The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

GREAT TRIBULATION
103
Modern Orthodox commentators echo the same view:
At the same time, the Christian sanctuary will be closed and in
it will be placed an idol of Antichrist, a lifelike, speaking statue.
This was called "the abomination of desolation" by the prophet
Daniel. From that time on, the bloodless sacrifice of the
Eucharist will cease on earth. 1
This view is not without Biblical support, for in Daniel 8:11 we are told,
“Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him
the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of his sanctuary was
cast down.” Daniel 11:31 reiterates this, “And arms shall stand on his
part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take
away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that
maketh desolate.” In these verses the “sanctuary of strength” refers to
the Christian sanctuary and the “daily sacrifice” refers to the
Eucharistic bloodless sacrifice.
It is at this point that the Great Tribulation will start, for we are told
in Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be
taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” The abomination
that maketh desolate is the talking idol that will be placed in the
Christian sanctuary for people to worship instead of Christ. This is
alluded to in Revelation 13:15, “And he had power to give life unto the
image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and
cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should
be killed.” The thousand two hundred and ninety days is the symbolic
time of the Great Tribulation which is the same as the “time and times
and the dividing of times” of Daniel 7:25 and the “forty two months” of
Revelation 13:5. This period of three and a half year is not to be taken
literally for as with many numbers in the apocalyptic scriptures they are
symbolic. If seven is the symbol of perfection or completion then three
and a half represents imperfection or a time that will not be completed
or shortened. This agrees with the Lord’s assertion that, “except those
days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the
elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” (Mat 24:22)
1 Pohalo and Novakshonoff: Apostasy and Antichrist.