Prophecies about Russia and the world

“Everything that bears the name of “Decembrists”, “reformers” and, in a word, belongs to the “life-improving party” is true anti-Christianity, which, developing, will lead to the destruction of Christianity on earth and partly of Orthodoxy and will end with the reign of the Antichrist over all countries of the world, except for Russia, which will merge into one whole with other Slavic countries and form a vast national ocean, before which other earthly tribes will be in fear. And it's as true as two times two makes four."

Reverend Seraphim of Sarov

… Yet the Lord will not be completely angry with His third chosen people. The blood of thousands of martyrs will cry out to heaven for mercy. The people themselves will begin to sober up and return to God. Finally, the period of purifying trial determined by the Just Judge will pass, and holy Orthodoxy will again shine with the bright light of rebirth in those northern expanses. This wondrous light of Christ will illuminate from there and enlighten all the peoples of the world…

From the prophecies of the Holy Fathers of the 8th-9th centuries.

Antichrist. Signs of the imminent appearance of the Antichrist - Eighth Ecumenical Council - Persecution of Christians - Retreat of the Episcopate - "Before the end there will be a flowering" - The Last Tsar. Prophecies of the Holy Fathers about the fate of the world and Russia. Monarchy - Russia and the Antichrist - Reduction of faith and love. Standing in truth. Philadelphia Church - King and people. The fate of the Tsar is the fate of Russia. Vision of John of Kronstadt

Antichrist. Signs of the imminent arrival of the Antichrist

Saint Theophan the Recluse (1815-1894):“The Antichrist will appear, as the Holy Fathers teach, not against the will of God. In God's plans for world government is also he, and his preparation, and the consequences of that. Not because God wanted such evil to people, but because people themselves will bring themselves to that. This moment was postponed by God to the last opportunity, waiting for someone else who wants to turn to Him to come. When there is no longer anyone to wait for, the Lord will accept the holding hand, evil will spill out, and the Antichrist will appear.

Eighth Ecumenical Council

Hieromonk Nektary (Tikhonov, 1928) Optinsky to the question "Will there be a union of 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 ... "

Archbishop Theophan of Poltava (1873-1940):“I don’t know anything about the Eighth Ecumenical Council yet. I can only say in the words of a saint Theodora Studita: « Not every assembly of bishops is a council, but only an assembly of bishops standing 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 he departs from the truth, he will not be universal, even if he calls himself the name of the universal. - The famous "robber's cathedral" was at one time more numerous than many ecumenical councils, and yet it was not recognized as ecumenical, but received the name "robber's cathedral"!..»

Persecution of Christians

Saint Cyril of Jerusalem (386):... The martyrs of that time, in my opinion, are above all martyrs. The former martyrs fought with some people, but the martyrs under the Antichrist will wage war with Satan himself.

And in the days of that great tribulation, of which it is said that no flesh would have been saved, if for the sake of the elect, those days were not shortened, ... in those days ... the remnant of the faithful will experience something similar to what was once experienced by the Lord Himself, when He, hanging on the cross, being perfect God and perfect man, felt Himself so forsaken by His Divinity that He cried out to Him: My God! My God! Why did you leave me? The last Christians must experience a similar abandonment of mankind by the Grace of God, but only for the shortest time, after which the Lord will not hesitate to appear after him in all His glory and all the Holy Angels with Him. And then everything predetermined from the ages in the eternal Council will be accomplished in its entirety.

Seraphim's Conversation on the Purpose of the Christian Life. San Francisco, 1968, p.82"

Archimandrite Nectarios (Moulatsiotis) from Greece: “In the time of the Antichrist, the most cruel and bestial tortures will be applied to Christians in order to force them to renounce their faith. Saint Basil the Great on this occasion prayed: “My God, do not let me live during the time of the Antichrist, because I am not sure that I will endure all the tortures and will not reject You ...” If the great saint said this, what should we say and how we will meet this time?..

This persecution will not only be a persecution against the Orthodox faith, but an attempt by Antichrist and his followers to change the meaning of Orthodox life will be a bloody persecution.

Many Christians will be martyred. This will be the greatest and final persecution of Christians. The Fathers of the Church say that not only the laity who have accepted the seal of the Antichrist will allow this persecution, but also the priesthood that has accepted his seal. The Priesthood will help the Antichrist ... by their human and spiritual works, which they will offer to the Antichrist. They will become allies of the Antichrist in the persecution of faithful bishops, priests and laity. With the help of church authorities, sermons and so on will be used to lead church members to accept the Antichrist. And whoever does not obey the orders of Antichrist will be subjected to endless torment. The Holy Fathers of our Church say that the martyrs of the time of Antichrist will be glorified in the Kingdom of God as the greatest martyrs and saints of all ages. “I tell you that the martyrs of these times will be higher than all the martyrs” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).

Archimandrite Nectarios (Moulatsiotis) When will the Second Coming of Jesus Christ take place. S.26-27

Retreat of the Episcopate

Rev. Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833):“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 clergymen would depart from the purity of Orthodoxy, and for this the Lord would severely punish them. I, poor Seraphim, for three days and three nights prayed to the Lord that He would better 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 with their tongue they honor Me, but their heart is far from Me” (Compare Matt. 15:7-9).

Future destinies of Russia. Prophecies of St. Seraphim of Sarov. "Day". 1991. No. 1. p.7

“I, a wretched Seraphim, from the Lord God are supposed to live much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the Russian hierarchs have become so impious that they will surpass the Greek hierarchs in the time of Theodosius the Younger in their wickedness, so 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 from this temporary life and then in 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.

"Literary Education". 1991. No. 1. p.132

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

Letters from Vladimir Sergeevich Solovyov. T.4. p.222

"Before the end there will be blossoming"

“Do not be afraid and do not be afraid, brethren, let the seditious Satanists console themselves for a moment with their hellish successes: their judgment is from God "does not touch, and their death does not sleep"(2 Peter 2:3). The right hand of the Lord will find all those who hate us and will avenge us righteously."I have vengeance, I will repay" says the Lord (Heb. 10:30). Therefore, let us not indulge in despondency, seeing everything that is now happening in the world!

Quote from the book Archbishop Averky (Taushev). Modernity in the light of the Word of God. T.3. p.180

“The Lord, as a skilled physician, subjects us to various temptations, sorrows, illnesses and troubles in order to purify us like gold in the furnace. The soul, stagnant in sins of all kinds, does not easily lend itself to cleansing and healing, but with great coercion and astringency, and only through a long experience of patience and suffering, does it become accustomed to virtue and begins to passionately love God, Whom it was a stranger to, having learned all the sins of the flesh. This is the purpose of troubles and sorrows sent to us by God in this life. They are needed, both by individuals and by the whole people, mired in wickedness and vices. The Russian people and other tribes inhabiting Russia are deeply corrupted, the crucible of temptation and disaster is necessary for everyone, and the Lord, who does not want anyone to perish, burns everyone in this crucible.

"Heartful Reading". 1904. Part 3. p.193

“But All-good Providence will not leave Russia in this sad and disastrous state. It righteously punishes and leads to rebirth. God's righteous destinies are being committed over Russia ... "

Sursky I.K. Father John of Kronstadt. T.1. p.193

Elder Barnabas of Gethsemane(1831-1906): “But when it becomes unbearable to endure, then liberation will come. And it's time to flourish. Temples will be built again. Before the end, there will be blossoming.”

Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose). The Future of Russia and the End of the World.

... More than 30 years ago, Bishop Vitaly of Canada (later Metropolitan of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad), who was touring his parishes, met an extraordinary old man who told him about the words the Lord had spoken to him in a thin dream:

“Behold, I will magnify Orthodoxy in the Russian land, and from there it will shine on the whole world.

“Lord,” I dared to object to the One who spoke to me, “how will it be when there is a commune there.

The Commune will disappear and scatter like dust in the wind.

“But why does it exist now, if it must disappear?” I asked.

- In order to make in Russia one people, with one heart and one soul, and, having cleansed it with fire, I will make it My people, the second Israel.

But here I dared to object:

“Lord, how can this be when people there have not heard the word of God for so many years, they don’t even have books, and they don’t know anything about God?

