From Mark 13:-18 / Birth Pains – It is important to read these words of Jesus carefully. In His opening to unfolding when Jerusalem will fall (which came about in 70 AD) He also gives them 2 warnings. Two things which will characterize the entire time between His ascension and His return. 1. False Christ’s and self-proclaimed Messiahs will pop up all over the place. There will be many of them, and they will lead many astray. The Jim Joneses, David Koreshes, Sun Myung Moons and countless others are to be expected. Ignore them. 2. Wars, rumors of wars, geo-political upheavals, earthquakes and famines will be prevalent too. But these, are just the “beginnings of the birth pains.” They are not the “signs of the times” that so many assure us prove Jesus must return in our lifetime. He may. But since these things will be part and parcel of the whole intervening time – His counsel is to be aware that this is the way it will be all along. He will summarize how we are to live in this knowledge in vs. 37 “And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” That’s all. Don’t run, hide, panic or grow overly anxious. Stay awake. Follow Him. When He comes – you won’t be able to miss it.