Have the Labour Contractions Started? 

Life is filled with seasons. We are told, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die… “a time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1 & 8)

War is Horrific

We see wars and hear threats of war all around us. We see the absolute devastation that war causes. So many are left dead, broken, and bloodied. The war in Ukraine, and the tragic destruction, senseless brutality, and loss of life we have seen in Israel and Gaza are so heartbreaking to see.

While I fully understand the need to fight for what you believe in, the effects of war are atrocious. When you see innocent people dying, lives endangered, cities left in rubble, and the deep trauma and suffering war causes, it is very disturbing.

War is terrible and causes so much damage and heartache, but if you think you have seen the worst of war in our world, you are sadly mistaken. According to end-time prophecies in the Bible and according to what Jesus said about the end times, worse is still to come. 

Look at what Jesus told us in Matthew 24:6-8 regarding the end times…

Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.” (Matthew 24:6)

How Are We to Respond When We Hear of Wars? 

Jesus told us that when we hear of wars, we must NOT panic. 

According to Jesus, if you are a child of God, you do not need to panic when things are shaken. In other words, if you are sure of your salvation, you can stand secure no matter what happens. You don’t need to panic, no matter how bad things get, knowing that you have eternal life. 

Another time Jesus told us, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Matthew 10:28)

My friend, if you have not received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, now is the time. You may have wandered away from God. It is time to come home. One day Jesus will return, and we need to live every day ready.

If you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.

Are You Prepared? 

Many live only for the moment. Many give no thought to eternity. If your eternal future is a matter of chance, can I ask you to seriously consider your eternity? And if your walk with God is shallow, distant, or if you don’t know where you will spend your eternal future, then please make peace with God and get right with Him.

If the end came today, you do not need to panic if you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior. No matter what happens in this world, you can be at peace, if you know the Prince of Peace. His name is Jesus! 

Concerning the end times, Jesus told us that “no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.” (Matthew 24:36)

While we do not know the day or hour when the end will come, we are told that when the signs of war appear, especially in the Middle East concerning Israel, this will be a sign that we are in the last season, and we need to be prepared.  

What Did Jesus Say About the Onset of Wars? 

Jesus said, “And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic.” (Matthew 24:6)

Don’t panic! You don’t need to live in fear! You can trust in Jesus. 

Jesus continued, “Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.” (Matthew 24:6-8 NLT)

The First of the Birth Pains

Jesus spoke about the signs of war and the increase of natural disasters in many parts of the world being the first of the birth pains.

In other words, what we are seeing at present is only the beginning.

Jesus was clear: when we see the wars, hear rumors of wars, and see an increase in natural disasters, these are like the first contractions when a lady goes into labor. It is one of the signposts that the end is very near, but will not come immediately…

“Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters,  we don’t really need to write you. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3)

I am fully aware that as a man I can never fully understand birth pains, but I am a father of four sons and I know what happens when the birth pains start…

The contractions get closer and closer.

When they got to a certain point, we knew that the baby was about to arrive. I then had to rush my wife to the hospital. If I didn’t, I would put her and our baby at risk.

False Contractions

Now, let me give you a disclaimer: no one knows the day or the hour when the time will come.

Sometimes there can be false contractions, a false alarm. It happened to a friend our ours. She was pregnant. You could see she was pregnant. Her tummy was big. She had a few contractions and she rushed to the hospital only to discover that they were false contractions. The baby was not ready to come out. He only arrived 3-weeks later…

Sometimes, just like in pregnancy, we may have a false alarm or feel false contractions that are not real labor pains. These moments are still an important time to assess and get your life right with God. 

Premature Births

On the other end, I have a friend who was due to have twins. She had labor pains at 6 months. Everyone thought these birth pains were false, but do you know what happened? This lady gave birth to premature twins, 3 months earlier than the due date!

What a reminder that we need to be ready. We need to be prepared. 

Jesus told us, “In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.” (Matthew 24:22)

If Jesus arrived early, would you be ready to meet Him?

The Alarm

As a father of 4 boys, I just knew that every time my wife was pregnant and nearing her due date, when she told me she was going into labor, she was spot on. When her contractions started, with every one of our boys, I rushed her to the hospital, and within a few hours, each of my sons were born.

When my pregnant wife experienced the birth pains, they would increase in number and intensity. At each of these times, I knew I had to stop whatever I was doing and get her to the hospital without delay because she was about to give birth.

