The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

GREAT TRIBULATION
113
The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the
desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom
abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon
shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall
see the glory of the LORD, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen
ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are
of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with
vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
(Isa 35:1-4)
The prophet here describes the place of exile of the Church (the
wilderness and the solitary place) as rejoicing at the coming of the
Church into it. He sees this place of exile blossoming and becoming
excellent as the land of Lebanon. It is there that the exiled Church shall
see “the glory of the Lord and the excellency of our God.” The prophet
then exhorts the exiled to encourage one another and strengthen the
weak among them by reminding them of the imminent coming of the
Lord, to take vengeance against their enemies and to save them.
The Church in exile will be subject to varied emotions, fear,
faintheartedness, weakened faith and lack of hope at times, but God
will always be there to comfort His bride who is living in exile.
Saint Augustine feels that Psalm 10 pertains to the Church during
the Great Tribulation:
And because it is believed that he is to arrive at so great a pitch of
empty glory, and he will be permitted to do so great things, both against
all men and against the Saints of God, that then some weak ones shall
indeed think that God cares not for human affairs, the Psalmist
interposing a diapsalma, adds as it were the voice of men groaning and
asking why judgment is deferred, “Why standest thou afar off, O
LORD? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?” (Ps 10:1)
Commenting on Verse 10, Saint Augustine compares the Church
during the Great Tribulation to the disciples when they were in a ship
and “there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was
covered with the waves: but he was asleep And his disciples came to
him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. (Matt 8:24-25)
The Church then labouring in such times, like a ship in great waves and
tempests, awaketh the Lord as if He were sleeping, that He should