The subject of pregnancy and childbirth are very close and dear to my heart. Three events related to the miracle of birth occurring at different stages in my life have caused this interest to grow, and for me to search throughout the Bible to discover important links between the natural and spiritual aspects of life created and sustained by our Creator and Heavenly Father. Moreover, 3 years spent on my brother´s farm in France have taught many spiritual and practical lessons, one of them being the yearly birth of sheep and goats and the assistance that these animals require all the way to the time of delivery of their little ones.
God in his infinite wisdom has given us finite creatures, the curiosity, imagination and thirst for knowledge to conceive and fabricate instruments to measure time and space.
One of these instruments, the hourglass, although archaic, except for boiling eggs! served its purpose when it was invented. I chose it as a visual illustration of the greatest event in all of human history, the dividing of time between BC and AD, the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is as if God took an hourglass made in heaven and chose the narrow passage between the two parts as the dividing line between past, present and future. When the time allotted from the birth of Adam to the birth of Jesus had run its course, it is as if God took the divine hourglass, turned it upside down 180 degrees and is still letting the grains of sand measuring time run down until his purpose is accomplished concerning the age of grace in which we are living.
Time/Space continuum graphic
The biblical concept of correlation between the natural birth and the spiritual birth in that order is to be found and confirmed by Scripture. Paul, in the chapter about the resurrection of the body, explains:
“So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:45-47).
Additionally, the Lord Jesus, during Nicodemus nightly visit, explained the new second spiritual birth. In John 3:3-7, Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.’ ‘How can a man be born when he is old?’ Nicodemus asked. ‘Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be born?’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born again.’”
Pregnancy and childbirth, natural and spiritual
If the Word of God be true, and it is, proven by the verifiable historical context of 1000s of years of fulfilled prophecies; then, all the events described in the pages of the Bible, referring to human births, miscarriages, the spiritual new births of individuals, families, groups of people, nations and the inexorable aspect of the passing of time involved in these processes lead me to conclude that we are indeed living in the last days.
The Word mentions “birth pains” as a major sign because it has been the longer in continuous existence since Adam and Eve, and everybody alive at any time had a mother and a father. Well, at least until now when man, in his arrogant and prideful rebellion, is changing the laws concerning the nature of marriage between man and a woman and legalizing wholesale, unrestrained abortions, which in itself is a confirmation of prophecy announcing the time of the end.
There is something about the gestation period that doesn´t give us the luxury of choosing a middle ground between life and death. Within the time frame of more or less 9 months, the growing baby in the womb is going to be born dead or alive. We have a choice in the matter, but the baby unfortunately does not.
We know who the Lord of life and the Living Word is. His name is Jesus. We also know that the destroyer of life is Satan. History has proven, centuries after centuries, that he is a real personality and not an invention of uneducated, backwards believers in myths concocted to instill fear, designed to indoctrinate and enslave weak, credulous masses of inferior people into submission to a ruling elite class and their subordinates.
Now we can connect the illustration of the hourglass to the miracle of childbirth. Are we now part of the last generation that is witnessing the inescapable motion of downward pull towards the next phase of history?
The Bible is replete with marking the span of periods of prophetic visions and dreams and their fulfillment exactly as the Lord spoke through His anointed prophets. This historical fact is undeniable.
Then, why did God choose to liken the period in which we live to a woman giving birth? By the way, the Spanish and Portuguese translation is to “bring forth to the light.” Interesting!
Prophetic voices
Just as the grains of sand in the hour glass, gravity is the dynamic moving element driving the process of childbirth. Again, the Portuguese word for a pregnant woman is “uma mulher grávida.”
Didn´t the Lord tell Abraham in Genesis 22:17: “Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.”
If the gestation is uninterrupted and proceeds in a normal, healthy manner, we can be sure that the birth will be successful.
The Lord, in his mercy and love for his children, does not want us to be ignorant of his ways.
Psalm 103:7 states: “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.”
Moses was the Lord´s instrument who experienced the divine intervention in his birth, and the subsequent protection of his life from Pharaoh who wanted to kill him. He was also the one who prophetically pointed ahead to a future propitious, preordained time when Jesus would be born, the one who, through the Holy Spirit, the Father would accomplish the spiritual New Birth.
