The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

IS ANTICHRIST ALREADY IN THE WORLD?
189
He expects opposition to come first and foremost from priests and
bishops and especially those who wear distinctive priestly clothes, so he
warns his followers about this:
Be not afraid, therefore, when the “men of cloth” raise their voices
against the Great Lord, naming Him anti-Christ and arch-deceiver, for
they know little of the laws which underlie their faiths and act and speak
from ignorance and fear. They, too, are tested in this fashion.
RESISTANCE IS FUTILE:
Maitreya is trying to warn the elect that resistance is futile and that
sooner or later, he will prevail:
The ‘status quo’ cannot be upheld. Needless to say, the ‘status quo’ can
never be upheld for long; change and evolution are the very nature of
life, and, for good or ill, impose the pattern of the new. The form and
quality of the new structure are conditioned by men themselves. Thus
useless it is to resist the Great Magnet that drives all life forward on its
perfecting course.
When Maitreya and His Group walk freely among men, much will be
revealed of the laws which govern life. Men’s bafflement will give way
to a dawning understanding and a wiser response to the phenomenon
of change. The old die-hards, of course, will remain, but their influence
will ebb as the new takes hold. Thus will it be, and thus will men realize
better the nature of the adventure we call life.
Notice how he is called “the Great Magnet.” In one of my articles,
published December, 1998, I used the same imagery:
I often explain the perils of coming near the Abomination of Desolation
by using a parable! If you have a compass, it will always direct you in
your way. For it will always point to the North Pole (elementary
physics!) The compass is your free will, always directing you to heaven.
(The North Pole is on the top of the globe towards heaven! ) Now, if
you bring your compass close to a strong magnet, it will no longer point
to the North Pole, but will always point to the magnet. The magnet is
the deceiver, and if you come near him he will captivate your free will
and you will not be able to go back to your previous condition. That is
why the Lord in a most urgent way admonishes us to “flee” and to
“remember Lot’s wife.”