While people are saying, “Peace and security,” destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.For when they are saying, “Peace and safety,” then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman. Then they will in no way escape.For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape.
4 sermons cite this verse
… and we'll come back to this at the end of tonight. 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 1 through 4, Paul said to the believers in Thessalonica, but concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you'll have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief of the night. 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. But you, brethren, are not in darkness. Notice the contrast. The believer is in the light. They, them, those, they're in the darkness. So that this day should overtake you as a thief. Isn't that a great word? In other words, everything that you're reading right now is that we are to be a people that are sticking to the word of God. We should be a people in prayer and that we should be a people that are not surprised by the day and the age in which we live in. We should be as the sons of Ishakar, the Bible tells us in the Old Testament, that they discerned the seasons and they knew what Israel ought to do. That's a good thing for you and I to do. Look around the world, look around our community, look around our life, this culture, our nation, and we should know what to do next as believers. Amen to that? God's given us the roadmap. So we're going to do this the best we can. And if we do, if we finish tonight, it will …
… that we're actively engaged doing the will of God on earth as it is in heaven. And Paul teaches this principle in 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 1 through 3 when he says this, about the times and dates we do not need to write you for, you know, very little and very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. He's going to come like a thief in the night. While people are saying peace and safety, destruction will come on them suddenly. He's gonna come suddenly, so we wanna be ready. And he reminds them, we do not know when Jesus will return. We do not know when the rapture will take place. So we're gonna live ready. We're gonna be ready. What I like about this is pretty cool. Paul is both prophesying what's to come, and that he's being a little bit of a smart aleck. He had an edge like that. I like that. Maybe not his best trait. God might not like it. I like it. He was both prophesying and he takes a jab at the Roman empire because Rome boasted about something called pax et securitas, which means peace and safety, peace and safety, peace and safety. Rome bragged that Caesar and the armies would guarantee peace. If you trust in Caesar, you'll have peace. It was a lie because peace that's enforced is not real peace. Peace that's enforced is not lasting. And there's similar lies today that people think if we just vote in the …
… And you've acknowledged that you can't survive this. First Thessalonians 5.3 says, they will not escape. Nahum the prophet wrote this, who can stand before his indignation? Who can endure the burning of his anger? His wrath is poured out like fire, and the rocks are broken up by him. But don't hide in the rocks, and don't pray to the rocks. They're useless. Again, we're back to Hebrews 10. It's a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. What about us? Well, let me close with a comforting truth. Chapter 3, in the letter to the church at Philadelphia, verse 10 of Revelation 3, the Lord gives one of His promises to believers. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance." In other words, because you have been steadfast in keeping My Word. You remember John 8? If you continue in My Word, you're My real what? Disciple. Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I will also keep you from the hour of time testing that hour which is about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth." What hour is about to come on the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth? …
And what is that deception exactly? Listen to what it says in 1 Thessalonians 5.3. Listen to this. In the end times, Paul is talking about the end times, the day of the Lord, they will be saying, the false prophets, peace and safety, peace and safety. Sin destruction will come upon them suddenly, like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape." What is going to be the deceptive message? Peace and safety. Peace and safety. So the first sign of the end is a false peace. Now this has a pattern. If you go back to Jeremiah, Jeremiah was warning the people of God of coming judgment. This whole prophecy is just loaded with warnings about the coming judgment. Chapter 6 of Jeremiah, verse 1, Flee for safety, O sons of Benjamin. This is an illustration of the kind of thing that he writes. flee from the midst of Jerusalem. And then at the end of verse 1, for evil looks down from the north and a great destruction. So Jeremiah is saying, destruction is coming, destruction is coming, destruction is coming. But down in verse 14 of that same chapter, the false teachers are saying, peace, peace, but there is no peace. Peace, peace, there is no peace. …