Birth Pains

First Haiti, now Chile. Experts on the news are debating whether world-wide seismic activity is increasing. We see images of great suffering as thousands are displaced, homeless or dead. Jesus said, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains" (Matthew 24:7-8).

There's no denying that our world is in turmoil. Economic foundations that once were strong are now crumbling. Wars and terror continue to rage. Natural disasters seem to strike with great frequency. What are we to make of it all? Is this the beginning of the end? Are these the birth pains that will bring about the consummation of this age and the advent of the age to come?

Well, yes and no. Yes, these are signs of the coming end of this world. Jesus said these types of things would happen in the days leading up to His return and the final judgment. When wars break out or the earth trembles, we are supposed to be reminded of Jesus' words, that this broken world must experience birth pains in anticipation of the new creation.

But then again, no, the events we are witnessing around our world are not signs that enable us to pinpoint the date of Jesus' return. He may return tomorrow, just as God could have chosen to send Him back a thousand years ago. What we are witnessing in the news is just what people have witnessed for two thousand years (really much longer than that): a sin-broken world groaning for redemption. We may see it all in real-time through the relentless stream of live media, but suffering in our world is nothing new.

Jesus told us wars and earthquakes are signs that He will return, that God won't abandon His people in His creation, no matter how corrupt we become in our sinfulness. And we are to live with the expectation and hope that Jesus will return in our lifetime, to live as though "it is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:33). And yet we are also to carry on with the mission Jesus gave us, to continuing sharing the good news and loving people in Jesus' name.

So, as we witness suffering in Haiti and Chile, in Afghanistan and Sudan, we should rejoice in the good news that one day Jesus will return and put all things right. But we should also mourn with those who suffer and show them love just as Jesus has shown us love.