The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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THE UNHOLY TRINITY
blindness and the triumph of their carnal understandings, will
immediately acknowledge these demonstrations of Satanic power to be
the greatest manifestation of the power of God and they will ecstatically
receive Antichrist as a God. Antichrist will terrify with his threatening
and amazing miracles. With them he will satisfy imprudent curiosity and
coarse ignorance, he will satisfy men led by the guidance of their fallen
nature, estranged from guidance by the light of God, will be allured into
submission by the deceiver. People will adore him both because of
amazement as well as fear of him. “... and they worshipped the beast,
saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?”
(Rev 13:4) Saint Augustine comments on this by saying:
By a lion in a den, he means one in whom both violence and deceit will
work. For the first persecution of the Church was violent, when by
proscriptions, by torments, by murders, the Christians were compelled
to sacrifice: another persecution is crafty, which is now conducted by
heretics of any kind and false brethren: there remains a third, which is to
come by Antichrist, than which there is nothing more perilous; for it will
be at once violent and crafty. Violence he will exert in empire, craft in
miracles. 1
And former persecuting kings only put to death; they did not pretend to
raise the dead, nor did they make false shows of signs and wonders. But
in his time there shall be the evil inducement both of fear and of deceit,
so that if it be possible the very elect shall be deceived. 2
RELATION TO THE JEWS:
It is generally agreed by the Fathers that the first to accept him as
king and God will be the Jews. The Ancients base this on what the Lord
Jesus said in John 5:43 concerning the coming of Antichrist.
It is said of Antichrist, and all understand of him what the Lord said, “I
am come in My Father's Name, and ye have not received Me; if another
1 Augustine of Hippo: Commentary on the Psalms
2 Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures