{"id":11924,"date":"2026-03-27T16:57:02","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T20:57:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/?p=11924"},"modified":"2026-06-06T06:31:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-06T10:31:07","slug":"birth-pains-before-the-coming-of-christ-matthew-241-8","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/christskingdom.org\/staging\/8402\/birth-pains-before-the-coming-of-christ-matthew-241-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Birth Pains Before the Coming of Christ \u2013 Matthew 24:1-8 (357)"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Birth Pains Before the Coming of Christ \u2013 Matthew 24:1-8<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\"\"By Steven J. Hogan<\/p>\n

~ A Saturday Morning Post #357 ~<\/em><\/p>\n


Jesus is with His disciples on the Mount of Olives and they ask Him three questions. A few days before it is said of the disciples \u2013 \u201cthey supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Lk. 19:11). Jesus then makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the crowd is shouting,\u00a0\u201cBlessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Lk. 19:38). Like most Jews, the disciples were thinking that it wouldn\u2019t be long before Jesus was anointed as King of Israel.

So they ask Jesus these questions \u2013 \u201cWhen will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Matt. 24:3). The first referred to something Jesus had said earlier about their beautiful temple being torn down, that\u00a0\u201cnot one stone here will be left upon another\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Matt. 24:2). I don\u2019t believe Jesus answers this question in Matt. 24, but it is answered in Lk. 19:41-44, 21:20-22, 23:27-31. And the temple was destroyed around 70 AD.\u00a0

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

As for the next two questions, the disciples were probably thinking that before the end of the age of man, before Jesus was anointed as King that He would give some spectacular signs, like angels appearing, trumpets blasting, or a great celestial light. But they had no idea that there would be a church age. The disciples completely missed the meaning of the parable Jesus had recently shared \u2013\u00a0\u201cA nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return\u2026<\/em>\u201d (Lk. 19:12-15). They did not realize the questions they asked and the answers they received would be more relevant to a future generation of disciples, for those living in the end-times.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So let\u2019s look at these last two questions. First, let\u2019s examine the two key terms in vs. 3,\u00a0\u201ccoming\u201d<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0\u201cage\u201d.\u00a0<\/em>The word coming, from the Greek\u00a0\u201cparousia\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0conveys two thoughts, arrival and presence. It\u2019s a singular noun that speaks of a person\u2019s arrival at a place and ongoing presence. Christ\u2019s 1st<\/sup>\u00a0coming occurred about 2,000 years ago and lasted close to 33 years, and His 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0coming will begin in the near future. This word coming appears in Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, and 39. And in Matt. 24:27, 30, 42, 44, 46, and 50, there\u2019s the word,\u00a0\u201cerchetai\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0a verb translated as coming or arriving.\u00a0\u201cThey will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Matt. 24:30

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The second key term is the word\u00a0\u201cage\u201d<\/em>. It\u2019s defined as a period of time or history marked by a central figure or feature. Gal. 1:4 speaks of\u00a0\u201cthis present evil age\u201d<\/em>, that time from when Adam and Eve sinned and the devil became the leading evil influence in the world (1 Jn. 5:19) until that time when Christ returns and is perfectly ruling the earth. And in vss. 6, 13, and 14, Jesus speaks of the\u00a0\u201cend\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0and He\u2019s referring to the end of this age.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The disciples asked Jesus for two signs and His answers are in vss. 29-30, but they didn\u2019t really understood them at that time. But Jesus told them and us a lot more than just these two signs. Jesus loves us and doesn\u2019t want those living in the end-times to be surprised, to be caught off guard. He wants us to see all the signs described in vss. 4-30 so we are on the alert, so we are ready for His return, so we are looking forward to being with Him. Heb. 10:25

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s go to Matt. 24:4-8. These verses describe what Jesus calls\u00a0\u201cbirth pangs\u201d<\/em>\u00a0or birth pains, and they affect all kinds of people \u2013 Christians, non-Christians, Jews, Gentiles. Birth pains are what a mother experiences before her baby is born. They usually start slow, but pick up in frequency and intensity \u2013 there are more and more of them and they get harder and harder. Just as birth pains don\u2019t begin at the start of a mother\u2019s pregnancy, so too the birth pains described in Matt. 24 don\u2019t begin at the start of the church age but are occurring now in the last years of this age. And similar to how the birth pains of a mother result in the birth of her child, so too the birth pains are an essential part of God\u2019s plan to bring about the return of His Son.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The first birth pain is deception<\/strong>, that many will come in Christ\u2019s name and deceive people, mislead people, lie to people. Of all that Jesus has to say in vss. 4-30, this is first for a reason. He does not want any person, saved or lost, to be tricked, to believe error, to be duped by disinformation. Jesus rightfully and strongly hates deceivers, these false Christs, these fake pastors, these\u00a0\u201cfools\u2026 blind guides\u2026 hypocrites\u2026 serpents\u2026 brood of vipers.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Matt. 23:16-33

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With increasing lawlessness and calamities in these end-times, life will be extremely difficult, and people will be looking for answers, for peace and safety. They will be vulnerable and susceptible to false teaching, fake churches, and AI error. So Jesus warns us to\u00a0\u201csee to it\u201d,<\/em>\u00a0to be on the lookout for liars who don\u2019t tell the truth, who promote a false gospel. He wants us to be discerning, to know the difference between what is true and false, what is of God and what is of the devil. In a key prophecy passage, Paul tells us,\u00a0\u201cLet no one in any way deceive you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a02 Thess. 2:3

