Flee to the Mountains - Luke 21:21

Luke the beloved physician shared how Jesus told His disciples, “when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh”, and in chapter twenty-one and verse twenty of his book Luke shared how Jesus told His disciples to, “let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains” where we read:

Then let them which are in Judaea 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.

The verse reads, “Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains;” Luke began with the words, “then let them” or “at that time allow and permit the people whether male or female” “which are in Judaea” which means “he shall be praised” and refers to people “who are living within the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea and Idumaea” “flee to the mountains” or “seek safety by flight, escape out of danger and vanish to the risings above the plains or hills”. Luke shared how Jesus instructed all the people who are living in the area of “Judaea” to “escape” to the mountainous areas when “Jerusalem is compassed with armies”.

The verse goes on to say, “and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.” Luke continued with the words, “and let them” or “and allow and permit the people whether male or female” “which are in the midst of it” which means “who are in the middle of the area of Judaea” “depart out” or “remove themselves and leave”; “and let not them” which means “and do not allow and permit the people” “that are in the countries” or “who are in the rural regions, tracts of land and cultivated grounds” “enter thereinto” which means “and come into, arise and make entrance into Judaea”. Luke shared how Jesus told the people who are in the “middle” of the area of “Judaea” to leave it, and they were not to allow people from other “regions and territories” to come into the area.

When we think through Luke's words in this verse, we learn what Jesus said to do when the “armies” surround “Jerusalem”. All the people within the area of “Judaea” were to “quickly leave” the area and not allow others to come into it. This preservation of the people of Israel became real when the Roman government overthrew the temple in Jerusalem in 70 a.d., and there will be a future time when this will occur again. According to Jesus, when this occurs the people were to “flee”, and in regards to others making their “entrance” into the area, they should be prohibited. God has all the future in His control, and His plan of the “salvation” of mankind through His Son Jesus is for now. As the scripture says, “now is the day of salvation” (See 2 Corinthians 6:2), and those who are wise will yield to Him today and obey His instructions when “Jerusalem” is surrounded by “armies”.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus tells His disciples, “these be the days of vengeance”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".