The Abomination of Desolation - St. Marys Coptic Orthodox Church

THE UNHOLY TRINITY 75
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their
testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Rev 12:11)
When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, Saint John saw under the altar
“the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the
testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying,
How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our
blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given
unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest
yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren,
that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.” (Rev 6:9-11) This
means that this persecution and martyrdom of the saints is pre-ordained
by God, so that the number of the martyrs should be fulfilled.
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem tells us, if you feel that you are called to
martyrdom, then, by all means, don’t run, stand up, be counted among
those who will be crowned with the crown of martyrdom:
But if any man is conscious that he is very stout-hearted, to encounter
Satan, let him stand (for I do not despair of the Church's nerves), and let
him say, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ and the rest. But,
let those of us who are fearful provide for our own safety; and those who
are of a good courage, stand fast. 1
THE FALSE PROPHET:
We have now made the acquaintance of the Red Dragon (Satan,) the
Beast coming out of the sea (Antichrist,) now we are going to be
introduced to a third character, “And I beheld another beast coming up
out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a
dragon. And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him,
and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first
beast, whose deadly wound was healed.” (Rev 13:11-12)
Revelation 19:20 identifies this second beast as the false prophet. The
false prophet is described as having two horns like a lamb but he spake
as a dragon. This means he will have the appearance of a lamb but is
really a devil. This description agrees with the Lord Jesus definition of
1 Saint Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures