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Flee to the Mountains.
Matthew24:15 "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), 24:16 "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 24:17 "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 24:18 "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 24:19 "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 24:20 "And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath.
This is the prediction of Jesus about the imminent destruction of Jerusalem. Luke’s rendering of verse 15 and 16 makes the meaning clearer.
Luke21:20 "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21:21 "Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her.
The abomination of desolation standing in the holy place means armies surrounding Jerusalem. Jesus says, “Whenever you see the city surrounded by the armies, leave Jerusalem and flee to the mountains.” This was a very specific counsel. It was more specific than the signs of the end-time such as wars and earthquakes.
Then, when was this prediction fulfilled in history? It was about October, AD66. At that time the nation of Judea was incorporated into the Roman Empire. Palestinian Jews had nourished a spirit of resistance, and about 20,000 of them had lost their lives by AD 60 to fight against the Romans since their occupation. Especially they had strongly refused to worship the emperor. Thus Cestius Gallus, governor of the Roman province of Syrian, arrived at Jerusalem with more than 12,000 soldiers and forced the Palestinian Jews to the emperor worship. However their guerrilla group attached him and killed 515 Romans. The Romans retaliated on the enemy and drove them to retreat behind the stout walls of Jerusalem. The city was completely enveloped by the Roman armies. Thus, the prediction of Jesus was exactly fulfilled.
But a strange thing happened. The Roman armies began to withdraw for unknown reason, even though victory was within their grasp. Among the Jews the guerrilla group chased after the retreating Romans and fiercely killed almost 6,000 of the Roman soldiers. This attack angered the Romans and drove them back to the city later again and let them bring upon unutterable woe upon the city. It happened in the spring of AD 70. It was the season of Passover. Jerusalem was jammed with Jews who had gathered together from different places to celebrate this festival. All of them were completely encircled by the enemy. The duration was 143 days. They lost their food, their health, their morals, and their lives. The situation was disastrous. One starving mother was reported to have slain, roasted, and eaten her own child (Josephus, Wars, 6.3.4). But even in the midst of the tragic circumstances they were so stubborn that they would not surrender themselves to the Romans. The Romans attempted to spare the city and its temple, but failed. Then near the end of August, AD 70, the armies finally set fire to Jerusalem. The city and its temple were all burned out. The number of being killed reached more than one million. The survivors were about 97,000, some were taken prisoner, or offered for sale as slaves to Gentiles, or eaten by wild animals in amphitheatres or scattered to the world as Diasporas.
It is said that the city was burnt for about one month. There was a mountain of dead bodies everywhere on streets. Even the blood was running here and there that it was able to put the fire out. And the building of the temple was destroyed and it was completely levelled to the ground. The work was so thoroughly done that no future visitors could believe that there had ever been the temple.
Then what did those Jews who believed the words of Jesus do? After having seen the Roman armies retreating, they took this priceless chance and fled north to the mountains. Josephus, a Jewish contemporary historian, reports that “many distinguished Jews abandoned the city as swimmers desert a sinking ship.” And they founded a colony at the mountains called Pella, southeast of Lake Galilee. They all survived, because they did as Jesus counselled them.
Brothers and sisters, I think you are aware that Jesus’ prophecy was a very specific counsel. He said, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation (the armies), spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (enveloping Jerusalem), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” This is a very clear counsel. There is no magic. It is so specific that every Jew could have escaped from the disasters. But so many Jews did not believe the counsel of Jesus. They did not escape. But rather they chose to fight against their enemy.
During His public ministry Jesus taught the way of peace many times. He said, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you” (Matthew5:44). He also taught to respect all legally constituted authority by saying, "Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's" (Matthew22:21). He taught to return good for evil by saying, “And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two” (Matthew5:41). But many of the Jews did not choose the way of peace, but rather took the way of fighting. They did not want to escape, but rather resist against the authority. As a result, they rushed into the way of destruction.
The disastrous destruction of Jerusalem is God’s warning to this modern society. It means the visitation of judgment upon the city is warning another punishment, which is the destruction of this world. Let me read from the book of “The Great Controversy.”
The Saviour's prophecy concerning the visitation of judgments upon Jerusalem is to have another fulfillment, of which that terrible desolation was but a faint shadow. In the fate of the chosen city we may behold the doom of a world that has rejected God's mercy and trampled upon His law. Dark are the records of human misery that earth has witnessed during its long centuries of crime. The heart sickens, and the mind grows faint in contemplation. Terrible have been the results of rejecting the authority of Heaven.
But a scene yet darker is presented in the revelations of the future. The records of the past,--the long procession of tumults, conflicts, and revolutions, the "battle of the warrior . . . with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood" (Isaiah 9:5),-- what are these, in contrast with the terrors of that day when the restraining Spirit of God shall be wholly withdrawn from the wicked, no longer to hold in check the outburst of human passion and satanic wrath! The world will then behold, as never before, the results of Satan's rule. The Great Controversy, p36, 37
This means when the Spirit of God stops restraining the wicked, they will go wilder. Satan will go mad with anger. He will reveal his true character. This will be far worse than the desolation of Jerusalem.
Then, how can we fight the wicked. If we fight as the Jews did against the Roman armies, we will destroy ourselves. We should rather escape as Jesus said.
Jesus said, “Flee to the mountains.” Why did He appoint the mountain? When God decided to destroy the city of Sodom, His angels also said to Lot, “Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.” Why did they designate the mountains? That was because the mountains are safer than the plain. I know the mountains have disasters, but they have fewer calamities than the plain. The mountains are safer in flood or earthquakes or tsunami.
Now what is a spiritual lesson about “fleeing to the mountain?” That is to look up to higher ground like the mountains and move forward to it. It is the higher quality of our spiritual life. It is closer to God’s holy presence. It is a place where we pray, praise, study His holy words, and commit ourselves to Him. To this spiritual high mountain we flee and find our ultimate refuge.
I was brought up in a small village surrounded by the mountains. Because of this I love to climb the mountains. From the top I look down upon the lower world and see it very small. Cars, people, and houses, all look as tiny as soy beans. Even if I feel very irritated, once I go up to the higher ground of the mountains, I see my heartburning very small. Have you ever had this kind of experience? So if you accumulate your spiritual experience with the Lord on a higher level, your worries about the world appear to be small.
Psalm61:1 Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. 61:2 From the end of the earth I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
David, the writer of this psalm, asked the Lord in prayer to lead him to the rocky high mountain when he is discouraged. He wanted to see the Lord. He believed that he could find solutions of all problems in encountering the Lord. I think we do the same.
I’m pressing on
the upward way,
Lord, lift me up
and let me stand,
The Lord Jesus said, "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand),"then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." He said, "Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house, but flee to the mountains." He said, "And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes, but flee to the mountains." Without doubt, without hesitation, but with faith in the words of the Lord, to flee to the higher mountains! I think that was a very big decision for them. They did not know how they would live after fleeing to the mountains. They did not know what would happen to those who stayed in the city of Jerusalem. They just believed the words of Jesus and obeyed Him. And after a few years they did understand they made a right decision.
Let us always take the Lord’s words first. When we face a big temptation, let us stand firmly on higher ground to have an intimate communion with Him.
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