More in Isaiah
Back to 1The Bible’s Greatest Prophecies Unlocked!
Two incredible passages in Isaiah speak of those whom God will protect: “Let My outcasts [God’s people] dwell with you, Moab; be you a covert [a cover] to them from the face of the spoiler [the devil and his pursuing army]” (Isa 16:4). (The location of Moab introduces a fascinating key to identifying the place of safety. The Bible does offer certain real clues—but exactly where God may choose to protect His people is not the subject of this book.) An interesting clue is contained in the word “outcasts.” Paralleling Israel being cast from Egypt, God’s people will be “cast out” of their host countries all over the world.
Now God’s direct promise, also in Isaiah, to these outcasts: “Come, My people, enter you into your chambers, and shut your doors about you: hide yourself as it were for a little moment [three and a half years], until the indignation [God’s wrath during the Day of the Lord] be over past. For, behold, the Lord comes out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity [lawlessness]: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain” (Isa 26:20-21).
These passages are most plain!
Historical Parallel
Now let’s examine the extraordinary—and truly fascinating—parallel event in the first century when God protected the Jerusalem congregation. This was just before another time of great trial for that city and for Judea. It is instructive.
Provocations by Roman officials against the Jewish priesthood, starting in AD 60, finally led to a revolt by Jewish separatists. This brought escalating Jewish military reprisals. The end result wasmiraculous delivery of God’s people from the Romans. Let’s learn how.
In AD 66, intending to crush the rebellion, the Roman army under General Cestius approached the walls of Jerusalem to capture the city. For unknown reasons, Cestius turned away from the city prior to the planned assault. Later, a second Roman advance, this time under General Vespasian, also suddenly halted so he could race back to Rome to become emperor.
These delays were not random. God’s people were still in Jerusalem, and Christ was guiding events to allow them to flee!
The historian Josephus gave a detailed account of what occurred three years later. Many had witnessed, just before Pentecost AD 69, formations in the clouds of troops and chariots surrounding cities. Josephus recorded: “Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the] temple...they said, that in the first place they felt a quaking, and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a multitude, saying, ‘LET US REMOVE HENCE’” (Wars of the Jews, bk. VI, ch. V, sec. 3, emphasis mine).
God’s people did flee Jerusalem at that time. But without God’s intervention, they would have never been able to leave. While the Roman army was readying for siege, the congregation exited in full viewof the soldiers, before crossing the Jordan River. The brethren also had to contend with patrolling Jewish fighters who considered them traitors. With God’s protection, the new exiles went northeast to another little town—Pella. Within months,after horrible suffering and starvation, Jerusalem fell.
Fanatical Belief?
Some may find it embarrassing to believe in a literal place of safety. They associate it with religious fanaticism, such as the Jim Jones cult, who retreated to Guyana in the late 1970s, and the crisis at Waco, Texas in the 1990s under David Koresh, and other religious groups with fanatical or bizarre conduct.
The actions of such leaders, and the groups following them, distort and taint the Bible’s teachings, repelling many from the truth. Such fanatics personify this prophetic scripture: “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you...And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (II Pet. 2:1-2).
Some who have been called, and who became aware of growing world trouble, have expressed that they do not want their relatives, friends, neighbors or associates to look upon them as religious fanatics. They seem to prefer to suffer the greatest time of trouble the world has ever known, rather than obey God and risk suffering ridicule and scorn.
What about those who fled Jerusalem in AD 69, who may have been considered traitors, fanatics or cowards? Then, what about those who stayed behind, concerned about what friends and associates would think? In the end, these were victims of starvation, crucifixion and other horrors of war. Those who obeyedand trusted God—following His instructions to flee—survived. Certainly many around them would have thought them fanatical.
Obedience and faith in God will again be crucial in the prophesied flight to come!
God of Unlimited Power
God is unlimited in His ability to choose any form of miraculous intervention—whether earthquake, cloud formations or the noise of a multitude. Without His intervention, the Jerusalem congregation would have perished. Those in tune with God both heard and heeded. Others may not have heard the warning. But the Temple priests did.
Some ridicule the promise of a flight to a place of protection on the premise that “there is no way to know the time to flee” or “one cannot know that the signal is valid,” among others. These are but shallow excuses to those who serve and believe the true God!
God’s servants must steadfastly look to Him to know what to do, and when to do it. Timing is vital to God’s protection. Suppose some in the Jerusalem congregation learned beforehand that Pella would be their place of protection. Suppose they fled there even just a little in advance. The result? They would have been killed by the Roman armies that had devastated Pella just months previously. God sent His people there only after Pella had been overrun!
Also, critics might have insisted at the time that Pella was the worst possible choice because it was within territory easily accessible to the Romans. And Jewish patriots also patrolled the region around Pella. But God protected the Jerusalem congregation exactly where He led them. They survived, and even thrived there for decades. This is connected to why—of all places—God’s people are foretold by Jesus in three gospels to gather in Judea.
God can reveal all necessary events to His people. The first-century leadership of His Church eventually would have known their destination, as well as other necessary details. The Bible does not reveal what the sign will be for the Church’s flight in the years just ahead. But there will be no doubt among those willing to trust God’s instructions.
Do You Believe God?
Those who reject a place of safety deny clear promises of God. Scripture emphatically proves there will be a specific, designated place preselected by God! And the previous chapter proved that there will be no secret rapture.
Remember Jesus’ admonition: “But pray you that your flight be not in the winter [again, meaning in wintry conditions], neither on the Sabbath day” (Matt. 24:20). He listed a series of events to occur sequentially through the time of flight, and continuing until His Return, adding, we saw earlier, “whoso reads, let him understand” (Mt 24:15).
Tragically, most today do not—and will not!—understand the shocking crush of events soon to smash into civilization. This is because they are not willing to obey God, which, as we learned, is the prerequisite to achieving proper understanding (Acts 5:32; Psa. 111:10; Prov. 2:5-6).
All who yield themselves to obey God, and strive to serve Him in all points, will understand these great events, and will be found worthy to escape this worst time of trouble ever (Luke 21:36)!
God will supernaturally hide and protect His people in a specific location. Will you believe His promises? Will you qualify for deliverance and protection?—or await a rapture that will never come?—or be among the greatest number at the end who remain skeptics—scoffers—disbelieving all things prophetic.
Do not stand in doubt. You can be among those whom God protects—and you can escape…