The Beginning of Labor Pains, Matthew 24:4-8

We are in Matthew chapter 24, continuing to our study of the Olivet Discourse, which is the most extensive teaching and instruction that our Lord Jesus Christ gave on future things. What is known theologically as eschatology from the Greek word ESCHATOS meaning last and last things, and LOGOS for the study or knowledge or the words about something. So eschatology is the focus here and there's quite a bit here in these and these two chapters of the Olivet Discourse, Matthew chapter 24 and Matthew chapter 25. The first part of Matthew chapter 25 because of its significance as Jesus' message. It gives a framework for understanding much of biblical prophecy. But starting down in verse 32 we are going to shift gears. I believe it still talking about future things, still talking about what will take place in the Tribulation. It is still focused upon the Jewish people and Jewish believers and the warning there, but there are many dispensational us, and there are many Christians who think that aspects of that relate to the bema seat, the judgment seat of Christ, and church age believers today. We need to spend some time understanding what the issues are there because that causes a lot of problems and a lot of confusion.

Part of the responsibility of the pastor is to in his teaching help the congregation understand how to read the Bible, so that when you're reading your Bible through once a year that you can read intelligently and you can correlate passages from Old Testament and New Testament to what you know. None of us know all these things thoroughly; I certainly don't, and I spent a little more time on this than y'all have. But it's important for you to understand what the issues are so that red flags will pop up.

This morning as we are moving along we are going to look at this first section in Matthew 24:4-8, and this is defined at the end of verse eight as "the beginning of sorrows", an important phrase that we have to understand. The word for sorrow is the word for labor pains. It is often translated "birth pangs" but I find that term to be a little bit antiquated. Labor pains don't take place during the entire period of pregnancy. They only come at the end as an immediate sign that the birth is going to happen very soon. So in terms of the context Jesus is left the temple where he is announced judgment upon the temple, that no stone would be left upon another. He walks across the Kidron Valley and takes a seated position on the far side, which is the position of rabbi would take when he was going to teach.

As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples (James and John, Peter and Andrew) came to him privately and said, "Tell us, when will these things be and when will be that what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?" And so they're asking for the sign.

What is the message of Matthew? It's the kingdom. Matthew is writing in relation to his thesis—the kingdom and the presentation of the King. All of this must be understood in relation to that purpose. Matthew and Mark don't address the first question or give details about the near fulfillment of the destruction of the temple, which occurred in AD 70 when the Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The reason Matthew doesn't address that is because it doesn't have anything to do with the kingdom; it is superfluous information. He wants to focus on that which brings about the coming of the kingdom. He tells us a lot more than any of the other Gospel writers about what Jesus said in relationship to His coming which will establish the kingdom.

The Olivet Discourse is the last thing Jesus says to the Jews about Israel. He isn't saying anything about the church, nothing in the Discourse is about church age believers or has direct application to church age believers. But it has implication for us to understand the plan and purposes of God in terms of future things.

All living church age believers will be raptured. We won't be here during these events that are described in Matthew chapters 24 or 25. It does not have the church in view because we are taken to heaven in the event known as the Rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:15ff. Note v.18: "Therefore comfort one another with these words". Eschatology is designed to be a comfort to all of us, so that we can understand what is going to happen to us when we die, what future things are going to be, and whether or not we are going to be here for some of the horrific things that are described in prophecy. Revelation 3:10, "Because you have kept the word of My perseverance" is part of the previous verse, and then the next sentence reads: "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth". The term "earth dwellers" is a reference to the unbelievers who are left on the earth after the Rapture. Those who continue in negative volition and don't accept the gospel stay as earth dwellers; those who accept the gospel become believers. Church age believers are kept from that hour of trial.

Historicism sees fulfillment all through the church age; dispensationalists have been influenced to some degree by that view. Jesus is talking here about that period which we know as the Tribulation. It is also known as Daniel's seventy weeks. Daniel had a prophecy that there would be seventy periods of seven decreed as a timeline for his people from the time that they were given the decree to go back and rebuild the city, its fortifications, until the cutting off of Messiah seven years before the end—483 years (490 years minus seven). The 483^rd year ended when Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Then there is an interval clearly in the text—the Messiah appears after the 483 years—and then it picks up again, talking about the last seven-year period, indicated by the coming prince who signs a covenant with Israel. It ends with the return of the Messiah. Daniel indicates that there is a period there at mid-point where the prince who is to come will desecrate the temple.

