PROPHECY AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

A. PURPOSES OF CHRIST'S COMING
1. Meeting at Armageddon
2. God's Protection of Israel
3. Fulfillment of humanity's destiny
B. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMING OF CHRIST
1. The names He bears
2. The clothes He wears
3. The armies He commands
4. The Sword He Carries With Him
C. THE POWER OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING
1. Quick solution
2. Inevitable death
3. Binding Satan
D. THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
1. The essence of the court
2. Criteria for trial
3. Israel's repentance

PROPHECY AND THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

Jesus Christ said (John 14:3),
3* And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to Myself, so that you also may be where I am. And the angels who appeared at His ascension said to the disciples (Acts 1:11):
11* and they said: Men of Galilee! Why are you standing and looking at the sky? This Jesus, who has ascended from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him ascending into heaven.
The return of Christ to earth is the culmination of history and the event about which the Bible prophesies so much. Jesus Christ will return at the end of the Great Tribulation—Daniel's final week—to subdue His enemies and usher in His millennial kingdom.
The chronology of events is laid out for us in Revelation 19:11-21. These verses describe the culmination of Satan's rebellion and his defeat at the Battle of Armageddon. We will look at this important event, but I would also like to explore another judgment that will take place when Christ returns—a judgment that is often misunderstood and which Jesus described in Matthew 25:31-46.

A. PURPOSES OF CHRIST'S COMING

The second coming of Christ is introduced by the brief but powerful words of the Apostle John: And I saw heaven opened (Rev 19:11).

This proclamation signals the return of Christ to earth to fulfill God's purposes against Satan and his associates, as well as His chosen people Israel at Armageddon. The Second Coming will also fulfill the purpose for mankind in God's plan as He removes the curse of sin and ends the conflict of angels that began with Satan's rise in heaven. Let's see how these goals will be achieved when the heavens open and when Christ rides on the white horse.

1. Meeting at Armageddon

History records that Greek general Alexander the Great said that Megiddo, the scene of the battle of Armageddon, was the most natural battlefield in the world. Alexander spoke of a plain that extended for many miles and provided room for the maneuvers of numerous armies. This is where Satan, the Antichrist and the false prophet will gather their armies against God, who will carry out His plan of judgment on them. When the heavens opened, John saw a terrifying sight (Rev 19:11):
11* And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it was called Faithful and True, Who judges righteously and makes war.
The image of a winner riding a white horse could easily be imagined by any person who lived during the time of the New Testament. When the victorious Roman general returned from battle with his captives and booty, he rode in a victory parade on a white horse through Rome. The white horse in those days was a symbol of victory. Therefore, the Bible pictures Jesus Christ returning to earth on the day of His victory, the day when He will claim the final and final victory in history.
In Zechariah 14:2 the Lord says:

In the previous chapter we saw that, according to Rev. 16:12-14, Satan and his unholy trinity will gather the nations to the battle of Armageddon.
12* The sixth angel poured out his bowl into the great river Euphrates: and the water in it dried up, so that the way for the kings would be ready from the rising of the sun.
13* And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs:
14* these are demonic spirits performing signs; they go out to the kings of the earth throughout the universe to gather them for battle on that great day of God Almighty.
The difference is that Zechariah spoke from God's perspective, while John described events from an earthly perspective. I want to point out that even when Satan is doing his work, he is actually carrying out God's program. The devil is a puppet on a string for God. Even on his best days, all Satan does is help further God's agenda. Never forget this.

2. God's Protection of Israel

Let's go back to Zech 14, which describes Satan's attempt to destroy Israel at Armageddon and God's protection of His people (Zech 14:2-4):
2* And I will gather all the nations to war against Jerusalem, and the city will be taken, and the houses will be plundered, and the women will be dishonored, and half the city will go into captivity; but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.
3* Then the Lord will come out and fight against these nations, just as he fought on the day of battle.
4* And His feet will stand in that day on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will split in two from east to west into a very large valley, and half of the mountain will go to the north, and half of it to the south.
This will be an event! We know that God will supernaturally intervene in Armageddon, and this prophecy gives us more details. The Mount of Olives is located directly in front of Jerusalem, a short distance from the city. Jesus Christ ascended from the Mount of Olives, called "Oleon" in Acts 1:12,
12* Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mountain called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath's journey away.
and He will return to this same place to protect His people when the battle rages against Jerusalem, the central target of Armageddon. From these verses in the book of Zechariah it is clear that at one point in the battle the situation in Jerusalem will become hopeless. Satan has always been determined to destroy God's people, and at that time he will try to make the most of his chance. But everything will change dramatically when Jesus' feet touch the Mount of Olives. The mountain will split all the way to the Dead Sea.
In fact, Eze 47:1-10 says that when this happens, the Dead Sea will change from lifeless due to the high concentration of salt to a lake full of life. Nature itself will be raised up and made alive at the return of Christ (see Rom 8:19-22).
19* For the creation waits with hope for the revelation of the sons of God,
20* because the creation was subjected to vanity, not voluntarily, but by the will of him who subjected it, in hope,
21* that the creation itself will be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22* For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now;
When Jesus Christ returns at Armageddon as Israel's Champion, the tide of battle will change dramatically. This is described in Zechariah 12:2-4:
2* Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trance for all the surrounding nations, and also for Judah during the siege of Jerusalem.
3* And it shall come to pass in that day that I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all nations; all who lift him up will tear themselves apart, and all the nations of the earth will gather against him.
4* On that day, says the Lord, I will smite every horse with madness and its rider with madness, and I will open My eyes against the house of Judah; I will smite every horse among the nations with blindness.
When Jesus intervenes in the battle, everything will change at lightning speed. This prophecy vividly describes the blow that Israel will deal to its invaders when the Lord comes to strengthen His people and fight for them. I really like Zechariah's description of how God will strengthen Israel against her enemies (Zechariah 12:8):
8* On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and the weakest among them on that day will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord before them.
If you have ever wondered why no one can destroy Israel even though it is a tiny country surrounded by enemies that greatly outnumber it, here is the reason. God is the Protector of Israel.

3. Fulfilling humanity's destiny

Now let's talk about another, more extensive goal that Christ will achieve at His return. My point is that the return of Christ and the defeat of Satan will be the culmination of the reason why humanity was created in the first place. This brings us back to the starting point of our research - to the conflict of angels that began in heaven.
God created man as a lesser creature than the angels to demonstrate His power to Satan and all the angels who followed him in rebellion against God (Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8:3-6).
26* And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.
27* And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female he created them.
28* And God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.
***
3* (8-4) When I look at Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, at the moon and the stars that You have set,
4* (8-5) what is man, that You are mindful of him, and the son of man, that You visit him?
5* (8-6) You made him a little lower than the Angels: you crowned him with glory and honor;
6* (8-7) You have made him ruler over the works of Your hands; He laid everything under his feet:
In essence, God said to Satan, “I will defeat you through a man” (Dan 7:13-14; Heb 2:5-8, 14).
13* I saw in the night visions, behold, one like the Son of Man walked with the clouds of heaven, came to the Ancient of Days and was brought to Him.
14* And to Him was given dominion, glory, and a kingdom, that all nations, nations, and languages ​​should serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which will not pass away, and His kingdom will not be destroyed.

5* For God did not subject the future universe of which we speak to angels;
6* On the contrary, someone testified nowhere, saying: What does a man mean, that You remember him? or son of man, that You visit him?
7* You have made him a little lower than the Angels; You crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands,
8* put everything under his feet. When he had subdued everything to him, he left nothing unsubdued to him. Now we still do not see that everything has been subjugated to him;
14* And just as the children share in flesh and blood, He also took part in them, so that by death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil,
So Satan began to hunt Adam and Eve, and he imagined that he could outmaneuver God when Adam fell. But God promised the coming of the Seed - another Man named Jesus Christ, the last Adam, through whom God would have the final victory. Satan did not count on God becoming a man in the Person of Christ. Satan also hunted for Christ - first immediately after His birth, and then on the cross, but all was in vain. And so, at Armageddon, we see Jesus and redeemed humanity, among the armies of heaven, come to deal the final blow to Satan.
Jesus Christ is the executor of God's judgment as well as the executor of redemption (see John 5:27).
27* And he gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.

