Father Vladimir Krivolutsky, a confessor of the faith and a member of the True Orthodox Church (Catacomb Church), was born in 1888 in Oryol. He graduated from the law faculty of Moscow University in 1910. From 1915 to 1918, he served at the front. From 1918 to 1922, he was in military service. From 1921 to 1922, he was a student at the Orthodox People's Academy. On March 6, 1922, he was ordained a deacon. He served in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Peski in Moscow. On September 9, 1923, he was ordained a priest. From 1924 to 1930, he served in Moscow at the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God "of the Sign." He was arrested in 1927 and released several months later. He did not recognize the "Declaration" of Metropolitan Sergius. From January 22, 1930, he served in the Church of St. Nicholas in Kotelniki. On December 28, 1930, he was arrested for the second time and exiled for three years to the Northern Territory (Pinezhsky District, Arkhangelsk Region). He served his sentence together with St. Nikon of Optina. He was released in 1933. He lived in the cities of Mozhaisk and Yegoryevsk. Being a member of the True Orthodox Church (Catacomb), he performed secret religious services at home. On April 21, 1946, he was arrested again. On November 30, 1946, he was sentenced to 10 years in a forced labor camp. He served his sentence in the cities of Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, and Karaganda (Kazakhstan). In 1955, he was released early due to serious illness. He died in Moscow on March 29, 1956.
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In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Sergianism must be understood in light of the prophecies of the end times. It is said: "Where the corpse is, there the eagles will be gathered" (Luke 17:37). And it is precisely as if to a corpse (for humanity is now a corpse) that the ominous signs of the end times have flocked to our days, to the events of our lives.
, speaking to us in the language of the hidden mystery, sealed by Divine revelation in the writings of the holy prophets and apostles and revealed in the God-inspired words of the God-bearing fathers.
God's great wrath is now being poured out upon the Russian land because of the apostasy from the Christian faith, that extraordinary apostasy, that extraordinary apostasy foretold by our Lord and Savior Himself in His discourse with His disciples on the Mount of Olives. But if, because of the decline of love and faith and the increase of iniquities (Matthew 24) within us, days of the greatest tribulation have been sent us, then because of our impenitence, stubbornness, and hardness, these days of tribulation have been prolonged, and, in order that the most hidden things may be revealed, a new and even greater apostasy from the faith has been permitted to occur within the depths of our Church.
Through submission and obedience to the “mystery of iniquity,” through bowing before the throne of Satan, through the introduction of the spirit of the Antichrist and the spiritual placement of the “abomination of desolation” in the holy place, i.e. in the church.
And all this was actually accomplished by the former Metropolitan Sergius, who apostatized from the truth of Christ, and continues to be accomplished even today by part of the priesthood, deceived by him.
The spiritual aspect of the truly horrific deed of former Metropolitan Sergius and all of "Sergianism" can only be understood in light of all the prophecies about the end times, and therefore is considered in light of the prophetic words about the final days of Christ's Church on earth.
THE PATH OF WICKEDNESS AND APOSTASY
In the path of former Metropolitan Sergius and "Sergianism," although there is no formal damage to the Orthodox Church's doctrines by the heresy regarding dogma, there is something even more terrible than heresy! This is precisely what St. Apostle Paul warns about: "This is precisely what you should know, that in the last days perilous times will come. For people will be..." (and then St. Paul describes what these people will be like, concluding with this: "Having a form of godliness, but denying its power" (2 Tim. 3:1-5).
Alas! Only the outward appearance, the veneer, was preserved, but the inner content, the power of the Christian confession, was trampled, replaced, destroyed! For can there be any doubt that the union of the incompatible and the blending of the incompatible is possible only through the renunciation described in the aforementioned prophetic words of the Holy Apostle to the Holy Apostle – Bishop Timothy?! For a deed more terrible than heresy, the deed of the former Metropolitan Sergius, attempts to unite and combine Christ, Christ's own, the bride of Christ, the Orthodox Church, with the blasphemous work of Satan, with Satan.
But - "what does light have in common with darkness?"
The guardian and overseer of the church, St. Apostle Paul, exclaims: “What agreement is there between Christ and Belial?” (2 Cor. 6:14, 15).
The external preservation of the forms (dogmatic and ritual) of the Orthodox faith with its complete internal substitution is possible for a hierarch only with that deepest impiety, which is equal to apostasy from Christ and transition to the camp of the “mystery of lawlessness”, obedient to Belial.
But “woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness...” (Isaiah 5:20).
And this is the essence of the path of the former Metropolitan Sergius and those who, knowing what they are doing, continue his path!
DEPARTURE TO THE SIDE OF THE "PALE HORSE" AND ITS RIDER
In the unsearchable ways of the Lord, but certainly receiving the due reward of our deeds, we have found ourselves in this life witnessing how, before our very eyes, the Lamb opened the "fourth seal" of what was to be: "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold, a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death: and Hades followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth" (Rev. 6:7-8).
And the voice of God spoke (and speaks) to everyone living in these days, who bears the name of Christ and protects themselves with the power of the cross: "Come and see," so that everyone might understand what is happening. And if every Christian, then or now, was told this and was charged with it, then all the more so to the highest clergyman of the church! For he is the Shepherd, the Archpastor! He goes before, he leads, and the flock follows him!
And there was a time (not days, but years) when the former Metropolitan Sergius, walking as commanded, "looked and saw" and understood everything that was happening in unison with the God-inspired understanding of the Church of God: as the onset of the time imminent before the end of the world, as the realization and victory of the "mystery of lawlessness," as the reign of the spirit of the Antichrist and its bearers, as the establishment of the throne of Satan! And he (the former Metropolitan Sergius), like every Christian, in the face of the forces of hell had to prove himself an unshakable, firm rock of faith and the strength of the fearless throne of the confession of Christ. For the Lord says to His follower: "Fear nothing that you shall suffer <...> be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life." (Rev. 2:10).
