The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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SIGNS OF HIS COMING II
Lord refers to when he says, “Let him which is on the housetop not
come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is
in the field return back to take his clothes.” (Matt 24:17-18) This will be
the case when the Abomination of Desolation shall be seen in the holy
place, i.e., when Antichrist is worshiped in the Church as god.
A few years ago, the Toronto Star published a news item under the
heading, “Christianity is dying in the land of its birth.” Quoting the
“Economist” magazine, the Star said,
Christians are leaving Palestine and Lebanon in such numbers that local
churches fear for their future. Arab Christians have long suffered an
identity crisis in the strife-torn Middle East and have sought passage to
the West, but those numbers have risen dramatically. In the Israelioccupied
territories, the 45,000-strong Palestinian Christians are losing
more 2,000 people a year. There were 30,00 Christians in Jerusalem in
1944; today there are 11,000. In Lebanon, it is estimated that 125,000
of the Lebanese Christians have emigrated in the past six month alone.
What the Star did not report is that the Christians of the Sudan have
now joined the trend, so did the Christians of Syria and Iraq. The
11,000 Christians in Jerusalem reported when the article appeared, few
years ago, have now dwindled to less than 3,000. Among the Christians
of Egypt, it is estimated that two million have emigrated, 25-30% of the
total number of Christians in Egypt.
Could this be phase I of the flight of the “woman clothed by the
sun?” The orderly emigration that precedes the appearance of
Antichrist, to prepare the “place in the wilderness” for phase II of the
flight, which will be completed once the Great Tribulation is visited
upon this earth? Have we been sent here to the West in order to be
protected from the tyranny of the one that will come, persecuting the
elect, who will remain faithful to Christ and defy him? Are we going to
be among those who will overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and
by the word of their testimony? (Rev 12:11)
The last verses of Revelation 12 tell us that when the dragon saw
that the woman had succeeded in fleeing his tyranny, he became wroth
and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the
commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. It is
obvious that not all the Christians will flee from the Abomination of
Desolation. Those who will be called to martyrdom will stay and earn