My third son, Elijah, was about to be born and my wife and I were at the hospital. I knew the baby was coming. I called for the nurse. She told me not to panic and there was time. The gynecologist had not yet arrived. Do you know what happened? I ended up catching Elijah as he shot out, even become the Doctor had arrived! Looking back, I should not have paid the Doctor for the delivery of our son because I ended up doing his job!

Back to the Birth Pains…

The start of the birth pains is not the end, but a warning that the end is near. 

When my wife was in the final weeks of pregnancy, with each of my children, I was continually on guard. I kept my phone on while in meetings just in case my wife called. I was ready. Her hospital bag was packed. And when the contractions started, we would dash to the hospital. I wanted to panic, but I knew I needed to stay calm and get her to the hospital. There was time! Yes, when the contractions reached a certain level, we knew this was the warning signal. The alarm had sounded! 

In our experience, with each of our four sons’ births, we knew each and every time that our newborn son was about to arrive when the contractions intensified.  

Jesus told us that when you see wars and hear rumors of wars, don’t panic. It’s not the end but the beginning of the birth pains. Birth pains usually increase in intensity as we get closer. It is time to get ready. 

The Bible warns us, “While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thessalonians 5:3)

Are you Ready?

In eternity, you will spend forever either in God’s kingdom or separated from God. 

Please don’t leave your salvation to chance. 

On the cross 2000 years ago, Jesus died on the cross. He could have walked away, but he chose to die because there was no other way to save mankind.

We messed up. We all fell short of God’s standard. Because of our shortcomings, we were left in trouble.

Sin cut us off from a Holy God. But thank God, this is not the end of the story.

God loved you and me so much that he sent Jesus to pay for our sins. On the cross, Jesus died as the pure spotless Lamb of God, paying the full price for our sins so that we can be forgiven and come into a relationship with God. 

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? 

Jesus warned us of the signs. There are contractions! Are they the real ones or the false ones? Who knows? Will Jesus come prematurely? Will he take a little longer? 

No one knows the day or the hour, but I do know one thing: We need to be ready! We need to be prepared!

The alarm bell is ringing. We are living in unsettling times, but don’t panic. 

We are told, “But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. ⁸ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when he returns, we can live with him forever.”(1 Thessalonians 5:4-11)

Good News

I have good news for you today. You do not need to panic! 

If you have surrendered your life to Jesus and if you are living for him, then Jesus is your Lord and Savior. If so, you can rest assured, knowing your eternity is secure. 

If you are not prepared to meet God, I have good news for you too. There is still time to turn to Jesus and surrender your life to Him. 

Jesus paid the full price to save the entire human race, not just a selected group of people. You matter to God, no matter who you are, what you have done, or where you are from. He loves you.

Today you can choose to take Jesus as your Lord and Savior, or you can reject him. The consequences of your decision will impact your peace and your eternity forever…

Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

According to the Bible, every person who dies without Jesus is lost for eternity and will spend their eternity forever separated from God in hell, regardless of who they are or where they come from.  

However, every person who surrenders their life to Jesus, taking him as their Lord and Savior finds forgiveness, can know God’s abundant peace, and will share eternity with God in heaven. 

No matter who you are, what you have done, or where you have been, today you can call on Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Today you can become a child of God and be assured of your eternity in God’s Kingdom.

The Signs of Our Times

When I hear of people dying in war and hear of others dying without knowing Jesus as their Savior, it troubles me. It absolutely breaks God’s heart, for God loves all people.

Jesus will one day return. The birth pain contractions have started. Who knows when the end will come, but we need to be prepared. Is he on his way? All the things we see at present are signs of the imminent return of Jesus. 

Jesus said, “Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near. Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world —from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven. (Matthew 24:28-32) 

Jesus went on, “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:32-33)

You don’t need to panic. You don’t need to live in fear. You don’t have to live troubled. Put your trust in Jesus. 

Jesus also told us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33 NIV)

We need to be ready.

Time is running out. The contractions have started. The alarm is ringing. Many are lost. Many need the Savior. Are you prepared?  

My friend, if you don’t know Jesus as your Lord and Savior, please consider your life. Let the birth pains be an alarm to arise and return to God before it is too late. 

Are you ready? 

Where do you stand with God?

Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior? 

Do you know the peace of God? 

If not, or if you have let go of God, come back. Get right with God.

“Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) 

Call on Jesus today! Today is your day of salvation.

If you want to start or restart your walk with God, click here to pray a simple prayer we have set up for you.