The term “sorrows” implies birth contractions, as when a mother-to-be approaches the time of giving birth. Jesus was foretelling such a time in answer to His disciples' questions about when the end of the world would come. The disciples didn’t understand all about the dispensations of time throughout human history. Jesus did understand, however, and He answered their question by giving those who will be alive at the time the birth pangs occur a prophetic heads-up about what to look for when that time approaches.

The signals Jesus outlined were given for the Tribulation era itself, the last seven years of human history before He catastrophically intervenes into the affairs of mankind by coming back to Planet Earth. He will then put an end to the war called Armageddon, and will set up His 1000-year reign from the city of Jerusalem.

The “time of sorrows,” according to the Lord’s own words, will be a period of contractions, a convulsion-plagued time during which the entire planet is alive with shaking. Interestingly, the prophet Zechariah had prophesied centuries earlier that the nation Israel will be at the epicenter of the shaking that will affect all nations of the world. He said Israel would be “a cup of trembling” to the nations that gather against it (Zech.12:1-3).

Although that Tribulation era has not begun, the birth pangs have started. They are mild by comparison to what they are to become, but they are with us. The convulsions are geopolitical and economic; they are spiritual and geophysical. The geopolitical birth pangs are those we have mentioned many times. Israel is at the epicenter of the worldwide convulsions. That nation is experiencing massive movement, both from internal and external pressures. Even the nation that acted as mid-wife to bring about its rebirth in 1948 seems determined to cause the nation to split in two, so powerful are the pressures being applied by the Bush Administration.

The EU has just experienced a massive spasm, one that threatened its existence. With the French rejection of the EU Constitution, followed by the Netherlands' refusal to accept the document through the referendum process, the Constitution appeared to be dead on arrival. But just as it seemed ready for burial, Britain’s Tony Blair and the British model of union seem to have resurrected hopes of putting a constitution back on track. The EU, out of which the beast-government of Antichrist will almost certainly eventually grow, will likely continue to go through such increasingly volatile convolutions. Global economics move in wave after wave of uncertainty. Driven by apprehensions, even fears, involving the future of petroleum, governments clutch at their soft financial underbellies, as the pains of constant readjustments in plotting their economic courses cause them to agonize over things to come.

Pope John Paul II’s death unleashed a number of shocks within the realm of religion. Pope Benedict XVI is determined to pursue ecumenism that would bring the many religious entities within Christendom under one great umbrella, headed by the Catholic Church. Also, he and other religious leaders seem devoted to the notion of bringing all religions of the world together as one. Apparently the unifying factor in all of this is allowing that there are a number of ways to God and Heaven. The new pope’s latest action caused tremors within the EU leadership. His declaration that Europe must reintroduce religion into its culture sent the parlimentarians scurrying for shelter from the seismic aftershocks of such a demand. But, be assured, there will develop just such a religious system that will ride the back of the beast (see Revelation 17).

If the symbolic earthquakes that are convulsing geopolitics, global economics, and world religion aren’t plain enough, when considering the forewarnings issued by Jesus, Zechariah, and the other prophets of the Old and New Testaments, there are more than enough of the literal variety occurring hourly. They are happening most everywhere on earth. A quick look at Rapture Ready News for Monday June 20, brings into focus the lateness of the prophetic hour.

*  Moderate earthquake shakes eastern Iran...A 5.3 magnitude earthquake shook sparsely populated eastern Iran on Sunday...  

*  Moderate earthquake jolts northern Pakistan… A moderate earthquake jolted northwestern Pakistan early Monday, an official said…  

*  Earthquake shakes New Zealand capital… other areas… An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.6 shook the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island Monday…

*  Earthquake hits near Northern California...A 5.0-magnitude earthquake hit about 120 miles off Northern California early Sunday morning, near the location where a larger temblor prompted a brief tsunami warning last week, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.  

*  Small earthquake rattles parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri... A small earthquake centered in western Kentucky rattled residents across parts of four states Monday morning…

*  Earthquake hits northern Japan, no tsunami risk...An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 shook northern Japan on Monday but there was no risk of a tsunami, Japan's Meteorological Agency said. The focus of the earthquake, which struck at 1:03 p.m. (0403 GMT) was 10 km (6.2 miles) deep in the Niigata region in the same general area as a quake that killed 40 people and injured thousands last October.

In terms of end-time prophecy, there is indeed a whole lot of shaking going on. That means Christ’s coming for His Church in the Rapture is about to demonstrate to the world, in spectacular fashion, exactly what it means to be "all shook up"!