In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus was responding to the questions the disciples had asked Him on the Mount of Olives. He was foretelling future events, even some that would take place in the very spot in which He was speaking.

They asked Jesus what would be the sign of His coming and of the end or completion of the Age. That word for "coming" is parousia which means His coming as a King.

So, the following passages are about these questions.

He is talking about His second coming-when He will come back to that place on the Mount of Olives, go through the Eastern Gate and back into the Temple.

This is not to be confused with His appearing in First Thessalonians 4:16-17, where we, the Church, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

Let's look at Matthew 24:6-8:
And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; 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 pains.

Jesus said those things must first take place, but when we hear of these things that the end is not yet here. But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains. We are seeing the beginning of these pains.

That word "pains" is the same for the Hebrew word tsar and comes from the primary root of tsarar meaning pangs, pressing, or a narrow place.

All these things have to do with the beginning of a birth process.

Soon To Come
Not long ago, I had three close friends who were very pregnant. One, in particular, frequently had birth pains. This did not mean she was actually going to have the baby when the birth pangs surfaced, it was merely a sign of the event that was soon to come.

When you see, hear, and experience these events in which Jesus spoke-know that they too are only the beginning of the event that is soon to come.

We see from Hosea 5:15; 6:1: they will seek my face; in their misery they will earnestly seek me. That word -misery- or affliction is, again, tsar.

So that pressing, birth pains, or narrow place is actually causing those to say, Come, let us return to the LORD. The goodness of God leads to repentance-if you take it; if not then eventually judgment comes.

Jesus was in effect telling the disciples that day on the Mount of Olives that there would be some birth pains, the end was not yet, but those pains and pressing would get people's attention to the Lord.

In Luke 21:29, Jesus says,
Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. Even so you, too, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near.

The Fig Tree is Israel and the trees are nations of prophecy-and when they come to the forefront-you'll know that summer is near. Summer is referring to judgment and harvest. How do you know when harvest is near? The harvest is ripe.

What did Jesus do when He saw that the harvest was ripe? Well in Matthew, chapter 9, he had compassion that moved Him to action. He said to pray that harvesters be send forth, then He gathered his disciples together, gave them power and sent them forth into the harvest fields.

But this was only a temporary commission under the Old Covenant.

Fortunately, a new covenant came with an opportunity for permanent power for every believer. Jesus uses the same pattern, called the Great Commission.

In Matthew, Mark, Luke and Acts, He gathers His disciples, talks about the harvest, gives them power and sends them forth with signs following. Pentecost was a feast day that celebrated harvest. On the day of Pentecost the power for harvest was given!

The apostles James and Peter tell us why Jesus hasn't yet come. James says the Lord of the Harvest is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth-the greatest harvest of souls ever.

Peter wrote that His delay in coming is not because He lacks power or concern but because God is not willing that any man should perish but that ALL come to repentance. He wants His harvest.

Let's not argue about when Jesus is coming but let's focus on our harvest field. Bottom line is this: we are very close to the appearing of Jesus for the catching away of the Church.

So, what are we to do?

Don't Neglect Your Gift
Concerning coming judgments-let's look at an Old Covenant example of Abraham. He prayed and interceded for the people and withheld God's judgment. Noah on the other hand didn't pray: By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, in reverence, prepared... (Heb. 11:7).

Noah couldn't stop the judgment, but God warned him to prepare. There are some things you can stop, some things you can change, and some things you will go through...but remember Noah didn't drown in the judgment.

Are you ready? Are you prepared?

Every believer has a ministry and a sphere of influence for harvest. Paul told Timothy to not neglect the gift, which was in him-that special inward endowment from the Holy Ghost.

He said to practice, cultivate and meditate upon these duties; throw yourself wholly into them as your ministry, so that your progress may be evident to everybody.

Your life may be the only Bible someone ever reads. People need the Jesus in you. They need the peace you bring in troubled times. They need you to show them how to find refuge in the shadow of God's wings. It's harvest time!