All about the Antichrist. When will the antichrist come? Conversion to Christ of the Jews by the prophets Enoch and Elijah

"He had a name written, which no one knew .. His name is: "The Word of God."

In quatrain 77 of Centuria VIII, Nostradamus predicted that at the beginning of the new millennium, the earth after a nuclear or bacteriological war would be littered with corpses. Here is the quatrain in full:

“Very soon the Antichrist will destroy the three.
His war will last 27 years.
All heretics are dead, imprisoned, exiled.
The earth will be covered with red hail, water, blood and corpses."

Who are these three (or three) that the Antichrist will destroy? For all interpreters of Nostradamus, this is still a mystery. Various assumptions have been made. Some believe that we are talking about the three leading world powers. Others believe that these are the three largest world leaders - spiritual or secular. Let's leave this question open, but who then are the "heretics" mentioned in the third line, and, finally, who is the Antichrist?

The analysis of the quatrain should begin with the last question. According to traditional Christian beliefs, the Antichrist, the faithful servant of the mighty prince of darkness, will come to earth as a false savior. He will sow chaos in the world and turn the majority of humanity onto the path of spiritual self-destruction, which will end in their curse.

fragment of a painting by Hieronymus Bosch

This is a very old belief, but it is still alive today. It is appropriate to recall that in the relatively recent past, such an educated and pious person as Cardinal Manning (1808-1892) gave a series of lectures on the Antichrist and expressed his conviction that some strange events connected with the spread of modern spiritualism speak of the inevitable and the imminent birth and coming of the Antichrist

Whether or not the cardinal was right in his statements is difficult to say. But Nostradamus, of course, was in solidarity with him, because he adhered to similar theological concepts. Trying to interpret the quatrains of the seer associated with the Antichrist, one must first of all remember that the idea of ​​the coming of the “son of the Curse” was an indispensable part of the “picture of the world” not only of Nostradamus, but also of any educated Christian of that era.

It follows that Nostradamus, looking into the future and observing events and people there that caused him an extremely negative attitude, gave them characteristics using his usual images: the coming of the Antichrist, that is, the appearance of a false savior working miracles, whose disciples will be servants of the powers of the underworld and rulers of hell.

In other words, just as Nostradamus tried to describe the wars of the 20th century in terms of the material culture and military technology familiar to him, he spoke about those moral positions and the actions resulting from them that we would call inhuman and associated with eternal evil, in terms of medieval eschatology. - religious doctrine of the end of the world. From the very beginning of Christianity, the word "antichrist" has been a symbol of villainy. In the view of Nostradamus and other Christians of the 16th century, the "Chief Antichrist" was the messiah of evil - the prophet of devilish machinations.

The theological interpretation of the origin of the Antichrist, typical of the era of Nostradamus, can be found in the writings of St. Roberto Bellarmino (1542-1621). He claimed that the incubus, a demon who has sexual intercourse with women, will become the father of the Antichrist, and his mother will be engaged in black magic.

The Beast and His Bride The Whore of Babylon. Tarot by Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris.

A Dominican monk who lived in the 17th century wrote that the Antichrist is not only the son of the devil, but he will also

“... Evil, like a madman, overwhelmed with hatred, never before seen on earth ... He will torment Christians, as they torment the damned souls in the underworld. He will have many names drawn from synagogue services, and he will be able to fly whenever he pleases. His father will be Beelzebub, and his grandfather will be Lucifer.

During the time of Nostradamus, eschatological beliefs concerning the events preceding the Day of Judgment were closely connected with traditional ideas about the coming of the Antichrist. This means that if Nostradamus clairvoyantly saw the acts and ideas of Hitler, Stalin and other dictators in the future, then he certainly perceived these people as antichrists.

In this regard, it is useful to refer to an excerpt from the letter to Henry II, which was included in the first edition of the Centuries. It, as already mentioned, indicates the exact dates of the events that took place during the French Revolution. This passage contains a list of events that, according to Nostradamus, will precede the reign of a man called by the soothsayer "the third (that is, Chief) Antichrist." Speaking of the “king” (which in this context means any dictator) who will commit many crimes against the church, Nostradamus claims that this is a monster

“... will shed more blood of the clergy than anyone can shed wine... Human blood will flow through the streets and in temples, like water after a downpour. And the rivers closest to these places will be red with blood ... In the same year and in subsequent years, a severe epidemic will break out. And this disaster will seem all the more unheard of, since it will be preceded by famine years. All the Latin peoples will be visited by such need, which has not been seen since the founding of the Christian Church... The great vicar of the cap [the pope] ... will turn out to be helpless and abandoned by everyone... And then the Antichrist will become the prince of hell... all nations will shudder, and it will last 25 years... There will be wars and battles... And so much evil will be caused by Satan... that almost the whole world will perish from it.”

Aleister Crowley, head of the occult satanic society "Order of the Eastern Temple"

There is a sign of Christ, there is a sign of Antichrist. The number 666 is imbued with rich figurative symbolism. In the revelation of John the Theologian, this is a beast emerging from the water with seven heads and ten horns. These are three nines turned upside down. Wisdom is hidden in them, and whoever counts the number of the beast will recognize the name of the Antichrist. Here is a piece of text from the Apocalypse, where the complicated semantics of this symbol and its countless interpretations are clearly visible. “The beast you saw was and is not. (The strength of the devil is that he convinced people of his own non-existence - this is how the meaning of this expression can be interpreted). The seven heads are the seven mountains on which the woman sits and the seven kings, of which five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he will not be long. And the beast that was and is not is the eighth of the seven. The woman you saw is the great city that reigns over the kings of the earth."

The "Great Beast" is more powerful than all the demons in hell. Possessing the power of the devil, this beast, as stated in the texts, will rule the earth for three and a half years. He will unleash a war against the saints and win, leaving behind him devastated lands; he will teach people to worship idols, and those who refuse this veneration will face a terrible punishment. To keep track of the spread of his faith, he puts the number 666 on his forehead or on his hand. The ancient Jews had a description of how he looks: bald, one eye is noticeably larger than the other, left hand longer than the right one and it will be deaf in the left ear (this is a sign of asymmetry). With the support of the evil rulers of the Earth and his patron Antichrist, he will wage war against the angels of God and the battle will take place under Armageddon. Here the Antichrist will meet an equal opponent and be trampled on by countless angels with flashing swords. Antichrist and the beast will be seized and thrown into the lake of fire with burning brimstone. “He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut him up, and sealed him, so that he would no longer deceive the nations, until the thousand years were over, after of this he must be set free for a little time” (Rev. 20:2-3). In our time, this symbol is played by the so-called "democrats" of all churches, with June 6 being the day when black masses and dedications are held. The number 666 at the level of numerology is the sum of all the numbers in the roulette wheel.

If we discard the mention of the Antichrist as the “prince of hell” and the description of the world that perished as a result of the acts of Satan, then this prediction, written in prose, can be correlated with the real political events of the future. If we accept that Nostradamus and other clairvoyants could know the course of future events (or what will happen in an "alternative reality"), then there is nothing in this passage that would not be trustworthy for the reader. It is quite possible that this is talking about some monster dictator who will surpass Hitler and Pol Pot in his atrocities and will determine the course of world history for a quarter of a century.

Servants of the False Prophet and Antichrist
illustration for Dante's poem

Naturally, to Nostradamus, who was only familiar with the technology of the 16th century, such a dictator, possessing nuclear and biological weapons, seemed not to be a man, but a real devil - the Antichrist or his forerunner. Some interpreters of predictions in general, and the writings of Nostradamus in particular, argue (we will not give their arguments here - even a brief summary of them would take up too much space) that we should expect the coming of the monster dictator, about which the soothsayer wrote in his message to Henry II. soon. Moreover, these interpreters believe that the “king” will be the third, that is, the Chief, Antichrist. They, like Nostradamus, believe that it is this disgusting creature that "will shed more blood of the clergy than anyone can shed wine." As for the mass epidemic and universal hunger, these will be the consequences of biological warfare. The third Antichrist is, apparently, the same King of Terror who will descend from heaven at the beginning of the third millennium.
The third Antichrist, who, according to Nostradamus, will create such that "blood will flow through the streets and in temples, like water after a downpour," was identified by many interpreters with the "son of the Curse," who is spoken of in the New Testament as the one who seduce many with "false miracles." We find a similar text in the 13th chapter of the Revelation of St. John the Theologian. It describes the “second beast”, which most New Testament commentators consider to be the Antichrist. Here is what this passage says:

“... And I saw another beast... and he spoke like a dragon. And he ... makes the whole earth and those who live on it worship the first beast ... and works great signs, so that fire also brings down from heaven to earth ... And with the miracles that it was given to him to work ... he deceives those who live on earth..."

"Look, do not be afraid; for it is necessary

all that to be. But it's not over yet."

Matthew 24:8

Multiplication of disasters

“When you hear about wars and turmoil, do not be horrified: for this must be before; but the end is not immediately” (Luke 21:9).

"... nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:7).

“There will be great earthquakes in places, and famines and pestilences, and terrible phenomena and great signs from heaven” (Luke 21:11).

All this will turn into "diseases" (Matthew 24:8).

“Woe to those who are pregnant and suckle in those days!” (Matthew 24:19).

“And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved” (Matthew 24:22).

“For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been since the beginning of the creation that God created, even until now, and will not be” (Mark 13:19).

Preaching the Gospel to the World

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations” (Matthew 24:14).

“And I was preached in His name to repentance and the forgiveness of sins in all nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47).

Thus, all peoples existing on earth, capable and ready for this, should have the opportunity to turn to Christ. With the fulfillment of times when"The full number of the Gentiles will enter" (Rom. 11:25), the circle of God's chosen ones will be completed(Matthew 24:22).

K.N. Leontiev (1890): "World terrestrial will approach his death when the gospel is preached everywhere. Neither in the Gospel nor in the Apostles is it said anywhere that Christianity will be accepted into the soul by everyone with the same zeal. It is only said that it will be known everywhere; but at the same time it is said that Christ “will hardly find faith on earth by His second coming.” How can we understand this? Perhaps then, like Gambetta, they will consider atheism non-exportable goods, but useful only for internal conversion, and, of course, they will allow the preaching of the Gospel as a substitute for rational eudemonism (if it lasts for centuries or returns to the kingdom again after a temporary expulsion from the best minds). In any case, after the predominance of Christians over all pagans and Muslims, after the baptism of many of the latter, after the decline of the old non-Christian beliefs among others, after the spread of a common and homogeneous civilization, the whole world will become much more more monotonous present. There will be a final general confusion; Christianity itself<начнет>tend to decline quickly, remaining the refuge of the few “chosen ones”, in whom the last Church will be embodied ... It turns out, then, that: If Russia, having strengthened even for a long time national genius Eastern Christianity will then spread it deep into Asia, then by this very fulfillment of its main (probably main) calling, Russia will intensify the general confusion, increase homogeneity - and thus bring closer the age of the last cosmopolitan all-transformation, followed by universal destruction. First belittling faith utterly, then destruction and Last Judgment” 1 .

"The Gospel will be preached throughout the earth, i.e. the Truth will be offered to the entire human race or to all nations.<...>The preaching of the Gospel throughout the earth, due to its eschatological significance, which caused a special mention of it by the Savior Himself, cannot be limited to such external action as the distribution of the Bible or prayer books and sermons among the Negroes and Papuans. They are only means to the real end, which is to put humanity in front of a dilemma: to accept or reject the truth, knowing it, i.e. the truth, rightly stated and well understood. Because it is obvious that the fact of truth, accepted or rejected by misunderstanding, cannot decide the fate of a rational being. The point is, therefore, to eliminate not only the material ignorance of the past revelation, but also the formal ignorance of eternal truths, i.e. eliminate all spiritual delusions that currently prevent people from correctly understanding the truth revealed to us. It is necessary that the question of whether or not to be a true believer should not depend on secondary circumstances and accidental conditions, but that it be reduced to such a final and unconditional form of expression that it can be resolved by a pure and volitional act or a definite decision of each for himself, absolutely moral or absolutely immoral” 2 .

"You will be hated for My Name"

(Persecution of Christians in pre-Christ time)

"And you will be hated by all for my name" (Mark 13:13).

“Then they will hand you over to torture and kill you; and you will be hated for my name’s sake” (1) (Matthew 24:9).

“First of all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and rulers for my name’s sake; and this will be for you as a witness.” (Luke 21:12-13).

“But take care of yourselves; for you will be handed over to the courts, and beaten in the synagogues, and before rulers and kings they will set you up for Me, to be a witness before them.” (Mark 13:9). |

“When they are led to betray you, do not worry in advance what you will say, and do not ponder; but what will be given to you in that hour, then say it: for it will not be you who speak, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11).

“And then many will be offended; and they will betray one another, and they will hate one another” (Matthew 24:10).

“Brother will betray brother to death, and the father of children; and children will rise up against their parents and put them to death.” (Mark 13:12).

* * *

Rev. Nil the Mouthing Athos (XVI century): "In that future time, thanks to the power of the greatest crime and debauchery, people will lose the grace of the Holy Spirit, which they received in holy baptism, and they will also lose remorse.

The Churches of God will be deprived of God-fearing and pious pastors, and then the trouble will be for the Christians remaining in the world, who will completely lose their faith, because they will be deprived of the opportunity from anyone to see the light of knowledge. Then they will withdraw from the world to holy refuges in search of relief from spiritual suffering, but everywhere they will meet obstacles and constraints” 4 .

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):“Our time has been given another feat, fraught with many difficulties and stumbling blocks. We had to travel - not during the day, not in the clear light of the sun, but at night, in the pale light of the moon and stars. holy scripture: this is directly said by the Holy Fathers of later times. When guiding the Scriptures, the advice of neighbors is also useful, namely those who themselves are guided by the Scriptures of the Fathers. Do not think that our feat was devoid of sorrows and crowns: no! it is associated with martyrdom. This martyrdom is like the languishing of Lot in Sodom: the soul of the righteous languished at the sight of incessant and unbridled fornication. And we are languishing, surrounded on every side by minds that have broken their loyalty to the truth, entered into a fornication with lies, infected with hatred against the Scriptures inspired by God, armed with blasphemy, slander and mockery of hell. Our feat has a price before God: our weakness, and our means, and circumstances, and the time itself are weighed on His scales. Some great father had the following vision: before him earthly life man was portrayed by the sea. He saw that the ascetics of the first times of monasticism were given fiery wings, and they, like lightning, were transported through the sea of ​​passions. Wings were not given to the ascetics of the last times: they began to cry on the seashore. Then they were given wings, but not fiery ones, but some kind of weak ones: they rushed across the sea. On their way, because of the weakness of their wings, they often plunged into the sea; rising with difficulty from it, they again began their journey, and finally, after many efforts and disasters, they flew over the sea. - Let's not lose heart! Let us not recklessly strive for brilliant feats that exceed our strength, let us accept with reverence a humble feat that is very much in line with our weakness, given, as it were, visibly by the hand of God” 5.

Hieromonk Nectarius (Tikhonov, † 1928) Optinsky:"A premonition of social catastrophes hung over humanity. They all feel this instinctively, like ants. But the faithful may not be afraid: Grace will protect them. In recent times, the faithful will be the same as with the apostles before the Assumption Mother of God: every faithful, wherever he served, will be transferred to one place...” 6

Patriarch Sergius (Stragorodsky, † 1944):"Just as He sends to ancient Israel (the Lord - Comp.) Judges and Prophets, and in His Church at extraordinary moments, He usually sends people of exceptional grace-giftedness, like Prophets, strong in spirit and Faith. Having no official appointment, these people by their very deeds are put forward from the general mass and become leaders of others. But this leadership does not have an official character, is not a position established in the church, and does not always adhere to official boundaries. Like any prophecy, it is a personal feat of such people, a matter of their personal, inner, spiritual enterprise and zeal for God and the Church of God” 7 .

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev, 1894-7.9.1963):“Those who seek the Kingdom of God will not have any feats of their own. They will be saved only by the patience of sorrows and illnesses. Why will there be no feats? Because there will be no humility in people, and without humility, feats will do more harm than good, they can even destroy a person, so how they involuntarily arouse a high opinion of themselves among the ascetics and give rise to delusion.Only under the guidance of very experienced spiritual people could certain feats be allowed, but now they are not, not to be found.The leader is now the Lord Himself, and partly books, whoever has and he can understand them.<...>It is said: they will be saved by faith, patience of sorrows and illnesses, and repentance. We have no business. In everything and at any time we violate;

the commandments of Christ, therefore, it remains for us to repent, endure and believe that the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to seek and save the perishing, will save us, who beg Him for forgiveness and salvation. You must firmly believe in this. He who trusts in his works builds his house on the sand. The salvation of people is the work of God's mercy, God's gift to fallen humanity, who believes in Christ, realizes his death and calls out with a publican's voice: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner" 8.

Decrease in faith and love

“But when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8).

“And because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12).

“But the Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons” (Tim. 4:1).

Commenting on the gospel texts,Priest M. Thebes writes:

“By the absence of mutual love between citizens, one can always judge that lawlessness has taken root among them; by the existence and development of lawlessness, one can conclude that mutual love among citizens has ceased” 9.

Once upon a time, the holy fathers of the Egyptian skete spoke prophetically about the last generation of Christians. What did we do? they said. One of them,Great Abba Ischirion (4th century) answered:“We have fulfilled the Commandments of God.” Then they asked: What will those who come after us do? Then they asked him: And what will those who come after them do? Abba Ischirion replied: "They are by no means

will have monastic work; but they will suffer tribulation, and those of them who stand will be higher than us and our fathers” 10 .

* * *

"Then the gospel of the Church will be neglected."

The Reverend says the following wordson behalf of God:

“Accept this sign and you will know how I say to you: when I take My hand from them, then they will hold vigils and Liturgies galloping along the high road ... They will mutually send messages and receive messages of diverse (i.e., not uniform) content and on various pretexts...”

Note from the first scribes:“I will take My hand away from them, that is, when the grace of the Holy Spirit is taken away. To send and receive messages means, as they think, that monastics will go into literature, into the consideration of scientific and political issues, and their disposition from the spiritual will turn to the worldly, while the spiritual , especially prayer, will be replaced and shortened in every way.”

it the prediction is in full agreement with the predictions of the very founder of monasticism, St. Anthony the Great, about the end of monasticism and the last monks(See "Philokalia, T. 1. S. 129-130).(2)

“We say: (devoted to the spirit of worldly acquisitiveness) shortens the prayer in order to add time for perishable deeds. Worrying a lot about the acquisition of treasures by his unclean thieves, he is lazy in fulfilling his canon. prayers, which speeds up in order to quickly take care of worldly concerns about a lot of money.

(Note: now almost all church services are shortened and quickened in their celebration, and are already sneaking up on the Liturgy itself, celebrating it "jumping along the high road", "in tempo". The servants also blaspheme the popular singing of the Symbol of the Orthodox Faith and the Lord's Prayer, or even not allowing the people to sing them at all, not fearing the threat of God's curse on neglect in the work of God.Heb. 48.10 ).

The ancient fathers, when they created the canon, said a full, perfect prayer, that is:

LORD, JESUS ​​CHRIST, SON AND WORD OF GOD, for the sake of the Mother of God, have mercy on me!

Those who followed, leaving the words “for the sake of the Mother of God”, began to use the following prayer: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son and Word of God, have mercy on me.” The next ones threw out the "Word of God" - they began to say: "Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me." Those who followed them left the "Son of God", and began to say: "Lord, Jesus Christ, have mercy on me." The present, modern fathers left Christ, having grasped the “chrys” (i.e. gold in Greek), have already forgotten “Christ”, and they say: “Lord Jesus, have mercy on me.” The future ones will leave the word “Lord”, they will say: "Jesus, have mercy on me." Then they will leave the word "Jesus" - they will only say: "Have mercy on me", and they will not be aware of what exactly they want to receive by this, and they will not be aware of the One Who has mercy on them ...

(That is, they will ask the Antichrist the same way).

For the sake of this, I tell you: when there are four twenty-five years (that is, 1917 comes - Comp.), then what will the monastic life be like then?” eleven

Hegumen Nikon (Vorobiev 1894-7.9.1963):"... The saints explain to us that in the last times there will be no monasticism at all, or in some places at least there will remain an appearance, but without doing monasticism" 12 .

Saint Theophan the Recluse:"... What is the "spirit of the world"?

The spirit of the world is spirit of enmity against God...

Those who have tasted the spirit of the world do not think about God and divine things, do not speak, do not write; but they live as if there were no God: they consider it even indecent to remember this in their circle. Among them there is a class of people with purified, as they say, concepts, who do not consider it shameful, on occasion, to let out a sharp word about our holy convictions and deeds of piety, who every month publish huge volumes, read by tens of thousands, where they discuss everything except God, everything is decided without participation Higher Power Wise and Good, and they decide on everything, not feeling the need for Divine assistance and in a prayerful appeal to God, where, if out of fear, they do not openly spew blasphemous unbelief and godlessness, then they are not afraid of various twists and turns of speeches to pour the poison of doubt and wavering in faith into inexperienced souls. Is it any wonder that among them coldness to faith and the Holy Church spreads, neglect of St. its statutes, alienation from them, the desire to abolish and destroy them, just because they proclaim so strongly about God and the future life ...

The spirit of the world is the spirit of mutual cooling, division and enmity between people, as opposed to the sincere and deep unity that should reign among true Christians. When someone, carried away by the spirit of the world, falls away in mind and heart from God, he naturally stops at himself.himself and, setting himself as an end, turns everything around - both things and persons into a means for his goals. Selfishness (selfishness) is inaccuratethe beginning of life in the spirit of the world ...

And so you see that among us, among those who are carried away by the spirit of the world, mutual coldness spreads, brotherly love dries up, Husband and wife begin to separate, children from parents, houses are undermined by houses, generations by generations, and the estates are arming against the estates: the laity grow cold towards the clergy, the lower classes towards the higher, the secular scientists towards the spiritual scientists and vice versa... division is everywhere... God! Are these your disciples, to whom you said: “They will tell about this, as if you are My disciples, if you have love for one another!”

1. The spirit of the world is the spirit of all-round lust... for "everything in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life" (1 John 2:15-16) says the Apostle. And now we have open amusement parks, spectacles, theaters, musical evenings, home performances, live pictures, concerts, balls, fireworks, pleasure gardens everywhere, where everyone is invited without distinction of sex and age, without distinction Sundays, holidays and fasts. Hundreds of hands are busy describing and pictorially depicting all this, in hundreds of sheets, newspapers and magazines, where they vied with each other trying to present it all in the most attractive and seductive colors. All this is before our eyes. You see how the spirit of the world overcomes us and, stripping us of the chaste garment of the Christian life, clothes us in shameful rags of lustful deeds and customs...
   
2. The spirit of the world is finally a spirit persecution and persecution of all that is holy, heavenly and divine. The world that is at war with God cannot tolerate anything that bears the seal of Divine origin and reminds of God: therefore it oppresses and drives out of its region the deeds of faith and piety... Persecution of deeds of faith is in the Orthodox kingdom!! Marvelous; however it is so... There are people who are ashamed to go to God's temple... to behave as it is proper for a Christian. The persecutor is invisible, but the persecution is visible, and everyone experiences it... And that's all, according to the magic word: "what they will say", not knowing who and what will say, - they are afraid to openly reveal their holy faith in their deeds. And words and deeds according to the spirit of the world openly appear on the hailstones. They are not ashamed and not afraid to create them, they feel like at home.

Here, brethren what a pernicious atmosphere is forming around us!” 13

Interpreting 2 Thessalonians, saint wrote:“Then, although the Christian name will be heard everywhere, and temples and church rites will be seen everywhere, but all this is just an appearance, but inside the apostasy is true” 14.

K.N. Leontiev (2.8.1877):"However, after we took Plevna and urgently entered Constantinople, it seems to me that the kingdom of Antichrist is at least close, and in the spiritual sense of the elect (that is, for themselves personally believing" in one Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church ") all will be less and less. But these few are right” 15 .

(December 1878):“... Although Orthodoxy for me is the Eternal Truth, nevertheless, in an earthly sense, it can dry up in Russia too. True The church will also be where three people remain. The Church is Eternal, but Russia is not eternal and, having lost Orthodoxy, it will perish. It is not the strength of Russia that the Church needs, the strength of the Church is necessary for Russia; The Church is true, spiritual - everywhere. She can move to China; and Western Europeans were Orthodox until the 9th and 11th centuries, and then they betrayed the true Church!..” 16

(1882): “As such, we must wish that the largest number of people in the world also become Orthodox; the point here is, first of all, for us, not in earthly Russianism, but in the afterlife salvation of the souls of these proselytes and partly, in forgiveness, perhaps, of our sins for our diligence in preaching and fighting various obstacles. Here is the most basic, essential side of the issue, common to Russians, Greeks, and Orthodox Japanese or Kamchadals.<...>A person who is a true believer, in such a case (when the Empire loses the right "to further separate historical existence" - Comp.) should not hesitate in choosing between faith and homeland. Faith must prevail, and the fatherland must be sacrificed, just because every earthly state is a transient phenomenon, but my soul and the soul of my neighbor are eternal, and the Church is also eternal; it is eternal in the sense that if 30,000, or 300 people, or only three people remain faithful to the Church to the day of the death of all mankind on this planet(or to the day of the destruction of the globe itself), then these 30,000, these 300, these three people will alone be right, and The Lord will be with them, and all the other millions will be in error. Therefore, the more we save people, the better for them and for us.

This is true. But, on the other hand, it is also true that the present time for a believer (whatever nationality he may be) Russia should be very dear - as the strongest stronghold of Orthodoxy on earth. People are weak, they often need external support, the support of a large population, the support of a strong government, the support of an influential thought that is favorable to faith, and so on. If, however, Russia, as an Orthodox power, can be dear, at the present time, even to a Japanese proselyte, then, of course, it must be even dearer to a Russian believer. This Russian believer must fight for the faith and for Russia, as far as he has the mind and strength.<...>

belief Christ, the apostles, and the holiness of the Ecumenical Councils, let us suppose, does not necessarily require faith in Russia. The Church lived for a long time without Russia, and if Russia becomes unworthy, - eternal Church find new and better sons.

And although the strength of the Church is more necessary for Russia than the strength of Russia for the Church, still, as long as Russia breathes and still stands under the banner of Orthodoxy, The Church cannot abandon us. And not only a Russian believer, but the Japanese proselyte must also wish well for the Russian state, as the best support of Orthodoxy after all” 17 .

"Someday must die; no terrestrial social organism will escape death and destruction - neither state, nor cultural, nor religious. The Savior foretold destruction of Christianity itself on earth, and those who prophesy for us on this earth some unprecedented and complete triumph of the "militant" (i.e. earthly) Church, preach something like a heresy, contrary not only to the teaching of the Orthodox clergy, but also to the Gospel teaching .

Someday Russia will also perish. And even when, looking around the whole globe and the entire composition of its population, you see that there is nowhere to wait for new and unknown tribes strong in spirit, because they are already No in the midst of an undoubtedly obsolete humanity, it can almost certainly be predicted that Russia can perish only in two ways - either from the East from the sword of the awakened Chinese, or by voluntary merging with a pan-European republican federation. (The latter outcome may be greatly aided by the education of a liberal, classless, all-estate union).

There is a third possible outcome, which Europeans hostile to us have long pointed out with horror and disgust: "Russia is something like a gigantic Macedonia, which, taking advantage of the strife of the Western peoples, will gradually subjugate them all to its own monarchical authorities” 18 .

V.S. Soloviev (May-June 1896):“If there is no doubt that the truth will be finally accepted by a more or less persecuted minority, it is necessary once and for all to abandon the idea of ​​the power and external greatness of theocracy, as the direct and immediate goal of Christian politics. Its goal is justice, while glory is a consequence that will come of itself.

Finally, the certainty of ultimate victory for a minority of true believers should not lead us to passively wait. This victory cannot be a simple and pure miracle, an absolute act of the Divine omnipotence of Jesus Christ, for in such a case the entire history of Christianity would be superfluous. It is obvious that Jesus Christ, in order to truly and reasonably triumph over the Antichrist, needs our cooperation; and since true believers are and will be only a minority, they must all the more satisfy the conditions of their qualitative and internal strength; the first of these conditions is moral and religious unity, which cannot be established arbitrarily, but must have a legal and traditional basis; it is a duty imposed by piety” 19 .

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly the Younger (Potapov, † July 30, 1922) Optinsky:"... From this, heresies spread everywhere and will deceive many. The enemy of the human race will act with cunning in order, if possible, to incline the elect to heresy. He will not rudely reject the dogmas of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ and the dignity of the Mother of God, but distort the teachings of the Church transmitted by the Holy Fathers from the Holy Spirit, and its very spirit and statutes, and these tricks of the enemy will be noticed only by a few, the most skillful in spiritual life. (The Lord) said: "... By their fruits you will know," - and here you are by these fruits, or, which is also, by the action of heretics, try to distinguish them from true shepherds. These are spiritual tatis (thieves) who plunder the spiritual herd; And they will enter into the sheepfold - the Church, climbing through a certain place: as the Lord said, that is, they will enter in an unlawful way, using violence and trampling on God's statutes. The Lord calls them thieves (John 10:1). Indeed, their first act will be the persecution of true shepherds, their imprisonment, exile, because without this it will be impossible for them to plunder the sheep (flock). Therefore, my son, when you see the violation of the Divine rank in the Church, patristic tradition and the order established by God, know that heretics have already appeared, although, perhaps, they will hide their wickedness for the time being or will distort the Divine faith imperceptibly, in order to even more be in time, seducing and luring the inexperienced in the network. The persecution will be not only on the shepherds, but also on all the servants of God, for the demon who leads the heresy will not tolerate piety. Recognize them, these wolves in sheep's clothing, by their proud disposition, lust for power. There will be slanderers, traitors, sowing enmity and malice everywhere, and therefore the Lord said that you will recognize them by their fruits. True servants of God are humble, brotherly-loving, obedient to the Church. There will be great oppression from heretics to monks, and then monastic life will be reviled. The monasteries will become impoverished, the monks will be reduced, and those who remain will endure violence. However, these haters of monastic life, having only the appearance of piety, will try to win over the monks to their side, promising them patronage and worldly blessings, but for disobedience, threatening with expulsion. From these threats there will be great despondency on the faint-hearted, but you, my son, rejoice when you live to this time, for then believers who have not shown other virtues will receive crowns for standing alone in the faith according to the word of the Lord (Matthew 10:3). Fear the Lord, my son, be afraid to lose the prepared crown, to be rejected from Christ into outer darkness and eternal torment, stand courageously in faith, and if necessary, endure exile and other sorrows with joy, for the Lord will be with you ... and holy martyrs and confessors, they will look with joy at your feat. But woe will be in those days to the monks who have committed themselves to property and wealth, and for the love of peace are ready to submit to heretics. They will lull their conscience, saying: “We will save and save the monastery and the Lord will forgive us.” The unfortunate and blinded do not at all think that demons will enter the monastery with heresy, and then it will no longer be a holy monastery, but simple walls, whence grace departs, but God stronger than the enemy and he will never leave his servants, and true Christians will remain until the end of this age, only they will choose solitary, deserted places. Do not be afraid of sorrow, but be afraid of pernicious heresy, for it exposes from grace and separates from Christ. This is why the Lord commanded to regard a heretic as a pagan and publican. So, be strong, my son, in grace Christ Jesus, joyfully hasten the feat of confession to endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 11:1-3) who foretold - be faithful to death and give you the crown of life (Rev. 2:10). To him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” 20 .

The fate of Mount Athos will also be significant.Russian monk Parthenius,who visited Mount Athos in the middle of the 19th century, conveys the revelation of the Mother of God to the Athos:“Here I give you a notice that while My icon will be on the Holy Mountain in the Iberian Monastery, then do not be afraid of anything, but live in your cells. And when I leave the Iberian Monastery, then let everyone take his bag and go where he knows” 21 .

"Athos will beat with a terrible noise, a thin voice will come out; when the Face of the Lady of our Mother of God leaves, there will be a terrible and trembling sign. The sign will be this: all churches will be tilted for the sake of the removal of Salvation, like seeing off Salvation and bowing (i.e. their will the atheists destroy or an earthquake?) For this, I tell you, insensibility will be felt, and the feeling will be darkened, and will not realize that Salvation is withdrawn” 22 .

Hieromartyr Cosmas Aitholos († August 4, 1779), "Apostle of the Poor":"We will see people flying through the air like black birds and dropping fire on the ground. People will run to the graves and shout:

"Come out, you dead, let us lie down in your graves."

Times will come when our enemies will take everything from you, even the ashes from your hearth. But do not lose faith, like others.

Times will come when the agreement between the clergy and the flock will disappear. Priests will become worse and more wicked than others.

People will become poor because their love for trees will disappear. The rich will become poor and the poor will die.

We will see a carriage without horses, rushing across the field faster than a hare.

Times will come when the Orthodox will be at enmity with each other. I advise you to maintain peace and harmony.

People will be poor because of laziness.

Weapons will be taken away. Have two guns. Tell the selectors you have one. Give it away and keep the rest. One gun saves a hundred lives..

The schools will teach such abominations that you can't even imagine” 23 . Schema-Archimandrite Lavrenty of Chernigov († 1950): "The time is coming: closed churches will be repaired, equipped, not only outside, but also inside. Domes will gild both churches and bell towers, and when everything is finished, the time will come when the Antichrist reigns. Pray that the Lord will continue this for us again time for strengthening, because a terrible time awaits us.And you see how all the deceit is being prepared?All the temples will be in the greatest splendor as ever, and you can’t go to those temples.<...>There will be churches, but an Orthodox Christian will not be able to go to them, because the Bloodless Sacrifice of Jesus Christ will not be offered there, and there will be all the “satanic” gathering.<...>“Repairs of temples will continue until the very coming of the Antichrist, there will be an unprecedented magnificence,” said Batyushka. Pray more, go to church while you have the opportunity, especially to the Liturgy, at which the Bloodless Sacrifice is offered for the sins of the whole world. Confess more often and partake of the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Lord will strengthen you” 24 .

“When a little freedom appears, churches, monasteries will be opened and repaired, then all false teachings will come out together with demons and secret atheists (Catholics, Uniates, self-sanctified Ukrainians and others) and will strongly take up arms in Ukraine against the Orthodox Russian Church, its unity and catholicity "This heretical group will be supported by godless power, and therefore they will be deprived of the Orthodox churches and the faithful will be beaten. Then the Metropolitan of Kyiv (unworthy of this title), together with his like-minded bishops and priests, will greatly shake the Russian Church. The whole world will be surprised at his lawlessness and be afraid. He himself will leave into eternal perdition, like Judas, but all these slanders of the evil one and false teachings will disappear in Russia, and there will be the One Orthodox Church of Russia.”<...>

Another father, Fr. Lavrenty, talking with Archimandrites Feofan and Nikifor and his relatives, spoke insistently and sternly with a warning that our native word is Rus and Russian. And it is imperative to know, remember and not forget that there was a baptism of Russia, and not a baptism of Ukraine. Kyiv is the second Jerusalem and the mother of Russian cities. Kievan Rus was together with great Russia. Kyiv without great Russia and apart from Russia we can not think in any and in any case.<...>

“There has never been a Patriarch in the city of Kyiv. Patriarchs were and lived in Moscow. Beware of the self-consecrated Ukrainian group (church) and union.” Kiev Pechersk Lavra viceroy Fr. Kronid objected to the priest that the self-consecrated and Uniates had already disappeared in Ukraine. The father answered sadly and sadly: “The devil will enter them, and they will take up arms with satanic malice against the Orthodox faith and the Church, but they will have a shameful end, and their followers will suffer heavenly punishment from the Lord the King of Forces.”<...>

Batiushka warned us to be faithful to the Moscow Patriarchate and in no case be part of any schism. That those bishops and priests who led the faithful people into confusion did great harm to themselves and destroyed many Orthodox souls. "Beware of the so-called foreign church and know that it is not a member of the diptych of Orthodox churches. It is not a church, but a part of the Russian Church. Oh, our long-suffering Church survived in a godless state. To her honor and glory and eternal praise! Our country is not foreign and "Our Church is not foreign! Our country is permanent! We have no foreign churches. The Free Church is a heretical name. We have all Orthodox churches and monasteries, including those that are closed and desecrated. Only those unworthy of God's mercy and heresy go into schism and heresy." great sinners who do not want to know: I believe in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church! Orthodox Church there is the body of Christ (is it possible to separate the body of Christ?) and, finally, the Church is the non-sewn tunic of the Lord (which, like Arius, cannot be torn apart). And they do not remember that there is one God, one faith and one baptism. The Lord Jesus Christ created one Church (and not churches), which even the gates of hell will not prevail against. Only the Orthodox Church is holy, catholic and apostolic. Others who call themselves churches are not churches, but the tares of the devil among the wheat and the crowds of the devil.<...>

What an eternal misfortune to voluntarily lose the Orthodox Faith and the Church, or go into schism from the Orthodox Church!!!

Schema-nun Makaria (1988-1990):"They will make such a mess, and you won't save your soul. Whoever enters the churches will be recorded. For praying to God, they will persecute you. You need to pray so that no one knows, pray quietly! They will begin to persecute, take away. and then icons. They will come and begin to remove icons with great threats. Icons will be taken away. They will torment - we do not need believers. Further - worse: they will close churches, there will be no services, they will serve in some places. They will leave them somewhere far away, so as not to "You can't get through, you can't get through. And in the cities where they consider that they do not interfere. These churches, which are being built and repaired, will go to other enterprises, will not be of any use to anyone. Registration will be cunning: they will remain called churches, but there you will not understand, that, their own production, they will find what to do” 26 .

"The Bible that will be printed is incorrect. They (apparently Jewish - Comp.) from there they will throw out what concerns them, they do not want reproach. A change of faith is being prepared. When this happens, the saints will retreat and will not pray for Russia. And those who are (of the righteous living - Comp.), the Lord will take to Himself. And the bishops who allow this, neither here nor there (in the next world - Comp.) They will not see the Lord. Soon the service will be half, will be reduced. They will keep the service only in large monasteries, and in other places they will make a change. I only say one thing: woe to the priesthood comes, they will crumble one by one and will live. In churches in red dresses will begin to serve. Now Satan the evil one will take over. Soon the sorcerers will spoil all the prosphora and there will be nothing to serve (liturgy - Comp.). And you can take communion once a year. The Mother of God will tell her people where and when to take communion. You just have to listen” 27 .

Archpriest Nikolai Afanasiev (4.9.1893-12.12.1960), professor at the Orthodox Theological Institute in Paris (1950):“The most formidable accusation of dechurching our church life is the celebration of the “Lord’s Meal” in an empty church without its participants. We do not know how history will turn out, will the Lord find faith when He comes? The local Church may be reduced to three or two of its members, but it will remain the Church of God in all its fullness. Her Eucharistic gathering will be the "Lord's Supper" at which all the people of God will be gathered. These two or three will be "Christ's witnesses" on earth. If this happens, then this will be the tragedy of human history. Let us not justify ourselves with the words of Christ, where two or three are gathered in His name, there He is also. our time is not yet "harvest", and our Church does not consist of two or three. Let us understand that our greatest sin is that in the local Church, numbering several hundred or thousands of believers, the Eucharistic meeting really takes place in an empty temple or in a mystical an empty temple, when the faithful respond to the cry “come now” with silence. There is something mystically terrible in this silence. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will go to him, and I will dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). But we refuse His meal and remain silent to His call. In this silence there is a certain judgment over us. Let us suppose that this silence can be humanly justified, but it remains silence. We must understand and experience this tragedy. To understand that behind it lies the ultimate individualization, as our personal sin before Christ” 28 .

S.I.Fudel (†1977) in the late 1960s:"More and more desert in the Church and all less people in temples. This is on the one hand, and on the other, the ecumenical congresses are getting more and more crowded. But mother Smaragda (an old woman, a nun in the 1960s - Comp.) told her student: “Even if you stand all alone in the church, stop!” And in the temple, in the sense of attending divine services, and in the Church, in the sense of being faithful to her, and she said: "We are approaching the seals."

"In the process of falling away from Christianity, the city competes with the countryside, and it seems that the village is winning. According to some pattern, Christianity returns to early Christianity not only spiritually, but, so to speak, geographically: big cities: "Rome" and "Ephesus", "Antioch" and "Corinth". New late-Christian communities will be created there, surrounded by millions of unbelievers, Christians will live there, waiting for new prophets of the old apostles” 29 (3).

Philadelphia Church

L. A. Tikhomirov (1852-1923), large ideologist of the Russian national idea, monarchist, interpreting the seven Asian Churches(Rev. 1-3), writes:"... It is impossible to establish exact boundaries for any of the epochs separating it from the previous and subsequent ones. An epoch expresses a certain predominant type, a certain spirit of Christian humanity, which does not immediately arise, does not immediately change, and not in all localities to the same extent and at the same time. Therefore, while in some places the spirit of the former era still continues, in others a different spirit has already developed. Therefore, the epochs, if we take the whole world, seem to capture one another, and, consequently, can be approximately separated from one another over decades and even centuries” 30 .

The last epochs of the earthly life of the Church of Christ, according to L. A. Tikhomirov, will correspond to the Church of Philadelphia (“brotherly”, Greek) and Laodicea (“people’s right”, Greek). The first, numerically small, which the Lord promised to save from the “time of temptation”, the second - numerous, being neither cold nor hot, will be “spewed out of the mouth” by the Lord:“In the Philadelphian Church, one must think, the pure Bride of Christ will be preserved until the end of the world. But, probably, the majority of those called “Christians” will fall lower and lower, as the world passes into the seventh age, Laodicean ...” 31

S. A. Nilus (September 6, 1909):"Yes, undoubtedly, we are in this last Church before the end of the world, before its eruption from the mouth of Christ. Laodicean!" Is it not now clearly expressed throughout the world the desire to establish "people's rule" as the last word in the science of state law, in exchange for Christian monarchies, supposedly outdated and not satisfying the principle of civil freedom? ”, and the world “Laodicea”, in all its godless wildness, will be headed by the “beast from the abyss”. Lord have mercy!" 33

And elsewhere (1917): "Laodicea"<...>Isn't this the kind of democracy to which, as a final word, state science, are its leaders leading humanity, freeing both themselves and it from the legitimate Autocratic Royal power, the only power that receives anointing from the Holy Spirit in the Mystery of Anointing?” 34

Archbishop Averky, Trinity and Syracuse:"There is an opinion that the seven Churches mean the seven periods of the life of the entire Church of Christ from its foundation to the end of the world:

1. The Ephesian Church (4) designates the first period - the Apostolic Church, which labored and did not faint, fought the first heresies - "Nicolaites", but soon abandoned the good custom of doing good - "communion of property" ("first love");
2. The Smyrna Church (5) denotes the second period - the period of persecution of the Church, of which there were only ten;
3. The Church of Pergamon (6) denotes the third period - the era of the Ecumenical Councils and the fight against heresies with the sword of the word of God;
4. Thyatira Church (7) - the 4th period of flowering of Christianity among the new peoples of Europe;
5. Sardian Church (8) - the era of humanism and materialism of the 16th-18th centuries;
6. The Philadelphia Church (9) - the penultimate period of the life of Christ's Church - is our modern era, when the Church really "has a little power" in modern humanity, and persecution will begin again when patience is needed;
7. The Laodicean Church (10) is the last, most terrible epoch before the end of the world, characterized by indifference to faith and external well-being” 38

Unknown Russian priest of the 20th century:"We know from Revelation that this will be the case with the sons and daughters of the Philadelphian Church - they will be prematurely plucked out of this life before the great tribulations to come. Whoever needs it, according to God's care, will remain in the city or in the village, will not perish under the terrible edicts of the Antichrist. Whoever needs it, God will put it on his heart to run away, hide in the crevices of the earth where he pleases, and there he will be saved for 1260 days” 39 .

Metropolitan Kirill (Smirnov, 1863 - August 1941), Kazan and Sviyazhsky, in testament of St. Tikhon - the first candidate for locum tenensity (1934): "The Philadelphia Church is not us, but those who will come after us" 40 .

S. I. Fudel (†1977) in the late 1960s:"Florensky at the end of the 20s said that it is quite possible to imagine some kind of dying local church: the promise of invincibility through the gates of hell is not given to her, but to the Universal Church. Ep. Theophan the Recluse. In the 70s of the last century, seemingly so prosperous for the Church, he wrote: “The memory of childhood and the spirit of parents still keeps (children) within certain limits. What will their own children be like? And what will keep them within proper limits? I conclude from this that in a generation, maybe in two, our Orthodoxy will dry up (Letters on Christian life”, 1880. S. 70-71).

Fully aware of this process of dying, Fr. Seraphim (Batyugov) (elder, archimandrite † 2/19/1942 - Comp.) at the same time believed that the Church, and not only the Ecumenical, but also the Russian, still had an era of spiritual flowering. He highly appreciated the little-known work of L. Tikhomirov "The Apocalyptic Doctrine of the Seven Ecumenical Churches", in which, it seems, for the first time it was suggested that the "Philadelphia Church" is the designation historical era forthcoming and already close for us spiritual flowering Universal Church before the end of the story.

“This graciously written book,” I remember he said, “and the term “Philadelphia Church” has become for some people the concept of church revival. One priest even used this term as a characteristic of individuals whose spiritual makeup somehow coincided with the definition of this Church in Revelation: “Believe her,” he said about one woman, “she is a true Philadelphian.”

Maybe this is so, and imperceptibly, maybe this spiritual-historical epoch is already beginning, as circles on the water inaudibly set one after another, and someone, perhaps, already “keeps the word of patience” and firmly holds in himself a treasure of grace, feeling it with all my sinful guts; maybe now, out of a thousand, only bearing the name of Christians, those are selected in whose hearts there is no impurity, deceit and fear - these three great sins of modern church people- those who “follow the Lamb wherever he goes” are selected (Rev. 14:4)” 44 .

Retreat of the Episcopate

St. Nifont of Tsaregradsky (XV century) prophesied that the priesthood of the last centuries of the Church would be in a moral decline through two passions: vanity and gluttony 45 .

Rev. Nil Mvrotochivy (XVI century):"This fruit (antichrist - Comp.) will be born into the world when the world is impoverished by virtues<...>Likewise, the Church is almost impoverished by the supremacy of spiritual authorities” 46 .

The footnote to this text says:"See the prediction of St. Athanasius V.<еликого>about the transition of church power in recent times into the hands of worldly dignitaries and the predictions of St. Seraphim of Sarov on the fall towards the end of the hierarchal rank and the impoverishment in him of zeal for the glory of God. Also, in the instruction of the Optina Elders, it is said that in recent times there will be no people experienced and skilled in spiritual life on the thrones of the saints and in monasteries, and as a result of the general impoverishment of piety, heresies and schisms will enter the Church and will deceive many and, finally, heretics they will take power over the Church and will place their servants everywhere and will in every possible way oppress and expel the true servants of God” 47 .

Rev. Seraphim of Sarov:“To me, a wretched Seraphim, the Lord revealed that there would be great calamities on the Russian land, the Orthodox faith would be trampled on, the bishops of the Church of God and other clerics would depart from the purity of Orthodoxy, and for this the Lord would severely punish them. I, wretched Seraphim, three days and For three nights I prayed to the Lord that He would rather deprive me of the Kingdom of Heaven, and would have mercy on them. But the Lord answered: "I will not have mercy on them: for they teach the doctrines of men, and honor Me with their tongue, but their heart is far from Me" 48 (Compare Matt. 15:7-9).

In the "Great Diveevo Secret":“I, your love of God, a wretched Seraphim, are supposed to live from the Lord God for much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the bishops will be so impious that they will surpass the Greek bishops in the time of Theodosius the Younger in their wickedness, so it’s no longer possible to believe the main dogma of the faith of Christ will be: then it is pleasing to the Lord God to take me, a wretched Seraphim, until the time from this temporary life and therefore resurrect, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the cave of Okhlonskaya in the days of Theodosius the Youngest” 49.

In another version of the "Great Diveevo Secret", found recently in the papers of Fr. Pavel Florensky and, in all likelihood, copied by the latter directly from the papers of S.A. Nilus, there are significant additions (mark them in italics):“I,” he said, “poor Seraphim, from the Lord God is supposed to live for much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the bishops Russians so ungodly that their wickedness will surpass the Greek bishops in the time of Theodosius the Younger, so that even the most important dogma of the Christian Faith - Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection If they no longer believe, then it is pleasing to the Lord God until the time of me, the wretched Seraphim, to take me from this temporary life and then into affirmation of the dogma of the resurrection, resurrect me, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the cave of Okhlonskaya during the time of Theodosius the Youngest” 50 .

V.S. Solovyov (May-June 1896):"We must be prepared for the fact that ninety-nine priests out of a hundred will declare themselves for the Antichrist" 51 .

St. rights. John of Kronstadt (1907):“The Lord primarily oversees the behavior of bishops and priests, their educational, sacred, pastoral activities... The current terrible decline in faith and morals depends very much on the coldness towards their flocks of many hierarchs and the priestly rank in general” 52.

Hieromonk Nektary (Tikhonov, † April 29, 1928), Elder of Optina (after July 1922):"I come to the Father (Fr. Varsonofy. - Comp.) and I say: “Everyone says that all the signs of the second coming were fulfilled.” And he answered: “No, not all. But, of course, even with a simple gaze it is clear that much is being fulfilled, but it is open to the spiritual: before the Church was a vast circle with the entire horizon, and now it is like a ringlet, you see, like a ringlet, and in the last days before the coming of Christ, it will be all preserved in such form: one Orthodox bishop, one Orthodox priest and one Orthodox layman. I'm not telling you that there will be no churches at all, maybe they will be, but Orthodoxy will be preserved only in this form.

You pay attention to these words. You understand. After all, it is all over the world” 53 .

Eighth Ecumenical Council

Rev. Nil the Mouthing Athos (XVI century):"Then (after 1992 - Comp.) the eighth council will meet to sort out the dispute and reveal (finish. will do) good to good and evil to evil ... The farmer separates the wheat from the chaff. Wheat is for man, but chaff is for livestock. We say that the good will be separated from the bad, i.e. - Orthodox believers from heretics, and for some short time people will be peaceful. (Note of translators: About this is also stated in the Byzantine prophecies)” 54 . (eleven)

Hieromonk Isidore (John Andreevich Kozin, born 1833 or 1834, † 3February 1908), the Great Elder of the Gethsemane Skete:"...Even when he was a beardless and beardless cell-attendant of the Viceroy of Lavra Anthony, he once interfered in his conversation with Metropolitan Filaret of Moscow (Drozdov - Comp.). The great hierarch and the wise viceroy sat at tea and thought together about the need for an ecumenical council and about uniting with the Catholics. But the question arises as to who will take precedence at the council. It was foreseen that neither the Orthodox nor the Catholics would want to yield, and the council would not take place. Enter about. Isidore with a tray laden with tea utensils. “But the Mother of God, that’s Who will be the First. So leave the chair of the chair unoccupied: it will be for the Mother of God.”

All his life he cherished Fr. Isidore this idea of ​​the need to unite the Churches, and church division was for him personal pain personal resentment. “We are all children of one Mother, we cannot see the suffering of our own Mother,” he mournfully recalled some verses, and did this very, very often, apparently, the thought of dividing the Churches greatly disturbed him. Sometimes he added more: "But everything is one office, because of one letter:

We are Catholics and they are Catholics. We must pray to the Mother of God. Through her this union will take place, (12) but it cannot be accomplished by human forces.” The unification of the Churches of the East and the West was connected by Father with the last destinies of the world and sometimes, pointing to the anti-Christian movement taking place in Russia and abroad, he spoke his more hidden and more secret, enduring thought: “The times of the Antichrist are near. Soon there will be such a persecution of Christians that you have to hide."

With these words, Fr. Isidore could not help believing that this was indeed the case. His cloudless face became hazy, his clear smile disappeared for a moment, his eyes looked serious, penetrating the future. It was scary: here comes something, approaching ... But this moment passed, - and the prophetic, prophetic seriousness was hidden, melted, disappeared. However, this single moment set me up for a long time.

The thought of church unity, in connection with these formidable forebodings, was one of the Elder's most cherished thoughts. Once he even wrote letters about this thing to Emperor Alexander III, Gladstone and Bismarck. The letters were in pencil, barely literate, and, of course, in Russian. To Gladstone and Bismarck the Elder also sent some of our liturgical books and a prayer to the Mother of God, compiled by N.V. Gogol. (13) It is not known whether the parcels and letters sent to other countries reached, but it is known that the letter to the Sovereign reached the Court and from there a reprimand was sent to the Skete” 57 .

Hieromonk Nectarius (Tikhonov † April 29, 1928) Optinsky on the the question "Will there be a union of the Churches?" - answered:

"No, only the Ecumenical Council could do this, but there will be no more Council. There were 7 Councils, like 7 Sacraments, 7 Gifts of the Holy Spirit. For our age, the fullness of the number is 7. The number of the future age is 8. Only individuals will join our Church ...” 58

S. A. Nilus (1911):"What degree of maturity have these signs (of the Second Coming - Comp.) according to the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments - to determine this with authority is the work of the conciliar authority of the Ecumenical (not local) Church. The Eighth Ecumenical Council is to do this in the indisputable power and authority of the all-church authority, and - no one else, at least, - let's say in the words of the Holy Apostle - and the "Angel from heaven", if he appeared. Such an Ecumenical Council should be only with a world king and the lord, for only he, as such, can have sufficient fullness and measure of power for that; the place of that Council is Jerusalem, where our Lord was crucified, for there on the throne of the restored Solomon Temple the “contemptible” will sit, like God, betraying yourself for God; the purpose of that Council is the infallible denunciation of this “god” as the Antichrist.”

Notes by S.A. Nilus to this text in 1911:“In the 3rd edition of 1905 of our book Great in the Small, and the Antichrist as a Close Political Possibility”, we believed that the place of the 8th Ecumenical Council was in Moscow. Now, presenting to the reader our mistake, made by our immoderate love for the motherland, i.e. to the human, and not to God, we bring repentance in it. But this mistake only serves to strengthen our basic view, expressed here, that only the Ecumenical Council can have the infallible power and authority to unmistakably determine and indicate the approach of that great and terrible day” 59 .

Archbishop Theophan of Poltava (11.6.1930):“I don’t know anything about the Eighth Ecumenical Council yet. I can only say in the words of St. Theodore the Studite: "Not every assembly of bishops is a council, but only an assembly of bishops who stand in Truth." A truly Ecumenical Council does not depend on the number of bishops gathered for it, but on whether it will philosophize or teach "Orthodox". If it deviates from the truth, it will not be ecumenical, even if it calls itself the name of the ecumenical. ” was at one time more numerous than many ecumenical councils, and yet it was not recognized as ecumenical, but received the name “robber’s council”! ..” 61

Hieroschemamonk Kuksha (Velichko, 1875 -11/24.12.1964):"The end times are coming. Soon there will be an ecumenical Council called "Saint". But this will be the same “eighth Council, which will be a gathering of the godless.” At it, all faiths will unite into one. Then all posts will be abolished, monasticism will be completely destroyed, bishops will be married. visit God's temples while they are still ours. Soon it will be impossible to go there, everything will change. Only a select few will see it. People will be forced to go to church, but we will not have to go there under any circumstances. I beg you, stay in Orthodox faith until the end of your days and be saved!" 62

Archimandrite John (Krestyankin), Pskov-Caves Monastery (28.5/10.6.1990): "To keep the covenants that were given by the predecessors of the one now erected on Patriarchal Throne Alexia. First.So that we have an old style! We cannot accept anything else. Second.To be strictly Orthodox. We have never treated all non-Orthodox with hostility. We have a clear conscience in this regard. But we went our own way strictly defined way! Like our predecessors, so we, who are now leaving from day to day to the other world, call on you keep the purity of Orthodoxy. Third. O that keep sacred the Church Slavonic language. Fourth. Some are now afraid of the VIII Ecumenical Council. Do not be embarrassed by this, just calmly believe in God, for the Patriarch who has gone into eternity said<Пимен>in a personal conversation that if anything happens at the VIII expected Ecumenical Council, anything that disagrees with the seven previous Ecumenical Councils we have the right not to accept it. Here is his testament, albeit in a private conversation, and I am already repeating it to you a second or third time in fulfillment of my conscience, for I asked these questions, and I received answers to them. And therefore, nothing bothers me now: neither the transience of time, nor the election that was. All this can be summarized in one concept: We live in apocalyptic times. And therefore<...>: “Watch, stand in the faith, be courageous and firm. And let everything be with you with love”(1 Cor. 16:13-14)” 63 .

seduction

False Christs will come first (Matthew 24:5) then false prophets (Matthew 24:11), and then both (Matthew 24:24).

"For many will come under my name and say, 'I am the Christ,' and they will deceive many" (Matthew 24:5).

"And many false prophets will arise and deceive many" (Matthew 24:11).

"... if anyone says to you: "Lo, here is the Christ," or: "Lo, there," do not believe. For false Christs and false prophets will arise, and they will give signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. (Mark 13:21-22)

John Chrysostom wrote in this connection about "seducers, enemies and false brothers".

"...there will be false teachers who will introduce destructive heresies and, denying the Lord who has redeemed them, will bring swift destruction upon themselves" (2 Pet. 2:1).

Saint Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) in a letter to hegumen Anthony (Bochkov) on May 18, 1861:“The whole world, as it were, unanimously rushed to meet some special person, a genius, to a magnificent, solemn meeting. This is obvious. Comp.) appeared in the form of the prophets of the Messiah. A path is being prepared, a mental path for the entrance of the action of flattery (2 Thess. 2:11) into minds and hearts” 64 .

“A constant sinful life is a constant denial of Christ, even if it were not uttered by the tongue and lips. But alas! It is already being uttered, it began to be uttered long ago. The renunciation of Christ has been uttered and is uttered by various heretical teachings” 65 .

In the entire history of Christianity, only two or three who called themselves Christs are known. All of them"were always too microscopic to leave deep traces in history."

Among the whips there are quite a few who call themselves “Christs” and “Virgin Marys”."As for the existence of false messiahs after the destruction of Jerusalem, wrotepriest M. Thebes,- there were many of them, they exist <...> and at the present time, and without a doubt, will appear in large numbers before the final world catastrophe, which will be followed by a complete renewal of the present sinful world” 66 .

"Especially a lot, - warnsauthor of an anonymous book<Антихрист”, - All kinds of false prophets and false Christs will appear: in such and such a country, in such and such a place, a prophet or Christ appeared. This appearance of various false Christs will be crowned already at the end of the pre-Tikhrist era with the appearance of a false apocalyptic prophet” 67 .

Antichrists, or rather, anti-Christian false teachers, appeared back in apostolic times, as harbingers of the Antichrist (1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 John 1:7).

As for our time, one cannot help but recall the famous composer A.N. Scriabin (1871-1915), “who considered himself the Antichrist” 68 .

Archpriest George Florovsky (1893-1979) wrote:"It is not Scriabin's views that are interesting, in philosophy he was helplessly imitative, but his experience and his own fate. This is an experience space languor, the experience is mystical, but non-religious, without God and without faces, the experience of rhythms and modes. And the demonic nature of this experience is quite obvious: suffice it to name Scriabin's "Ninth Sonata" ("black mass"), or his "Poeme satanique", - "flammes sombres", dance of black flames(14)... Scriabin's work is characteristic in that in the very intention of the creator it was a kind of magical action, a theurgic act or a preliminary, it had to accomplish the mystery mystery of cosmic destruction and death. Scriabin felt like a great called, more than a prophet. The cosmic languor in him reached such a sharpness that he strove for death, prepared the death of the world, would like to enchant and destroy the world, to enchant in the intoxication or frenzy of death. This will be a universal and final miracle. Acute eroticism permeates all of Scriabin's work. And this Luciferic will is felt in him to rule, to master magically and incantably. The claimed theurgy turns into magic, conjuring violence, where there is neither humility, nor spiritual experience, nor sacred awe, but almost naked lust of mystical power. Art really becomes a “secret action”, but also a dark action, a dark action. Scriabin’s work is significant in that it exposes the satanic depths of self-sufficing art, the dark abysses of artistic genius. His conceived "Mystery" after all should have been precisely end of the world corresponds in his design to the Second Coming of the Christian hope. (15) One can free oneself from cosmic rhythms only by such magical killing, universal magical arson. Reverie is exposed here as violence...” 69

A.F. Losev (1893-1988), philosopher (1919-1921):“To understand Scriabin means to understand the whole of Western European culture and all its tragic fate.<...>

Worth only<...>to connect Scriabin not with the new European, but with the ancient pagan worldview, as it illuminates the mass of features that, without such a generalization, risk remaining unrelated and scattered.<...>Only paganism can be demonic, for only in paganism is the world deified with all its imperfections and malice. Demonism is the deification of creatures and evil. And only from here does Scriabin's demonism originate. True, even Christianity intimately feels demons, and without them the wickedness of this earthly world would not be clear to it. But Christianity knows that demons are evil; against them he has sure means, all this scum falls lifeless before the face of God, and the cross is enough for it to be powerless. In paganism there is no sense of evil in demonism; the demons are the same deities, perhaps just a lower rank. The pagan loves his demons, prays to them; it is unthinkable for him to destroy them or deprive them of their power. On the contrary, demonism in paganism is the beginning of religion and beauty, and believers are in intimate union with it. Such is Scriabin, who loves everything demonic, calls himself evil, but sees in it only his strength and beauty. Then evil is no longer evil, then it is a divine element.<...>

Listening to Scriabin, you want to throw yourself into the abyss somewhere, you want to jump up and do something unprecedented and terrible, you want to break and beat, kill and be torn to pieces yourself. There are no longer any norms and laws, all sorts of rules and regulations are forgotten.<...>There is no greater criticism of Western European culture than the work of Scriabin, and there is no more significant sign of the "decline of Europe".<…>

As L.L. told me Sabaneev, Scriabin regretted that he could not hang the bells to heaven to fulfill his Mystery, and compared his birth on December 25 in earnest with the birth of Christ, seeing in himself a new messiah and a new god who would save people.<...>

It is a sin for a Christian to listen to Scriabin, and he has one attitude towards Scriabin - to turn away from him, because praying for him is also a sin. Satanists are not prayed for. They are anathematized” 70 .

Remarkable confessionsN.I. Bukharin (1888-1938), made by him in his autobiography for the official publication:"About this time (being in the 2nd grade of a city school - Comp.) or somewhat later I experienced the first so-called. "mental crisis" and finally dealt with religion. Outwardly, this, by the way, was expressed in a rather mischievous form: I argued with the boys, who still had respect for the shrines, and brought the "body of Christ" from the church for the tongue, victoriously laying it on the table . (16) Not without curiosities here. By chance, at that time, the famous “lecture on the Antichrist” by Vladimir Solovyov came up to me, and at one time I hesitated whether I was the Antichrist. the mother of the Antichrist was supposed to be a harlot, then I interrogated my mother - a woman very intelligent, extremely honest, hardworking, doting in children and extremely benevolent - was she a harlot, which, of course, plunged her into the greatest embarrassment, so how she could not understand how I could have such questions” 72 .

Let's turn to the present times. Widely advertised by the press "seer" Sveta (an ice ballet dancer) claims that "these<...>she received miraculous data from the space guest Ashtar Sheran. According to her, "this name is known today in many countries, guarantees the truth and the highest knowledge. This is a universal world teacher who must fulfill mission mission... It is thanks to him, his information, that I make horoscopes like no one else in the world” 73 .

Here is another press release:"Christ the Second announced his coming to Earth. A certain Vissarion, who lives in the city of Minusinsk, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, informed the people about his unusual mission, destined for him "as a son of God." Here is how the newly-appeared Christ the Second himself, an artist named Sergey Torop, tells about this:

Somehow I received an order to paint the faces of saints for a local church and completed it. And then one day in the morning a saint appeared to me and told me about the order of God the Father to call me Vissarion, which means “giving life”, and to fulfill his last commandment - to promote the unity of all the peoples of the world” 74 .

The task of various kinds of sorcerers and psychics, soothsayers and astrologers (17) is to “prepare people for the acceptance of a new “messiah”, “universal myrrh teacher” (that is, in Orthodoxy, simply Antichrist)<...> 75

Let's remember the words teacher Anthony(IV century): "They (demons - Comp.) also take on the appearance of soothsayers and predict what will happen after a few days...” 76

And one more press report, this time from abroad:"... In the city of Los Angeles alone, there are about 400 ministers of various cults posing as Christ. According to one university, there are more than 2,000 such impostors in the world. 25,000,000 North Americans fell into the network of these false antichrists. In addition to this, millions people belong to the "New Age" cult, which teaches that "god" is us; any

man is "God"” 77 .

"... The sect calls Moon "the new messiah of humanity", this sect is created in order to capture all the "Christian" or near-Christian churches and unite them into one anti-Christ mixture and rule them at the behest of one person or one world government. antichrist, this "united church" will serve the antichrist. That is why it is created in our time, as a harbinger of the kingdom of Antichrist. For this, Moon is financed and supported in every possible way by the world Zionist empire. When the Antichrist reigns, Moon will present him with the "united church" he has captured.<...>Moon's sect called "United Church" is preparing the way for the Antichrist. He who has ears, let him hear” 78 .

Another version of the "church of Antichrist" is offered by M. Epstein:

"... The Soviet government underestimated its own successes and proclaimed too early a rejection of the communist future, which in our time is being carried out right before our eyes, in accordance with the most daring plans.

Approximately by 1980, as promised, the creation of the socio-economic foundations of communist society was completed, and it immediately began to develop into its highest phase - spiritual communism, which has now almost been achieved. Perestroika crushed the last bastions of inequality, the command-administrative system, the party hierarchy, the bureaucratic machine - and thus prepared full communism. There is no longer a strong state left to divide and rule: power and property are leaving it, and

they don't reach anywhere, they just disincarnate in the middle.<...>There are no protective layers left, no partitions and private estates separating individuals: they directly touch each other with bare nerves. The whole society has been socialized to the very last degree, turning into a kind of solid communist body, with the gift of extrasensory perception and universal shape-shifting. Everyone becomes everything (as in the song: "Who was nothing..." - Comp.), all appear in each. The more the upper structures of Soviet society fall apart, the more tangible in it is the indissoluble core of the primitive horde: the magical first soul of the collective. It remains only to interpret this phenomenon ideologically, proclaiming the next step: the transformation of communism from a science into a religion. His return to that same mystical heresy about the integral world soul and the propertyless, supersensible brotherhood from which he once arose (such self-exposure is worth a lot - Comp.).

However, along with the return of traditional religions and a desperately inspired throw into the deepest archaism, there is another trend, the least noticed, almost not embodied. It can be called religious modernism or ecumenism, although these Western terms do not quite fit it. We are talking about the possibilities of forming some kind of holistic religious worldview, but not through a conscious synthesis of different faiths, as is done in the West, but through experiencing the graceless emptiness of the entire Soviet world.

Imagine a young man from a typical Soviet family, cut off from any religious traditions for three or four generations. And now, hearing in his soul a certain call from above, a certain voice of God, this young man cannot in any way determine where he should go, under the roof of which temple he should take refuge. All historical religions are equally distant to him, and the voice is heard closer and closer. A young man goes to an Orthodox church and is faced with a very definite system of dogmas and rituals, which seems to him too close for this universal feeling. He goes to a Catholic church, to a synagogue, goes to the Baptists, Lutherans - and everywhere he sees the historical forms of worship of God, while he wants to know God whole and indivisible. A person is looking for faith - but he finds around him only religions.

It is in this gap between faith and denominations that a poor religion arises, which has neither a charter, nor books, nor rituals. Note that many more people are leaving atheism now than coming to churches. They leave - and do not reach, remain somewhere at a crossroads. But this crossroads (the point of "disincarnation", a black hole - Comp.), in essence, is the main point where all paths converge. Point of unanimity, equal acceptance of all faiths as leading to the unity of faith.

It was the unbelief of the Soviet years that formed such a type of modern person, about whom one cannot definitely say neither "Orthodox", nor "Jew", nor "Muslim" - but simply "believer". In Western countries, this concept is almost never used as meaningless. Believer in what? What denomination? But in the Soviet Union, all believers were equalized in relation to the dominant type of non-believer - and now faith, pressed from all sides, suddenly really began to be filled with some kind of positive content. Just faith. Just to God. There are now far more such believers in the Soviet Union than those who profess any particular faith. This is what can be called a poor religion. It is a religion without further definitions, as directly and wholly standing before God as God himself is whole and indivisible.

There are no dogmatic preferences in the soul of a poor believer, which are created by an uninterrupted historical tradition, a strong family religious way of life. Over the previous seventy years, such an even desert was trampled in the spiritual life of the country that the boundaries preserved from different historical religions seem small.<...>

The tendency to unite different faiths also exists in the West - as an ecumenical movement within Christianity or as a search for a worldwide religious synthesis that unites Judaism and Christianity with Buddhism and Hinduism. But all this is happening on the basis of already established, rich, developed religious traditions, as an attempt to establish their rapprochement, dialogue. The path of a poor religion that emerged from unbelief, from atheistic non-existence, and leading to the unity of faith through the desert of unbelief, is a unique Soviet path” 80 .

But truly: everything new in this world is nothing more than the well-forgotten (involuntarily or intentionally) old. This also applies to the “poor religion” obtrusively advertised by Mikhail Epshtein from the pages of Nezavisimaya Gazeta as a reality resulting from the construction of “spiritual communism.” In the first part of the recently republished (M. 1991) “History of the Christian Church” N. Talberg, in the chapter with the characteristic title "Heretics Judaizing" we read about the heresy of the Ebionites that existed in the II-V centuries, "who received such a name from the Hebrew word evion, which means poor. (The Ebionites are called by this name either from the poverty of their society, or from mental, spiritual poverty). They recognized the observance of the Mosaic law as absolutely necessary for all Christians, therefore considering the Apostle Paul, who rebelled against it, an apostate from the faith. According to them, the Jewish religion, even with the coming of Christ the Savior, is still important in the salvation of people. Thus, the significance of Christianity as a religion that had to embrace the whole world was limited. The Ebionites did not even attach to it the significance of a new religion, but considered it a continuation of the same Judaism. Hence their teaching about Christ the Savior was not what the true Christian Church contains. Recognizing Him as the Messiah, they saw in Him not God the Redeemer, but only a great prophet like Moses...”

Reportedly foreign press,"Robert Muller, former Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Chancellor of the University for Peace, a Catholic, called the unification of Europe, scheduled for 1992, "a step towards world community, a harbinger of hope." He expressed the hope that "religious leaders will meet and determine ... the cosmic laws common to all beliefs ... They will have to tell politicians what the cosmic laws are, what God or the gods or the cosmos expects from people" 81 .

Jewish conversion

"God is leading all nations to salvation through His judgments."

N.P. Rozanov

"... behold, I will command and scatter the house of Israel among all the nations, as grains are scattered in a sieve, and not one falls to the ground. By the sword all sinners from my people who say: "it will not overtake us and will not come to us this disaster!” (Amos 9:9-10).

"...for a long time the children of Israel will remain without a king and without a prince and without a sacrifice, without an altar..." (Hosp. 3, 4).

"We do not see our signs, there is no longer a prophet, and no one is with us, who would know until This will"(Ps. 73:9).

“...their paths are crooked, and no one walking along them knows peace. That is why judgment is far from us, and justice does not reach us;

we are waiting for the light, and behold the darkness, - illumination, and we walk in darkness” (Isaiah 59:8-9).

"And the Lord will scatter you among all peoples, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the earth, and there you will serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers knew, wood and stones. But even among these peoples you will not rest, and there will be no place of rest for your foot, and the Lord will give you there a trembling heart, a melting of eyes, and a languishing soul; your life will hang before you, and you will tremble night and day, and you will not be sure of your life ... " (Deut. 28:64-66).

“May all the righteous blood shed on the earth come upon you, from the blood of the righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barahiah, whom you killed between the temple and the altar. Truly I say to you that all these things will come upon this generation.” (Matthew 23:35-36).

"Fill up the measure of your fathers.<...>Jerusalem, Jerusalem that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to you! How many times have I wanted to gather your children together, as a bird gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want to! Behold, your house is left to you empty. For I tell you, you will not see Me from now on until you cry out, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (eighteen) (Mt. 23, 32, 37-39).

"Cruel! people with uncircumcised hearts and ears! you always resist the Holy Spirit, like your fathers, So and you. Which of the prophets was not persecuted by your fathers? they killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now become traitors and murderers, you who received the law while ministering to angels and did not keep it” (19) (Acts 7:51-53).

“Your father is the devil; and you want to do the lusts of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth.” (John 8:44).

St. John Chrysostom:"... For the fact that you killed Christ; for raising your hands against the Lord; for shedding precious blood; that's why you have no relief, no, finally, no forgiveness, no apology. Then you insulted the slaves - Moses Isaiah, and Jeremiah: then, although wickedness was committed, the main evil was not yet committed. But now you have eclipsed all the former (iniquities), and after the villainy against Christ, no more iniquity remains for you. That is why you are all punished now more” 82 .

Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, St. Father and teacher of the Church (XI century):“However, to this day the Jews, as the children of those who killed the Lord, carry His blood on themselves, for for not believing in the Lord they are persecuted from everyone and there is no mercy for them” 83.

St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov):"All nations looked and look at the Jews with distrust; their position constantly fluctuates according to the various views of governments on them; they were often subjected to severe persecution, often died by many thousands. Their country was struck by the wrath of God. Scripture calls it flowing honey and milk.In a small space, millions of inhabitants lived in it, not only eating luxuriously, but also selling excess earthly products to neighboring peoples. (1 Kings 5:9; Acts 12:20). Subsequently, the soil of the Promised Land changed, lost its blessed fertility. Where once there were millions, now there are tens of thousands, living very poorly. This is unanimously testified by all the travelers who visited Palestine” 84 .

"Rejecting the Messiah, committing deicide, they (the Jews - Comp.) completely destroyed the covenant with God. For a terrible crime, they carry a terrible execution. They have been executing for two millennia and stubbornly remain in irreconcilable hostility to the God-man. This enmity sustains and seals their rejection” 85 .

ON THE. Berdyaev (1874-1948), philosopher (1938):"And every rejection of Christ crucified is a Jewish rejection - and based on Jewish chiliasm, the Jewish expectation of another messiah, is carried out. Therefore, after the crucified Christ, Jewry is the bearer of the anti-Christian spirit, is the eternal denial of the redemptive power of the Calvary sacrifice. Jewry, consciously or unconsciously, is still waiting another messiah, the king of the earth, and teaches other peoples to reject Christ because He did not establish a blessed kingdom on earth, because evil and suffering continue to exist on earth after Christ. nations are tempted by Jewish chiliasm and Jewish expectation of another messiah who will give people what that Messiah, the Crucified, did not give. It is not without reason that the Jewish spirit is so close to social democracy, which is only a modernized transformation of Jewish chiliasm, the Jewish expectation of a messiah - an earthly king and earthly bliss without a redemptive sacrifice. The wrath of God fell on the chosen people, who rejected the true Messiah, who came out of their depths, and is waiting for the false messiah.<...>In their tragic and suffering fate, the Jewish people crucified Christ and rejected the Crucified One, and he is eternally crucified among other peoples who hate him” 86 .

Archpriest John Vostorgov (1918):“If we look closely, we will see that the poison and poison of precisely Jewish hatred enters more or less noticeably decisively always and everywhere where there has been and is a persecution of Christianity” 87 .

Archbishop Nikon (Rozhdestvensky), Vologda and Totemsky (1916): But here comes the Lord, the promised Savior, the Redeemer Jesus Christ. The Jewish people had to accept Him as the promised Messiah. Alas, he rejected Him! He took him to the cross! He denied Him! He - it's scary to say - on himself and his children, on all his offspring took the guilt of shedding His most holy blood! His blood is on us and on our children, the Jews shouted to Pilate, demanding the crucifixion of Christ. Their leaders, their high priests and scribes, saturated with satanic pride, hated the very name of Christ so much that they did not allow even the Apostles to pronounce it. The people have fallen away from God. He betrayed his calling. He became an adversary to God, a sworn enemy of those who followed Christ. The Lord Himself, rebuking the leaders of the Jews, has already called them sons of the devil (John 8:44). The Apostles chosen from the Jewish people and the first followers of the Lord entered the Church, and the people rejected by God, in their mass, in the hardness of their hearts, went against the Church, against God, gave themselves into the power of their new father - Satan; instead of the New Testament, instead of the Gospel of Christ, they recognized as the book of the covenant for themselves a collection of traditions of these same Pharisees and scribes, whom the Lord denounced - this multi-volume Talmud with all its absurdities, abominations, with all its impurity and ungodly logic. This was the allowance of God as a punishment for the former chosen people, now rejected by God - spiritual blindness was allowed by the free will of the true Light that enlightens the whole world. The great Apostle of tongues Paul speaks of this “blinding”, predicting that it is not forever, that the hour will come when “the fullness of tongues will enter” into the Church of Christ “and thus all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 2:25-26). Before our eyes, this blindness still continues: the Jews - in rejection of God - continue to be at enmity against Christ and His Church, instead of the Gospel, even instead of the Old Testament, which they honor, they continue to adhere to their God-hating Talmud, which contains, one might say, the precepts of the enemy of God - Satan. The apostle predicted that there would be a time for the conversion of the Jews to Christ, but we see no signs of this conversion; we only see how the enmity of the Jews against Christ flares up, how they are preparing the way for their false messiah, Antichrist, by all means, just as they are trying to turn Christians away from Christ and make His enemies.

It can be seen from what has been said that we must strictly distinguish between the Jews before Christ and the Jews after Christ. Between them lies an impenetrable line, a whole abyss. The Old Testament Jew gradually approached this abyss, becoming infected with pride, the self-censorship of being chosen, until he sank into this abyss, turning from a child of God, although an obstinate, unbelieving one, but still a child, into a child of Satan, into a God-sacrificing opponent of Christ. Let us not unravel the “mystery” of God, about which the Apostle Paul speaks, when it will be fulfilled, when the Jews will turn to Christ, even if only in a “remnant”, in a small number. This is the work of God. Let us take care of ourselves from the Jew, who attempts to take away from us the most sacred, most precious thing - faith in our Savior, in the teaching of His Church, in our fellowship with Him and the Church, with Him in heaven.

