On the Mount of Olives after forsaking the temple mount and leaving it desolate of His Spirit, Christ is answering His disciples’ request for a sign of His coming that will also result in that house’s physical desolation and mark the end of that age of the Jews (Mat 24:1-3). Lest they too be swept away in that destruction He has warned against being misled by false Christs and false prophets who promise a more worldly salvation, and the need to remain steadfast in the truth to the end in order to be saved, by which means also shall the true gospel of the true Christ be heralded to all nations (Mat 24:4-14). He has also warned how suddenly that destruction will come—“like birth pangs upon a woman with child” (1Th 5:3)—and hence the need to not delay even for basic necessities but to flee with all urgency whenever they should see the desolating abomination of apostasy in that place that is supposed to mark the holy presence of God. For when those who are salt have lost their preserving influence, there is nothing to stay God’s hand of judgment, and all that is left for those few who are righteous is to escape as Lot did from Sodom to preserve their own souls; Mat 24:15-18, cf. 2Th 2:1-7.
Besides warning of any delay, what does Jesus now warn in Mat 24:19-21 about those who can’t help but delay? Cf. Luk 23:28-31. How does this further emphasize His point about the absolute urgency of fleeing? Cf. Luk 21:23-24. Historically, what was the danger to pregnant women and nursing mothers in times of war and famine? See 2Ki 8:12, 15:16, Psa 137:8-9, Isa 13:16, Hos 13:16, Amos 1:13, Nah 3:10; Cf. Mat 2:16. See also Lam 2:11-12,20, 4:3-4,9-10. What impact would being helpless to save her child as he starves to death or is dashed to pieces before her eyes have upon a mother that illustrates the woe Jesus says will befall mothers in those days? See Deut 28:34. Why would a conquering army mercilessly kill even innocent children? Think: In what way would the destruction of children help ensure the long-term subjugation of a people? In what way does abortion help accomplish the same thing today? Think: What races of children are disproportionately aborted in the US?[1] What do these woes that Jesus said would befall pregnant women and nursing mothers teach us in general about how the destructive nature of war extends far beyond the battlefield to upheavals throughout the entire social structure? Cf. Jer 6:11. What do they teach us in particular about the severity of those upheavals that will mark Christ’s coming in judgment upon His enemies to establish His kingdom of righteousness? What do they also teach us about how important it is for us as Christians to heed His words that He has given for our preservation and not delay but make all haste to flee away from the desolating abomination of false and harlot religion standing where it should not be among the people of God? See Rev 18:4.
In what ways would being with child or caring for a nursing infant necessarily delay a mother’s escape when time is of the essence? Cf. 2Sa 4:4. What does this remind us about the extra time and safe environment required to nurture children and see them mature to their full potential? In what ways do the cares and concerns of this world that cause haste and with which so many busy their lives militate against the peaceful and quiet home-life that allows children, like trees planted by streams of water and sheltered from the wind and storms, to establish strong roots and grow strong and tall to reach great heights? What does this remind us about why the traditional role of wife and mother as homemaker to which God has called women is both a noble and essential vocation? Cf. Tit 2:3-5, 1Ti 2:15, 5:14. What does it remind us about where the peace and rest that so many women seek from the Lord is to be found, and why they aren’t finding it in other vocations, but in fact, finding the opposite? Cf. Mat 11:28-30 and consider that to come to the Lord is to come to follow His teachings. What does it also remind us about how important it is for men to work hard in order to provide the safe environment for their families where their wives have the time and are free to devote themselves to the nurture of their children? Cf. Gen 31:38-41. In light of the importance of motherhood to the well-being of a nation, what does this teach us about how a great nation can be subverted and brought low by undermining the important roles that God has established for men and women to fulfill that allow it to thrive and prosper? In what ways has this happened in America?
In what way could Jesus’ words in Mat 24:19 apply in a spiritual sense to those who have just conceived of the life of Christ but have not brought Him forth to maturity in their lives? Cf. Mat 24:10, Rev 12:1-6. How might it also apply to those who are nurturing babes in Christ? Cf. Gal 4:19.
1. 79% of Planned Parenthood clinics are located within walking distance of a minority neighborhood; the racial eugenics of its founder Margaret Sanger are well documented. Minority women constitute only about 13% of the female population (age 15-44) in the United States, but undergo approximately 36% of the abortions; black women are as much as 5 times more likely than white women to have an abortion, http://www.blackgenocide.org/black.html.↩