Mark 13:1-13 (NKJV)
1 Then as He went out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here!" 2 And Jesus answered and said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down." 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?"
5 And Jesus, answering them, began to say: "Take heed that no one deceives you. 6 For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am He,' and, 'The time has drawn near.' Therefore do not go after them. Luke 21:8c and will deceive many.
7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes σεισμός in various places, and there will be famines and troubles ταραχή (Lk pestilence λοιμός). These are the beginnings of sorrows.
9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Mark 13:1-13
Jesus’ Dramatic Farewell Prophecy
Intro –Background: Jews perspective that the Messiah would lead them to victory against the enemies of Judaism.
Jesus cleanses the Temple, commends the widow and teaches the people prior to His leaving the temple, for what appears to be the last time.
1 Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to His disciples, 2 saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. 3 Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. 4 For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. 5 But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments. 6 They love the best places at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7 greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called by men, 'Rabbi, Rabbi.' 8 But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. 9 Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
10 And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ.
11 But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 13 But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. 14 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16 Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.' 17 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18 And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.' 19 Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20 Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it. 21 He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it. 22 And he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by Him who sits on it. 23 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. 24 Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! 25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' 31 Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!' " Matthew 23:1-39 (NKJV)
It will be a Time of Total Devastation 1-4
Some of these stones were 40’ long 12’ high weighing 150 tons!
The Temple will be destroyed
God’s presence is now Ichabod “No Glory”. 1 Sam 4.21
Josephus reporting on the destruction of Jerusalem:
After this, I shall relate the barbarity of the tyrants toward the people of their own nation, as well as the indulgence of the Romans in sparing foreigners; and how often Titus, out of his desire to preserve the city and the temple, invited the seditious to come to terms of accommodation. I shall also distinguish the sufferings of the people, and their calamities; how far they were afflicted by the sedition, and how far, by the famine, and at length were taken. Nor shall I omit to mention the misfortunes of the deserters, nor the punishments inflicted on the captives; as also how the temple was burnt against the consent of Caesar; and how many sacred things that had been laid up in the temple, were snatched out of the fire; the destruction also of the entire city, with the signs and wonders that went before it ; and the taking the tyrants captive, and the multitude of those that were made slaves , and into what different misfortunes they were every one distributed. Moreover, what the Romans did to the remains of the wall; and how they demolished the strong-holds that were in the country; and how Titus went over the whole country, and settled its affairs; together with his return to Italy, and his triumph. Source: http://www.bible.ca/pre-flavius-josephus-70AD-Mt24-fulfilled.htm
"...the rebels shortly after attacked the Romans again, and a clash followed between the guards of the sanctuary and the troops who were putting out the fire inside the inner court; the latter routed the Jews and followed in hot pursuit right up to the Temple itself. Then one of the soldiers, without awaiting any orders and with no dread of so momentous a deed, but urged on by some supernatural force, snatched a blazing piece of wood and, climbing on another soldier's back, hurled the flaming brand through a low golden window that gave access, on the north side, to the rooms that surrounded the sanctuary. As the flames shot up, the Jews let out a shout of dismay that matched the tragedy; they flocked to the rescue, with no thought of sparing their lives or husbanding their strength; for the sacred structure that they had constantly guarded with such devotion was vanishing before their very eyes.
...No exhortation or threat could now restrain the impetuosity of the legions; for passion was in supreme command. Crowded together around the entrances, many were trampled down by their companions; others, stumbling on the smoldering and smoked-filled ruins of the porticoes, died as miserably as the defeated. As they drew closer to the Temple, they pretended not even to hear Caesar's orders, but urged the men in front to throw in more firebrands. The rebels were powerless to help; carnage and flight spread throughout.
Most of the slain were peaceful citizens, weak and unarmed, and they were butchered where they were caught. The heap of corpses mounted higher and higher about the altar; a stream of blood flowed down the Temple's steps, and the bodies of those slain at the top slipped to the bottom.
When Caesar failed to restrain the fury of his frenzied soldiers, and the fire could not be checked, he entered the building with his generals and looked at the holy place of the sanctuary and all its furnishings, which exceeded by far the accounts current in foreign lands and fully justified their splendid repute in our own.
As the flames had not yet penetrated to the inner sanctum, but were consuming the chambers that surrounded the sanctuary, Titus assumed correctly that there was still time to save the structure; he ran out and by personal appeals he endeavored to persuade his men to put out the fire, instructing Liberalius, a centurion of his bodyguard of lancers, to club any of the men who disobeyed his orders. But their respect for Caesar and their fear of the centurion's staff who was trying to check them were overpowered by their rage, their detestation of the Jews, and an utterly uncontrolled lust for battle.
