”And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. 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 in the countries enter thereinto. For these shall be the days of vengeance, that all things written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! for there shall be Great Distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be lead away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled”(Luk.21:20-24).
The phrase translated Great Distress here in verse 23 is the same translated Great Tribulation in Matt.24:21. As we can see here, the fleeing to the mountains of them that are in Judaea is associated with the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies. The same events associated with the surrounding of Jerusalem with armies is associated with the abomination of desolation standing in the place where it ought not, that is, the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem(Matt.24:15-20; Mark 13:14-18). We have already proven that this event, the abomination that maketh desolate which is the importation of the image of the antiMessiah into the Holy of Holies of the rebuilt Jewish temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem dedicated to the worship of Jehovah occurs precisely in the middle of the 70th seven of Daniel.
“For he shall cut the covenant with the many(from within Israel) for one week; and in the midst of the week(midpoint) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the one who maketh desolate”(Dan.9:27).
It therefore follows that these two events are concurrent. They occur when the restrainer is removed. When the opposition of Michael, the archangel that standeth for His people is removed, the Beast-antiChrist shall be at liberty to do as he pleases. This initial invasion of Jerusalem by the armies of the antiMessiah in order to enforce the apostasy is dubbed the Jerusalem campaign in order to distinguish it from the other two campaigns that will take place in the same vicinity, namely the Jehoshaphat campaign and the Armageddon campaign. The Armageddon campaign begins in the vicinity of Jerusalem also but ends in the Battle of Armageddon in the valley of Esdraelon in northern Israel, about 160 km north of Jerusalem.
This campaign which shall occur at the beginning of the Great Tribulation shall lead to increased death toll amongst Jews and Christians in the Holy land if it falls on the sabbath day or in the winter. ” And pray that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day”(Matt.24:20). If it occurs in the winter, many more Jews and Christians fleeing from the antiChrist persecution shall perish from exposure to the elements. Right now we are in the midst of refugee crisis in Europe fleeing ISIS persecution in Syria and Iraq. Something has to be done quickly to provide them shelter before the winter arrives. In the midst of the 70th week, there shall be no government or organization to provide shelter for Jews and Christians fleeing from the antiChrist in the Holy Land. There will be no Red Cross or Medicine sans frontier to provide them with medical care. These international NGOs will not be able to function due to wars and rumors of wars, and earthquakes in diverse places. There will be total disruption of communication and international cooperation. The rules of war enshrined in the Geneva Convention will be rubbished.
It shall be worst for the observant Jews if the flight associated with the invasion of Jerusalem by the antiChrist occurs on the sabbath day. The sabbath day journey is a little more that half a mile. The observant Jew shall run so far and no more. He shall be apprehended, coerced to capitulate to the authority of the antiMessiah by taking his mark of allegiance or be killed on refusal to comply. The majority of the observant Jews shall reject this Mark of allegiance to the antiMessiah outright and pay with their lives.
How difficult shall it be for pregnant mothers and those with children and women who are giving suck in those days? It shall be extremely difficult for them to get away from Jerusalem, more so if the flight occurs in the winter; and worst still on the sabbath day in the winter for the observant jewess. These women and their children shall not be able to go very far, and could die from exposure to the elements or be caught and be coerced to capitulate to the antiChrist or be liquidated on refusal to comply. Others will be taken taken into captivity. Some will be be publically humiliated.
Avraham Shallom.
Author’s Note: I have culled this article from my previous post, The Great Tribulation, to put it here, as it were, on the front page, to make it easier for those who visit our website, in preparation for our seminar on End Times, to access; for that is one of the topics we shall be discussing. Shalom! Maranatha.
Mt Zion Heritage Ministries 