“It’s good that they don’t know anything, because when they hear the word of God, then they will accept it with all their heart, with all their soul.” And here many of you go to church, but each believes in his own way and in his pride does not accept the pure Orthodox faith. Woe to them, for they are preparing themselves to be burned. So I will stretch out My right hand and Orthodoxy from Russia will shine on the whole world, and the time will come when the children there will carry stones on their shoulders for the construction of temples. My hand is strong and there is no such power either in heaven or on earth that would resist it.

"Orthodox Review" (Canadian branch of the brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev). 1959. No. 28 (September)

The prediction found in the ancient Greek books of the Lavra Savva the Sanctified by the Russian monk Anthony Savait, built on the prophecies of the Holy Fathers from Greek texts:

“The end times have not yet come, and it is completely wrong to believe that we are on the threshold of the coming of the Antichrist, because one and the last flowering of Orthodoxy is yet to come, this time all over the world - led by Russia. It will take place after a terrible war, in which either ½ or 2/3 of mankind will perish and which will be stopped by a voice from Heaven:

“And the gospel will be preached throughout the world!”

1. For until now it was not the Gospel of Christ that was preached, but the Gospel distorted by heretics (meaning the preaching of the Gospel in the world by Catholics, Protestants and all sorts of sectarians).
2. There will be a period of global prosperity - but not for long.
3. In Russia at that time there will be an Orthodox Tsar, whom the Lord will reveal to the Russian people.

And after that the world will again be corrupted and will no longer be capable of correction, then the Lord will allow the reign of the Antichrist.

“The last fate of Russia and the world. Brief review of prophecies and predictions, pp.50-51

Last King. Prophecies of the Holy Fathers about the fate of the world and Russia. Monarchy

Archbishop Seraphim of Chicago and Detroit (1959):“The Lord recently, during my first pilgrimage to Palestine, honored me, a sinner, to get acquainted with some new, hitherto unknown prophecies that throw new light on the fate of Russia. These prophecies were accidentally discovered by a learned Russian monk in ancient Greek manuscripts kept in an ancient Greek monastery. Unknown Holy Fathers of the 8th and 9th centuries, i.e. contemporaries of St. John of Damascus, in such, approximately, words, these prophecies imprinted:

“After the God-chosen Jewish people, having betrayed their Messiah and Redeemer to torment and shameful death, lost their chosenness, the latter passed to the Hellenes, who became the second God-chosen people.

The powerful, inquisitive mind of the ancient Greeks, enlightened by Christianity, penetrated into the very depths of world knowledge. The great Eastern Fathers of the Church honed Christian dogmas and created a coherent system of Christian doctrine. This is the great merit of the Greek people. However, to build a harmonious social and state life on this solid Christian foundation, the Byzantine statehood lacks creative forces and opportunities. The scepter of the Orthodox Kingdom falls from the weakening hands of the Byzantine emperors, who failed to realize the symphony of Church and State.

Therefore, to replace the decrepit spiritually chosen Greek people, the Lord Provider will send His third God-chosen people. This people will appear in the North in a hundred or two years (these prophecies were written in Palestine 150-200 years before the Baptism of Russia), they will accept Christianity with all their hearts, they will try to live according to the commandments of Christ and seek, according to the instructions of Christ the Savior, first of all the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. For this jealousy, the Lord God will love this people and add everything else to them - large expanses of land, wealth, state power and glory.

Due to human weakness, this great people will more than once fall into great sins, and for this they will be punished with no small trials. In a thousand years, even this God-chosen people will waver in faith and in standing up for the Truth of Christ, will become proud of their earthly might and glory, will stop worrying about seeking the City of the future and will want paradise not in heaven, but on sinful earth.

However, not all of that people will follow this disastrous wide path, although a significant majority of them, especially the stratum leading them. And for this great fall, a terrible fiery test will be sent from above to this people, who despised the ways of God. Rivers of blood will spill over his land, brother will kill brother, hunger will visit this land more than once and collect its terrible sacrifice, almost all temples and other shrines will be destroyed or desecrated, many people will die.

Part of this people, not wanting to put up with lawlessness and untruth, will leave their native borders and will be scattered, like the Jewish people around the world ...

Yet the Lord will not be completely angry with His third chosen people. The blood of thousands of martyrs will cry out to heaven for mercy. The people themselves will begin to sober up and return to God. Finally, the period of purifying trial determined by the Just Judge will pass, and holy Orthodoxy will again shine with the bright light of rebirth in those northern expanses.

This marvelous light of Christ will illuminate from there and enlighten all the peoples of the world, which will be helped by a part of this people providentially sent to the dispersion, which will build the centers of Orthodoxy - the temples of God, all over the world.

Christianity will then reveal itself in all its heavenly beauty and fullness. Most of the peoples of the world will become Christians. For some time, a prosperous and peaceful Christian life will reign in the entire sublunar world ...

And then? Then, when the fulfillment of times comes, a complete decline of faith and other things predicted in Holy Scripture will begin all over the world, the Antichrist will appear and, finally, the end of the world will come.

These prophecies are stated in different manuscripts and in different versions, but, basically, they all converge ...

I remind you that these prophecies were found in authentic Greek manuscripts of the 8th and 9th centuries, when nothing was heard about Russia as a state, and the Russian plain was inhabited by scattered semi-savage Slavic tribes and other nationalities ...

Archbishop Seraphim. The fate of Russia. Chicago. 1959. pp. 24-30

Hieromonk Porfiry, Elder of the Glinsk Hermitage (1868):“... Over time, faith in Russia will fall. The brilliance of earthly glory will blind the mind, the words of truth will be reviled, but for the faith will arise from the people unknown to the world and restore the trampled».

"Russian monk", 1912. No. 14, p.50

I. N. Ilyin:“This is a great illusion that it is “easiest” to place a legitimate Sovereign on the Throne. For the rightful Sovereign must be earned by the heart, will and deeds. We do not dare to forget the lessons of history: the people who did not deserve a legitimate Sovereign, can't have it will not be able to serve him faithfully and will betray him at a critical moment. Monarchy is not the easiest and most accessible type of statehood, but the most difficult, for it is spiritually the deepest system, spiritually demanding from the people monarchical consciousness. The Republic is legal mechanism, and the monarchy is legal organism. And we do not yet know whether the Russian people after the revolution will be ready to form again into this organism. To hand over the legitimate Sovereign to be torn to pieces by the anti-monarchist rabble would be a real crime in front of Russia. Therefore: let there be a national dictatorship that prepares a nationwide religious-national sobering up!”

"Word". 1991. No. 8, p. 83

Archbishop Averky, Syracuse and Trinity:“The very idea of ​​a monarchy, in the return to which, as a historical form of government in Russia, many rightly see salvation, is holy and dear to us. not by itself but only insofar as it has support for itself in our Orthodox Faith and Church - since our Tsar is the Orthodox Tsar, as it is sung in our old national anthem; since he is not formally and officially only, and in fact is the first son and, at the same time, the high Patron and Defender of the Orthodox Faith and the Church; because he really is Anointed of God…»

"Stand in the truth!" Thoughts extracted from the sermons of Archbishop Averky of Syracuse and Trinity

Russia and Antichrist

Rev. Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833):“Everything that bears the name of “Decembrists”, “reformers” and, in a word, belongs to the “life-improving party” is true anti-Christianity, which, developing, will lead to the destruction of Christianity on earth and partly of Orthodoxy and will end with the reign of the Antichrist over all countries of the world, except for Russia, which will merge into one whole with other Slavic countries and form a vast national ocean, before which other earthly tribes will be in fear. And it's as true as two times two makes four."

"Heartful Reading". 1912. part 2. p.493

S. A. Nilus(1910): "Those who understand little." Details of the vision N[ektari]ya.Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of the death of Sheikhumen Mark. When, just before his death, I happened to have a conversation with him about the events and signs of the times, the great old man said to me: “How few people understand their true meaning! Over the past year, I think, the ranks of “those who understand” have thinned even more, and not only in the world, but even in the holy monasteries. Father N[ektari]y is still in the hospital. Today I went to visit him again. I asked about his dream.

“I had it almost all night,” said the priest, and told me in general terms its contents.

“In all the details,” he added, “it would take too long to tell him. Here is the main thing: I see a huge field, and on this field a terrible battle is taking place between an innumerable horde of apostates and a small army of Christians. All apostates are excellently armed and fight according to all the rules of military science, while Christians are unarmed. At least I don't see any weapons with them. And already, to my horror, the outcome of this unequal struggle is already foreseen: the moment of the final triumph of the apostate hordes is coming, since there are almost no Christians left. The festively dressed crowds of apostates with their wives and children rejoice and are already celebrating their victory ... Suddenly, an insignificant crowd of Christians, between whom I see both women and children, makes a sudden attack on their own and God's opponents, and in an instant the entire vast field The battle is covered with the corpses of the Antichrist's army, and all its innumerable crowd is killed and, moreover, to my extreme surprise, without the help of any weapon whatsoever. And I asked a Christian warrior standing near me: “How could you overcome this innumerable horde?” - "God helped!" was the answer. - “Yes, what? I ask. "You didn't even have a weapon." - "Whatever!" the warrior answered me. That was the end of my dream."

I heard this strange and wonderful story today from the lips of the undeceitful and blessed priest of God, Fr. N[ektari] I, hieromonk of the holy Optina Hermitage. This dream was dreamed of. N[ektari]yu on the night of March 16 to March 17, 1910. How to understand this dream? Does it mark the victory of Orthodox Russia over the apostate world and the extension of God's favor to the sinful earth? Or is he a herald of the final triumph of the small flock of Christ over the last great apostasy, when the lawless Antichrist will already appear, “Will the Lord Jesus kill him with the breath of His mouth, and annul him with the manifestation of His Coming?”... Let's wait and see, if... we live. But this dream is not without reason and is comforting in both senses.

"Trinity word". Sergiev Posad. 1917 #387-389. pp.471-473

reminiscing about Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt, Bishop Arseniy (Zhadanovsky) wrote: “Batiushka often in his sermons pointed to the imminent Coming of the Savior, expected Him and felt how nature itself was preparing for this great moment. He mainly paid attention to the fire, by which the world would be destroyed, just as the ancient one was destroyed by water. “Every time,” he said, “as I look at fire, and especially at its raging elements during fires and other cases, I think: the element is always ready and is only waiting for the command of the Creator of the universe to come forward to fulfill its task - to destroy everything on earth along with people, their iniquities and deeds. And here is another similar entry: “When the waters of the globe lose their balance with the underground fire and the fire overcomes the water element, which is constantly decreasing, then there will be a fiery flood, predicted in the Holy Scriptures and especially in the message of the Apostle Peter, and the Second Glorious Coming of the Lord and judgment will come around the world. By that time morals will be extremely corrupted. Believe that the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with glory is at the door.”

Father John of Kronstadt. Unpublished diary. p.25

Decrease in faith and love. Standing in truth. Philadelphia Church

“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)

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly the Younger (Potapov, 1922) Optinsky:“...From this, heresies are spreading everywhere and will deceive many. The enemy of the human race will act by cunning, in order, if possible, to incline even 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 will imperceptibly distort the teachings of the Church transmitted by the Holy Fathers from the Holy Spirit, and its very spirit, and the statutes, and these tricks of the enemy will be noticed only by a few, the most skillful in spiritual life. . Heretics will take power over the Church, they will place their servants everywhere, and piety will be neglected. He (the Lord) said: "... You will know them by their fruits," - 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 thieves (thieves), plundering the spiritual flock, and they will enter the sheepfold - the Church, climbing through the other way: as the Lord said, that is, they will enter in an unlawful way, using violence and violating God's statutes. The Lord calls them robbers (John 10:1). Really. 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 leading 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 just standing in the faith according to the word of the Lord (Matt. 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 the holy martyrs and confessors, they are with 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 from which grace will depart. But God is 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 the grace of Christ Jesus, with joy hasten the feat of confession to endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 11, 1-3), who foretold - be faithful unto 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".

From a letter from the Optina Elder Anatoly (Potapov) the Younger. "Grad-Kitezh". 1992. No. 3 (8). S.26-27

The fate of Mount Athos will also be significant. Russian monk Parthenius, who visited Athos in the middle of the 19th century, reports Revelation of the Mother of God to the Athonites:“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.

The legend of the journey and journey of the monk Parthenius. Part 4, M. 1855. p.158

The last epochs of the earthly life of the Church of Christ, according to L.A. Tikhomirov, will correspond to the Church Philadelphia(“brotherly”, Greek) and Laodicean(“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 ...

Tikhomirov L.A. Apocalyptic doctrine of fate and the end of the world. "Christian". Sergiev Posad, 1907. No. 9. p.83

Fudel S. I. (1977):“…Perhaps this spiritual-historical epoch is already beginning,…and someone, perhaps, already “keeps the word of patience” and firmly holds the treasure of grace in himself, feeling it with all his sinful gut; may be, Now, out of the thousands who only bear the name of Christians, those are selected who have no impurity, deceit and fear in their hearts - these three great sins of modern church people - those who “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14, four)".

Fudel S.I. At the walls of the church. pp.372-374

The king and the people. The fate of the Tsar is the fate of Russia. Vision of John of Kronstadt

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly the Younger (Potapov, 1922) of Optina to Prince N. D. Zhevakhov before the appointment of the latter to the post of Comrade Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod(1916) : “There is no greater sin than resistance to the will of the Anointed of God ... Take care of Him, for He holds the Russian land and the Orthodox Faith ... But ...”

Father Anatoly fell into thought, and tears appeared in his eyes; excited, he ended the unspoken thought by saying: “The fate of the Tsar is the fate of Russia. The Tsar will rejoice, Russia will also rejoice. The Tsar will cry, Russia will also cry ... Just as a man with a severed head is no longer a man, but a stinking corpse, so Russia without the Tsar will be a stinking corpse.

Zhevakhov N. D. Memoirs of Comrade Chief Procurator of the Holy Synod. T. 1

Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov (1923):“I remember how the last (1917) year in Moscow we went ... on a pilgrimage to the Trinity, were in sketes and spent a blessed day there. And when they returned to Moscow, they got the news about the beginning of the revolution - fateful painful days, it was also a week of the cross. ... Newspapers have already threatened "priests" if they commemorate the Tsar. They decided not to commemorate (I just don’t remember if it was before the abdication, I think after). In this way, Russia entered its way of the cross on the day when it stopped openly praying for the Tsar».

Father Sergei Bulgakov. From the "Diary". "Herald of the RHD". 1979. No. 130. p.256

Shortly after the forced abdication of Nicholas II empress, Pointing to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, she said: Our suffering is nothing. Look at the suffering of the Savior, how He suffered for us. If only it is necessary for Russia, we are ready to sacrifice our lives and everything.”

Diterikhs M.K. The murder of the Royal Family and members of the Romanov House in the Urals. T.2. p.405

Vision of John of Kronstadt

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt (1829-1908):“God bless! I am the sinful servant John, priest of Kronstadt, I am writing this vision. I wrote and with my hand what I saw, then I conveyed in writing.

On the night of January 1, 1908, after evening prayer, I sat down to rest for a while at the table. There was twilight in my cell, in front of the icon of the Mother of God a lamp was burning. In less than half an hour, I heard a slight noise, someone lightly touched my right shoulder and a quiet, light, gentle voice said to me: “Get up, servant of God Ivan, come with me.” I got up quickly.

I see standing in front of me: a marvelous wonderful old man, pale, with gray hair, in a mantle, in his left hand a rosary. He looked at me sternly, but his eyes were gentle and kind. I almost fell from fear right away, but the wonderful old man supported me - my hands and legs were trembling, I wanted to say something, but my tongue did not turn. The elder crossed me, and it became easy and joyful for me - I also crossed myself. Then he pointed with a staff to the western side of the wall - there he drew with the same staff: 1913, 1914, 1917, 1922, 1930, 1931, 1934. Suddenly the wall was gone. I am walking with an old man across a green field and I see a mass of crosses standing: thousands, millions, different: small and great, wooden, stone, iron, copper, silver and gold. I passed by the crosses, crossed myself and dared to ask the elder what kind of crosses they were? He kindly answered me: these are those who suffered for Christ and for the Word of God.