Daniel's seventy weeks is also referred to in Jeremiah 30:7 as the time of Jacob's trouble. The fact that it is Jacob's trouble indicates that its primary purpose is for Israel. It is not a time designated were the primary purpose is for the Gentiles, it is primarily for what God is doing in bringing the Jewish nation to recognize the Messiah.

The first part in Matthew 24:8 is described as "the beginning of labor pains". That's really important. When you read through this and He talks about wars and rumors of wars, He is not talking about the Napoleonic wars, He's not talking about the Civil War, He's not talking about the Spanish-American war and World War I and World War II, operation Desert Storm. He's talking about global catastrophic wars that occur at the first part of the Tribulation. These are signs; those other wars don't distinguish themselves at all from any other wars going all the way back into the Old Testament. For it to be a sign its unique, a true global war. Even World War II wasn't a truly global war, in the sense that these are going to be truly global wars and other events.

But Jesus says these are only the beginning of the labor pains. That term for labor pains is really important from the Old Testament because it's connected to something called the day of the Lord. We will reference some passages related to the day of the Lord and maybe I'll get a chance to talk about that. But the day of the Lord is an Old Testament term for visitation of divine judgment. But many of the passages relate to this end time judgment. And Jesus says after he talks about the first part abut the beginning of labor pains, and then in verse 14 He says, "Then the end will come".

Matthew 24:6, "The end is not yet". And then the there's increase labor pains, the second half and "then the end will come". So it's clearly making a distinction there and that tells us that both the first part and second part relate to this Tribulation period.

And then we get to Matthew 24:15 and we read, "Therefore when you see …" And that's really marked off in the text, the vocabulary indicates a real shift in talking, the drawing of a conclusion. "… the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place …" So that's clearly talking about the second half of the Tribulation.

Quite a few will take this as a marker, that from verse 15 on were talking about the second half of the Tribulation. That's true. But then they say what we cover before that is the first half of the Tribulation, and it sort of interesting how that goes. You have those who take verses 4 to 14 as referring to general signs that go through all of the present church age, and then it sort of narrows. Harry Ironside, who was the pastor of Moody Memorial Church in the 30s and 40s in Chicago, was also a Bible teacher at Dallas seminary, and he said only verses four through eight represent general signs that are in the church age, but 9 through 14 are specific events that occur within the Tribulation. So that narrows a little bit.

Then you have people like Arnold Fruchtenbaum and Stan Toussaint who will take only four through six. That's their dividing point—4 through six as the general signs, and then seven on as specific signs with in the Tribulation. They have slightly different views Fruchtenbaum attempts to identify the signs with World War I and World War II and various other things. That's the influence of historicism. Toussaint comes along and he is much more consistent with the argument because he actually wrote his doctoral dissertation on the kingdom as the argument for Matthew. He has done more work on that issue than anyone else, but he too has a view that where he sees certain general signs in verses four through six that relate to the relate to the church age.

Then when it comes to pure futurist interpretations. Dr. Ryrie's view is that all of 4 through 14 are futurist. That's the first half, and then the second half starts in 15. I'm saying no, that's wrong, and I'm not the only one who says that. People like Dwight Pentecost, Lou Barbieri, in his commentary on Matthew in the Bible knowledge commentary set, Ronald Showers who wrote the theology and doctrine articles for Israel My Glory for many years. They just released a book that he had done, or that somebody completed for him, on the Olivet Discourse. John Hart, who retired from Moody. All take the same view that I'm taking here. I think it's the one that's most consistent with the language, and this is the view that sees the first 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week being described in four through eight. This is the beginning of sorrows. This is talking about unique circumstances in the church age.

The second 3 1/2 years is then described in verses 9 through 14. Notice 9 begins very significantly with the words "then they will deliver you up to tribulation". Who is the "you"? Jesus is talking to the disciples as Jews. In the first half of the Tribulation Israel is in a peace treaty with the Antichrist. They're not being persecuted yet. It's not until the abomination of desolation halfway through that it all starts to break loose, and the treaty is broken by the Antichrist and the Jews are persecuted. Daniel says he stops the daily sacrifices. Starting from verse 9 through 14 we have a negative description of the persecution that will come upon the Jews.

The second 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week covers 9 through 12, and that's increased persecution of Jews after the Antichrist breaks his covenant. Then in verse 15 we have a "therefore". You say, well what it says there is "then the abomination of desolation." That's halfway through. Why do you say that the halfway point occurred in verse nine? Because if you remember the way Jewish history is written in a narrative, they often give you the overview, like Genesis 1 where you cover the first seven days. And then Moses comes back and in Genesis 2 he describes what happens on the sixth day and it gets more specific. This fits Jewish narrative style. Jesus summarizes the whole period, the first 3 1/2 years a second 3 1/2 years, and then He comes back and starting in verse 15 He's going to tell them what they need to do to avoid that persecution in the first half.

This whole period is described as the day of the Lord. Zechariah 14 is one passage; there are some others. Let me just point out some structural things that you need to pay attention to. First of all, several times in the passage you have the English word "then". It's added in the New King James in a couple places. For example, in verse 11 it says, "then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many". There's no "then" in the Greek text so you can just draw a line through that. But this word "then" shows progression of time, that Jesus is talking chronologically through this period of time. Matthew 24:4 He begins describing the first half. He says, "Take heed that no one deceives you, all these"—that is, everything he describes between four and eight of the beginning of sorrows—and next in verse nine He says, "Then they will deliver you". That word "then" indicates the next step in turn, in time. "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for my namesake. And then many will be offended and betray one another will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many."

Where do false prophets come? We are in the church age; you don't have prophets. Prophets is an Old Testament term. This is talk to Jews as Jews. False prophet isn't talking about Benny Hin. False prophets are talking about false prophets in a Jewish context. That always has a Jewish overtone; we are talking to Jews as Jews. They are not going understand false prophets as somebody going to Greece are going to Egypt or going someplace else. They are talking about what will happen in Israel in the second half the Tribulation, about the rise of these false prophets and false Messiahs. And who's going to end up there? The Antichrist and the false prophet are the chief among many. Matthew 24:11 ^NASB “Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many". That's the significance of this word TOTE in the Greek, translated "then". The Greek lexicon says it is used to introduce that which follows in time. It's a chronological marker.

What happens after that? "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations." He's talking to them as Jews. Gentiles are going to hate you. Anti-Semitism is going to go off on steroids, and it's going to make the contemporary Moslems and the Nazis look like wannabes. It's going to be open season on Jews in the second half of the Tribulation.

Jesus describes it. Matthew 24:10 ^NASB “At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another … [14] This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."

Gospel of the kingdom isn't the gospel of Jesus Christ. It includes it, but it goes back to the gospel of the kingdom, which was what John the Baptist preached: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand". Jesus: "Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." His disciples: "Repent for the kingdom of

heaven is at hand." It is an announcement of the kingdom! That includes trusting in Jesus as Messiah who died for your sins, but it's more than that; it is because the kingdom is about to come.

Matthew 24:16 ^NASB "then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains." Matthew 24:21 ^NASB “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." This is in the details given on the second half of the Tribulation. "Great tribulation": it is going to intensify; the Tribulation is going to get worse. The terms is used one other time, in Revelation 7, talking about the mass of martyrs who are killed in the first seal judgments, and the angel says, "These are those who came out of the great tribulation." Walvoord made the error, of throwing all three judgments—seal, trumpet and bowls—into the second half, which is a bad exegetical decision.

We have to pay attention to the chronology within the text second before in verse seven is important. I mentioned that, although they take slightly different positions, both Arnold Fruchtenbaum and Stan Toussaint, who are great scholars, divided between verse six and verse seven when they said that four through six is general trends of the church age, 7 and on, not. The problem with that is verse seven begins with this word "for". In the Greek it's a GAR, and it is explaining the verse before. So you can put verse six to describe one thing and verse seven to describe something else. In verse seven is an explanation of verse six. Verse six is about wars and rumors of wars and verse seven explains what they're going to be like. Nation will rise against nation kingdom against kingdom, and then He adds additional information: there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. These are famines, pestilences, and earthquakes unlike any we have ever seen. Both Daniel and in this passage, Matthew, describes the tribulation, this day of the Lord, as unlike any period in human history. We can't even imagine the horrors of this.

The third thing to point out when you read this is the phrase in Matthew 24:6, "but the end is not yet", indicating that He is talking about something close to the end. It's not yet. Matthew 24:8 says that these are the beginning of sorrows: not the beginning of the church age, but the beginning of sorrows, the beginning of the labor pains. Labor pains come at the end. And then verse nine, "Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you." That tells us that there's a period before where Israel is safe, and then the period that comes after.

What we see her is that Matthew 24:4-8 describes the first half of the Tribulation, and Matthew 24:9-14 describes the second half of the Tribulation. The second half focuses on the intensified hostility toward Jews in Israel during that second half of the Tribulation. It's going to get really bad. That's when the Antichrist desecrates the temple everybody has to worship him, and this is when Jesus is going to warn them. He describes in verses 9-14, all the horrors, and then verse 15 He says how to get away from it when they see this happen. They are to immediately flee to the mountains.

A hard break occurs there in 24:15 when Jesus says, "Therefore when". He's going back and giving's a different approach to that second half than what He gave in verses 9 through 14. He's providing the solution for Israeli-based, not for some Jewish believers living in Houston Texas. This is talking about Jews living in Jerusalem and Judea. It's very clear: When you see these things happen, get out of Dodge.

Jesus answered and said to them, "Take heed that no one deceives you." The word for take heed is the Greek word BLEPO, but which means to, watch to pay attention to something, to stay alert. "Be careful to watch for these things". He's warning them "…that no one deceives you". There's going to be massive deception through all of the Tribulation period. In verses four and five He repeats this, He says, "Take heed that no one deceives you, many will come in my name, saying, I am the Messiah, and will deceive many". He's talking to them as Jews. This is going to happen in Israel. It may happen in other parts of the world, but he's not talking about that. This is specifically targeting Israel and Jews.

Verse 11 is the second half of the Tribulation. This intensifies: "And many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." They will actually cause many to follow them.

Verse 24, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect." They are real signs and wonders; they are not coming from God. The Bible clearly says that through the power of Satan false prophets can heal. The antichrist will heal, he will perform real miracles, but they are not from God. That's why you can't follow after people who claim to heal. Even if they did heal somebody, Deuteronomy 13 says even if the false prophet signs come true they're given to you to test whether you will obey the Lord your God. Are you going to put the word of God over experience?

So you go to Benny Hin and he, you know, waves his magic wand and you jump up and walk out, or you see somebody jump up and walk out of their wheelchair, and maybe they really do. I had one lady swore up and down the she was cured from cancer. I said great. Went to Deuteronomy 13. Jesus gave you that experience to see if you going to believe the experience over his Word. His Word says that's not what you think it is. She didn't care, like most people today. They prefer experience over the truth of God's Word.

So then we have this important phrase here that this is the beginning of labor pains. That relates it in Isaiah 13:6 -13, or Jeremiah 30:6-7, the passage that talks about the time of Jacob's trouble. Those are connected contextually to the day of the Lord. That tells us something important: that the whole seven year period of the Tribulation is identified inter-textually with the day of the Lord. That's very important understand.

This fits with what Jesus is teaching that was Jewish expectation of the time. The idea in ancient Judaism became entrenched that the coming of the Messiah would be preceded by greatly increased suffering. This will last seven years, and then unexpectedly the Messiah will come. That idea was already there.

Another author said a prominent feature of Jewish eschatology as represented by the rabbinic literature was the time of trouble preceding Messiah's coming. That was called the birth pangs of the Messiah, sometimes more briefly translated "the messianic woes". So there's obviously time of expectation in the inter-testamental period and an understanding of certain facets of the future that were correct.

Isaiah 13:8 talks about this phrase, "the beginning of birth pangs," and says people will be afraid, pangs and sorrows will take hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth. They will be amazed at one another. Their faces will be like flames.

This will be a horrific time, a terrible time. The only way to escape it is to trust in Christ as Savior. It doesn't mean we, as church age believers avoid all suffering or all persecution. Certainly, church history has witnessed horrific examples of the persecution of believers. We can go back to the Protestant Reformation. You can go to the Reformation in England and the hundreds that were burned alive at the stake by Mary Tudor, who was referred to as "Bloody Mary". You can go right now to northern Syria and northern Iraq, and tens of thousands of Christians are being slaughtered for their faith. They are being tortured for their faith. So the Rapture is not an escape from lowercase tribulation and suffering, it is to tell us that we will not be the recipients of the wrath of the Lamb, the wrath of God during the time of Daniel's 70th week.

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