Most of them were spurred on, moreover, by the expectation of loot, convinced that the interior was full of money and dazzled by observing that everything around them was made of gold. But they were forestalled by one of those who had entered into the building, and who, when Caesar dashed out to restrain the troops, pushed a firebrand, in the darkness, into the hinges of the gate Then, when the flames suddenly shot up from the interior, Caesar and his generals withdrew, and no one was left to prevent those outside from kindling the blaze. Thus, in defiance of Caesar's wishes, the Temple was set on fire.
While the Temple was ablaze, the attackers plundered it, and countless people who were caught by them were slaughtered. There was no pity for age and no regard was accorded rank; children and old men, laymen and priests, alike were butchered; every class was pursued and crushed in the grip of war, whether they cried out for mercy or offered resistance.
Through the roar of the flames streaming far and wide, the groans of the falling victims were heard; such was the height of the hill and the magnitude of the blazing pile that the entire city seemed to be ablaze; and the noise - nothing more deafening and frightening could be imagined.
There were the war cries of the Roman legions as they swept onwards en masse, the yells of the rebels encircled by fire and sword, the panic of the people who, cut off above, fled into the arms of the enemy, and their shrieks as they met their fate. The cries on the hill blended with those of the multitudes in the city below; and now many people who were exhausted and tongue-tied as a result of hunger, when they beheld the Temple on fire, found strength once more to lament and wail. Peraea and the surrounding hills, added their echoes to the deafening din. But more horrifying than the din were the sufferings.
The Temple Mount, everywhere enveloped in flames, seemed to be boiling over from its base; yet the blood seemed more abundant than the flames and the numbers of the slain greater than those of the slayers. The soldiers climbed over heaps of bodies as they chased the fugitives."
References: Josephus' account appears in: Cornfield, Gaalya ed., Josephus, The Jewish War (1982); Duruy, Victor, History of Rome vol. V (1883).
Source: "The Romans Destroy the Temple at Jerusalem, 70 AD," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2005).
AND…
Josephus and Atrocities: Book VI, Chapter III, Section 4 (Entire)
Now there was a certain woman that dwelt beyond Jordan, her name was Mary; her father was Eleazar, of the village Bethezub, which signifies the House of Hyssop. She was eminent for her family and her wealth, and had fled away to Jerusalem with the rest of the multitude , and was with them besieged therein at this time. The other effects of this woman had been already seized upon; such I mean as she had brought with her out of Perea, and removed to the city. What she had treasured up besides, as also what food she had contrived to save, had also been carried off by the rapacious guards, who came every day running into her house for that purpose. This put the poor woman into a very great passion, and by the frequent reproaches and imprecations she cast at these rapacious villains, she had provoked them to anger against her; but none of them, either out of the indignation she had raised against herself, or out of the commiseration of her case, would take away her life ; and if she found any food, she perceived her labours were for others, and not for herself; and it was now become impossible for her any way to find any more food, while the famine pierced through her very bowels and marrow, when also her passion was fired to a degree beyond the famine itself: nor did she consult with anything but with her passion and the necessity she was in. She then attempted a most unnatural thing; and snatching up her son, who was a child sucking at her breast, she said, "O thou miserable infant! for whom shall I preserve thee in this war, this famine, and this sedition ? As to the war with the Romans, if they preserve our lives, we must be slaves! The famine also will destroy us, even before that slavery comes upon us; yet are these seditious rogues more terrible than both the other. Come on; be thou my food, and be thou a fury to these seditious varlets and a byeword to the world, which is all that is now wanting to complete the calamities of us Jews." As soon as she had said this, she slew her son; and then roasted him, and ate one half of him , and kept the other half by her concealed. Upon this the seditious come in presently, and smelling the horrid scent of this food, they threatened her that they would cut her throat immediately if she did not shew them what food she had gotten ready. She replied, that she had saved a very fine portion of it for them; and withal uncovered what was left of her son. Hereupon they were seized with a horror and amazement of mind, and stood astonished at the sight; when she said to them "This is mine own son; and what hath been done was mine own doing! Come, eat of this food; for I have eaten of it myself! Do not you pretend to be either more tender than a woman, or more compassionate than a mother; but if you be so scrupulous, and do abominate this my sacrifice, as I have eaten the one half, let the rest be reserved for me also." After which, those men went out trembling, being never so much affrighted at anything as they were at this, and with some difficulty they left the rest of that meat to the mother. Upon which, the whole city was full of horrid action immediately; and while everyone laid this miserable case before their own eyes, they trembled, as if this unheard-of-action had been done by themselves. So those that were thus distressed by the famine were very desirous to die ; and those already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not live long enough either to hear or see such miseries.
It will be a Time of Spiritual Deception 5-6
Wake up!
Watch out!
Wise up!
So, not only do you have the total destruction of the Temple and the ritualistic religion of works, but Jesus also warns about false teachings. Note the following:
Church-in-a-Pub, Ft Worth/Boston/Portland
With mainline religious congregations dwindling across America, a scattering of churches is trying to attract new members by creating a different sort of Christian community. They are gathering around craft beer.
Some church groups are brewing it themselves, while others are bring the Holy Mysteries to a taproom. The result is not sloshed congregants; rather, it's an exploratory approach to do church differently.
Leah Stanfield stands at a microphone across the room from the beer taps and reads this evening's gospel message.
She's a 28-year-old leasing agent who's been coming to here in Fort Worth, Tex., for a year, and occasionally leads worship.
"I find the love, I find the support, I find the non-judgmental eyes when I come here," she says. "And I find friends that love God, love craft beer."
Every Sunday evening, 30 to 40 people gather at Zio Carlo brewpub to order pizza and pints of beer, to have fellowship, and have church — including communion.
Pastor Philip Heinze and his Calvary Lutheran Church sponsor Church-in-a-Pub, whose formal name is the Greek word, Kyrie.
Some patrons are understandably confused. They come in for a brew and there's a religious service going on in their bar. They expected Trivia Night and they get the Holy Eucharist.
"I tell 'em, it's a church service," says bartender Les Bennett, "And they're, like, 'In a pub?' And I'm, like, yeah. Some of 'em stick around for trivia, some of 'em take off, some of 'em will hang out and have another pint or two."
That's one of the objectives: A guy sits at the bar nursing a beer, he overhears the Gospel of Luke, he sees people line up to take bread and wine, he gets curious. Phil Heinze says pub church has now become an official — if edgy — Lutheran mission.
"I'm not interested, frankly, in making more church members," Heinze. "I'm interested in having people have significant relationships around Jesus. And if it turns out to be craft beer, fine."
Source: John Burnett/NPR
Illustration - False Messiah’s
Welcome to the Divine Truth website! My name is Alan John Miller, and many of my friends call me AJ. The beautiful woman you see with me is Mary Suzanne Luck. Just a little over 2000 years ago, we arrived on the earth for the first time. My name then was Yeshua ben Yosef, or the Jesus of the Bible, the son of Joseph and Mary. Mary's name then was Mary of Magdala, the woman identified in the Bible as Mary Magdalene. Mary was my wife then, and the first person I appeared to after I was crucified.
Because of my personal desire and passion for God, as I grew, I recognized not only that I was the Messiah that was foretold by ancient prophets, but also that I was in a process designed by God that all humans could follow, if they so desired.
I called this process becoming "Born Again". It is the process of the human soul being transformed into the Divine, the process of becoming At-One with God. Many persons who were connected with me in the 1st century came to know and follow this path while on earth, the most notable person being Mary Magdalene, who is my soul mate, and who was actually married to me in the 1st century, and was pregnant with our daughter when I died.
Sergey Anatolyevitch Torop, also known as Vissarion, claims to be the second coming of Jesus Christ. A Siberian son of God, Vissarion certainly dresses the part, as evidenced by this photo, which may be why he's been able to attract over 10,000 followers.
His sect, the Church of the Last Testament, exists in the deep forest of Siberia. It blends "elements of the Russian Orthodox Church with Buddhism, apocalypticism, collectivism, and ecological values," according to Atlas Obscura.
Inri Cristo of Brazil has been traveling the world since the late 1970s, speaking and claiming he's the reincarnation of Christ. Like many others on this list, Cristo has had his share of trouble with the law, even being kicked out of some countries, including the United States.
Unlike many other Jesus Christ claimants on this list, Cristo's arrest record doesn't come from violent crimes, but rather disorderly conduct from his public appearances.
Source for all three of the above: http://news.discovery.com/history/religion/jesus-christ-imposters-20130719.htm
Jesus had strong words concerning false teachings and false teachers. Be alert and be wary!
