Another "Birth Pang"?

It seem a though Earth is in the middle of another "birth pang" that should be recognized as an indication that we are near the end. Jesus said, " MT 24:4 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, `I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

He went on to add much more including verse 9 which says," Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.


I felt that during the time of "The Tsunami" in the Indian Ocean, several earthquakes and other natural disasters that stuck in a short time period, we were witnessing a "birth pang". Another seems to have come about the time the stock market began its recent crash.

July 1, 2008 I published, "What in the World is Going on" it included the following paragraph:
In the last 45 days we have had leading the news stories of rice shortage, a devastating storm in Myanmar, earthquakes in (China, Reno Nv., Japan, Greece) a volcano in Chile, A years worth of acreage burned up in the U.S. before summer, Oil and Gas out of control, a pitiful primary election, the U.S. economy going south fast, and the islamofascists rattling constantly. If this is not a "birth pang" (Matt 24:4-8) then I don't know what is. People in general are full of tension, they can feel it. Everywhere everything is about to explode

On Oct 10, 2008 I published "WOW, is a Famine Next?", it was in relation to the banking/mortgage/global economic crises.

Now we seem to be in another "Birth Pang". It began with Hamas taunting Israel, with rocket fire, from the Gaza Stripe, and Israel retaliating. There were also a few large Earthquakes, including the one near Japan and Russia, floods in the western U.S. and a cold snap. Then George Bush made a comment about separate sovereign states for Israel and the Palestinians. The result was a reversal of the January rise in the stock market to a 5.5% loss. It is too early to tell if the Inauguration of Barak Obama is part of the "Birth pang' of judgement.
"Birth Pangs" of judgement are directly related to support, or lack of, for Israel. There is an excellent book on this subject detailing judgements on America for not supporting Israel by Bill Koenig. his website is Http://www.watch.org/index.html?mcat=1
One thing for certain, the "birth pangs" are getting closer together!

Since I posted this we can add: 1 Kentucky ice storm, a super cold January, 3 volcanoes (Hawaii, Japan, Alaska), a deeping faster falling Global ecomony (so says Prime Minister Brown and President Obama) and a double wammy snowstorm in southern England, where the people don't own snowshovels or plows. Even the Tube can't run. They are crippled there!

Heart

This is going to be a little different post for me because it is going to be a little personal. We give away a little of ourselves in everything we do, right, and say, but this is straight out. maybe someone else is in the same place>
About the beginning of December. I began to sense the Lord saying, "press in". Each time I did there was an immediate response - very unusual! Then it seemed for the next two weeks that he wasn't there at all. It was like living the passage in Song of Solomon where she is standing on the wall looking, but not seeing her beloved.
SS 5:6 I opened for my lover,
but my lover had left; he was gone.
My heart sank at his departure.
I looked for him but did not find him.
I called him but he did not answer.

SS 5:7 The watchmen found me
as they made their rounds in the city.
They beat me, they bruised me;
they took away my cloak,
those watchmen of the walls!

And, yes, during that time I seemed to be hypersensitive to the attacks of the World and enemies of Christ around me. The experience brought up anger in me that I thought was long gone. Call it dross driven to the surface by the refiners fire so that it can be removed. When it was flicked away I saw a heart revealed in the surface of the shiny new gold.
My walk had become too heady of late. I had a 12 inch problem I needed to get God out of my head and back into my heart where he belonged. Suddenly I began to notice heart and love in every word, sermon, and song.


SS 8:6 Place me like a seal over your heart,
like a seal on your arm;
for love is as strong as death,
its jealousy unyielding as the grave.
It burns like blazing fire,
like a mighty flame.

SS 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love;
rivers cannot wash it away.
If one were to give
all the wealth of his house for love,
it would be utterly scorned.

I have never been a student of Psalms, but now is apparently the time. If David had a "heart after God's own heart" then there must be some nuggets waiting there for me. New testament reading will be John and John's Epistles.
I finish with the lyrics of a Bryan Duncan song:

A Heart Like Mine

Of all the hearts in the world
I've only one to give
So insecure, a desperate pulse
Racing to Your embrace
That You could want me and seek me
Is more than words could ever say
That You would love me and see in me
A pearl of price, thrown away

Chorus
A heart like mine
How could it be worthy that You'd find
A way to redeem this hardened clay
Twisted and broken
Oh Father God above
The wonder that You'd love a heart like mine

Your holy hands hold me still
Shaping my heart anew
Once vacant shell now reclaimed
Offers its praise to You
The one who searched till You found me
A wounded lamb whose gone astray
You stopped the world to recover me
Oh Lamb of God, the price You've paid

Repeat Chorus

I make my promise to
Do the one thing I can do with abandon
I can give every heartbeat to You