The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church
The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church
The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church
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GREAT TRIBULATION<br />
119<br />
see, beloved, the prophet's illumination, whereby he announced that<br />
time so many generations before. For it is not <strong>of</strong> the Jews that he spake<br />
this word <strong>of</strong> old, nor <strong>of</strong> the city <strong>of</strong> Zion, but <strong>of</strong> the <strong>Church</strong>. For all the<br />
prophets have declared Sion to be the bride brought from the nations. 1<br />
<strong>St</strong>. Hippolytus sees in the opening verses <strong>of</strong> Isaiah a picture <strong>of</strong> the<br />
<strong>Church</strong> in the Old World under the tyranny <strong>of</strong> Antichrist. <strong>The</strong> first<br />
part <strong>of</strong> the prophecy pertains to the desolation <strong>of</strong> the countries under<br />
the rule <strong>of</strong> Antichrist, but the part concerning the daughter <strong>of</strong> Zion<br />
pertains to the <strong>Church</strong> which will be besieged.<br />
It is not conceivable that all Christians would go into exile<br />
(presumably somewhere in the New World.) Many Christians will<br />
remain in the Middle East and Europe, so what is to become <strong>of</strong> them?<br />
Revelation 12:15-17 tells us:<br />
And the serpent cast out <strong>of</strong> his mouth water as a flood after the woman,<br />
that he might cause her to be carried away <strong>of</strong> the flood. And the earth<br />
helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up<br />
the flood which the dragon cast out <strong>of</strong> his mouth. And the dragon was<br />
wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant <strong>of</strong> her<br />
seed, which keep the commandments <strong>of</strong> God, and have the testimony<br />
<strong>of</strong> Jesus Christ.<br />
When Antichrist fails to assail the <strong>Church</strong> that has gone into exile,<br />
through the miraculous intervention <strong>of</strong> God, who ordered His <strong>Church</strong><br />
to flee away from the <strong>Abomination</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Desolation</strong> (Matt 24:15-16,) he<br />
will be enraged and will persecute “the remnant <strong>of</strong> her seed,” those who<br />
could not go to exile but remained behind. What will happen to those?<br />
Unfortunately, the great majority will apostatize and follow the<br />
deceiver, in fulfilment <strong>of</strong> the Lord’s prophecy, “when the Son <strong>of</strong> Man<br />
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Many will<br />
certainly confess Christ and be tortured and killed by the <strong>Abomination</strong><br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>Desolation</strong>, and will join those who overcame Satan and his<br />
Antichrist, “And they overcame him by the blood <strong>of</strong> the Lamb, and by<br />
the word <strong>of</strong> their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the<br />
death.” (Rev 12:11)<br />
1 Hippolytus <strong>of</strong> Rome: Discourse on end <strong>of</strong> the World and on<br />
Antichrist