PART 6 of The Woman in Travail: How Birth Became the Bible’s Most Powerful End-Times Metaphor
Jesus’ Adoption of the Metaphor: The Olivet Discourse and “The Beginning of Birth Pangs”
Hello brothers and sisters.
In Parts 1-5, we traced the birth pang metaphor from its ancient Near Eastern origins through the Hebrew prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah), examined how the Septuagint translators created standardized Greek vocabulary (ὠδίνω, τίκτω, ὠδίν), and discovered how this terminology became the established way of speaking about eschatological judgment and transformation.
If you missed the earlier posts, you can get caught up below:
Now, finally, we arrive at the moment when Jesus himself adopts this prophetic tradition and applies it to the tribulation that will precede the Kingdom’s arrival. We’re about to see how “the beginning of birth pangs” (Matthew 24:8) represents not random metaphor-making, but deliberate invocation of centuries of prophetic witness. This is where everything we’ve studied comes together.
Let’s dive in!
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The Setting: From Temple Glory to Prophetic Doom
The Context (Matthew 23:37–24:3)
To understand Jesus’ use of birth pang imagery in Matthew 24, we need to back up and see what immediately precedes it.
Jesus has just delivered a devastating prophetic denunciation against the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23. Seven times he pronounces “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (23:13, 15, 16, 23, 25, 27, 29). The chapter climaxes with Jesus’ lament over Jerusalem:
“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you desolate“ (Matthew 23:37-38, ESV).
“Your house” (ho oikos hymōn) almost certainly refers to the Temple, God’s dwelling place, now abandoned because of Israel’s rejection of the Messiah. This echoes Ezekiel’s vision of God’s glory departing from the Temple before its destruction by Babylon (Ezekiel 10:18-19; 11:22-23).
Jesus and his disciples then leave the Temple complex and cross the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. As they climb the western slope and look back across the valley, the Temple comes into full view. This is not the grand Temple of Solomon or even the far lesser second temple built under the oversight of Zerubbabel, but rather Herod’s magnificent reconstruction of it. With its gleaming white limestone and gold, the structure dominated the Jerusalem skyline.
Matthew 24:1-2:
As Jesus came out of the temple and was going away, his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. Then he asked them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly I tell you, not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
The disciples are stunned. The Temple was considered indestructible by first-century Jews. It was the center of their religious, national, and cosmic identity. And Jesus had just pronounced its utter demolition.
The Questions (Matthew 24:3)
Later, on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approach Jesus privately with three questions:
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The disciples appear to assume that the Temple’s destruction, Jesus’ coming (parousia), and the end of the age (synteleia tou aiōnos) are simultaneous events. This is understandable. After all, from their Jewish perspective the Messiah’s arrival would usher in the Kingdom, and surely the Temple would stand in that Kingdom.
But Jesus’ answer reveals something more complex: there will be multiple stages of fulfillment. Some of what he describes happened in A.D. 70 when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple. Some describes the entire inter-adventual age (the period between Jesus’ first and second comings). And some describes the final eschatological crisis that will precede his return.
This is prophetic perspective, which is the telescoping of near and far events into a single prophetic vision. Such are common throughout Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah’s oracles about Babylon/end times; Joel’s prophecies about locusts/Day of the LORD; Daniel’s visions blending near-term fulfillment with distant eschatological consummation).
Now we’re ready to examine Jesus’ answer, and specifically, his use of birth pang imagery.
Part I: “The Beginning of Birth Pangs” (Matthew 24:4-8)
The Text: Matthew 24:4-8
Let’s take a look at the passage in both Greek and English:
Greek:
⁴καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς πλανήσῃ· ⁵πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός, καὶ πολλοὺς πλανήσουσιν. ⁶μελλήσετε δὲ ἀκούειν πολέμους καὶ ἀκοὰς πολέμων· ὁρᾶτε, μὴ θροεῖσθε· δεῖ γὰρ γενέσθαι, ἀλλ’ οὔπω ἐστὶν τὸ τέλος. ⁷ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν, καὶ ἔσονται λιμοὶ καὶ σεισμοὶ κατὰ τόπους· ⁸πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων.
English:
⁴And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. ⁵For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. ⁶And 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. ⁷For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸But all these things are the beginning of birth pangs.”
