The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

SIGNS OF HIS COMING 15
learned, and will say to him, Read this; and he will say, I cannot read
it, for it is sealed.’ (Isa 19:11) It was meet and necessary that the
things spoken of old by the prophets should be sealed to the
unbelieving Pharisees, who thought that they understood the letter
of the law, and be opened to the believing. The things, therefore,
which of old were sealed, are now by the grace of God the Lord all
open to the saints . . . He took the book, therefore, and loosed it, in
order that the things spoken concerning Him of old in secret, might
now be proclaimed with boldness upon the housetops. For this
reason, then, the angel says to Daniel, "Seal the words, for the vision
is until the end of the time." But to Christ it was not said "seal," but
"loose" the things bound of old; in order that, by His grace, we might
know the will of the Father, and believe upon Him whom He has
sent for the salvation of men, Jesus our Lord. 1
So, let us leave the Apocalypse of Daniel for the time being and turn to
the Book of Revelation, in order to loose the seals of the mysteries
spoken of by Daniel.
Chapters 6-12 of Revelation speak of things that should happen
before the Abomination of Desolation is manifested, while chapters 13
and on speak about his reign, his tyranny and his end.
The prophecies in Revelation are arranged in three heptads of
events that resemble a telescope with three sections, as each section is
extended, another unfolds. So, we have seven seals, the last one of
them leads to the seven trumpets and these in turn lead to the seven
bowls. Interspersed between these are heavenly scenes that depict the
victorious church in heaven, or the striving church on earth.
THE SEVEN SEALS:
When the first seal was opened, John saw “a white horse; and he
that sat on it had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he went
forth conquering and to conquer.” (Rev 6:1-2) The same scene is
repeated in Revelation 19:11-16, where the identity of the rider is
revealed. “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written,
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:16)
The first seal depicts the triumph of Christianity and its spread in
the world, as a prelude to the events that will follow.
1 Hippolytus: Scholia on Daniel.