7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be earthquakes σεισμός in various places, and there will be famines and troubles ταραχή (Lk pestilence λοιμός). These are the beginnings of sorrows
It will be a Time of Continual Desolation 7-8
Wars and rumor of wars – don’t be dismayed; for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.
Nation vs nation
WWI, WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan.
Genocide – Muslim vs Christian, Nazi’s vs Jews & undesirables
Kingdom vs kingdom
Spiritual warfare between Satan and the believers in Christ Jesus
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).
Earthquakes
Earthquake intensity and frequency have increased. For example, between 1986 and 1996 (incl), a period of 11 years, there were "just" 15 earthquakes listed by USGS of magnitude 7.0 or greater. This is not markedly different (albeit a slight decrease) from previous (similar periods) of 20th century, where an average of about 18 might be expected.
But between 1997 and 2007 (incl), a period of only 11 years, there were 99 earthquakes with magnitude 7.0 or greater : This is more than a six-fold increase on the previous similar period - and is a stark increase on any earlier decades in 20th century too.
DATES FROM & TO PERIOD NO. EARTHQUAKES (Mag. > 6.99)
--------------------------- ----------- ------------------------------
1863 to 1900 incl 38 yrs 12
1901 to 1938 incl 38 yrs 53 Reference list 1901 to 1938
1939 to 1976 incl 38 yrs 71 Reference list 1939 to 1976
1977 to 2014 incl * 38 yrs 164 (to Mar. 2011) predict >190 in total. Reference list 1977 to date
Source: http://www.earth.webecs.co.uk/
The number of estimated deaths from 2000-2012 was 813,856.
Source: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php
Famines
With the expert’s predictions of a coming worldwide famine, one wonders with all our technological skills, why we haven’t conquered famines. There are several countries suffering through famines right now. In my opinion, it appears to be predominately in the African Continent. That is subject to change. Sadly, we have embraced our government’s idea of turning corn into ethanol instead of helping to feed those ravaged by famine.
Troubles/Pestilences-
There are diseases in the world right now which could wipe humanity out, if God allowed it. One of the signs of the “sorrows” is troubles or pestilences.
The Hot Zone: A Terrifying True Story is a best-selling[1] 1994 non-fiction bio-thriller by Richard Preston about the origins and incidents involving viral hemorrhagic fevers, particularly ebolaviruses and marburgviruses. The basis of the book was Preston's 1992 New Yorker article "Crisis in the Hot Zone".
The filoviruses Ebola virus (EBOV), Sudan virus (SUDV), Marburg virus (MARV), and Ravn virus (RAVV) are Biosafety Level 4 agents. Biosafety Level 4 agents are extremely dangerous to humans because they are very infectious, have a high case-fatality rate, and there are no known prophylactics, treatments, or cures. Along with describing the history of the diseases caused by these two Central African diseases, Ebola virus disease (EVD) and Marburg virus disease (MVD), Preston describes an incident in which a relative of Ebola virus named Reston virus (RESTV), was discovered in Reston, Virginia, less than fifteen miles (24 km) away from Washington, DC. The virus found was a mutated form of the original Ebola virus, and was initially mistaken for Simian Hemorrhagic Fever (SHV) The original Reston, VA, facility located at 1946 Isaac Newton Square was torn down sometime between 1995 and 1998.[2] http://www.ask.com/wiki/The_Hot_Zone?o=2800&qsrc=999&ad=doubleDown&an=apn&ap=ask.com
*These are the beginnings of sorrows. The word sorrow comes from a Greek word which refers to two things. The first is the “throes of death” or the signs of death.
Symptoms and Signs that Death Is Near
Barbara Karnes, RN, an expert on the dynamics of dying, lists the usual and normal physical signs and symptoms of approaching death in her book Gone From My Sight: The Dying Experience.
One to three months prior to death, your loved one is likely to:
• Sleep or doze more
• Eat and drink less
• Withdraw from people and activities previously found pleasurable
• Be less – or if they are a child, more – communicative
One to two weeks prior to death, your loved may be bed bound and experiencing:
• Increased pain, which can be treated
• Changes in blood pressure, respiratory rate, and heart rate
• Continued loss of appetite and thirst and difficulty taking medications by mouth
• Decline in bowel and bladder output
• Changes in sleep-wake patterns
• Temperature fluctuations that may leave the skin cool, warm, moist, or pale
• Constant fatigue
• Congested breathing from the build-up of secretions at the back of the throat, which can be very distressing for family members. but which isn't painful and can be managed
• Disorientation or seeing and talking to people who aren't there
The hallucinations and visions, especially if they are of long-gone loved ones, can be comforting. If they are pleasing to the person who is dying, it is best not to try convincing the person that they aren't real. Trying to convince someone who is pleasantly confused that a loved one isn't there can make that person agitated and combative.
