Birth Pains and Desolations
Posted by Edison Macusi on Saturday, April 23, 2011
Under: Word for the week
“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.” Matthew 24:7-8
Like a woman who is about to give birth, the writhing pain and agony of the earth will just be a prelude to the end so that the New World Order which the Lord Jesus Christ will put up in His coming reign for a thousand years will be fulfilled. It is true that there will be much destruction because the judgment of God will be inevitable to countries and people who refuse Him. When mercy and grace has been extended but people refuse to give up their swords, guns and their idols, death has been chosen. It is for this reason that the judgment of God will first begin in His Church, His Household so that the world cannot point the same fingers to the church, “why us, see your church is sinning and doing the same things we do”, unbelievers speaking. So although we find that Christchurch in New Zealand was much devastated, the number of deaths was lesser as well as the impact compared to that in Japan, an economic powerhouse in the world.
Just as Japan has slowed down as an economic powerhouse and been toppled by the Lord through this disaster, it will also mark the beginning of an economic system among the believers. Many unbelievers and those who profess Christ but go on living for themselves will truly wail, look aghast at destructions and their hearts will limp because of pain and anguish that will grip them. As the Prophet Isaiah has foreseen this saying, “See, the day of the Lord is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless”(Isaiah 13:9-11).
Birth pains and the Lord’s Kingdom
A writhing agony is very painful and birth pains are biblical metaphors that describe the coming of the Lord’s Kingdom on earth (see Isaiah 13:6-8, 26:16-18; Jeremiah 4:31;22:20-23; Hosea 13:9-13). All these sufferings are meant to point us to Him because in pain our self-pride, arrogance and boasts to others are destroyed. Everyone among us will be salted with fire once He comes and casts down His judgments on the earth. The way to God is the simplicity and devotion to Christ, not Christ plus works or Christ plus sacraments or Christ plus others. Rather, when we come to Him, we totally abandon our old life and follow Him completely.
All troubles and sufferings are therefore not to alarm us, unless our theology has been no pain… no pain. Just as a woman in travail will forget her sufferings upon seeing her baby, likewise, all these present troubles will just be a bad dream when His Kingdom will reign upon the earth. The Church should therefore be praying that He should come and that His Kingdom will reign all over the earth because JESUS IS LORD. As the spiritual advance of the Church will intensify around the world, accompanying these will be signs and wonders, including earthquakes. One thing that we often forget during these difficult times is that the Lord is above all and in control of these events. Below is a beautiful Psalm (46) written by King David which captures the very essence of events that are happening during our time.
God is our strength during these troubled times
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (verse 1). God is not a far-off God. He is not unknowable as some philosophers think He is. He is near to everyone who calls upon His name. Because He is the only personal God as revealed by Moses, and Jesus Christ through their intimate relationship with Him. All religions around the world will fall flat based on this. Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism advocates a god who cannot be known, only Christianity reveals the superior image of God, the personal God through Jesus Christ. This is the main difference between religions around the world, while Christianity is strict on morals and there is only one way of salvation, these religions emphasize that they can achieve peace through their personal walk, good works and making good orderly lives.
We will not fear because God is with us
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (verses 2-3). Therefore when troubles come, the non-believers will cry out and writhe in their pain not knowing what awaits them after they will cross the great gulf between this life and the life hearafter. They do not know that there is a God who can be our refuge and strength, who is ever present to help us in trouble. Therefore only the believer will not fear even when all the earth will be in deep darkness during these times and all the mountains of this world trembles and shakes. When earthquakes and roaring seas will come, they will not be shaken because of their nearness to God, their close relationship with Him. It will just be this characteristic that people around this world will soon beg Christians to pray for them and to know whom we believe and trust.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” (verse 4). The city of God is His Church, his temple (I Corinthians 3:9, 16; Revelation 11:1). The river that streams through the City of God is the river of life, He is the fountain of life, from whom we have our being. As Jesus spoke about Himself, He is the fountain of living water that can never run dry (John 4:10; John 7:38). All the streams of the world, all the supplies that the world gives from education, philosophies, religions and entertainment of the world do not remain forever. Their supplies will be cut off once these are shaken but the rivers of living water that Christ gives abundantly to His people will never run dry. This is exactly why He should become our bread, our water and our sustenance. Until Jesus Christ has become our life, we will continue to be alarmed and disquieted within us. But when He is our life, truly He makes us glad and fill us with His peace because God dwells in His Church, His City.
God will supernaturally protect the Church
“God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress”(verses 5-7). Even when nations will be in tumult and turmoil reigns in our midst, the adversary cannot touch the Church. The destruction will not come near us because God is with us, the church will not fall, only the superficial ones will do. Those who have been seeking God and strengthening their foundations in Him so that they can become His vessels during these days will shine like the noon day Sun. The voice of God, His Word will sustain His people during these difficult times so that even when the earth melts, they will not be affected just as Daniel and his friends were supernaturally protected from the fire of Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath. Indeed we will proclaim to the housetops and market places that God is Almighty and He is with us, that He is our mighty fortress.
