1 Thess 5:3 - What do you think....

by The Scotsman 26 Replies latest jw friends

  • The Scotsman
    The Scotsman

    1 Thessalonians 5:3 says this - "Whenever it is that they are saying: “Peace and security!” then sudden destruction is to be instantly upon them just as the pang of distress upon a pregnant woman; and they will by no means escape." NWT..

    Jehovahs witnesses believe this is refering to our time with a final fulfillment imminent which of course triggers total destruction for nearly everyone and everything.

    And it has to be said there has been much talk of peace in recent history - But is that what this verse is refering to????

    What do you guys think? A 1st century fulfillment???

    Give me your thoughts

  • snowbird

    I think it refers to events in and around the Roman world of the first century. No more and no less.


  • journey-on

    The WTS has many trigger scriptures they use over and over to instill anticipation and fear. 1 Thess. 5:3 is one of them.

    The flock eagerly listens for the "peace and security" announcement in the news, joyful or fearful (whichever) that

    Armageddon will shortly follow. They stay in constant fear. It's sad.

  • WTWizard

    This is just another tool for the Watchtower Society to misuse. They bring it on when things start improving in the world, making people think the end is nigh when things are going well. So, it initiates threat of force when things are going well, no wars of signficance are going, and people seem to be prospering.

    But let there be a terror strike, major war, or disaster, and they immediately "forget" about this. They didn't say a word about it during Sept 11, 2001. But they were going ballistic in the late 1990s when things seemed reasonably stable. Of course, they program the flock to disregard it totally any time there is a big storm, war, disease epidemic, economic problems, crime wave, or terror attack because it means the end is yet some distance away. First they are going to have to win the war on terror. They will also have to achieve at least some semblance of a stable economy and low or declining crime rates in order to declare peace and security. They are going to have to get rid of our regulatory agencies that strike terror in our citizens and impede progress, so that we may have a semblance of peace and security. And that is probably not going to happen for a while, since it has to be worldwide and not just here.

  • Awakened07

    "Sudden destruction". Well - I guess 'a thousand years is like one day' to God, so maybe in that context... I remember around 1986, it was The International Year of Peace, and Ronald Reagan (I think it was him) had used the exact words "peace and security" as had been "foretold" by the NWT; I saw prophecy being fulfilled before my eyes then.

    It's over 20 years ago, so I guess 'sudden' is a relative term.

  • Clam

    Who are they exactly? The UN, the Vatican, Al Qaida, the National Rifle Association, the G8, the Rolling Stones?

  • AK - Jeff
    AK - Jeff

    Could the 'them' be all religious hypocrites? Or is it the same as the 'they'? And as Clam said, who is that?

    The Jw's use it to create a 'we vs them' mentality. A fear scripture.


  • Anti-Christ

    There's nothing prophetic about it, it could be what ever you want it to be.

  • The Scotsman
    The Scotsman


    You make a good point regarding the sporadic use of this verse - depending on world conditions. It is also true that this is a fear scripture - keep pubs on there toes.

    I find it interesting that this verse "in context" gives little indication (if any) of an application in our time. And yet JWs clearly identify this verse with 20th / 21st century.

    I suppose a question that a few of you have touched on is - Who is the "them" who are destroyed? It must refer to something!!!

  • greendawn

    The JW did use this verse as a means to further strengthen their belief that the end was near but the end never arrived over the 120 years that they have been proclaiming it.

    Something is amiss they are again trying to mislead those not well versed in history, peace efforts have been going on throughout history.

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