Prophecy

They Shall Not Escape Before the Rapture?

by Mark A. Becker
08/29/21
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“They Shall Not Escape” Before the Rapture?

by Mark A. Becker

 “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. 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 5:1-3

The rapture of the church is clearly “that day” that “cometh as a thief in the night” and will initiate the “sudden destruction” that will culminate in the Second Coming of Christ for those who will have been saying “peace and safety” or “peace and security.”

But could it be that “they shall not escape” prior to the “sudden destruction” of the rapture? In other words, though the final clause in the passage is “and they shall not escape,” could this final clause be something that comes on the world before the “sudden destruction” that is initiated by the rapture of the church?

Maybe. Maybe not. But I wanted to present this possibility to the reader that this may have already occurred. Keep in mind though, that I am in no way dogmatic on this and only offer this as food for thought.

In this quick study, we will be focusing our attention on 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6. And, as always, let the reader be the judge.

Christ delves into the mystery of the rapture of the church found in Matthew 24:36-51, Mark 13:32-37, and Luke 21:34-36, with another passage in Luke 17:34-37.

(For more information on Christ’s teaching of the rapture of the church in His Olivet Discourse, please see Is the Rapture of the Church in the Olivet Discourse? and Jesus Was the First to Teach the Rapture! among many other articles I have written on this subject).

“But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2

The Lord’s church should know “the times and the seasons” of the Lord’s return - our blessed hope (Titus 2:13) – because we should understand the prophetic timeline and acknowledge that the rapture has always been imminent.

We should know “that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night,” and therefore, for almost 2,000 years, the church has been commanded to be waiting and watching. If we do this, we will not be caught by surprise at our Lord’s return for His bride. The surprise will not be for us - as we will be watching and waiting while knowing the prophetic order, which begins with the rapture - but to those who are left behind.

“Peace and Safety”

This is the verse that really reverberated for me on this particular day. 

“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

So often, when we read this verse, we have a tendency to think that because the focus is on “them,” that “we” must have already been taken in the rapture, and this could certainly be the case. But I wanted to suggest a possibility: that “they [that] shall not escape” could occur before the rapture and will seal their doom while the church is still here. This is not a sign that needs to happen, rather something that might have already happened. Again, I am not dogmatic, just proposing a possibility given what has happened in our recent history.

The Abraham Accords had been a major policy initiative of the Trump Administration, facilitated by Jared Kushner. As we know, the Bible is Israel-centric and Israel has been a nation desperately desiring peace and safety (security) with her neighbors and her enemies. These accords, most prophecy students and teachers believe, are a pre-cursor to the covenant that Antichrist will make with Israel and the many (Daniel 9:27).

Almost immediately, we had the Covid-19 pandemic. Since then, I would argue that the world has had “sudden destruction cometh upon them, as a woman with child.” Even though the church is still here, their future is written in stone “and they shall not escape.” The world is reeling from all of this – from economics, to variants, to experimental “vaccines,” wars, and more - and we know that it’s just going to get worse for them as they prepare to enter the Tribulation.

It seems these events – the strong desire for “peace and safety (security)” and the pandemic with its repercussions (with the globalists capitalizing on the situation to help usher in their New World Order) and many other indicators – are preparing the world for the “sudden destruction,” a time only the Father knows, that will begin with the rapture.

Not in Darkness

“But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:4-5

Because we “are not in darkness, that that day should overtake [us] as a thief,” we should all be ready and watching for our Lord’s soon return, just as those before us have done for almost 2,000 years.

“Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

But, until we hear that trumpet of God, “let us not sleep, as do others,” and keep preaching the glorious gospel of the Lord to a lost and dying world who desperately need Jesus Christ in their lives. While we continue to preach that gospel, “let us watch and be sober,” as we keep watching and waiting for our majestic Redeemer.

“For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” – Luke 21:35-36

Love, grace, mercy, and shalom in Messiah Yeshua, and Maranatha!

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