What if we truly believed Jesus’ words about sharing the gospel with others?
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One way in which the Bible is unique from other religious books is that it is the most popular book in the world despite a considerable amount of opposition waged against it. It has long been named the bestselling and most distributed book of all time. The Gideons International has distributed over 2 billion copies of the Bible and New Testaments since 1899 (www.gideons.org/about, accessed 8/11/21). In addition, the United Bible Societies distributed 160 million complete Bibles from 2010 to 2014 and 428 million Scripture portions in 2014 alone (https://ministry.americanbible.org/bible-distribution, accessed 8/11/21). The Guinness Book of World Records estimates that the Bible has been printed over 5 billion times (www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction, accessed 8/11/21).
The uniqueness of the Bible extends beyond its wide distribution, however. In many ways, the Bible is more than just another book. The Bible is unique in authorship. Although the Holy Spirit is ultimately the author of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21), He used many human authors to compile the 66 books of the Bible. Around forty different human writers in the span of about 1,500 years were involved in the collection of Scripture. These writers came from different time periods, backgrounds, occupations, and geographical locations. The writers include kings, prophets, fishermen, shepherds, servants, priests, and a physician. This broad authorship explains the variety of writing styles. There is also a plethora of genres in the Bible, including poetry, prose, narrative, prophecy, and letter-style writing. The different authors and writing styles make the Bible unique from other religious books, and it’s stunning to realize that the entire canon of Scripture shares a common theme—God’s salvation of mankind—and points to a central character—Jesus Christ. The Bible is unique in content. Numerous religious texts teach good morals and righteous ways of life. Unlike other religious texts advocating good works to please an unreachable god, the Bible uniquely teaches that salvation is a gift from God that does not require human works (Ephesians 2:8–9). Whereas other religious books present a set of rules and regulations to follow, the Bible presents freedom in Christ (John 8:36). The Bible reveals that Jesus is God (John 1:1) and that He saves us through His death and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1–4). No other sacred book claims that a religious leader rose from the dead (Matthew 28:5–7; Luke 24:5–6; John 20:20; 1 Corinthians 15:4–8). The God of Scripture is not a far-off, uncaring god but the Creator of all things who is intimately involved in the lives of His creation (Psalm 139:7–12; Acts 17:25–27). No other religious text gives the assurance of eternal life (John 3:16). No other religion’s book is without error or flaw, but the Bible is inerrant and infallible (see 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). The Bible is also unique from other religious books in that it contains prophecy. In fact, by one count, about 27 percent of the Bible is predictive (Payne, J. B., The Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy, Baker Pub. Group, 1980, p. 675). This means that, when written, over one fourth of the Bible—more than one in four verses—was prophetic. Hundreds of the Bible’s detailed prophecies have come true in literal fashion. No other religious book contains prophecy to this extent. The Bible is unique in its language of writing. Most books are written in one language. For instance, the Quran of Islam was written completely in Arabic, Hinduism’s Vedas were composed entirely in Sanskrit, and the Book of Mormon was written entirely in English. In contrast, the Bible’s authors used three different languages: Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The Bible is unique in its compilation. The Old Testament Scriptures were written as the prophets of God received God’s word, with little to no reliance on oral history. The New Testament Scriptures were written by eyewitnesses to the events soon after the events took place, within the first century. The manuscript evidence for the New Testament is overwhelming. There are at least 5,300 Greek, 10,000 Latin, and 9,000 miscellaneous copies of the New Testament extant today. This is in stark contrast to other ancient works, such as Aristotle’s Poetics, which only has five manuscripts preserved dating over a thousand years after the original was written. The Quran has very few early manuscripts, as the process of recording the Quran was controlled by Islamic leaders who burned any copies that contained variant readings. The Hindu Vedas were passed down orally over thousands of years before being written down. The Bible is unique in its results. God uses His Word, the Bible, to bring about the results of His choosing (Isaiah 55:11). One of those results is changed lives. Countless people give testimony around the world of freedom from substance abuse, destructive lifestyles, lying, stealing, habitual anger, etc., due to their following biblical principles and their faith in Jesus Christ. Unique among all religious texts, the Bible stands alone in presenting Jesus Christ, God’s one-and-only Son, as the only way to salvation: “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’” (John 14:6). Truly, there is no other book like the Bible. The Church should spearhead caring for the needy as biblically directed instead of the government7/7/2021 In Christian circles, the topic of welfare is often controversial. As the Church navigates the repercussions of this public policy, political and biblical lines get blurred. While Christians understand the need for a social safety net, the Church should encourage self-responsibility and provide help to the needy.