We go further and see: whole rivers of blood flow into the sea, and the sea is red with blood. I was horrified with fear and again asked the wonderful old man: “Why is so much blood shed?” He looked again and said to me, "This is Christian blood."

Then the elder pointed with his hand to the clouds, and I see a mass of burning, brightly burning lamps. So they began to fall to the ground: one, two, three, five, ten, twenty. Then they began to fall in whole hundreds, more and more, and everyone was on fire. I was very sad why they did not burn clearly, but only fell and rotten, turning into dust and ashes. The elder said: look, and I saw only seven lamps on the clouds and asked the elder what this means? He, bowing his head, said: “The lamps that you see are falling, which means the Churches will fall into heresy, and the seven lamps burning remain - the seven Churches of the Apostolic Cathedral will remain at the end of the world.”

Then the elder pointed out to me, look, and now I see and hear a wonderful vision: the angels sang: “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Hosts,” and a large mass of people walked with candles in their hands, with joyful shining faces; there were kings, princes, patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops, archimandrites, abbots, schemniki, priests, deacons, novices, wanderers for Christ's sake, laity, young men, youths, babies; cherubim and seraphim accompanied them to the paradise heavenly abode. I asked the elder: “What kind of people are these?” The elder, as if knowing my thought, said: “These are all the servants of Christ who suffered for Christ’s holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.” Again I dared to ask if I could join them. The elder said: no, it's too early for you, be patient (wait). I asked again: “Tell me, father, how are the babies?” The elder said: these babies also suffered for Christ from King Herod (14 thousand), and also those babies received crowns from the King of Heaven, who were destroyed in their mother's womb, and nameless. I crossed myself: "What a great and terrible sin the mother will have - unforgivable."

We go further - we go into a large temple. I wanted to cross myself, but the elder said to me: "Here is abomination and desolation." Here I see a very gloomy and dark temple, a gloomy and dark throne. There is no iconostasis in the middle of the church. Instead of icons, there are some strange portraits with animal faces and sharp caps, and on the throne is not a cross, but a large star and a Gospel with a star, and resin candles are burning - they crackle like firewood, and the bowl stands, and a strong stench comes from the bowl, and from there all sorts of reptiles, toads, scorpions, spiders crawl, it's scary to look at all this. Prosphora also with a star; in front of the throne stands a priest in a bright red robe and green toads and spiders crawl along the robe; his face is terrible and black as coal, his eyes are red, and smoke comes out of his mouth and his fingers are black, as if in ashes.

Oh, Lord, how scary - then some vile, nasty, ugly black woman jumped on the throne, all in red and with a star on her forehead and spun on the throne, then shouted like a night owl to the whole temple in a terrible voice: “Freedom” - and she stood, and people, like crazy, began to run around the throne, rejoicing at something, and shouted, and whistled, and clapped their hands. Then they began to sing some kind of song - first quietly, then louder, like dogs, then it all turned into an animal growl, then into a roar. Suddenly, a bright lightning flashed and a strong thunder struck, the earth trembled and the temple collapsed and fell through the ground. The throne, the priest, the red woman all mixed up and thundered into the abyss. Lord, save. Wow, how scary. I crossed myself. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I looked back. The elder smiled at me: “Did you see? - he said. I saw it, Father. Tell me what was it? Terrible and terrible." The elder answered me: “The temple, the priests and the people are heretics, apostates, atheists who have fallen behind the faith of Christ and the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and have recognized the heretical life-renewing Church, which does not have the Grace of God. In it one can neither fast, nor confess, nor partake, nor receive chrismation.” “Lord, save me, a sinner, send me repentance—Christian death,” I whispered, but the elder reassured me: “Don’t grieve,” he said, pray to God.

We went further. I look - there is a mass of people, terribly exhausted, on the forehead of each a star. When they saw us, they growled: “Pray for us, holy fathers, to God, it is very hard for us, but we ourselves cannot. Fathers and mothers did not teach us. We do not have the Law of God and even the Christian name. We have not received the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit (but the red banner)."

I cried and followed the old man. “Here, look,” the elder pointed out with his hand, “do you see?!” I see mountains. - No, this is a mountain of human corpses all soaked in blood. I crossed myself and asked the elder, what does this mean? What are these corpses? These are monks and nuns, wanderers, pilgrims, killed for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, who did not want to accept the seal of the Antichrist, but wished to accept the crown of martyrdom and die for Christ. I prayed: "Save, Lord, and have mercy on the servants of God and all Christians." But suddenly the elder turned to the north side and pointed with his hand: “Look.” I looked and saw: the Tsar's Palace, and animals of various breeds and animals of various sizes, reptiles, dragons, hissing, roaring and climbing into the palace, and already climbed onto the throne of the Anointed Nicholas II, - his face is pale, but courageous, - he reads Jesus Prayer. Suddenly the throne shook, and the crown fell, rolled. The animals roared, fought, crushed the Anointed One. They tore it apart and trampled it like demons in hell, and everything disappeared.

Oh, Lord, how terrible, save and have mercy from all evil, enemy and adversary. I wept bitterly; suddenly the old man took me by the shoulder, - do not cry, it is pleasing to the Lord, and said: "Look" - I see a pale radiance appeared. At first I could not distinguish, but then it became clear - the involuntary Anointed One appeared, on his head was a crown of green leaves. The face is pale, bloody, with a golden cross around the neck. He quietly whispered a prayer. Then he told me with tears: “Pray for me, father Ivan, and tell all Orthodox Christians that I died as a martyr: firmly and courageously for the Orthodox Faith and for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and suffered for all Christians; and tell all Orthodox Apostolic pastors to serve a common fraternal memorial service for all the soldiers killed on the battlefield: those who were burned in the fire, drowned in the sea, and suffered for me, a sinner. Do not look for my grave, it is difficult to find it. I ask again: pray for me, father Ivan, and forgive me, good shepherd. Then it was all covered in mist. I crossed myself: "God rest the soul of the deceased servant of God Nicholas, eternal memory to him." God, how scary. My hands and feet were trembling, I was crying.

The elder again told me: “Don’t cry, it pleases God, pray to God. See more." Here I see a mass of people lying around, dying of hunger, who ate grass, earth, ate each other, and dogs picked up corpses, everywhere there was a terrible stench, blasphemy. Lord, save us and strengthen us in the holy faith of Christ, we are weak and weak without faith. Here the old man again says to me: “Look there.” And now I see a whole mountain of different books, small and large. Between these books stinking worms crawl, swarm and spread a terrible stench. I asked, "What are these books, Father?" He replied: "Godless, heretical, who infect all the people of the whole world with worldly blasphemous teachings." The elder touched the end of his staff to these books, and it all turned into fire, and everything burned to the ground, and the wind dispelled the ashes.

Then I see a church, and around it lies a mass of memorials and letters. I bent down and wanted to pick one up and read it, but the elder said that these were not memorials and letters that had been at the church for many years, but the priests forgot them and never read them, and the departed souls asked to pray, but there was no one to read and no one to commemorate. I asked: "And who will be?" "Angels," said the old man. I crossed myself. Remember, O Lord, the souls of Thy servants who have fallen asleep in Thy kingdom.

We went further. The elder was walking fast, so I could hardly keep up with him. Suddenly he turned around and said, "Look." Here comes a crowd of people driven by terrible demons who mercilessly beat and stabbed people with long lances, pitchforks and hooks. “What kind of people are these?” I asked the elder. “These are the ones,” replied the elder, “who have fallen away from the Faith and the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church and have accepted the heretical Living Renewal Church.” There were bishops, priests, deacons, laymen, monks, nuns who accepted marriage and began to live depravedly. There were atheists, sorcerers, fornicators, drunkards, money-lovers, heretics, apostates of the Church, sectarians and others. They have a terrible and terrible appearance: their faces are black, foam and stench came from their mouths, and they screamed terribly, but the demons beat them mercilessly and drove them into a deep abyss. From there came stench, smoke, fire and stench. I crossed myself: "Deliver me, Lord, and have mercy, all this I have seen is terrible."

