The coming of the Antichrist: prophecies, signs, consequences

In Christian teaching, as in most other religions, there are not only positive images, but also negative ones. The key embodiment of evil is narrated in the scriptures, telling who the Antichrist is. There are several versions about his mission, time of arrival, appearance and consequences of his arrival.

In a broad sense

To the question of who the Antichrist is, two answers can be given. This is due to the fact that there are two ideas about it, general and specific.

In a general sense, this is someone who:

• denies the existence of Jesus Christ;
• does not confess him who has come in the flesh;
• rejects the Father and the Son.

This is how John the Theologian, the evangelist, talks about the Antichrist in one of his epistles. At the same time, he adds that many such people have appeared and there will be many more. But these are only the forerunners of the coming of the Antichrist, understood in the strict sense of the word. John the Theologian also writes about him, calling him last and great. This is what is most often discussed when they talk about the coming of the Antichrist to earth.

In the strictest sense

The word in question is written in Greek as ό αντί-χριςτος. Its meaning is the enemy, the adversary of Christ, who deceitfully pretends to be him. The preposition αντί, when attached to another word, usually means “against”. But it also has a second meaning – “instead of”. The prophecies about the coming of the Antichrist in the Holy Scriptures indicate that he is understood both as his adversary, enemy, and as a false Christ, that is, his replacement.

The Apostle Paul speaks of him as a man of sin, exalting himself above all things, calling himself God, pretending to be him, who will sit in the temple of God. He opposes the Almighty and Jesus.

In the Gospel of John, Christ told the Jews that he came to them in the name of his Father, but they did not accept him, and if another came in his own name, he would be accepted by them. This means the coming of the Antichrist. There is also an indication of this in the Gospel of Matthew, when Jesus prophesies about the end of the world.

Who is this?

In Greek, the word "anti" can have two meanings: "against" and "instead of." In relation to the Antichrist, both meanings are valid, since the Antichrist will be both an opponent of Christ, destroying Christianity in every possible way, and one who will try to take his place. In a broad sense, the character of Antichrist should be understood as anyone who denies the divine-manhood and sonship of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:22).

The Apostle Paul calls the Antichrist “the man of sin and the son of destruction” (2 Thess. 2:3). Moreover, his coming, according to the work of Satan, will be with all “power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). The name of the Antichrist is unknown, but his number is known - 666, or rather the numerical equivalent of his name. We do not know what these three sixes mean, although there has been enough speculation on this topic not only among sectarians regarding the “decoding” of these sixes (for example, among Adventists), but also in the near-Orthodox environment, where booklets and leaflets with enviable regularity appear with the next “revelations” about them. People are persistently trying to decipher this number. Unfortunately, this is accompanied by inadequate actions, excitement in society, calls for “leaving the world” (by analogy with the Penza Zakopane residents), refusal of identification numbers, cell phones, computers, and a decisive fight against the Freemasons (if only I knew where to look for them! ) and so on.

The New Testament says the following about the Antichrist:

1. He will come in his own name: “...he who exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped” (2 Thess. 2:4), “...he will come in his own name” (John 5:43), that is, he will fight against all religions, for its characteristic feature will be blasphemy (Rev. 13:5,6).

2. He will pretend to be God: “He will sit in the temple of God as God, showing himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4).

3. He will have false prophets who will “show great signs and wonders” (Matt. 24:24).

4. Satan will have religious power combined with political power - a kind of satanocracy: it will be “...over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Rev. 13:7).

5. His reign will last 3.5 years (Rev. 13:5) - or 42 months, or more precisely 1260 days (Rev. 12:6). This period is equal to the duration of Christ's public ministry on earth.

6. All who do not accept his authority will be exterminated: “...we kill everyone who does not worship the image of the beast” (Rev. 13:15).

7. The Church will be forced to “hide in the wilderness” (Rev. 12:1-6). But “the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18), and the Eucharist will not end until the Second Coming (1 Cor. 11:26).

8. Individual saints will be allowed to overcome this satanic power: “And it is given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7).

