Muir,

    You had written:

 From a Biblical prophecy standpoint, the attack by Hamas fulfilled Paul’s prophecy: “While people are saying ‘peace and safety’, destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” (1 Thess 5:3)

That was a very interesting thought, to say the least, which I also had, yesterday.

So, I looked at that scripture in the context of the other lines of scripture in the beginning of that chapter, while comparing those lines to that thought:

I Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

  2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

(Wouldn't that then make October 7th the day of the LORD, or at least the beginning of the day of the LORD, and would place us, now, in the tribulation?)

  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.

  4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

  5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

(I'm sure that you wouldn't consider the victims of the brutality, on that day, the ones in darkness, but that the Hamas butchers clearly are in darkness.)

  6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

  7 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

(I'm sure that you wouldn't consider all those children victims, the ones not sober in the night. No, the Hamas butchers were the ones out of their minds.)

  8 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

  9 For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

(I'm sure that you wouldn't consider the victims the ones appointed to wrath. Especially since that doesn't seem to fit with previous situations.

Prior to Nebuchadnezzar taking Jerusalem, the people had been specifically warned, in detail, by the LORD's prophets, and given time to repent.

Prior to the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem, the people had been warned, specifically, by Jesus, himself, and then given 40 years of gospel preaching.

That is currently not yet fully the case in modern Israel, however, when the two witnesses show up, it then will be.)

(Like you, I had thought about that line 3, in a similar way, at least until I viewed it in context.

I didn't write this as a rebuke, especially since I had thought the same thing as you did.

Rather, as an encouragement to strive to view things in context, and I need to consider that, myself, as well.)

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