For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. In various places there will be earthquakes, famines, plagues, and unrest. These are the beginning of pains.
This word describes the great upheavals continuing in the world—wars, earthquakes, famines, epidemics, and unrest. Yet Christ calls them “the beginning of pains.” Just as birth pains precede the appearance of new life, so the sufferings of the world show that human history is moving toward the end appointed by God and the full establishment of His righteous kingdom. These signs should not lead the believer to despair, but to sobriety and watchfulness. They remind us that this world is not a secure place of rest and that the final revelation of the kingdom of God is still ahead.