Living Through Birth Pains… What’s Next? :: By Britt Gillette

Published on: by RR7 Category:Britt Gillette, General Articles

With all the restrictions and societal changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, I found myself longing for the “carefree” days of 2019 when everything was “normal.” Perhaps you’ve felt the same way. Of course, 2019 was far from perfect. It had its own problems and stresses, but only in comparison to 2020 do we think of 2019 as “the good old days.” And that got me thinking… This seems to be happening a lot lately. We’ve had no less than three of these events in the past 20 years.

If you’re old enough to remember, it was a different world before September 11, 2001. After September 11th, collective fear increased. All sorts of restrictions and protective measures were put in place. Where would the next terrorist threat come from? Many longed for the relatively simple days of life before that terrible day.

Then in 2008, the Great Recession hit. Many people lost their jobs, and among those who didn’t, fear of an impending layoff increased. Many longed for the “simpler” times of the post-September 11th years. Now, here we are in 2020. We’re in the middle of a global pandemic, and many long for a return to their pre-pandemic lives. None of this should surprise us.

Jesus said the days before His return will follow this exact pattern. He likened them to birth pains (Matthew 24:3-8). This means, as with labor contractions, we’ll see these types of events increase in frequency and strength as we approach the end of this age. What we’re seeing today are the birth pains Jesus warned about.

Jesus Is Coming

The frequency of these events testify that Jesus is coming. Our generation will witness His return (Matthew 24:34). All the signs Jesus and the prophets said to look for are present. They include, but aren’t limited to:

  • The restoration of Israel (Jeremiah 23:7-8; Isaiah 11:11-12)
  • The Jewish people in possession of Jerusalem (Luke 21:24-28)
  • The global spread of the Gospel (Matthew 24:14)
  • A marked increase in travel and knowledge (Daniel 12:4)
  • Israel surrounded by enemies (Psalm 83:4-12; Ezekiel 11:14-17; Ezekiel 35:10)
  • Israel fielding a great army (Ezekiel 37:10; Zechariah 12:6,8)
  • The rise of a United Europe (Daniel 2; Daniel 7; Revelation 17)
  • The rise of the Gog of Magog alliance (Ezekiel 38:8; Ezekiel 39:27)
  • Increased calls for global government (Revelation 13:7)
  • People acting in the way Paul said they would act (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
  • Widespread ridicule of the Second Coming (2 Peter 3:3-4)

All these signs and more point to the soon return of Jesus. He told us to “look up” when we see these signs converge (Luke 21:28), and we’re seeing them converge now. That means the rapture, the Tribulation, and the Second Coming are close at hand. And since Jesus told us to expect birth pains leading up to His arrival, look for major events similar to September 11th, the Great Recession, and the COVID-19 pandemic to appear with greater frequency and cause greater trauma. In other words, expect things to get worse before they get better.

So, what will come next? While we can’t know for sure, here’s a few events on the horizon.

What’s Coming Next?

With conditions set to be worse in the coming months and years, what are the most likely events to occur in the near future? The possibilities are endless. We could see large magnitude earthquakes, a nuclear terrorist attack, or even a global pandemic worse than COVID-19. But rather than speculate, let’s focus on what we know is coming. The three events outlined below are either already happening or certain to happen in the near future.

1) A Global Depression – For the moment, many people seem to think the current economic slowdown is a brief pause – that once the coronavirus disappears, the economy will spring back to life and resume an upward growth trajectory. The S&P 500 reflects this belief. After crashing for most of February and March, it’s now just a few percentage points from its all-time high. But the “V-shaped” economic recovery touted in the media is nothing more than a mirage. You can’t shut down entire countries in an interconnected global economy and expect the impact to be temporary.

Many individuals and small business owners have watched their savings dwindle as their businesses are forced to close or their customers disappear. In some industries, it will take years for sales to reach pre-pandemic levels. Governments have tried to take measures to help – offering loans, providing direct cash payments, and even outlawing evictions. But these measures are only temporary. Eventually, they have to end.