Jesus Christ Himself will crush the forces of evil completely and irrevocably; He will defeat the Antichrist “...with the breath of His mouth and destroy him with the appearance of His Coming” (2 Thess. 2:8). After all these events, the Judgment of Christ will begin.

Let us quote some famous holy fathers, both ancient and 19th century, about the Antichrist in order to give a patristic interpretation of this phenomenon.

Other names

The Holy Scriptures also give other names for the Antichrist. This is about:

• wicked;
• devastator;
• a man of sin;
• a man of lawlessness;
• son of perdition;
• lawless;
• the small horn of a terrible beast;
• scarlet beast;
• beast coming out of the sea.

Thus, the prophet Daniel speaks about the little horn, which grew among ten others from a terrible, strong beast, implying the coming of the Antichrist.

The Apocalypse speaks of a beast with ten horns and seven heads emerging from the sea, simultaneously resembling a bear, a lion and a leopard. The scarlet beast, the eighth of the seven, is also described there. He comes out of the abyss.

Name number

All of the above names are either common nouns or descriptive. Antichrist is also a common noun. His own name is not revealed in scripture; it is unknown. Irenaeus of Lyons explains this by saying that it is not worthy of being sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In the Apocalypse, only the number 666 is indicated, which refers to the name of the beast, that is, the Antichrist. That is why it is called the animal number. The language of the Apocalypse is Greek, and in it, as in Slavic, each letter of the alphabet represents a number. Therefore, theologians believe that the name of the beast consists of numbers that add up to the number 666.

Antichrist number

In many religious teachings and cinema, the explanation of who the Antichrist is according to the Bible is accompanied by a special license plate or number of the beast. It is believed that 666 is the numerological encryption of the name of Satan’s protege. It is often used in satanic paraphernalia, as well as an inverted cross. At all times, in the guise or name of the alleged Antichrist, people have tried to calculate this number, guided by various calculation methods and assumptions. The official church denies numerology and its influence on the coming of the false prophet and savior.

Antichrist is a man

The Holy Scripture says that this is a person, a certain person. Through the mouths of the holy fathers and teachers, the ancient Ecumenical Church always preached the doctrine according to which it is an individual person. And even heretics did not reject this teaching, did not doubt its truth. Subsequently, it received recognition in both the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Latin Church.

As for the point of view of Protestants, as well as Russian schismatics, they view the Antichrist as a collective person, meaning many persons. Or it means the spirit of evil, which finds manifestation in these individuals and in people in general.

This doctrine was proclaimed by Martin Luther. In our time, some Protestant scholars do not adhere to it. The Orthodox Church considers it false and heretical. Just like the teaching of Bretschneider, a Protestant rationalist, that the Antichrist is the personification of evil.

Who will be saved from the Antichrist?

And only the Russian Orthodox Church will be able to resist and not submit. Because, thank God, we have never been under the Turks. We fought with them and, very often, successfully. Our historical memory is such that there is no need to submit to them, but to resist. We respect the Byzantine Church, but we do not recognize its universal power. We are sure that the head of the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ, and no one else. Our land is completely different, at the edge of the world, we have never been under the beast. Territorially we did not obey and will not obey.

“And the serpent sent water like a river out of his mouth after his wife, in order to carry her away with the river. But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up the river that the dragon had let out of his mouth.” The wife may well be saved in the desert at the northern edge of the world.

Because Jesus Christ said that one church will be saved “from the time of temptation that will come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth” (Rev. 3:10). And why shouldn't it be the Russian Orthodox Church?

Now why on earth, may I ask, is it claimed that the Antichrist will have world power? If it is said that at least one church, thank God, will be delivered from it? And “the gates of hell will not prevail against her”? (Matt. 16:18) If this is the Russian Orthodox Church, then imagine what a huge territory this is.

This is asserted on the basis that Revelation mentions “the whole earth.” Who “marveled as they watched the beast, and worshiped the dragon,” who had given power to the beast.”

From whom will it come?

According to theologians, by nature he will be the same person as all people. And he will be born just like all of them. The Holy Scriptures, like Church Tradition, do not contain information that the Antichrist will be the incarnate devil. As well as the fact that its origin will be connected with the mixing of an evil spirit and a woman.