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Second, there will be wars and rumors of wars \u2013<\/strong>\u00a0and Jesus says they\u00a0\u201cmust take place.\u201d\u00a0<\/em>Yes, some leaders seek peace in this evil world, but only Jesus will bring true and lasting peace. Now most people in the world will be hearing about these wars, whether it\u2019s from the TV, internet, or a person. So some countries are having wars, but many will not. And if only some people are experiencing these wars, then they are only happening in\u00a0\u201cvarious places\u201d,\u00a0<\/em>which is what vs. 7 says with reference to famines and earthquakes. Rev. 6:8 substantiates this point, for it says that only a\u00a0\u201cfourth of the earth\u201d<\/em>\u00a0will be affected by these birth pains.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jesus tells you,\u00a0\u201cSee that you are not frightened\u201d,\u00a0<\/em>which is relevant for the entire end-times. And whether a person hears about these catastrophic events or experiences them, the normal, natural tendency is to be afraid. During the first week of the Iran war, this blog site saw a 50% increase in views. That\u2019s because people are fearful when they hear about wars \u2013 they worry about what might happen. So remember, Jesus tells you not to be afraid. Get truths, commands, and promises from God to bolster your faith and strengthen your soul.\u00a0\u201cDo not be afraid, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God\u2026 I will help you.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Is. 41:10

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Note what vs. 6 says \u2013\u00a0\u201cthese things must take place, but that is not yet the end,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0that is, not the end of this age. We will be witnessing more and more wars, but just because we do doesn\u2019t mean that Christ is immediately coming back, that He is\u00a0\u201cright at the door\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(vs. 33). Vss. 7-30 list many other things that need to happen before Christ returns to rapture the church.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Third and fourth, there will be famines and earthquakes<\/strong>\u00a0(vs. 7). Famines, a scarcity, a lack of food, can be caused by drought, wars, natural disasters, the economy, etc. It\u2019s easy to see how famines are now and will be occurring in this world because of the above factors. And there will be earthquakes, the sudden rupture of the earth\u2019s crust which causes a great shaking and cataclysmic damage. Again, they will not be happening in every country, in every place, but only in some places, in\u00a0\u201cvarious places.\u201d<\/em>

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Vs. 8 gives the conclusion to this passage about birth pains.\u00a0\u201cAll these things\u201d<\/em>\u00a0that we just talked about\u00a0\u201care merely the beginning of birth pains.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0This verse goes along with vs. 6 \u2013\u00a0\u201cthese things must take place, but that is not yet the end.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0I believe these verses describe the present condition of our world relative to Christ\u2019s coming, that we are at the beginning of this end-times\u2019 stage that leads to the end of this age and Christ\u2019s return to rapture the church.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A pregnant woman who is experiencing early labor, beginning birth pains, knows her baby is coming soon, and it\u2019s not usually in a few minutes, but in hours. I don\u2019t believe Christ\u2019s coming is a few years away, but at least a decade or two, if not more. As we will see in the coming verses and in the coming years, many more things must occur before believers on earth will head to heaven to be with Jesus. And only God knows how long these beginning birth pains must last before we get to the next stage, the transition, the tribulation, which we\u2019ll examine in vss. 9-14.\u00a0

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

There are a few more things I need to say about birth pains:
* These birth pains are talked about in other passages \u2013 Mark 13:5-8, Luke 21:8-11a, Rev. 6:1-8.
* Luke 21:11a includes plagues as one of the birth pains, and Rev. 6:5-6 speaks of economic distress, what seems to be hyperinflation.
* Deception, wars, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and hyperinflation have all occurred throughout history, but will be more frequent, intense, and destructive in the end times.
* God does not tell us when the birth pains start. Some think they start at the beginning of Dan. 70th<\/sup>\u00a0week and others before the beginning of this week.

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

* The birth pains are not part of God\u2019s end-times\u2019 wrath, also called the Day of the Lord. Why not? Because the birth pains (Matt. 24:4-8) occur before the signs in the heaven (Matt. 24:29) and the signs in the heavens occur before the Day of the Lord (Acts 2:19-21). Therefore, the birth pains must occur before the Day of the Lord, and thus are not part of God\u2019s end-times\u2019 wrath. Rev. 6:1-8, similar to Matt. 24:4-8, also makes it clear that these birth pains happen before God\u2019s end-times\u2019 wrath (vss. 16-17).

* The birth pains are wake-up calls, are to alert us to the fact that we are in the end-times, and that Christ is coming soon to rapture the church and pour out His wrath on earth. Pray for the saved to be spiritually awakened so they are ready for Christ\u2019s return (Rom. 13:11, Matt. 24:42), and for the lost to be spiritually shaken so they repent of their sins. Luke 13:1-5

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Matt. 24 is for our time, is for those of us who are living in these end-times, in these last years before Christ\u2019s return. More than anyone else in history, we need to know these God-given signs, for they show us that Christ will be coming soon to take us home to heaven. Matt. 24 is a great summary of what will be happening in the end-times. Might God give you the grace to study it, understand it, be stirred by it, and then share it with others.\u00a0\u201cI will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you\u201d<\/em>\u00a0(Jer. 42:4).\u00a0\u201cGo therefore and make disciples of all the nations\u2026 baptizing them\u2026 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Matt. 28:19-20

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

P.S. The road is rough in the years leading up to Christ\u2019s coming, for there will be birth pains, but God will lead, strengthen, and bless the believers on earth at that time. Here is a good summary of Matthew 24, this most important chapter for believers at this time in history \u2013\u00a0\u201cMatthew 24 \u2013 A Road Map of the End Times\u201d<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n



\u00a0
<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t