Luke 21:21
Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. Then let them which are in Judæa flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.
Christ's warning directed those in Judea to escape to the mountains, those inside Jerusalem to leave it, and those outside in the countryside not to go in. The sign was the city encircled by armies, which came when Cestius's Roman forces broke off the siege and opened the way, and the believers who acted at once fled to Pella beyond the Jordan so that none of them lost their lives in the destruction about forty years later. The escape had to be immediate, without turning back for goods or clothing, because ruin would fall suddenly and safety lay only in instant obedience and constant readiness. The warning was spoken in a discourse that joins the fall of Jerusalem with Christ's coming, so it reaches beyond that event to the final judgment and stands as instruction for those living in earth's closing scenes. In the same pattern as the warnings before the Flood and before Sodom, it calls God's people at the end to separate decisively from iniquity, with the enforcement of the papal Sabbath by decree as the signal to leave the large cities and then the smaller ones for secluded homes among the mountains, and therefore now is no time to fix affections on the world or spend means on self-gratification but to economize and prepare for the heavenly country.
Flight from Doomed Jerusalem
The command is threefold: those in Judea are to flee to the mountains, those in the midst of Jerusalem are to depart out of it, and those in the country outside are not to enter it. When the city is surrounded by armies, those inside are to leave and those outside are to stay away, for God had prepared flight as the appointed refuge. The flight was to be at once, with no turning back for possessions or clothing, because it was the urgent means of escaping destruction.
The instruction belongs to a discourse that blends the destruction of Jerusalem with Christ's coming, so its prophetic words extend beyond the fall of the city to the final judgment. It was given not for the disciples alone but for those living in the last scenes of earth's history. Jerusalem was doomed because its people rejected Christ, whom Jesus wept over as He foresaw its desolation. Had they received Him, the city could have stood and become a source of peace to the nations, but after rejection of truth and disregard of God's messages the warning was not heeded.
The surrounding calamities themselves warned the guilty nation to repent, with foreign armies encircling the city and many perishing, even those offering sacrifices in the temple. For a short time there remained opportunity to find refuge in Christ and to know what would bring peace. The promised signal for flight was Jerusalem surrounded by armies, fulfilled when Cestius's Roman forces after beginning the siege unexpectedly withdrew. That withdrawal gave Christians the opportunity to obey without delay, and those who trusted the words acted on the sign at once.
About forty years after the warning was given, during Jerusalem's destruction, the Christians who followed the instruction escaped from Jerusalem and the surrounding country to Pella beyond the Jordan. Those who trusted Christ's words and fled without delay were spared, and none of them perished in the city's destruction. The flight allowed no delay to secure possessions, for danger would come suddenly and safety depended on heeding the instruction at once. Because the exact events and timing are unknown, readiness consists in staying prepared to act immediately.
Upon those who remained came the doom they had pronounced upon Christ, with multitudes crucified and crosses standing densely around Calvary. In calamity, starvation, and suffering they remembered His warning and understood it. Their suffering followed their neglect to let their God-given light shine to the world.
Warning for the Last Days
The flight commanded was an escape for life and a decisive separation from the wicked, following the same pattern as the warnings given before the destruction of Sodom and before the Flood. The chapter in which the command stands presents a solemn message for the present time, calling for special efforts to bring its truth clearly before people living in cities, with each person to act on its instruction by exemplifying the truth in life and strengthening the soul through obedience to God's plain commandments. The same chapter represents what may be expected in the last days, applying its warnings to troubled times and approaching divine judgments. As with Sodom and the Flood, the command points to a last-days warning calling God's people to separate from prevailing iniquity, with the same pattern holding at the end of time.
As the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies was the signal for flight for Judean Christians, so the assumption of power by the nation in the decree enforcing the papal Sabbath will be the warning signal at the end of time. It will then be time to leave the large cities preparatory to leaving the smaller ones for retired homes in secluded places among the mountains. Like the early disciples, God's people will then be forced to seek refuge in desolate and solitary places.
Therefore it is no time now to fix affections or lay up treasure in the world, to seek expensive dwellings here, or to spend means in self-gratification. The time calls instead to economize, to hold self and possessions for God, and to prepare to move to a better country, even a heavenly one.