Modern Lessons from AD 70: Country Living and the Abomination of Desolation

Remaining in the cities when God has given clear instruction to leave places the soul in the same peril that faced those who ignored the warnings before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70LDE 119.1+1. The terrible desolation of Jerusalem is a faint shadow of the final visitation of judgments upon a world that has rejected God’s mercy and trampled upon His lawLDE 239.2+1.

The Warning of the Abomination of Desolation

Just as the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem were a sign of its impending ruin, the union of church and state to tear down God’s moral standard is a modern sign of desolationRH December 7, 1897, par. 7+1.

• The Ancient Sign: Christ warned His followers that when they saw the "abomination of desolation" standing in the holy place, they were to flee into the mountains without a moment's delay Matthew 24:15-16GC88 26.1.

• The Fulfillment: In AD 70, those who heeded this signal escaped, while those who remained suffered through a siege marked by starvation, the destruction of natural affection, and the eventual burning of the cityGC 32.1+1.

• The Modern Parallel: The same Spirit that warned Lot to leave Sodom and the Christians to leave Jerusalem now bids us to come out and be separate 2 Corinthians 6:17-182SM 354.

• Final Strategy: In the closing scenes, Satan’s last device involves personating Christ, which answers to the "abomination of desolation standing in the holy place"4LtMs, Ms 16, 1884, par. 11.

The Consequences of Neglect

Neglecting the light regarding country living leads to a hardening of the heart and eventual involvement in the general destructionCOL 269.2+1.

• Spiritual Barrenness: Staying in congested centers causes families to become spiritually sickly and inefficient, similar to trees planted too thickly that cannot flourishCL 21.4+1.

• Retributive Justice: There is a limit to God's long-suffering; if His professed people refuse to heed express commands to leave the cities, they will find no safety when the restraining Spirit of God is withdrawnGC 36.2+2.

• Loss of Protection: Those who unnecessarily remain in the cities do so at the peril of their salvation, as these areas are becoming hotbeds of vice and targets for earthquakes, fire, and floodLDE 95.2+2.

The Safe Course of Action

The Lord desires His people to move into rural districts where they can be free from the interference of enemies and the corrupting influences of urban lifeLDE 99.3+1.

• Individual Responsibility: Every person must study the instruction prayerfully, for God will reveal point by point what to do next2SM 354+1.

• Divine Provision: Even in the coming time of trouble, God is able to spread a table for His people in the wilderness, just as He fed the Israelites with manna Genesis 28:15CH 495.2+1.

• The Reward of Obedience: Those who obey the warning and sigh and cry for the abominations done in the land will be delivered, as their names are written among the living Isaiah 4:3LDE 83.1+1.

The desolation of Jerusalem stands as a permanent warning that God's corrections cannot be disregarded with impunityRH June 30, 1885, par. 7. By a life of sin and neglect of light, many place themselves out of harmony with God, making the manifestation of His glory a consuming fire to them 2 Thessalonians 2:8GC 36.2.