If every Christian is charged with the duty of fearlessness and military firmness, for it is commanded: “Endure hardships as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:3). "For God has not given us the Spirit of fear, but of power and love" (2 Tim. 1:4), then especially to a bishop, who is also the first in command in the army of Christ, in the church of God! ... And if, as they say in this world, "the situation obliges" even in the name of the worldly concept of duty and honor - according to the law of military or other official valor - to die at the post, in a firm determination to fulfill duty and honor, whether the commander of a fortress on earth, or the captain of a ship at sea, then all the more firmness should the bishop have shown when, during the most powerful struggle against the faith and name of the Most High, the strength of God's faith was entrusted and entrusted to him on earth, and when the leadership of the ship of the Church was entrusted to him, in the fierce waters of unbelief, atheism, apostasy and theomachy!
After all, every pastor constantly repeats the words of the Author and Finisher of our faith, as the words of his oath: “Whoever confesses Me before men, him I also will confess before My Father in Heaven: but whoever denies Me before men, him I also will deny before My Father in Heaven” (Matt. 10:32-33).
But alas! Metropolitan Sergius, the deputy of Metropolitan Peter, who was truly indestructible in his Christian steadfastness and archpastoral fidelity, could not stand firm in the face of torture and possible death for the name of Christ! He yielded to the "mystery of lawlessness," fearing its intimidation and threats, its fears and violence! He accepted all its demands and, spiritually bowing his knees before the throne of Satan, worshiped this throne! What the former Metropolitan Sergius accomplished is even more horrifying, since it was not apostates from Orthodoxy who flocked to him for all his nightly conversations and persuasions, but Christ-haters and Christ-killers, for the former Metropolitan Sergius himself confessed this. And it was precisely before the Jewish Sanhedrin that the former Metropolitan Sergius could not stand firm. Sergius betrayed Christ... Thus occurred the greatest apostasy from the Christian faith, the greatest betrayal of the Church as Christ's army on earth. Such apostasy and such a betrayal as human history has never seen! Even the betrayal committed by Judas Iscariot is inferior to this betrayal! For in both cases, Christ was equally betrayed, but while Judas's work existed alongside him only for three days, the treacherous act of the former Metropolitan Sergius has lived, expanded, and strengthened for over a quarter of a century.
From a priest of Christ and the head of the earthly Church, but therefore Christ's ever-militant Church—"against principalities, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12)—the unfortunate (Metropolitan Sergius) became a servant of the perpetrators of the "mystery of lawlessness," an obedient and submissive instrument of their goals! And as a reward for this submission, the betraying false shepherd, from the hands of the "host of Satan," with the blessing of his throne, received (his) bishop's vestments and staff (of ecclesiastical authority), sprinkled with the "mystery of lawlessness"!
And after this, the false shepherd, having deviated from sacred sources and finding the basis for his leadership only in the approval of those who perpetrated the "mystery of lawlessness," not as deputy locum tenens of the Most Holy Patriarchal Throne of All Russia, but as the guardian of the footstool of Satan's throne, began to speak the language of blasphemous, apostate lies—lies, deceitful, and the deceitful speeches of the spirit of Antichrist! The Christian world had never heard such lies, for the lies and harm of all heresies combined are far, far inferior to the lies and harm wrought by this false shepherd in his most destructive work for the Church.
In those days, when the whole world was seized with horror from the appearance of the pale horse and his "rider", and everything they were doing "on the fourth part of the earth", for behind them (the horse and the rider) truly followed hell and death, the false hierarch-wolf, standing in the holy place, raised his voice, calling for worship to both the "horse" and the "rider"!
The Church of Christ was drenched in the blood of martyrdom and shook with sobs from the sorrow of these days, that greatest sorrow of which the Savior spoke on the Mount of Olives, the coming of which was revealed in all its fullness and spiritual essence to the wondrous saint of God, who shone forth in the Russian land as a harbinger of this sorrow, the gracious Venerable Father Seraphim of Sarov! And he, by the Spirit of God foreseeing what was happening in our days, proclaimed: "And then there will be such sorrow as has not been since the beginning of the world! The angels of God will not have time to receive the souls of those killed for the word of God..." And as he said this—as eyewitnesses testify—Father Seraphim wept! And in these tears, in this weeping and lamentation of the saint, is the weeping of the entire Church of Christ, from feelings of the greatest sorrow!
The impious false hierarch does not share these feelings; he does not know sorrow and weeping over “those who are killed for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus.”
Father Seraphim weeps, but the impious apostate rejoices. He found in his torn, excommunicated soul words addressed to the destructive "horse" and "rider," to death and hell that followed them, to pestilence and the beasts of the earth—words assuring them that "their joys" are also "his joys," and "their sorrows" are "his sorrows too." "Your joys are our joys, and your sorrows are our sorrows!"—heard the voice of the one who excommunicates and anathematizes himself with these words. This voice attempts to impose its impiety on the faithful of the Church and speak in their name.
He is a false archpastor and apostate, a wolf in bishop's vestments. In him, the former Metropolitan, the words of the prophecy spoken about the fate of the Church by St. Apostle Paul before the priests of Ephesus are fulfilled. But these prophecies, fulfilled many times, this time find their most vivid fulfillment in the person of the former Metropolitan Sergius: "I know," said the holy Apostle, "that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will men arise speaking perverse things" (Acts 20:29-30).
And this “wolf,” surpassing all in his ability to “speak perversely,” that is, what is a complete distortion of the truth, unconditionally declared before the entire astonished world his complete and unconditional adherence to the joys and sorrows, in other words, to the aspirations, tasks and goals of the Antichrist’s total destruction of the faith and the Church of Christ!
What an abyss of wickedness and apostate betrayal!!!
Yes, the Church's sorrow is the Antichrist's joy! And where the Holy Church, in the person of St. Seraphim of Sarov, weeps in sorrow, there the false shepherd and apostate, former Metropolitan Sergius, having sided with the "mystery of lawlessness" in unity with the guardians of Satan's throne, rejoices and rejoices.
AGAINST THOSE KILLED FOR THE WORD OF GOD
Before the face of the whole world, the great host of bright and victorious martyrs of Christ, the new passion-bearers, having stained the entire Russian land with their abundant blood, as a testimony to all living on earth, appeared crowned before the throne of the Most High: as it is said in the prophecy: "And when He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, do You not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given to every one of them: and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet a little season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren, which should be killed as they, should be fulfilled." (Rev. 6:9-11).
And all this has happened and is happening in our day! And such an understanding is the understanding of the Church of the Saints, standing on the firm foundation of the gracious foreshadowing of St. Seraphim of Sarov and now proclaimed in the Church through the God-bearing servants of God.
And who can challenge, dispute, or destroy such an understanding, except the "father of lies" alone—the devil?! But alas! And the former Metropolitan Sergius. This obedient instrument of the "mystery of lawlessness," who has gone over to the camp of the fierce enemies of the work of Christ—speaks of those souls under the altar, "slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held," of the faith of the new passion-bearers for Christ's sake, of all those in our days tortured and killed for their faith—he speaks, in the words of satanic slander, of those who take upon themselves their innocent blood, that they are "criminals," that they have suffered a deserved punishment. (!)
And - "holding the seven stars in his right hand and walking in the midst of the seven golden lampstands" (Rev. 2:1), Christ, our true God, who spoke the truth about them (the confessors and martyrs), that "they will bring you before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony before them and the Gentiles" (Matt. 18:18). - He also says the same thing to the whole Church: "Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that he may test you, and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be ye faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life!" (Rev. 2:10).
Before the entire world, both earthly and heavenly, the traitor, the mouth of a serpent, lies, covering up the unheard-of destruction of human souls and betraying thousands upon thousands of faithful, cross-bearing children of the Church, who are in chains, certifying the lie that "there is no persecution for the Christian faith!" But where are all the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops, and bishops, of whom there were several hundred under St. Patron Tikhon? And where are the thousands upon thousands of priests, deacons, monks, and nuns?! Where have those desert-dwelling hermits, as numerous as the heavenly stars, gone? And who among the true-believing laity has not endured persecution and chains for the Christian faith?
Yes! Their sorrows, their abuses, their torments, their tortures, all their sighs, tears, lamentations, their confessional patience, their prayers and supplications before their death, the image of their end, their white garments and light-bearing crowns of justification – all, all cries out to the throne of the Most High against the satanic slander against them, spewed out by the earthly lips of the false archpastor-apostate.
DESECRATION OF THE "SANCTUARY"
"And a part of the army will be assigned to them, which will defile the sanctuary of strength and will take away the daily sacrifice..."
Have not these words of the holy prophecy of the seer, St. Daniel (11:21) come true?! Have not the mournful words of the Psalmist been fulfilled in the days of greatest sorrow, as a prophecy about our days: "O God!" he cries, "the heathen have come into Your inheritance! They have defiled Your temple, they have made Jerusalem a ruin. They have given the corpses of Your servants to be eaten by the birds of the air, the bodies of Your saints to the beasts of the earth. They have poured out their blood like water all around Jerusalem, and there was no one to bury them..." (Psalm 79:1-3). "The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary: Your enemies roar in the midst of Your congregations; they have set up their signs instead of our signs (that is, instead of crosses) <...> They have given Your sanctuary over to the fire; they have completely defiled the dwelling place of Your name. They have said in their hearts, "Let us destroy them completely," and have burned all the meeting places of God on the earth <...> We do not see our signs ..." (Psalm 73:3-4, 7-9).
Yes, all of this came true with astonishing accuracy. This is especially clear from the Church Slavonic reading. Yes, truly, "the nations came into Your possession, defiled Your holy Temple, made Jerusalem a vegetable storehouse..." Yes, and this speaks of the "vegetable storehouses" of our day!
In no country in the world were there so many churches of God as there were in Orthodox Rus'... And all were desecrated! Almost all were either destroyed, burned, or blown up!.. Some of them became "vegetable storage facilities"... All this was revealed to St. Seraphim of Sarov, but impious carelessness destroyed the records of his prophetic words. However, the saint's words have reached us: "The time will come when the Antichrist will remove the crosses from the churches..." And that time has come!.. The time when the power of the Antichrist desecrated, destroyed, and annihilated churches and holy icons, removed crosses and erected its impious signs on God's churches... The Lord, for their edification and confirmation, revealed abundant signs and manifest miracles on icons, crosses, and churches! (The restoration of icons, domes, and crosses. The miracle with the red cloth on the Nikolsky Gate in Moscow. The flow of blood from desecrated crosses and icons, God's punishment of the desecrators, etc.). But the throne of Satan, despite the obvious miracles they themselves repeatedly attested, suppressing faith by force, with even greater fury and consistency destroyed all that had been miraculously revealed—thus revealing in itself a direct blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, like an abyss of Satanic theomachism.
Where is the voice of him who was the first hierarch of the church? With what light and brilliance of Christ's truth should it have thundered, like the thunder and lightning of God throughout the universe! But alas! The servant and obedient instrument of the "mystery of lawlessness," standing in the "holy place," defends the cause of God-fighting and blasphemy against the Holy Spirit!.. But how can one object to what is obvious, known to the whole world?.. And he says that the closure and destruction of churches and monasteries, the desecration of holy icons and crosses, with the complete destruction of especially venerated miracle-working ones—if they were partially committed—then (he says) they are carried out not by the throne of Satan, but "at the desire, they say, of the believers themselves!".. Is this the speech of an archpastor, a clergyman, and even the "highest" one at that, or is this the speech of a servant of Satan?
Retribution to Barabbas and Caesar and God
The spirit of lies and the cunning craft of deception are hidden in the words of wickedness spoken "in a holy place." The false shepherd, the servant of the "mystery of iniquity," says that every Christian must obey in all things the authority of the "rider" seated on the pale horse. For it is said, he says, "There is no authority except from God." Therefore, anyone who desires to fulfill God's command is obligated to obey the authority of the "rider" in all that it demands of us. Such, in brief, is the essence of deceptive words. The intricacy is subtle, but the false knots are clearly visible!
It is true that nothing in the universe, in the world of spirit, flesh, and matter, exists without the will of God. However, in the world of rational and free creation (incorporeal spirits and humans), God has permitted the existence, alongside the realm of good (the fulfillment of God's will), of a realm of evil (as the realm of trampling upon and violating God's will). But while good exists with God's approval and blessing upon its bearers, evil exists in the world only by God's permission, with the ultimate condemnation of this path and His wrath, destined to execute its judgment and retribution... But for now, in time, both good (as due) and evil (as undesirable) exist in the world, so that creation (in this case, humans alone) can make its conscious, free choice of path: toward good or toward evil. Therefore, the existence of all the forces of darkness—Satan and demons, and their entire path—does not prove God's blessing and approval of them. This is only God's permission. Judgment and condemnation await them, but for a time they are given the opportunity to pursue their own agenda, which is inconsistent with the (moral!) will of God. And because of this, alongside goodness, alongside God's angels as willing and voluntary executors of God's will, there also exists the spirit of darkness, eternal malice—Satan and the demons, who resist and war against God. But who can claim that if God's wisdom permits the existence of the evil world (Satan and the demons), then their path is therefore in accordance with His will?
The human world, as the world of human moral self-determination, also has two paths: to good (toward God) and to evil (against God). But through the Fall, the human world has been inclined toward evil: "the world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5), and the "prince of this world"—the spirit of darkness—holds sway within it. However, the path from evil to good is also open to man through Christ!
By arranging the human world in a manner similar to the spiritual world, the Almighty created "power" over the various human wills and their directions, as the subordination of individual wills to a single will. But just as in an individual, the path of life, in relation to the will of God, can vary:
in God (in complete unity with Him!),
to God (in striving for Him),
without God (lack of desire for Him) and, finally,
against God (as a path of fighting against God)...
- so power (as a “super-will” that controls individual human wills) in its relation to God can appear:
1) “power in God” (in complete submission to the commands of His holy Will, in union with Him);
2) “the power striving to realize the will of God” or the power striving for God” (but not having unity with Him);
3) "power without God" (not seeking or striving for Him. For such power it is as if "there is no God"), and, finally;
4) “power against God” (which is not only “godless”, but also sets as its goal the destruction of all submission to God and the very concept of God in people!).
The Almighty Lord appoints or allows authority over people according to their moral worth. Thus far, humanity has known the first three types of authority; however, the fourth type of authority, that of deliberately God-fighting, has not yet been experienced by humanity. Such authority would emerge when people mature in the sin of apostasy, of fighting against God.
And so: the appearance of the "rider on a pale horse," who is given "power over a fourth of the earth," signifies the first appearance on earth of a power consciously and purposefully opposed to God. This power is only permitted by God, although the will of this power is aimed at the destruction of all that is Divine in people, even His very name. The Almighty Lord granted this power to rule over people because the will of the vast majority of people, having suffered the gravest sins, has matured in evil and resistance to God to the point of God-fighting (i.e., Satanism).
Therefore, it is applicable even to this authority to say that "there is no authority except from God" (Rom. 13:1). For God, as Almighty, grants to people the authority they are morally worthy of. All authority comes from God, but not all authority is pleasing to God. And just as God will deliver an individual, in the depths of his sinful hardness and obstinacy, into the power of demons, so too will He deliver an association of people into the hands of an authority that is anti-God and anti-Satanic.
But will complete obedience in everything to such authority really be a God-pleasing deed, a fulfillment of His holy will?
The apostate, the false hierarch, and those who speak with him deceive the people by claiming that the authority of the "rider on the pale horse" must be obeyed in everything it desires and demands of Christians. And to justify their lies, they cite the words of the Gospel truth: "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and unto God the things that are God's" (Matthew 22:21).
But these words of Christ, like the "seven thunders" of God, thunder with their voices as a testimony against those who compel obedience "in everything" to the authority of the "rider." Only demonic deception, permitted to dominate human minds, can so distort the word of God. Indeed, by God's permission, over a quarter of the earth there now appears "a Caesar"—one whose authority does not derive from a divine source (as "authority from God," "with God or to God," and not even as "authority without God"), but as "an authority opposed to God," that is, an authority from a satanic source. Yes, this authority is permitted by God, but the will of this authority is directed against God, against the will of God; in other words, it is the will of Satan. This is precisely the authority that must appear at the end of time, of which Divine Revelation speaks repeatedly. And although the events of the end times have not yet found their final conclusion, the "wicked forerunners" of that most wicked man whom St. Apostle Paul calls "the man of sin, the son of perdition" (Thessalonians 2:3) have already come in his spirit. And this is what is said about that godless power: "And that king will do according to his own will, and will exalt himself above every deity, and will speak blasphemies against the God of gods, until the wrath is accomplished" (Dan. 2:36). "And he will speak words against the Most High, and will oppress the saints of the Most High; he will even think of changing their holy times and laws" (Dan. 7:25).
This ruler "will enter into an agreement with those who have apostatized from the Holy Covenant" (Dan. II, 30).
"He will draw to himself those who act wickedly against the covenant with flattery; but the people who know their God will be strong and will act" (Dan. 11:32) and "I saw how this horn made war with the saints and prevailed against them" (Dan. 7:2).
The question arises: which of these words of Christ, spoken through the holy prophet Daniel, has not come true before our eyes?! So, what is said about this most impious "Caesar" (king)?
1) He will be infinitely proud, he will create such a cult and reverence for himself that he will place himself above any deity. And he will blaspheme the Almighty God.
2) Having seized power, he will be extremely cruel to those under his control and will “act at his own discretion.”
3) He will especially arm himself against those who believe in God and will oppress them. Namely:
4) “He will dream of canceling the holidays” dedicated to God and generally destroying the concept of God.
5) Anyone who acts “wickedly against the covenant” of the holy faith will thereby be especially pleasing to him, and he will “draw them to himself.”
6) Moreover, there will be those who will outwardly appear to be supporters of the "holy covenant," but inwardly they will be "apostates from the holy covenant." And it is with them that the most wicked "Caesar will make an agreement," and these apostates will assist him.
7) And in this struggle against faith and against people who give faith to the “holy covenant” (our Lord Jesus Christ), the wicked will “overcome the saints,” i.e. the true believers.
And St. Apostle Paul, having in mind the same events in connection with the coming of the Lord, writes: "That day will not come unless there comes a falling away first, and that man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition; who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he as God sits in the lameness of God, showing himself that he is God <...> And then will that wicked one be revealed <...> whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders..." (2 Thess. 2:3-4, 3-9) And through St. Apostle and Evangelist Paul, John the Theologian speaks openly about the power that will be against God: "And all the earth marveled and followed the beast, and they worshiped the dragon who gave power to the beast... And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given him to continue forty-two months... And he was given power to make war with the saints and to destroy them. And power was given him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation, and all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life..." (Rev. 13:3-8).
It is to this "Caesar," among Caesars—Barabbas (and spiritually "Abaddon"—the destroyer), who has ascended to the throne of Satan (the immediate predecessor of the "most wicked"—Dan. 7:14)—that the false hierarch calls to depart from the holy covenant, to render what this Barabbas and "Akeldama" among Caesars desires and demands, all that he alone recognizes as "Caesar's." But the spirit of the Antichrist, the spirit of Satan's throne in the God-fighting false Caesar, recognizes nothing of God and considers all this to be its own, "Caesar's." And therefore, it demands of everyone that what is God's be rendered not to God, but to him, the false Caesar, as if it belonged to him—as "Caesar's." But the false hierarch—the apostate—agrees with this and, standing "in the holy place," calls for everything to be rendered to Caesar by the rider on the pale horse: both "Caesar's" and "God's." This is precisely what is spoken of in Divine Revelation: "And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life..." (Rev. 13:8).
By distorting the meaning of God's word and corrupting human thought and reason, the spirit of darkness—through the servant of the "mystery of iniquity" and his accomplices—strives to deceive and present evil as good, attributing what is said about a God-seeking authority that acknowledges the sovereignty of God and His holy law, to a consciously God-fighting authority. The apostate of the eternal covenant of our Lord Jesus Christ seeks, through a distortion of God's word, to force submission to an authority that derives its power not from God, but from Satan. Therefore, with such destructive intent, he cites the word of God, declaring that it is written: "Whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God" (Rom. 13:2). So once in the desert of Galilee, the tempter, the spirit of darkness, “the prince of this world,” appeared before the God-man Christ and, through the perversion of the word of God, forced him, on the same basis, to submit to him and worship, but he heard the answer: “Get behind me, Satan, it is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only!” (Luke 4:8).
A Christian is obligated to submit to any authority that expresses reverence and obedience to God: and it is precisely to the extent of this obedience to a given authority that Christians submit to God. But if an authority takes on a deliberately God-fighting character, imbued with the spirit of the Antichrist, then the scope of Christian obedience to such an authority is increasingly reduced (to the extent of its God-fighting), and finally, at some point, as indicated in Revelation 13:15-17, it disappears altogether.
And the words of Christ, through the God-bearing Apostle, like the seven thunders of God, thunder with their voices that "Let every soul be subject to the higher powers" (Rom. 13:1). It says: "higher" (in the Russian text). From whose point of view is this "higher"? From the point of view of human vanity or from the point of view of the word of God? Of course, the word of God says this, and from its own point of view, that is, from a moral point of view. This is much better clarified in the Church Slavonic text, where it says: "the powers that be," that is, those who restrain the sinful nature of man. That is why it is said immediately after the words quoted: "for there is no power but of God" (13:1). The expression "the powers that be" must be considered in conjunction with the expressions of St. Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Apostle. to the Thessalonians, where it speaks of "the one who restrains." "Restraining" (in Slavic "hold") means "the one who holds power."
The words "there is no power but from God," in addition to the meaning explained above, have a very clear and simple meaning in this case: if power is "not from God," then it is not from "higher ones," but from the underworld. Therefore, it is said of such power: "and hell followed with him," that is, after the rider on the "pale horse" (Rev. 6:7-8). Consequently, if power does not derive its inspiration from God, then it is not "Higher," but, so to speak, a power "lower than hell," and therefore it is no longer the power revered by a Christian. In other words: if power is not from God, it is no longer power. This is even clearer and simpler in the Slavonic text. There it is written: "there is no power except from God," that is, "except from God, there is no power!"
And what is that "wicked Judas," the apostate false hierarch, and his conscious accomplices doing? They and he are preparing the way for the acceptance of the Antichrist, for they preach a deceptive message of embracing the spirit of the Antichrist through complete submission to his God-fighting will and through the worship of the beast, filled with the spirit of the Antichrist. And since this is so, what other attitude is possible for Orthodox Christians, faithful believers, toward that false hierarch, his accomplices, and the entire spirit of this deception, other than one response: "Get behind Me, Satan!" (Luke 4:8). For in both cases, the same spirit is at work—the "spirit of darkness."
THE FULFILLMENT OF THE PROPHECY OF THE DIVISION OF THE HIERARCHY IN THE LAST TIMES AND THE PATH OF THE APOSTATES
Replenishing the measure of lawlessness in apostasy and impiety, not only the former Metropolitan Sergius himself, but, alas, also a portion of the hierarchy, proved obedient to the word of deception, ripening in the deep depths of the "mystery of lawlessness." They approved of this word, poisoned with serpentine venom, and accepted it. Thus was fulfilled the prophecy foretold by the ancient pillar, by St. Cyril of Jerusalem (the same one who was granted to see and describe the sign of the Cross in heaven—commemorated on May 7). He stated that just as at the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, the church curtain was torn in two from top to bottom, so too, at the end of this world, the "church curtain"—the hierarchy of the end times—will be divided into two parts. One part, the majority, will follow the path of impiety, and only a minority will follow the true path, the path of sorrow.
And this same prophecy was repeated by the divinely inspired clairvoyance of the pillar and teacher of the Church in our time, St. Demetrius of Rostov ("A Sermon on the Appearance of the Antichrist and the Coming of Christ"). And the saint of God, foreseeing these days, foretold that the majority of the hierarchy, divided into two parts, would embrace the path of error and impiety, or apostasy, while the true Church, very small in number, in the person of its true hierarchy, which had not embraced the path of apostasy and was cruelly persecuted, would hide underground, in refuges, and flee into the desert!
