Birth Pains

Matthew 24:4-8

4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
(from New International Version)

Jesus issues a warning, "Watch out that no one deceives you." Deceptions big and small seem to be prevalent today. More stuff brings happiness. A new house and kids will fix our marriage. Money will fix my problems. God loves everybody and won't send anybody to hell. We all worship the same God and all religions are the same. Even in religious circles today there are people claiming to be the "Christ". I could go into great detail on this but it all really boils down to this, there is one Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus told us how he would return, in glory riding on the clouds and coming from the east. I will go into more detail on this later. I heard another Pastor discussing this issue and he mentioned that since 1900 there has been 1100 people claiming to be the christ. Now I can't confirm or deny those figures but I can look at our own time in history and list a few that have led people astray. David Koresh, Charles Manson, Adolf Hitler, Marshall Applewhite, and Jim Jones just to name a few.

This is why it is so important for Christians to be IN the word themselves and not just listening to a guy standing in a pulpit or stage. A red flag should go up anytime a person tells you, "This is what the scripture says, but it really means this" or "I am the Christ". Look at the content, examine the context, and consider the culture when determining the meaning of scripture and most of all ask God for wisdom and understanding. God's word, the Bible, is truth and the Holy Spirit gives understanding when we ask. When Jesus comes back he won't have to tell us who He is.

Wars and rumors of wars. This is one that doesn't take a whole lot of explanation. Today we have troops fighting in Afganistan and Iraq. Political unrest with North and South Korea. Not long ago China and Taiwan were having problems. The cold war with Russia seems to be heating up again. Iran building nuclear weapons and wanting to blow up Israel. But don't worry, these things must take place.

Famines and earthquakes in various places. We expect to hear about earthquakes in California. There were two earthquakes in Oklahoma that registered over 5.0 in 2010. Haiti and Afganistan pulverized by earthquakes. Peru had an earthquake that shook the whole world. The volcano under Yellowstone Park is heating up and the ground swelling. A significant point to see here is the reference to birth pains. When my wife was in labor it started out with a mere tightening of the abdomen. After a time it was constant intense pain. The "natural" disasters will happen with more frequency and more intensity as the day of Jesus return gets closer. World hunger is at a higher point currently than any other time in history. According to World Hunger.org 925 million people will go to bed hungry tonight. And these are just the beginnings of the birth pains! It is scary to contemplate where we are headed. Jesus said don't worry. God is in control and God loves us. If we will use Godly wisdom we can be ready.