The Jew has already made his way to where he should not have been:

he seized our periodicals in his unclean hands, he allegedly rules over "public opinion" in newspapers, among intellectuals, hypocritically accepting baptism, changing his names contrary to the law and without baptism, even changing surnames, but without changing his moral character of his ideals "There are those among the former Jews who accepted the teachings of Christ with a sincere heart, but they completely merge with the Orthodox people, and how many of them? It must be remembered that a Jew always dreams of world domination, always looks at all people, not Jews, like cattle, to whom God gave human form only so that the Jews would not be disgusted with using their services, - so the Talmud teaches them, - which the Jew is imbued with the spirit before he consciously relates to faith, to knowledge. In the fight against Christianity, Judaism is in close alliance with Freemasonry, and all this dark force, under the cover of imaginary science, seeks to undermine the Orthodox concepts of the Word of God. ie, about Holy Scripture, not to mention the sacred tradition of the Church, not to mention the legends contained in the lives of the holy saints of God...” 88

* * *

"...not all those Israelites who are from Israel..." (Rom. 9:6).

"For it is not the Jew who such according to outward appearance, and not that circumcision which is outwardly in the flesh; but that Jew who inwardly is and then circumcision, which in the heart, according to the spirit, and not according to the letter: his praise is not from people, but from God” (Rom. 2:28-29).

"... He will cause many nations to be astonished; kings will close their mouths before Him, for they will see what was not spoken to them, and they will know what they have not heard" (Isaiah 52:15).

“Behold, you will call a people that you did not know, and the nations that did not know you will hasten to you for the sake of the Lord your God and for the sake of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you” (Isaiah 55:5).

“And nations will come to your light, and kings to the radiance rising above you. Lift up your eyes and look around: they are all gathering, coming to you; sons come to you from afar and carry your daughters in their arms” (Isaiah 60:3-4).

“All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the tribes of the Gentiles will bow down before You, for the Lord’s kingdom is, and He is the Ruler over the nations” (Ps. 21:28-29).

Apostle Barnabas († 76):“The Son of God came in the flesh for this purpose, in order to complete the full measure of the sins of those who persecuted His prophets even to death. For this He suffered” 89 .

"But let's see whether this people or the first (Christians or Jews - Comp.) there is an heir, and whether the covenant of God applies to us, or to them (the Jews - Comp.)? Listen to what Scripture has to say about the people. "Isaac prayed for Rebekah to his wife, because she was barren, and after that she conceived. And Rebekah went out to inquire of the Lord, and the Lord said to her: two tongues in your womb, and two nations in your womb; and one people will surpass the other, and the elder will serve the younger.” (Gen. 25:21-23). You must understand who is Isaac, who is Rebekah, and about what peoples God has declared that one will be greater than the other. In another prophecy, Jacob spoke even more clearly to Joseph to his son: “Behold, the Lord has not deprived me of your face; bring me your sons so that I can bless them.” Joseph brought Ephraim and Manasseh, wanting to be blessed Manasseh because he was the elder: and Joseph brought him to the right hand of his father Jacob. But Jacob foresaw in spirit the image of the people of the future. And what does he say Scripture?“Jacob changed his hands and placed his right hand on the head of Ephraim, the second and youngest son of Joseph, and blessed him. And Joseph said to Jacob: “Put your right hand on the head of Manasseh, for he is my firstborn son.” And Jacob answered Joseph: "I know, my son, I know; but the elder will serve the younger, - however, he will receive a blessing" (Gen. 48:9-19). See who God has ordained to be the first people and the heir of the covenant. If, moreover, it was said about this people and in promise Abraham, our knowledge has reached perfection. What does God say to Abraham when faith was reckoned to him for righteousness? “Behold, I have made you the father of the peoples who believe in the Lord without circumcision of the foreskin” (Gen. 15:6; 17:5; Rom. 4:3)” 90 .

St. Ignatius the God-bearer (+ 20.12.107), Bishop of Antioch:

"... Spew out the bad leaven, outdated and spoiled, and change into new leaven, which is Jesus Christ. Salt in it so that one of you does not become spoiled, and then the stench would not convict you. It is absurd to call on Jesus Christ, but to live like Jews; for Christianity did not believe in Judaism, on the contrary, Judaism into Christianity, in which all the languages ​​that believed in God were united” 91 .

Erm, an apostolic man (1st quarter of the 2nd century): "How

sir, I say, have they, having known the Lord, become worse? And he said (shepherd - Comp.):"He who does not know the Lord, if he does evil, is subject to punishment for his unrighteousness. But whoever knows the Lord, he must already refrain from evil and do good. And if he who should do good does evil instead, then is he not more a criminal than he who does not know God? Therefore, although those who do not know God and do evil are predestined to death, but those who know the Lord and see His marvelous works, if they do evil, they will be twice punished and die forever. Thus the Church of God will be cleansed.

In the manuscript found in Verona of the Instructions of the Twelve Apostles and Disciples of the Lord, compiled on the occasion of the Jerusalem Council, it says:

“Because He left His people and departed from the desolated temple, having torn His clothes and taken away His Holy Spirit, in order to send Him down on those of the Gentiles who believed in Him (as it was foretold by the prophet Joel:

"I will spread My Spirit upon all flesh"); He really took the Holy Spirit from this people, the power of His Word, and all His priesthood, and transferred them to His Church. Also Satan, the tempter, left this people to attack the Church; henceforth, Satan will no longer tempt this people, who through his deeds himself fell into his hands, and is also ready to tempt the Church, bringing her grief and causing persecution, blasphemy, false teachings and schisms against her” 93.

"The Church of Christ, this God-chosen people, is the totality of all who have to inherit eternal life, no matter what time they live. It was not the apostles, but the prophets and those few who believed the prophets and followed them. They are Christians until Christ, for they believed in the coming Messiah, communed with Him in the spirit even before His incarnation, lived with the promise of His coming and salvation in Him. The last of these "Old Testament Christians" accepted Christ who came in the flesh and followed Him, because they recognized in Him the One Whom mankind had been waiting for five and a half thousand years. The Savior Himself testified in the Nazareth synagogue about one of Isaiah's many prophecies about Him: " this day this scripture will come true in your ear.” (OK. 4, 16-22) . And it is added: “and all testified to Him”, i.e. they guessed at least what it was about, although they did not want to believe the One Whose youth they saw before them, not finding anything special in it.

Not very accurate expressions new Israel”, “old Israel”. It might be better to say "spiritual Israel" emphasizing that he is one, not divided by the coming of Christ. This people is made up of all those who are faithful to the Lord and to His Christ, in one confession forming, as it were, one the mind that sees God.

In the last two millennia, words "Israel" and "Judea" in the literal and positive sense, the words refer specifically to Church of Christ, but in no case to the so-called religion of “Judaism” and its representatives, about whom the Holy Spirit said in the Revelation to St. John: “the one who says to be Jews, and they are not, but they lie”, calling them also “the host of Satan” (Rev. 3:9). Really, "Judea" means "confession", "Israel" means "seeing God" but where Christ is blasphemed, there can in no way be a right confession, just as there can be no vision of the mysteries of God. So these words (together, by the way, with the word "Zion" - the holy mountain in Jerusalem) turned out to be stolen from the Church of God by representatives of the religion of lies, who, like all wolves, wished to cover themselves with sheep's clothing.

On the issue of terminology, one should linger a little more carefully, because it is here that a confusion of national and religious concepts arises. So, we said that the true followers of the Old Testament law and the prophets, in the proper sense of the Jews, accepted Christ Jesus and soon began to be called Christians themselves, in order to distinguish themselves from the “host of Satan.” The apostates and Christ-killers began to call themselves Jews and with this the name became known all over the world. This name is not just stolen, but it is also inconvenient because it is commonly understood as both nationality and religion, for most Jews did not become Christians. like nationalism and "anti-Semitism". The Slavic language gives us a slightly different term for religious affiliation - Jew(20) Judaism. Some object that this word is only a Polish transcription of the word "Jew", but in this case, how to explain that both words are used in parallel in the Slavic text of the New Testament, as well as in the lives of the saints, by the way, in liturgical texts. Apostle Paul, speaking of himself, in passing explains the term "Jewishness": "I prospered in Jewishness, more than many of my peers in my generation, this zealot is overflowing my fatherly traditions" (Gal. 1:14). Let's look at the last words. “Fatherly traditions” are the very traditions of the elders for which the Savior rebuked the Pharisees, saying that they contradict the commandments of God. and a prophet. But here we are talking about another religion, not Jewish, but Jewish, the external expression of which was the legends of the elders, who later compiled the Talmud. In fairness, it should be noted that the word "Jewishness" does not always in Slavic texts indicate precisely a different, Pharisaic , the religion of Christ, and is somehow confused with the word "Judaism", but, undoubtedly, our distant ancestors, introducing two different terms, saw the difference between them, which later, with numerous rewritings of the text, could become somewhat clouded, including not without help themselves representatives of the Jewish faith. The secularized Russian language has already lost this Slavic clarity. Instead of the religious word "Jew" some kind of national-vulgar connotation was given, like "Khokhol" or "Katsap". “Jew” has already been replaced by “Jew” everywhere. This did much to further the mixing of the national with the religious, which, of course, only plays into the hands of the Jews (in the Slavic, religious sense of the word)” 95 .

* * *

"... they say about themselves that they are Jews, but they are not, but a bunch of satanic" (Rev. 2:9).

“Behold, I will make that of the satanic assembly, of those who say about themselves that they are Jews, but are not such, but lie, - behold, I will make them come and bow before your feet, and know, that I have loved you" (Rev. 3:9).

St. Apostle Paul:"... I cannot leave you, brethren, in ignorance of this mystery - so that you do not dream about yourself - that hardening took place in Israel in part, before the time until the full number pagans. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

“The Redeemer will come from Zion and turn wickedness away from Jacob” (Rom. 11:25-26).

“Behold, I will send to you (Jews) Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, and he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that when I come, I will not strike the earth with a curse” (Malach. 4, 5-6).

“And it will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel and those who escaped from the house of Jacob will no longer rely on the one who struck them, but will put their trust in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel sincerely. The remnant will turn, the remnant of Jacob to the mighty God” (Isaiah 10, 20-21).

“But Isaiah declares about Israel: even though the children of Israel be as numerous as the sand of the sea, only a remnant will be saved.” (Rom. 9:27; Isaiah 10:22).

Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria:"Those.<…>not all Israel will be saved, but those who are worthy of salvation (for this means "remnant", i.e. the elect), whom God left and separated, i.e. as worthy. Saying: "like the sand of the sea", reminds them of the Old Testament promise, which they have become unworthy. So don't worry that the promise is broken. All the prophets foretell that not everyone is worthy of salvation.” 96 .

“But on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out a spirit of grace and compunction, and they will look at Him whom they pierced, and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only-begotten son, and mourn as one mourns for the firstborn. Jerusalem, like the weeping of Gadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon" (Zechariah, 12 10-11).

“For if you (from the Gentiles who turned to Christ) were cut off from an olive tree wild by nature and grafted not by nature into a good olive tree, much more will these natural ones (from the Jews) be grafted into their own olive tree ... I do not want to leave you, brethren, in ignorance of this mystery - so that you do not dream about yourselves - that hardening took place in Israel in part until the time when the full number of the Gentiles entered ” (Rom. 11:24-25).

Archpriest Boris Molchanov:“Vladimir Solovyov, who tried to explain the whole prophecy about the appearance of the prophets Elijah and Enoch allegorically (see “Three Conversations”, the chapter “The Tale of the Antichrist”), involuntarily had to err in explaining the conversion to Christ of the remnant of Israel, which is closely connected with the appearance of the prophets. in his opinion, the Jews, having learned that the person they took for the Messiah, would suddenly turn out to be uncircumcised, would be disappointed in him and convert to Christianity.If this assumption about the uncircumcision of the Antichrist turned out to be correct, then it could only induce fanatical Jews to move away from him and wait for another , a more suitable candidate for the role of the Messiah, but it could not have caused them to become disillusioned with the whole religious-national ideology and their adoption of the Christian faith.The Jews had many unsuccessful applicants for the title of Messiah, who led the rebellious movements against Rome.And yet subsequent disappointments in they never led the Jews to believe in the truth of Christianity.This explanation of V. Solovyov must be recognized b very unfortunate. Only one testimony of Holy Scripture about the miraculous appearance of the prophets Elijah and Enoch, about their preaching and denunciation of the Antichrist, about their martyrdom and resurrection can fully explain the miraculous conversion to Christ of the remnant of Israel in the era of the Antichrist” 97 .

Prophet Ezekiel in The 36th chapter says:"And I poured out My wrath on them for the blood that they shed on this earth, and because they defiled it with their idols. And I scattered them among the nations, and they are scattered over the lands; I judged them according to their ways and deeds them... I will not do this for you, O house of Israel, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have dishonored among the nations where you have come... And I will take you from among the nations, and I will gather you from all countries and bring you into your land. And I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be cleansed from all your filthiness (an indication that the chosen Jews will be baptized at the end of time - Comp.), and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you... I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My commandments... And I will not let you suffer hunger. And I will multiply the fruits of the trees and the produce of the fields... Then remember your evil ways and your evil deeds, and you will feel disgusted with yourselves for your iniquities and for your abominations...”

Archpriest Boris Molchanov: "This conversion of the Jews to Christ will cause the strongest malice in the Antichrist in relation to Christians. Then for them there will come a" great tribulation, "which" has not been from the beginning of the world until now and will not be "98 (Matthew 24:15-21). The sealing of the "seal of the living God" on the foreheads of God's servants AFTER THE SIXTH SEAL IS OPENING will begin with the Jews who converted to Christ, as the Apostle Paul predicted (Rom. 9:27; 10:11).

“When the full number of the Gentiles is saved, which God has provided for from the age, then the blessing of God will descend (as the prophet Ezekiel says), and they, in their best representatives, sincerely believing in God and serving Him in their own way, will turn to our Christ, in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 12 thousand from each tribe (except the tribe of Dan, in whose place the tribe of Levino will be) ”99

Archbishop Averky:"In each of the 12 tribes there will be 12,000 sealed ones, for a total of 144,000. <...> Such a limited number is exhibited, perhaps in order to show how few were saved compared to the innumerable multitude of those who loved the Lord Jesus Christ from all the other nations of the earth who were pagans. (Rev. 7:1-8)” 100 .

However, the bulk of the Jews will contribute to the reign of the Antichrist 101 .In one of the pre-revolutionary Athos publications says:“Just as Jesus Christ appeared with his sermon first of all to the Jews, so the Antichrist, by origin an uncircumcised Jew, will first come to the Jewish Jews, and then will attract other tribes. The Jews who do not believe in Christ will receive the Antichrist with great joy; they will believe in him as the Messiah promised by the prophets.—The Lord Himself speaks of such a delusion of the stubbornly unbelieving Jews: “I have come in the name of My Father, and you do not accept Me; but if another comes in his name, you will receive him.” (John 5:43). The same is stated by ap. Paul: "Because they did not receive the love of the truth for their salvation, for this

God will send them a force of error, so that they will believe a lie, so that all who did not believe the truth, but loved unrighteousness, would be condemned. (2 Thess. 2:10-12). According to these words of the Divine Scriptures, the Holy Fathers also interpret: John Chrysostom, Cyril of Alexandria, Gregory and John of Damascus” 102.

Rev. Ephrem of Syria (†OK. 373):"They will most honor and rejoice in his reign (of Antichrist - Comp.) Jews. Therefore, he, as it were, out of preference, looking after them, will show them all a place and a temple” 103.

St. Ambrose of Milan († 397): "... The Jews will take the Antichrist for the messiah, saying that he is that Christ, whose coming the Divine prophets foretold in their foreshadowings"104

John of Damascus († c. 777): "The Jews did not receive our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God; but they will receive a deceiver who calls himself God" 105 .

