The End Times (Part II)

The key word Jesus uses in Mark 13 when describing the days before His return is found in vs. 8, “birth pangs.”   There are several ideas behind this word “birth pang.”  First it is a pain felt.  Any woman who has had a child will let you know that to have birth pangs is not pleasant experience. 

Secondly, birth pangs are a signal or sign that long anticipated birth is now close at hand.  A final idea behind birth pangs is this—it provokes in the woman and her surrounding family both a sense of dread and joy.  Dread that the birth may be difficult, but joy in the anticipation of a brand new baby. 

Here Jesus is telling us that though the days leading up to His return will be difficult and even dreadful, they will also be glorious as we await His return.  Difficult in that there would be great deception, wars, natural disasters and persecution against God’s people.  Glorious in that the gospel that leads to man’s salvation will be preached and the nations and peoples will hear about how they can know Jesus and receive eternal life. 

In vs. 10 we read this promise from Jesus for this time we are in, “the gospel would be proclaimed to all nations.”  This is God reaching out to sinful man through the church, that’s us, that people may be saved.  This is one of our purposes—to lead people to know Jesus, that they may receive the forgiveness of sin, the gift of salvation, and the promise of resurrection and eternal life. 

I think Christ’s words to Paul at the end of the book of Acts 26:18 help us define this mission God gives to all of us as His people, “I am sending you to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power to Satan to God that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”   That is what makes the gospel very good news to the world…

But though this time is glorious, as we reach others for the kingdom of God, Jesus also warns us in Mark 13 that there will be a series of very painful events—there would be great deception, where people are led away by false prophets, false religions, and false Christs.  There will be great violence with “wars and nations rising against nations.” 

What kind of people ought we to be in light of these things?  Mark 13 verses 6, 9, 23, and 35 tell us that we would “not be deceived;” that we would be “on guard” and “keep watch” as the end draws near.  Jesus is inviting us to live our lives here on earth with a perspective that invites Him to be the center of everything, to adapt an eternal perspective as we look to that day.

So let us be about God’s business, knowing our time is short on earth.  Let us invest in the things that will last, not in things that will one day be taken away.  And let us remember that though we together with “the whole creation is groaning together as in the pains of childbirth…” that we are “waiting eagerly for our adoption…” a time when Jesus will return and things will be glorious.  “In this hope we were saved.”  (Rom 8:23)