B. DESCRIPTION OF THE COMING OF CHRIST

With all of this in mind, we are now ready to look at Rev. 19 and its magnificent description of the return of Jesus Christ in power and glory. This is not the Baby of Bethlehem about whom we sing, and not the gentle Jesus who holds children on his lap. This is the God-man of heaven, who comes to judge and fight. And what a phenomenon it will be! John said that “every eye will see Him” (Rev 1:7).
7* Behold, he comes with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the families of the earth will mourn before Him. Hey, amen.
How will this be possible for people who do not have television? It seems to me that Christ and His accompanying hosts will travel around the world, passing before the sun during the daytime, so that every person on earth will witness this incredible spectacle. The return of Christ will definitely be unlike anything humans have ever seen or experienced.
Notice what the Bible says about Christ leaping from heaven.

1. The names He bears

The Bible says that He who is brought down from heaven on a white horse “is called Faithful and True” (Rev 19:11).
11* And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse, and he who sat on it was called Faithful and True, Who judges righteously and makes war.
Jesus is called Faithful because, as a perfect Man, He is completely obedient to the will of God, unlike the first Adam, who was disobedient and plunged the human race into sin. Christ is called True, in contrast to Satan and his supporters, who are liars. Because Jesus is God, He is the embodiment of truth (see John 14:6).
6* Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.
Such a person cannot help but judge fairly!
I am intrigued by another name that Jesus bore that no one knew but Himself (Rev 19:12).

When God gives a name to a person, it means a lot because in the Bible, names always reflect the character of a person. Therefore, there is probably something in the character of Christ that has not yet been discovered, and something special about Him we have yet to learn.
Next, in Rev. 19:13 we read His Name: `The Word of God'.

Jesus Christ is the ultimate expression of God's character and personality because He is God in the flesh.
There is another name given to Christ in this passage (Rev 19:16).
16* On His robe and on His thigh is written the name: “King of kings and Lord of lords.”
Jesus is King over every other man called king, and Master over every other man called lord, because all the rulers of the earth will bow before Him.

2. The clothes He wears

When Jesus returns, He will also have many crowns on His head (Rev 19:12).
12* His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on His head are many crowns. He had a written name that no one knew except Himself.
These crowns are symbols of His victory because He will come to crush the rebellion and take power into His hands.
The Lord will also be “clothed with blood stained with blood” (Rev 19:13),
13* He was clothed in clothing stained with blood. His name is: 'Word of God'.
because He will come to judge. When Jesus returns to this earth, no one will doubt His authority or His intentions.

3. The armies He commands

Jesus will not return alone (Rev 19:14).
14* And the armies of heaven followed Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
These are the saints who are in heaven, including the Church that was raptured at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. This means that we will be in this army. These saints are clothed in white linen, symbolizing righteousness—the righteousness of saints (Rev. 19:8).
8* And it was given to her to be clothed in fine linen, clean and bright; The fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.
Why are we dressed in the robe of righteousness? Because after the rapture we will go through the judgment seat of Christ, at which all our unworthy deeds will be burned. Only the good will remain, so that when we return with Christ to reign with Him in His kingdom, we will appear in the robe of righteousness.

4. The Sword He Carries With Him

Jesus will not come unarmed (Rev 19:15).
15* Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword, to smite the nations. He shepherds them with a rod of iron; He tramples the winepress of the wrath and wrath of God Almighty.
The sharp sword in the mouth of Jesus is the Word of God, which the writer of Hebrews described as being able to discern the deepest thoughts and motives of our lives (Heb. 4:12).
12* For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
This sword speaks of judgment. This is also indicated by the image of the wine press of God's wrath. He will grind His enemies into pulp. Jesus Christ will judge the nations and rule the nations with His Word. This judgment will, in fact, be so imminent that before the battle of Armageddon an angel will appear to announce the outcome and invite the birds to “the great supper of God” (Rev 19:17):
17* And I saw one angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of the sky: Fly, gather together for the great supper of God,
on which they will feed on the corpses of God's enemies. Those who will gather against God at Armageddon are the people who refused to repent during the Tribulation, even though God demonstrated that He alone is God. If you refuse to repent, then judgment awaits you too. John said (Rev 19:19):
19* And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to fight against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
The armies will be massed to have a great battle in which they will think they can overthrow God. But in fact they will be gathered for a great judgment in which they will become food for vultures after Christ simply speaks the Word with His mouth.

C. THE POWER OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

After both sides of the Armageddon controversy turn against each other, the next thing we see is the lightning-fast, awesome power that Christ will display at His return.

1. Quick solution

The fact is that Armageddon will not be at all like an ordinary battle. The outcome of the case will be decided very quickly, one might say, even before it begins. By the way, Jesus Christ was accustomed to conducting such lightning-fast battles. He fought one of these battles as the “Angel of the Lord” - it was under this name that He appeared in the Old Testament before His incarnation. We are told in 2 Kings 19:35 that the Angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night, all on his own.
35* And it happened that night: the angel of the Lord went and smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of Assyria. And they got up in the morning, and behold, all the bodies were dead.
When Jesus strikes a blow of judgment, it is always catastrophic. It does not take Him years, months, or even days to defeat His enemies.

2. Inevitable death

Participants in Armageddon who try to defeat Christ will face inevitable judgment. The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who performed miracles in his presence, with which he deceived people who accepted the mark of the beast and worshiped his image; these two were thrown into the lake of fire, burning with sulfur. The rest were killed by the sword that came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and the birds ate their fill of their flesh (Rev 19:20-21).
20* And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who performed miracles before him, with which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image: both were thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone;
21* And the rest were killed by the sword of Him who sat on the horse, which proceeded from His mouth, and all the birds fed on their carcasses.
Jesus will kill the human kings and their armies at Armageddon, and they will later appear before God at the Great White Throne Judgment (see Chapter 15 of this book). But an even more swift judgment is prepared for the Antichrist and his false prophet. They will be sent straight into the lake of fire without even experiencing death. This is a terrible picture of judgment and God's wrath poured out on sinful man. The scale of bloodshed is beyond our imagination - armies consisting of hundreds of millions of people will be wiped off the face of the earth with one breath from the lips of Jesus Christ.
This brings us back to where we started. If you refuse to repent, you will fall into the hands of the living God, and that, as the Bible says, is a terrible thing (Heb. 10:31).
31* It’s scary to fall into the hands of the living God!

3. Binding Satan

After Jesus deals with two of Satan's trio, He turns His attention to Satan himself, the instigator of the rebellion. Armageddon will be followed by the “arrest” of Satan and his imprisonment for a thousand years. This is how John described it (Rev 20:1-3):
1* And I saw an angel descending from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand.
2* He took the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
3* And he cast him into the abyss, and shut him up, and put a seal over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were ended; after this he should be released for a short time.
But this conclusion is not yet the final and eternal judgment of Satan, because at the end of the millennium he will once again come out to deceive the nations and organize his very last rebellion against Christ. This brief rebellion will also culminate in the defeat of Satan and his casting into the lake of fire forever (Rev 20:7-10).
7* When the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that 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.
8* And they went out into the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.
9* And fire fell from heaven from God and consumed them;
10* and the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
Satan will be locked up for a thousand years because during that time Christ will reign on earth in perfect righteousness. The absence of the devil is one of the reasons why the kingdom will be so wonderful. Jesus will be running the show and the devil will be nowhere to be found. During the kingdom, we will experience what humanity has always longed for—a utopia on earth without hatred, war, crime, or other visible manifestations of sin or rebellion.
Life in the kingdom will continue naturally in the sense that people will be born and die and go about their daily activities, because it will not yet be an eternity. This is why when Satan rises again at the end of the millennium, he will still be able to find some people to follow him.
The second coming of Christ will remove the Antichrist and his kingdom from the earth and will be the beginning of His own millennial reign of righteousness. And we will be participants in this action.

D. THE JUDGMENT OF THE NATIONS AT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

It is obvious that the second coming of Jesus Christ means judgment for His enemies and blessing for those who know Him. This is clear from the second event that will occur when Christ returns - the judgment of the nations in Matthew 25:31-46. Many Christians do not understand this passage correctly for several reasons. One reason is that so often these verses are cited as the standard for how we should treat people today. But this interpretation ignores the specific context that Jesus Himself provided for this teaching (Mt 25:31).
31* When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory,
Another reason for the confusion is that this judgment is more difficult to fit into the sequence of end-time events. It seems that he stands apart. But this fact should not prevent us from trying to understand this passage and the judgment that Christ is talking about here.

1. The essence of the court

In Matthew 25, Jesus answered the question of what will happen to the millions of people around the world who will experience the Tribulation and will survive when “the Son of Man comes in His glory.” According to Jesus, at this time the nations will be judged. Jesus will sit on His throne of glory (Mt 25:31), which speaks of His role as King and Judge. He told us what would happen (Mt 25:32-34, 41):
32* and all nations will be gathered before Him; and will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
33* And He will put the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left.
34* Then the King will say to those on His right hand: Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

This is the judgment that the King will pronounce on these two groups. Now let's go back and look at the criteria for this trial.

2. Criteria for trial

Jesus gave the righteous group of people, the sheep, a number of reasons why they were qualified to inherit the kingdom (Mt 25:35-36):
35* For I was hungry, and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you accepted Me;
36* I was naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.
Let me summarize the rest of the passage to focus on its central elements and see what Jesus was talking about here. The righteous are surprised by such praise from King Jesus, and they ask when they did all this (Mt 25:37-40).
37* Then the righteous will answer Him: Lord! when did we see you hungry and feed you? or to the thirsty and gave them something to drink?
38* when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you? or naked and clothed?
39* When did we see You sick, or in prison, and came to You?

Jesus gave them the classic answer that is the main reason for the confusion surrounding Mt 25 (Mt 25:40):
40* And the King will answer them, “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did it to Me.”
Then, in Art. 41-45, the people on the left side of the King are judged by the same standard, with the difference that they fail the test and receive eternal damnation in hell.
41* Then He will also say to those on the left hand: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
42* For I was hungry, and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink;
43* I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me.
44* Then they too will answer Him: Lord! when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not serve You?
45* Then he will answer them, “Truly I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.”
The very first thing we need to see is that Jesus does not teach any other way of salvation than by faith in Him. He didn't say that if you feed the hungry or welcome strangers, you can earn a place in His kingdom. There is no other criterion for salvation than faith in the finished work of Christ on the cross. Whether men stand before Christ as sheep or goats, saved or lost, will be determined by the time He makes the division. Those whom He places at the right hand are already His sheep. That is, they already belong to Him. They demonstrated that they belonged to Christ by their kindness to His "brethren."
We'll talk about what these brothers are in a few moments. So this passage is not talking about how people can be saved. He also does not speak of the present tense, but of the coming of Christ in glory. This takes us to the end of the Tribulation, which is the key to finding out who Jesus' brothers are. These brothers are the 144,000 Jewish evangelists who will go throughout the world to preach the Gospel during the Tribulation, and the sheep among the nations are all the people they will bring to Christ during this terrible period of suffering and persecution.
Remember: none of the saved will be left on earth and will not enter the Tribulation. Therefore, the only way that multitudes of believers can stand before Christ at His second coming is if they become Christians during the Tribulation. But why did Jesus talk about the attitude of people towards His brothers during the tribulation? Because the only people who would dare serve these Jewish evangelists are those who did not receive the mark of the beast. In other words, we know that during the Tribulation, anyone who confesses Christ and does anything to further His cause will incur persecution from the Antichrist. People who believe in Christ will have to give up the mark of the beast, and by doing so they will expose themselves to incredible danger. Therefore, the decision to help or refuse to help these specially appointed Jewish evangelists during the Tribulation will be a test of the truth of a person's faith. Those who prove their faith in Christ by remaining faithful to Him will enter the kingdom, while the goats, that is, those who refused to accept Christ, will be cast out to hell.

3. Israel's repentance

I would also like to briefly consider what will happen to Israel at the second coming of Christ. Israel will not be included in the judgment of the nations, which will primarily concern the Gentiles. According to Ezekiel 20:33-38, God will separate Israel and enter into personal judgment with His chosen people. At this moment the Israelites will look to Christ, whom they have pierced (Zechariah 12:10),
10* And on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem I will pour out the spirit of grace and compunction, and they will look at Him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only begotten son, and grieve as one mourns for the firstborn.
and they will mourn for Him. Israel will recognize Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and all years of resistance to Him will end. Christ will sit on the throne of David as the recognized King of Israel and the King of the whole world.
Over the years, some people have said that recent events are too much like a Hollywood script to be true. Too much had to happen to prepare the world for His coming. But today these events no longer seem so distant. The country of Israel exists surrounded by enemies. The European Confederation is taking shape and already today uses a single currency - the euro. Instant global communications are in effect. All this is worth paying attention to, but God calls us not to look for signs.
He calls us to seek the Son.
In a series of films dedicated to the character called the Terminator, actor Arnold Schwarzenegger uttered the legendary phrase: “I will be back.” It was a promise that even if evil continued to mount for some time and his enemies seemed to be gaining the upper hand, the hero would have the final say.
In the midst of growing evil today, Jesus Christ tells us, “I will return.” Although the devil may think he has won, Christ says, “I will return.” And He will return with an army of saints to destroy His enemies. Therefore, when you open the newspaper and see how evil is spreading, and all events are rushing towards the return of Christ, do not take your eyes off Him. Our prayer today should be the prayer of the saints in the book of Revelation: “Amen. Hey, come, Lord Jesus!” (Rev 22:20).
20* He who testifies to this says: I am coming quickly! Amen. Hey, come, Lord Jesus!

Prophecies about Russia and the world

“Everything that is called “Decembrists”, “reformers” and, in a word, belongs to the “life-improving party” is true anti-Christianity, which, as it develops, will lead to the destruction of Christianity on earth and partly Orthodoxy and will end with the reign of the Antichrist over all countries of the world, except for Russia, which will merge into one with the other Slavic countries and form a huge ocean of people, before which the other tribes of the earth will be in fear. And this is as true as two and two make four.”

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov

...Still, the Lord is not completely angry with His third chosen people. The blood of thousands of martyrs will cry to heaven for mercy. Sobering up and a return to God will begin among the people themselves. The period of cleansing testing determined by the Just Judge will finally pass, and holy Orthodoxy will once again shine with the bright light of revival 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 flourishing” – 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. Philadelphian Church – King and People. The fate of the Tsar is the fate of Russia. Vision of John of Kronstadt

Antichrist. Signs of the imminent appearance 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 governance, both he and his preparation, and the consequences of that are included. Not because God wants such evil for people, but because people will bring themselves to this. God postponed this moment until the last possible opportunity, waiting to see if anyone else would appear who wanted to turn to Him. When there is no one left to wait, 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 the Churches?”- answered: “No, only an 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 century, the completeness of the number is 7. The number of the future century is 8. Only individuals will join our Church...”

Archbishop Feofan of Poltava (1873-1940):“I don’t know anything yet about the Eighth Ecumenical Council. I can only say in the words of a saint Theodora Studita: « Not every meeting of bishops is a council, but only a meeting of bishops who stand in the Truth" A truly ecumenical council does not depend on the number of bishops gathered for it, but on whether it will philosophize or teach “Orthodoxly.” If he deviates from the truth, he will not be universal, even if he calls himself by the name of universal. “The famous “robber council” was at one time more numerous than many ecumenical councils, and yet it was not recognized as ecumenical, but received the name “robber council”!..”

Persecution of Christians

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

And in the days of that great tribulation, about which it is said that no flesh would have been saved if those days had not been shortened for the sake of the elect... in those days... the remnant of the faithful will have to 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 abandoned 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 humanity by the Grace of God, but only for a very short time, after which the Lord will not hesitate to appear in all His glory and all the Holy Angels with Him. And then everything predetermined from eternity in the eternal Council will be accomplished in its entirety.

“Conversation of St. Seraphim about the purpose of Christian life. San Francisco, 1968, p.82"

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

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

Many Christians will be tortured. This will be the greatest and last 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 who have accepted his seal. The priesthood will help the Antichrist...with their human and spiritual deeds, 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 members of the Church to accept the Antichrist. And whoever does not obey the orders of the Antichrist will be subjected to endless torment. The Holy Fathers of our Church say that the martyrs of the Antichrist's time 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 above all martyrs” (St. Cyril of Jerusalem).”

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

Retreat of the Episcopate

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833):“To me, poor Seraphim, the Lord revealed that there will be great disasters on the Russian land, the Orthodox faith will be trampled upon, the bishops of the Church of God and other clergy will depart from the purity of Orthodoxy, and for this the Lord will severely punish them. I, poor Seraphim, prayed to the Lord for three days and three nights that He would rather 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 lips they honor Me, but their heart is far from Me” (Mt. 15:7-9).

The future fate of Russia. Prophecies of St. Seraphim of Sarov. "Day". 1991. No. 1. p.7

“I, poor Seraphim, am destined by the Lord God to live much more than a hundred years. But since by that time the Russian bishops will have become so wicked that their wickedness will surpass the Greek bishops during the time of Theodosius the Younger, so even the most important dogma of the Christian Faith - The Resurrection of Christ and the General Resurrection will no longer believe, then therefore the Lord God willed until the time of me, poor Seraphim, to take from this temporary life and then in support of the dogma of the resurrection, resurrect me, and my resurrection will be like the resurrection of the seven youths in the Okhlonskaya cave during the time of Theodosius the Younger.”

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

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

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

"Before the end there will be flourishing"

“Do not be afraid and do not be afraid, brothers, let the seditious Satanists console themselves for a moment with their hellish successes: their judgment is from God “It will not touch them, and their destruction will not sleep”(2 Peter 2, 3). The right hand of the Lord will find all those who hate us and will avenge us righteously.“Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” says the Lord (Heb. 10:30). Therefore, let us not give in to despondency, seeing everything that is happening in the world today!”

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

“The Lord, like a skilled physician, subjects us to various temptations, sorrows, illnesses and troubles in order to purify us like gold in the crucible. A soul, entrenched in sins of all kinds, does not easily lend itself to cleansing and healing, but with great compulsion and patience, and only through a long experience of patience and suffering, it masters virtue and begins to passionately love God, Whom it was alien, having learned all kinds of carnal sins. This is the purpose of the troubles and sorrows sent to us by God in this life. They are needed both by individuals and by entire 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.”

"Soulful 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 carried out 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 the time will come to flourish. Temples will begin to be built again. There will be blossoming before the end.”

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 spoken to him by the Lord in a subtle dream:

- Behold, I will exalt Orthodoxy in the Russian land and from there it will shine throughout 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 should disappear? – I asked.

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

But here I dared to object:

- Lord, but how can this be, when for so many years people there have not heard the word of God, 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 hearts, 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. Now I will stretch out My right hand and Orthodoxy from Russia will shine throughout the whole world, and the time will come when children there will carry stones on their shoulders to build churches. My hand is strong and there is no such power either in heaven or on earth that could resist it.

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

A prediction found in the ancient Greek books of the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified by the Russian monk Anthony Savaito, built on the prophecies of the Holy Fathers from Greek texts:

“The end times have not yet arrived, and it is completely wrong to believe that we are on the threshold of the coming of the Antichrist, because There is still one and last flowering of Orthodoxy ahead, this time throughout the world - led by Russia. It will happen after a terrible war, in which either ½ or 2/3 of humanity will die 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 (This refers to the preaching of the Gospel in the world by Catholics, Protestants and various kinds of sectarians).
2. There will be a period of global prosperity - but not for long.
3. In Russia at this time there will be an Orthodox Tsar, whom the Lord will reveal to the Russian people.

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

“The last destinies of Russia and the world. A brief overview of prophecies and predictions, pp. 50-51

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

Archbishop Seraphim, Chicago and Detroit (1959):“The Lord recently, during my first pilgrimage to Palestine, deigned me, a sinner, to become acquainted with some new, hitherto unknown prophecies that cast 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, these prophecies were captured in approximately these words:

“After God’s chosen Jewish people, having betrayed their Messiah and Redeemer to torture and shameful death, lost their chosenness, the latter passed to the Hellenes, who became God’s second 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 the creative strength and capabilities. 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 Rus'), will accept Christianity with all their hearts, 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 truth. For this zeal, the Lord God will love this people and give them everything else - 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 considerable trials. In a thousand years, this God-chosen people will waver in faith and in standing for the Truth of Christ, will become proud of their earthly power and glory, will stop caring about seeking the future City and will want paradise not in heaven, but on sinful earth.

However, not all of those people will follow this disastrous broad path, although a significant majority of them will, especially their leading layer. And for this great fall, a terrible fiery test will be sent from above to this people who have despised God’s ways. Rivers of blood will spill across 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 lands and scatter, like the Jewish people throughout the world...

Yet the Lord is not completely angry with His third chosen people. The blood of thousands of martyrs will cry to heaven for mercy. Sobering up and a return to God will begin among the people themselves. The period of cleansing testing determined by the Just Judge will finally pass, and holy Orthodoxy will once again shine with the bright light of revival in those northern expanses.

This wondrous 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 in advance into dispersion, which will create centers of Orthodoxy - temples of God - throughout the world.

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

And then? Then, when the fulfillment of times comes, a complete decline in faith and everything else predicted in the Holy Scriptures will begin throughout the world, the Antichrist will appear and, finally, the end of the world will come.”

These prophecies are presented in different manuscripts and in different versions, but, basically, they all agree...

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

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

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

“Russian Monk”, 1912. No. 14, p. 50

I. N. Ilyin:“This is a great illusion that it is “easiest” to elevate a legitimate Sovereign to the Throne. For the legitimate Sovereign must be earned with heart, will and deeds. We do not dare forget historical lessons: a people who did not deserve a legitimate Sovereign, won't be able to have it, will not be able to serve him with faith and truth and will betray him at a critical moment. Monarchy is not the easiest and most accessible type of statehood, but the most difficult, because it is the most spiritually deep system, spiritually demanding from the people monarchical legal consciousness. The republic is legal mechanism, and the monarchy is legal organism. And we still don’t know whether the Russian people, after the revolution, will be ready to form into this organism again. To hand over the legitimate Sovereign to be torn to pieces by the anti-monarchist mob would be a real crime against Russia. Therefore: let there be a national dictatorship, preparing a nationwide religious-national sobering!”

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

Archbishop Averky, Syracuse and Trinity:“The very idea of ​​the monarchy, in a return to which, as the historical form of government in Russia, many rightly see salvation, is sacred and dear to us not on its own 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 it is not formal and official only, and actually is the first son and, at the same time, the high Patron and Defender of the Orthodox Faith and Church; because he really is God's Anointed…»

“Stand in the truth!” Thoughts extracted from the sermons of Archbishop Averky, Syracuse and Trinity

Russia and the Antichrist

Venerable Seraphim of Sarov (1759-1833):“Everything that is called “Decembrists”, “reformers” and, in a word, belongs to the “life-improving party” is true anti-Christianity, which, as it develops, will lead to the destruction of Christianity on earth and partly Orthodoxy and will end with the reign of the Antichrist over all countries of the world, except for Russia, which will merge into one with the other Slavic countries and form a huge ocean of people, before which the other tribes of the earth will be in fear. And this is as true as two and two make four.”

"Soulful reading." 1912. part 2. p.493

S. A. Nilus(1910): “There are few who understand.” Details of the vision of Fr. N[ectari]Yesterday marked one year since the death of schema-abbot Mark. When, just before his death, I had a chance to have a conversation with him about the events and signs of the times, the great elder told me: “How few people understand their true meaning! Over the past year, it seems, the ranks of those who “understand” have thinned out even more, not only in the world, but even in holy monasteries. Father N[ektari] is still in the hospital. Today I went to see him again. I asked about his dream.

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

“It would take too long to tell in all the details,” he added. Here’s the main thing: I see a huge field, and on this field a terrible battle is taking place between a countless 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 on them. And, 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 are rejoicing and already celebrating their victory... Suddenly, an insignificant crowd of Christians, among whom I see women and children, makes a sudden attack on their own and God’s opponents, and in an instant the entire huge field battle is covered with the corpses of the Antichrist army, and its entire innumerable crowd turns out to be killed and, moreover, to my extreme surprise, without the help of any weapons. And I asked a Christian warrior standing next to me: “How could you defeat this countless horde?” - “God helped!” - that was the answer. - “But what? - I ask. “After all, you didn’t even have a weapon.” - “Whatever!” - the warrior answered me. This is where my dream ended."

I heard this strange and wonderful story today from the lips of the undeceitful and blessed priest of God, Fr. N[ectarius], hieromonk of holy Optina Pustyn. Fr. had this dream. N[ectarius] on the night of March 16th to 17th of this year, 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 little flock of Christ over the last great apostasy, when the lawless Antichrist will already appear, “will the Lord Jesus kill him with the spirit of His mouth, and abolish him with the appearance of His Coming?”... We’ll wait and see, if... we live. But this dream is not without reason and is comforting in both senses.”

"Trinity Word". Sergiev Posad. 1917 No. 387-389. p.471-473

Remembering holy righteous John of Kronstadt, Bishop Arseny (Zhadanovsky) wrote: “Father 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 with which the world would be destroyed, just as the ancient one was destroyed by water. “Every time,” he said, “I look at fire and especially at its raging element during fires and other cases, I think: the element is always ready and only awaits the command of the Creator of the universe to perform its task - to destroy everything on earth , together 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 overpowers the water element, which is constantly decreasing, then the fiery flood predicted in the Holy Scriptures and especially in the letter of the Apostle Peter will occur, and the Second Glorious Coming of the Lord and judgment will occur to the whole world. By that time morals will be extremely corrupted. Believe that the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with glory is at our door.”

O. John of Kronstadt. Unpublished diary. P.25

Decreased faith and love. Standing in truth. Philadelphia Church

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

Hieroschemamonk Anatoly the Younger (Potapov, 1922) Optinsky:“…For this reason heresies are spreading everywhere and will deceive many. The enemy of the human race will act by cunning in order, if possible, to persuade 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 begin to distort the teaching 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 skilled 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 by their fruits,” and so you, by these fruits or, what is also, by the actions of heretics, try to distinguish them from the true shepherds. These are spiritual thieves (thieves) who plunder the spiritual flock, and they will enter the sheepfold - the Church, by crawling in other ways: as the Lord said, that is, they will enter by illegal means, using violence and trampling on God's statutes. The Lord calls them thieves (John 10:1). Really. Their first task will be the persecution of true shepherds, their imprisonment, exile, because without this they will not be able to plunder the sheep (flock). Therefore, my son, when you see a violation of the Divine order in the Church, the fatherly 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, so as to further be in time, seducing and luring inexperienced people online. Persecution will be not only against shepherds, but also against all servants of God, for the demon leading heresy will not tolerate piety. Recognize them, these wolves in sheep's clothing, by their proud disposition and love of power. There will be slanderers, traitors, sowing enmity and malice everywhere, which is why the Lord said that you will recognize them by their fruits. True servants of God are humble, brotherly loving, obedient to the Church. Great oppression will come from heretics to monks and monastic life will then be reproached. The monasteries will become impoverished, the number of 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 the monks to their side, promising them protection and worldly blessings, and threatening them with expulsion for disobedience. From these threats the faint-hearted will then feel great despondency, but you, my son, rejoice when you live to see this time, for then believers who have not shown other virtues will receive crowns for standing in faith alone according to the word of the Lord (Matthew 10, 3). Fear the Lord my son, be afraid of losing the prepared crown, of being rejected from Christ into utter darkness and eternal torment, stand courageously in the faith, and if necessary, joyfully endure exile and other sorrows, for the Lord will be with you... and the holy martyrs and confessors, they are with They will look at your feat with joy. But woe will be in those days for the monks who have pledged themselves with property and wealth, and for the love of peace are ready to submit to heretics. They will lull their conscience, saying: “We will preserve and save the monastery and the Lord will forgive us.” The unfortunate and blind 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 retreat. 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 destructive heresy, for it strips you of grace and separates you from Christ.. This is why the Lord commanded that a heretic be considered a pagan and a tax collector. So, my son, be strengthened in the grace of Christ Jesus, with joy hasten by the feat of confession to endure suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ (2 Tim. 11: 1-3), who predicted - Be faithful until death and I will give you the crown of life(Rev. 2:10). To him, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory and power forever and ever. Amen".

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

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

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

The last eras of the earthly life of the Church of Christ, according to L.A. Tikhomirov, will correspond to the Church Philadelphian(“brotherly”, Greek) and Laodicean(“popular law”, 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 teaching about the fate and end of the world. "Christian". Sergiev Posad, 1907. No. 9. p.83

Fudel S. I. (1977):“...Perhaps this spiritual-historical era is already beginning, ...and someone, perhaps, is already “keeping the word of patience” and tightly holding the treasure of grace within himself, feeling it with all his sinful insides; May be, Now, from the thousands who only bear the name of Christians, those are selected in whose hearts there is no uncleanness, wickedness and fear - these three great sins of modern church people - those who “follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rev. 14, 4)".

Fudel S.I. At the walls of the church. P.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 latter’s appointment to the post of Comrade Chief Prosecutor of the Holy Synod(1916) : “There is no greater sin than resistance to the will of God’s Anointed... Take care of Him, for through Him the Russian land and the Orthodox Faith are held together... But...”

Father Anatoly became thoughtful, and tears appeared in his eyes; excited, he completed the unspoken thought by saying: “The fate of the Tsar is the fate of Russia. The Tsar will rejoice, and Russia will rejoice. The Tsar will cry, and Russia will cry... Just as a man with a cut off 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 a comrade chief prosecutor of the Holy Synod. T. 1

Archpriest Sergius Bulgakov (1923):“I remember how last year (1917) we went to Moscow ... on a pilgrimage to the Trinity, were in monasteries and spent a blessed day there. And when we returned to Moscow, news arrived about the beginning of the revolution - fatal, painful days, it was also a week of veneration of the cross. ...The newspapers have already threatened the “priests” if they commemorate the Tsar. They decided not to commemorate (I just don’t remember whether it was before the abdication, or after, it seems). Thus, Russia entered its way of the cross the day it stopped openly praying for the Tsar».

Father Sergius Bulgakov. From the “Diary”. “Vestnik RHD”. 1979. No. 130. p.256

Soon after the forced abdication of Nicholas II Empress, pointing to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, she said: “ Our suffering is nothing. See the Savior's suffering as He suffered for us. If only this is necessary for Russia, we are ready to sacrifice our lives and everything.”

Diterichs M.K. Murder of the Royal Family and members of the House of Romanov in the Urals. T.2. p.405

Vision of John of Kronstadt

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt (1829-1908):“Lord bless! I am the sinful servant John, priest of Kronstadt, writing this vision. It was written by me and with my hand what I saw was conveyed in writing.

On the night of January 1, 1908, after evening prayer, I sat down to rest a little at the table. It was twilight in my cell; a lamp was burning in front of the icon of the Mother of God. Less than half an hour had passed, I heard a light 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 quickly stood up.

I see standing before me: a wondrous, wonderful old man, pale, with gray hair, in a robe, with a rosary in his left hand. He looked at me sternly, but his eyes were gentle and kind. I almost fell out of fear, 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 I felt light and joyful - I also crossed myself. Then he pointed with his 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 walk with the elder across a green field and see a mass of crosses: thousands, millions, different: small and great, wooden, stone, iron, copper, silver and gold. I walked past the crosses, crossed myself and dared to ask the elder what kind of crosses these 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 his hand at the clouds, and I saw 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 hundreds, more and more, and everyone was burning. I was very sad why they did not burn clearly, but only fell and went out, turning into dust and ashes. The elder said: look, and I saw only seven lamps on the clouds and asked the elder, what does this mean? He, bowing his head, said: “The lamps that you see falling, which means the Churches will fall into heresy, but seven burning lamps remain - seven Apostolic Cathedral Churches 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; here were kings, princes, patriarchs, metropolitans, bishops, archimandrites, abbots, schema-monks, priests, deacons, novices, pilgrims for Christ's sake, laymen, youths, youths, infants; cherubim and seraphim accompanied them to the heavenly 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 the holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of Christ.” I again 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 the nameless ones. I crossed myself: “What a great and terrible sin a mother will have—unforgivable.”

Let's go further - we go into a large temple. I wanted to cross myself, but the elder told me: “There is abomination and desolation here.” Now 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 cup stands, and a strong stench comes from the cup, 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 ash.

Wow, Lord, how scary - then some vile, disgusting, ugly black woman, all in red and with a star on her forehead, jumped onto the throne and spun around on the throne, then shouted like a night owl to the whole temple in a terrible voice: “Freedom” - and she began, and people, like madmen, 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 - at first quietly, then louder, like dogs, then it all turned into an animal growl, then into a roar. Suddenly bright lightning flashed and strong thunder struck, the earth shook 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 me. Wow, how scary. I crossed myself. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead. I looked around. The elder smiled at me: “Did you see? - he said. - I saw it, Father. Tell me what was it? Scary 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 from the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church and have recognized the heretical life-renewal church, which does not have the Grace of God. You cannot fast, confess, take communion, or receive confirmation in it.” “Lord, save me, a sinner, send me repentance - a Christian death,” I whispered, but the elder reassured me: “Don’t grieve,” he said, “pray to God.”

We moved on. I look - a lot of people are walking, terribly exhausted, everyone has a star on their forehead. When they saw us, they roared: “Pray for us, holy fathers, to God, it’s very difficult for us, but we ourselves cannot do it. Our fathers and mothers did not teach us. We do not have the law of God or even the Christian name. We did not receive the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit (but a red banner).”

I cried and followed the elder. “Here,” look,” the elder pointed with his hand, “do you see?!” I see mountains. - No, this mountain of human corpses is all soaked in blood. I crossed myself and asked the elder what does this mean? What kind of corpses are these? – These are monks and nuns, wanderers, pilgrims, who were killed for the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, who did not want to accept the seal of the Antichrist, but wanted 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 all around were animals of different breeds and beasts of different sizes, reptiles, dragons, hissing, roaring and climbing into the palace, and had 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 and rolled. The animals roared, fought, and crushed the Anointed One. They tore it apart and trampled on it like demons in hell, and everything disappeared.

Oh, Lord, how scary, save and have mercy from all evil, enemy and adversary. I cried bitterly; suddenly the elder took me by the shoulder, “don’t cry, it’s the Lord’s will,” and said: “Look,” I see a pale radiance appeared. At first I could not distinguish, but then it became clear - the Anointed One appeared involuntarily, on his head was a crown of green leaves. The face is pale, bloody, with a gold cross on 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 the 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, those who drowned in the sea, and those who suffered for me, a sinner. Don’t look for my grave; it’s hard to find. I also ask: pray for me, Father Ivan, and forgive me, good shepherd.” Then it all disappeared into the fog. I crossed myself: “O Lord, rest the soul of the departed servant of God Nicholas, eternal memory to him.” God, how scary. My arms and legs were shaking, I was crying.

The elder again told me: “Don’t cry, that’s what God wants, pray to God. Look again." Here I see a mass of people lying around, dying of hunger, who ate grass, earth, ate each other, and dogs picked up corpses, there was a terrible stench everywhere, blasphemy. Lord, save us and strengthen us in the holy faith of Christ, we are feeble and weak without faith. So the old man says to me again: “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 teaching.” The elder touched these books with the end of his staff, and it all turned into fire, and everything burned to the ground, and the wind scattered the ashes.

Then I see a church, and around it lies a mass of memorials and certificates. I bent down and wanted to pick one up and read it, but the elder said that these are not memorials and letters that have been lying around the church for many years, but the priests have forgotten them and never read them, and the departed souls ask to pray, but there is no one to read and no one to remember. I asked: “Who will be?” “Angels,” said the elder. I crossed myself. Remember, Lord, the souls of Your departed servants in Your kingdom.

We moved on. The elder walked quickly, so I could barely 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 those,” the elder answered, “who fell away from the Faith and the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church and accepted the heretical Living Renovationist Church.” Here 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 from 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, Lord, and have mercy, all this I have seen is terrible.”

Then I see: a mass of people are coming: old and young, and all in red clothes and carrying a huge red star, five-headed and at each corner there were 12 demons sitting, 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 its mouth spewed stinking foam. The whole people shouted: “Get up, branded with a curse.” A mass of demons appeared, all red, and branded the people, putting a seal on everyone’s forehead and hand in the form of a star. The elder said that this is the seal of the Antichrist. I was very scared, crossed myself and read the prayer: “May God rise again.” After that everything disappeared like smoke.

I was in a hurry and barely had time to follow the elder, but the elder stopped, pointed his hand to the east and said: “Look.” And I saw a mass of people with joyful faces, and in their hands there 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 on it was written in golden letters: “For a little time.” Around the throne stand patriarchs, bishops, priests, monks, hermits and laity. Everyone sings: “Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth.” I crossed myself and thanked God.

Suddenly the Elder waved in the air three times in a cross shape. And now I see a mass of corpses and rivers of blood. Angels flew over the bodies of the murdered and barely had time to bring Christian souls to the Throne of God and sang “Alleluia.” It was scary to look at all this. I cried bitterly and prayed. The elder took me by the hand and said: “Don’t cry. This is how the Lord God needs it for our lack of faith and repentance, this must be so, our Savior Jesus Christ also suffered and shed His most 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 the Antichrist, will shed blood and receive the crown of martyrdom.”

Then the elder prayed, crossed himself three times to the east and said: “Now Daniel’s prophecy has been fulfilled. The abomination of desolation is final.” I saw the Jerusalem Temple, 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 stopped my hand and said again: “Here is the abomination of desolation.”

We entered the temple, where there were a lot of people. And now I see a throne in the middle of the temple, around the throne in three rows of resin candles are burning, and on the throne sits in bright red purple the world ruler-king, and on his head is a gold crown with diamonds, with a star. I asked the elder: “Who is this?” He said: “This is the Antichrist.” Tall, eyes like coal, black, a wedge-shaped black beard, a fierce, cunning and cunning face - beast-like, an aquiline nose. 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 - his fingers had claws like a tiger, and roared in his bestial voice: “I am your god, king and ruler. Whoever does not accept my seal will die here.” Everyone fell to their knees and bowed and accepted the seal on their forehead. 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 the Antichrist flashed, and the heads of the Christian youths rolled and blood was shed for the faith of Christ. Here they are leading young women, women and small children. Here he became even more furious and shouted like an animal: “Death to them. These Christians are my enemies—death to them.” Instant death followed immediately. Their heads rolled to the floor and Orthodox blood spilled throughout the church.

