Peace and Safety After the Rapture?

Dr. Couch, since the church is gone in the rapture, how could the lost say "peace and safety" in 1 Thessalonians 5:3? ANSWER: We often try to outguess what is going on in the Bible. And we shouldn't do that because all the information about what is happening is not given to us. The world will not care about what is happening with the believers when they are gone in the rapture. Remember, the world at that moment thinks all is well and does not believe that a horrible war in the Middle East is about to take place. Notice, it is "they" who say peace and safety, the believers are gone home, though we know that during the tribulation people can and will come to Christ, but they will not constitute technically what is now called the church. The dispensation of the church will be over.    The Greek text reads "While they are saying 'peace and safety' …" "Saying" is an indefinite Present Active Subjunctive. Lenski, though not a dispensationalists gets this right. He notes "While at some expected future time they are saying …" He adds, "The blind world will remain blind to the last despite the great procession of signs during the course of the years, that advertise the Lord's day [coming]."    You asked about the expression "destruction" in verse 3 as given in the NASB, while the KJV says "sudden destruction." The word "sudden" is separated from "destruction" though it is emphasizing that word. The word sudden (aiphnidios) means that "they were unaware that it was coming." This destruction would take place without a warning. The church is gone and the world is not expecting this destruction to come so quickly.    You need my technical Greek commentary on Thessalonians published by AMG. Though technical, laymen can still understand it.    Thanks for asking.    Dr. Mal Couch