When death is imminent – within days or hours:
• Your loved one may not want food or drink.
• There may be little or no bladder or bowel activity.
• Pain may show as grimaces, groans, or scowls and should be managed.
• Eyes may tear or become glazed.
• If not already unconscious, your loved one may drift in and out of consciousness. It's important to continue talking to your loved one and holding his or her hand since he or she probably can still hear and feel.
• Pulse and heart beat may be irregular or difficult to detect.
• Body temperature will drop and the skin of the knees, feet, and hands will become a mottled bluish-purple. Once the mottling starts, death often occurs within 24 hours.
• Breathing, punctuated by gasping starts and stops, will slow until it stops entirely.
For children and teens, the signs and symptoms are more or less the same as for adults. However, the course of dying is harder to predict in children. They often remain fairly active and ask a lot of tough-to-answer questions right up until the end is near.
In the last days or hours, your loved one may experience what doctors call terminal delirium: heightened activity and confusion often accompanied by hallucinations so distressful they may cry out, strike out, or try to climb out of bed. Since your loved one could hurt him or herself, it’s important to try to stop it with medications or with other non-drug interventions.
Make sure the room is well lit, but not brightly lit; also make the room as quiet and peaceful as possible and constantly assure your loved one that you are there.
Ironically, in the last days or hours, a loved one may also experience a period of clarity and lucidity.
During the journey to death, the signs and symptoms of approaching death are unique to each person and his or her condition. Some people have a very gradual decline. Others have a more rapid decline, and their signs and symptoms are usually more pronounced.
When to Say Good-bye
One of the hardest questions is when to call in family members to say good-bye and to make memories for the future.
Family should be notified as soon as it becomes evident that death is approaching. This allows the care team to provide them insight about what to expect – both in terms of their loved one's decline and their own physical and emotional reactions – and it enables family members to support one another and their loved one.
Don't assume, however, that calling the family in means they will be there at the end. It's often the case that families will sit late into the night, but the person doesn't die until they have left, as if he or she was unable to let go while they were there.
Resources:
These resources may be of particular help to caregivers, families, and friends of a person who is dying:
• Family Caregiver Alliance, End-of-Life Choices: Holding on and Letting Go
• Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, Patient/Family Teaching Sheets: Final Days
• Hospice Foundation of America,The Dying Process: A Guide for Caregivers, revised, 2007 (free).
Source: http://www.cancer.org/treatment/nearingtheendoflife/nearingtheendoflife/nearing-the-end-of-life-death
The second meaning is the signs of birth or birth pains.
Even moms who've been through it before can't always tell when labor is starting. That's because many of the early signs are vague and easily misinterpreted: Are those cramps real contractions, or are they a result of the grande burrito you ate last night? Is that little trickle of fluid your water breaking, or is it just urine leaking because a seven-pound baby is resting on your full bladder?
Labor -- like parenting itself -- is never completely clear-cut. To help you figure out when you're really ready to head to the hospital, check out these cues.
Your Water Breaks
You've probably had nightmares about this suddenly happening in the office elevator or at the movies. But only a small minority of women -- in one study, as few as 8 percent -- report that their sac of amniotic fluid broke before they started having regular contractions. Even if your water does break, you're likely to feel a small leak, not a big gush, because your baby's head often prevents too much fluid from leaking out.
Once the sac has ruptured, it usually means that labor is just around the corner, says Carol J. Grabowski, M.D., chief of staff of the women's division at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, in California. Eighty percent of women spontaneously go into labor within 12 hours after their water breaks. And those who don't are likely to be induced because the risk of infection increases once the amniotic sac has ruptured.
You're Having Strong, Regular Contractions
Even though contractions are a telltale sign of labor, many women are fooled by practice contractions -- known as Braxton Hicks -- in the last few weeks of pregnancy. So how do you tell those from the real thing? "Braxton Hicks contractions rarely get strong or regular, and then they usually go away," says Patricia De-vine, M.D., assistant clinical professor of ob-gyn at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia Medical Center, in New York City. This may be because practice contractions can be triggered by hunger or dehydration. So eating or drinking something can sometimes quell them.
