Written and published by Jean-Louis Mondon
The subject of pregnancy and childbirth are very close
and dear to my heart. Three events related to the miracle of birth occurring at
different stages in my life have caused a growing interest and a search
throughout the Bible to discover important links between the natural and
spiritual aspects of life created and sustained by our Creator and Heavenly
Father. Moreover, 3 years spent on my brother´s farm in France have taught me many
spiritual and practical lessons, one of them being the yearly birth of sheep
and goats and the assistance that these animals require all the way to the time
of delivery of their little ones.
God in his infinite wisdom has given us finite
creatures, the curiosity, imagination and thirst for knowledge to conceive and
fabricate instruments to measure time and space.
One of these instruments, the hourglass, although
archaic, except for boiling eggs! served its purpose when it was invented. I
chose it as a visual illustration of the greatest event in all of human
history, the dividing of time between BC and AD, the birth of our Lord Jesus
Christ. It is as if God took an hourglass made in heaven and chose the narrow
passage between the two parts as the dividing line between past, present and
future. When the time allotted from the
birth of Adam to the birth of Jesus had run its course, it is as if, God took
the divine hourglass, turned it upside down 180 degrees and is still letting
the grains of sand measuring time run down until his purpose is accomplished
concerning the age of grace in which we are living.
Time/Space continuum graphic
The biblical concept of correlation
between the natural birth and the spiritual birth in that order is to be found
and confirmed by Scripture. Paul, in the chapter about the resurrection of the
body explains: “…So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living
being;” the last Adam a life-giving spirit. The spiritual, however, was not first, but the natural, and then the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of
the earth, the second man from heaven.… 1 Corinthians 15:45-47.
Additionally, the Lord
Jesus during Nicodemus nightly visit explained the new second spiritual birth.
In John 3: 3-7:Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the
kingdom of God unless he is born again.” “How can a man be born when he is
old?” Nicodemus asked. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time to be
born?” Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom
of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh is born of flesh, but
spirit is born of the Spirit. Do not be amazed that I said, ‘You must be born
again."
Pregnancy and
childbirth, natural and spiritual
If the Word of God be true, and it is, proven by the
verifiable historical context of 1000s of years of fulfilled prophecies, then,
all the events described in the pages of the Bible, referring to human births,
miscarriages, the spiritual new births of individuals, families, groups of
people, nations and the inexorable aspect of the passing of time involved in
these processes lead me to conclude that we are indeed living in the last days.
The Word mentions “birth pains“ as a major sign because
it has been the longer in contiuous existence since Adam and Eve and everybody
alive at any time had a mother and a father. Well, at least until now when man
in his arrogant and prideful rebellion, is changing the laws concerning the
nature of marriage between man and a woman and legalizing wholesale,
unrestrained abortions, which in itself
is a confirmation of prophecy announcing the time of the end.
There is something about the gestation period that
doesn´t give us the luxury of choosing a middle ground between life and death.
Within the time frame of more or less 9 months, the growing baby in the womb is
going to be born dead or alive. We have a choice in the matter, but the baby
unfortunately does not.
We know who the Lord of life and the Living Word is.
His name is Jesus. We also know that the destroyer of life is satan. History
has proven, centuries after centuries that he is a real personality and not an
invention of uneducated, backwards believers in myths concocted to instill fear
designed to indoctrinate and enslave weak, credulous masses of inferior people
into submission to a ruling elite class and their subordinates.
Now we can connect the illustration of the hourglass to
the miracle of childbirth. Are we now part of the last generation that is
witnessing the inescapable motion of downward pull towards the next phase of
history?
The Bible is replete with marking the span of periods
of prophetic visions and dreams and their fulfillment exactly as the Lord spoke
through His anointed prophets. This historical fact is undeniable.
Then, why did God choose to liken the period in which
we live to a woman giving birth? By the way, the Spanish and Portuguese
translation is to “bring forth to the light”, interesting!
Prophetic
voices
Just as with the grains of sand in the hour glass, "gravity"
is the dynamic moving element driving the process of childbirth. Again, the Portuguese word for a pregnant woman is "uma mulher grávida."
Didn´t the Lord tell Abraham in Genesis 22:17: “Indeed
I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore;
and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.”
A corresponding, parallel reference to this verse echoes in the words of Jesus to Peter on the subject of faith if we consider that Abraham is the father of our faith through his spiritual progeny. Note the similarity of the 2 verses.
In Matthew 16:17-18, Jesus
replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not
revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.
If the gestation is uninterrupted and proceeds in a
normal, healthy manner, we can be sure that the birth will be successful.
The Lord in his mercy and love for his children does
not want to be ignorant of his ways.
