The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
opponent to God; he will abolish all the gods, and will order men to
worship him instead of God, and he will be seated in the temple of
God, not that in Jerusalem only, but also in every Church. “Setting
himself forth,” he says; he does not say, “saying it”, but
endeavouring to show it. For he will perform great works, and will
show wonderful signs. 1
Paul, indeed, speaks of him who is called Antichrist, describing,
though with a certain reserve, both the manner, and time, and cause
of his coming to the human race. And notice whether his language
on this subject is not most becoming, and undeserving of being
treated with even the slightest degree of ridicule. It is thus that the
apostle expresses himself: “We beseech you, brethren, by the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ, ....” To explain each particular here
referred to does not belong to our present purpose. 2
Well, but who is the man of sin, the son of perdition, who must first
be revealed before the Lord comes; “who opposeth and exalteth
himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; who is to
sit in the temple of God, and boast himself as being God?”
According indeed to our view, he is Antichrist; as it is taught us in
both the ancient and the new prophecies. 3
The Book of Revelation is, of course, one of the most important
sources of information on the subject of Antichrist and the end of the
world. Chapter 13 is devoted to describing him under the code name
the Beast.
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of
the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten
crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast
which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of
a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave
him his power, and his seat, and great authority. And I saw one of
his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was
1 Origen: Against Celsus.
2 Origen: Against Celsus.
3 Tertullian: Against Marcion.