The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

98 HIS BEGINNINGS
explaining the relationship between the second coming of Christ and
the coming of Antichrist:
Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come,
except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed,
the son of perdition; Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that,
when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what
withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of
iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be
taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the
Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with
the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the
working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with
all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this
cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a
lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had
pleasure in unrighteousness. (II Th 2:3-12)
The facts that St. Paul brings to the remembrance of the Thessalonians
are these: (he tells them “remember ye not, that, when I was with you
I told you these things?):
1. The second coming of Christ must be preceded by the manifestation
of Antichrist. (man of sin, son of perdition, etc...).
2. Antichrist will come with Satanic power and signs and lying wonders
to deceive those that were going to perish anyway, those who refuse
to be saved by the truth.
3. Antichrist will sit in the temple of God (the Church, not the temple
of the Jews) and be worshipped as god (the Apostasy).
4. Antichrist will be working “under cover” until such a time that
“something which withholds” or prevents his appearance be “taken
out of the way.”
St. Paul must have told the Thessalonians about what withholds or
prevents Antichrist from manifesting himself until it is removed out of
the way, for he is reminding them of things that he already taught them
when he was with them. It is unfortunate that we don’t know what St.
Paul told the Thessalonians concerning the thing which withholds and