42    The Bible and the Future of the World 

passage, many leaders and members of the Church do not understand what 

the Church must suffer. 

The Desolation of Jerusalem (Luke 21:20 22) 

      `But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its 

desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the 

mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those 

who are out in the country enter it; for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill 

all that is written.'   (Luke 21:20 22). 

    Jesus here tells us another sign of the time when the faithful in Judea 

should flee to the mountains. In Matthew's Gospel, the sign is the 

abomination spoken of by Daniel (Mt 24:15). In Luke's Gospel, Jesus also 

tells us that Jerusalem will be surrounded by armies at that time. 

    This passage, Luke 21:5 28, is like the passage in Matthew 24, where an 

account of the future sufferings of the Church and the world is given. Both 

accounts are arranged in order by periods of time, with the greater sufferings 

taking place later, and with lesser sufferings preceding these.