risk catastrophes even when confronted with irrefutable data. . . . The FBI agent who warned about terrorists in flight schools . . . [and] the people who wrote reports of problems with New Orleans’ levees—all signaling disaster, and all were ignored by decision makers who couldn’t, or didn’t want to, imagine what they foretold.”2

Christ foretold of “birth pains.” This prophecy applies to all of us who are still alive on this planet…


Time is draining in the hourglass…
Take stock in what is unfolding in the Holy Land…
Heed the omens of the “birth pains”…
The Earth itself is warning of the destructive power to come: the Antichrist.
The only way out… is up… with the true Christ… when he returns.

The Antichrist’s rise to power will take place only after the Earth gives birth to the righteous souls who shall ascend off the planet with Christ. Those who did not leave the planet with Christ shall witness the Antichrist usher in the new, dark age of man.

Why be cast in the mold of those who will succumb to willful ignorance?
Why leave your personal destiny in the hands of someone who denies the presence of “birth pains”?

If anything is to be learned from the Old Testament, it is this: willful spiritual darkness—that benefits Satan—causes physical calamity to fall upon the heads of the willfully ignorant…

Why be counted among them?



Helpful - 0
You must join this user group in order to participate in this discussion.

You are reading content posted in the By the Blood of Jesus Group

Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.