Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
Christ's command meant that when the appointed sign of danger appeared, those on the housetops were to flee instantly without going down into the house even for valued possessions, because destruction would follow so swiftly that any delay could prove fatal. It was spoken in His great discourse answering the disciples concerning the sign of His coming and the end of the world, which joins the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming as two crises and traces events from His first advent to His second. That warning was fulfilled forty years later when obedient Christians escaped Jerusalem's overthrow, yet that overthrow was only a partial fulfilment that typifies and more directly applies to the final destruction of the world by fire in the last days. It does not teach a secret invisible coming that removes the saints and leaves others another opportunity to repent, but a visible coming in clouds with power and great glory at an unknown hour that demands watching and faithful service. The same urgency remains, for when judgments and the crisis requiring flight come suddenly there will be no time to turn aside for property, so believers must live in constant readiness by daily humbling and giving to others the light received.
Setting and Original Warning
Jesus gave this warning as part of a discourse of prediction and warning spoken shortly before entering Gethsemane, after a day of work and extended speaking while weary, a discourse that also included the parable of the talents. It belonged to His answer to His disciples about the sign of His coming and the end of the world, tracing important events from His first advent to His second, including Jerusalem's destruction, the church's persecution, signs in the heavens, and His coming in glory. That discourse joined the destruction of Jerusalem and Christ's coming as two crises, and its prophecy reaches beyond Jerusalem's fall to the final judgment.
The destruction of Jerusalem received only a partial fulfilment in its overthrow, for it typifies and symbolizes the world's final destruction by fire, and those prophecies have a more direct application to the last days. Even so, while the world stands on the threshold of great and solemn events with a crisis before it such as has never been witnessed, God's kingdom rules over all, the program of coming events is in the Maker's hands, and the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge, girding every agent in the accomplishment of His plans.
When the sign of danger appeared, escape had to be immediate: anyone on a housetop must flee at once without going down into the house or back inside to collect belongings, even valued possessions, because judgment would follow so quickly that delay or hesitation could mean being caught in the destruction. The signal was the Roman idolatrous standards set up on holy ground outside the city walls. The warning was fulfilled forty years later at Jerusalem's destruction, and the Christians who obeyed it escaped the city's destruction.
Prophetic Scope and Certainty
The verse stands in the Lord's great prophecy that sketches the history of the present dispensation through to the complete restitution of all things, dwelling more particularly on the thrilling and momentous closing scenes of this world's history. It follows the church in her warfare and sufferings on to her promised redemption and the final triumph of the people of God, with the destruction of Satan and all his followers. It reaches to the total and eternal extirpation of evil from the universe and the renovation of the earth as the everlasting inheritance of the saints when the great controversy is concluded. In foretelling Jerusalem's fate and His people's experience from His departure until His return, the prophecy foretells that His followers will face humiliation, reproach, and persecution.
It belongs to the description of Christ's second coming to this world, when the Son of man comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and sends His angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather His elect. That coming is at a day and hour no one knows, and will be as the days of Noah before the flood when they ate and drank and knew not until taken away. It portrays the condition of the church at Christ's second coming, and calls for watching and being ready at an unthought hour. It calls for faithful and wise service in giving meat in due season, with blessing and rulership for the servant found so doing, against the evil servant who says his lord delays his coming and faces being cut asunder with weeping and gnashing of teeth. It does not teach that Christ will come invisibly and secretly take the saints, leaving people unaware and later giving them another opportunity to repent.
The verse is part of prophetic waymarks showing that the events foretold will surely come to pass, outlining what will come upon the world as relevant to the perils of the last days. The predictions are being fulfilled in the present time and show that Christ's coming is at hand. They are to be studied and brought to the attention of all, and to be presented by ministers and teachers instead of matters of lesser consequence, because their truths decide the eternal destiny of souls and call the church to arouse as the unmistakable fulfilment of prophecy is seen. The outline of what is to come belongs to the perils of the last days now present, so those perishing in sin must be warned and entrusted means must be invested in giving the world the last message of mercy rather than spent in self-gratification.
The verse is among the signs and instructions given to the disciples to help later believers prepare for the great conflict. It belongs to the warning of the judgments that would come upon Jerusalem and other impenitent cities, calling for careful heed to the warnings and for warning the world that the end is near. It belongs to signs-of-the-times teaching that warns people to respond urgently when the events preceding the Son of man's return unfold, so that people will be ready and not indifferent for Christ's coming. The fulfillment of that signs-of-the-times passage calls those who know the truth to wake from lethargy and take responsibility for their work. The world is standing on the threshold of great and solemn events, with a crisis before it such as has never been witnessed, yet God's kingdom rules over all, the program of coming events is in the Maker's hands, and the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge, girding every agent in the accomplishment of His plans.
Urgency and Readiness Today
When the crisis requiring flight comes, the one on the rooftop must leave at once and not go back into the house to collect possessions. That command is applied to a future time when people will be driven to the mountains. It supports moving children out of crowded cities beforehand to places where there is room and land to cultivate.
Flight will be sudden and urgent when the judgments before the day of the Lord come with earthquakes in different places and wars and rumors of wars. Wherever a person is, if he is on top of the house he must not go down through the house to get luggage and carry it out. There will be only a little way to flee to the mountains as fast as possible, with no chance to pack goods at all. That time is right ahead, so it does not pay to accumulate a great amount of property, because the judgments of God are in the world. Christ warns in this way because His coming comes suddenly, so when certain things take place believers must not turn aside for possessions in the house but must flee to the mountains as fast as they can go. Since what may break forth is not known, the command requires constant readiness through daily humbling and imparting to others the light God gives.
