Peace and Safety
As we continue with our study of 1 Thessalonians, we come to chapter 5, focusing on the same verses we looked at in the previous article, where we discussed the times and seasons mentioned by the authors of 1 Thessalonians in chapter 5, verse 1.
We come now to look at part of verses 2 and 3. These verses say:
1 Thessalonians 5:2-3 (NKJV) 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
These verses sound ominous, scary even. The words “sudden destruction” and “they shall not escape” tell us that bad things are coming.
This verse describes a threat looming over the world. Three components of this threat hang over Earth's inhabitants. They are as follows:
We will go through them in order, but in this article, we will only discuss “Men say, ‘Peace and Safety.’”
Let’s look at 1 Thessalonians 5:3 again.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 (NKJV) For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
This reveals a problem in humanity. There are scoffers among us. God has made it clear in His word what He will do. But throughout history, most people have not paid much attention. Jesus spoke about this in Luke 17, when He was explaining His return to His disciples. He said:
Luke 17:26-30 (NKJV) 26 “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 “Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 “but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed [them] all. 30 “Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.
Consider Noah as an example. Noah preached to the people around him for a hundred years while building the Ark. Anyone who listened was welcome to join him on the Ark. If people had listened, they could have built multiple Arks, but, sadly, people mocked Noah and kept on with their usual ways. This worked for them for 100 years, until it didn’t.
2 Peter 3:3-6 tells us:
2 Peter 3:3-6 (NKJV) 3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as [they were] from the beginning of creation.” 5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, 6 by which the world [that] then existed perished, being flooded with water.
We should observe three things about these people and ensure we are not like them. First, they do not take God's word seriously—they scoff at it. Second, they walk according to their own lusts. In other words, they see life as about pursuing what they can get for themselves. Their desires rule their lives. And third, they intentionally forget. We have a world full of evidence of the flood, yet people have found a different way to explain the evidence and deny the truth.
So, the first threat looming over Earth's inhabitants is of their own making. They say “Peace and safety” because they refuse to see the obvious signs God has given.
The second element of the threat is “Sudden destruction comes upon them.”
“Sudden Destruction” will be the topic for a later time.
At this point, let’s wrap up this session with a question.
Do we scoff at the word of God? Is there something that God says that we ignore, explain away, or question, like “Did God really say?”
I want to challenge you. If you have a sin or a habit that you know displeases God, do what you have to do to get rid of it.
Let’s read what Galatians 6:7-8 says.
Galatians 6:7-8 (NKJV) 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
My challenge to you is to sow (plant) to the Spirit and reap everlasting life.
First, ask God to help you, to save you from the trap you find yourself in.
Next, confess your sin.
1 John 1:9 (NKJV) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Then plant the word of God in your heart. Don’t just read it, think on it. Mull it over in your thoughts. Memorize it. Think through how to implement it in your life.
In doing these things, you will find the joy of the Lord and avoid the sudden destruction that comes from ignoring truth and warnings.
