Thursday, November 13, 2014
Mark 13:7-8 "... when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles. These are the beginnings of sorrows."
THE END IS NOT YET
Christ says that we should not be troubled, for such things must happen. But what does He say next? "But the end is not yet."
Rather, Christ says, "These are the beginnings of sorrows." Literally He says, "These are the beginnings of birth pangs."
When a woman is pregnant, birth pangs mean that the baby will be born sometime soon. For some women, that means within minutes. For other women, they may be in labor for forty eight hours. Birth pangs only tell you that the birth is imminent, but they don't reveal the hour of the birth.
It is the same with these troubles that are occurring in the world. They are birth pangs, reminding us that Christ is coming, as Scripture notes that at the Last Day:
"... the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:21-23).
