I
am away again this weekend, but wanted to share this article with you from the
Rapture Ready website. A great read and a
wonderful commentary on the times we are living in today.
Birth
Pains and Our Great, Glorious Homecoming :: By Jean-Louis Mondon
The
subject of pregnancy and childbirth are very close and dear to my heart. Three
events related to the miracle of birth occurring at different stages in my life
have caused this interest to grow, and for me to search throughout the Bible to
discover important links between the natural and spiritual aspects of life
created and sustained by our Creator and Heavenly Father. Moreover, 3 years
spent on my brother´s farm in France have taught many spiritual and practical
lessons, one of them being the yearly birth of sheep and goats and the
assistance that these animals require all the way to the time of delivery of
their little ones.
God
in his infinite wisdom has given us finite creatures, the curiosity,
imagination and thirst for knowledge to conceive and fabricate instruments to
measure time and space.
One
of these instruments, the hourglass, although archaic, except for boiling eggs!
served its purpose when it was invented. I chose it as a visual illustration of
the greatest event in all of human history, the dividing of time between BC and
AD, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is as if God took an hourglass made
in heaven and chose the narrow passage between the two parts as the dividing
line between past, present and future. When the time allotted from the birth of
Adam to the birth of Jesus had run its course, it is as if God took the divine
hourglass, turned it upside down 180 degrees and is still letting the grains of
sand measuring time run down until his purpose is accomplished concerning the
age of grace in which we are living.
Time/Space
continuum graphic
The
biblical concept of correlation between the natural birth and the spiritual
birth in that order is to be found and confirmed by Scripture. Paul, in the
chapter about the resurrection of the body, explains:
“So
it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a
life-giving spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and
then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man
from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).
Additionally,
the Lord Jesus, during Nicodemus nightly visit, explained the new second
spiritual birth. In John 3:3-7, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no
one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born
when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time
to be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the
kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of
flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You
must be born again.’”
Pregnancy
and childbirth, natural and spiritual
If
the Word of God be true, and it is, proven by the verifiable historical context
of 1000s of years of fulfilled prophecies; then, all the events described in
the pages of the Bible, referring to human births, miscarriages, the spiritual
new births of individuals, families, groups of people, nations and the
inexorable aspect of the passing of time involved in these processes lead me to
conclude that we are indeed living in the last days.
The
Word mentions “birth pains” as a major sign because it has been the longer in
continuous existence since Adam and Eve, and everybody alive at any time had a
mother and a father. Well, at least until now when man, in his arrogant and
prideful rebellion, is changing the laws concerning the nature of marriage
between man and a woman and legalizing wholesale, unrestrained abortions, which
in itself is a confirmation of prophecy announcing the time of the end.
There
is something about the gestation period that doesn´t give us the luxury of
choosing a middle ground between life and death. Within the time frame of more
or less 9 months, the growing baby in the womb is going to be born dead or
alive. We have a choice in the matter, but the baby unfortunately does not.
We
know who the Lord of life and the Living Word is. His name is Jesus. We also
know that the destroyer of life is Satan. History has proven, centuries after
centuries, that he is a real personality and not an invention of uneducated,
backwards believers in myths concocted to instill fear, designed to
indoctrinate and enslave weak, credulous masses of inferior people into
submission to a ruling elite class and their subordinates.
Now
we can connect the illustration of the hourglass to the miracle of childbirth.
Are we now part of the last generation that is witnessing the inescapable
motion of downward pull towards the next phase of history?
The
Bible is replete with marking the span of periods of prophetic visions and
dreams and their fulfillment exactly as the Lord spoke through His anointed
prophets. This historical fact is undeniable.
Then,
why did God choose to liken the period in which we live to a woman giving
birth? By the way, the Spanish and Portuguese translation is to “bring forth to
the light.” Interesting!
Prophetic
voices
Just
as the grains of sand in the hour glass, gravity is the dynamic moving element
driving the process of childbirth. Again, the Portuguese word for a pregnant
woman is “uma mulher grávida.”
Didn´t
the Lord tell Abraham in Genesis 22:17: “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I
will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand
which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their
enemies.”
If
the gestation is uninterrupted and proceeds in a normal, healthy manner, we can
be sure that the birth will be successful.
The
Lord, in his mercy and love for his children, does not want us to be ignorant
of his ways.
Psalm
103:7 states: “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of
Israel.”
Moses
was the Lord´s instrument who experienced the divine intervention in his birth,
and the subsequent protection of his life from Pharaoh who wanted to kill him.
He was also the one who prophetically pointed ahead to a future propitious,
preordained time when Jesus would be born, the one who, through the Holy
Spirit, the Father would accomplish the spiritual New Birth.
Acts
3:22 states: “Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME
FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.’”
All
these signs in the natural and supernatural realm are for our benefit. In
Romans 15:4, Paul reminds the believers that: “For whatever was written in
earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and
the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Now,
it doesn´t mean that we can and should calculate precisely dates within the
time/space dimension to predict the exact date of the rapture.