True labor pains, by contrast, do not lessen until delivery. In fact, they typically get more intense and more frequent over time. For instance, what starts out as an overall crampy feeling may progress into distinct contractions that go from ten to eight to five to three minutes apart. "Most of the time, you'll feel those contractions as a tight band that starts in your back and radiates across the front of your belly," says Kay Johnson, a certified nurse-midwife in Atlanta.
You Notice a Discharge
During pregnancy, the cervix stays closed and plugged up with mucus. It's nature's way of protecting your baby from infection. But as you progress toward labor, the cervix begins to dilate and soften in preparation for delivery, causing what's accumulated there to dislodge. The mucus, which can measure up to a teaspoonful, is dispelled as either a blob (called the "mucus plug") or a runny smear. Also, blood vessels can tear as the cervix opens, tinting the discharge with blood (known as "bloody show"). "At that point, labor could be hours, days, or even weeks away, but these are hints that the cervix is changing," Dr. Grabowski says.
You Get Diarrhea
During the early part of labor, your body begins to release prostaglandins, a group of hormonelike substances that cause the uterus to contract and help soften and dilate the cervix. But prostaglandins can also hyperstimulate the bowels, causing frequent stools or even diarrhea, Dr. Grabowski says.
Your Back Really Hurts
If you're like a lot of pregnant women, your back may have been aching for months. But when the pain becomes extremely harsh, this can be a sign that you're experiencing "back labor," which happens to nearly one third of women. "Normally, a baby descends the birth canal with its face pressed against the mom's spine," Johnson notes. "But in some cases the baby descends with its skull hitting the mom's spine." The result? "Constant pain that may radiate to the abdomen but is mostly concentrated in the back." Whether you experience true back labor or not, excruciating back pain is a sure signal that you're ready to deliver.
Copyright © 2005. Reprinted with permission from the March 2005 issue of Parents magazine.
All content here, including advice from doctors and other health professionals, should be considered as opinion only. Always seek the direct advice of your own doctor in connection with any questions or issues you may have regarding your own health or the health of others.
Source: http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/giving-birth/signs-of-labor/labor-signs/
I find it interesting that Jesus would use this word in describing the end times. I find it significant in that as this world is dying the “throes of death” are simultaneously
9 But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them. 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit.
It will be a Time of Spiteful Detestation 9-11
It becomes personal
It becomes painful
We tell the world that there is only one way to be saved. They want to embrace every path as a way to get to God.
We tell the world that God demands righteousness and holiness. They want to live life on their terms and do as they please. If you watched this years Grammy Award show, there was an abundance of vile and blasphemous choreography and music as well as the alleged “same sex wedding” Thank God we have men (County Commissioners and County Sheriff) with backbones in Hunt County who disapprove of and confront the Adult Swingers who set up their “House of Vice” promoting all sorts of sexually deviant behavior.
We tell the world that abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide are all wrong. They want to treat life as if it has not value, especially at the beginning. That is, of course, unless you’re an animal in the shelter of the ASPCA.
We tell the world that there is a place called Heaven that can only be reached through faith in the Gospel. They want to believe that everyone goes to Heaven, or that life ends with nothing more than a body in a grave. *Picture of Bill Standley and his 1967 Harley.
We tell the world, false religion and human government that God’s Word is the final authority and that they will face Him in judgment one day. They want to live as though God were dead and as if they will never give an account of their actions.
It becomes powerful
Jesus warned His men that just as the world hated Him, they would hate those who follow Him, John 15:18-21. This proved true for all of the disciples of the Lord Jesus.
James – Beheaded by King Herod; Peter – Crucified upside down in Rome; Andrew – Crucified on an olive tree
Thomas - Thrust through with pine spears, tormented with red-hot plates, and burned alive; Philip – Tortured and crucified
Matthew – Beheaded; Nathanael – Skinned alive and then crucified; James the Less – Thrown down from the temple mount and then beaten to death with a club.
Simon the Zealot – Crucified; Thaddeus – Beaten to death with sticks; Matthias – Stoned while hanging on a cross
John the Beloved – Thrown into boiling oil, but did not die. Later exiled to the prison island of Patmos.
Paul – Beheaded in Rome
12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
It will be a Time of Shameful Disaffection 12-13
Betrayal (to deliver up treacherously)- Brother vs brother; Father vs child
Rise up (to turn on) - Children vs parents
Put their loved one to death in order to live
You will be (are) hated for His name!
You will know those who have truly been saved because they will still be standing after persecution.