Then I see: a mass of people are walking: old and small, and all in red clothes and carrying a huge red star, five-headed and 12 demons sat on each corner, and in the middle sat Satan himself with terrible horns and crocodile eyes, with a lion's mane and with a terrible mouth, with large teeth, and from the mouth he spewed fetid foam. All the people shouted: "Get up, branded with a curse." A mass of demons appeared, all red, and branded the people, putting a seal on each forehead and on the hand in the form of a star. The elder said that this is the seal of the Antichrist. I was very frightened, crossed myself and read a prayer: "Let God rise again." After that, everything disappeared like smoke.

I was in a hurry and barely had time to follow the elder, so the elder stopped, pointed to the east with his hand and said: “Look.” And I saw a mass of people with joyful faces, and in their hands were crosses, banners and candles, and in the middle, between the crowd, there was a high throne in the air, a golden royal crown and it was written in golden letters: "For a short time." Patriarchs, bishops, priests, monks, hermits and laity stand around the throne. Everyone sings: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth." I crossed myself and thanked God.

Suddenly, the Elder waved crosswise three times in the air. And now I see a mass of corpses and rivers of blood. Angels flew over the bodies of the slain and barely had time to bring Christian souls to the Throne of God, and sang "alleluia". It was terrible to look at all this. I wept bitterly and prayed. The elder took my hand and said, “Don't cry. So it is necessary for the Lord God for our lack of faith and wretchedness, this must be so, our Savior Jesus Christ also suffered and shed His pure blood on the cross. So, there will be many more martyrs for Christ, and these are those who will not accept the seal of Antichrist, will shed their blood and receive a martyr's crown.

Then the elder prayed, crossed himself three times to the east and said: “Behold, the prophecy of Daniel has been fulfilled. The abomination of desolation is final." I saw the Temple in Jerusalem, and there was a star on the dome. Millions of people crowd around the temple and try to enter inside the temple. I wanted to cross myself, but the elder held my hand and said again: “Here is the abomination of desolation.”

We entered the temple, where there were many people. And now I see the throne in the middle of the temple, around the throne in three rows of resin candles are burning, and on the throne sits the world ruler-king in bright red purple, and on his head is a golden crown with diamonds, with a star. I asked the old man: “Who is this?” He said, "This is the Antichrist." He is tall, his eyes are black as coal, his beard is black as a wedge, his face is fierce, cunning and crafty - animal-like, his nose is aquiline. Suddenly, the Antichrist stood on the throne, straightened up to his full height, raised his head high and extended his right hand to the people - there were claws on his fingers, like those of a tiger, and growled in his bestial voice: “I am your god, king and ruler. Whoever does not accept my seal - death to them here. Everyone fell on their knees and bowed and accepted the seal on their foreheads. But some boldly approached him and loudly exclaimed at once: "We are Christians, we believe in our Lord Jesus Christ." Then, in an instant, the sword of Antichrist flashed, and the heads of Christian youths rolled down and blood was shed for the faith of Christ. Here they lead the girls, women and small children. Here he became even worse angry and shouted like an animal: “Death to them. These Christians are my enemies—death to them.” Instant death followed immediately. Heads rolled to the floor and Orthodox blood spilled all over the temple.

Then they lead a ten-year-old boy to the Antichrist for worship and say: “Fall on your knees,” but the boy boldly approached the throne of the Antichrist: “I am a Christian and I believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, and you are a fiend, a servant of Satan, you are the Antichrist.” "Death," roared them with a terrible wild roar. All fell on their knees before the Antichrist. Suddenly, thousands of thunders thundered and thousands of lightning bolts from heaven flew with fiery arrows and hit the servants of the Antichrist. Suddenly the biggest arrow, fiery, cruciform, flew down from the sky and hit the Antichrist in the head. He waved his hand and fell, the crown flew off his head and crumbled to dust, and millions of birds flew and pecked at the corpses of the wicked servants of the Antichrist.

So I felt that the elder took me by the shoulder and said: "Let's go further on the road." Here I see again a mass of blood, knee-deep, waist-deep, oh, how much Christian blood has been shed. Then I remembered the word that is said in the Revelation of John the Theologian: "And there will be blood up to the bridles of horses." Oh, God, save me a sinner. A great fear came over me. I was neither alive nor dead. I see angels fly a lot and sing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.” I looked around - the old man was on his knees and praying. Then he stood up and kindly said: “Do not grieve. Soon, soon the end of the world, pray to the Lord, He is merciful to His servants. Not years left, but hours, and soon, soon the end.

Then the elder blessed me and pointed to the east with his hand, saying: “I am going there.” I fell on my knees, bowed to him and I see that he is quickly moving away from the earth, then I asked: “What is your name, wonderful old man?” Then I exclaimed louder. "Holy Father, tell me, what is your holy name?" “Seraphim,” he said quietly and softly to me, “and what you saw, write it down and don’t forget it all for the sake of Christ.”

Suddenly, as if over my head, the ringing of a large bell struck. I woke up, opened my eyes. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead, my temples were pounding, my heart was beating strongly, my legs were trembling. I made a prayer: "Let God arise." Lord, forgive me a sinful and unworthy servant of Yours, John. Glory to our God. Amen".

"Orthodox Russia". No. 517. 1952. October 15/28. Archimandrite Panteleimon. Life and deeds, miracles and prophecies of our holy righteous father John of Kronstadt the Wonderworker. pp.170-178

According to the book: "Russia before the second coming", compiled by S. Fomin. Edition of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1993.

Jesus Christ foretold the future of our world and all people.

He taught that the end of the world would come, and the earthly life of the human race would end; then He will come to earth a second time and resurrect all people (then the bodies of all people will again unite with their souls and come to life), and then Jesus Christ will judge people and reward everyone according to his deeds.

"Do not marvel at this," said Jesus Christ, "for the time is coming in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice" of the Son of God, and those who hear will live; and they will come out of the graves - some who did good, for eternal, blessed life, and others who did evil, for condemnation.

His disciples asked: "Tell us when this will be, and what is the sign of Your (second) coming and the end of the world?"

In response to this, Jesus Christ warned them that before His coming, in glory, to earth, such hard times for people would come, such as had not happened since the beginning of the world. There will be various disasters: famine, pestilence, earthquakes, frequent wars. Iniquity will multiply; faith will weaken; many will not love each other. Many false prophets and teachers will appear who will deceive people and corrupt them with their pernicious teaching. But first the gospel of Christ will be preached throughout the earth as a witness to all nations.

Before the very end of the world there will be great, terrifying signs in the sky; the sea will roar and rage; despondency and bewilderment will take possession of people, so that they will die from fear and from the expectation of disasters for the whole world. In those days, after that sorrow, the sun will grow dim, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of Jesus Christ (His cross) will appear in heaven; then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (for fear of the judgment of God) and they will see Jesus Christ walking on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. As lightning flashes in the sky from east to west (and is immediately visible everywhere), so (visibly for everyone, suddenly) will be the coming of the Son of God.

About the day and hour of His coming to earth, Jesus Christ did not tell His disciples; “Only My Heavenly Father knows about this,” He said, and taught to be always ready to meet the Lord.

Once the Pharisees asked Jesus Christ: "When will the Kingdom of God come?"

The Savior answered: "The Kingdom of God will not come in a conspicuous way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or, behold, there, for the Kingdom of God is within you."

This means that the Kingdom of God has no boundaries, it is limitless everywhere. Therefore, in order to search for the Kingdom of God, we do not need to go somewhere far, "beyond the seas", to distant lands, we are not required to ascend to the clouds or descend into the abyss for this, but we need to seek the Kingdom of God in the place where we live , i.e., where they were placed by the Providence of God. Because the Kingdom of God develops and matures within a person, in a person's heart. The Kingdom of God is "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit," when the conscience and will of a person enter into complete harmony (in harmonious unity) with the mind and will of God. Then everything contrary to the will of God becomes disgusting to man. The visible realization of the Kingdom of God on earth is the Holy Church of Christ: in it everything is organized according to the Law of God.

