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After verse 15, Christ next tells His followers what they should do when they see the abomination of desolation. (88:1) FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS-- 16)Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:-- 17)Let him who is on the house top not come down to take any thing out of his house:-- 18)Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. (88:2) ..(24:16-18) A Physical Crisis as a Metaphor for a Spiritual Crisis-- These verses (16-18) are commonly interpreted in a purely literal sense. Many regard them as practical advice for surviving a real, war-like situation. This follows upon the idea that the destruction of the Temple and/or the abomination of desolation refer to the literal destruction of Jerusalem or are a part of a tribulation at the end times. For example, D.A. Carson writes: (88:3) The instructions Jesus gives his disciples about what to do in view of v.15 are so specific that they must be related to the Jewish War. The devastation would stretch far beyond the city; people throughout Judea should flee to the mountains, where the Maccabeans had hidden in caves. Most roofs were flat (cf. Deut. 22:8; Mark 2:4; Acts 10:9) - pleasant places in the cool of the day. Verse 17 implies such haste that fugitives will not take time to run downstairs for anything. (Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 8, 501)
(88:4)
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