The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

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THE UNHOLY TRINITY
Thou hast received the tokens of the Deceiver who is to come; thou hast
received the proofs of the true Christ, who shall openly come down from
heaven. Flee therefore the one, the False one; and look for the other,
the True. 1
PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS:
Revelation 12:7 tells us, “And it was given unto him to make war with
the saints and to overcome them.” Daniel’s prophecies tell us the same
thing: “And the same horn made war with the saints and prevailed
against them.” (Dan 7:21) And again, “And he shall wear out the saints
of the most high.” (Dan 7:25)
If, as we said before, the church will be given a safe haven from the
face of the serpent (and his puppet, the beast) then how come we are
told that he will make war against the saints and overcome them? Well,
the answer is given to us at the end of Revelation 12. After the woman,
(the church) makes her flight into her safe haven, the dragon follows suit
for we are told, “And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is
nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the
serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the
earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.” (Rev
12: 14-16)
Waters in apocalyptic language means people, so, the above means
that Satan working through Antichrist will mobilize people at his
command against the church but God will intervene miraculously to save
the elect. Immediately after that we are told, “And the dragon was
wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her
seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of
Jesus Christ.” (Rev 12:17) The remnant of the woman’s seed means the
rest of the elect who, being chosen by God to receive the crown of
martyrdom will be left behind. These will be persecuted and killed by
Antichrist. He will think that he had prevailed over them, but in reality,
1 Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures