We are hearing, but not listening, We are looking but don’t see.

             

Not long ago I received an email that warned me that the area I live in (the west coast of North America) will one day experience an earthquake, not a small one, we have experienced those before, but one with a high number on the Richter scale.

Be prepared it said, do this and have that, all excellent advice.

It reminded me of a passage I read shortly before that, it said:

“And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of war; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs”.  Some may recognize this as a quote from Jesus in a private conversation with His disciples.

Wars and talk about wars are nearly always going on somewhere in the world. Earthquakes, slight ones and severe ones, are no exception either. Famines are not very common in most parts of the world. Other areas have a continual problem to feed the people.

The purpose of Jesus statement was, and still is, that life on earth will get worse before it gets better. Birth pangs are still here.

Hurricanes, large forest fires, floods, droughts, etc are part of our lives. Are they birth pangs? Yes, they are!                                                                           

A new life does start when the birth pangs are over! This new life starts with the answer to the disciples’ question:  Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Are we only hearing and not listening? Are we only looking and not seeing?

References are from the New Testament, the gospel of Matthew chapters 23 and 24. I strongly recommend reading those chapters as a complete background. They are the words of The Almighty!