John F. MacArthur
Jesus answered them, “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come under my name and say, 'I am the Christ,' and they will deceive many. Also hear about wars and war rumors. Look, do not be horrified, for all this must be, but this is not the end yet: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in places; yet it is the beginning of disease. Then they will hand you over to torture and kill you; and you will be hated by all nations because of my name; and then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many; and because of the increase of iniquity, the love of many will grow cold. He who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" Matt. 24:4-14)
From verse 4 begins the actual Sermon of Olives, which Jesus delivered in response to the question of the disciples: “Tell us, when will this be? And what is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Article 3). As stated in the previous chapter, the Twelve "thought that the kingdom of God was about to open" (Luke 19:11), and the events of the past few days have made this thought even more firmly fixed in their minds. They had long believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that John the Baptist was His prophesied forerunner. The cheering of the crowd during Jesus' solemn entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the condemnation of the religious leaders, as well as His prediction of the destruction of the temple - all this made them think that the Lord would soon reveal His messianic glory, subdue the nations that rebelled against Him, and establish His eternal Kingdom . They were unable to accept Jesus' many predictions that He would first have to suffer, die, and be resurrected.
The disciples thought that Jesus' preaching, His healing, consolation, judgment, and restoration of Israel would happen in the same period of time. Like the Old Testament prophets who spoke of the Messiah, the disciples imagined only one Coming, which included a number of events (see, for example, Isaiah 61:1-11).
Perhaps the first key to understanding that the Coming of Christ will take place in two stages was the reading by Jesus of this passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah during a service in the synagogue of Nazareth. Jesus stopped short of reading verse 2 to the end, leaving out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Then He explained, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus emphasized that at that time He did not come to judge, but to preach the gospel and heal the sick.
But since the disciples did not understand His promptings, as well as many other specific teachings that He came to die for the sins of the people, they expected that Jesus would then complete His messianic mission, perhaps in the next few days or weeks. The students were expecting something dramatic. They felt that the Son in Isa. 9:6 was ready to take the government of the kingdom of God on His shoulders, and that the stone that was torn from the mountain without the help of hands (Dan. 2:34) was ready to destroy the power of wicked people. The Messiah, the Prince, was ready to end sin, stop iniquity, grant eternal righteousness, and become the anointed King, the most holy of all kings. They looked forward to how the Son of Man would soon be given an eternal kingdom and glory. They were convinced that very soon Israel would turn to the Lord and call on His name, and that the Lord would say, "These are My people," and they would say, "The Lord is my God!" (Zech. 13:9).
But in the Sermon of Olives, Jesus makes it clear that all this will happen in the future. 24-25 chapters of the Gospel of Matthew is a prophetic sermon that tells the twelve disciples about a time that has not yet come, about a time in which they themselves will not live.
There are at least six indications in the sermon itself that it refers to the distant future and that it cannot be applied to events related to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, as many interpreters believe, or to the era Churches, as others suggest.
The first such sign is birth pangs, where false Christs (Matt. 24:5), wars between nations (vv. 6-7a), famine and earthquakes (v. 7 b) are only the “beginning” (v. 8). The figurative expression "birth pain" was often used by ancient Jewish writers, especially in connection with the end times. The great modern Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim writes: "The Jewish writings very often speak of the pangs of the birth of the Messiah."
Birth pains do not occur at the time of conception and not during pregnancy, but just before birth. Therefore, the figurative expression "birth pain" could not personify either the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred at the beginning of the era of the Church, or the very era of the Church as a whole.
Paul reminded the Thessalonians that Christ would come as a thief comes at night—suddenly, silently, and suddenly. Using the same figurative expression that Jesus used in the Sermon of Olives, the Apostle said, “When they say, ‘Peace and security,’ then sudden destruction will come upon them, as birth pain upon a woman with child, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).
The labor pains begin just before the birth, and the contractions gradually become more frequent until the baby is born. In the same way, the events associated with the return of the Lord will begin just before His Coming and will rapidly escalate and intensify until they turn into a series of catastrophes. The same period is depicted in the book of Revelation, when the seals of the judgments are broken and events unfold, probably over several years (see 6:1-8:6). Then the trumpet judgments occur on a much shorter timescale, probably weeks (see 8:7-9:21; 11:15-19), and the bowls God's Wrath are poured out on the earth, most likely for several days or even hours (see 16:1-21).
The second indication that these events are in the future is found in Matt. 24:13-14 where Jesus speaks of believers who will endure birth pangs to the end. Since the disciples apparently did not live to see the end of the age, the events of chapters 24-25 could not have applied to them or to other believers, including those living today. All believers who will live at that time will be raptured just before the Great Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:17), so all these events will not affect them. These events can only apply to those who believe in Christ during the Great Tribulation, whose true faith will be confirmed by enduring everything to the end (Matt. 24:13).
The third sign is the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world (Matt. 24:14). This event completely excludes the apostolic age, when even the Roman Empire was not entirely evangelized. This event cannot be applied to our time, when, despite the spread of the gospel through modern media throughout the world, there are still billions of people who have never heard the gospel. In Matt. 24:14 is implied, and in Rev. 14:6-7 explains that the future proclamation of the gospel around the world that Jesus speaks of will happen miraculously and in an instant.
The fourth sign is “the abomination of desolation [spoken] through the prophet Daniel” (Mat. 24:15). Daniel predicted that just before the Messiah would establish His kingdom and judge the world, the Antichrist would “[stop] sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of the sanctuary there will be an abomination of desolation, and final predestined destruction will come upon the desolator” (Dan. 9:27). This is yet to happen.
The fifth sign that Jesus is talking about future events is "the great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be" (Matt. 24:21). The terrible events that Christ describes in this sermon will be the most tragic in the history of mankind, and they will occur at the end of the age, when the full and final judgment of God will be poured out on wicked people. Jesus speaks of the time foretold by Daniel, when "there will come a time of peril such as has not happened since there were men until now," which will be accompanied by the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life, and of sinners to eternal damnation (Dan. 12: 1-2).
The sixth sign is “after the tribulation of those days, the sun will grow dim, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Mat. 24:29-30). These supernatural events have obviously not happened yet.
The seventh and final sign that Jesus was talking about the distant future is illustrated by the fig tree (Matt. 24:32-35). As the blossoming leaves of the fig tree indicate the approach of summer, so the events that Christ mentions here will be a sign of His near Coming. “This generation will not pass away,” that is, the generation that will live at the time of the end of the age, “as all this will be” (v. 34). The signs described in Matt. 24-25 will take place before the eyes of one generation - the generation that will witness the coming of Jesus Christ.
Thus, everything that Christ said in the Olivet sermon will be fulfilled in the future. This does not mean that most of the circumstances and events mentioned here have never happened before. There have been wars and rumors of war practically since the time of the Flood; throughout history, mankind has suffered famine, and at all times earthquakes have occurred on earth. But the events recorded in Matt. 24-25, will be unique and unique only to the last time, both in description and in sequence, scale and strength. Some of them, such as the destruction of the physical universe (24:29), will be completely unique.
The fact that Jesus spoke in the second person, especially in chapter 24, is not proof that He was speaking to the disciples about their generation. Old Testament prophets just as often turned their words to distant descendants. God miraculously carried the prophet to the time he was to prophesy. And the prophet, as it were, directly addressed the people of future generations (see, for example, Is. 33:17-24; 66:10-14; Zech. 9:9). Jesus was essentially saying, "You who will live at that time..."