The answers to the questions about who the Antichrist will come from and where he will be born are not unambiguous. The widespread opinion is that he will come from the Jews, from the tribe of Dan. There is an assumption that he will be from a pagan environment. There is also an opinion that it will come from perverted Christianity.

Since ancient times, there has been the idea that he will be born from an illicit relationship. Some consider Babylon to be his birthplace, others Rome.

Activity

Holy Scripture and the church fathers present the Antichrist as the leader of the uprising, who will become king suddenly, after some kind of “outrage.” According to Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov, this man will be a “world king.”

“The Antichrist will offer humanity the creation of the highest earthly well-being and prosperity, he will offer honors, wealth, splendor, carnal comforts and pleasures: seekers of earthly things will accept the Antichrist, they will call him their ruler,” the saint wrote.

The main thing that the Antichrist will do during the short reign allotted to him is to impose on every person, young and old, a certain “mark”, without accepting which no one will be able to sell or buy. The “number of the name of the beast” indicated in the mark is six hundred and sixty-six. In the Old Testament, this is exactly how many talents of gold came to King Solomon every year. Those. This number contains a hint of wealth and taxation.

Starting with the “image of holiness,” after some time the world ruler will organize the last persecution of Christians. However, this time, called the Great Tribulation, will not last long.

Legend of Nero

During the time of ancient Christians, a legend arose about Emperor Nero as the Antichrist. It had two versions. According to one of them, he was not killed, but he went to the Parthians, where he lives secretly. One day he will appear under the guise of the antipode of Christ. And then the Romans will be severely punished by him. Another version says that Nero really died, but in the future he will be resurrected, and the resurrected emperor will be the waiting beast.

When is he expected to arrive? The Antichrist will appear just before the next coming of Christ. It is coming before the end of the world. This is stated in such sources as:

1. Book of the prophet Daniel.
2. Apocalypse.
3. Gospels.
4. Second Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Thessalonians.

But since the date of the coming of Christ and the end of the world are unknown, the unknown is also when the Antichrist will come.

Prayer against the Antichrist

To save the human soul before His second coming, Christ left certain guidelines for action:

1. Participate in church sacraments, letting Christ into your life and soul.
2. Live in accordance with the commandments given by the Lord.
3. Maintain moderation and asceticism in life, including fasting.
4. Say prayers daily for the salvation of your soul.

The prayer from the Antichrist was written by the Optina elders, who are representatives of the spiritual leadership. There are two most common variations:

1. Reverend Anatoly Potapov wrote it down like this: “prayer1.”
2. The Monk Nektarios proposed a slightly different option: “prayer2.”

Biblical predictions

However, the Bible does indicate events that should indicate the coming of the Antichrist. It will be prepared over a long period. The Apostle Paul described this preparation as “the mystery of iniquity already at work.”

By this he probably meant the actions of Satan, who until time sowed evil in secret, and with the Antichrist will begin to openly and fiercely fight on earth against Christ and the Kingdom of God. This is also stated in the Apocalypse.

In the Gospel of Matthew there is the parable of the wheat and the tares, which teaches that good and evil grow and develop together, and this will continue until the end of the world. The growth of tares, like evil, is a sign of the coming of the Antichrist.

What are these signs?

The first sign is the universal spread of the Gospel: “The gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The second sign is the appearance of false Christs: “Many will come in My name and say, I am the Christ” (Matthew 24:5). “And many false prophets will arise and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). The third sign is a deep decline in morality: “Because lawlessness increases, the love of many will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The fourth sign is destructive wars: “You will also hear about wars and rumors of war, for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matthew 24:6,7). The fifth sign is natural disasters: “There will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in places” (Matthew 24:7). “The sea will roar and be troubled” (Luke 21:25). But, as was said above, before the Coming of the Lord, the Antichrist, whom the devil puts forward as his special instrument of evil, will first have to come to judge the nations.

Forerunners

In particular, the preparers of this event are its predecessors or forerunners. These include people who are wicked and hostile to God. Those who are called antichrists in the broad sense of the word. John the Theologian says that the spirit of the beast is already in the world. This is the spirit of opposition to the Almighty and his incarnate Son.