For instance, in the United States, unemployed workers receive an extra $600 per week on top of their regular unemployment benefits. This has helped mask the true impact of the coronavirus shutdowns, but unless they’re extended, those payments will end on July 31. Then what happens? With more than 20 million people collecting unemployment, that adds up to over $12 billion per week. That’s $624 billion on an annual basis. Prior to the shutdowns, this would have been around 3% of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product. Today, with the hit the economy’s taken, it adds up to even more. When those payments end, consumer spending will dry up even further, lines will once again form outside of food banks, and a new round of layoffs will hit America’s workforce.

Making matters worse is the crippling impact on small business. Not only did governments force many businesses to shut down, but in a number of cases, it only allowed them to reopen with limited capacity. Foot traffic is down, and as new coronavirus cases crop up, these businesses may be forced to shut down again. This creates great uncertainty, and uncertainty is terrible for economic growth. Both businesses and individuals take less risk and cut expenses during times of uncertainty, and that means fewer sales, less revenue, and a contracting economy. To have the entire world economy suddenly come to a screeching halt is absolutely unprecedented. The result will be a terrible global depression on par with, or maybe even worse than, the Great Depression.

2) Widespread Famine – According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, more than 820 million people worldwide regularly suffer from hunger. And these statistics pre-date the coronavirus pandemic. That means events are only going to get worse because the state of the global economy has a direct impact on world hunger. Global hunger significantly increased during the Great Recession, and the current economic slowdown will be no exception. The World Bank’s most recent projection for 2020 global GDP is a 6.2% contraction – two times worse than the Great Recession. This alone increases the odds of famine and will leave millions more hungry.

According to Paul Winters of the International Fund for Agricultural Development, “Even before we got the COVID pandemic we were already seeing an increase in hunger around the world due to climate, conflict and economic slowdowns, and now we have this extra economic slowdown.”

By itself, the coming global depression will plunge millions into a state of poverty and hunger. But as terrible as all this is, it’s set to get far worse. Why?

Because this year also saw the emergence of one of the worst locust plagues in decades. Swarms of locusts measuring miles in length have ravaged countries in East Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. These swarms could continue to thrive and spread well into 2021. As they destroy crops, millions more face the prospect of famine – one of the signs Jesus said to look for (Matthew 24:7).

3) War in the Middle East – According to multiple news reports, Israel is currently contemplating the annexation of large parts of the West Bank. A coalition deal between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz, of the Blue and White party, put forward a plan to do so as early as July 1. But so far, nothing has happened. That said, Netanyahu knows his window of opportunity to act is small – especially if it looks like Donald Trump may lose his re-election bid. If that happens, Netanyahu will almost certainly move forward with annexation while he still has a reliable ally in the White House.

However, such a move is likely to set off a firestorm of international condemnation and declarations of war from many of Israel’s enemies. For decades, world leaders have feared an explosive war in the Middle East. We may be closer to such a war now than we’ve ever been before. While Israel’s next war doesn’t have to be one outlined in Bible prophecy, several prophesied conflicts have yet to take place. These include conflicts that result in the destruction of Damascus (Isaiah 17), an attack from Israel’s immediate neighbors (Psalm 83), and an invasion by a coalition that includes Russia, Iran, Turkey, and several other nations (Ezekiel 38-39).

Could we be on the verge of one of these wars? We could. And Jesus pointed to “rumors of war” as a sign of His coming (Matthew 24:6).

What You Should Do

So with all that’s taking place, what should you do? The answer is clear – make the most of the time you have left. If you’re not a Christian, turn to Jesus now. He paid for your sins through His blood as shed on the cross. There is no other name by which we are saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus alone is the way to heaven (John 14:6), so turn to Him while you still can.

If you’re already Christian, don’t fear the events of the Tribulation. Jesus promised to protect His followers from “the great time of testing that will come upon the whole world” (Revelation 3:10). But don’t think that because you’ll avoid the Tribulation, you won’t face trials in this life. Jesus says you will. He says you’ll face many trials and tribulations in this world, but don’t let them bring you down, because He has overcome the world (John 16:33).

Realize the rapture itself could be the next traumatic event to hit the world. Think of those left behind, the fear they’ll have, and the world they’ll be living in. Use that as motivation to spread the Gospel. Right now, more people than ever are seeking Him. God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose for them (Romans 8:28). World-shaking events like the COVID-19 pandemic are no exception. People have been shaken from their sense of security. It’s in these moments when people seek God the most, because He can never be shaken. He’s the rock you should build your life on (Psalm 18:2). So take advantage of this moment and share your testimony, because Jesus is coming soon!

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Britt Gillette is author of the free ebook Coming to Jesus as well as the books Signs of the Second Coming, Racing Toward Armageddon, and The End Times. Receive his book 7 Signs of the End Times for free when you sign up for his monthly newsletter.

What Kind of Fools Are They? :: By Mark Susswein

Published on: by RR7 Category:General Articles

There are many books of the Bible, both in the Older and New Testament, which describe the day of the Lord, so let’s start our examination as good Bereans do.

In Isaiah chapter 2, the day of the Lord is referred to 3 times. First, verse 12: “For the Lord of hosts has a day against all that is proud and lofty, against all that is lifted up—and it shall be brought low.”

Then in the last part of verse 17: “And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.”

And lastly, in verse 20, we read: “In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold.”

References to the day of the Lord are written in many other books of the Older Testament as well. In addition to that, a few books of the New Testament point to the coming judgments from God in that day.

First of all, anybody with an ounce of wisdom does not want to face the day of the Lord. That particular day, without question, will be a horrific time for those who so foolishly refused to repent and accept what Jesus the Lamb of God did on the cross for them and the world. “For God so loved the world.”

I don’t believe any of us would want that for our worst enemy, not even just a little bit. As a matter of fact, those are the very people we are to be consistently and continually praying for. We are to be that light and speak the truth to them of what it means to be without God’s amazing saving grace. Whatever we can do to get the lost nearer to Jesus is the goal. God’s heart, as ours should be, doesn’t wish for anyone to be left behind. Amen?

Let’s go ahead and look at two other scriptures, one from the Older Testament and one from New, also relating to the day of the Lord.

First, Zephaniah 1:14-16: “The great day of the Lord is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the Lord is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. A day of wrath is that day, a day of distress and anguish, a day of ruin and devastation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet blast and battle cry against the fortified cities and against the lofty battlements.”

Now, 2nd Peter 3:10: “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

We believers anxiously await the Rapture. This miraculous event, which can happen at any moment, seems to us as a delay, or long in coming.

In contrast to that, the unbelievers of this world will be in total shock at the Lord’s 2nd coming. It will not just seem sudden; it will be all of a sudden. That suddenness will be Jesus coming like a thief in the night.

Those verses from Zephaniah 1 and 2nd Peter 3 are very clear. We believers do not want to be here during this end-times’ event. And thank you, Father, we won’t be.

This will be a time for those who foolishly and continually chose not to know Jesus as the Son of God, however…they will know Him at the Great White Throne Judgment where they will be righteously judged for their sins and will be found guilty. Their punishment…an eternity to be spent in the Lake of Fire. As it’s often been said: their choice, not God’s.

Jesus already took on the sins of the world at the cross, including theirs.

Jesus already took on the guilt of the world at the cross, including theirs.

Jesus already took on the shame of the world at the cross, including theirs.

In knowing this and being aware of what God provided, it is quite sad that His saving and amazing grace will have been foolishly and ignorantly rejected. When that final judgment at the Great White Throne is handed down, the sadness we have now for the lost doesn’t compare to the reality of what’s to come for the lost. Not even close. So, what do we believers do?

We are to keep witnessing, to go out into the world and make disciples no matter how uncomfortable it may be for them and us. The Great Commission is a command from our Lord. It’s not the Great Suggestion.

Let our motivation for the unbeliever come from what we do know. The Lake of Fire is not a place where bad, misbehaving people go to party. More than a few of us have heard, “Well, at least I’ll be with my friends.” Uh…no.

The Lake of Fire is a place of complete loneliness. A place of utter darkness. A place where there will be gnashing of teeth. A place that will be worse than any dungeon ever devised. A place they foolishly chose. And…it will be for eternity.

That being said, here’s an encouraging verse for those of us who do believe and those who will hopefully and prayerfully come to believe what Jesus did on the cross to save them from the wrath of God before the window of opportunity to accept God’s free gift of salvation is shut tight. Here’s Romans 5:9.

“Since, therefore, we have now been justified by Jesus’ blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God.”

Bless You All

Mark Susswein/msusswein@comcast.net