The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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SIGNS OF HIS COMING II
called the Great Tribulation.
“ There was a battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the
dragon; and the dragon warred, and his angels, and they prevailed not;
nor was their place found any more in heaven. And that great dragon
was cast forth, that old serpent: he was cast forth into the earth.” This
is the beginning of Antichrist. 1
During the Great Tribulation, “Satan shall be loosed out of his prison
and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of
the earth.” (Rev 20:7-8)
Christ will not come to judge quick and dead unless Antichrist, His
adversary, first come to seduce those who are dead in soul; although
their seduction is a result of God's secret judgment already passed. For,
as it is said "his presence shall be after the working of Satan, with all
power, and signs, and lying wonders, and with all seduction of
unrighteousness in them that perish." For then shall Satan be loosed,
and by means of that Antichrist shall work with all power in a lying
though a wonderful manner. 2
Satan’s power is currently restricted, he cannot hurt people as he
wishes, as is evident from reading chapters 1-2 of the Book of Job.
When Antichrist comes, Satan will have the power to act directly
through Antichrist to inflict on humanity the perils of the Great
Tribulation, the like of which has not been since the creation of the
world. (Matt 24:21) This, however should not disturb us, since the
Church, according to God’s plan, shall be carried away into a place
prepared for her by God, where neither the dragon, nor his agent
Antichrist, can hurt her. Revelation 9:13-19 tells us more about what
will happen when Satan and his angels are unleashed on the inhabitants
of the earth:
And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns
of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which
1 Victorinus: Commentary on the Apocalypse
2 Augustin of Hippo: City of God, chapter 19