Gospel of Luke, ch. 17, 20-21

About His last, terrible judgment over all people, at His second coming, Jesus Christ taught as follows:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He, as King, will sit on the throne of His glory. And all nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate some people from others (the faithful and good from the ungodly and evil), just as a shepherd separates sheep from goats; And He will put the sheep (the righteous) on His right hand, and the goats (sinners) on His left.

Then the King will say to those on His right hand: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; and you took me in; I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you visited me; I was in prison and you came to me."

Then the righteous will ask Him humbly: “Lord, when did we see You hungry and fed? Or thirsty and gave You drink? When did we see You a stranger and took You in? come to you?"

The king will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, because you did this to one of the least of these My brothers (i.e., for people in need), you did it to Me."

Then the King will also say to those on the left side: “Depart from Me, cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his Aggels. For I was hungry, and you did not give Me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give Me drink; and received me not; naked, and did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and did not visit me."

Then they too will say to Him in answer: “Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and not, serve You?”

But the King will say to them, "Truly I say to you, because you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me."

And they will go into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.

This day will be great and terrible for each of us. Therefore, this judgment is called Terrible, since our deeds, words, and the most secret thoughts and desires will be open to everyone. Then we will no longer have anyone to rely on, for the Judgment of God is righteous, and everyone will receive according to their deeds.

Gospel of Matthew, ch. 25, 31-46.

“And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14).
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

This is an indisputable fact - a person wants to know about his future. And what's next: after the last bell at school, after a happy moment of marriage, after the first steps of your baby, what's next? Both Christians and people who are far from faith are concerned about this issue, though they solve it differently ... Some rush to the prophets: "What will be said from God?" will be tomorrow?" Without denying the manifestation of the gift of the prophetic word in the modern evangelical church, I want to note that many Christians have a clear opinion: the prophetic word or revelation from God is more significant than the Word of God - the Gospel.
During business trips abroad, sincerely believing countrymen often ask me: “Well, brother, what does God say about the future?”, “What was said at the congress service?”, “What do the prophets say?”.

For those who are seriously thinking about the future - their own or the fate of their people, I advise you to carefully study the prophecies, which are not subject to any doubts about their truth and one hundred percent fulfillment. These prophecies belong to the greatest among the prophets born of women. I do not mean the prophet John the Baptist, although he received such a title from the Lord. We are talking about Jesus Christ - the biggest and most authoritative prophet of all times and generations. Is it possible to doubt that the Author of the book called "The History of Man" knows everything about his beginnings, development and his fate in eternity? He is outside of space and time, for Him “yesterday” and “tomorrow” are real “today”, therefore it would be appropriate in the context of the subject of our magazine to reflect on a special prophecy of Jesus Christ. This is a prophecy that is literally coming true even in these moments when you are reading the "Annunciation".

The main sign of the end times

Our contemporaries are tired of flashing the dates of the "last day". Dates came - he did not come. The false prophets didn't even blush when their predictions had less than a bubble effect. New hypotheses are put forward, more careful calculations are carried out, new dates are next in line ...

However, we are not interested in the fictions of false teachers, but in actual knowledge of the situation of today. And it lies in this prophecy of Jesus Christ: “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached ... to all nations; and then the end will come.” Therefore, we are eyewitnesses and witnesses of the fulfillment of the prophecy of God's Son. Because neither our people nor other peoples of the planet experienced such power in spreading the Good News before.

Judge for yourself:

— The Bible or some of its books have been translated into 2527 languages ​​of the peoples of the world. This is the largest number of translations of all times in all nations;

- The New Testament is fully translated into 1230 languages;

– in recent years, more than twenty translations into new languages ​​have been made, among them Chuvash (the language of the region where missionaries from Ukraine serve);

— 4 translations of the Bible were made only into Ukrainian.

This is incomplete information: each new day of the “end time” adds new languages ​​​​of the peoples of the world to the list.

I think that this information can become a weighty argument that confirms the truth of Christ's prophecy regarding the preaching of the Gospel to all the peoples of the world.

But it remains important not only to translate the Word, but also to practically convey the spiritual product to the “consumer”. Modern media technologies make it possible to transmit electronic versions of God's Word over any distance in a matter of seconds. Without leaving the studio, the preacher can address thousands of people on the other side of the planet.

The most isolated countries from the influence of Christianity are becoming accessible thanks to the Internet. Technological advances hasten the coming of Christ by penetrating through customs, borders, security, and many other obstacles that cannot be physically crossed. God remains true to His prophetic word - "the gospel will be preached to all nations."

But even with modern communication capabilities, this task seems almost impossible.
Let's go back to the original sources. Before His ascension, the Son of God entrusts this unusually difficult task to His followers. There were only twelve of them - and the whole world, all peoples. And this was at a time when there was no radio and printing press. Who could so encourage, give such a mighty supply of energy and boldness, so that at the first failure one would not stop, after the death of the first apostle one would not be at a loss, not die when hope was dying? The Lord had a plan, He knew Who would become a real force that could not be stopped by the borders of empires, prisons and amphitheaters with hungry predators, mountains of gold and all the delights of the world.

The Holy Spirit became such an inspirer and such a Person. The second prophecy of the Savior to His followers was as follows: “Do not leave Jerusalem yet, do not hasten to carry out the plan of My Father until such time as you are clothed with the power of the Holy Spirit, and then you will become My witnesses among all nations from Jerusalem and even to the end earth” (Acts 1:8). He, the Holy Spirit, abides with you and will be in you! This means that He, together with you, will carry out the work of preaching the gospel to the “last” end of the earth. Together with you he will go through the seas and deserts, together with you he will go into the huts of slaves and the palaces of emperors. Together with you he will rise to the scaffold, and only with Him will you stand on the threshold of Eternity!

"Spirit, what a moat before the battle..."

The socialist Ivan Franko did not even suspect that the phrase from his poem "The Eternal Revolutionary" would become a headline in a Christian magazine. But, examining the Word, one can confidently assert that the Holy Spirit has an openly “revolutionary” character. Not in the sense of political or social reformation of society, but in terms of changes in the human spiritual essence, the birth of a new personality, a new worldview, a new character.

Here are the Words with which the Lord characterized the dynamic Holy Spirit even before the day of Pentecost: “Comforter, the Holy Spirit will teach, remind, will testify, rebuke, reveal, will speak, glorify, proclaim, abide forever…”

A few illustrations regarding the reforming influence of the Holy Spirit on the individual.

Frightened fishermen - some of them shamefully ran away, some of them renounced - on the day of Pentecost become fearless, ardent adherents of the idea of ​​Christ. Here is an excerpt from a fiery speech by a Spirit-filled fisherman to the political and spiritual leaders of Jerusalem: “Leaders of the people and elders of Israel! If we are required today to respond in kindness to a man who is weak, how he is healed, then let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that in the name of Jesus Christ, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead ... He is a stone neglected by you ... And there is salvation in no one else…” (Acts 4:8-11). This is the apostle Peter after the day of Pentecost.

Early nineteenth century. A boy was born in the family of a pharmacist and preacher of the Methodist church. His name is Hudson Taylor. At the age of five, the boy told guests that in the future he would become a missionary, and China was the country that fascinated him the most. The Holy Spirit entered the young man's heart at the age of seventeen. One day, in his father's library, he began to read a Christian pamphlet. Suddenly he felt “a joyful conviction that… the light of the Holy Spirit broke into his soul. There was nothing left to do but fall on your knees and accept the Savior and His salvation.”

The Holy Spirit had a special effect on the heart of the founder of the Inner Chinese Mission. "Millions of people are dying without God" - this call resounded in all audiences and found a response in the hearts of the listeners. In 1914, the China Inland Mission became the largest missionary organization in the world, bringing the light of the gospel to the Chinese people.