The term “welfare” often gets tossed around negatively to mean any number of social programs. To solve this vague issue, definitions must be identified. Current welfare programs include the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and housing assistance. These programs are designed to provide economic support and other needs to low-income families and individuals. TANF provides direct cash income to poor families, although the program has been decaying in recent years and less people in poverty receive benefits. SNAP, commonly known as food stamps, provided food vouchers to 39 million destitute people in 2020, an average of around $125 a month per person. Medicaid provides healthcare for more than 70 million low-income people in 2020. Housing assistance provides rent support and opportunities for inexpensive housing. These programs compile what can be considered welfare in the United States government. Social safety nets are intended to lift people out of poverty — a desire Christians should seek under the command to help the poor. Many of those listed programs provide people with needs rather than cash alone. However, welfare should be a helping hand, not a handout. Although welfare can assist in meeting the needs of those who need it, the line between poor and lazy must be made clear and bold. On the one hand, low-income people need economic assistance, but to whom much is given, much is expected. Those on welfare, specifically Christians, have the biblical responsibility to be diligent in their efforts and work toward self-reliance. Having a safety net can be beneficial until dependency becomes a temptation. Christians must be careful to both help the poor and accept help if needed, but not to rely solely on others, because the Bible teaches a diligent spirit. 2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 echoes this principle, “For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.” The issue with welfare that seems to have gone unnoticed is the failure of the church to address the needs of the poor. The Bible directs Christians, not the government (Romans 13:3-4), to care for the poor. Because Christians have failed at this task, the government has had to step in and do the job that the Church should be doing. The Israelites were commanded in Deuteronomy 15:7 to “not harden your heart or shut your hand against your poor brother”. Paul encouraged the church in Acts 20:35, “In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” The Church has seemingly forgotten these commandments yet often proudly preaches against welfare programs. The government is doing the job of Christians, and we must first look at ourselves before we critique a system that would not be necessary in an ideal situation. The Church, in many cases, has dropped the ball in its commandment to help the needy. For example, a 2017 study by the Lake Institute on Faith and Giving explored the budgets of 1200 churches. They found that churches spend $5 on wages for staff for every $1 that goes to the needy. The church’s focus has shifted away from community outreach in favor of corporate behavior. If we as Christians continue to ignore our calling to help the disadvantaged, then our argument against welfare will continue to lose its validity. The problem lies within ourselves. Welfare should be no more than a lifeline to pull people out of poverty. The Church should spearhead caring for the needy as biblically directed instead of the government, which in the meantime has filled the role as needed. Long term, we must work to keep welfare for those that truly need it but also out of the government’s hands as our biblical responsibility. Matthew 24:8 ESV / 61 helpful votes Helpful Not HelpfulAll these are but the beginning of the birth pains. 1 Thessalonians 5:3 ESV / 57 helpful votes While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. Matthew 24:1-51 ESV / 48 helpful votes Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ... Genesis 3:16 ESV / 42 helpful votes To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Matthew 24:3 ESV / 29 helpful votes As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” Revelation 12:1-2 ESV / 26 helpful votes And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Matthew 24:30 ESV / 25 helpful votes Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Isaiah 26:17-18 ESV / 25 helpful votes Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O Lord; we were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen. Luke 21:20-24 ESV / 23 helpful votes “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people. They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive among all nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Matthew 24:13 ESV / 20 helpful votes But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 24:4-8 ESV / 20 helpful votes And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. Matthew 24:21 ESV / 19 helpful votes For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. Matthew 24:7 ESV / 18 helpful votes For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. Revelation 21:4 ESV / 15 helpful votes He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Mark 13:8 ESV / 14 helpful votes For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains. Matthew 24:4 ESV / 14 helpful votes And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. Daniel 12:11 ESV / 14 helpful votes And from the time that the regular burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be 1,290 days. Daniel 11:31 ESV / 14 helpful votes Forces from him shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the regular burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate. Jeremiah 4:31 ESV / 14 helpful votes For I