“How close are
we?” I
don’t suppose the fact I get that question a lot lately would surprise you, nor
possibly, would my reply. I just don’t
know. I will say this; I bet there is
little or no doubt among those in the body that we are definitely witnessing
the gestation period preceding the birth pangs foretold by our Savior Jesus
Christ. I am sure I’m not alone in considering
questions like these, especially as we watch the events which almost weekly
surprise and dismay most of us, yet a definitive answer as to where the Church
is in regards to the rapture is elusive.
Now while I don’t know how close we are to going home, I
have given quite a lot of thought to the whole subject of Jesus’ decision to
use the example of childbirth to describe the last days of this world. As you might imagine, I usually find that the
more I consider a subject; I quite often end up with more questions than
answers. Yet as I have studied these
passages in the past few months, there is one thought which keeps popping up in
my mind over and over again. Simply
this; Jesus chose to use the example of a woman in labor, and as we know, a
typical pregnancy only lasts nine months.
Is it possible we have a clue here as to the length of time it will take
before the world enters the labor pains of the tribulation?
Even if this were true, one would need to know a
starting point for the nine months which obviously is unknown. The point I think may be important here is
that just as a pregnancy lasts nine months, the “birth pains” of which Jesus
spoke will have a set period of time before the actual delivery of the
world into the tribulation period. Will that length of time be nine months as
well? Although we might not know for
certain, it certainly is food for thought. Of course, of greater interest is the
knowledge that God has promised to remove the Church before the actual delivery
takes place. Keep those thoughts in mind
as you read the following article by Jack Kelley and keep watching the events
unfold before us as we move ever closer to our departure.
Birth Pangs
Update
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various
places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matt. 24:7-8).
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 (Mark 13:8).
Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and
pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven (Luke 21:10-11).
The Greek word translated “birth
pains” or “birth pangs” is also translated “travail” and “sorrows.” This is the
reason why some scholars call the first half of Daniel’s 70th week “the
beginning of sorrows.” They say the signs Jesus was talking about in the above
verses were meant to indicate that the 70th week has begun. The name for the
second half is the Great Tribulation. It begins with the Abomination of
Desolation (Matt. 24:15-21).
Here’s the rationale for their position.
The disciples were asking for signs of the end of the age. Since the 69th week
of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy was at an end, they wanted to know how to
recognize the beginning of the 70th Week. Jesus had just told them the temple
was going to be torn down (Matt. 24:2), so there was obviously going to be a delay, because a
Temple is required during the 70th week to complete the prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27).
Many of these scholars are also
pre-trib, and don’t believe the Church will be here when the 70th Week
begins. Therefore, the events we’re seeing in the world today can’t be
the birth pangs referenced in the verses above, because Daniel’s 70th week has
not begun. This is obvious from the facts that Israel has not reinstated it’s
national covenant with God and there is no Temple there, both of which are
required to fulfill the 70th week.
They also say the great signs from
Heaven (not in the heavens) in Luke 21:11 refer to two specific supernatural events. One is the
blackened sun and blood red moon of Rev. 6:12, and the other is the sun and moon both going dark, with
the stars falling from the sky in Matt. 24:29. They say Rev. 6:12 will be a sign from Heaven that the 70th Week has begun and
Matt. 24:29 is the sign that will mark it’s end.
I agree with that interpretation of Luke 21:11. But I’ve never been fully persuaded that none of the birth
pangs can begin before the 70th Week, because birth pangs begin in a mild and
infrequent way and then escalate in both intensity and frequency over time. To
me the events we’re currently experiencing fit the Lord’s description of birth
pangs and are getting pretty frequent and pretty intense.
Also, I see Psalm 83, Isaiah 17,
and Ezekiel 38 as part of the birth pangs, and I’m not convinced that
they have to happen during the 70th Week. In fact, I believe Ezekiel 38
will be the last of these three and will lead the world directly into the 70th
week because it’s the one that awakens Israel to God’s presence (Ezekiel 39:22) and ignites their desire for a temple.
This is the point at which Israel’s
hardening will be relaxed (Romans 11:25). It’s also when God will turn His attention back to Israel
to build a temple there (Acts 15:16-18) in order to fulfill the 70 Weeks prophecy. I’ve previously
expressed my opinion that both Romans 11:25 and Acts 15:16-18 require the prior removal (rapture) of the Church.
In summary then, I believe we are
currently seeing the birth pangs Jesus mentioned and, while some are more
advanced than others, all are in some stage of reaching the frequency and
intensity required to trigger the fulfillment of Daniel’s 70th Week. With that,
lets take a look at current events I believe to be in the category of birth
pangs so you can decide if you agree.
Nation
Will Rise Against Nation, And Kingdom Against Kingdom.