Archpriest Apollon Kovalnitsky, revealing the teachings of the Talmud about the Messiah, wrote (1898): "The Messiah will give the Jews a kingdom; all nations will serve them, and all kingdoms will be under their jurisdiction. Then each Jew will have 2,800 slaves at his disposal <...> Then all the peoples will accept the Jewish faith, only Christians will not be rewarded with this mercy, but will be completely exterminated...” 106

St. Theophan the Recluse:“The blinding of Israel until the full number of the Gentiles enters. Therefore, when this number enters, then the blindness will fall from the eyes of Israel, he will see the truth, he will believe in the Lord Savior - and so he will be saved. "All Israel instead - the greater part - will turn away from sins and turn to the Lord” (Ecum.). Just as it was said during the apostolic sermon: all Israel does not believe, meaning the majority, the multitude, so in the last time they will say: all Israel was saved by turning to the true faith, also because of the majority of those who believed.<...>

Although now the Jews, for their unbelief, do not enjoy the real blessings of God, but since they belong to a chosen race, one that God has chosen from all languages ​​and adopted by Him, then God, for the sake of this election, which they were awarded for the sake of their great fathers, is not completely turned away from them, did not completely reject them, but continues to look at them fatherly and is ready to receive them again as soon as they believe. Thus, they do not cease to be loved by God for the sake of their fathers, by virtue of the election of their ancestors, and in them also themselves” 107 .

Prof. arch. P.Ya. Light (1909):"Defending by all legal measures their existence from the dangers of Jewish symbiosis, Christian peoples are obliged, with meekness and humility to the will of God, to endure the Jewish people among themselves, as an evil inevitable and necessary for the purposes of Providence, just as they, for the same reasons, endure diseases, famine, locusts, etc. "D. In the face of this scourge of all the peoples of the earth, the Christian peoples have been sent from above a test necessary to strengthen them in the Christian faith in life. What are the strengths of the Jews among the Christian peoples? Their weaknesses, shortcomings - the same as bacteria are strong in organisms weakened by diseases , old age and fatigue ... Every triumph of Judaism among the Christian people is a call to Christianity for those who have forgotten Christ, a reminder of Christianity as the only saving, creative and creative force of social life and the true progress of peoples and, for that very reason, as the only salvation from dangers Judaism and all other anti-Christian dark forces in a hellish struggle with the Christian by the light of those striving to seize all life into their power and plunge everything into the very darkness and chaos from which only Christ has rescued us. - When the triumph of Judaism ceases to be even such a reminder of Christianity for peoples who have forgotten Christ, Christian in name and Judaic-pagan in life, then this triumph of Judaism in the hands of a just and merciful Providence then becomes already a punishment of peoples, then - healing, if it leads their correction, then - the righteous retribution of heavenly Justice and the wrath of God” 108 .

Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko (1900):“Israel serves mammon and the fleeting interests of the age, but in the depths of her soul she keeps the hope of her ancestors. If the hard school that the Lord intended for them reaches their goal, then as if scabs fall from their eyes, and they will know Who they crucified. And the longer they scolded him who was the fulfillment of their hopes, the deeper will be their kneeling, and the surer their faith and love.

There is no doubt that this event will take place in the last times, that the Jews will be the last to turn to Christ after the full number of the Gentiles enter the Church. But there is no indication that the Jews will turn to Christ before the coming of the Antichrist. It is likely that the Jews will turn to Christ under the Antichrist, and not before him. We find a hint of this in the words of Jesus Christ: “I have come in the name of my Father, and you do not receive me, but if another comes in his name, you will receive him”(John 5:43). Based on these words, it can be assumed that the Jews will first take the Antichrist for the messiah they expect. But soon, seeing his bloodthirsty cruelty, denial of God and self-deification, they will lose faith in his messianic dignity, understand and realize that they were mistaken. This terrible deception, into which they will be introduced by the Antichrist, will bring them to reason, will draw their hearts to Him, to whom the Antichrist will be an enemy and adversary, i.e. to Christ. The consciousness of their grave mistake will instill in them the thought that in general their expectation of the Messiah is in vain, and that the Messiah has long since come in the person of Jesus Christ. But most of all they will be affected by the preaching of the prophet Elijah. He turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the hearts of the children to their fathers(Malakh. 4, 5, 6) . This future of Israel, according to the prophet, will coincide with the era of the spread of godlessness throughout the earth” 109 .

Archpriest Boris Molchanov:"The Antichrist will take all efforts so that the Jews recognize him as their promised messiah. He will be able to complete the structure of the Jewish state and begin to fulfill the thousand-year Jewish dream - the restoration of the temple of Solomon. will reach Jerusalem, and their temple will be erected” (Synaxarion on Meat-Sale Week. Lenten Triodion)” 110 .

Prot. Sergiy Bulgakov (winter 1941-1942): "It is a mystery to what extent the Jews have matured and are maturing for this salvation. In essence, no one from the outside can understand and determine this. The Jewish people were and remain inaccessible to any Christian mission, since we are talking about particular cases of personal conversion to Christ which have a prophetic-representative meaning rather than a historically perfective one. And in general, the apostolic teaching about the salvation of "all Israel" should be understood not quantitatively, but qualitatively, ontologically - the holy "remnant" (Rom. 9:27; 11:5)” 111 .

Earthly prosperity

Rev. Nil Athos Mvrotchivyy:"Then they will have treasure gold, that is, they will have capital and say that they do not have (i.e., complain that they do not have enough). Then they will have gold in growth, they will return growth to growth; they will ask for alms, in order to live, they will weep that there is nothing to eat. But their main (main) goal will be the accumulation of capital (treasures), in order to acquire more property; as covetousness will multiply, so will disasters in the world. Then greedy deceivers will go naked so that to collect gold for return on growth.<...>The poor will be oppressed for the sake of regional expenses. The poor, however, not being able to allocate some of their part to expenses (required, regional ones), will leave their places and move to others in order to rest and reconcile there, but even there they will be naked and will say: “Pick us up too; you, give us a little, little rest, until a righteous judgment wakes us up." Many other things will be said on the graves of the dead and the groaning of the poor will ascend, like incense before God. Seeing such groaning, God will give prosperity to the whole world (harvest), and the poor, seeing such well-being, with great joy will praise God for the harvest.When the fruits are gathered in the threshing floor, the covetous man will come to the threshing floor, carry the grain into his granaries and give a command that he who demands wheat should go to him, the covetous , i.e., the peasants will buy their own grain from the monopoly and buy wheat.<...>murmur against God.<...>The covetous (22) will imagine that the poor man allegedly has property, and will oppress the poor in order to take the latter from him.

He will seek for this every reason, the slightest. Will oppress him<...>But how? - According to the court, everything that he has will be taken from him. But if he has nothing, he will oppress him with prison<...>

And the covetous man will pity the rich man, but he will not pity the poor, because his clothes are clean. The covetous man does not understand that the pure clothes of the poor are the likeness of his pure heart. <...> But the poor man's heart is and will be radiant. But what poor man will have a shining heart? The one who is patient and who will endure the covetous person, that is, not be angry at his unjust oppression. Blessed is he who will endure to the covetous everything that he will do to him, for at the hour of Judgment before the terrible Judgment Seat he will be called for the brother by the Terrible Judge, Who will say: (Matthew 25:40). Do you see, do you hear? - for whom does he recognize the poor at the Terrible Judgment Seat? He says: "These are the least of My brethren!" (See Luke 21:19; Rev. 13:10; 14:12 - Comp.).<...>

Then (in those days before the Antichrist) everyone will think a lot about themselves, among themselves everyone will condemn each other<...>

In particular (disastrous and threatening) is the covetousness of monastic life, where this accursed covetousness with its disagreement has succeeded so much that it threatens to ruin even the monastic life itself.

And the blessed monastic life almost perished! And not only monastic life was upset, but almost the whole world was upset because of this accursed covetousness” 112 .

holy Ignatius (Bryanchaninov): Abundant earthly prosperity and huge earthly enterprises, as obvious to everyone, are set forth by the word of God as a sign of the last time and the ripened sinfulness of mankind, which is mostly implicit and incomprehensible with a superficial and inexperienced look at humanity. Mankind never wants to declare itself a follower of evil, even it is drowning in evil, it is constantly striving to show itself to be virtuous. (Luke 16:15); then the most hypocritical; then, with shamelessness and insolence, he begins to proclaim his perfection in virtue (John 9:28)” 113 .

K.N. Leontiev: "... Even if we admit, at least from a realistic point of view, that before the end of the world (the earth and humanity), in every possible way Sooner or later inevitable, reign for a time that higher material prosperity with unbearable mental boredom, about which Hartmann prophesies (very plausibly), - after all, after all, preliminary something struggle, work, victories, defeats, unexpected, sometimes pleasant, sometimes terrible discoveries, embarrassments and divisions - there is so much more to come (especially if you remember - what kind there are millions more non-Christians on earth) - that there will be time for Russia to fulfill some(now still obscure and controversial), but in any case a great appointment ...

Will there be a new one motley, idiosyncratic culture that Danilevsky and I dreamed about (alas, barely li!) or exclusively Solovyov's religious vocation; the last revival of Universal Christianity for the last desperate struggle against unbelief (or anti-Christianity, anti-Christ); or finally then destructive a socialist appointment, the possibility of which in the West on our part (not without reason) many feared and still fear. - All the same, - in some gigantic appointment of ours now it is already impossible to doubt. - Remember everything - from the fatalistic circumstances of March 1, all the way to the last toast of the Tsar's Prince of Montenegro, (23) - and you, of course, will agree with this ”114.

Flight of Christians

“When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing where it should not, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea (24) flee to the mountains” (Mark 13:14).

Prophecies of the Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) and other elders and Orthodox thinkers about the Antichrist and the fate of Russia

Continuing the discussion, we invite readers to familiarize themselves with a selection of prophecies and sayings of the holy elders and Orthodox thinkers about the fate of Russia and the Antichrist.

Prophecies of St. Seraphim of Sarov

The text of the prophecies Seraphim, recorded from his words by “the servant of the Mother of God and Seraphim” N.L. Motovilov and S.A. Nilus (from the archive of Father Pavel Florensky):

“More than half a century will pass. Then the villains will lift their heads high. It will certainly be. The Lord, seeing the unrepentant malice of their hearts, will allow their undertakings for a short time, but their illness will turn on their head, and the untruth of their pernicious plans will descend on top of them.

There will be a Tsar who will glorify me, after which there will be a great turmoil in Russia, a lot of blood will flow for rebelling against this Tsar and the Autocracy, but God will glorify the Tsar ...

To me, a wretched Seraphim, the Lord revealed that there would be great calamities on the Russian land. The Orthodox faith will be trampled on, the bishops of the Church of God and other clerics will depart from the purity of Orthodoxy, and for this the Lord will severely punish them. I, a wretched Seraphim, for three days and three nights prayed to the Lord that He would better deprive me of the Kingdom of Heaven, and have mercy on them. But the Lord answered, “I will not have mercy on them: for they teach the doctrines of men, and with their tongue they honor Me, but their heart is far from Me”…

Any desire to change the rules and teachings of the Holy Church is heresy ... blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which will never be forgiven. The bishops of the Russian land and the clergy will follow this path, and the wrath of God will strike them ...

Before the birth of the Antichrist, there will be a great long war and a terrible revolution in Russia ... There will be the death of many people faithful to the fatherland, the looting of church property and monasteries; desecration of the churches of the Lord; destruction and plunder of the wealth of good people, rivers of Russian blood will be shed.

Then the time will come when, under the pretext of ecclesiastical and Christian progress, for the sake of the demands of this world, they will change and pervert the dogmas (teaching) and statutes of the Holy Church, forgetting that they originate from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, who taught and gave instructions to His disciples, to the Holy Apostles, about the creation of the Church of Christ and its rules, and commanded them: “Go and teach all nations that which I have commanded you.”

From here, the rules and traditions of the Holy Apostles that have come down to us have been preserved to this day, which were clarified and finally approved once and for all by their Holy Successors - the Holy Fathers, led by the Holy Spirit at the seven Ecumenical Councils.

Woe to the one who subtracts or adds one word, our faith has no vice; woe to anyone who dares to make any changes in the Divine services and the statutes of that Church, which is the “Pillar and Ground of the Truth” and about which the Savior Himself said that even the gates of hell will not prevail against her ...

But the Lord will not be completely angry and will not allow the Russian land to collapse to the end ... I, the wretched Seraphim, are supposed to live from the Lord God for much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the Russian bishops have become so impious that they will surpass the Greek bishops in the time of Theodosius the Younger in their wickedness, so that even the most important dogma of Christ's Faith - the Resurrection of Christ and the general resurrection will not be believed, therefore, the Lord God is pleased until the time of me, the wretched Seraphim, to take from sowing premature life and then to resurrect the dogma of the Resurrection, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the cave of Okhlonskaya during the time of Theodosius the Youngest. After my resurrection, I will move from Sarov to Diveevo, where I will preach universal repentance...

This sermon will be officially announced to all people, not only Russian, but also universal, in all-perfect news ...

Before the end of time, Russia will merge into one great sea with other Slavic lands and tribes, it will form one sea or that vast universal ocean of the people, about which the Lord God spoke from ancient times through the lips of all the saints: which all nations will tremble.” And all this, everything is true... When the Russian Empire receives one hundred and eighty million in its possession, we must expect the appearance of the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will be born in Russia between Petersburg and Moscow in that great city, which, after the union of all the Slavic tribes with Russia, will be the second capital of the Russian kingdom and will be called “Moscow-Petrograd”, or “City of the End”, as the Lord Holy Spirit calls it, from afar everything providing.

Before the appearance of the Antichrist, the Eighth Ecumenical Council of all the Churches must take place...

The spirit of darkness promises a paradise on earth… Among the Slavs and Russians, a true antichrist-demon-man will be born, the son of the wife of the harlot of Dan’s generation…

But some of the Russians, having lived to see the birth of the Antichrist, like Simeon the God-Receiver, who blessed the Child Jesus and announced His birth to the world, will curse the born Antichrist and announce to the world that he is the true Antichrist.

Reverend Seraphim of Sarov

A selection of quotes is printed according to the book: Prophecies about the Antichrist and the fate of Russia. - M., 1997. S. 35-36; See also: Russia before the second coming. M., 1998. T. 2. S. 549-550; Antichrist and Russia // Literary Studies, book. 1. 1991, pp. 133-134.

It should be noted that Rev. Seraphim of Sarov identifies Russia of recent times with the biblical "Gog" and "Magogog", the invasion of which will shake the world on the eve of the reign of the Antichrist. So in the book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek. 38-39) “Gog from the land of Magog” is the “supreme prince”, who is the leader of the peoples of Rosh (Rose), Meshech (Mosha) and Tubal (Tubala) in the land of Magog - “the great assembly armies" that "from the ends of the north" will invade the promised land "in the last days ... like a storm" (Ezek. 39). And in the Apocalypse it is said about Gog and Magog: “When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the peoples who are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, and gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea” (Rev. 20:7).

The names Meshekh (Moskh) and Rosh (Ros) mentioned in the Holy Scriptures have long been attributed by some religious thinkers to Moscow and Russia, while Magog - to the Mongols and the yellow, Asian race. Such an interpretation became firmly established in Orthodox eschatological thought, especially after the Russian God-fighting revolution of 1917. The anti-Christian communist state of the USSR, formed on the site of the former Orthodox Russia, was associated by many holy elders precisely with these apocalyptic names, the bearers of which will play an important role in preparing the reign of the Antichrist.

In addition to Rev. Seraphim of Sarov, the appearance of the Antichrist in Russia was also predicted in the 19th century by the outstanding Russian theologian and ascetic, St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov). In a prophecy about the Antichrist dated October 26, 1861, the saint wrote: “Our people can and must become an instrument of genius from the geniuses [of Antichrist], who will finally realize the idea of ​​a world monarchy, the fulfillment of which many have already tried” [See: Prophecies about the Antichrist and the fate of Russia. - M., 1997. S. 45; Also: Collection of letters of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov, Bishop of the Caucasus and the Black Sea. M.-SPb, 1995. S. 27; See also: The Complete Collection of the Works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. - M.: Palomnik, 2002. T. 4. C. 536-537].

In other teachings, St. Ignatius writes about the Antichrist in the following way: “The world, as it were, unanimously rushed to meet some special person, a genius, a magnificent, solemn meeting. It is obvious. The face will be so disguised that the masses will recognize him as the Messiah... A path is being prepared, a mental path for the entry of the action of flattery (see 2 Thess. 2:11) into minds and hearts” [St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. Letters to monastics. Letter 41, May 18, 1861].