heard a cry as of a woman in labor, anguish as of one giving birth to her first child, the cry of the daughter of Zion gasping for breath, stretching out her hands, “Woe is me! I am fainting before murderers.” Romans 8:22 ESV / 13 helpful votes For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. John 16:21 ESV / 13 helpful votes When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Matthew 24:29 ESV / 13 helpful votes “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:15 ESV / 13 helpful votes “So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), Matthew 24:14 ESV / 13 helpful votes And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Jeremiah 30:7 ESV / 13 helpful votes Alas! That day is so great there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob; yet he shall be saved out of it. Isaiah 13:10 ESV / 13 helpful votes For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. Matthew 24:36 ESV / 12 helpful votes “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. Matthew 24:34 ESV / 12 helpful votes Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Isaiah 34:4 ESV / 12 helpful votes All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. Ephesians 6:12 ESV / 10 helpful votes For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Romans 8:28 ESV / 10 helpful votes And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:22-23 ESV / 10 helpful votes For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Matthew 24:26 ESV / 10 helpful votes So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. Genesis 3:1-24 ESV / 10 helpful votes Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ... Revelation 12:1-17 ESV / 9 helpful votes And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, ... 1 Corinthians 15:22 ESV / 9 helpful votes For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. Luke 17:1-37 ESV / 9 helpful votes And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him, and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, saying, ‘I repent,’ you must forgive him.” The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” ... Matthew 24:6 ESV / 9 helpful votes And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. Matthew 24:5 ESV / 9 helpful votes For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. Daniel 9:27 ESV / 9 helpful votes And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.” Revelation 12:2 ESV / 8 helpful votes She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. Revelation 10:7 ESV / 8 helpful votes But that in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, the mystery of God would be fulfilled, just as he announced to his servants the prophets. 2 Peter 3:3 ESV / 8 helpful votes Knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 1 Peter 3:8 ESV / 8 helpful votes Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. Philippians 4:6 ESV / 8 helpful votes Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Mark 14:1-72 ESV / 8 helpful votes It was now two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him, for they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar from the people.” And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. ... Matthew 24:28 ESV / 8 helpful votes Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather. Matthew 24:27 ESV / 8 helpful votes For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:16 ESV / 8 helpful votes Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Matthew 24:2 ESV / 8 helpful votes But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” Psalm 34:18 ESV / 8 helpful votes The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Revelation 17:1-18 ESV / 7 helpful votes Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and said to me, “Come, I will show you the judgment of the great prostitute who is seated on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth have committed sexual immorality, and with the wine of whose sexual immorality the dwellers on earth have become drunk.” And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness, and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that was full of blasphemous names, and it had seven heads and ten horns. The woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and jewels and pearls, holding in her hand a golden cup full of abominations and the impurities of her sexual immorality. And on her forehead was written a name of mystery: “Babylon the great, mother of prostitutes and of earth's abominations.” ... Galatians 4:19 ESV / 7 helpful votes My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you! Romans 8:18 ESV / 7 helpful votes For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Hosea 13:13 ESV / 7 helpful votes The pangs of childbirth come for him, but he is an unwise son, for at the right time he does not present himself at the opening of the womb. Ezekiel 38:1-23 ESV / 7 helpful votes The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, set your face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him and say, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. And I will turn you about and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed in full armor, a great host, all of them with buckler and shield, wielding swords. Persia, Cush, and Put are with them, all of them with shield and helmet; ... Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 7 helpful votes For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Isaiah 66:7-8 ESV / 7 helpful votes “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall a land be born in one day? Shall a nation be brought forth in one moment? For as soon as Zion was in labor she brought forth her children. Isaiah 66:7 ESV / 7 helpful votes “Before she was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she delivered a son. Isaiah 41:10 ESV / 7 helpful votes Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Revelation 9:10 ESV / 6 helpful votes They have tails and stings like scorpions, and their power to hurt people for five months is in their tails. 