Forewarned of Jerusalem's Doom
By Eugene W. Farnsworth
An Abomination of Desolation—Miracles and Signs Are Not Conclusive—Do Not Allow the False Christs to Deceive—The Sexton's Bell Is Not the Signal—We All Go Together
"When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains." Matt. 24:15, 16. The Saviour here gave His endorsement of the prophet Daniel. Some men reject that prophet entirely; but the Saviour quotes him as authority, and tells us that when we read what he wrote, we should understand it. Furthermore, none should try to prevent any person from understanding it. "Let him understand." Christ quotes from Dan. 9:27. In the twenty-first chapter of Luke the thought is made a little clearer. He says, "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh." Verse 20. Please notice that by combining the thought in the two foregoing texts, we see that the Saviour calls the Roman army an "abomination of desolation." That is the name given of Heaven to an army. I sometimes wonder if armies have grown better since Christ gave this definition. Look at a devastating army passing through a country, burning houses, killing cattle, and destroying property of all kinds, leaving death and destruction in its track. It creates desolation wherever it goes. Are not armies still an "abomination of desolation"? The Saviour came to bring peace on earth, and the song sung by angel voices was, "On earth peace, good will toward men." The theme under consideration will bring us to the full consummation of peace. It was in the year 70 of the Christian era that the Roman general Titus encircled Jerusalem with his army, and then began a siege that was terrible in its results. Josephus tells us that a million men, women, and children died or were sold into slavery, as the result of the siege that overthrew Jerusalem. It was certainly a terrible experience. BY THIS SIGN KNOW YOU SHOULD FLEE
The Saviour said to His people, When you see this sign—when the army occupies the holy place, this consecrated part of the ground—then let them who are in Judea flee to the mountains. About Jerusalem and the priestly cities, all the ground, to a distance of two thousand cubits from the wall, was regarded as holy. "Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take anything out of his house." Matt. 24:17. No time must be lost. Advantage was to be taken of every moment left. The desolation of the city was so near that every one who believed God, must act instantly and flee for his life. It is said that not a single Christian perished in the downfall of Jerusalem. When they saw the sign God gave, they fled for their lives over the Jordan River. It would be well if other signs133given in this chapter were as faithfully heeded. "But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Verse 20. This counsel was given because there would be great suffering if the people were obliged to flee from their homes in cold weather. Christ taught them to pray, for forty years, that God would so ordain circumstances that when the great destruction came they would not be forced to flee in winter. RECOGNIZED AS CLEARLY AS WINTER
"Neither on the Sabbath day." Does not the Saviour recognize the fact that the Sabbath would be sacred, and that it should be observed, as late as the time when Jerusalem would be destroyed, in A.D. 70? He recognized the existence of the Sabbath as He recognized the existence of winter. If the Sabbath was to be kept holy in the year 70 of the Christian era, I submit that the Sabbath is holy to-day. If the seventh day was sacred after Christ went to heaven, then it is sacred 1,900 years after that event. TRIBULATION AND MARTYRDOM
"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Verses 21, 22. As we come down the stream of time from the destruction of Jerusalem a little way, the great and incomparable persecution of God's people began. Under pagan Rome, millions of God's people suffered death. Various historians give the total number who have been put to death at from fifty to seventy-five millions; but how many, no man will ever know till the books of heaven are opened, and the Lord shall write up His people. Then it will be known who suffered martyrdom during the Dark Ages. FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." Verses 23, 24. At the present time, if people see anything miraculous, many conclude at once that God wrought the miracle. It may be that He did, or that He did not. Please notice the text again: "For there shall arise false christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." The Saviour states plainly that false prophets and false christs will arise, that they will work miracles and do great wonders, and if we follow them because of the miracles they do, we shall be led astray. If a man will believe miracles rather than the word of God, the devil will furnish plenty of miracles on which to base his faith. Jannes and Jambres went in before Pharaoh and worked miracles that satisfied the mind of the king, and that experience will be repeated. A sign is not necessarily wrought by the power of God. It may be a manifestation of the power of the devil. "Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert; go not forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not." Verses 25, 26. Now why? And what does that mean? I have seen long trains carrying hundreds of people to Salt Lake City. To the question, "Where are you going?" the reply would be, "We are going to Zion." When going to Utah from the west, we pass through what was a great desert. If Salt Lake City is approached from the east or the north, the traveler passes through desert. If it is said to you, "Behold, He is in the desert," are you going? If the well-meaning people who have gone there believing they were going to Zion had believed what the Saviour said in this text, none would have emigrated thither. Further He says, "If they shall say unto you, . . . . Behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not." If you read the old-time literature of Spiritualists, you will find that many writers believed that the manifestation of Spiritualism was the second coming of Christ. In a few scriptures, the grave is called the chamber of the dead. Some theologians teach that when a man dies, that is the second coming of Christ. If that were true, however, there would be as many second comings of Christ as there have been saints that have died, while it is plainly to be seen that there can be but one second coming. Christ said, "If I go, . . . . I will come again." John 14:3. NOT ON SIGNAL OF SEXTON'S BELL
"For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:27. Shall we say that Christ's second coming occurs when a man dies? Death is not the gate to heaven, and a man does not go there under the toll of the sexton's bell. The Archangel's trump is the signal for men to go to heaven. When a man dies, he goes into the grave; and when Christ comes back, that is where He finds him. It will be a public event when the saints go to heaven. John 5:25-27. The resurrection is the gateway to heaven, and the resurrection takes place when Jesus comes the second time. All the redeemed go to heaven "together." 1 Thess. 4:15-17. Are not you glad of that? We are not going one at a time. We shall be "caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." We are going to the throne of God together. It matters not at which side of the city I may go in, nor which gate you pass through, but we shall all go "together."