“Those who are led by the spirit of the Antichrist, reject Christ, accepted the Antichrist in their spirit, entered into communion with him, obeyed and worshiped him in spirit, recognizing him as their god. For this sake, he will follow, that is, God will allow them the action of flattery, in order to believe them a lie, so that all those who did not believe the truth, but favored in unrighteousness, would receive judgment. In His permission, God is just. Allowance will be satisfaction, at the same time denunciation and judgment for the human spirit... In the very mood of the human spirit, a demand will arise, an invitation to Antichrist, sympathy for him, just as in a state of severe illness there arises a thirst for a murderous drink. An invitation is being spoken! an inviting voice is heard in human society, expressing an urgent need for a genius among geniuses, who would raise material development and prosperity to the highest degree, establish on earth that prosperity, in which heaven and heaven become superfluous for a person. The Antichrist will be a logical, just, natural consequence of the general moral and spiritual direction of people” [Conversation on Monday of the 29th week. About miracles and signs // Complete collection of works of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov. - M.: Palomnik, 2002. T. 4. C. 299-300].

In addition to Rev. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) about the appearance of the Antichrist in Russia was also predicted at the end of the 19th century by the outstanding Russian Orthodox thinker K.N. Leontiev:

“After some half a century, no more, the Russian people from the people of the “God-bearer” will become little by little, without noticing it, “the God-fighter people”, and even more likely than any other people, perhaps. For, indeed, he is capable of going to extremes in everything ... The Jews were much more than us, in their time, the chosen people, for then they were alone in the whole world, believing in the One God, and yet, they crucified Christ on the cross , the Son of God, when He descended to them on earth... ... Russian society, already quite egalitarian in habits, will rush even faster than any other along the mortal path of all confusion and - who knows? - like the Jews, who did not expect that the Teacher of the New Faith would come out of their bowels, - and we, unexpectedly, in some 100 years, from our state bowels, first without estates, and then without church or already weakly church, - we will give birth to that very Antichrist, about whom Bishop Feofan speaks along with other spiritual writers” [Leontiev K.N. Above the grave of Pazukhin. 1891. // K.N. Leontiev. East, Russia and Slavdom. M., 1996. S. 678-685].

In this context, it is important to remember the warnings of St. Averky (Taushev) that “The Antichrist will use the Gospel sayings in the cases necessary for him and even impose ecclesiastical canonical punishments on those who disobey him, summing up one or another of their deeds as a crime, as a violation of certain or other church canonical rules” [Archbishop Averky (Taushev). Modernity in the light of the Word of God. Words and speeches. T. 4. S. 289].

We should also remember the warnings of the blessed memory of the last lawful First Hierarch of the Russian Church Abroad, Elder Metropolitan Vitaly (Ustinov, 1910-2006) about the alleged changes in modern Russia: Democrats, the same communist party remained (like wolves in sheep's clothing), with which the Moscow Patriarchate goes hand in hand ... It is impossible to negotiate with the godless authorities that hold a raised sword over your head. You have to go either to the catacombs, or to a glorious martyrdom! There is no other way out. Every contract that is made under a raised sword is a fall. And there will certainly be a fall ... This means colluding with Satan! It is impossible to negotiate with Satan, it is hopeless” [Metropolitan Vitaly. About the Moscow Patriarchate].

It is also important to understand that the false prophecies spread over the past 20 years among the "Water Church" - the Moscow Patriarchate - that the Antichrist will allegedly not be able to set foot on the territory of Russia until the very Second Coming of Christ, since in Russia he will be opposed by the "Orthodox Tsar ”, do not correspond to the patristic teaching and are of a chiliastic-heretical nature. Moreover, this kind of exalted fakes have been deliberately created in recent times in order to lull the vigilance of the Orthodox Russian people in order to deceive the elect (Mt. 24:24), i.e. Orthodox Christians. On this occasion, the Holy Scripture unequivocally says: “Do not rely on princes, on the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation” (Ps. 145, 3). That is why the assertions that the modern Russian Federation (ranking first in the world in abortion, alcoholism, drug addiction, prostitution, as well as corruption and crime) and its neo-Soviet authorities (persecuting True Orthodox Christians, restoring the Soviet legacy of the godless USSR and on for more than 20 years, plundering their own people) are "holding back the evil of the world" - there is nothing more than a heresy that contradicts the Orthodox patristic teaching about the end times and the Antichrist. As for the “Russian Kingdom”, which allegedly will not be overcome by the “gates of hell”, then the Scripture unequivocally speaks not of state formation and not of an earthly king, but of the True Church of Christ, which even during the period of antichrist persecution will be kept in the catacombs by the Spirit Saints: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). It should also not be forgotten that the theomachist Bolshevism was born and won precisely in Orthodox Russia, turning it into an atheistic USSR and spreading its pernicious antichrist influence over half the globe, turning the God-bearing people into the God-fighting people, as Konstantin Leontiev predicted. If such a rebirth could take place in the Orthodox Russian Empire, is it worth deceiving the modern Russian Federation, which considers itself the “successor of the USSR”? For those Orthodox Christians who in 2001-2007. did not accept the union with the Soviet Church (MP), this should be obvious.

With regard to the chiliastic expectations of many contemporary Russian Orthodox-patriotic figures, it would be useful to recall the words of the prominent theologian and hierarch of ROCOR, Archbishop Averky (Taushev): what they are doing, where they are going and leading others), sometimes they do not even know that they do not take part at all in the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth, but in the preparation of the Kingdom of Antichrist. Indeed, according to the prediction of a number of Holy Fathers, the idea of ​​establishing a prosperous and peaceful life on earth ... will seduce Christians and attract their sympathy to himself none other than the Antichrist. So, this is who these modern heretics - neo-chiliasts - end up serving!

Some Orthodox thinkers believed that the opinion of the Antichrist as an exclusively Israeli ruler, sitting physically in the restored temple in Jerusalem, is not generally recognized in the Orthodox Church, and that the temple of God (2 Thess. 2: 4) should be understood not only as a material temple in Jerusalem , but also, allegorically, the Christian Church as such - that part of it that will degenerate into the "Church of the Evil Ones". In this regard, the prophecies of St. Seraphim of Sarov and St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) that the Antichrist can be born and come to power in Russia that has renounced true Orthodoxy (more precisely, on the territory of the revived pre-apocalyptic red beast of the USSR - “Gog and Magog”) become especially relevant.

Archbishop Lazar (Zhurbenko) of blessed memory, a bishop of the Catacomb Church persecuted in the USSR, warned his flock that "the Antichrist will not be able to come until the wounds of the beast are healed." By this "beast", following many holy New Martyrs, he meant the anti-Christian, theomachic USSR, which arose on the site of the once Orthodox Holy Russia. And under the “wounds of the beast” is the disintegration of the USSR into parts (“wounds”), which the repainted atheists will certainly try to “heal”, moreover, under the guise of a pseudo-Orthodox revival.

Vladyka Lazarus repeatedly drew attention to the fact that Scripture does not say in which particular country the Antichrist will appear, but it is said that he will try to deceive even the elect (Matt. 24:24). After all, the prefix “anti” in the word “antichrist” is translated from Greek not only as “against”, but also as “instead of”. That is - "substitution". Therefore, according to Schema-Archbishop Lazarus, the Antichrist is a substitution, an external counterfeit of Christ. A fake is now observed in the once Holy Russia: the True Church is being replaced by a false church, the historical Orthodox statehood is being replaced by a false statehood, the Orthodox monarchy is being replaced by a false monarchy ... Considering that now the governments of all countries of the world, incl. and the Russian Federation are controlled by representatives of the "tribe of Dan", then the appearance of the Antichrist can occur in any of these countries, especially where he will need to carry out a fake in order to deceive the elect (Matt. 24: 24).

In our time, counterfeiting Orthodoxy is becoming more dangerous than outright heresy and atheism. It is difficult to seduce an Orthodox Christian with heresy (and even more so with atheism), but with a fake, an imitation of Orthodoxy, today not only huge masses of people are seduced, but they are also led away from true Orthodoxy, and hence from salvation.

According to the deep conviction of the blessed memory of Schema-Archbishop Lazar, only a complete rejection of the Soviet atheistic heritage, its ideas, symbols, bearers and leaders, sincere repentance and the conversion of Russian people to true Orthodoxy and the True Orthodox Church can prevent the fulfillment of formidable prophecies about the appearance of the Antichrist in Russia, for a long time ceased to be Orthodox.

On this occasion, the holy righteous Fr. John of Kronstadt warned: "If there is no repentance among the Russian people, the end of the world is near."

Also, Archbishop Averky (Taushev) wrote: “As the Holy Church teaches, the time of the appearance of the Antichrist depends, in essence, on ourselves. If we have true repentance, correction of life and turning to God, it will be delayed by God. And our Holy Russia can still rise and be reborn to a new life, but then again, if there is such repentance among the Russian people, even for an apocalyptic half an hour…” [Arch. Averky (Taushev). Modernity in the light of the Word of God. T. III. S. 126].

And here is how Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) wrote regarding the hopes for the revival of Orthodox Russia of blessed memory: “The whole future depends on us: if we are reborn to true Orthodox life, then Holy Russia will be restored; if not, then the Lord can take away His promises... Just as after the repentance of the people, Nineveh was pardoned, and the prophecy of Jonah about her death, therefore, did not come true, so the prophecies about the restoration of Holy Russia may turn out to be unfulfilled if the Russian people do not repent... The Resurrection of Holy Russia depends on the efforts of each individual soul, it cannot take place without the participation of Orthodox people - our common repentance and our internal, and not just external feat" [Jerome. Seraphim (Rose). The future of Russia and the end of the world. 1981].

In addition to the positive images that Orthodoxy gives us in the person of the saints and Christ himself, our faith also speaks of the other side of holiness. As there is good, so there is evil. How real is the Lord God, just as real is his antipode - Antichrist. Who is this and what does our Church say about him?

Who is Antichrist

In the church tradition, every person who does not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, persecutes Him, refutes His teachings and opposes Christianity in every possible way, sows heresies, is called Antichrist. We see lines in the Gospel about such people, where it is said that there have always been and will be many of them. Christianity in all ages has been, one way or another, persecuted, and all its persecutors can be called Antichrists.

Painting "Christ and Antichrist"

In addition to the general designation of the enemies of the Christian faith, the antichrist is the one who will come at the end of time to fight with Christ for the eternal fate of human souls. It is precisely such an antichrist that, as a rule, believers mean.

Interesting! It will be one specific person who will concentrate in himself all the evil that is on earth.

The word itself, translated from Greek, means one who opposes Christ or pretends to be the Lord by deceit. The Bible tells us that the Antichrist will at the same time be the main enemy of the True Christ, but at the same time he will try to deceive himself to appear instead of Him in order to tempt believers.

In addition, Holy Scripture gives many other characteristics and names for this main enemy of God. He is both the “son of perdition”, and the “man of sin”, and the “destroyer”. All these and many other negative characteristics indicate that it will be the greatest enemy of mankind in all ages.

Most attention is paid to the personality of the Antichrist in the Revelation of John the Theologian. It is this book that tells us about the last events before the end of the world. It is noteworthy that even in it the image of the Antichrist is collective, general. There is no specific name for this liar, but all the main signs of his coming to the earthly world are described.

The main hypostasis in which the Apocalypse reveals the enemy to us is the image of the beast. Nevertheless, all interpreters on the basis of the Bible and the Tradition of our Church agreed that this beast will be a very specific person of flesh and blood, like anyone born on Earth.

The opinions of theologians regarding the specific name, date and place of birth and other subtleties of the appearance of this enemy on Earth differ. Some expect it from the Jews, others from the Gentiles, and someone expresses the idea, then the distortion of the Christian faith will give rise to it. In any case, this person will be born just before the Second Coming of Christ and will tempt people faithful to the Lord.

How can God allow the coming of universal evil

Often Christians ask a very obvious question - if the Lord is Love, then how can He allow such a huge evil to invade humanity, which will lead to the death of many?

Antichrist will come at the end of time to fight with Christ for the eternal destiny of human souls

John Chrysostom answers this question in detail: on the basis of the words of the Apostle Paul (2 Thess. 2, 10-12), the Antichrist will come to condemn all those who have chosen the path of an unrighteous life. These people would never have accepted Christ anyway and would have persecuted Him, dooming their souls to eternal torment.

St. John Chrysostom encourages the believers, saying that the Antichrist will lead to the death of only the infidels and persecutors of Christ, and sincerely believing people, on the contrary, will be granted eternal salvation if they endure the last decisive battle with evil. That is why God allows the arrival of the Antichrist into this world, so that each person makes his final choice in favor of good or evil.

Now, when people still have time to repent and correct their lives, they are in no hurry to do so. Many "believe in their souls", many profess a large number of alternative creeds, some do not even think about God. Before the end of the world, the world will be divided diametrically, all other worries and affairs will disappear, and the essence will be only in choosing with whom a person is.

And those of the people who never followed Christ and persecuted him will follow the Antichrist. A false teaching will be perceived by them as truth, since they never knew the real Truth and did not strive for it.

On the spiritual life of a Christian:

Signs of the coming of the Antichrist

The coming of the Antichrist will bring many troubles to people. It will symbolize the end of everything: life, peace, light.

Some signs of the coming of the Antichrist have already come true, and some have not yet. Here are the signs:

• the Jewish people will rebuild their country;
• world wars will come, people will starve, die, nature will begin to rage;
• followers of Christ will be subjected to torment, death;
• the mosque of Omar in Jerusalem will be destroyed;
• Elijah and Enoch will descend to earth to fight the Antichrist.

Will the Antichrist come at all? Some researchers believe that the events that take place in the world in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries are the first signs. We can partly agree with this. Indeed, bloody wars are being waged everywhere, people are dying from natural disasters.

Fears in anticipation of the end of the world

Since the Apocalypse and many saints tell us about the imminent Second Coming and the end of the world following it, many believers literally panic and begin to refuse all the modern benefits of civilization, seeing death in them.

Revelation of Saint John the Evangelist

The Revelation of John the Theologian refers to the so-called "seal of the Antichrist" as a symbol of renunciation of Christ and following the Antichrist. What is this seal? This is the application of a certain sign to the hand and forehead, which will testify to the path chosen by a person against Christ.

Unfortunately, in modern Orthodoxy, various currents often appear now that see the seal of the Antichrist literally in everything that human civilization has created. So, especially "got" from zealous Christians to identification tax numbers (TIN) and electronic passports. In addition, some particularly stubborn believers see the Antichrist in the barcodes printed on store products and avoid purchasing them.

The number 666, which is indeed indicated in the Bible as the "number of the beast", has become simply frightening for many believers. People avoid the presence of three sixes in any numbering they encounter. Why are such fears meaningless?

The Orthodox faith does not worship numbers and does not believe in their special magical power. In the Bible, the number 7 is a symbol of Divine grace, but nowhere in the teachings of our Church is it said that by itself this number carries some kind of supernatural power or help from God.

The same situation is with the number 666 - if it is some kind of serial number, a set of numbers in a phone number, a license plate number of an identity card or any document, then it is completely groundless to attribute mystical meaning to these numbers.

As for TIN or electronic passports, the situation is similar. A person who does not use any documents at all, does not buy goods with bar codes in stores, is not registered with the tax office, and so on, may well reject Christ. But if at the same time a person leads a sinful life, does not repent, does not go to church, does not participate in the Church Sacraments - then what is the use of the absence of documents or sixes?

Attention! The entire patristic Tradition of our Church teaches us that accepting or not accepting Christ is a process of inner spiritual choice. If a person strives for the Lord with all his heart, all his will and feelings, no passports or sixes can interfere with him.

Rejecting God at the end of time will mean not using the World Wide Web for shopping or control, but an internal conscious rejection of Christ, rejection of his teachings, depreciation of the Church and unwillingness to save one's own soul.

About the last times. Signs. Antichrist. Seal 666

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