The Key Phrase: ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων (archē ōdinōn)
Here it is, the phrase we’ve been building toward for five installments:
πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων (panta de tauta archē ōdinōn, “But all these things [are the] beginning of birth pangs”)
Let’s break this down word by word:
πάντα (panta) = “all these things” (neuter plural nominative)
δὲ (de) = “but, and, now” (conjunctive particle)
ταῦτα (tauta) = “these” (demonstrative pronoun, neuter plural)
ἀρχὴ (archē) = “beginning, origin, first” (nominative singular)
ὠδίνων (ōdinōn) = “of birth pangs” (genitive plural of ὠδίν, ōdin)
Jesus is using the exact Greek term (ὠδίνων, genitive plural of ὠδίν) that the LXX translators had been using for centuries to render Hebrew birth pang imagery from Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Micah.
This is not accidental. This is not creative metaphor-making. This is deliberate invocation of established prophetic tradition.
What Are “These Things”?
Jesus identifies specific phenomena as “the beginning of birth pangs”:
False messiahs (v. 5) — πολλοὶ γὰρ ἐλεύσονται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματί μου λέγοντες· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Χριστός
Wars and rumors of wars (v. 6) — πολέμους καὶ ἀκοὰς πολέμων
International conflict (v. 7a) — ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ ἔθνος ἐπὶ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν
Famines (v. 7b) — λιμοὶ
Earthquakes in various places (v. 7c) — σεισμοὶ κατὰ τόπους
Mark 13:8 adds “troubles” (ταραχαί, tarachai), and Luke 21:11 adds “pestilences” (λοιμοί, loimoi) and “terrors and great signs from heaven” (φόβητρά τε καὶ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ σημεῖα μεγάλα, phobētra te kai ap’ ouranou sēmeia megala).
These are the phenomena that characterize “the beginning of birth pangs.” It’s important to note that this is not the full labor, not the birth itself, but the early contractions that signal the process has begun.
Now notice what Jesus says in verse 6:
“See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet“ (οὔπω ἐστὶν τὸ τέλος, oupō estin to telos).
This is crucial. Jesus is explicitly saying that wars, famines, earthquakes, and false messiahs are NOT signs that the end is imminent. They are signs that the end has not yet come.
Why is this important?
Because birth pangs always precede birth. If you’re experiencing early contractions, you know you’re in labor but you also know the baby hasn’t arrived yet. There’s still time. The process is underway, but delivery is still ahead.
Jesus is using the birth pang metaphor to communicate a paradox:
Yes, these things are prophetically significant, they signal that history is in labor
No, these things do not mean the Kingdom is about to arrive immediately, in fact they’re just the beginning
This explains why Christians have experienced wars, famines, earthquakes, and false prophets throughout the entire church age, yet Jesus has not returned. These phenomena don’t signal “the end is tomorrow”; they signal “history is in labor, and one day the birth will come.”
Part II: The Prophetic Background Jesus Is Invoking
When Jesus says “ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων” (archē ōdinōn, “beginning of birth pangs”), his Jewish disciples would have immediately recognized that he was quoting a tradition. Specifically, the prophetic tradition we’ve been tracing.
Let’s examine which specific prophetic passages Jesus’ language evokes.
Connection 1: Isaiah 13:8 (Babylon’s Terror)
Isaiah 13:8 (LXX):
καὶ ταραχθήσονται οἱ πρέσβεις, καὶ ὠδῖνες αὐτοὺς ἕξουσιν ὡς γυναικὸς τικτούσης
kai tarachthēsontai hoi presbys, kai ōdines autous hexousin hōs gynaikos tiktousēs
“And the elders will be troubled, and birth pangs will seize them as a woman giving birth.”
Hebrew (MT):
וְנִבְהָ֓לוּ וְצִירִ֤ים וַֽחֲבָלִים֙ יֹֽאחֵז֔וּן כַּיּֽוֹלֵדָ֖ה יְחִיל֑וּן
veniḇhalu vetzirim vachavalim yochezun kayoleḏah yeḥilun
“And they will be dismayed, and pangs and pains will seize them; like a woman in labor they will writhe.”
Connection to Matthew 24:8:
Isaiah 13:8 LXX uses ὠδῖνες (ōdines, “birth pangs”), the same term Jesus uses
Isaiah describes sudden terror seizing a nation like labor pains seize a woman
The context is divine judgment on Babylon during “the Day of the LORD” (Isaiah 13:6, 9)
Jesus’ disciples hearing “ὠδίνων” (ōdinōn) in Matthew 24:8 would recall Isaiah’s prophecy about the Day of the LORD bringing judgment like sudden labor pains.
