Birth Pains

      There are many reactions to the present circumstances but the best ones are rooted in scripture.

For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and PESTILENCES and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of BIRTH PAINS. Matthew 24:7 (NIV)

In Matthew 24 Jesus compares current world events to birth pains, or contractions; a sign that the process of His return is underway.

My wife is a doula, or birthing partner. She loves to talk about the natural processes of labour. The contractions and the passage through the birth canal benefit the baby and prepare it for life outside the womb.

A wise mother prepares diligently for the time of labour. She studies carefully the various stages that her body will pass through. She gears herself up mentally and emotionally for the process that will culminate in her baby’s birth. Like an athlete preparing for a race, she is excited because she can see the finish line and the precious treasure that will be hers when she crosses it.

We can prepare for Jesus’ return with the same anticipation as a woman preparing for the birth of her baby. If we read and grow familiar with the scriptural handbook that God has provided, we won’t be surprised or overwhelmed by the ‘labour process’, 'as if some strange thing is happening to us!’ (1 Peter 4:12) Instead, we’ll be able to endure difficult times, looking forward with joy and anticipation to the awesome conclusion, ‘the birth’, the return of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

So where do we start building?

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:11

When my wife and I were looking to buy our first house, we found one in Tempsford, Bedfordshire, UK. We swiftly made an offer that was accepted. However, before the sale went through, a surveyor was instructed to check the structure of the house. He spotted a tiny crack in a wall and diagnosed a serious problem of subsidence. The house was built on clay soil that swelled in wet weather and contracted when it dried. It would need expensive underpinning and we were advised that it wasn’t a wise investment. The foundations weren’t firm and would subside over time.

When considering the theology of Jesus’ return, we are faced with a similar building problem. With Scriptures found throughout Ezekiel, Isaiah, Daniel, Nahum, the Gospels, the letters of Paul as well as Revelation, where do we begin building our theology? Where do we lay the initial boundary lines? Where do we dig the foundation so that we can be assured that our theology won’t suffer subsidence with the passage of time?

John G Lake, a renowned American evangelist to South Africa in the early twentieth century, came up with what I believe is a sensible Scriptural solution. He stated that though all Scripture has authority, the words of Jesus have supreme authority. In US society, a decision in a District Court can be appealed to the Supreme Court. The decision in the Supreme Court has decisive authority over all other courts. Likewise, when there is a lack of clarity in Scripture, we must appeal to the supreme authority of the words of Jesus. Though ‘prophecies may fail’ (1 Corinthians 13:8), Jesus promised “My words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

Derek Prince in ‘Prophetic Guide to the EndTimes’ writes,

    Interpreting prophecy is just like putting together the pieces of a human skeleton.

    If we want to do it successfully, we have to start with the right piece—and the right piece is the spine. When we get the spine in place, we can begin to fit the other members onto it. The spine is Jesus’ discourse on the Mount of Olives, recorded in Matthew 24–25. 

     Sometimes we tend to overlook the fact that Jesus was a prophet. He was the greatest of all the great Hebrew prophets, and His greatest prophetic discourse is found in these two chapters.

We start with Jesus’ words. His teachings lay the foundation and delineate the initial blue print for building. They will provide the support for the load-bearing walls of Second Coming prophetic Scripture. His words and instructions have to carry the weight of Scripture from the Old Testament, the Epistles and Revelation because only they can! (1 Corinthians 3:11)

In Matthew 24:3 Jesus’ disciples asked, “Tell us, when shall these things be and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” Matthew chapters 24 and 25 provide an overview of last days’ events with advice of how to prepare for them. It makes a good foundation for our study and our theology.

This teaching is known as the Olivet Discourse. There are similar accounts in the Gospels of Mark and Luke. We use Mathew for two reasons. First, it is an eye-witness account, as Matthew was present during this teaching. Second, it is the fullest version, encompassing 97 verses, compared to 37 in Mark and 31 in Luke.

Thin Ice or Solid Ground ?

      The words ‘thin ice’ are frightening to those familiar with frozen lakes and rivers. 

     “You’re walking on thin ice!” we warn, if someone lacks awareness and is skirting close to danger!

       We sometimes treat last days scripture rather like ‘thin ice’, as if it is dangerous to study these prophetic passages. Instead of venturing onto passages of prophetic scripture ourselves, we tend to depend on what other people say. A broad brush of different opinions reported to us while we stand safely on the shore seems the safest option. After all, wouldn’t we  be foolish to step out on the thin ice of Bible prophecy ourselves?

      How different this is to what the word of God says. Jesus said that His words about the last days are the firmest ground imaginable.

      Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but my words shall never pass away. Matthew 24:35

     Peter the Apostle agrees by describing the prophetic word as ‘completely reliable.’      

      We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it 2 Peter 1:19

     Our best preparation for times of crisis is to know the scripture that God has provided. If our lives are built on the rock of His word, we will be best equipped to stand through the storms and crises of the last days.

                 

   Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

     The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock Matthew 7:24,25   

 

Framing our world and our lives

As the world situation worsens we see the need to 'frame' our world and our lives with the word of God. 

A frame defines and holds its subject in place. 

When we frame our own lives with the word of God we are also 'defined and held in place'. We find peace in our hearts, harmony in our relationships and success in our activities. 

We understand that our created  world is also 'framed by the word of God' (Hebrews 11:3) from its beginning to its end. 

When we  frame our world with His word, we also have peace knowing that God is in control no matter the outward appearance of circumstances and situations. The frame, 'the word of God', will not pass away. It will endure forever. (Matthew 24:35)

     We look forward to doing some 'framing'; to define  our lives and hold them in place as we navigate  a world that is destined to see rapid change before Christ's return.