Birth Pains
Jesus uses the imagery of pregnancy and birth when speaking of His return to Earth. See Matthew 24:8 "But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs." ; Mark 13:8 "For nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs."
But what is being birthed? Or Who?
The Bible leaves no doubt about the answer to that question.
Isaiah 26:19 “Your dead will live; Their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy. For your dew is as the dew of the dawn, And the earth will give birth to the departed spirits.” nasb
"Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep (die), but we will all be changed— in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed." 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
THE RAPTURE is clearly being spoken of by Isaiah. From the beginning of Creation God has let us know that DEATH is not the “norm” nor is it the end of our story. Click these links to find more:
The Old Testament Prophets knew this:
The New Testament completes our understanding:
THE BIRTHING PROCESS AND DANIEL'S 70TH WEEK
As Jesus teaches the disciples about His return and the “End of the World”, He uses the imagery of a women giving birth to a baby. The World is seen as if in the pains of Childbirth.
Who is “birthed”?
Answer: The Saints of all ages.
The Chart below outlines the order of events
that lead to the Birth.
A women giving birth knows that her time is come as her water breaks and the subsequent birth pains begin. Likewise, our Lord wants us to be watching for the “signs” of His coming. Jesus equates the first 4 seals of the Scroll as the “Beginning of birth pains”. See Matthew 24:6-8
Full Labor begins as the antichrist enters “the Holy Place” (Mark 13:14+19) and brings terror to the whole world and especially to Jews and Christians who will not bow to him. Jesus calls this Great Tribulation. In Greek, Thilipsis.
That “Great Tribulation” or literally that “Great Squeezing” will be the final contractions that lead to the “Birthing” or Rapture of those who belong to God.
We will go from labor into Great Labor and finally the Birth or Rapture.
“Tribulation” is a term translated from the Greek word Thlipsis. Jesus uses this word in the context of Birthing in John 16:21 - ‘as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembers no more the anguish ('thlipsis').
Old and New Testament Saints will be Raptured. Paul fills us in.
Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:50-53
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
Daniel 12:13 “As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance.” Matthew 13:39 "The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels... " 1 Cor 1:7,8 "Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly await the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." Hebrews 11:13 "All these (Old Testament) people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar ..."
The Birthing Imagery is complete as the sky literally OPENS UP to ‘birth’ the Saints of all ages out of the “womb” of this earth and into the presence of God at His Throne. “The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Rev 6:14
"I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the One who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.
22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies." Romans 8:18-23
It should be noted that a birth does NOT happen before the Water Break or the Birth Pains come. God's use of this imagery shows the error of a "Pre -Tribulation" Rapture that has the birth (rapture) happening before the birth pains! The Water Break and Birth Pains are tools the body uses to make itself ready for the birth of the child. In the same way, the Shout and tribulations are preparing the world and everyone in it for the Return of our King Jesus and the Birth of the Saints.
Just as a women in labor must endure until she is delivered of the baby, so must the Saints of the Lord. We must remind ourselves that, far greater is He who is in us and with us, then all the devils in the world. We are repeatedly admonished to ENDURE with Jesus so that we might reign with Him.
Follow this link for a great article on endurance.
Click on the 7 below for further insights:
