One element about prophecy about the future that has puzzled me in a certain context is the phrase “sudden destruction” in the following:
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. (1 Thessalonians 5:3)
As I say, my perplexity has stemmed from the context. This is a follow-up passage from the Apostle Paul’s further revelation on the mystery about the Rapture:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–18)
For me, the disconnect came from my long-thought belief that there will be, following the disappearance of millions of believers, a collapse–a meltdown—of human interaction on a global scale. Chaos would immediately follow this staggering event, but it would, I believed, be a more-or-less controlled chaos; the cry for peace and safety would be like a growing worldwide emotional breakdown and financial, societal, and cultural collapse that would cause people to beg for somebody to fix it all.
Antichrist would be willing and able to step up, and the panicked people would readily accept the back-to-normal promises he offered, giving him growing control over the nations.
But why, then, the term “sudden destruction”? It smacks of instant devastation, not of slow or even rapid collapse into chaos and dystopian existence for the world of left-behind people.
The realization strikes that “peace and safety” seems to connote something far deeper than freedom from chaos and disorder from financial catastrophe and the breakdown of law and order. It indicates, I am convicted, a desperate desire for a preservation of life itself, not just a call for restoration to something akin to normalcy.
I have long held, as anyone who has followed my commentaries knows, that Jesus Himself told of the exact circumstances in which this generation now finds us. His “days of Noah, days of Lot” prophecy found in the Matthew chapter 24 Olivet Discourse and again in Luke 17:26–28, says it will be business as usual right until the moment believers are taken to be with Him in the clouds of Glory. It will be just like it was in the time of Lot in Sodom. The very day Lot was taken by the angels out of the wicked city, the town and its sister town of Gomorrah were totally, and I mean totally, destroyed. As a matter of fact, those excavating the area today are just beginning to uncover just how total the destruction was in that judgment.
My puzzlement was always that Jesus indicated it will be just like that when believers are taken to Heaven. Destruction of the sort Sodom experienced, He said, will fall that very day. How, then, could there be this slow collapse into societal and cultural dystopia that could take weeks, months, or longer? Sodom and Gomorrah were instantly destroyed in a deluge of fire and brimstone–devastation that might have been similar to the nuclear devastation such weaponry can inflict today.
All we must do to see the potential for nuclear conflict is to read the news. One report leaves little doubt the potential for Sodom-like destruction can be easily dealt by the hand of humankind, without even the need for wrath directly from Heaven.
More and more European officials and NATO countries are on board with allowing Ukraine to use Western-supplied weapons to strike deep inside Russian territory. Among the latest to speak openly about this are NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell, and the government of Sweden, which is the NATO alliance’s newest member state.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday issued one of his more dire warnings yet, putting Europe on notice by commenting on their possessing small land areas and dense populations. The veiled threat is very ominous especially in light of the fact that Russia just wrapped up tactical nuclear drills near Ukraine. (“Putin Threatens West’s ‘Dense Populations’ In ‘Small Land Masses’ In Response To NATO Escalation,” ZeroHedge, May 29, 2024)
With nuclear weaponry in the hands of leaders who are more and more threatening to use them, it’s a wonder the nuclear genie hasn’t escaped the bottle. It is indeed amazing that a nuclear weapon hasn’t been accidentally discharged; there are accounts of massive hydrogen bombs that have come within a hair’s breadth of accidentally exploding.
The fact is, I have no doubt, the staying hand of Almighty God has prevented such disaster. He continues to restrain nuclear and all other sorts of satanic evil from being unleashed. He has, as promised in Psalm 2, had the diabolists of this judgment-bound world in “derision”–intervening to disrupt the devil’s plans to bring on yet another world war.
But God’s patience is not without limits. There is coming a time when, like with Lot‘s case, He will call believers from the planet’s surface and into Jesus’ loving arms.
You want to go to Christ when He shouts, “Come up here!” You will be forever safe in God’s family, saved from the sudden destruction taking place on earth. Here is how to make sure you go in the Rapture, which will happen at any moment.
That if you will confess with your mouth the lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)
Terry James Prophecy Line 
Just yesterday I was thinking about this very thing! Wow!
Jeff Kinley has a book called “The End of America” that describes what the USA will look like right after the Rapture and it is downright terrifying; unimaginable destruction of our nation, complete structural collapse here. And Jeff anticipates the possibility of almost immediate attack by our enemies, because we will be vulnerable in ways only dreamed of by them. We have the most Christians per capita than any other major country so we will particularly affected.
Lately I’ve been thinking that we, as Americans, may be taken up in the moments just before a major nuclear attack. That would help explain why we are not mentioned in the Bible. I’m not an American narcissist thinking the world revolves around us. (I’m a citizen of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and my allegiance is to Him alone.) But the world still revolves around the US currency, freedoms, and stability. When that collapses, the world will descend into chaos. Perhaps ‘sudden destruction’ means something a different for the time after the Rapture?!
During the Tribulation, we know the world must be stable enough for a Mark of the Beast System to be implemented, along with a one-world-currency. And there will have to be functioning technological systems to enforce the MOB, currency and One World Religion systems that will be in force. Also, the Bible tells us that when the 2 Witnesses are killed, the whole world will see it and send gifts to one another in celebration.
Revelation 11: 7-12
7 When they finish their testimony, the beast that ascends out of the bottomless pit will make war against them, overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 Then those from the peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations will see their dead bodies three-and-a-half days, and not allow their dead bodies to be put into graves. 10 And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them, make merry, and send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.The Witnesses Resurrected
11 Now after the three-and-a-half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who saw them. 12 And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies saw them.
These verses require infrastructure and technology, that for the first time in world history exists today. Total, global destruction, like what happened to Sodom and Gomorrah, mustn’t be what the Lord was telling us. Perhaps calamity is limited to certain areas, like the USA, which would still cause sudden destruction for the world. We know Jesus is the source of all truth, so there is something we don’t fully understand here, yet.
What is clear is that the whole world can not be completely destroyed when the Rapture occurs because there will be countless numbers of new Christians born again during the Tribulation, creating our Tribulation Saints brethren. It seems likely that the major, more stable population centers will be in Europe and Asia after the Rapture, which matches the prophecies in Revelation. Whatever happens, it will be very bad, bad enough for the whole planet to cry out for someone to create a form of stability on the earth…enter the Man of Sin.
I highly recommend Jeff’s book, his theology is exceptional and he has spent a lot of time studying the Bible and considering what is coming. Be warned, the book I mention is not for the faint of heart, because one thing seems certain; the USA is going to be a shell of what we have always known her to be, as a result of the Rapture. And it is hard for me personally to imagine what will happen to those we love who are left behind here.
With every passing day I am awed by the irrefutable evidence (only for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear) that our mighty God is holding everything together for that day, which is drawing near. IMHO there is no other explanation for the fact that we haven’t yet descended into financial collapse and civil war. Difficult to watch and experience, no doubt about that, but it’s truly a wonder to witness, praise His name!
I totally agree with you that enough of civilization and technology has to be intact post-Rapture for the Beast’s rule to be possible. This precludes an all-out planet-killing event, either self-induced by nuclear warfare or a natural catastrophe like the Carrington Event of 1859 which would disable our electrical and electronic systems, perhaps irreversibly. I doubt the Antichrist would want to rule a planet which had reverted back to the Stone Age, even if he could without modern tech.
There must also be the capability of amassing 200 million troops for the final assault on Israel at the end of the Tribulation, something I can’t see happening without modern transportation methods.
We also know that a remnant of Israel survives intact which will then finally call out to God and recognize that Jesus is their Messiah
I also agree that a depopulated America would be a prime target for our enemies to walk on in and that any number of them who can will do just that. It may even put the “kings of the East” at odds with whatever comes out of Europe in the way of a global government.
You assessment that the only reason our civilization hasn’t collapsed is that God is holding it back is spot-on because this should already have happened.
Excellent points!
It could be that when people accept the Antichrist and his offer of peace and safety, Satan will enter this world full bore. We actually see him show up right at the opening of the first seal, followed by the remaining devastation caused by the horses which follow. It is my own belief that he is the one who actually switches mounts to ride each in succession, since all the evil these horses bring begins with his arrival.
The Greek word translated as “sudden” is “aiphnidios.” It can mean sudden as in the conventional sense of quickly happening. On a time scale of 2000 years since Jesus walked the earth, I suppose only seven years could be considered as relatively sudden. This is just a speculation on my part.
There is a second meaning rendered from the Greek word as “unexpected” or “unawares” which shows up here in Jesus’ warning to his disciples on the Mount of Olives:
Luke {21:34} And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. {21:35} For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Certainly, humankind will not expect destruction after being promised peace and safety from the Antichrist, but that is what they will get. Again, this is just one possibility I’d be interested in other opinions, so feel free to comment . . . on my comment!
I think this will be the sudden destruction referred to in the Bible.
Many scholars have weighed in on their interpretation of Daniel 9:27 or the “covenant with many” unfortunately I can not agree with any of them regarding this.
Daniel 9:27 does not name Israel, or the identity of the many, nor the contents of the covenant yet there remains endless speculation and assumptions regarding this.
When we examine Ezekiel 38/39 and it’s aftermath, it becomes quite clear that Israel will entrust their security alone to God. “So the house of Israel shall know that I am the Lord their God from that day and forward”- Ezekiel 39:22. This could not be more clearer.
Now, speculation would suggest that Israel will recognize the AntiChrist as their long awaited Messiah however even this opinion can be proven a grave error in judgement when we examine Luke 21:20.
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh”.
If then, Israel recognized the AntiChrist as Messiah why would he and his armies have to committ a military seige against Jerusalem? It is at this point why we see the daily sacrifice stopped for the Apostle Paul then records the instruction for Jews to flee to the mountains if Judeah. I have little doubt the Kohanim (Preists) of the Temple will also flee just prior to the Abomination of Desolatiion.
There are also those that identify the Third Temple as a profane structure even while the Apostle Paul identifies it clearly as a Temple of God.
“Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God”- 2 Thessalonians 2:4.
It is my long held belief that the Third Temple, and it’s accompanied sacrifices, will be introduced in the aftermath of the Gog/Magog battle of Ezekiel 38/39 to Honor the Lord God and His strong deliverance from this confederation. The great earthquake of Ezekiel 38:19,20 will surely clear the Temple Mount of all existing profane structures presently there.
“And I will set my glory among the heathen, and all the heathen shall see my judgment that I have executed, and my hand that I have laid upon them”- Ezekiel 39:21.
I hope that at the very least I have provided something for us to consider as students of Bible Prophecy. I believe personally this “covenant with many” will be with the 10 Kings from which the AntiChrist rises to power.
In Christ with love,
Rodney Dezarn
Hi, Rodney.
I also think the “covenant with many” is the document is more wide-scale and finalizes a global government of which one provision is a Middle East peace treaty along with a provision for a temple rebuild. This latter element definitely has messianic implications for the Jews (Zechariah 6:12-13) and we can see how it will be used as another element by the Antichrist to trick them. I would not be surprised if the AC also takes credit for saving them from the Ezekiel attack as well, if that happened earlier. I am not exactly sure of the timing of that, so this is something of a wild card.
The reversal by the man of sin happens halfway through the seven year treaty and the Israelites will learn, to their dismay, that they have been betrayed. (Daniel 9:27) He will appropriate the temple and most of the Jews will “get out of Dodge” (Matthew 24:15-21) to save themselves. In my own view, a contingent of IDF and other defenders will stay behind in Jerusalem to resist – some kind of guerilla action, I imagine, while the AC is preoccupied by resistance of the kings of the East (Daniel 11:44). Ultimately, I suspect that the AC will somehow get them on his side, along with any of Israel’s other enemies who are left, to contribute to the 200-million-troop Armageddon campaign. Their target will be Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2), as well as the Jews which had previously taken refuge in the wilderness three and a half years earlier, Sela (Petra) being a good possibility for the refuge place of the latter (Isaiah 16:1-5), who will be rescued by Jesus afterward. They would succeed if Jesus and his armies of saints, and probably angels as well, did not come back to stop it.
This is my take on these events but I am keeping an open mind.
Thank you over and over for your deep study in prophecy. Your insights into the meaning of sudden destruction are very helpful. We are indeed standing on the edge of time. May our friends and loved ones without Christ respond today to God’s grace! 🙏
I believe the phrase “sudden destruction” means the Rapture will happen without warning and those left behind will “suddenly” find themselves in the era of “destruction,” from which there is “no escape.”
The idea that all of mankind (or even just America) will suddenly be wiped out following the Rapture doesn’t square with everything else we know about the Tribulation. (The judgments get progressively worse over seven years, they do not produce instant destruction.)
Hence, the phrase “sudden destruction” is simply poetic shorthand to say that, just like the judgments of Noah and Lot, they will begin without warning and there will be no escape.
At least, that’s how I see it.
Blessings!
It is assured that since we know that Russia has a prophetic destiny on the mountains (borders) of Israel as recorded in Ezekiel 38, no such nuclear exchange will occur.
Ezekiel the Prophet, also identifies that the Merchants of Tarshish, and the young lions thereof, will be gathered in the region to see the Gog/Magog confederation assemble and inquire of their intentions (Ezekiel 38:13). Many scholars identify these as the Western powers or the present U.S./N.A.T.O. contingent. These powers are now present in the region under the auspices of Operation Prosperity Guardian and various other operational commands to protect merchant ships in the Red Sea and Mediterranean.
It is in knowing the Truth as recorded in the Word of God that we can have peace regarding these things. I hope this has served to alleviate any fears that some may have concerning these more recent rumors of war that have surfaced.
In Christ with love,
Rodney Dezarn