ISB ~ Matthew 24 v16

flee to the mountains:A warning for early Christians to escape Jerusalem before its judgment and to resist temptations to defend the city. According to the Church Father Eusebius (A.D. 340), Christians living in the city fled to Pella, east of the Jordan River.

• Jesus’ command evokes Zech 14. In context, Zechariah envisions a day of judgment for Jerusalem, when the faithful are beckoned to “flee” the city (Zech 14:5; cf. Joel 2:32; Obad 17). Similarly, in 1 Mac 1:37-39 and 2:27-28, the righteous had to evacuate the sinful cities of Jerusalem and Modein in times of crisis.