It is worth recalling again the man of faith, Smith Wigglesworth. According to his testimony, one day God spoke to him and said: "Wigglesworth, I will burn you to the end, so that Wigglesworth will no longer exist, and then people will see only Jesus." Renewed and vindicated by the Holy Spirit, Smith constantly challenged all Christians. Here are his words: “Live prepared. If you start preparing when you have the opportunity, it will be too late. You don't have to prepare, you have to be ready all the time. Be filled with the Spirit, be immersed in the Spirit. Be so imbued with the Spirit that every thread of your life is imbued with the Holy Spirit. Then, when you are pushed to the wall or abused, then all that will manifest in you at that moment will be the character of Christ.
I recall the testimony of one of the missionaries in Russia. During an evangelistic service, a man possessed by an unclean spirit caused confusion and interfered with the meeting. All attempts to calm him failed. “I went backstage,” the brother testified, “and said to the Lord: “God, either You are now baptizing me with the Holy Spirit so that I have the strength to resist the demonic spirit, or I am picking up my things and going straight from here to the train station and to Ukraine.” . Suddenly, the Holy Spirit filled him to the fullest, and the preacher, clothed in God's power, returned to the hall, and the possessed person immediately left the room ...

These illustrations - and there are hundreds, thousands of them - show the powerful, "revolutionary", gracious action of the Holy Spirit on the personality of a person and his spirit. However, the tremendous power of the Holy Spirit manifests itself not only on individuals, but also on entire nations, reorganizing the political structure of the state and introducing profound moral changes in society.

About drops from a bucket

It will not be about healing spring water, not about its small particles the size of a baby's tear. God likens millions of peoples to drops from a bucket. “Behold, the nations are like drops from a bucket, and they are counted like a speck of dust on a balance” (Is. 40:15).

...Let's return to the day of Pentecost, but not just to the traditional holiday of the Jewish nation, but to the day when the fire of the Holy Spirit touched the representatives of the "drop-peoples" of almost twenty nationalities gathered in Jerusalem. Other tongues, as a sign of the baptism with the Holy Spirit, made it possible for representatives of different ethnic groups to understand the great deeds of God. This was in contrast to the Babylonian confusion of tongues that divided the ancient people. To unite "many drops" in one vessel called "Church" and divine influence on them, the Holy Spirit gave other languages. As Christian minister Don Richardson noted, “In light of the ministry of Jesus Christ and His clear plans for the whole world, the gift of speaking in the tongues of other nations, which has been poured out on believers, could have only one purpose ... the preaching of the Gospel (the influence of the Gospel) in all nations.” This, in fact, took place. From 120 followers, the Church instantly grew to 3120, and a few days later to 8120 people and continued to grow steadily. But the main idea of ​​this event is that representatives of almost twenty nationalities carried the message of the miracle of the day of Pentecost to their countries; The Holy Spirit began His work among them so that later, when the apostles would come with the gospel of the gospel, their hearts would be open to the Word.

The impact of the renewing power of the Holy Spirit on the cultures and nations of those times was so powerful that almost all of them were embraced by the gospel of the Word for about a century after the birth of Christ.

Holy Spirit - Reformer

The beginning of the sixteenth century was marked by a new breakthrough in the work of the Holy Spirit. The revelation received by Martin Luther - "the righteous will live by faith" opened a new era - the era of the Reformation. It touched not only human hearts, but also most seriously influenced the cultural and economic development of peoples. The Bible, translated by Luther, has become the main language-creating tool for the modern German language, as well as the Peresopnytsia Gospel for the formation of the Ukrainian ethnos into a single nation with its original language and culture.

... The two world wars that swept through our lands like a bloody wave, in addition to bringing grief, suffering and separation, became periods of great spiritual awakenings of our people.

During the First World War and after it, in the difficult times of the revolution, the civil war, the invasion of the Comuno-Bolshevik atheistic ideology, the Holy Spirit did His work through the preaching of the Gospel. Former prisoners of war returned home, without weapons, but with the Gospel and a fiery desire to preach Christ. At the same time, in distant America, the Holy Spirit fills a man named Nikita Cherkesov, according to the documents - Ivan Voronaev. Heeding the voice of the Holy Spirit, in 1920 he returned to Soviet Ukraine to witness and preach. Dozens of churches are born in Western Ukraine, thanks to the preaching of the missionaries of the Eastern European Mission. Two fronts - in the south and in the west of Ukraine, an awakening begins. The Second World War was another impetus in the spiritual revival of our people. It was during this period that the action of the Holy Spirit was unusually visible and powerful.

The seventy-year domination of the totalitarian regime made the church more united and monolithic. Thousands of people in different countries prayed for the iron curtain of communism to fall.

The influence of the action of the Holy Spirit, for which there was no barbed wire, borders, protection, continued, invisibly, but really changing the thinking of those in power, destroying the atheistic system from within. The fall of the Berlin Wall, the collapse of the "evil empire" - the Soviet Union - all this became a clear evidence of the action of the Holy Spirit through the prayers of the Church of Christ.

The unprecedented outbreak of awakening, from the end of the eighties of the last century to our time, still needs to be comprehended by Christian historians and analysts. The facts show that if during the atheist regime evangelical churches were spoken of as "anomalous sectarian groups", then according to official statistics, today (20 years later) more than a third of registered church communities are evangelical churches. Only the Church of Christians of the Evangelical Faith during this time has grown quantitatively by almost five times.

But not only in the territory of the vanished USSR, but also in the whole world, the Holy Spirit continues to confirm the prophecy of Christ that the Gospel will be preached to all nations. The clearest example of this today is the revival in China. The China House Church Association has over 50 million members and the number is growing daily. Today, the real need of people in the Bible is 34 million. Someone calculated: through each printed Bible, 3-4 Chinese turn to Christ.

I want to end with this illustration.

“In the middle of the twentieth century, after destroying all Christian libraries in China, Mao Zedong declared that the remnants of Christianity were forever removed from the country and it would never return. Less than 50 years later, on Easter Sunday 2009, Hong Kong's leading English-language newspaper featured on the front page a photo of Tiananmen Square, which instead of a portrait of Mao Zedong on a huge banner depicts Jesus, and at the bottom is the caption: "Christ is risen!" Today, the Church of China is growing most dynamically…”

The prophecy of Christ about the spread of the Gospel for all will surely come true to the last point. All the "drops from the bucket" - the peoples of the world - will definitely hear a sermon about Christ and about a new opportunity in Him. And the guarantee of this is the Holy Spirit, His power and strength, which are intended for every Christian as a witness to the world.

The prophecies about the Second Coming of Christ are set forth in the New Testament and are considered one of the dogmatic provisions of the Church. This event is also associated with some of the prophecies set forth in the Old Testament.

Since there is no exact description of the second coming in any of the sources, we can only rely on the prophecies given in the New Testament, and on the opinions of soothsayers. The researchers managed to decipher some of the predictions.

In the New Testament

The theme of the second coming is particularly well developed in the New Testament. This is the general belief of the Church, which has found its way into practically all ancient creeds.

In the biblical texts, on behalf of the apostles and Jesus Christ himself, nothing is directly indicated about the coming. This fact is argued by the fact that it is impossible for a person to know such things.

But researchers are pointing to some signs that the advent could happen. According to them, the prerequisites for the appearance of Christ on Earth will be as follows:

• Reducing faith and love in the souls of people, the fall of spirituality and the destruction of morality
• Natural disasters that now and then will occur on Earth
• A sign of the appearance is also considered "summer, when the trees bloom." What exactly this omen means is impossible to find out.
• The grandiose event will be preceded by extraordinary natural disasters. It can be earthquakes, celestial eclipses, massive falling stars from the sky.

According to the texts of the New Testament, the coming of Jesus Christ will be visible to the population of the planet. Every person will see it, at the moment when humanity falls into absolute despondency from the disasters that have befallen it.

The Prophecies of Edgar Cayce

The American mystic in his prophecies did not disregard the second coming. There are many interpretations of his predictions, and researchers identify two scenarios.

Option one:

• In 2013, an "unearthly child" will be born. He will surprise everyone with extraordinary miracles. Able to heal people from incurable diseases
• He will eventually be called the new Jesus. And he will carry out a special mission: he will establish contact between humanity and alien civilizations
• Miracles will continue. They will take place in a church environment

According to the second version of the interpretation of the prediction, a new one will appear at the beginning of the 21st century, literally descend from the sky. The harbinger of this significant event will be the discovery of the oldest library in Egypt.