Christ's command meant that when the appointed sign of danger appeared, those on the housetops were to flee instantly without going down into the house even for valued possessions, because destruction would follow so swiftly that any delay could prove fatal. It was spoken in His great discourse answering the disciples concerning the sign of His coming and the end of the world, which joins the destruction of Jerusalem and His coming as two crises and traces events from His first advent to His second. That warning was fulfilled forty years later when obedient Christians escaped Jerusalem's overthrow, yet that overthrow was only a partial fulfilment that typifies and more directly applies to the final destruction of the world by fire in the last days. It does not teach a secret invisible coming that removes the saints and leaves others another opportunity to repent, but a visible coming in clouds with power and great glory at an unknown hour that demands watching and faithful service. The same urgency remains, for when judgments and the crisis requiring flight come suddenly there will be no time to turn aside for property, so believers must live in constant readiness by daily humbling and giving to others the light received.
Setting and Original Warning
Jesus gave this warning as part of a discourse of prediction and warning spoken shortly before entering Gethsemane, after a day of work and extended speaking while weary, a discourse that also included the parable of the talents. It belonged to His answer to His disciples about the sign of His coming and the end of the world, tracing important events from His first advent to His second, including Jerusalem's destruction, the church's persecution, signs in the heavens, and His coming in glory. That discourse joined the destruction of Jerusalem and Christ's coming as two crises, and its prophecy reaches beyond Jerusalem's fall to the final judgment.
The destruction of Jerusalem received only a partial fulfilment in its overthrow, for it typifies and symbolizes the world's final destruction by fire, and those prophecies have a more direct application to the last days. Even so, while the world stands on the threshold of great and solemn events with a crisis before it such as has never been witnessed, God's kingdom rules over all, the program of coming events is in the Maker's hands, and the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge, girding every agent in the accomplishment of His plans.
When the sign of danger appeared, escape had to be immediate: anyone on a housetop must flee at once without going down into the house or back inside to collect belongings, even valued possessions, because judgment would follow so quickly that delay or hesitation could mean being caught in the destruction. The signal was the Roman idolatrous standards set up on holy ground outside the city walls. The warning was fulfilled forty years later at Jerusalem's destruction, and the Christians who obeyed it escaped the city's destruction.
Prophetic Scope and Certainty
The verse stands in the Lord's great prophecy that sketches the history of the present dispensation through to the complete restitution of all things, dwelling more particularly on the thrilling and momentous closing scenes of this world's history. It follows the church in her warfare and sufferings on to her promised redemption and the final triumph of the people of God, with the destruction of Satan and all his followers. It reaches to the total and eternal extirpation of evil from the universe and the renovation of the earth as the everlasting inheritance of the saints when the great controversy is concluded. In foretelling Jerusalem's fate and His people's experience from His departure until His return, the prophecy foretells that His followers will face humiliation, reproach, and persecution.
It belongs to the description of Christ's second coming to this world, when the Son of man comes in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and sends His angels with a great sound of a trumpet to gather His elect. That coming is at a day and hour no one knows, and will be as the days of Noah before the flood when they ate and drank and knew not until taken away. It portrays the condition of the church at Christ's second coming, and calls for watching and being ready at an unthought hour. It calls for faithful and wise service in giving meat in due season, with blessing and rulership for the servant found so doing, against the evil servant who says his lord delays his coming and faces being cut asunder with weeping and gnashing of teeth. It does not teach that Christ will come invisibly and secretly take the saints, leaving people unaware and later giving them another opportunity to repent.
The verse is part of prophetic waymarks showing that the events foretold will surely come to pass, outlining what will come upon the world as relevant to the perils of the last days. The predictions are being fulfilled in the present time and show that Christ's coming is at hand. They are to be studied and brought to the attention of all, and to be presented by ministers and teachers instead of matters of lesser consequence, because their truths decide the eternal destiny of souls and call the church to arouse as the unmistakable fulfilment of prophecy is seen. The outline of what is to come belongs to the perils of the last days now present, so those perishing in sin must be warned and entrusted means must be invested in giving the world the last message of mercy rather than spent in self-gratification.
The verse is among the signs and instructions given to the disciples to help later believers prepare for the great conflict. It belongs to the warning of the judgments that would come upon Jerusalem and other impenitent cities, calling for careful heed to the warnings and for warning the world that the end is near. It belongs to signs-of-the-times teaching that warns people to respond urgently when the events preceding the Son of man's return unfold, so that people will be ready and not indifferent for Christ's coming. The fulfillment of that signs-of-the-times passage calls those who know the truth to wake from lethargy and take responsibility for their work. The world is standing on the threshold of great and solemn events, with a crisis before it such as has never been witnessed, yet God's kingdom rules over all, the program of coming events is in the Maker's hands, and the Majesty of heaven has the destiny of nations as well as the concerns of His church in His own charge, girding every agent in the accomplishment of His plans.
Urgency and Readiness Today
When the crisis requiring flight comes, the one on the rooftop must leave at once and not go back into the house to collect possessions. That command is applied to a future time when people will be driven to the mountains. It supports moving children out of crowded cities beforehand to places where there is room and land to cultivate.
Flight will be sudden and urgent when the judgments before the day of the Lord come with earthquakes in different places and wars and rumors of wars. Wherever a person is, if he is on top of the house he must not go down through the house to get luggage and carry it out. There will be only a little way to flee to the mountains as fast as possible, with no chance to pack goods at all. That time is right ahead, so it does not pay to accumulate a great amount of property, because the judgments of God are in the world. Christ warns in this way because His coming comes suddenly, so when certain things take place believers must not turn aside for possessions in the house but must flee to the mountains as fast as they can go. Since what may break forth is not known, the command requires constant readiness through daily humbling and imparting to others the light God gives.