Connection 2: Isaiah 26:17-18 (Israel’s spiritual birth)
Isaiah 26:17-18 (LXX):
ὡς ἡ ὠδίνουσα ἐγγίζει τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πόνῳ αὐτῆς ἐκέκραξεν, οὕτως ἐγενήθημεν τῷ ἀγαπητῷ σου, κύριε. ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα
hōs hē ōdinousa engizei tou tekein kai epi tō ponō autēs ekekraxen, houtōs egenēthēmen tō agapētō sou, kyrie. en gastri elabomen kai ōdinēsamen kai etekomen pneuma
“And as a woman in travail is about to give birth and cries out in her pangs, so were we to your beloved because of the fear of you, O Lord. We conceived and travailed and gave birth, we produced a wind/breath/spirit”
Hebrew (MT):
כְּמ֤וֹ הָרָה֙ תַּקְרִ֣יב לָלֶ֔דֶת תָּחִ֖יל תִּזְעַ֣ק בַּֽחֲבָלֶ֑יהָ כֵּ֛ן הָיִ֥ינוּ מִפָּנֶ֖יךָ יְהוָֽה׃ הָרִ֣ינוּ חַ֔לְנוּ כְּמ֖וֹ יָלַ֣דְנוּ ר֑וּחַ
kemo harah taqriḇ laleḏeṯ tachil tizaq baḥaḇaleha ken hayinu mippaneyḵa YHWH. harinu chalnu kemo yalaḏnu ruach
“Like a pregnant woman who draws near to give birth, she writhes, she cries out in her pangs, so we were before you, O LORD. We were pregnant, we writhed, we gave birth to wind.”
Connection to Matthew 24:8:
Isaiah 26:17 LXX uses ὠδίνουσα (ōdinousa, “the woman in labor”), verbal form of the noun Jesus uses
Isaiah describes a spiritual birth—labor that produces “spirit” instead of a child (note that in both Greek and Hebrew, one word (ruach/pneuma) can mean spirit, wind, or breath
The context is Israel’s having been lightly chastened and returned to Him for the sake of the Messiah and then they travail and give birth to spirit
Jesus’ use of “beginning of ὠδίνων” may intentionally evoke this passage to signal that the tribulations are not meaningless suffering. Like in Isaiah 26, these birth pangs will produce something spiritual: the Kingdom of God.
(Note that this follows my interpretation of this passage, as we discussed back in part 2 of this series, which diverges significantly from the majority scholarly view that this was a failed labor resulting in Israel giving birth to nothing but wind)
Connection 3: Jeremiah 30:6-7 (Jacob’s Distress)
Jeremiah 30:6-7 (LXX 37:6-7):
ἐρωτήσατε καὶ ἴδετε εἰ ἔτεκεν ἄρσεν καὶ περὶ φόβου ἐν ᾧ ἕξουσιν ὀσφύν καὶ σωτηρίαν ὅτι ἑώρακα πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ αἱ χεῖρες αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς ὀσφύος αὐτοῦ ἐστράφησαν πρόσωπα εἰς ἴκτερον πάντες. ὅτι μεγάλη ἡ ἡμέρα ἐκείνη παρὰ πᾶσαν θλῖψις Ιακωβ καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς σωθήσεται
erōtēsate kai idete ei eteken arsen... hoti megalē hē hēmera ekeinē para pasan thlipsis Iakōb kai ex autēs sōthēsetai
“Ask and see if a male has given birth... For great is that day above all—tribulation for Jacob—and from it he will be saved.”
Hebrew (MT):
שַֽׁאֲלוּ־נָ֣א וּרְא֔וּ אִם־יֹלֵ֖ד זָכָ֑ר מַדּוּעַ֩ רָאִ֨יתִי כָל־גֶּ֜בֶר יָדָ֤יו עַל־חֲלָצָיו֙ כַּיּ֣וֹלֵדָ֔ה וְנֶהֶפְכ֥וּ כָל־פָּנִ֖ים לְיֵרָקֽוֹן׃ ה֗וֹי כִּ֥י גָד֛וֹל הַיּ֥וֹם הַה֖וּא מֵאַ֣יִן כָּמֹ֑הוּ וְעֵֽת־צָרָ֥ה הִיא֙ לְיַֽעֲקֹ֔ב וּמִמֶּ֖נָּה יִוָּשֵֽׁעַ׃
sha’alu-na ure’u im-yoleḏ zaḵar... hoy ki gaḏol hayyom hahu me’ayin kamohu ve’et-tzarah hi leYa’aqoḇ umimennah yivvashe’a
“Ask now and see if a male gives birth... Alas! For that day is great, there is none like it; it is a time of distress for Jacob, but he will be saved from it.”
