So Paul here is giving a prophecy of similar proportions. He is definitely aiming it at the time of the end, the Day of the Lord. And as he says, we know that it is going to come suddenly. It is going to appear when most people are not looking for it. It is going to be a surprise to most people because they have their minds concentrated on other things and not what God is doing and not what is really happening in the world.
But Paul intimates here that the same thing will go on as happened in Jerusalem and Judea in the time of Jeremiah. There will be people saying, "Hey, all is peaceful. You're not going to have any problems. It's safe out there. We're not going to have these great global conflagrations, these great conflicts between Europe and America or the Middle East or Asia or what have you. Yeah, the world is moving toward peace." And the outcome is going to be the same. The outcome is sudden destruction. And Paul says here, if you are on that side of things, they shall not escape. It is too late. The great destruction of the day of the Lord is going to come upon them.
