Apostle Paul in 2 Cor.11 said he espoused us to one Husband, and wants to present us as "a chaste virgin" to Christ Jesus. He feared lest we become corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ, and instead fall to deception by the serpent like Eve did. Paul then mentioned he feared we might believe on "another Jesus" whom he did not preach, or believe another spirit, a false spirit. The virgin metaphor is about whether we remain in Christ staying as spiritual virgins espoused to Him, waiting for the wedding to Him when He comes, or... fall away and become a spiritual harlot by being wed too early to another. Paul didn't mention the idea of being 'with child' in that, but it's also part of the virgin metaphor idea.
Luke 23:27-31
27 And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.'
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
(KJV)
Our Lord Jesus, and Apostle Paul in 2 Cor.11, were pulling from Isaiah 54. Our Lord gave that to those in Jerusalem which cried for Him when He was going to be crucified. So the prophecy is especially involving Jerusalem, but don't think we are excluded, for it's about all those who fall away from Christ Jesus in the end times.
Isa 54:1-17
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
If you try to understand this barren idea literally per the flesh, it won't make sense. It's saying those whose wombs are barren are the more blessed, even more than the married wife whose womb is NOT barren. The barren who did not travail with child break forth into singing, into joy. Further, it shows the barren, the desolate, will have more children than the married wife.
The whole idea is spiritual analogy, and about worship, the "chaste virgin" idea Paul taught. Only AFTER Christ comes are the barren whose paps did not give suck (i.e., with child) to have more children than the married wife. It's in the Salvation sense after Christ's coming. Until Christ comes, we are to remain a chaste virgin waiting for the marriage to Him, and remain barren without child spiritually. But what about those who don't wait and instead fall away to another? Per the parable, those who don't wait are found already MARRIED when Christ does return! That's how per the parable they are found travailing with child, because of not waiting for Him, but instead falling away to marry another in His place (i.e., the antichrist).
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
This parable has a double meaning or application. It is also especially about Jerusalem in the wife sense. Jerusalem also is God's Bride per Revelation 21:9-10. It links back to Ezekiel 16 when The LORD gave a marriage/harlot analogy between Himself and Jerusalem. In this verse, the symbolic 'tent' of worship is to be enlarged to include believing Gentiles. They will inherit the land there along with the saved remnant of Israel.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
This is especially about Jerusalem in a "widowhood" state. When God scattered all Israel for doing false worship, Jerusalem became like a widow, ashamed, confounded, a reproach, in the spiritual sense. Since this Message is about how that sad state will change when the Wedding with The Bride happens, at Christ's coming, contrast that with Rev.18:7 where the Babylon harlot says she is "no widow" showing she is already married, meaning to a false one instead. That's a pointer to Jerusalem in a fallen worship state prior to this, and prior to Christ's return.
5 For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
Here it is. This is where Apostle Paul was pulling from with the idea of espousing us to one Husband, Jesus Christ. Note how there's much more detail given here for understanding the virgin parable idea on a greater scale, including Jerusalem as a wife. This is why Peter admonished us to be mindful of studying God's prophets even as part of our New Testament study (2 Pet.3:2).
6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Regardless of how Jerusalem has fallen, or how much His people must suffer during this world for Him, He has promised to restore. We have The Victory, that's His Promise. This "small moment have I forsaken thee" can be seen in the end of days as that three years and one half that the beast is given to make war with the saints, and overcome them (Rev.13:7). It also points to forsaken Jerusalem for a short time, when the beast is setup there in the end of this world. That is a very, very short time compared to our Heavenly Father's timetable. Notice that "For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused". There again is the 'barren' meatphor for the unmarried wife who is to eventually have more children than the married woman (all in spiritual sense about God's elect and Jerusalem).
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD That hath mercy on thee.
This is God's Promise, just like how He promised He would never destroy the earth again by a literal flood of waters (so much for the 2012 movie ideas).
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
That's about the Milennium time of Christ's future reign on earth, when Ezekiel's temple of Ezek.40 forward will be setup in Jerusalem. Much of Revelation 21-22 is a parallel to that future time. It's on earth folks, where Jerusalem is today, but not the state Jerusalem is in today.
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.(KJV)
Basically, Jerusalem may fall into a false worship state, but as a city it shall never be removed, and He will establish it in peace one day, for the new Jerusalem state He will establish there is part of the inheritance of those who remain in Christ when He comes.
Back to what our Lord Jesus said about the 'barren'...
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.'
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
Our Lord is saying the day will come when the daughters of Jerusalem, and their children, will say, "Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."
It means those daughters of Jerusalem were deceived, and fell away, and when Christ returns, they learn who the real blessed ones are, those whose wombs remained barren and without child, i.e., those who did not fall away to worship another, and did not spiritually marry the false messiah who comes first. And because those daughters of Jerusalem will then know they had been deceived, when our True Husband Jesus Christ shows up, those daughters will wish for the rocks to fall upon them, and for the hills to cover them, because of their shame. By all means they intended towards true worship, but will have been deceived, and thus spiritually will be found "with child" by Christ, married to the "another Jesus", i.e., false messiah.
That's what the Luke 21:23 verse is really pointing to, i.e., false worship to another in place of Christ...
Luke 21:21-23
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
(KJV)
Why will there be wrath upon those who are "with child, and to them that give suck"? That's the state of the five foolish virgins also, who don't carry a spare vessel of Oil to go in their lamps, and they are told to go to the market and buy, which that Oil cannot be bought. Going to the market for God's Truth by The Holy Spirit shows deception to the very ones who will have power over all markets in the last days, i.e., false messiah and his false prophets, which today, some of them are already at work in the pulpits.
Luke 23:27-31
27 And there followed Him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented Him.
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.'
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
31 For if they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?
(KJV)
Our Lord Jesus, and Apostle Paul in 2 Cor.11, were pulling from Isaiah 54. Our Lord gave that to those in Jerusalem which cried for Him when He was going to be crucified. So the prophecy is especially involving Jerusalem, but don't think we are excluded, for it's about all those who fall away from Christ Jesus in the end times.
Isa 54:1-17
1 Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the LORD.
If you try to understand this barren idea literally per the flesh, it won't make sense. It's saying those whose wombs are barren are the more blessed, even more than the married wife whose womb is NOT barren. The barren who did not travail with child break forth into singing, into joy. Further, it shows the barren, the desolate, will have more children than the married wife.
The whole idea is spiritual analogy, and about worship, the "chaste virgin" idea Paul taught. Only AFTER Christ comes are the barren whose paps did not give suck (i.e., with child) to have more children than the married wife. It's in the Salvation sense after Christ's coming. Until Christ comes, we are to remain a chaste virgin waiting for the marriage to Him, and remain barren without child spiritually. But what about those who don't wait and instead fall away to another? Per the parable, those who don't wait are found already MARRIED when Christ does return! That's how per the parable they are found travailing with child, because of not waiting for Him, but instead falling away to marry another in His place (i.e., the antichrist).
2 Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
3 For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
This parable has a double meaning or application. It is also especially about Jerusalem in the wife sense. Jerusalem also is God's Bride per Revelation 21:9-10. It links back to Ezekiel 16 when The LORD gave a marriage/harlot analogy between Himself and Jerusalem. In this verse, the symbolic 'tent' of worship is to be enlarged to include believing Gentiles. They will inherit the land there along with the saved remnant of Israel.
4 Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
This is especially about Jerusalem in a "widowhood" state. When God scattered all Israel for doing false worship, Jerusalem became like a widow, ashamed, confounded, a reproach, in the spiritual sense. Since this Message is about how that sad state will change when the Wedding with The Bride happens, at Christ's coming, contrast that with Rev.18:7 where the Babylon harlot says she is "no widow" showing she is already married, meaning to a false one instead. That's a pointer to Jerusalem in a fallen worship state prior to this, and prior to Christ's return.
5 For thy Maker is thine Husband; the LORD of hosts is His name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall He be called.
Here it is. This is where Apostle Paul was pulling from with the idea of espousing us to one Husband, Jesus Christ. Note how there's much more detail given here for understanding the virgin parable idea on a greater scale, including Jerusalem as a wife. This is why Peter admonished us to be mindful of studying God's prophets even as part of our New Testament study (2 Pet.3:2).
6 For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.
7 For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee.
8 In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.
Regardless of how Jerusalem has fallen, or how much His people must suffer during this world for Him, He has promised to restore. We have The Victory, that's His Promise. This "small moment have I forsaken thee" can be seen in the end of days as that three years and one half that the beast is given to make war with the saints, and overcome them (Rev.13:7). It also points to forsaken Jerusalem for a short time, when the beast is setup there in the end of this world. That is a very, very short time compared to our Heavenly Father's timetable. Notice that "For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused". There again is the 'barren' meatphor for the unmarried wife who is to eventually have more children than the married woman (all in spiritual sense about God's elect and Jerusalem).
9 For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee.
10 For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but My kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of My peace be removed, saith the LORD That hath mercy on thee.
This is God's Promise, just like how He promised He would never destroy the earth again by a literal flood of waters (so much for the 2012 movie ideas).
11 O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
12 And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones.
That's about the Milennium time of Christ's future reign on earth, when Ezekiel's temple of Ezek.40 forward will be setup in Jerusalem. Much of Revelation 21-22 is a parallel to that future time. It's on earth folks, where Jerusalem is today, but not the state Jerusalem is in today.
13 And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD; and great shall be the peace of thy children.
14 In righteousness shalt thou be established: thou shalt be far from oppression; for thou shalt not fear: and from terror; for it shall not come near thee.
15 Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
16 Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth an instrument for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy.
17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of Me, saith the LORD.(KJV)
Basically, Jerusalem may fall into a false worship state, but as a city it shall never be removed, and He will establish it in peace one day, for the new Jerusalem state He will establish there is part of the inheritance of those who remain in Christ when He comes.
Back to what our Lord Jesus said about the 'barren'...
28 But Jesus turning unto them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children.
29 For, behold, the days are coming, in the which they shall say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck.'
30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us'; and to the hills, 'Cover us.'
Our Lord is saying the day will come when the daughters of Jerusalem, and their children, will say, "Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bare, and the paps which never gave suck."
It means those daughters of Jerusalem were deceived, and fell away, and when Christ returns, they learn who the real blessed ones are, those whose wombs remained barren and without child, i.e., those who did not fall away to worship another, and did not spiritually marry the false messiah who comes first. And because those daughters of Jerusalem will then know they had been deceived, when our True Husband Jesus Christ shows up, those daughters will wish for the rocks to fall upon them, and for the hills to cover them, because of their shame. By all means they intended towards true worship, but will have been deceived, and thus spiritually will be found "with child" by Christ, married to the "another Jesus", i.e., false messiah.
That's what the Luke 21:23 verse is really pointing to, i.e., false worship to another in place of Christ...
Luke 21:21-23
21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.
(KJV)
Why will there be wrath upon those who are "with child, and to them that give suck"? That's the state of the five foolish virgins also, who don't carry a spare vessel of Oil to go in their lamps, and they are told to go to the market and buy, which that Oil cannot be bought. Going to the market for God's Truth by The Holy Spirit shows deception to the very ones who will have power over all markets in the last days, i.e., false messiah and his false prophets, which today, some of them are already at work in the pulpits.