Some of these Antichrists are seen as prototypes of the latter. This was Antiochus IV or Antiochus Epiphanes in the Old Testament. This Syrian king brutally persecuted the Jews and their faith, seeking their complete eradication.

Other types are seen in Balaam and Goliath, who were opponents of Moses and David. The last two were considered as prototypes of Christ. Prototypes of the Antichrist are also seen in the kings of Tire and Babylon. All of them are distant preparers for the coming of the beast.

Sign of the Antichrist

The writings of John the Theologian speak of a certain “seal of the Antichrist” as a symbol of renunciation of the true God and following Satan. Its application on the hand and forehead means a person’s conscious or incorrect choice of the path against Christ. Some consider the so-called cross of the Antichrist to be such a sign. It is a cross inverted 180 degrees, meaning mockery and ridicule of religion.

Some representatives of religious movements believe that the Antichrist has already been born due to the widespread distribution of bar codes and credit cards, electronic passports, which have gained popularity throughout the world. Such images are assessed as signs of a false prophet, which most people on the planet have. That is, it is considered that the prescribed “branding” has already occurred.

In recent times

More obvious signs of the coming of the Antichrist will appear during his immediate approach. Then the growth of evil will especially intensify. This is stated in particular:

1. In Jesus' speech dedicated to the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the world.
2. In the letters of the Apostle Paul addressed to Timothy.
3. John the Theologian in the Apocalypse.

These sources contain predictions that in recent times all kinds of vices, unbelief and wickedness will especially spread and multiply. Faith will become scarce and love will grow colder. Religious and moral decline will entail the inevitable decline of the established family system, and after it both society and the state.

Due to the decline of morality and religion, with the disorder in social relations, human disasters will also increase. Partly this will be the result of increasing wickedness, and partly God's punishment for it.

From this very abyss of evil and disaster the Antichrist will rise. That is why John the Theologian saw him in the form of a beast, either emerging from the abyss or from the sea. Saint Irenaeus says that he will lead all wickedness and deceit, concentrating in himself all the apostate power.

Predictions about the Antichrist

Certain prophecies about the Antichrist can be found in various works of saints and church ministers, their statements recorded by other people. The most popular and quoted in Christianity can be found in:

1. Narration of the Evangelist John the Theologian “Apocalypse”.
2. The letters of the Apostle Paul addressed to Timothy.
3. Speeches of Jesus Christ himself about the end of the world and the destruction of Jerusalem.
4. Narratives of St. Ignatius Brianchaninov.
5. The works of the early Christian author Hippolytus of Rome.

What will the Antichrist look like?

Most of the legends and myths about the coming of the Antichrist are based on the appearance of the lawless one. Opinions vary here:

1. Some people are convinced that it will be a false prophet, that is, a person. He will be born from a woman without male seed, just like Jesus. However, this woman will be a harlot and the cradle of earthly prophets. This statement is closest to the generally accepted understanding of who the Antichrist is. This will be a completely ordinary person in appearance, striving to take the place of Christ and misleading believers with his peaceful and “holy” appearance, reminiscent of Jesus.
2. John the Theologian has another description of the enemy of believers. In the work “Apocalypse” the author describes the image of a terrible beast with seven heads and ten horns. The monster's body resembles a leopard, its legs resemble a bear, and its mouth resembles a lion. The atheist will be endowed with incredible dragon power from Satan himself.
3. Islam also has an image of the Antichrist. There he appears as a large, red-skinned, broad-bodied man with curly hair and a special letter on his forehead.

Why will the Antichrist come?

In the Christian religion, the assumption about the purpose of the coming of the Antichrist to Earth is precisely formulated:

1. Adam and Eve, tempted by Satan, were expelled from paradise to Earth. Having disobeyed the creator and tasted the forbidden fruit, they betrayed to Lucifer the opportunity to rule them and the Earth, which was created by God for people.
2. During the first coming of Christ, the savior taught people how to get out from under the yoke of the Devil. To do this, you need to leave sin, then Satan will not be able to command a person. By his example, he showed that the sinless is under the protection of God, and atoned for the sins of earthly people by drinking the cup of suffering on the cross. That is, Lucifer lost power over the earth and people, which passed to the Church of Christ.
3. To regain his lost power, Satan will try to tempt the church and believers awaiting the second coming of Christ. According to this version, it becomes clear who the false prophet Antichrist is and why he will be an outwardly ordinary person. By performing “miracles,” the atheist will sit on the throne of God in the church and mislead all believers, thereby restoring the power of Satan, who will again rule the earth and people.

