Taking Labor One Pain at a Time
There is no doubt in my mind that we are living in the last days. There is widespread unrest, and humanity craves peace. The hearts of men are failing; many are afraid of the wars and rumors of wars. The devastating floods around the world have touched many families and grieved nations. Not to mention the never-ending headlines focused on the worst of humanity. Jews rightfully call it “Jacob’s Trouble.” In Isaiah 26:16, “As a woman with child is in pain and cries out in her pangs, when she draws near the time of her delivery,so we have been in your sight, O LORD. We have been in pain.” However, the end is not yet. So, how can Christians strengthen one another and encourage each other to keep running the race? Where can we focus so that we are not lost in the flood of hopelessness?
Beginnings of Labor
The most common concern we hear from Christians about the end days is about the prophecies of destruction, famine, loss of life, and the Antichrist. Unfortunately, our teachings in the church often focus on the negative and tend to promote fear rather than faith. Fear tends to make humans want to look to leaders, rather than to God, for answers (this is why they call it clickbait). However, God does not want us to focus on the fear; instead, He wants us to focus on faith in Him. Faith that He is not out to destroy His people, but to deliver them into the kingdom. Faith that the Messiah will bring peace, calm, and order to the chaos.
My daughter is due to give birth to her baby any day now. She is preparing for the labor pains by practicing her breathing, focusing on the goal of having the baby in her arms, and taking on labor pains one at a time. The Bible speaks of the end days as a woman in labor, as seen in Matthew 24:8, “All of these are the beginnings of labor.” So, rather than focus on all of the pain of the end days, let us focus on one labor pain at a time. Focus on how to overcome with faith and trust in the God who loves His people. "The LORD is with us, do not fear them." -Numbers 14:9
Every Generation
Every generation faces a significant challenge that it must overcome. After all, it is our job to overcome evil. As Christians, we have the distinct advantage of the bible and its long history. There are many examples in the Bible that give us wisdom on how to navigate the end of the age. Our forefathers did not have this advantage in Genesis which makes their faith unique. However, because we have many who have paved the way through tribulation, we can look to them for the hope that God is bringing deliverance to the world through His people. The great cloud of witnesses surrounds our generation. Those faith warriors took one labor pain at a time, which gave future generations the examples of faith and hope. What is our hope? The Hope of Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). The Hope that the kingdom of God will be on earth as it is in heaven.
“And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also of David and Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in battle, turned to flight the armies of foreigners. Women received their dead raised to life again” -Hebrews 11:32-35
Did you read that carefully? I encourage you to reread it. Previous generations overcame through faith. They did not focus on the negative. They chose to put their trust in God. They believed God when He said He would deliver His people. They knew their God and carried out great exploits. They subdued kingdoms (our generation, with Messiah, will subdue Satan), we will work righteousness, obtain the promises of the kingdom, quench the violence, escape the edge of the sword, be valiant and strong in battle, put armies to flight (look how Israel subdued Hamas, Iran, Hezbollah), and in the end, the dead will rise again.
We Are the Next Generation
Right now we are the generation to which the kingdom of heaven is giving birth, Revelation 12:1 “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.” And here is the good news for us, the last generation: The Bible prophecies that the last generation will overcome by faith. They will carry out great exploits, as it is said in Daniel 11:32, “Those who do wickedly against the covenant he (Anti-Christ) shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.” And in the end, those who remain faithful will give birth to the next book of the Bible; their faith will be added to the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11, the kingdom will be preached to all nations, and our salvation will be complete. The kingdom will come, and the 1,000 years of peace will be upon our future generations.
“Let your hands be strong…that the temple might be built”
Photo by Elias Vidal on Unsplash