Then they lead a ten-year-old boy to the Antichrist to 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 of hell, a servant of Satan, you are the Antichrist.” “Death,” he roared with a terrible wild roar. Everyone fell to their knees before the Antichrist. Suddenly, thousands of thunders thundered and thousands of heavenly lightnings flew like fiery arrows and struck the servants of the Antichrist. Suddenly the largest arrow, a fiery, cross-shaped one, flew from the sky and hit the Antichrist in the head. He waved his hand and fell, the crown flew off his head and crumbled into 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 on our way.” 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 was said in the Revelation of John the Theologian: “And there will be blood by the bridles of the horses.” Oh, God, save me, a sinner. Great fear came over me. I was neither alive nor dead. I see angels flying around a lot and singing: “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord.” I looked around - the elder was on his knees and praying. Then he stood up and said tenderly: “Don’t mourn. Soon, soon the end of the world, pray to the Lord, He is merciful to His servants. There are no more years left, but hours, and soon, soon the end will come.”

Then the elder blessed me and pointed his hand to the east and said: “I’m going there.” I fell to my knees, bowed to him and saw that he was quickly leaving the ground, then I asked: “What is your name, wonderful elder?” Then I exclaimed louder. “Holy Father, tell me, what is your holy name?” “Seraphim,” he quietly and softly told me, “what you saw, write it down and don’t forget it all for Christ’s sake.”

Suddenly the ringing of a large bell seemed to ring above my head. I woke up and opened my eyes. Cold sweat broke out on my forehead, my temples were pounding, my heart was beating strongly, my legs were trembling. I made a prayer: “May God rise again.” Lord, forgive me, your sinful and unworthy servant John. Glory to our God. Amen".

"Orthodox Rus'". No. 517. 1952. October 15/28. Archimandrite Panteleimon. The life and exploits, miracles and prophecies of our holy righteous father John of Kronstadt the Wonderworker. P.170-178

Based on the book: “Russia before the Second Coming,” compiled by S. Fomin. Publication of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1993.

Jesus Christ predicted what awaits our entire world and all people in the future.

He taught that the world would end and the earthly life of the human race would end; then He will come to earth for the 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 be surprised 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 having heard it, they will come to life; and they will come out of their graves - some who did good for eternal, blessed life, and others who did evil for condemnation."

His disciples asked: “Tell us, when will this 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 difficult times would come for people as have never happened since the beginning of the world. There will be various disasters: famine, pestilence, earthquakes, frequent wars. Lawlessness will increase; faith will weaken; many will not have love for each other. Many false prophets and teachers will appear who will deceive people and corrupt them with their harmful teachings. But first, the Gospel of Christ will be preached throughout the whole earth, as a testimony to all nations.

Just before the end of the world there will be great, terrifying signs in the sky; the sea will roar and be indignant; despondency and bewilderment will take over people, so that they will die of fear and from the expectation of disasters for the whole world. In those days, after that tribulation, the sun will darken, 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 God’s judgment) and will see Jesus Christ coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Just as lightning flashes in the sky from east to west (and is immediately visible everywhere), so (suddenly visible to everyone) will be the coming of the Son of God.

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

One day the Pharisees asked Jesus Christ: “When will the Kingdom of God come?”

The Savior answered: “The Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable 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 away, “across the seas,” to distant countries; for this we are not required to rise to the clouds or descend into the abyss, but we need to look for 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 inside a person, in a person’s heart. The Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,” when a person’s conscience and will enter into complete harmony (harmonious unity) with the mind and will of God. Then everything contrary to the will of God becomes disgusting to man. The visible realization on earth of the Kingdom of God is the Holy Church of Christ: everything in it 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 this:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then He, as a 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 the sheep from the goats; and He will place the sheep (the righteous) on His right hand, and the goats (sinners) on His left.

Then the King will say to those standing on His right hand: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry (I was hungry) and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, 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 with humility: “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You as a stranger and welcome You, or naked and clothe You? When we saw You sick, or in prison have you come to you?"

The king will answer them: “Truly I say to you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers of Mine (that is, for the needy people), you did it to Me.”

Then the King will say to those on the left side: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Because I was hungry, and you did not give Me anything to eat; I was thirsty, and you did not give Me something to drink; I was a stranger. , and they did not receive Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; I was sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me.”

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

But the King will say to them: “Truly I say to you, just as 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. That is why this judgment is called the Terrible, since our deeds, words, and 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.

The Second Coming is in Christian doctrine the second appearance of Christ (the Savior) on Earth at the “end of the world” (the end of the world) at the end of humanity’s earthly existence. The promise of the coming is one of the powerful arguments in the educational influence of the church on the flock (believers), for along with the second coming the Last Judgment of sinners is also expected.

Waiting for the next appearance of the Savior for 2 thousand years gave rise to many unfulfilled predictions and disappointments in prophecies and prophets.

Will Christ return a second time? Christ himself was the first to answer this question (of course, positively). Later, not a single mortal (with the exception of notorious blasphemers and ordinary atheists) doubted the second coming. The dates for which were always given were different, and each time they were quite close.

Not one of the numerous true predictions came true, with the only caveat being that all mental hospitals are filled with false Jesuses. However, we must admit that if the real Christ appeared now, alas, in a world mired in sin, he, with his “out-of-date views,” would also run a great risk of ending up in a mental hospital.

In 1917, knowledge of the place of the second coming was established in the Catholic Church immediately after the appearance before a crowd of thousands of witnesses of the Mother of God in the village of Fatima, near Lisbon in Portugal. This phenomenon is called the “third secret of Fatima.” The only girl (out of three children) who lived longer than her friends was forever imprisoned in the dungeons of a monastery, without the right to communicate with journalists.

What Fatima’s secret was has not yet been openly disclosed (a deliberate leak of information allegedly read: there was “a command from above that Russia should be converted to Catholicism”). Rumors also claim that the Catholic Church allegedly hides the time of the Second Coming reported in 1917. Whether this is true or not is unknown.

On August 11, 1999 (the day when many predicted the end of the world), according to astrologer N.N. Glazkova, most likely, was supposed to give birth to some great man. She explains her guess by saying that the planets of the solar system were lined up in a cross - just as it was at the birth of Alexander the Great: Earth and Mercury “on top of the cross”, Jupiter and Saturn “on the right”, Uranus and Neptune “below”, Pluto and Mars “ left".

Themes of Christ and the dates of his appearance have remained popular throughout Christendom for two thousand years. And at different times, clairvoyants pointed to such dates for the appearance of Christ.

In the 1st-11th centuries AD; in 1042; 19 October 1814 (I. Southcott); 1928 ["Atlantis" 1995, No. 1, p. 3]; May and June 1990; early 1991; 1992; October 28, 1992; 1993; November 24, 1993 (“White Brotherhood”); 1994 (F. Bonjean); March 31, 1996; 1998 (reincarnation of God according to X. Chen); 1999; August 11, 1999 (N. Glazkova); November 12, 1999 (R. Jeffries); 2000; late 2000 (cloning of Christ); 2001; and other years.

Where will the Savior appear? There were a lot of predictions for the year the 20th century ended. Many Russian clairvoyants almost unanimously asserted that “He will appear, of course, in Russia.” Hollywood films certainly placed Jesus in San Francisco, the French in Paris, and so on in almost every Christian country. The Americans claimed that “one of the new messiahs already lives in London.” Only a few, however, remembered Jerusalem, the place of Christ’s execution.

In the texts of the Bible, Jesus Christ himself and the apostles not only do not specifically indicate the day and hour of the second coming, but even directly speak about the impossibility for a person to know this (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:6-7; 2 Pet. 3:10 and etc.). However, they pointed out some signs of this time, such as: the appearance of many false Christs (Matthew 24:5; 1 John 2:18), the spread of the gospel preaching throughout the world, to all nations (Matthew 24:14), the impoverishment of faith and love in people (Matt. 24:12; Luke 18:8), fear of the disasters that are about to befall the Earth (Luke 21:26) and the appearance of the lawless one (Greek ὁ ἄνομος) (2 Thess. 2:8), then there is Antichrist.

In the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-33; Luke 21:29-31), Jesus Christ indicated a way to determine the approach of the Day of the Lord: when the trees bloom, summer is near. When the “coming of the Son of Man” is “at hand, at the door,” the disciples will be able to recognize it (Matthew 24:33). Christ asks the disciples to see the approach of the Kingdom of God and to be excited (Luke 21:28; Luke 21:31).

