"Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Matt 24:15-16
And it shall come to pass in all the land," Says the LORD, "[That] two-thirds in it shall be cut off [and] die, But [one]-third shall be left in it: Zec 13:18
I find it interesting that Israel today is similar to the time of Rehoboam and Jeroboam. After King Solomon died his sons come to power, but after a tax dispute Israel broke in two. Rehoboam took the northern kingdom called Israel, and Jeroboam took the southern kingdom called Judah. Israel was the more secular of the two, and while Judah wasn't always much better it was generally more God fearing.
And so today in Israel there is a similar situation. Many Jews living in Israel are secular, they don't even believe in God. While many of the ultra-orthodox Jews live in Judah (commonly known as the West Bank). These are the settlements that are at the center of debate today. The Ultra-Orthodox Jews are devoutly religious and while they believe the land was given to them by God they don't support Zionism. They like to segregate themselves and in many ways consider themselves a nation within a nation. Given there way they would like for the West Bank to become a second Jewish nation. Needless to say the secular Jews and Ultra-Orthodox Jews don't always get along.
So my thinking is this, we know a remnant of Israel will be saved during the tribulation. There is always a faithful remnant and the settlers in the West Bank seem to be the most God fearing in all of Israel. So when Jesus says for Judea to flee to the mountains during the tribulation, perhaps he is literally referring to the location of present day Judah and specifically to the settlers in the West Bank. Thoughts?
Sources:
The Kingdom of Judah:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_of_Judah
The Ultra-Orthodox Jews in the West Bank:http://peacenow.org.il/eng/content/ultra-orthodox-jews-west-bank
Hopes for a new Jewish "Sovereignty” to co-exist within the State of Israel:http://prophecytoday.com/israelifront/2006/01/hopes-for-new-jewish-sovereignty-to-co.html
