But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where he ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let the one who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything out, and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days!  Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been since the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not cut short the days, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days.

Historians believe that when Mark wrote his gospel he and his first readers were in Rome. Those of them who were Jews would ‘understand’ the code-language that he now uses for secrecy in answering Andrew’s first question.

Yeshu is foretelling the crushing of the Great Revolt that took place 40 years later, when Roman battle standards, having a picture of the Emperor (like some ‘abominable’ thanka of a heretic’s god) would be planted to ‘stand’ on the site of the temple of God in Jerusalem. Following the overthrow of this uprising and two further ones against the Romans, Israel suffered as no other country even in the history of Central Asia would suffer more. Over a million Jews died.

It happened just as Jesus warned. And in the year 70 (AD 70 means 70 years after Yeshu’s birth) many believers, Yeshu’s chosen ones (who were already being called Christians), did escape to the city of Pella (in what is now modern Jordan) during, it is thought, a lull in the fighting.