The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

BABYLON THE GREAT WHORE
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great whore that sitteth upon many waters.” (Rev 17:1) The judgment
of course is because of her sins and iniquities: “For her sins have
reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities.” (Rev
18:5)
The early Fathers of the Church unanimously understood Babylon
to be a code name for the Roman Empire. They all thought (and
hoped) that the Roman Empire will be destroyed before the Lord’s
second coming. Many verses in Revelation actually support this
interpretation.
Revelation 17:6 tells us that “Babylon” is a persecutor of the saints,
“And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with
the blood of the martyrs of Jesus.” And so does Revelation 18:24,
“And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all
that were slain upon the earth.” The greatest persecutions of the
Church happened during the reign of Rome, the new Babylon!
Rome was surrounded by seven hills, and Revelation 17:9 tells us,
“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven
mountains, on which the woman sitteth.”
The Roman Empire ruled over people from different nations and
languages, and so does “Babylon” “And he saith unto me, The waters
which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and
multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” (Rev 17:15)
Rome ruled over all the world and appointed “kings” as
representatives of Rome, like King Herod, who was subject to Rome.
Revelation 17:18 tells us the same about Babylon, “And the woman
which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the
earth.”
The lifestyle of “Babylon” is decadent and so boastful, “How much
she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and
sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no
widow, and shall see no sorrow.” (Rev 18:7) This fits neatly with the
life style of the Romans during the glory of their empire.
The Fathers thought that the destruction of Rome is God’s revenge
for the persecution Rome unleashed on the Christians. “Rejoice over
her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath
avenged you on her.” (Rev 18:20)
There are, however, many problems with this interpretation! The
main reason for this, is that in the early church there was a strong belief