She’s a mother…but she didn’t even know she was pregnant!
Today I read the unbelievable story about a mother who “ . . . went to a walk-in clinic . . . with sharp pains in her side. The clinic told her she was about six months pregnant, and sent her to the emergency room at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines. It was there that she discovered she was actually about 34 weeks pregnant — and having twins.”* BTW, the normal duration of a pregnancy is 40 weeks.
The hospital quickly did a C-section and now she is the proud mother of two healthy, newborn girls! What? How could this be possible? How could an otherwise healthy woman not know that she was pregnant—with twins?
Earth in “Self-Destruct” Mode?
Jesus, uses this same word picture to describe what things will be like right before He returns; don’t have a clue what I’m talking about? Just look around. It seems that the earth is in “self-destruct” mode!
As I write this, around the world: there is a guy who was telling everyone that Jesus was supposed to be coming back; there are wars all over the world, it seems; people all over the world who claim to be Jesus; terrorist groups killing and displacing people in various parts of the world; and multiple shootings in churches, schools, and malls in the U.S.; not to mention the old news of the ongoing and never-ending worldwide pandemic; there is financial unrest in many parts of the world; and finally increasing natural disasters and tragedies are happening with increasing frequency and intensity.
Not wanting to miss Jesus’ coming kingdom “ . . . the disciples came to him [Jesus] privately.
‘Tell us,’ they said . . . what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?’ Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 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. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:3-8, NIV).
“You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet!”
Did you catch that? Jesus described all these signs as “the beginnings of birth pains.” Jesus basically told His disciples, “guys, you ain’t seen nothing yet!” But just as that mother had to endure the pain of labor, but in the end, had two beautiful baby girls; we can be sure—and have peace—that earth’s passing birth pains will ultimately result in Jesus returning and birthing, if you will, a new and glorious eternal kingdom, here on this earth:
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.” And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true” (Revelation 21:1-5, NLT).
Making Sure You Endure
Admittedly, all the things that Jesus says and describes about the end times are intense and, if you spend too much time just focusing on the negative stuff, can be kind of scary; in fact, around the middle of all of Jesus’ description of what will be happening in the world right before He returns, He encourages His listeners with this short phrase: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:13, NLT).
I especially like how the Amplified version of the Bible translates this same verse: “But the one who endures and bears up [under suffering] to the end will be saved” (AMP). It’s almost like Jesus knew that everything that He was sharing was totally overwhelming to them, so He needed to remind them that it was possible to make it to the end.
I find it interesting that even while Jesus is trying to encourage and strengthen His listeners, He’s also being a realist. He’s not lying to them about what it will take. In fact, He’s clear that for many—if not all–there will be suffering and difficulties in making it to Heaven. So, real talk: how can we make sure to endure?
Endurance Plan 101
I know that you are expecting a long and detailed description of a plan to endure to the end, but for me, it’s really quite simple: connect with Jesus and stay connected to Jesus!
Jesus, in eating His last meal with His disciples, has just told His disciples again that He will be killed; He tries to encourage them by telling them all about the Holy Spirit and then He reminds them of the secret of enduring this trial that is about to come upon them:
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father. “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! (John 15: 1-11, NLT).
So, there you have it: a simple plan to endure earth’s birth pains. I plan on being in Heaven, and I hope you will too.
*Accessed on October 20, 2025 from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/iowa-woman-has-rare-twins-didntknow-she-was-pregnant-n227361
