Matt 24:1 -  "And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple."  

As they continued up the side of the Mount of Olives, Jesus took a seat (maybe to rest for a moment) and His disciples, obviously very disturbed by what He had said, came to Him and asked, "Tell us, when shall these things be?  And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?"(Matt. 24:3). 

In verse 6, He told them that there would be "wars and rumors of wars" but that would not be a sign of the end.  He said, "These things must come to pass, but the end is not yet."  In other words, wars would be an ongoing phenomenon throughout the age.  And even though someone going through the horrible tribulations of war may think that the world is coming to an end, Jesus made it clear that people in the throes of war should not see it as the end of the world.

Our Lord explained also that nation would rise against nation (wars) and "there shall be famines [starvation] and pestilences [epidemic diseases], and earthquakes, in divers places.

Then, He made a very interesting statement about these four events (wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes).  He said, "All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matt. 24:8).  The word "sorrows" (Gr. "odin") can mean "intolerable anguish" or "the pain of childbirth" ⁽¹⁾  which is the way this verse is often translated (NIV, ESV, NASB, RSV, etc.).  In other words, just as childbirth pains become progressively stronger and closer together in the labor process, these four events will likewise suddenly increase in intensity and frequency at the end of time.

So, even though wars, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes have always been a part of human history, Jesus said there would come a day when they would suddenly increase in intensity and frequency, like labor pains.  It is that sudden increase that will signal the nearness of His coming, just as a mother realizes the moment of her childbirth is near when her labor begins.

Wars

In Tunisia, on Dec. 17, 2010, Mohamed Bouazizi lit himself on fire in protest after local police seized his fruit stand for not having proper permits.  His act of protest ignited a greater fire of widespread riots throughout the country that eventually caused President  Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali to flee into exile on Jan. 14.  At this writing, the Tunisian government is still in a state of limbo as various factions jockey for control.

    Ex-President of Tunisia, Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali

  Egyptian protests against the government of President Hosni Mubarak

Then the revolution spread to Libya and has resulted in an all-out civil war with the government forces of dictator Muammar Qaddafi killing thousands of his own people in an effort to quell the rebellion.

  Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi

              Famine

A San Francisco Chronicle article written on March 16, 2011 says,

 Wholesale prices spike on steep rise in food, oil

"Higher energy costs and the steepest rise in food prices in nearly four decades drove wholesale prices up last month by the most in nearly two years." ⁽³⁾

A Reuters article written March 15, 2011 says,

"Get used to higher food costs": experts

"U.S. corn, wheat and soybeans recently have escalated to near-record as strong demand and severe weather cut world grain stocks. Beef prices hit a 7-1/2 year high on Tuesday amid a jump in feed costs, shrinking cattle numbers and big export sales." ⁽⁴⁾

To most people in America, higher food prices does not mean having to do without food.  It just means more of the family's income will have to be allotted to the grocery bill.  But for millions of people in other parts of the world, it can mean starvation and rioting, as the following article in "The Good News" magazine explains:

Is a Global Food Crisis Brewing?

"Food represents about 10 to 20 percent of consumer spending in industrialized nations, but as much as 60 to 80 percent in developing countries, according to FAO [the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization].  For example, when the price of a bag of rice goes up 20 percent, that extra cost will take up a much larger portion of household income for a family in Bangladesh than it will for a family in Canada." ⁽⁵⁾

Of course, starvation will lead to civil strife and protests like what we've been witnessing in the Middle East.

Rising Food Prices Can Topple Governments, Too

 "Social media and governmental policies are getting

 most of the credit for spurring the turmoil, but there's another factor

 at play.  Many of the people protesting are also angry about

dramatic price hikes for basic foodstuffs, such as rice, cereals, cooking oil and sugar." ⁽⁶⁾

Pestilences

The word "pestilence" is a translation of the Greek word "loimos" and it means a "plague or disease", just as the Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "pestilence" as "a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating".⁽⁷⁾
 If you think we live in a time when medical science  is winning the battle against infectious diseases, then you need to do a little research.  The truth is that unfortunately most disease bacteria are mutating into superbugs that are resistant to the "penicillin type" treatment drugs.  Today, a serious spread of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), better known as "staph infection" is sweeping through hospitals and medical facilities.  The web site www.eMRSAfacts.com gives the history and present status of the battle against this pestilence.  Additionally, "Today, all the leading killer infectious diseases on the planet - TB, malaria, and HIV among them - are mutating at an alarming rate..." ⁽⁸⁾ It seems that a new strain of the flu virus threatens the world with a pandemic catastrophe every year.

Earthquakes

Space does not permit me to give a lengthy proof that today earthquakes are increasing in both their strength and frequency.  However, a quick look at the USGS web site of "Significant Earthquake and News Headline Archive" for 2010 ⁽⁹⁾ shows 22 earthquakes with a magnitude of 7.0 or greater. 

And according to the USGS, some of the largest earthquakes ever recorded are: ⁽¹⁰⁾

Dec. 26, 2004 - Northern Sumatra 9.1

Mar. 28, 2005 - Indonesia 8.6

Sept. 12, 2007 - Southern Sumatra 8.5

Feb. 27, 2010 - Chile, 8.8

Mar. 11, 2011 - Honshu, Japan 9.0

On Dec. 26, 2004, the 9.1 earthquake in the Indian Ocean caused the most destructive tsunami in history, killing over 300,000 people in a dozen countries. ⁽¹¹⁾

                Indian Ocean Tsunami - Dec., 2004

The 9.0 earthquake that just hit Japan is the fourth largest earthquake in the world since 1900. ⁽¹²⁾  At this writing, the death toll and damage estimates are still climbing, but without a doubt, it will go down in history as one of the most devastating earthquakes ever with its resulting tsunami.

                           Japan tsunami damage - March, 2011

Even without any knowledge of Bible Prophecy, people realize that we are now living in "perilous times".  But the Bible says, "in the last days, perilous times shall come" (II Tim. 3:1).

And Jesus said that these destructive "labor pain" signs will suddenly increase just before He returns at the end of the age.  Although they can happen independently of one another, each can also feed the others, creating a "snowball effect".  Famines cause wars and vice versa.  Starvation causes diseases.  And natural disasters can cause both famine and disease.

But, as bad as these things are, we must remember that "God hath not given us [Christians] the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (II Tim. 1:7)  We can trust Him to take care of us.  He has promised to never forsake us (Heb. 13:5) and to provide our every need as long as we seek His kingdom first (Matt. 6:33).  But with the way these "labor pains" are coming, I sure wouldn't want to be without Jesus today!

(1) http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G5604&t=KJV

(2) http://www.businessinsider.com/food-riots-worldwide-2011-1

(3) http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fn%2Fa%2F2011%2F03%2F16%2Fnational%2Fw064221D75.DTL

(4) http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/03/15/us-food-summit-prices-idUSTRE72E8UX20110315

(5) Becky Sweat, "Is a Global Food Crisis Brewing?" The Good News, (Jan.-Feb., 2011) : 20-21

(6) http://www.npr.org/2011/01/30/133331809/rising-food-prices-can-topple-governments-too

(7) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pestilence

(8) Margie Mason and Martha Mendoza, "Infectious Diseases Mutating at Alarming Rate," Miami Herald (Jan. 10, 2010)

(9)  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqinthenews/2010/

(10)  http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/10_largest_world.php

(11)  http://fohn.net/biggest-tsunami/biggest-tsunami-1.html

(12)  http://www.usgs.gov/newsroom/article.asp?ID=2727&from=rss_home