I have focused a lot on end time topics on this website, so I will do something different by discussing the period we live in now and how it relates to the concept of birth pangs. The purpose of this article is to give my thoughts about where the world is currently at and where I think the world is heading in the near future.
The Nature of Birth Pangs
I believe that the world is undergoing the “sorrows” (also known as birth pangs) that Christ referenced in the verses shown in the following table. Christ said that we would hear about events such as wars, earthquakes, famine, and pestilence prior to His Coming.
| Birth Pang Conditions | |||
| False Christs | Wars & Rumors of Wars | Nation vs. Nation | Earthquakes & Famine |
| Mathew 24:4-7: (4) And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. (5) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (6) And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. (7) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. | |||
| Mark 13:4-8: (4) Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? (5) And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: (6) For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (7) And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. (8) For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. | |||
| Luke 21:7-11: (7) And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? (8) And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them. (9) But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by. (10) Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: (11) And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. | |||
I do not believe the occurrence of birth pangs means that the end times have begun. In fact, Christ mentioned that we should not be startled when events associated with birth pangs transpire. However, we need to be cognizant about these events since they need to occur to prepare the world for the start of the end times.
The comparison of the period preceding Christ’s coming to birth pangs is important due to the nature of birth pangs. Birth pangs increase in frequency and intensity as time progresses. Therefore, we should see an increase in the frequency and the severity of the conditions that Christ described as time progresses.
I told my dad a while back that it is like we are living in 1914 just prior to the start of World War 1. I am not saying that a world war is about to break out, but the type of drastic change the world experienced from 1914 to 1919 is possible in this century given how fast events occur now. World events are accelerating as the world has become increasingly interconnected and as information flows instantaneously.
I remember a time when most people had to wait until the morning newspaper to find out what happened on the other side of the world the previous day. Now people can monitor events on the other side of the world by checking out Twitter or a news app on their mobile devices. I could not fathom living in a world like this when I was a child. The speed that world events are accelerating means that it is possible that you may not recognize the world that we live in today five years from now.
I still believe we need to see a lot more chaos in the world before the start of the end times. I still expect the start of the tribulation to be preceded by a chaotic period of global economic, political, geopolitical, and societal turmoil that will be far worse than what we have seen in recent years. Given the speed that the world is changing, we might see the acceleration of sorrows sooner rather than later.
If you want to learn how to tell if the tribulation has begun, click this link for my article on the topic: How to Tell If We’re Living in the Tribulation.
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I have noticed/felt a marked acceleration in the past 6-9 months, but no one else I talk to has felt the same (besides, perhaps, my wife). I have said to a few people that it feels a large pang is coming. This coronavirus, I think, is the start of it.
I completely agree. Definitely the start of another level of intensity.
Regarding Catalonia- do you see or think it has the potential to lead to a European and then most likely global economy crisis? Given the current US stock market, or you noticing any alarming trends in recent weeks?
At the moment, I don’t think the situation in Catalonia is the trigger for a crisis, but it’s still early on.
Agreed. Things will need to become much worse for the events of the end times to begin, the question is how soon? With everything interconnected as it is, it could be very soon. All it would take is a small nuclear device or a few dirty bombs in some major cities someplace, and that’s it. Whatever it is, it would have to be much worse then what happened on 9/11, where 10’s of thousands, perhaps even hundreds of thousands are killed. An event like 9/11 should’ve been a wake up call and brought about revival to this nation, but it wasn’t enough for this dead from the neck up generation.
Or it could be a series of events and rapid succession that bring it about, a combination of economic distress and war, which often go hand in hand. People will be making a run on the stores, the banks, buying and taking anything they can get their hands on and the store shelves would be empty so fast it would make your head spin. Everything is run by computer and the supply chains can be broken in a heartbeat.
There are a lot of clueless people out there who wouldn’t even consider thinking about these things much less preparing for them. In fact, the majority of people are like that. They have a normalcy bias and think nothing significant will happen in that their supplies will always be there. These are the ones who desperately need Jesus and to learn and study prophecy.
Nice article, Wayne.
I would be curious to know if you see a possible link between Zika and Mark 13:17.
I do not at the present time. I think Mark 13:17 relates to the difficulty that pregnant women and nursing mothers would have in fleeing for their lives from the impending persecution of the Antichrist.
The difficulty for the pregnant women and nursing mothers in the great tribulation is choosing to denounce the Lord Jesus Christ so that the lives of their children will be spared from being executed by the antichrist.
Makes sense. Thanks.
I agree that these are definite signs our time is winding up.
It is worth stating here that God has told us in his word when the end will be. For those that are wise it is already clear but for those that are still seeking it can be understood by the words ‘I declare the end from the beginning’
What was stated in the beginning? God said to Adam in the day that he ate of the fruit he shall surely die.
We all know that Adam didn’t die immediately and lived to be 930 years old. This clearly tells us that the day God was talking about was 1000years. When you put this all together we know that God’s plan for man is 6000 years according to the days of creation which mean that we are at the end of time and the milliennium reign of Christ obviously represent the Sabbath day of creation.
Many people have been trying to calculate this but have become confused because it appears that we have gone over 6000 years and nothing has happened. What people don’t realise is that God knew in advance that man would try to do this so he put a stumbling stone in place so that only the wise would understand.
The clue is this -originally the days of creation were 30 days per calendar month or 360 days to each year.
We now have days of 365 days per year this means that at some stage God has slowed the earth’s transition around the sun down. Is there anywhere in the bible that confirms this? yes there is but this is where you will have to do your homework. Of course when all is said and done we will return to 360 day years as alluded to in the book of Revelation
God bless you bro Wayne you are an inspiration
Thanks for your comment, but I do not believe I deserve to be called an inspiration.
So modest!