2 Peter 3:10 ESV / 6 helpful votes But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 2 Peter 3:8 ESV / 6 helpful votes But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 1 Peter 3:18 ESV / 6 helpful votes For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 ESV / 6 helpful votes And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Philippians 4:13 ESV / 6 helpful votes I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:5 ESV / 6 helpful votes Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV / 6 helpful votes In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 1 Corinthians 15:26 ESV / 6 helpful votes The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 ESV / 6 helpful votes Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. ... Micah 5:3 ESV / 6 helpful votes Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. Jeremiah 49:22 ESV / 6 helpful votes Behold, one shall mount up and fly swiftly like an eagle and spread his wings against Bozrah, and the heart of the warriors of Edom shall be in that day like the heart of a woman in her birth pains.” Jeremiah 30:6 ESV / 6 helpful votes Ask now, and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor? Why has every face turned pale? 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 ESV / 5 helpful votes But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Mark 3:27 ESV / 5 helpful votes But no one can enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. Matthew 24:33 ESV / 5 helpful votes So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Matthew 24:1 ESV / 5 helpful votes Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Daniel 9:24 ESV / 5 helpful votes “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. Jeremiah 49:24 ESV / 5 helpful votes Damascus has become feeble, she turned to flee, and panic seized her; anguish and sorrows have taken hold of her, as of a woman in labor. Jeremiah 22:23 ESV / 5 helpful votes O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!” Isaiah 26:9 ESV / 5 helpful votes My soul yearns for you in the night; my spirit within me earnestly seeks you. For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness. Isaiah 21:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes Therefore my loins are filled with anguish; pangs have seized me, like the pangs of a woman in labor; I am bowed down so that I cannot hear; I am dismayed so that I cannot see. Psalm 119:105 ESV / 5 helpful votes Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Genesis 1:27 ESV / 5 helpful votes So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Revelation 20:7-9 ESV / 4 helpful votes And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, Revelation 20:4 ESV / 4 helpful votes Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Revelation 20:1-3 ESV / 4 helpful votes Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Revelation 11:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes But do not measure the court outside the temple; leave that out, for it is given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months. Revelation 6:16 ESV / 4 helpful votes Calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 4 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ... 1 Peter 5:9-10 ESV / 4 helpful votes Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. Hebrews 11:1 ESV / 4 helpful votes Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Philippians 4:8 ESV / 4 helpful votes Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. John 14:27 ESV / 4 helpful votes Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 5:28 ESV / 4 helpful votes Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice Luke 21:10 ESV / 4 helpful votes Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Luke 1:37 ESV / 4 helpful votes For nothing will be impossible with God.” Matthew 24:35 ESV / 4 helpful votes Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Matthew 6:33 ESV / 4 helpful votes But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Micah 4:9-10 ESV / 4 helpful votes Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? Has your counselor perished, that pain seized you like a woman in labor? Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor, for now you shall go out from the city and dwell in the open country; you shall go to Babylon. There you shall be rescued; there the Lord will redeem you from the hand of your enemies. The tribulation is a future seven-year period of time when God will finish His discipline of Israel and finalize His judgment of the unbelieving world. The church, made up of all who have trusted in the person and work of the Lord Jesus to save them from being punished for sin, will not be present during the tribulation. The church will be removed from the earth in an event known as the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53). The church is saved from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Throughout Scripture, the tribulation is referred to by other names such as the Day of the Lord (Isaiah 2:12; 13:6-9; Joel 1:15; 2:1-31; 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:2); trouble or tribulation (Deuteronomy 4:30; Zephaniah 1:1); the great tribulation, which refers to the more intense second half of the seven-year period (Matthew 24:21); time or day of trouble (Daniel 12:1; Zephaniah 1:15); time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 30:7).
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