The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

THE UNHOLY TRINITY 61
[men] that he himself is God, raising up himself as the only idol,
having in himself the multifarious errors of the other idols. This he
does, in order that they who do [now] worship the devil by means of
many abominations, may serve himself by this one idol, of whom the
apostle thus speaks in the second Epistle to the Thessalonians:
‘Unless there shall come a failing away first, and the man of sin shall
be revealed, the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself
above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he sitteth
in the temple of God, showing himself as if he were God.’ The
apostle therefore clearly points out his apostasy, and that he is lifted
up above all that is called God, or that is worshipped--that is, above
every idol--for these are indeed so called by men, but are not [really]
gods; and that he will endeavour in a tyrannical manner to set
himself forth as God. 1
One may wonder, how can he fool almost the whole world into
believing that he is God. There are many reasons for this. Foremost
among those is his deceiving exterior.
Antichrist will seem to man blessed to that degree, that he will even
be thought God. 2
HIS MIRACLES:
Another reason for his worship by people of the world is the
many miracles he will make in order to deceive all into believing that
he is God.
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, ‘whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and
signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness
in them that perish.’ (II Thes 2:9-10) For then shall Satan be loosed,
and by means of that Antichrist shall work with all power in a lying
1 Irenaeus: Against heresies, book V
2 Augustine of Hippo: Commentary on the Psalms