top of page

War Update & the Cry of “Peace and Safety”

Dear Brothers, Sisters, and friends, other projects have taken my time away from Prophecy Letters, but I wanted to take a quick moment to cover some developments which I believe are of great importance and give a quick update on the Iran war. Most of my focus for sharing this relates to the cry of "peace and safety" which we'll discuss last.


Iran War – No Sure End in Sight

Information on the Iran war changes frequently, and what’s relevant one moment is irrelevant the next. While it’s difficult to see what the future holds for this conflict, one sure thing is that is has contributed significantly to the uncertainty in the Middle East. This, in effect, has coerced other Islamic nations to join together (discussed in a moment), and this could relate directly to prophecy. As for the Iran war though, here are some relevant headlines showing where things seem to be at the moment:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the most up-to-date information on developments, I recommend subscribing to Myles Kaufman’s Daily World Watch HERE.

 

Turkey Seeks Influence in Syria

Another development worth mention is Turkey’s interest in Syria. Iran held sway in Syria when the Assad regime ruled there, but that government was overthrown in December of 2024. The new government has been forming relations of its own, but their northern neighbor Turkey has shown interest in becoming the “new Iran” in the region:

 

 

 

I presently know of no solid prophetical reason to conclude that Turkey will be successful in this endeavor. The only relevance in my mind would relate to Ezekiel 38, for that is the only latter-day conflict we’re told of which will include Turkey. Russia will descend toward Israel from the north (for obvious geographical reasons), and passage through Syria is therefore essential. This does not mean that Turkey must control or have heavy sway in Syria in order for Russia to pass through there, but it would provide a natural explanation for why and how they pass through that territory. We shall see.

 

The Formation of False “Peace and Safety”?

In discussions of latter-day prophecy, a common passage often cited is

 

1 Thessalonians 5:3 – 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.

 

This passage has been subject to numerous interpretations, and one of the main reasons is because the “they” is not clearly defined by the context. Who is saying “peace and safety”? Is it the world, Israel, Israel’s enemies, or believers? It’s not specifically stated, and when most of these classes are inserted into the passage, they present their own issues for why Paul would be mentioning them at this point of his letter. What is clear is that the peace and safety is not genuine, and this is evident in that what follows is sudden destruction.

 

The only contextual evidence I find for who is saying “peace and safety” is found by working backwards in the text to gain context. If we read all of chapter 4 on into chapter 5, the last class mentioned which would seem to fit the “they” of 5:3 is found in

 

1 Thessalonians 4:13 – But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

 

Paul then continues about how those who are “in Christ” have the hope of resurrection. He opens the fifth chapter with warning believers of the signs of the times, and then we arrive at our subject verse. If the class in 4:13 is the “they” in 5:3, then those who say “peace and safety” would seem to be the people of the world who have no hope, meaning that they are not covenanted believers. This is the world at large.

 

Now - a popular view of this verse ties it into the upcoming Islamic battle against Israel as described in Psalm 83, Zechariah 12 and 14, and many others. That view suggests that it is the Islamic nations of Psalm 83 who cry for “peace and safety” by making a false peace with Israel, but they then suddenly attack Israel, hence bringing sudden destruction.

 

While making the Arabs the “they” of 1 Thessalonians 5 feels arbitrary to the text and seems a very random place to bring up that conflict, the meat of this view makes good sense to me. I believe that the Psalm 83 war is the first conflict Christ will engage in upon this earth, and it will mark the beginning of the Davidic, conquering phase of his rule. Lots of destruction will follow that event.

 

If, therefore, the Psalm 83 nations were to form some sort of “peace treaty” with Israel and the Arab-Israeli conflict looks like it is “over”, can we imagine how the world would respond? Wouldn’t the world at large say “peace and safety”? It would be hailed as the landmark achievement of the century, but as we know, peace will never be obtained by these means. The Lord has foretold that the Psalm 83 nations will be destroyed and inherited by Israel because they constitute the borders of Christ’s future Kingdom on this earth. Prophecy says that Israel will be attacked. There will be war and destruction. But it’s very possible that the prospect of peace could look very real before it all happens.

 

With this in mind, certain news items of our jump off of the page. A new Islamic alliance is forming in the name of peace, and look at what they aim to do (specifically the last article):

 

 

 

 

 

The unspoken goal of the Islamic confederacy seems to be to give Israel the impression that they are desirous of peace and therefore cause Israel to let their guard down. Once their guard is down, they will seize the opportunity and attack Israel with the intent of “cutting them off from being a nation” (Psalm 83:4).

 

In short: Islamic nations are attempting to form a confederacy in the name of peace and stability, but the hidden goal is to cause Israel to get “comfortable” and therefore become vulnerable. If 1 Thessalonians 5:3 refers to this, it would teach that such a confederacy would appear to be fruitful and the world at large would think that real peace for Israel and the Islamic world is within grasp, but then the Arab nations would attack and the Psalm 83 war would begin. Thus, “sudden destruction” comes.

 

This seems plausible to me, but as we ought to say with all unfulfilled prophecies, “We shall see how the Lord will accomplish it!” Perhaps future events will shed more light on this passage.

 

There’s more to comment upon, but time is short. I’ll share as many as I can in the days to come, but other projects relating to first principles and our young people are underway and require time and attention. May we all be found not simply waiting and watching for Christ’s return, but actively working to bear fruit to his praise!


In the Hope of Israel,

Tanner Hawkins

bottom of page