We see the problems Israel is having
with its neighbors, the Syrian revolution, the growing but as yet ineffective
coalition against the Islamic State, the Ukraine / Russia conflict, and the
fighting in several African countries as signs that nations are rising against
nations. But did you know that according to the Institute for Economics and
Peace, the world as a whole has been getting incrementally less peaceful every
year since 2007? The IEP monitors 162 countries around the world and
currently only 11 of them are totally free from internal or external armed
conflict. In other words all but 11 of these 162 countries are either attacking
someone or they’re being attacked by someone. Granted, most of these involve
separatist or revolutionary movements, or terrorists, but if this seems to you
like the whole world must be at war, you’re not far off.
Earthquakes
In Various Places
Just about everyone has finally
admitted that earthquakes have been steadily increasing in recent years.
A new study finds there were more than twice as many big earthquakes in the
first quarter of 2014 as compared with the average since 1979. The average rate
of big earthquakes – those larger than magnitude 7 – has been 10 per year since
1979, the study reports. That rate rose to 12.5 per year starting in 1992, and
then jumped to 16.7 per year starting in 2010 – a 65 percent increase compared
to the rate since 1979. This increase accelerated in the first three months of
2014 to more than double the average since 1979, the researchers report.
“We have recently experienced a
period that has had one of the highest rates of great earthquakes ever
recorded,” said the lead study author, a research geophysicist with the U.S.
Geological Survey (USGS).
Famines
The latest figures from the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization indicate that about one out of every eight people
in the world is chronically undernourished. It also adds that the world
produces enough food overall to meet everyone’s needs but many people either
live in places where it’s hard to grow food or they don’t earn enough to buy as
much as they need. In some parts of the world people can no longer assume when
they get up in the morning that they will get even one decent meal before night
time.
With food prices rising much faster
than incomes, more and more people are finding themselves unable to obtain adequate
amounts of decent food even in so-called developed countries. This will
continue to get worse until the Bible says it will take everything an average
person earns in a day just to get enough food for that day.
Pestilence
The dictionary defines pestilence as
a deadly or virulent epidemic disease. For the past few years we’ve had to deal
with diseases that fit this definition on a regular basis. So far all of them
have been brought under control one way or another. Currently it’s the Ebola
virus that has everyone’s attention. Worst case scenarios abound with some
experts saying it’s already too late to stop it, and predicting over 1 million
deaths in the next 6 months. Others say the scare tactics being used in
reporting on it are mostly just that and as in previous years the pandemic
everyone is so afraid of will not materialize.
But Jesus said pestilence in various
places will be one of the birth pangs. I think it’s too early to tell whether
Ebola will fulfill His prophecy on a broad scale or not, but if it doesn’t
something else will. One thing is certain. People in the places where Ebola is
on the loose are experiencing pestilence to a degree previously unknown, and if
it does become more widespread it could be a catastrophic fulfillment of the Lord’s
prophecy.
What
Does All This Mean?
In summary, of the four categories
Jesus mentioned, conflict between nations and earthquakes in various places
seem to be advancing steadily with famine and pestilence still in more moderate
stages. This tells us things will at least continue to get worse in those
categories.
Then, just at the beginning of
Daniel’s 70th Week there will be a brief pause where to the unsuspecting world
it will look as if peace has finally come. I believe this will follow Psalm
83, Isaiah 17, and Ezekiel 38 which will be the last of the
birth pangs before the 70th Week begins. The covenant that will be enforced by
the anti-Christ (Daniel 9:27) will convince the world that war in the Middle East is a
thing of the past. Paul said this will be the most dangerous sign because it
will cause unbelievers to be caught totally unawares.
While people are saying, “Peace and
safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant
woman, and they will not escape (1 Thes. 5:3).
The labor pains will begin again and
this time there will be no let up until the birth of the Messianic Age. Three
cycles of judgments known as the time of God’s Wrath will come, and by the time
they’re over the world as we know it will lie in shambles with at least half of
its inhabitants dead. Jesus called the last of these three cycles the worst
time of judgment in human history, never seen before and never to be seen again
(Matt. 24:21).
God told Jeremiah His goal in these
judgments is to completely destroy all the nations among which His people have
been scattered, and to discipline Israel in preparation for the coming kingdom
(Jeremiah 30:11).
Paul said Jesus will rescue the
Church from both the time and place of these judgments (1 Thes. 1:10) because we are not appointed to suffer wrath (1 Thes 5:9). Here’s how that will happen.
On a day no one could have predicted
in advance we’ll hear the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God (1 Thes. 4:16-17). Before either of these sounds can register in our minds,
we’ll be standing before the Lord, ready for our journey to His Father’s house
where He’s been preparing a place for us (John 14:2-3). Our time on earth will have ended, and our time in
eternity will have begun. We’ll finally be home. You can almost hear the
footsteps of the Messiah. 10-04-14
Keep watching.