Vanga's prophecy

The most mysterious soothsayer also promised humanity a second coming. She did not give the exact date of this event, but said that it is very close.

Vanga believed that Jesus would appear to people in a white robe. And this will happen as a result of utter lawlessness and evil, which will begin to happen everywhere on the planet. After rampant pornography, promotion of sexual emancipation, the spread of drug addiction.

The appearance of Jesus will become a necessary measure. The goal is to stop licentiousness, restore spiritual values ​​and moral principles, give humanity hope for healing from everything sinful and evil.

Prophecy of the Old Testament

The prophet, known for his supernatural abilities, also predicted the second coming of Christ to Earth. He believed that the prophet would appear in the period from 2036-2038.

This prediction came to him in a dream.

Purposes of Christ's Coming

According to the researchers, the great prophet will appear on Earth to fulfill a specific mission. His goals:

1. Fulfill God's will regarding evil in all its incarnations. It will be necessary to literally “restrain Satan and his accomplices”, who have gone too far and are doing evil on earth almost openly
2. Gather the elect in Armageddon to guide humanity along the path of spiritual development
3. Eliminate the consequences of human sins and eliminate the revolt of the forces of evil

From the foregoing it is clear that Jesus will appear on earth at the worst time for mankind. This will be the time of the fall of spiritual values, the superiority of everything material, the triumph of evil over good.

Watch a video analyzing the prophecies regarding the second coming:

Description of the advent

The image of Jesus at the second coming will be different from the one formed in the minds of people. It will no longer be a Bethlehem baby and not an affectionate husband. The image of Christ, on the contrary, will take on the form of a formidable but just judge and warrior.

It is believed that he will appear from the clouds, and every inhabitant of the planet will see him. Christ, together with his followers, will travel throughout the earth, spreading good around him and destroying evil.

Some sources indicate that he "will sweep before the sun so that every person may see him." In other descriptions, the image is described as "a man jumping to earth from heaven"

The opinions of researchers agree on one thing: the second coming of Christ will not be like anything that people have ever felt or seen. The prophet will be dressed in white clothes stained with blood. And he will be called King or Lord.

As a result, Jesus will lead the army of saints who previously lived with him in heaven. Together they will become the personification of goodness and righteousness. The task of this army is to send all unworthy sinners to purgatory, and put at the head of the world those who will restore good on Earth.

This time Jesus will come to earth with a punishing sword, he will not be unarmed. This sword is a symbol of the judgment that will be done. It is also the personification of the Word of God, the immutable law. With the help of this sword, all evil will be destroyed, and good will triumph.

Fortune telling today with the help of the Tarot "Card of the Day" layout!

For correct divination: focus on the subconscious and do not think about anything for at least 1-2 minutes.

When you're ready, draw a card:

“The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15), - this is the main idea in the preaching of Christ. He Himself explains to people how to understand the prophecies about His birth, death and Second Coming.

The birth of the Messiah was proclaimed primarily in Judea. On the hills of Bethlehem, angels announced the birth of Jesus. Magi came to Jerusalem in search of Him. Here Christ called His first disciples, and here most of His earthly ministry took place. His divinity, so clearly manifested during the cleansing of the temple, the miraculous healings performed by Him, and the lessons spoken by His lips - all this reinforced His words, spoken to the Sanhedrin after the healing of the sick man in Bethesda, that He is the Son of God.

The Sanhedrin rejected the message of Christ and desired His death. Jesus, having left Jerusalem, the priests, the temple, the religious leaders and legalists, turned to another part of the society to proclaim His message and choose those who would preach the gospel to all nations.

Just as in the days of Christ the church authorities rejected the light and the life in Christ, the same pattern is seen in every succeeding generation. When the reformers began to preach the Word of God, they did not even think of separating from the established church, but the religious leaders turned out not to need light, and those who carried it were forced to turn to another part of society, to people who were thirsty for the truth.

The Jerusalem rabbis despised the inhabitants of Galilee, considering them rude and ignorant, but the Savior found fertile ground here. People here were more open to accepting the truth. Galilee at that time was densely populated by people of different nationalities, and there were much more of them than in Judea.

When Jesus traveled through Galilee, instructing and healing the people, many people flocked to Him from cities and villages. Many even came from Judea and the surrounding areas. Sometimes it was necessary to restrain the enthusiasm of the people so that the Roman authorities did not suspect an uprising. Never before has the world experienced such a time as this. The sky is closer to the people. Hungry and thirsty souls were saturated with the grace of the Savior.

The gospel message preached by the Savior Himself was based on prophecy. The “time” that He announced was the prophetic period mentioned by the archangel Gabriel in conversation with Daniel: “Seventy weeks are appointed for your people and your holy city, so that transgression may be covered, sins may be sealed, and iniquities may be blotted out, and eternal righteousness may be brought forth, and the vision and the prophet may be sealed, and the Holy of Holies may be anointed” (Daniel 9:24) . A day in prophecy equals a year (see Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6). Seventy weeks, or four hundred and ninety days, means four hundred and ninety years.

The countdown was given: “Therefore, know and understand: from the time the command goes out to rebuild Jerusalem, until Christ the Sovereign is seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” (Daniel 9:25), - 69 weeks, or 483 years. The command to restore and build Jerusalem, put into effect by the decree of Artaxerxes Longiman (see Ezra 6:14; 7:1, 9), came out in the autumn of 457 BC. From this time we count 483 years and get the date: 27 ad. According to prophecy, at the end of this time, the Messiah, the anointed of God, should come. In AD 27, Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at the time of his baptism, and shortly thereafter began His ministry. Then the message sounded: “The time has come.”

"And he shall establish the covenant for many for one week." For seven years after the Savior began His ministry, the gospel was to be preached mainly to the Jews: three and a half years by Christ Himself, and then by the apostles. “In the middle of the week, the sacrifice and the offering will cease” (Daniel 9:27). In the spring of AD 31, Christ - the true sacrifice - was crucified on Golgotha. And then the veil in the temple was torn into two parts - a sign that the sacrificial service had lost its holiness and significance. The time for earthly sacrifice and offering is over.

One week - seven years - ended in A.D. 34. After stoning Stephen, the Jews finally rejected the Gospel: the disciples, scattered due to persecution, “went and preached the word” (Acts 8:4). After some time, the persecutor Saul converted and became Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles.

The time of Christ's coming, His anointing with the Holy Spirit, His death, and the proclaiming of the gospel to the Gentiles are clearly indicated by prophecy. The Jewish people were given the opportunity to comprehend these prophecies and observe their fulfillment in the mission of Jesus. Christ pointed out to His disciples the importance of studying prophecy. Referring to Daniel's prophecy of that time, He said: “He who reads, let him understand” (Matthew 24:15).

Archangel Gabriel, second in position after the Son of God, came to Daniel with the Divine message. It was Gabriel, “His angel,” that Christ sent to reveal the future to His beloved John. All who read and hear the words of the prophecy and keep what is written in it are promised a blessing.

“For the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). God's blessings will always accompany a reverent, prayerful study of the prophetic Scriptures.

Just as the message of the First Coming of Christ proclaimed the Kingdom of His grace, so the message of the Second Coming proclaims the Kingdom of His glory. This message is also based on prophecy. Everything that the angel said to Daniel regarding the last days must be understood in the last days. Then "many will read it [the book] and knowledge will increase." The Savior Himself, pointing to the signs of His coming, said: “When you see that coming true, know that the Kingdom of God is near… Look after yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with overeating and drunkenness and worldly cares, and lest that day come upon you suddenly… Therefore, watch at all times and pray, yes be able to escape all these future [disasters] and stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:31, 34, 36).

We have reached the prophetic age foretold in these Scriptures. The time of the end has come, the visions of the prophets are open, their solemn warnings point to the nearness of the coming of the Lord in glory. But the kingdom of this world occupies people's minds, and they do not notice the fast-fulfilling prophecies and signs of the soon-coming Kingdom of God. And although we do not know the hour of the Lord's return, we know that it is near, so we ask each reader to carefully study the prophecies of the Bible and pray in order to be ready to meet the Savior Jesus Christ and inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ellen White, The Desire of Ages