For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape.
and they shall not escape: Amidst the uncertainty as to the time of these events, there should be no uncertainty as to the scope of their effect. The unprepared are doomed. The grammatical construction is clearly brought out by the Amplified translation: "they shall by no means escape." Advance preparation, not escape, is the only rational way to approach the future. The unprepared can no more escape the wrath to be revealed than could the rich man span the great gulf separating the places of punishment and consolation (Luke 16:26).