As in the prophecies of the Old Testament, the prophecies of the New Testament say that the second coming will be preceded by many cataclysms (earthquakes) and signs in the sky (the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars from the sky).

“And suddenly, after the tribulation of those days, the sun will darken, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory

(Matt. 24:29,30)"

According to the texts of the New Testament, the Second Coming of Christ to judge the world will be visible to all people on Earth.

Rev. 1:7 - “and every eye will see Him”;

Matt. 24:30 - “and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”;

Mr. 13:26 - “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with much power and glory”;

OK. 21:26,27 - “people will faint from fear and anticipation of [the disasters] coming on the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”

The following historical events were considered by some 19th century theologians (Joseph Wolff, Edward Irving, William Miller, Joseph Smith, Leonard Kelber, Mason, Winthrop) as the possible beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ about his second coming:

Religious revival at the end of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries in England and the USA

The following people currently claim or have previously claimed to be the second-coming Jesus Christ, and enjoy the trust of a number of followers (the country and year in which they claim to be the second coming are indicated in parentheses):

Rabbi Yosef Berger claims that 2022 will be the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The Great Coming of Jesus Christ will take place in 2022 and will be preceded by the birth of a new star, announced by scientists.

In 2022, a new star will appear in the night sky. Its occurrence is the result of the collision of two other celestial bodies. For six months, this star will be the brightest in the sky - to the naked eye.

Considering that this is the first time that people will be able to observe such a moment without resorting to complex technology, then this is an important event in human history in itself, however, it may turn out to be even more important than we think.

The rabbi claims that the new star directly points to the coming of the Messiah. He suggested that this star would be the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy from the Book of Numbers, according to which the star precedes the emergence of a strong military leader.

Edgar Cayce (English Edgar Cayce; born March 18, 1877, Hopkinsville, Kentucky, USA, died January 3, 1945, Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA) - American mystic, “healer” and medium. Author of thousands of verbatim answers to a wide variety of questions, ranging from diagnoses and prescriptions for patients to information about the causes of the death of civilizations. Since most of them were done by him in a special state of trance, reminiscent of sleep, he received the nickname “Sleeping Prophet”. His vicious abilities can only be compared with the gift of foresight of the great Nostradamus and legendary Bulgarian clairvoyant Wangi. Edgar Cayce practiced medical diagnosis through clairvoyance for forty-three years. He left verbatim records of 30,000 such diagnoses to the Association for Research and Enlightenment, along with hundreds of full reports containing patient testimony and physician reports. There are hundreds of people living in the United States who are willing to testify to the accuracy of his diagnoses and the effectiveness of his suggestions.

We will not delve into the countless predictions Cayce made regarding the destinies of peoples and changes in the geography of continents as a result of impending natural disasters. We are interested in only a few phrases, in connection with our resonant theme, marked behind it and available on the Internet. We will give them:

At the same time, from 2001 AD, a shift in the Earth’s magnetic pole will begin, associated with The Second Coming of Christ .

The mission of the Slavic peoples, said Edgar Cayce, is to change the essence of human relationships, free them from selfishness and gross material passions, and restore them on a new basis - on love, trust and wisdom. From Russia hope will come to the world - not from the communists, not from the Bolsheviks, but from free Russia! It will be years before this happens, but it is the religious development of Russia that will give the world hope.

TEXT "READINGS" 3976-15

This psychic reading was given by Edgar Cayce at the home of Mr. and Mrs. T. Mitchell Hastings, 410 Park Avenue, New York, January 19th, 1934, in response to questions from those present. Present: Edgar Cayce; Hugh Lynn Case, conductor; Gladys Davis, Stenographer Carolyn B. Hastings, Josephine McCerry, T. Mitchell Hastings.

Reading time 11:40 - 12:40

5. Then first: Soon a “body” must enter the world; which for many will be considered a representative sects or groups, but will be beloved to all people in all places where the universality of God on earth is proclaimed, where the unity of God as Father is known.

6. When and where should this chosen one appear? In the hearts and minds of those who are willing to become the channel through which spiritual, mental and material things become one in the purpose and desires of this physical body.

7. Regarding the physical changes that should be an omen, a signal that this is soon to come - as given by the ancients, the sun will darken and the earth will split in different places - then should be proclaimed - through the spiritual channel in the hearts, minds and souls of those who sought His way - that His star appeared and will indicate [pause] the path for those who enter the holy of holies within themselves. Since God the Father, God the Teacher, God the Manager, in the minds and hearts of people, must always be in those who recognized Him; for He is as much God to man as He is manifest in his heart and in the actions of his body, man. AND for those who seek, He will appear.

8. Again regarding physical changes: the earth will be split in the western part of America. Most of Japan is about to sink into the sea. The top of Europe will be changed in the blink of an eye. Lands will appear off the east coast of America. There will be changes in the Arctic and Antarctic, which will lead to volcanic eruptions in hot areas, and there will be a pole shift - so that cold or subtropical climates will become more tropical, and moss and ferns will grow there. These changes will begin in the period from '58 to '98, this will be the period when His light will be seen again in the clouds.

9. Regarding those things that relate to the mental part. There will be those who awaken from inner inaction to spiritual truths that need to be given, and places where the actions of teachers among people will appear, and turmoil and strife must enter. And the indecision of those who could act as emissaries, as teachers from the throne of life and light, the throne of immortality, and lead the fight against darkness. There will be a large number of those who will be an obstacle to people and their weaknesses, they will wage war against the spirit of light that enters the earth for their awakening; it was and is called for those who are in the service of God. Because He as it is said, not the God of the dead, not the God of those who forsake Him, but of those who welcome His coming, God of the living, God of life. Because He is Life .

11. I declare what has been given to me to give to you who sit here, who hear, and who see the light rising in the east, and who see their weakness, and know that it will make your paths straight. For you in your weakness [pause] there is known the way through which you manifest the spirit of truth and light and what was declared in the message to you: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart,” and the second is similar to this: “Love your neighbor as yourself " Who is your neighbor? Someone you can help in any way that he, your neighbor, your fellow human being, needs. Help him stand on his own two feet. Because only such an acceptable path is known. The weak and unsteady must enter into a severe trial and become as nothing as He.

12. (Q) What physical changes are expected to occur in the world this year?
(A) The earth will be destroyed in many places. Changes will be visible on the West Coast of America. Waters will open in northern Greenland. New lands will appear in the Caribbean Sea. The king's young son will soon rule. In the political forces of the Americas we see the restoration of stabilization and the destruction of cliques in many places.

16. (Q) Who will reveal the history of the past in the records that were said to be near the Sphinx in Egypt?
(A) As established in the records of the Law of One in Atlantis, three will come. With such experience on earth, and a balance of the spiritual, mental and material, that they can become the channels through which what is now stored in the earth (which is a shadow of the spiritual world God has prepared for His children) can be announced.

19. (Q) Is there any other advice for those gathered here that will help us better understand our responsibilities?
(Oh) All are gathered here in the name of God our Father, those who seek to know His ways and those who are behind the veil of their understanding. As you show mercy, so the Father can show mercy to you. As you demonstrate wisdom, as you show love to your neighbor, so love and wisdom can be shown towards you. Be joyful in God, knowing that He is always present with those who seek Him. He is not in heaven, but He makes heaven in your own heart if you accept Him. He, God the Father, is present and manifest in the way you treat your fellow men in your own experience.
Knowing the Father, be a father to your brother. Knowing the love of the Father, show your love to your doubting, fallible brother - but to those who seek, not to those who condemn.

20. We are finishing...

So, the "Sleeping Prophet", like many other famous seers, also pointed to the coming of the Messiah. Much remains unsaid in these psychic readings, however, we will not take responsibility for detailing the decoding, our task is only to indicate the presence of a mention, and there is one.

Prepared by Dato Gomarteli (Ukraine-Georgia)