Starting with Matt. 24:4, Jesus answers the disciples' questions: “When will that be? And what is the sign of your coming and the end of the age?” (Article 3). But He gives the answer in reverse order. Jesus does not address the question of "when" until 24:36, where he states, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but only My Father alone." In 24:4-14, Jesus answers from the second question, naming the first six signs, "birth pains" that will begin immediately before His Coming: the deception of false Christs (vv. 4-5), enmity between the peoples of the world (vv. 6-7a) , widespread catastrophes (vv. 7b-8), the betrayal of believers to suffering (v. 9), the apostasy of ostensible believers (v. 10-13), and the proclamation of the gospel throughout the world (v. 14).
John F. MacArthur, Interpretation of the Books of the New Testament Gospel of Matthew, 24-28, Slavic Evangelical Society, 2008
This symbolic interpretation of His coming or return is confirmed by Christ's own words. Christ repeatedly resorts unequivocally to the twofold description of HIS SECOND COMING. Sometimes he speaks of his own return, and sometimes he speaks of his coming
1 . That He will return Himself: I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you. I told you that I am coming from you and will come to you. Soon you will not see Me, and soon you will see Me again.. and then I will go and I will prepare a place for you, I will come again.
2. That another other than Him will return: But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go, for if I do not go, the Comforter will not come to you. And if I go, I will send Him to you. And He will come and convict the world of sin. There is much more I have to tell you, but now you cannot contain it. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. When the Comforter comes, whom I will send from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me.
Further, Christ explains that both He and the One Who will return in His name WILL BE PEOPLE carrying the SAME HOLY SPIRIT. Of HIMSELF Christ says this: The Word which you hear is not mine, but the Father who sent me. The words that I speak to you are not of Myself.
Christ speaks of the One Who, as He promises, will come after His departure, Christ: For he will not speak of himself, but will speak what he hears.
The fact that the new Messiah will come in His name, Christ, and bring the same power of the Holy Spirit, follows from the words of Christ to the disciples: The Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I said to you..
Christ sternly warns and warns the people, saying that since they rejected Him in due time, they are not destined to believe in Him again upon their return. Christ with one phrase binds Himself and the One who will come for him. You will not see Me from now on until you exclaim: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!
There is a huge amount of evidence that, speaking of His second coming, Christ means the coming of CHRIST - THE SPIRIT, the Holy Spirit in Him, which must appear again .. And speaking of the coming of the Other, Christ means ANOTHER HYPOSTASIS: A MAN IN ANOTHER FLESH AND A BODY WHICH WILL HAVE A NEW, DIFFERENT NAME, but will be filled with the same HOLY SPIRIT. Christ expresses the same truth but in a different way - saying THAT IT IS NOT THE NAME AND THE FLESH, BUT THE SPIRIT THAT CARRIES IN THE MISSION:
God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in the SPIRIT AND TRUTH, and not as falsely and feignedly worshiping God today the entire sinful world of people. There are many such prophecies in the Holy Scriptures about the second coming of the Prophet in the SPIRIT, and not in the flesh, as well as in other ancient religions.
ShRI Krishna, the holy herald of Hinduism, who today has hundreds of millions of followers united in the "Society for Krishna Consciousness" around the world, in ancient times affirmed the same main truth. He said that the Holy Spirit, according to God's command,
The return of the Spirit is also in GAUTAMA BUDDHA:"I am not the first Buddha who came to Earth, and I will not be the last. At the appointed time, another Buddha will appear in the world, a saint, supremely Enlightened ... The incomparable Leader of man .... And He will reveal to you the same eternal truths that I taught you."
All this confirms the SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, which happened already, but not in the FLESH, but in the SPIRIT. This is undeniable evidence that the second advent has already really happened, although blind and spiritually a dead world people never noticed anything, as in the case of the first coming of Christ 2000 years ago.
Revelation about the second coming of Christ.
For a better representation of this event, the prophecies about it must be placed in
temporary order. Each prophecy should be considered in totality
overall picture. The prophecies about the second coming of Christ are divided into three periods. All of them are directly related toactivities of the church on earth.
The first period begins with the reign of Christ in the second heaven(Rev. 12:10) .
From the earth the retainer is taken now. There is a great tribulation on earth. These are the judgments of God
over his people. This is the opening of the fifth seal and the resurrection of the dead.
Great the tribulation will last about 9 months and will end after the 6th seal is opened and thesigns in the sun and moon. Before the opening of the 5th seal, the preaching of the Gospel will endwith rebirth.
Further, the wise among the people and the followers of the woman willadmonish people not to worship the antichrist(Dan. 11:33-34) . Only after completeunification of churches into one union local churches the wife will be able to escape into the desert(Micah 4:10) .
The end of the prophecy of the two prophets coincides with the opening of the 6th seal(earthquake). At this time, there will be a complete overthrow of the forces of the holy people(Dan. 12:7) . The birth of the wind is necessary to save life on earth in 1000- summer kingdom.
Isaiah 26:17-21 As a pregnant woman is tormented at the onset of childbirth, crying out from her pains, so were we before You, God.They were pregnant, they suffered, - and they gave birth, as it were, to the wind; salvation is notdelivered to the earth, and the rest of the inhabitants of the universe did not fall. Your dead shall live,dead bodies rise! Arise and triumph, cast down in the dust: for
Your dew is the dew of plants, and the earth will vomit up the dead.
Go my peopleenter into thy chambers and shut thy doors behind thee, hide thyself for a moment, untilanger will pass; for, behold, the Lord comes out of his dwelling to punish the inhabitants
earth for their iniquity, and the earth will reveal the blood it has swallowed up and will no longer hide
their dead.
The second period of the coming of the Lord is connected with the folding of the sky as a scroll.
For a while judgments, there will be a rapture of a child who keeps the words of testimony(Rev. 12:5, 17) . This is the breaking of the 7th seal. The judgments are described twice in the revelations and in each cupanger corresponds to the trumpet.
The written judgment will be made by the wife(Ps. 149:5-9) .
IN at the end she will come out of the desert(Rev. 16:12,16) but the destination of her journey will not be Jerusalem.In the third temple the sacrifice will be restored (1290) and the Armageddon will take place.battle. After that, the full return of the Son of Man will take place and His feet will be on the mountain Olivet (Zech. 14:4) .
Prophecy given in 1968 by a ninety-year-old Norwegian woman from Valdres about the events that will take place before the Second Coming of Christ. At one time, the evangelist E. Minos wrote down these prophecies and put them aside, considering that it was very unrealistic. More recently, while reviewing his notes, he realized with amazement that what seemed “unreal” has become the norm of our society.
Here are her prophetic messages:
“I saw the times before the coming of Jesus and . I saw the world like a globe and saw Europe, land by land. I saw Scandinavia, I saw Norway. I saw certain things that will happen before the return of Jesus and disasters that we have never seen before.”
She mentioned four waves:
1. “Before the coming of Jesus and before the Third World War there will be a détente like never before. There will be peace between the superpowers in the east and west, and it will be a long peace. (Remember, the prophecy was given in 1968 when cold war gained momentum - note by E. Minos). During this period of peace there will be disarmament in many countries, also in Norway, and we will not be ready when the war comes. will start in a way that no one could have imagined - from an unexpected place.
2. “Warmness will embrace Christians. A falling away from true and living Christianity. Christians will not want to listen to damning sermons. They will not want to hear about sin and grace, law and the gospel, repentance and restoration. There will be a replacement: the Christianity of prosperity (happiness).
It will become important to be successful, to be something, to have wealth, things that God never promised us in this way. Churches and prayer houses will be empty. Instead of the sermons we are used to today to take up our cross and follow Jesus, there will be sermons about entertainment, art and culture. It will increase greatly before the coming of Christ.”3. “There will come a moral corruption that old Norway has never seen before. People will live together as married without marrying. (I don't think it's about the cohabitation that existed in 1968 - note by E. Minos). There will be a lot of impurity before marriage and godlessness will strike the marriage and it will be justified. It will even enter Christian circles and we will accept it, even a sin that is contrary to nature. Before the coming of Jesus, there will be a television that we have not seen (Television only appeared in Norway in 1968 - note by E. Minos).”