Acts 3:22 states: “Moses said, ‘THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN; TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you.’”
All these signs in the natural and supernatural realm are for our benefit. In Romans 15:4, Paul reminds the believers that: “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”
Now, it doesn´t mean that we can and should calculate precisely dates within the time/space dimension to predict the exact date of the rapture.
But we certainly can use the events predicted in history past including the plan, the patterns, the feasts of Israel, and the many convergent signs provided by the Lord so we will not be caught unaware or even surprised when the prophecies find fulfillment.
In addition to the wisdom and understanding granted to us, some of the great blessings and gifts of our Father to encourage and strengthen others through our journey are: hope, faith, and love without which our pilgrimage through life would sometimes be unbearable in times of affliction, conflicts, distress and great upheaval of all kinds, as we have been witnessing—especially in the past few decades. Paul mentions several times that sharing about the rapture comforts and helps us to stand firm in the grace and the mighty keeping power of our loving God (1 Thess. 4:17-18; 1 Thess. 5:11).
To respond to the skepticism and unbelief or apathy from the detractors of dispensationalism and pre-trib millennialism, who reason and argue that America is not under judgment – because it doesn´t fit their eschatological framework and preconceived notions – I would just point out that it is God Almighty who directs history, elevates rulers and brings down nations by the power of his right hand and his will in his own chosen time. That is his prerogative as the Sovereign Lord and King of the universe. As his creatures and human subjects, we would do well to accept and align ourselves with his will and his Word.
If there is a pressing need today more than ever, it is to guard against deception, even coming from political movements who seek, sometimes in subtle ways, to change our allegiance and obedient submission to our God and King, and instead to conform to a lesser earthly wisdom and embrace the false hope of bringing about the Kingdom of God on earth.
God will have his way, no matter what man thinks, says or does. Job declares in Job 42:1-3: “Then Job replied to the LORD: ‘I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
Every one of us is responsible for the way we respond to the clear instructions of the Lord as we are about to witness the final stage of the deliverance (delivery) of the Church at the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The souls and spirits of babies who were born again by receiving the life-giving seed of life will be finally delivered from the limitations of the fleshly body when the birth pains and the last contractions push us out in our exit toward the bright, shining light beckoning us in the clouds. Right on God´s timetable, we will, in the twinkling of an eye, enter through the portal of eternity with the Lord Jesus leading the way as the faithful bridegroom who, keeping his promise, will present his bride without wrinkles or blemish to his Father.
First, there was the invitation to “COME TO ME” all you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.”
Then, the command: “COME, FOLLOW ME” and I will show you the way to the Father.”
Next, another command: “COME OUT OF HER” to separate from the apostate church and do the will and accomplish the purpose of the Father.
Finally, we who have waited so long with faith and hope will hear those precious words like John the Revelator: “COME UP, HITHER” at the Rapture/Resurrection of the true Christian believers.
Conclusion
Deliverance sometimes happens at our weakest point when everything else has failed. God shows up seemingly at the last minute to rescue his people. There is always a movement from one place to another, from one situation to another. Just read the life of Noah, Abraham, Lot, Joseph, or Moses’ account of the parting of the Red Sea.
The increased persecution experienced by Christians around the world is a sign of the end. The church of the living God, his bride, is at the stage of her last contractions. The Lord knows that we have little strength as he told the believers at the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:8.
Romans 8:22-27 lays it out very explicitly for us: “For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?
“But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it. In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
The church is collectively going to experience her final deliverance. We, the pilgrims on this terrestrial ball, get off to finally make our last flight to our heavenly home. The events marking the inexorable course of history, painful progression of the pregnancy, will culminate in bringing the final big push from the earth heavenwards, unencumbered by the physical body. The words of the Lord, “Come up hither,” will have the irresistible power to attract all the members of the redeemed church upward to him like a super strong heavenly magnet sweeping upward around the globe – the fine, weightless dust of light particles responding to the Good Shepherd´s voice that guides us to our eternal destination.
Maranatha; “Even so, Lord, come quickly.”