To these two prophecies about the division of the Church hierarchy in recent times and the acceptance by the majority of the path of error and impiety, we must also add the prophetic dreams about our days of the ever-pleaser of God, Father John of Kronstadt, and miracle worker of all Russia. They all speak of the same thing, but especially striking is the one in which St. Seraphim of Sarov appeared to Father John in a white mantle and, taking Father John by the hand, led him through the Russian land and showed him what would soon happen in this land. And he was shown the "impious priesthood" with its apostasy from the truth—everything was shown in every detail, everything that has now been realized in the person of the apostate before the spirit of the Antichrist, the false Metropolitan Sergius, and the clergy who accepted his path—St. Seraphim even led Father John. John and to the throne of Satan, which was to be erected on the Russian land and showed the one sitting on it!
All these words of prophecy of St. Cyril of Jerusalem and St. Demetrius of Rostov, and revealed in prophetic dreams to Father John of Kronstadt—and all of this has happened before our eyes and continues to happen, filling the souls of people who seek God in truth with boundless spiritual sorrow!
The All-Seeing Judge knows the hidden and secret. He will judge the most destructive deed for the Church, committed by the false apostate archpastor, the wolf of Christ's flock, and the part of the false hierarchy that shares his views—each according to the extent of their knowledge and participation in the apostasy and impiety.
But that false shepherd and his false hierarchy (which, in the person of many of them, has a direct and undoubted “dedication” and advancement from the hidden depths of the “mystery of lawlessness”) added to their apostate impiety the fact that, like a pack of fierce, savage wolves, they attacked their brothers (the clergy) who were unwavering in the truth and the simple children of the Church (who did not submit to the “rider on the pale horse”), and who wept at his “joys” and did not bow to the “beast”, but fled into the desert from the dragon, carefully searching for them in order to hand them over to chains, suffering and death.
For the true Church, which is so small in number, nourished by a hierarchy that is true in its confession, is a Church that is persecuted, pursued, destroyed, and hid: “it fled into the wilderness, where a place was prepared by God” (Rev. 12:6). The words of this prophecy are being fulfilled today in the persecuted Church of Christ: "Woe to you who dwell on the earth! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has a short time. Now when the dragon saw that he was thrown to the earth, he persecuted the woman who brought forth the male child. And to the woman were given two wings, that she might fly into the wilderness, to her place where she is nourished for a time, times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. Then the serpent spewed water out of his mouth as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ" (Rev. 12:12-17).
A wondrous prophetic picture, depicting the fate of the last Church of Christ! – But where in this picture is the place of the false hierarchs and apostates Sergius and Alexis, and those who are in unity and unanimity with them? – Here are two opposing sides: one is the persecuted, the other is the vicious persecutor! The persecuted is the Church, and the vicious persecutor is “the great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns” (Rev. 12:3), also known as “that ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan” (Rev. 12:9), who in great, fierce rage strives to swallow “the bride of Christ,” the Church and those who—of her seed, keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ—are only two sides—there is no third. Either with the Church on the wings of the “great eagle” in the desert, or with the serpent—against the Church. But they (Sergius and Alexis) are not in the desert! They do not hide from the serpent's fury in forests and mountain crevices! No, they themselves declare that they share the same feelings and thoughts as the serpent: they rejoice in his joys and grieve at his sorrows. The serpent is pleased with them! They live under his hospitality, even under his protection! He praises them! Rewards them. And he pins the tokens of his friendship, the Beliarian one, on their chests, and now we have the patriarch himself as a red deputy with his obedient metropolitans. For they, these bearers of hellish friendship, have shown the serpent in deeds that they truly rejoice with him in his joys and grieve at his sorrows. And when the dragon, in utterly ferocious rage, wages "war" against the true Church of Christ and all of her descendants who submit neither to the rider, nor to the beast, nor to him—the dragon—then in this battle against the disobedient, the apostates Sergius and Alexis side with the dragon and those to whom he has given power and his throne! They side with the dragon against the Church, which "from the face of the serpent" fled into the desert! They are that turbid, foaming, fetid "water" which, like a river, "the serpent spewed from his mouth after his wife..."
And many, many people drown in this water!
For we are not speaking of those who (knowingly) drown, but of those who are drowning... They are drowning because they do not want to know the truth! They have closed their ears so as not to hear, and closed their eyes so as not to see!
Thus, through the agency of apostate false shepherds and the graceless false hierarchy they created, a most destructive work for the Church of Christ is being accomplished, through methods carefully planned in advance within the depths of the "mystery of iniquity." Their centuries-long experience of fighting Christianity has shown them that direct external persecution cannot destroy the Christian faith, for the Holy Church fears neither the bonds of confession nor the blood of martyrdom. For by the blood of Christ's passion-bearers, she is only strengthened. The powers of hell know this, and therefore have long been preoccupied with finding ways, as they put it, to "internally destroy the Church and the faith." And so, after many years of painstaking research and effort, the apostate former Metropolitan Sergius has emerged as such an instrument of satanic intent against the faith and Church of Christ. For the "internal self-extinction of the Church and the self-destruction of the faith," dreamed of by the eternal enemies of Christ, consists in the serpent creating a false church in the outward likeness of the true Church, a false church whose spirit is all that of the "woman sitting upon the scarlet beast" (Revelation 17:3). This crimson false church preserves the rites of the true Orthodox Church, but all true power within it lies in the hands of that terrifying false hierarchy, which has nothing in common with the spirit of Christ and whose sole purpose is to replace the spirit of Christ with the spirit of the Antichrist. These are the forces of the "mystery of lawlessness" being perpetrated.
And so, when the uninitiated from their camp (from among the non-church people) wonder: "Why was it necessary to raise from the grave a long-buried dead man?" (They consider faith and the Church to be such a dead man) - they are answered: "At this stage, we need this because it is useful! It is temporary! And then - we will bury (they inform their like-minded people) - this dead man then and in such a way that no one will ever remember him again!"
But "at this stage" the satanic gathering needed to create a "crimson-red false church" in order to deceive both inside (the country) and outside, and in order to prepare for the final destruction of faith and its annihilation within.
Inside, the creation of a “crimson-red false church” is necessary in order to:
1) to fight against the true Church of Christ, which “fled into the desert”;
2) to give a false outcome to the search for faith among the people, so that people accept “poison” under the guise of food that the people themselves are looking for;
3) try to force the disobedient to submit to the “horseman” through faith;
4) by substituting lies for truth, with the ultimate goal of destroying faith, undermining all trust in faith. (That's why they need the crimson-red false church to outwardly resemble the Orthodox Church in every way.)
On the outside, they need to create this false church in order to deceive the entire world, which, although it has lost its faith, defends the right to faith for humanitarian and traditional reasons, in order to confuse the voices, driven by normal human conscience, protesting against the persecution of faith, and to completely suppress them.
And so the crimson-red false church, which outwardly maintains every appearance, the semblance of the true Orthodox Church, which is ultimately being destroyed, supposedly speaks out in the name of this Church (while the true Orthodox Church of All Russia is deprived of the opportunity to raise its voice). And this false church, the creation of the crimson-red beast, defending this beast, declares to the entire world that there is no persecution of faith, that the "Church" (?!) enjoys complete freedom, such as it has never before enjoyed, and this "Church" (not the Church, but the false Church) approves and blesses the power of the "rider" sitting on the "pale horse."
And this deception is succeeding and bearing fruit, so that even some of the Eastern Patriarchs (Antioch and Alexandria) have been deceived. And the voices of the Patriarchs of Jerusalem and the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, protesting against this falsehood and deception, are still weak and do not reach us!.. For that which was created through the work of the apostate former Metropolitan Sergius is not a church, but the same "beast" (like the one he serves!), only for the purpose of deception this "beast" has "two horns like a lamb," and yet it is said of him: "And he spake as a dragon" (Rev. 13:11).
Indeed, this is precisely what happens with the crimson false church: outwardly, it resembles the Church, and even has two horns like those of a lamb (these are the false patriarchs Sergius and Alexy), but we ourselves hear that this false Church speaks in a language precisely like the "dragon" itself. And although what is spoken of in the aforementioned passage of Revelation will apparently have an even more complete fulfillment, nevertheless, how wondrous is this approximation to our day, and such truly mystical Divine light does this word of Revelation shed on what is happening in the false Church.
And the beast, bearing "two horns like a lamb" and speaking with the tongue of a serpent, truly speaks with the tongue of a serpent. Thus, one of the ministers of the "mystery of lawlessness," dressed in the vestments of a bishop, standing in the "holy place" (in a former Orthodox church), speaking from the pulpit to the flock about the Church of Christ, the true, persecuted Church hidden from the beast—that is, the Orthodox Church—shouted, banging his staff on the stone slabs: "That's who! It is they (that is, the Church of Christ) who are preventing us from building a new life and a new society!"
Is this the language of the Church? No, despite the outward appearance of a lamb, that is, Christ, it is the language of the dragon, waging an all-destructive war against the true Church of Christ.
WHAT TO CALL WHAT WAS DONE BY FORMER METROPOLITAN SERGIUS?
What name should we give to this wicked deed? What name should we give it? In other words: what exactly did the false hierarch commit? Is it "apostasy," "betrayal," "impiety," or heresy? Or something else entirely?
To understand this, we must keep in mind that we must seek comparisons and parallels not in the past of true faith in God on earth (i.e., in the history of the Old and New Testament Churches), but in the future. For to fully comprehend what was accomplished by the former Metropolitan Sergius and is being accomplished by his successors, there are no examples for comparison or approximation in the past of the Church of Christ. And this is despite the fact that many "fierce wolves" have appeared within the fold of "Christ's flock" (the Church) "in sheep's clothing." The pages of the past, the history of the Church, will provide little insight into the meaning of "Sergianism." For what has been accomplished and is being accomplished has no prototypes in the past. And only the future, foretold in the Church—that which is destined to occur at the end of time—provides enlightening examples. Not the early, first pages of the history of the Church of Christ, which was tormented by many heresies, but the last pages of the Holy Bible reveal the mysterious meaning of what was done.
Only in light of the final fate of the Church of Christ on earth does the deed committed by the false hierarch Sergius take on its sinister aspect. And therefore, the terms previously used to describe all the spiritual storms endured by the Church are now unable, by themselves, to express the content that permeated the deed of the former Metropolitan Sergius.
So, can this act be considered an "apostasy"? Yes, it is undoubtedly an "apostasy" from the faith and confession of Christ. But it's not enough to say it's an "apostasy": after all, there have been apostates before... How does the apostasy of the wicked hierarch stand out from all the apostasies that have occurred so far?
The quality of apostasy and apostasy differs depending on who and what the apostate gives his faith to (this is the first) and who they themselves are – the apostates (this is the second).
Thus, the Church knows of cases of apostasy—to paganism, to Judaism, to Islam, or to some other faith... But all of this, despite its perniciousness, is apostasy from the faith—for the sake of faith, albeit a different, untrue faith. These forms were especially well known at the dawn of Christianity. Now, another form of apostasy prevails: apostasy into atheism, that is, the loss of faith, the filling of the soul with the coldness of complete unbelief. And finally, apostasy from the faith can take on the character of not only denial, but also a struggle against the faith, the character of atheism. However, all these varieties of apostasy have existed before. The apostasy committed by the former Metropolitan Sergius is entirely different. It was committed before the spirit of the Antichrist, before its power, which found its manifestation, its incarnation for the first time on earth (although not in the form of its final, definitive manifestation, but in the form, so to speak, of a pre-Antichrist manifestation). However, this pre-antichrist phenomenon was realized with such force and breadth that almost everything that was foretold about the antichrist himself found its almost complete manifestation in this his predecessor.
And it was to him that the apostate Sergius surrendered his faith. This is who he accepted instead of Christ!
This apostasy is further aggravated by the fact that it was committed not by a simple layman, not by a priest, not by an ordinary bishop, but by the highest hierarch himself, in his highest cathedra... This apostasy is further compounded by the fact that the act of the former Metropolitan Sergius was not a short-term state, explainable and partly excused by human infirmity, temporary spiritual weakness, fright, fear of torture, the threat of death... Then repentance and an attempt to correct the deed should have followed. But nothing of the sort happened with the former Metropolitan Sergius. His apostasy proved to be a persistent and very active, energetic state (he remained stubbornly unrepentant until the end of his life).
The most terrible form of apostasy for a hierarch—apostasy in favor of the power of the Antichrist—was committed by the former Metropolitan Sergius! And not only did he commit it himself, but he also led his numerous flock down a most destructive path.
The apostate renounced Christ, but it was a secret, hidden renunciation, and therefore especially malicious and dangerous!
But didn't this false hierarch also commit treason? Yes, treason and betrayal, the likes of which cannot be found in the pages of the past! For even the black betrayal of Judas, despite all its terrible darkness, is less than the betrayal and treachery committed by the former Metropolitan Sergius. For in both cases, Christ is equally betrayed, for the Church is the "body of Christ," and he who betrays the Church betrays Christ. But Judas betrayed the Lord Christ into the hands of unbelieving Jews, and Sergius, through those same unbelieving Jews, into the hands of the Antichrist's mockery, torture, and death. And in both cases, the betrayer's feet passed through the "place of blood"—the "akeldama." However, Judas understood his sin and, on the third day, in despair, laid hands on himself... and thus the work of Judas existed with him for only three days. Sergius refused to acknowledge his betrayal as a sin, even though he was constantly exposed and called upon to do so, and he continued to do his Judas work for almost twenty years. (And he continues to do so to this day, and will continue to do so, alas, until the end of time.)
This apostate and traitor summoned Metropolitan Peter from exile several times and attempted to win him over, promising him all sorts of blessings and honors, but Metropolitan Peter remained as steadfast as a rock. When their final meeting took place, Metropolitan Sergius, having exhausted all his temptations and persuasions, angrily shouted at Metropolitan Peter: "Well, then, you'll rot in exile!" To which Metropolitan Peter replied: "I will rot, but with the Lord—not with you, Judas the traitor!"
Can the deeds of the former Metropolitan Sergius be called "impiety"? Yes! But that's not enough: for there is impiety and impiety! For every sin is, in a certain sense, impiety, and every sinner is impious... But this is not the kind of impiety we are talking about. The impiety of Sergius surpasses all forms of impiety known to date in the Old and New Testaments. Why is this so? Because just as his apostasy was committed before the "mystery of lawlessness" and before the spirit of the Antichrist, just as his betrayal and treason were committed in favor of the Antichrist's cause on earth and to please Satan's throne, so the impiety committed and being committed in the deed of Sergius is a special impiety that is not the impiety of the personal sins of any one person (relating only to him), but is an impiety committed in the mystery of the "mystery of lawlessness." This impiety reveals all the blasphemy and sacrilege of the "mystery of iniquity," which, through the actions of the wicked, gains access—wide access—to the very Divine Services and Mystery of the Orthodox rite! For among the servants of the false hierarchies, the very celebration of Divine Services and the Mysteries becomes blasphemy and sacrilege.
And finally: is the case of Metropolitan Sergius not heresy?
But it doesn't seem to destroy the fundamental dogmas of the Orthodox faith. For now, at least, this isn't apparent. And yet, it is a heresy, but, like everything else in Sergianism, in a specific sense. The word "heresy" literally means "division," "separation." And the Sergianist deception has divided not only the Russian Church but all existing Orthodox churches, and undoubtedly operates even in non-Orthodox denominations. This heresy consists in the fact that, while the letter of the dogmas of faith and church rites is outwardly and ostensibly preserved, their inner meaning and power are completely destroyed, and everything is replaced by the spirit of acceptance of the work of the Antichrist on earth. For faith itself, in its teaching, becomes subservient to the "mystery of lawlessness," in the direct pursuit of the spirit of the Antichrist.
This heresy is the heresy of the Antichrist's deception of the Christian faith and the ways of Satan's cunning and lies, creating, in the image of the "bride of Christ," the woman "clothed with the sun"—a crimson false Church, similar in appearance to her, standing in the same holy place. This is the heresy of the "beast," who has "two horns like a lamb," and speaks in the tongue of the ancient serpent, the dragon, the father of lies—Satan.
So, what is "Sergianism"? It is apostasy, treason, impiety, renunciation, betrayal, and heresy, but all of it is completely different from anything that has been called by these names before.
What is this? What is now being done in the name of appeasing the "mystery of lawlessness," in the face of the power of the Antichrist—couldn't all of this be expressed more succinctly and clearly? And isn't there a name for all of this in the inspired word? For it is impossible for all of the extraordinary things happening now within the Church not to have an extraordinary name. Yes, there is!
This is the placing of the abomination of desolation in the holy place!
It is written:
"When you therefore see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..." (Matt. 24:15-16). "When you therefore see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains..." (Mark 13:11).
And St. Daniel says:
"...and on the wing of the sanctuary shall be the abomination that makes desolate..." (Dan. 9:27).
And speaking about the same thing in more detail, the holy prophet writes about the most wicked “king” (let him understand!)
"And he will be embittered against the holy covenant and will fulfill his intention and will again enter into an agreement with those who have forsaken the holy covenant <...> And a part of the army will be assigned to him, which will defile the sanctuary of strength and will take away the daily sacrifice and will set up the abomination of desolation" (Dan. 11:30-31).
Yes, truly, what is being done by the “apostates” from the holy covenant, the false archpastor Sergius and his entire impious false hierarchy, following in his path, is “the establishment of the abomination of desolation.”
And although in what they are doing there is not yet the final fullness of this “abomination” foretold by the Lord, it is already revealed spiritually in its disgusting essence, as the closest prototype of what is called the “abomination of desolation.”
If all this had not been within the bosom of the Russian Church, say those who have been given by the Lord to see the invisible and hear the inaudible—they say, the gracious elders and elderesses of God—the days of tribulation would have long ago been lifted (at least "for a short time"). But now the fulfillment of God's words in the sinful land has been "moved back" by the right hand of the Most High. Amen.