“Television will be filled with terrible violence and will teach people to kill and it will not be safe on the streets. People will copy what they see. There will not be only one station on TV, but there will be many stations (She did not know the word “channel” that we use now, therefore she called them stations - note by E. Minos). Television will be like radio, with many stations and filled with violence. People will use it for entertainment. We will see horrific scenes of murder and destruction and it will spread throughout society. Sex scenes will also be on the screen, very explicit things that are in marriage (Then I protested, saying that pornography is prohibited here - note by E. Minos). It will happen and you will see it. Everything that was before will be broken and many events will pass before your eyes. .
4. “People from poor countries will flock to Europe. They will also come to Scandinavia and Norway. There will be so many of them that people will hate them and treat them badly. They will be threatened like the Jews before World War II. Thus, the whole measure of sin will be filled.
Tears rolled down the woman's cheeks. “I won’t see it, but you will. Then suddenly Jesus will come and the third World War will begin. It will be a short war." (She saw it in a vision).
“The war that I saw (World War II) will seem like child's play compared to this one and it will end with the explosion of the atomic bomb. The air will be so contaminated that no one will be able to breathe. This will cover several continents, USA, Japan, Australia and rich countries. The water will be poisoned. The soil will be damaged. As a result, only the remainder will remain. The remnant in the rich countries will try to escape to the poor countries, but they will be bad attitude as we had to them. The one whose sin is forgiven and who has accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord will be safe.”
An elder in the Pentecostal church in Moss, Norway, Martin Anders, heard this prophecy in 1937 in Moss:
"When oil flows from the North Sea along the Norwegian coast, the return of Jesus will draw near."
As these words were spoken, the people in the congregation asked the man not to speak nonsense. In 1937 it was really incredible to talk about oil along the Norwegian coast. Now all the big oil companies are working along the Norwegian coast.
The event of the Second Coming of Christ to earth is the most important in Orthodox eschatology (the doctrine of the final destinies of the world). About what will happen on the day of the Second Coming - the last day of the existence of our earthly world in its current state, and about what will precede this day, tells Cleric of the Holy Trinity Cathedral Hierodeacon Paisios (Shurukhin).
“In the history of the world, two events are most important: the First Coming of the Lord Christ and His Second Coming. The first is sowing; the second is the harvest; the first showed and gave the human race all Divine truths and powers to save people from sin, death, the devil, the second will reveal and reveal how the human race took advantage of this ”(St. Justin Popovich).
On the free will of man, God the Savior and the First Coming of Christ
—Father Paisios, please remind me what the need for the First Coming of Christ to earth was connected with.
– According to the Creed, we believe that our Lord Jesus Christ descended from heaven “for us for the sake of man and for our sake of salvation.” Salvation from what? —According to the teachings of the Church, man was originally created in the image of God as a being who must be in communion with God, in the knowledge of God, in likeness to God. And with free will. The book of Genesis tells that, at the dawn of its history, man did not stand the test of freedom (Gen. 3). At the temptation of the devil, he violated given by God the law of life and thereby not only damaged the original – sinless and pure – state of his nature and world, but also lost communion with God. By renouncing God, the source of life, he condemned himself to the captivity of sin and death. Neither our forefathers Adam and Eve, nor their descendants, the entire human race, could free themselves from this captivity by their own strength. For their release, the Lord Jesus Christ came to earth. The Lord Savior resurrected fallen humanity, opened the way for it to achieve the goal for which man was created - to unite and blissful communion with God, the path of salvation.
The possibility of salvation is given to every person. And how he will use it, and whether he will use it at all, depends on the person himself. God does not save anyone by force, salvation is accomplished in the unity of two wills - God and man. But in the world there is also a "third will" - hostile to God; this devilish will seeks to turn a person away from God, to prevent him from being saved. However, the devil cannot forcibly impose his will on a person; he has no power to do so. A person chooses for himself who to follow - for Christ or for the devil.
And the result of his choice will be evaluated by the Lord on the day of His Second Coming.
About God the Judge and the Second Coming of Christ
“It is natural that God, the Creator, Savior and Sanctifier, should at the same time be the Judge. For, as the Creator, He gave us life; as a Savior, he saved us from sin, death, and the devil; as Sanctifier, He has given us in the Church all the means to sanctification, salvation and deification; as a Judge, He judges and judges how we have used the life He has given us and the means He has given us in the Church” (St. Justin Popovich).
– Father Paisios, what is the difference between the First and Second Comings?
First, they differ in purpose. At the First Coming the Lord did not come to judge the world, but to save the world (John 12:47); to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). At the Second Coming He will come to judge the world righteously (Acts 17:31) and reward each according to his deeds (Matt. 16:27). The two Advents will also differ in the manner in which Christ appears. He came to suffer for us in humiliation, in the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7), but he will come to judge in His glory and all the holy angels with Him (Matt. 25:31). This is what the Creed says about Christ: “And the packs of the one to come with glory ...” At the same time, if the First appearance of Christ was quite imperceptible, then it will be impossible not to notice the Second: for, as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so it will be the coming of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:27). According to the fathers, "it will be visible everywhere because of the radiance of glory."
—What will happen at the Second Coming, and why is it also called “the end of the world”? The title is not very optimistic...
– On the day of the Second Coming, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes in glory from heaven to earth, a series of extraordinary events will take place, with which the names of this day are also associated.
That event will take place, which is spoken of in the Creed with the words: “I look forward to the resurrection of the dead,” that is, the general resurrection of the dead and the change of the living. God on this day will judge the universe, therefore it is called the day of judgment (Matt. 10, 15), and since God the Father handed over the whole judgment to the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, this is also the day of the Lord (2 Pet. 3, 10), the day of the Son of Man (Luke 17, 22), and a number of other names - and all of them testify that this is a completely exceptional day: a great day (Acts 2, 20).
It is called “the end of the world” (and also the last day), because on this day time, the earthly world in its current state and human history will end their existence. On this day, the Lord will pass His last, final judgment on the entire history of the world and man, on all people together and on each person individually.
As for optimism... After all, this is not only the day of the "end", but also the "beginning" - new heaven and earth, new life in transfigured bodies, life in eternity. St. Basil the Great compares it with the first day of the existence of the world. The first initiates the created world; the last one to a renewed world. Both of them are one and only.
– Why are there so many false predictions about the date of the end of the world?
– Can there be false predictions about this? The Lord has not revealed to us the timing of the coming " last day". Of this He Himself speaks to His disciples: Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, but only My Father alone (Mt. 24:36); It is not for you to know the times and seasons which the Father has set in his own power (Acts 1:7). The date is providentially hidden from us, so that we would be awake and at any moment ready to stand before the Lord for an answer. As blj says. Theophylact, "it is not useful for us to know when the end of the world will be, so as not to become lazy." Attempts to "find out" this date, contrary to the Word of God, only distract from the real deeds of salvation.
“The Church does not bless unhealthy curiosity, it condemns it,” testifies St. Grigory Shlisselburgsky.
About what will happen on earth before the Second Coming
“Look, do not be horrified, for all this must be” (Matt. 24:6)
– Father Paisios, please explain why, having hidden the dates of the Second Coming from us, God at the same time shows us the signs of its approach?
“Indeed, the Scriptures say a lot about this. In each of the Synoptic Gospels there is an eschatological chapter, where the Lord Himself tells about His Second Coming and the signs of the end of the world (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). Why should we know about this? – To better navigate what is happening in the world around us. “Look, do not be horrified, for all this must be,” says Christ, thus showing that all these events, not only favorable, but also difficult, mournful, occur under the invisible control of God’s Providence and are aimed at achieving good goals. What is required of us believers? The same as in all other times: keep faith, truth, trust in God, not be fearful, entrusting yourself to Divine Providence. “Do not be afraid, do not be embarrassed,” says St. John Chrysostom. “For if you show proper patience, adversity will not overcome you.”
- And what exactly will precede the end of the world?
– Everyone can get acquainted with the signs of the approaching end of the world by carefully reading the Word of God. In general, there will be an extraordinary increase and spread of evil in all areas. human life even in nature. These are wars and war rumors; nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines, plagues and earthquakes; Christians will be hated for the name of Christ, betrayed to torture and killed; false Christs and false prophets will appear and deceive many (Matthew 24:4-11).
At the same time, the Gospel will be preached throughout the universe, as a witness to all nations (Matt. 24:13), but faith in people by that time will be so impoverished that the Son of Man, when he comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8). Ap. Paul testifies that in those days there will be an apostasy from Christianity, for people will be self-loving, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, blasphemous, disobedient to parents, ungrateful ... having a form of godliness, but denying its power (2 Tim. 3, 2-5). Such an environment will be favorable for the appearance in the world of the Antichrist, the man of sin and the son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:3).
“When the majority of people in their freedom will voluntarily choose evil, and do evil, and desire evil ... then the Lord will allow their supreme leader of Christ-fighting, the Antichrist, to appear,” writes St. Justin Popovich.
Antichrist and his activities
"Antichrist? In the human race, this will be a man of all sin; in it sin attains all perfection, all its power. With all his soul, with all his heart, with all his mind, with all his strength, he will be related to Satan, and Satan to him. Their wills will merge animatedly into a single will, and they will work with their whole being against the God-man Christ” (St. Justin Popovich).
– Father Paisios, tell us about the “Antichrists” and the “Antichrist”.
– The word “antichrist” is used in Holy Scripture in a double sense. In a general sense, this is the name of any opponent of Christ. According to app. John, there were, are, and will be many such Antichrists. The Antichrist in his own, or strict, sense is one, he has not yet come, but will appear before the end of the world. The date of the end of the world is unknown, therefore the time of the arrival of the Antichrist is also unknown; his own name is not revealed, because, according to the fathers, "it is not worthy to be proclaimed from the Holy Spirit." The character of the Antichrist and his reign are described in the Book of Prop. Daniel, in the 2nd Epistle of St. Paul to the Thessalonians and in the Revelation (Apocalypse) of John the Theologian.
Story human race will not end until Satan shows on earth the full power of his evil. In the end times, all means - lies, malice, violence - will be mobilized by Satan for last battle with Christ and His Church. The Antichrist will become the absolute embodiment of human-satanic evil. According to St. John of Damascus, "God, foreseeing the future corruption of his will, allows the devil to inhabit him." Antichrist will become an instrument of Satan, all his deeds will be carried out according to the action of Satan ... with all power and false signs and wonders (2 Thess. 2, 9), with the main goal - to turn people away from God and all of God. Having deceived the nations, Antichrist will become a world ruler, will impersonate God and demand divine worship (see: 2 Thess. 2, 4). Christians who remain faithful to God will be subjected to the most severe persecution and torment (Rev. 13:15). It will come to the point that, without an outward sign of obedience to the Antichrist, it will be impossible to buy or sell (Rev. 13:17). The church, persecuted and persecuted, will have to hide in the wilderness (Rev. 12). However, no matter how great the power and authority of the Antichrist, no matter how cruel the battle against the Church of Christ, the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18). The Church will remain unshakable: divine services and the Sacraments will not cease in her until the very end of the world (1 Cor. 11:26), since Christ and the Holy Spirit will abide with the Church until the end of time. To destroy the kingdom of Antichrist, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will appear and kill the lawless one with the spirit of His mouth (2 Thess. 2:8). This will end the self-proclaimed mission of the Antichrist and his satanic kingdom.
The victory of Christ over the Antichrist will end the centuries-old battle between Divine good and satanic evil, which has been going on throughout the history of mankind, not only in the world, but also in every human heart.
– There are people who, one might say, are not quite “balanced” in relation to the topic of “Antichrist” and everything connected with it, they are quite irreconcilable, and anyone who does not share their point of view becomes for them something like the Antichrist…
– Indeed, it often happens that all the talk about the end of the world comes down to a discussion of the horrors and catastrophes described in the Apocalypse. This also includes arguments about the three sixes, passports, TIN and so on. All this, being present in unreasonable quantities, leads to the creation of an atmosphere of fear and suspicion. And, unfortunately, many do not notice that Christ, and the meaning and purpose of the Second Coming of Christ (and not the Antichrist!), and the fact that the end of the world is evil for the Antichrist, his servants somehow fade into the background. and followers, and for those who are faithful to Christ, it is the coming of the Savior in the glory of God, the victory of good over evil, of life over death. I would like this to be the main idea and content of such conversations.
And regarding the “seal of the Antichrist,” let us listen to the voice of Archimandrite John Krestyankin: “With modern technical capabilities, it is possible to secretly and clearly imprint all peoples with “numbers”, and “chips”, and “seals”. But they cannot harm the human soul unless there is a conscious renunciation of Christ and a conscious worship of the enemy of God.” Another terrible thing is that already now, before the arrival of the Antichrist, without fulfilling the commandments of Christ, without following Him, many of us receive this seal in our hearts.
About the Last Judgment
“Our earthly life is a time of purchase or eternal blessings, or eternal torment” (Archimandrite John Krestyankin).
How will the Last Judgment take place?
– On the day of His Second Coming, after the general resurrection of the dead, the Lord Jesus Christ will perform the Universal and final judgment. This judgment will embrace people of all times and peoples - Christians and pagans, believers and non-believers, no one will escape it. App writes about it. Paul: We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one will receive according to what he did while living in the body - good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10). The judge at this judgment will be the Lord Jesus Christ. Because it is Christ, the Son of God and the Son of Man, who is appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42). He will judge the world not only as God, but also as a Man. And no one can reproach Him for not knowing the sorrows of our earthly life. The subject of judgment will be not only all our deeds, but also thoughts, feelings, desires, words. We will be judged not only for the evil done, but also for the good that we did not do, although we could. No one in court can accuse God of injustice, because, according to St. Ignatius Bryanchaninov, "the accuser and accuser of each defendant will be his conscience, suddenly healed of blindness and the charm of sin." And he will separate (Christ) one from the other, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will put the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left (Matthew 25:32-33). The criterion of division will be works of mercy. According to the interpretation of the fathers, not only material (feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, etc.), but also spiritual (do not condemn, forgive, give good advice and so on.). Mercy shown to neighbors as the lesser brothers of Christ, i.e. for the sake of Christ, will bring justification and the Kingdom of Heaven to those who have done it, and condemnation and eternal fire to those who reject it (see: Mt. 25, 34-46).
Words Holy Scripture about the Last Judgment are not a threat of retribution, but a call to good deeds. It must be understood that the Last Judgment begins for us even in this earthly life, when we do good or evil. The division into "sheep" and "goats" at the Last Judgment will not be the result of God's arbitrariness, but will only confirm the choice made by man himself.
– Why is this Judgment called “terrible”, for whom and why is it terrible?
- It is terrible for all people, because only the God-Man Jesus Christ is sinless. And it is terrible because it determines the eternal fate of man; and if this fate turns out to be deplorable, then it will be impossible to change it. Sorrow, contrition will be useless. Then, according to St. Nicholas of Serbia, “it will be too late to do good deeds and it will be too late to repent” and “weeping will no longer meet with sympathy.”
- And what will happen after the Last Judgment?
– Eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven for the righteous and eternal torment in hell for sinners.
Interviewed by Ludmila Kuznetsova