The end result will be everlasting peace
“Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth”(verse 8). Those in power and authority in nations and empires come and go. They do not remain forever. It is the Lord who calls the shots, it is Him whom Daniel called the one who changes the times and epochs, who removes kings and establishes kings, who gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding (Daniel 2:21-22). Indeed the Lord is His name, the light to the nations. If we examine the empires and kingdoms of men, from the Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Greek, Ottoman, Spanish, French and the British Empire, all of these crumbled before Him. The works of the Lord brings desolation to human empires because it runs contrary to His purpose and kingdom. To this day the ruined cities of Assyria, Babylon, Petra, Bashan, Canaan, are evidence in tables of stones to record the dealings of the Lord. In every place where His name and His voice have been disregarded, cities and nations crumbled to ruins. Where are the arrogant boasters of every age, the philosophers and poets of Greece and the Roman generals? Are they not today lost in the grave? Barely remembered and no memorials to them? Man’s glory is a fleeting thing while the pursuit of the Lord will be eternal and far more glorious than castles in the sand.
“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire” (verse 9) Truly the Lord is the One who causes wars to cease to the ends of the earth because “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear and burns the shields of fire”; He is the Prince of Peace, our Everlasting Father who swiftly brings destruction and desolation to our enemies, the enemy is crushed under His feet, for He is the God of Peace. He renders the weapons of the mighty armies of this world useless and piles them upon heaps on heaps, and utterly destroys them. So it will be not only in Judea but in all lands when He comes. There will be a universal victory of peace celebrated in all countries around the globe when finally the Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world will finally crush all His enemies.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (verses 10-11). One test of faith is patience, unless we are patient, we cannot see the hand of the Lord working on our behalf. Just as when great darkness seems to swallow up the whole earth, His glory and His light will arise upon His people and they will not only proclaim His name into all the world, but God Himself will confirm every preaching and testimony of the saints with signs and wonders.
The boast of the ungodly and his religious affections will pale in comparison to the glory that will come so that He will be exalted among the nations. Kings and nations will surely come to our doors and asks us of the glory that they are witnessing. Today don’t forget God and do not let your heart be troubled by all the things that are happening around you. Instead, find refuge and trust in the Lord who knows how to save the godly in times of trouble.
Like a woman who is about to give birth, the writhing pain and agony of the earth will just be a prelude to the end so that the New World Order which the Lord Jesus Christ will put up in His coming reign for a thousand years will be fulfilled. It is true that there will be much destruction because the judgment of God will be inevitable to countries and people who refuse Him. When mercy and grace has been extended but people refuse to give up their swords, guns and their idols, death has been chosen. It is for this reason that the judgment of God will first begin in His Church, His Household so that the world cannot point the same fingers to the church, “why us, see your church is sinning and doing the same things we do”, unbelievers speaking. So although we find that Christchurch in New Zealand was much devastated, the number of deaths was lesser as well as the impact compared to that in Japan, an economic powerhouse in the world.
Just as Japan has slowed down as an economic powerhouse and been toppled by the Lord through this disaster, it will also mark the beginning of an economic system among the believers. Many unbelievers and those who profess Christ but go on living for themselves will truly wail, look aghast at destructions and their hearts will limp because of pain and anguish that will grip them. As the Prophet Isaiah has foreseen this saying, “See, the day of the Lord is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless”(Isaiah 13:9-11).
Birth pains and the Lord’s Kingdom
A writhing agony is very painful and birth pains are biblical metaphors that describe the coming of the Lord’s Kingdom on earth (see Isaiah 13:6-8, 26:16-18; Jeremiah 4:31;22:20-23; Hosea 13:9-13). All these sufferings are meant to point us to Him because in pain our self-pride, arrogance and boasts to others are destroyed. Everyone among us will be salted with fire once He comes and casts down His judgments on the earth. The way to God is the simplicity and devotion to Christ, not Christ plus works or Christ plus sacraments or Christ plus others. Rather, when we come to Him, we totally abandon our old life and follow Him completely.
All troubles and sufferings are therefore not to alarm us, unless our theology has been no pain… no pain. Just as a woman in travail will forget her sufferings upon seeing her baby, likewise, all these present troubles will just be a bad dream when His Kingdom will reign upon the earth. The Church should therefore be praying that He should come and that His Kingdom will reign all over the earth because JESUS IS LORD. As the spiritual advance of the Church will intensify around the world, accompanying these will be signs and wonders, including earthquakes. One thing that we often forget during these difficult times is that the Lord is above all and in control of these events. Below is a beautiful Psalm (46) written by King David which captures the very essence of events that are happening during our time.