But
we certainly can use the events predicted in history past including the plan,
the patterns, the feasts of Israel, and the many convergent signs provided by
the Lord so we will not be caught unaware or even surprised when the prophecies
find fulfillment.
In
addition to the wisdom and understanding granted to us, some of the great
blessings and gifts of our Father to encourage and strengthen others through
our journey are: hope, faith, and love without which our pilgrimage through
life would sometimes be unbearable in times of affliction, conflicts, distress
and great upheaval of all kinds, as we have been witnessing—especially in the
past few decades. Paul mentions several times that sharing about the rapture
comforts and helps us to stand firm in the grace and the mighty keeping power
of our loving God (1 Thess. 4:17-18; 1 Thess. 5:11).
To
respond to the skepticism and unbelief or apathy from the detractors of
dispensationalism and pre-trib millennialism, who reason and argue that America
is not under judgment – because it doesn´t fit their eschatological framework
and preconceived notions – I would just
point out that it is God Almighty who directs history, elevates rulers and
brings down nations by the power of his right hand and his will in his own
chosen time. That is his prerogative as the Sovereign Lord and King of the
universe. As his creatures and human subjects, we would do well to accept and
align ourselves with his will and his Word.
If
there is a pressing need today more than ever, it is to guard against
deception, even coming from political movements who seek, sometimes in subtle
ways, to change our allegiance and obedient submission to our God and King, and
instead to conform to a lesser earthly wisdom and embrace the false hope of bringing
about the Kingdom of God on earth.
God
will have his way, no matter what man thinks, says or does. Job declares in Job
42:1-3: “Then Job replied to the LORD: ‘I know that You can do all things and
that no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals my
counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.”
Every
one of us is responsible for the way we respond to the clear instructions of
the Lord as we are about to witness the final stage of the deliverance
(delivery) of the Church at the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The
souls and spirits of babies who were born again by receiving the life-giving
seed of life will be finally delivered from the limitations of the fleshly body
when the birth pains and the last contractions push us out in our exit toward
the bright, shining light beckoning us in the clouds. Right on God´s timetable,
we will, in the twinkling of an eye, enter through the portal of eternity with
the Lord Jesus leading the way as the faithful bridegroom who, keeping his
promise, will present his bride without wrinkles or blemish to his Father.
First,
there was the invitation to “COME TO ME” all you who are heavy laden and I will
give you rest.”
Then,
the command: “COME, FOLLOW ME” and I will show you the way to the Father.”
Next,
another command: “COME OUT OF HER” to separate from the apostate church and do
the will and accomplish the purpose of the Father.
Finally,
we who have waited so long with faith and hope will hear those precious words
like John the Revelator: “COME UP, HITHER” at the Rapture/Resurrection of the
true Christian believers.
Conclusion
Deliverance
sometimes happens at our weakest point when everything else has failed. God
shows up seemingly at the last minute to rescue his people. There is always a
movement from one place to another, from one situation to another. Just read
the life of Noah, Abraham, Lot, Joseph, or Moses’ account of the parting of the
Red Sea.
The
increased persecution experienced by Christians around the world is a sign of
the end. The church of the living God, his bride, is at the stage of her last
contractions. The Lord knows that we have little strength as he told the
believers at the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:8.
Romans
8:22-27 lays it out very explicitly for us: “For we know that the whole
creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not
only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even
we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons,
the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is
seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
“But
if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In
the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray
as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep
for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is,
because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The
church is collectively going to experience her final deliverance. We, the
pilgrims on this terrestrial ball, get off to finally make our last flight to
our heavenly home. The events marking the inexorable course of history, painful
progression of the pregnancy, will culminate in bringing the final big push
from the earth heavenwards, unencumbered by the physical body. The words of the
Lord, “Come up hither,” will have the irresistible power to attract all the
members of the redeemed church upward to him like a super strong heavenly
magnet sweeping upward around the globe – the fine, weightless dust of light
particles responding to the Good Shepherd´s voice that guides us to our eternal
destination.
Maranatha;
“Even so, Lord, come quickly.”
Published
on: March 28, 2019 by RRadmin7 Category:General Articles
Every
week it seems to me that more and more people are finally reaching the point
where they are willing to admit that the world as we know it is fast
approaching it’s day of reckoning. If
you have followed this blog for any length of time, you know my feeling is that
the next great sign is the Isaiah 17 conflict that results in the destruction
of Damascus by Israel. In my opinion,
the dogs of war are circling in for the kill, and any day now Israel will finally
choose to defend itself with overwhelming power. When that does happen, the world will then see
the God of this universe insert Himself into the affairs of men in ways not
seen for a very long time.
Keep
watching.
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Gaza-border-violence-erupts-with-500-explosive-devices-thrown-at-IDF-watch-585087
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/The-Great-March-to-war-585077
https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/At-least-7-killed-in-attack-on-Aleppo-Syria-blames-Israel-report-585000
https://www.debka.com/syria-idf-air-missile-attack-on-iranian-ammo-stores-at-aleppo-darkens-city/
https://www.debka.com/idf-at-peak-readiness-in-gaza-sector-adds-reinforcements-after-failed-egyptian-truce-bid/