Psalm 103:7 states: “He
made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel.” Moses was the
Lord´s instrument who experienced the divine intervention in his birth and the
subsequent protection of his life from Pharaoh who wanted to kill him. He was
also the one who prophetically, pointed ahead to a future propitious
preordained time when Jesus would be born, the one who through the Holy Spirit,
the Father would accomplish the spiritual New Birth. Acts 3:22 states: “"Moses
said, 'THE LORD GOD WILL RAISE UP FOR YOU A PROPHET LIKE ME FROM YOUR BRETHREN;
TO HIM YOU SHALL GIVE HEED to everything He says to you."
All these signs in the natural and supernatural
realms are for our instruction and benefit. In Romans 15:4 Paul reminds the believers that: “For
whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that
through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have
hope."
Now it doesn´t mean that we can and should
calculate precisely dates within the time/space dimension to predict the exact
date of the rapture divinely hidden from human knowledge . That is an impossible task at which many self-appointed greedy prophets of doom have tried and miserably failed, misleading many of their blind followers.
But we certainly can use the events predicted in
history past including the plan, the patterns, the feasts of Israel and the
many convergent signs provided by the Lord so we will not be caught unaware or
even surprised when the prophecies find fulfillment.
In addition to the wisdom and understanding granted to
us, some of the great blessings and gifts of our Father to encourage and
strengthen others through our journey are hope, faith and love without which
our pilgrimage through life would sometimes be unbearable in times of
affliction, conflicts, distress and great upheaval of all kinds, as we have
witnessed especially in the past few decades. Paul mentions several times that sharing about
the rapture comforts and helps us to stand firm in the grace and the mighty
keeping power of our loving God. 1 Thess. 4:17,18; 2 Thess. 5:11.
To respond to the skepticism and unbelief or apathy
from the detractors of dispensationalism and pre-trib millennialism who reason
and argue that America is not under judgment because it doesn´t fit their
eschatological framework and preconceived notions, I would just point out that
it is God Almighty who directs history, elevates rulers and brings down nations
by the power of his right hand and his will in his own chosen time. That is his
prerogative as the Sovereign Lord and King of the universe. As his creatures
and human subjects, we would do well to accept and align ourselves with his
will and his Word.
If there is a pressing need today more than ever, it
is to guard against deception, even coming from political movements that seek,
sometimes in a subtle ways, to change our allegiance and obedient submission to
our God and King to conform to a lesser earthly wisdom and embrace the false
hope of bringing about the Kingdom of God on earth.
God will have his way, no matter what man thinks, says
or does. Job declares in Job 42:1-3: “Then Job replied to the LORD: “I know that You can do all things and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals my counsel
without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too
wonderful for me to know.…
Every one of us is responsible for the way we respond to
the clear instructions of the Lord as we are about to witness the final stage
of the deliverance (delivery) of the Church at the glorious appearing of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
The souls and spirits of babies who were born again by
receiving the life giving seed of life will be finally delivered from the
limitations of the fleshly body when the birth pains and the last contractions
push us out in our exit toward the bright shining light beckoning us in the
clouds. Right on God´s time table, we will, in the twinkling of an eye enter through
the portal of eternity with the Lord Jesus leading the way as the faithful bridegroom
who, keeping his promise will present his bride without wrinkles or blemish to
his Father.
First, there was the invitation to “COME TO ME”, all
you who are heavy laden and I will give you rest.
Then, the command: “COME, FOLLOW ME” and I will show
you the way to the Father.
Next, another command: “COME OUT OF HER” to separate
from the apostate church and do the will and accomplish the purpose of the
Father.
Finally, we who have waited so long with faith and
hope will hear those precious words like John the Revelator: “COME UP, HITHER”
at the Rapture/Resurrection of the true Christian believers
Conclusion
Deliverance sometimes happens at our weakest point
when every else has failed. God shows up seemingly at the last minute to rescue
his people. There is always a movement from one place to another, from one
situation to another. Just read the lives of Noah, Abraham, Lot, Joseph or Moses
account of the parting of the Red Sea.
The increased persecution experienced by Christians around
the world is a sign of the end. The church of the living God, his bride is at
the stage of her last contractions. The Lord knows that we have little strength
as he told the believers at the Church of Philadelphia in Revelation 3:8.
The church is collectively going to experience her final deliverance. We, the pilgrims on this terrestrial ball get off to finally make our last flight to our heavenly home. The events marking the inexorable course of history, painful progression of the pregnancy will culminate in bringing the final big push from the earth heavenwards, unencumbered by the physical body. The words of the Lord “Come up hither” will have the irresistible power to attract all the members of the redeemed church upward to him like a super strong heavenly magnet sweeping upward around the globe the fine weightless dust of light particles responding to the Good Shepherd´s voice that guided us to our eternal destination.
Maranatha, Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly”
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