“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth” ( Rev. 21:1–7 ).
With these words, taken from the Apocalypse, the holy righteous Father John of Kronstadt began his extremely significant final New Year's sermon. In this sermon, which served as a kind of testament to us, since it was delivered shortly before his blessed death, he vividly painted a picture of the terrible moral corruption of the modern world and expressed the opinion that this world is "nearing its end," that "the last times have already come."
In this sermon, as in many other sermons and individual thoughts and sayings in "My Life in Christ," St. John emerges as a powerful denouncer of the terrible heresy of our time, which is fundamentally undermining the Orthodox Christian teaching on salvation. This heresy has become so widespread in our time, yet has so skillfully concealed its destructive heretical nature, that it is now professed even by many within our Orthodox Church, not excluding clergy, some of whom occupy high hierarchical positions.
What kind of heresy is this?
This heresy, in essence, does not represent anything completely new: it is merely a peculiar refraction, or manifestation in modern conditions, in the modern environment of life, of the heresy of the so-called “chiliasm,” or the false teaching about the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth, once condemned by the Second Ecumenical Council.
That is why we call it “neo-chiliasm”.
This is faith in the coming progress of humanity on earth , or in “the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth,” as those who consider themselves to belong to the Church of Christ express it, supposedly called, in their conviction, to realize here on earth for people a heavenly life – complete well-being, peace and prosperity.
The adherents of this heresy completely ignore numerous and very categorical-sounding passages in Holy Scripture, which clearly state that the perfect realization of Christian ideals will never happen on our present earth, that it is senseless and absurd for humanity to expect complete well-being and prosperity here, and that, on the contrary, people's lives will gradually, over time, move further and further away from the true faith and the covenants of Christianity, that Christian love, this only foundation of lasting well-being, will become increasingly depleted in people and that, finally, the history of mankind will end with the most terrible upheavals, such as "have not happened since the beginning of the world" and a horrific catastrophe, as a result of which this earth itself will be destroyed by fire, and, in place of the present visible heaven and the present sinful earth, a "new heaven" and a "new earth" will appear, on which "righteousness will dwell." ( 2 Peter 3:3-14 ).
After all, all this is the “Alpha and Omega” of the true Christian teaching, so clearly expressed in the words of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself and the messages of His Holy Apostles – how can one not recognize this?!
But the nature of this modern heresy of "neochiliasm" is such that it completely blinds the spiritual eye and forces a person to argue, arguing against the obvious. This is precisely what makes "neochiliasm" so pernicious: by spiritually blinding a person, even one who considers himself a Christian, it fundamentally distorts the entire Orthodox Christian worldview. By forcing its adherents to forget the ascetic essence of Christianity, which is, by its very nature, irreconcilable with evil and sin, this modern heresy teaches one to reconcile oneself with the entire contemporary life of the world, which more than ever before "lies in evil" ( 1 John 5:19 ), to enter into all sorts of compromises and agreements with sin and even outright apostasy, under the loud slogans of "Christian love" and "all-forgiveness."
As difficult as it may be to see, the staunch followers of "neochiliasm" are all contemporary "modernists" and "reformers" of Christianity and Orthodoxy, who seek to justify sin and lawlessness and reconcile the Gospel's teaching with the modern world, drowning in sin, under whatever pretext or motive. This includes the so-called "Living Church," "Renovationism," "Sergianism," the Soviet "Moscow Patriarchate," so-called "ecumenism," and the new policy of the Vatican with its "Ecumenical Council," ready to remake everything in a new way, to please "modern times," even to the point of re-editing the Gospel itself (what else could one call its decree declaring the innocence of the Jews in the crucifixion of Christ?).
This neo-chiliastic heresy, which gnaws away at the original, genuine Christian worldview like a worm, aims to divert the thoughts of modern Christians from heaven, from the future eternal life, and chain them to earth. Therefore, for followers of neo-chiliasm, reminders of the apostasy taking place in the world, the appearance of the Antichrist, the Second Coming of Christ, the end of the world, the Last Judgment, and the eternal torments of hell awaiting unrepentant sinners are hateful and intolerable.
They don't want to hear any of this, because it interferes with their lives . By their own admission, it depresses them, "clutching their wings," paralyzing their energy and will to live and work. Understanding Christian activity purely externally, as work aimed at "establishing the Kingdom of God on earth," they can't imagine how one could work otherwise, and "why bother working on anything at all if everything is about to end?"
It's easy to see how such thoughts and feelings are fundamentally contrary to the Gospel. Didn't the Lord command us to await His Second Coming and to be always prepared to meet Him?
"Watch," He repeatedly instructed His disciples, "for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready , for at such an hour as you do not think the Son of Man is coming" ( Matt. 24:42-44 ).
"And you, be like men waiting for their master to return from the wedding," He also taught: "so that when he comes and knocks, you may open to him straightway. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds watching. Verily, I say to you, he will gird himself, and have them sit down, and will come and serve them... Therefore, you also be ready , for at such an hour as you do not think, the Son of Man comes" ( Luke 12:36-40 ).
And here is a terrible warning to those who do not want to think about the Second Coming of Christ and prepare for it, like the modern “modernists” - “neo-chiliasts”: ... “But if that servant shall say in his heart, My lord is delaying his coming” (and this is exactly what they say: that the Second Coming of Christ will be “not delaying”! ), and shall begin to beat the male and female servants, to eat and drink and get drunk (this, by the way, for many of them is the most dear to their hearts occupation, which is why they project to cancel the fasts!), then the lord of that servant shall come on a day when he expects it not (that is why we must always expect it, and not reject the thought of the Second Coming of Christ!), and at an hour when he is not aware, and shall cut him in pieces, and shall appoint him his portion with the unbelievers” ( Luke 12:45-46 ).
Are these words of Christ not enough? Or are they not clear and convincing?
That is why a correct Orthodox Christian worldview requires constant thought about the proximity of the Second Coming of Christ and constant preparation for it.
It was not in vain that the Lord Himself gave us a number of signs of the nearness of His Second Coming, saying: "Therefore, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors " ( Matt. 24:33 ). And He even sternly reproached those who do not want to heed the signs of the times: "You hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the earth and the sky, but how is it that you do not discern this time ?" ( Luke 12:56 ).
The Apostolic Scriptures add to this that we must not only prepare for this great day by “holy living” and “piety,” but also “look for and desire the coming of the day of God, in which the heavens will be set on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat,” and this, of course, because our present earth, filled with evil and lawlessness, will then be destroyed, and a “new heaven” and a “new earth” will appear, in which “righteousness will dwell” ( 2 Peter 3:10-13 ).
That is why the entire cycle of our divinely inspired sacred books, called the Bible , ends with the significant prayer of Christ's beloved disciple, St. John the Theologian, which expresses the most cherished hope of every true Christian:
“Come, Lord Jesus !” ( Rev. 22:20 ).
Only modern heretics - "neo-chiliasts" - do not want to pray like this or even think about it, for all their thoughts and feelings are here, on this sinful earth, the existence of which they would like to prolong as long as possible, establishing on it an imaginary "Kingdom of God", directly contrary to the teaching of the Word of God.
Our Holy Orthodox Church teaches us to begin each day, upon rising, with thoughts of the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. For this reason, it has established the following significant words to read in our daily morning prayers: "Suddenly the Judge will come, and each one's deeds will be laid bare, but with fear we cry out at midnight: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou, O God, through the Theotokos, have mercy on us!" Further, in the fifth morning prayer: "Grant us to pass through this present night with vigilance of heart and sober mind , awaiting the bright and revealed coming of Thy Only-Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, on which day the Judge of all will come in glory , to render to each according to his deeds..."
Here it is – the correct Orthodox Christian worldview!
For a true Christian, this temporary earthly life is only “night,” and all his thoughts and feelings should be directed toward the “bright day” he expects , when “the Judge of all will come.”
That is why the first liturgical service of the daily cycle, called the “Midnight Office,” has as its central point the equally significant troparia: “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh at midnight, and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching...” and “Remembering this dreadful day, my soul, be vigilant, lighting your candle.”...
But what's most frightening is that those who hold this attitude, contrary to Church teaching (except for the ringleaders and leaders of this heresy, who, of course, understand perfectly well what they're doing, where they're going, and where they're leading others), sometimes don't even realize that they're not at all participating in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth, but in preparing the Kingdom of the Antichrist. Indeed, according to the prophecies of a number of ancient Holy Fathers, the idea of establishing a prosperous and peaceful life on earth, full of abundance and well-being, under the grandiose title of "the Kingdom of God," will be seducing Christians and attracting their sympathies to himself by none other than the Antichrist.
So, this is who these modern heretics, the “neo-Chiliasts,” ultimately serve!
Is it really possible that this is still not clear to anyone at this time?
It is no coincidence, therefore, that our Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, in these fateful days we are experiencing, has taken upon itself the audacity to glorify our great all-Russian, indeed universal, luminary, our Holy Righteous Father John, the miracle worker of Kronstadt. What a vivid picture of the universal apostasy and the undeniable proximity of the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ he painted in his final New Year's sermon!
“Look how the world is drawing to an end,” he says in it; “look what is happening in the world: everywhere there is unbelief, everywhere an insult is inflicted upon the Infinite, All-Good Being; everywhere there is blasphemy against the Creator, everywhere there is impudent doubt and unbelief, disobedience; everywhere in the world there are armaments and threats of war; in many parts of Russia and other countries there is acute famine; everywhere there are threats of death, everywhere there is murder, everywhere there is plundering of the treasury and private property; everywhere there is a loss of striving for high spiritual interests, for almost the entire intelligentsia world has lost faith in the immortality of the soul and its eternal ideals, or the striving for godlike perfection, of which the Lord says: “be you perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect” ( Matthew 5:48 ); everywhere there is only a striving for the satisfaction of animal passions; greed for self-interest, and enrichment by predatory means; Indiscriminate drunkenness, debauchery, disrespect for marital unions. See and judge for yourself: the world has become completely corrupt and needs a decisive renewal, as once happened through the Great Flood. The last times have come ..."... and further, Fr. John paints a picture of these times with the words of St. Apostle Peter ( 2 Peter 3:3-18 ).
Saint Righteous John concludes this remarkable sermon with a warning from the same Saint Apostle Peter, seemingly directed directly against modern heretics – the “neo-Chiliasts”:
“You therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, take heed lest you be carried away by the error of the wicked and fall from your own steadfastness,” that is, from the true Christian teaching, which these heretics want to overthrow with their pernicious false teaching about the imaginary “Kingdom of God on earth” ( 2 Peter 3:17 ).
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!