God is our strength during these troubled times
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (verse 1). God is not a far-off God. He is not unknowable as some philosophers think He is. He is near to everyone who calls upon His name. Because He is the only personal God as revealed by Moses, and Jesus Christ through their intimate relationship with Him. All religions around the world will fall flat based on this. Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism advocates a god who cannot be known, only Christianity reveals the superior image of God, the personal God through Jesus Christ. This is the main difference between religions around the world, while Christianity is strict on morals and there is only one way of salvation, these religions emphasize that they can achieve peace through their personal walk, good works and making good orderly lives.
We will not fear because God is with us
“Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging” (verses 2-3). Therefore when troubles come, the non-believers will cry out and writhe in their pain not knowing what awaits them after they will cross the great gulf between this life and the life hearafter. They do not know that there is a God who can be our refuge and strength, who is ever present to help us in trouble. Therefore only the believer will not fear even when all the earth will be in deep darkness during these times and all the mountains of this world trembles and shakes. When earthquakes and roaring seas will come, they will not be shaken because of their nearness to God, their close relationship with Him. It will just be this characteristic that people around this world will soon beg Christians to pray for them and to know whom we believe and trust.
“There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells” (verse 4). The city of God is His Church, his temple (I Corinthians 3:9, 16; Revelation 11:1). The river that streams through the City of God is the river of life, He is the fountain of life, from whom we have our being. As Jesus spoke about Himself, He is the fountain of living water that can never run dry (John 4:10; John 7:38). All the streams of the world, all the supplies that the world gives from education, philosophies, religions and entertainment of the world do not remain forever. Their supplies will be cut off once these are shaken but the rivers of living water that Christ gives abundantly to His people will never run dry. This is exactly why He should become our bread, our water and our sustenance. Until Jesus Christ has become our life, we will continue to be alarmed and disquieted within us. But when He is our life, truly He makes us glad and fill us with His peace because God dwells in His Church, His City.
God will supernaturally protect the Church
“God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress”(verses 5-7). Even when nations will be in tumult and turmoil reigns in our midst, the adversary cannot touch the Church. The destruction will not come near us because God is with us, the church will not fall, only the superficial ones will do. Those who have been seeking God and strengthening their foundations in Him so that they can become His vessels during these days will shine like the noon day Sun. The voice of God, His Word will sustain His people during these difficult times so that even when the earth melts, they will not be affected just as Daniel and his friends were supernaturally protected from the fire of Nebuchadnezzar’s wrath. Indeed we will proclaim to the housetops and market places that God is Almighty and He is with us, that He is our mighty fortress.
The end result will be everlasting peace
“Come and see the works of the Lord, the desolations he has brought on the earth”(verse 8). Those in power and authority in nations and empires come and go. They do not remain forever. It is the Lord who calls the shots, it is Him whom Daniel called the one who changes the times and epochs, who removes kings and establishes kings, who gives wisdom to wise men and knowledge to men of understanding (Daniel 2:21-22). Indeed the Lord is His name, the light to the nations. If we examine the empires and kingdoms of men, from the Babylonian, Persian, Roman, Greek, Ottoman, Spanish, French and the British Empire, all of these crumbled before Him. The works of the Lord brings desolation to human empires because it runs contrary to His purpose and kingdom. To this day the ruined cities of Assyria, Babylon, Petra, Bashan, Canaan, are evidence in tables of stones to record the dealings of the Lord. In every place where His name and His voice have been disregarded, cities and nations crumbled to ruins. Where are the arrogant boasters of every age, the philosophers and poets of Greece and the Roman generals? Are they not today lost in the grave? Barely remembered and no memorials to them? Man’s glory is a fleeting thing while the pursuit of the Lord will be eternal and far more glorious than castles in the sand.
“He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, he burns the shields with fire” (verse 9) Truly the Lord is the One who causes wars to cease to the ends of the earth because “He breaks the bow and shatters the spear and burns the shields of fire”; He is the Prince of Peace, our Everlasting Father who swiftly brings destruction and desolation to our enemies, the enemy is crushed under His feet, for He is the God of Peace. He renders the weapons of the mighty armies of this world useless and piles them upon heaps on heaps, and utterly destroys them. So it will be not only in Judea but in all lands when He comes. There will be a universal victory of peace celebrated in all countries around the globe when finally the Lamb of God who was slain from the foundation of the world will finally crush all His enemies.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress” (verses 10-11). One test of faith is patience, unless we are patient, we cannot see the hand of the Lord working on our behalf. Just as when great darkness seems to swallow up the whole earth, His glory and His light will arise upon His people and they will not only proclaim His name into all the world, but God Himself will confirm every preaching and testimony of the saints with signs and wonders.
The boast of the ungodly and his religious affections will pale in comparison to the glory that will come so that He will be exalted among the nations. Kings and nations will surely come to our doors and asks us of the glory that they are witnessing. Today don’t forget God and do not let your heart be troubled by all the things that are happening around you. Instead, find refuge and trust in the Lord who knows how to save the godly in times of trouble.
In : Word for the week
Tags: birth pains and desolations
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