Connection to Matthew 24:8:
Jeremiah describes a great day of tribulation using birth imagery (men acting like women in labor)
The context is “the time of Jacob’s distress” (עֵת־צָרָה לְיַעֲקֹב, et-tzarah leYa’aqoḇ), a period of unprecedented suffering before deliverance
The promise: “and from it he will be saved” (וּמִמֶּנָּה יִוָּשֵׁעַ, umimennah yivvashe’a)
This is likely the primary Old Testament background for Jesus’ “birth pangs” language. Many scholars believe Jesus is directly alluding to Jeremiah 30:6-7, which describes:
A unique time of distress (like Matthew 24:21: “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world”)
Described with birth imagery
Followed by salvation/deliverance
Jesus is saying: “The tribulations you’ll experience are the beginning of what Jeremiah called ‘the time of Jacob’s distress,’ and just as Jeremiah promised salvation after the distress, so the Kingdom will come after the birth pangs.”
Connection 4: Micah 4:9-10 (Zion’s Labor Leading to Deliverance)
Micah 4:9-10 (LXX):
καὶ νῦν ἵνα τί ἔγνως κακά μὴ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἦν σοι ἢ ἡ βουλή σου ἀπώλετο ὅτι κατεκράτησάν σου ὠδῖνες ὡς τικτούσης; ὤδινε καὶ ἀνδρίζου καὶ ἔγγιζε θύγατερ Σιων ὡς τίκτουσα διότι νῦν ἐξελεύσῃ ἐκ πόλεως καὶ κατασκηνώσεις ἐν πεδίῳ καὶ ἥξεις ἕως Βαβυλῶνος ἐκεῖθεν ῥύσεταί σε καὶ ἐκεῖθεν λυτρώσεταί σε κύριος ὁ θεός σου
ōdine kai andrizou kai engize thyga Siōn hōs tiktousa... ekeithen rhysetai se kai ekeithen lytrōsetai se kyrios ho theos sou
“Labor and be strong and draw near, O daughter of Zion, as one giving birth... from there the Lord your God will deliver you and from there will redeem you.”
Hebrew (MT):
עַתָּ֕ה לָ֥מָּה תָרִ֖יעִי רֵ֑עַ הֲמֶ֣לֶךְ אֵֽין־בָּ֗ךְ אִֽם־יוֹעֲצֵךְ֙ אָבָ֔ד כִּֽי־הֶחֱזִיקַ֥תְךְ חִ֖יל כַּיּוֹלֵדָֽה׃ חֽוּלִי וָגֹ֙חִי֙ בַּת־צִיּ֔וֹן כַּיּֽוֹלֵדָ֑ה כִּֽי־עַתָּ֞ה תֵּצְאִ֤י מִקִּרְיָה֙ וְשָׁכַ֣נְתְּ בַּשָּׂדֶ֔ה וּבָ֥את עַד־בָּבֶ֖ל שָׁ֣ם תִּנָּצֵ֔לִי שָׁ֚ם יִגְאָלֵ֣ךְ יְהוָ֔ה מִכַּ֖ף אֹיְבָֽיִךְ׃
chuli vagochi bat-Tziyyon kayoleḏah... sham tinnatzeli sham yig’aleḵ YHWH mikkaf oyeḇayiḵ
“Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor... there you will be delivered, there the LORD will redeem you from the hand of your enemies.”
Connection to Matthew 24:8:
Micah commands Zion to “writhe/labor” (חוּלִי, chuli, imperative from חוּל, chul), using the same Hebrew verb we’ve been tracing
The LXX translates with ὤδινε (ōdine, imperative of ὠδίνω), the verb form of Jesus’ noun ὠδίνων
The context is exile → suffering → deliverance
Micah tells Jerusalem: “You’re going into exile (Babylon). You will writhe in labor pains. But from there the LORD will rescue you.” The suffering is not meaningless, rather it’s productive labor that leads to redemption.
Jesus is invoking this passage to assure his disciples that the tribulations are labor pains leading to deliverance, not random suffering.
Part III: What Is Being Born? The Theological Point of the Metaphor
We’ve established that Jesus is using established prophetic vocabulary. But what is the theological point of calling tribulations “birth pangs”?
The Birth Pang Metaphor Communicates Five Truths:
1. Inevitability
Birth pangs, once they begin, cannot be stopped. You can’t negotiate with contractions. You can’t delay them. Once labor begins, birth is inevitable.
By calling tribulations “birth pangs,” Jesus is saying: These things must happen. Notice his language in verse 6: “δεῖ γὰρ γενέσθαι” (dei gar genesthai, “for it must take place”). The word δεῖ (dei, “must”) indicates divine necessity. These events are part of God’s eschatological plan.
History is in labor. The Kingdom will be born. The process cannot be reversed or stopped.
2. Inescapability
A woman in labor cannot escape her contractions. She must go through the process. There’s no way around it, she can only go through it.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for unavoidable suffering. Wars will come. Famines will come. Earthquakes will come. False messiahs will arise. There’s no way to avoid these things, they’re part of living in a world in labor.
This explains the repeated warnings: “See that you are not alarmed” (v. 6), “See that no one leads you astray” (v. 4). Jesus isn’t saying the tribulations won’t happen or even that they might not. He’s saying don’t be surprised when they do. They’re labor pains. They’re supposed to happen.
3. Progressive Intensification
Birth pangs increase in frequency and intensity as labor progresses. Early contractions are mild and far apart. As birth approaches, contractions become stronger and closer together.
Jesus calls these events “the beginning of birth pangs” (ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων, archē ōdinōn). If these are the beginning, what comes next?
Answer: More intense suffering.
This is why Jesus continues in verses 9-14 to describe escalating persecution: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake” (v. 9). The tribulations intensify.
Then in verses 15-28, Jesus describes “the Great Tribulation” (ἡ θλῖψις ἡ μεγάλη, hē thlipsis hē megalē, v. 21), which is suffering “such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be.” This is full labor, the final, most intense contractions right before birth.
The birth pang metaphor signals: It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But the worsening is not random, it’s progressive movement toward birth.
4. Purposeful Suffering
This is perhaps the most important theological point: Birth pangs are not meaningless. They have a purpose. They’re producing something.
Every time the birth pangs metaphor is used, it’s leading to something. It presages the birth of something. Even in Isaiah 26 (commonly interpreted as being a failed labor), when what Israel gave birth to was a spirit of the Lord’s salvation (see part 2 of this series for a reminder of my full interpretation of Isaiah 26), the birth was productive. Something was born after the agony of the labor.
Which is exactly what Jesus is saying here: These birth pangs WILL produce birth. The Kingdom IS coming. God’s purposes WILL be accomplished.
This transforms how we understand suffering in the inter-adventual age. Wars, famines, earthquakes, persecution… these aren’t random chaos. They’re labor pains. History is pregnant with the Kingdom, and these tribulations are the contractions that signal its arrival is approaching.
Paul will later pick up this exact imagery:
“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth [συνωδίνει, synōdinei, “labors together”] 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” (Romans 8:22-23).
Creation is in labor. We are in labor. And the birth is coming.
5. Joy After Anguish
Jesus himself makes this explicit in John 16:20-22:
“Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she delivers the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (John 16:20-22).
This is the promise embedded in the birth pang metaphor: The anguish is temporary; the joy is eternal.
Labor hurts. But when the baby arrives, the pain is forgotten in the overwhelming joy of new life. Jesus is promising his disciples (and us) that the tribulations of history— no matter how severe —will be eclipsed by the joy of the Kingdom’s arrival.
Part IV: Parallel Accounts (Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11)
Let’s briefly examine how Mark and Luke present Jesus’ birth pang language.
Mark 13:8
Greek:
ἐγερθήσεται γὰρ ἔθνος ἐπ’ ἔθνος καὶ βασιλεία ἐπὶ βασιλείαν, ἔσονται σεισμοὶ κατὰ τόπους, ἔσονται λιμοί· ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων ταῦτα.
English:
“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 birth pangs.”
Mark uses the identical phrase as Matthew: ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων (archē ōdinōn, “beginning of birth pangs”). The only difference is word order (ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων ταῦτα vs. πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων), which doesn’t change the meaning.
Mark adds “troubles” (ταραχαί, tarachai) to the list in some manuscripts, but the theological point is identical: these tribulations are early contractions, not the birth itself.
Luke 21:11
Greek:
σεισμοί τε μεγάλοι καὶ κατὰ τόπους λιμοὶ καὶ λοιμοὶ ἔσονται, φόβητρά τε καὶ ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ σημεῖα μεγάλα ἔσται.
English:
“There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences. And there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.”
Luke does not use the phrase “birth pangs” (ὠδίνων) at all. Why?
Several possibilities:
Luke is writing for a Gentile audience who might not be as familiar with Hebrew prophetic imagery
Luke emphasizes different aspects of Jesus’ teaching (he focuses more on Jerusalem’s destruction in 21:20-24)
The birth pang imagery is implied in the overall structure of the discourse, even if not explicitly stated
Despite not using “ὠδίνων,” Luke’s account still presents the same theological structure: preliminary signs → intensifying tribulation → deliverance/Kingdom arrival.
Part V: Jewish Background — “The Birth Pangs of the Messiah”
Jesus’s use of birth pang imagery didn’t exist in a vacuum. By the first century, Jewish apocalyptic literature had developed the concept of “the birth pangs of the Messiah” (Hebrew: חֶבְלֵי הַמָּשִׁיחַ, chevlei haMashiach; sometimes called “the footsteps of the Messiah”).
Extra-Biblical Jewish Sources
Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin 98b:
“Rabbi Eleazar said: When you see kingdoms provoking each other, look for the feet of the Messiah.”
Babylonian Talmud, Sotah 49b:
“In the time preceding the coming of the Messiah, insolence will increase... young men will shame the elderly... a son will not be ashamed before his father... and the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog.”
Midrash Rabbah, Song of Songs 2:13:
“When you see the kingdoms provoking one another, then look for the redemption of the Messiah.”
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan on Exodus 12:42:
“Four nights are written in the book of remembrance... The fourth night: when the end of the world comes to be dissolved... This is the night of the Passover to the Lord, a night guarded and prepared for the redemption of all Israel throughout their generations.”
The Pattern in Jewish Eschatology
By the time of Jesus, Jewish expectation included:
A period of intense suffering before the Messiah’s arrival
This suffering described as “birth pangs” or “labor”
After the birth pangs, the Messiah would appear and establish the Kingdom
Raphael Patai, in his book The Messiah Texts, documents dozens of rabbinic references to “the pangs of Messianic times,” describing them as “heavenly as well as earthly sources and expressions.”
Jesus is working within this established Jewish framework. When he calls the tribulations “ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων” (archē ōdinōn, “beginning of birth pangs”), his disciples would immediately think: “Ah, he’s talking about the birth pangs that precede Messiah’s Kingdom.”
But there’s a twist: Jesus IS the Messiah. So the “birth pangs of the Messiah” now refer not to suffering that precedes Messiah’s first appearance, but to suffering that precedes his return and the Kingdom’s consummation.
The first coming brought the Kingdom’s inauguration. The second coming will bring its full arrival. And the period in between? Birth pangs.
Part VI: Theological Synthesis — What Jesus Is Teaching
Let’s synthesize what Jesus accomplishes by adopting birth pang imagery in Matthew 24:8.
1. Jesus Connects His Teaching to Prophetic Tradition
By using ὠδίνων (ōdinōn), Jesus explicitly links his eschatological discourse to:
Isaiah’s Day of the LORD prophecies (Isaiah 13, 26, 66)
Jeremiah’s “time of Jacob’s distress” (Jeremiah 30:6-7)
Micah’s promises of deliverance through labor (Micah 4:9-10; 5:3)
This is clearly not a random metaphor. Jesus is saying: “What the prophets described is now unfolding. The labor has begun.”
2. Jesus Reframes Suffering as Purposeful
Instead of presenting tribulation as meaningless chaos or divine abandonment, Jesus presents it as productive labor. The wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecutions are not signs that God has lost control. They’re signs that God’s plan is progressing.
History is pregnant with the Kingdom. These tribulations are contractions. Painful, yes, but purposeful.
3. Jesus Provides a Timeline Without Giving Dates
By calling these events “the beginning of birth pangs,” Jesus accomplishes something brilliant: he gives his disciples a conceptual timeline without giving them calendar dates.
Think about it. If you tell a pregnant woman “you’re experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions,” you’ve told her something crucial—the birth is still weeks or months away. But if you say “you’re in active labor,” you’ve told her the birth is imminent.
Jesus is saying: “These are early contractions. The birth is coming, but not yet. Don’t panic. Don’t think every earthquake means I’m returning tomorrow. The process takes time.”
This explains why the church has experienced “birth pangs” for 2,000 years without seeing the final arrival. We’re in a long labor. The Kingdom is coming, but the gestation period is measured in centuries, not days.
4. Jesus Prepares His Disciples for Endurance
By using birth imagery, Jesus prepares his disciples psychologically and theologically for long-term endurance.
A woman in labor knows: You have to see this through. There’s no turning back. Once labor begins, the only way out is through.
Jesus is telling his disciples (and us): “Endurance is required. The tribulations will intensify. But you will be delivered. The birth IS coming. Hold on.”
Notice verse 13: “But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (ὁ δὲ ὑπομείνας εἰς τέλος οὗτος σωθήσεται, ho de hypomeinas eis telos houtos sōthēsetai).
Endurance (ὑπομείνας, hypomeinas) is the key virtue during labor. You can’t stop the contractions. You can’t make the baby come faster. All you can do is endure and trust that birth will come.
5. Jesus Invites Eschatological Hope, Not Fear
Finally, the birth pang metaphor is fundamentally hopeful.
Yes, labor is painful. Yes, the contractions intensify. Yes, there’s a moment (called “transition” in obstetrics) where women often say, “I can’t do this anymore.”
But every woman in labor knows: the pain has a purpose. A baby is coming. New life is arriving. And when that baby is born, the pain will be eclipsed by overwhelming joy.
Jesus is saying: “Don’t be terrified of the tribulations. They’re not the end, but they are the beginning of the end. And the end is glorious. Hold on. The Kingdom is being born.”
Conclusion: “All These Are the Beginning of Birth Pangs”
We’ve reached the climax of our journey through the birth pang metaphor. We started with ancient Near Eastern childbirth practices in Part 1. We traced Hebrew vocabulary (chul, yalad, chevel) and LXX translation patterns (ὠδίνω, τίκτω, ὠδίν) through Parts 2-5. And now, in Part 6, we’ve seen Jesus himself adopt this prophetic tradition and apply it to the eschatological tribulation.
What have we learned?
When Jesus says “πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἀρχὴ ὠδίνων” (panta de tauta archē ōdinōn, “All these things are the beginning of birth pangs”), he is:
Invoking centuries of prophetic witness (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah)
Working within established Jewish eschatological frameworks (”the birth pangs of the Messiah”)
Using LXX vocabulary (ὠδίνων) that his disciples would immediately recognize
Reframing tribulation as purposeful suffering—not chaos, but labor
Providing a conceptual timeline—these are early contractions, not the birth itself
Preparing disciples for long-term endurance—labor takes time
Offering eschatological hope—the Kingdom IS coming; the birth IS happening
The takeaway for us:
We live in a world in labor. As we have for 2,000 years. Wars, famines, earthquakes, false prophets, persecution… these aren’t signs that God has lost control or that “the end is tomorrow.” They’re birth pangs. They’re the contractions that remind us: history is pregnant with the Kingdom, and one day— only God knows when —the birth will come.
The labor is long. The contractions are real. But the baby is coming.
And when the Kingdom finally arrives in its fullness— when Jesus returns and makes all things new —we will look back on these millennia of tribulation and, like a woman who has just given birth, we will no longer remember the anguish, for joy that the Kingdom has been born into the world.
If you’ve found this helpful or insightful, please share it with a friend who loves Scripture as much as you do.
Coming Up Next
In Part 7, we’ll examine Paul’s and John’s use of birth pang imagery in the Epistles and Revelation. We’ll see how:
Paul applies the metaphor to both creation (Romans 8:22-23) and eschatological judgment (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
John’s vision in Revelation 12 presents cosmic history as a woman in labor, giving birth to the Messiah and the messianic community
The NT writers develop the metaphor theologically beyond Jesus’ initial use
We’ll also explore how the early church understood and applied birth pang imagery in their eschatology.
Until then, remember: When you see wars and hear of wars (which is particularly pertinent right now, especially for anyone in the US or the Middle East), don’t be alarmed. It’s just the birth pangs. The Kingdom is coming, and sooner or later it will be born.
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