The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION 5
a book about the subject 1 , a book that was already known to Saint
Augustine:
Daniel prophesies of the last judgment in such a way as to indicate
that Antichrist shall first come, and to carry on his description to the
eternal reign of the saints. For when in prophetic vision he had seen
four beasts, signifying four kingdoms, and the fourth conquered by
a certain king, who is recognized as Antichrist, and after this the
eternal kingdom of the Son of man, that is to say, of Christ, he says,
‘My spirit was terrified, I Daniel in the midst of my body, and the
visions of my head troubled me,’ etc. . . They who desire to
understand the fitness of this interpretation may read Jerome's book
on Daniel, which is written with a sufficiency of care and erudition.
But he who reads this passage, even half asleep, cannot fail to see
that the kingdom of Antichrist shall fiercely, though for a short
time, assail the Church before the last judgment of God shall
introduce the eternal reign of the saints. For it is patent from the
context that the time, times, and half a time, means a year, and two
years, and half a year, that is to say, three years and a half. 2
Hippolytus of Rome wrote three treatises about the same subject. Here
is a sample of his writings:
As Daniel says, “I considered the beast; and, lo, (there were) ten
horns behind, among which shall come up another little horn
springing from them;” by which none other is meant than Antichrist
that is to rise .... And when he has conquered all, he will prove
himself a terrible and savage tyrant, and will cause tribulation and
persecution to the saints, exalting himself against them. 3
Origen also recognized these passages as referring to Antichrist:
The prophecy also regarding Antichrist is stated in the book of
Daniel, and is fitted to make an intelligent and candid reader admire
1 Jerome’s Commentary on Daniel.
2 Augustin of Hippo: City of God.
3 Hippolytus: Scholia on Daniel.