BIRTH PANGS

THE GREEK WORD ŌDIN Jesus described the troubles before His return with a word every mother understands: labor pains. “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:8 KJV The Greek word translated “sorrows” is ὠδίνων, ōdinōn, from ὠδίν, ōdin. Strong’s G5604. It means birth pangs. Read that verse again with the meaning in view. Jesus said these events are the beginning of labor. He had just warned about deception, wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. He also told them the end was not yet. There was more coming. Matthew 24:4 to 8. A few quiet minutes between contractions don’t mean the baby changed its mind. Labor is still underway. As delivery approaches, the pains generally grow stronger and closer together. Jesus chose a picture with an outcome. Now put Matthew 24 beside Revelation 6. Jesus warns about war and famine. John sees peace taken from the earth, food selling at brutal prices, and death given authority over a fourth of the earth. Read them together and look at the parallels. Matthew 24:6 to 8. Revelation 6:4 to 8. Then follow the judgments through Revelation. At the trumpets, a third of the sea becomes blood and a third of its living creatures die. At the bowls, the sea becomes like the blood of a dead man, and every living creature in it dies. The rivers and springs become blood too. Revelation 8:8 to 11. Revelation 16:3 and 4. That is an escalation you can actually follow in the text. The devastation grows as the judgments unfold. Revelation also uses the language of childbirth directly. “And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.” Revelation 12:2 KJV “Travailing in birth” comes from the related Greek verb ὠδίνω, ōdinō. Strong’s G5605. It means to suffer the pains of childbirth. Matthew uses the noun. John uses the related verb. Look at the woman’s sun, moon, and stars. We’ve seen that picture before, in Joseph’s dream. His father even understood the family connection when he heard it. Genesis 37:9 and 10. Those details point to Israel, through whom the Messiah came. Her child, who will rule the nations, points to Jesus Christ. John’s vision reaches back to Christ’s birth and ascension, then describes the woman’s persecution and protection. That gives this particular birth its context. Revelation 12:5 and 6, 13 and 14. Paul uses ōdin again in 1 Thessalonians 5:3. People are saying “Peace and safety” when sudden destruction comes upon them like labor upon a pregnant woman. Apparently, the world’s confidence about its future won’t be much of a forecasting tool. Paul’s point is that judgment overtakes them suddenly, and they will not escape. His instruction to believers is clear: watch and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 to 6. Jesus gave the warning ahead of time. We ought to pay attention to the words He chose. Revelation 19 shows where these events are headed. Christ returns, the nations gather to fight Him, and their rebellion is crushed. The King doesn’t need their permission to take His throne. #MoreJoyMinistries