When will the Antichrist come?

Many religious philosophers and figures try to calculate when the Antichrist will come to earth, confirming their assumptions with lines from the Holy Scriptures. It also states that “The ways of the Lord are mysterious... anyone who tries to calculate the date of the end of the world will violate the command of the Lord and will be punished.” The only fact remains that the coming of the Antichrist will be the beginning of the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. From the writings of the prophet Daniel, we know how many years the Antichrist will rule - 7 years, after which we can expect a savior. According to other sources, this period is 42 months.

How will the Antichrist appear?

The main idea of ​​who the false prophet Antichrist is is the deliberate misleading of people by false church acts. Many people also recognize the so-called harbingers, or events preceding the appearance of the false prophet. Signs of the coming of the Antichrist:

1. Destruction of the Mosque of Omar, located in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount.
2. In the year of Advent, the Holy Divine Fire will not descend on Orthodox Easter.
3. Before the reign of the atheist, the prophets Elijah and Enoch will come to the world.
4. The Jewish people will rebuild their country.
5. World wars and famine will come. Christians will be persecuted and tormented.
6. A total inventory will be carried out and humanity will be “branded” on the forehead and right hand with a special sign so that the sign of the cross cannot be performed.
7. Natural disasters will become more frequent.

What will happen after the Antichrist?

In religious teachings, the Antichrist is not only a curse on Christianity, but also a natural stage in the development of humanity and the history of the Earth, which is only one of the inevitable stages of the following events:

1. Following the atheist, the messiah will come to earth again to save the souls of believers, that is, the second coming of Christ, expected by many, will take place.
2. The next stage will be the onset of the Last Judgment or Judgment Day. In eschatology, this is the last day of humanity, in which God will judge people, dividing them into sinners and righteous people. The first will receive punishment, and the second will receive a well-deserved reward.
3. The Last Judgment will be the last event of the world, leading to its death.

Two witnesses

People will mistake different persons for the beast, but when it actually appears, true believers will recognize it using the signs indicated in the scripture. Ephraim the Syrian speaks about this. And two more of his witnesses will also appear. They will be sent by God and will prophesy for 1260 days. And after that they will be killed by the Antichrist. The Apocalypse speaks about this.

This is Enoch and Elijah. The first of these is a character from the Old Testament who was the seventh patriarch, starting with Adam. He was a descendant of Seth and the great-grandfather of Noah. Enoch lived four thousand years BC. e. At the age of 365, the Creator took him to heaven alive.

The second is the prophet Elijah, who lived in the Kingdom of Israel in the 9th century. BC e. The Bible also says that he was taken up to heaven alive. According to the Book of Kings, suddenly a fiery chariot and fiery horses appeared, and Elijah rushed to heaven in a whirlwind.

According to Orthodox theologians, Enoch and Elijah are not in heaven, but in some secret place, where they await the Apocalypse. Their arrival is expected before the second coming of Jesus. They will witness the appearance of the Antichrist, and will be killed by the beast that emerged from the abyss.

Publications

About this theme:

• Unscientific about the pandemic
• Poems by Tatyana Feofanova: about church service, about family, about love
• Parable of Anger
• Can a Christian drink alcohol?
• READING FOR EVERY DAY: Answers of the Holy Fathers of the Church to the questions of the laity. Part 2 (questions 16-30)
• READING FOR EVERY DAY: Answers of the Holy Fathers of the Church to the questions of the laity. Part 1 (questions 1-15)
• READING FOR EVERY DAY: Ancient Patericon. Chapter 1. The exhortation of the holy fathers to prosperity in perfection. Part 2

Keywords: Christian life

Our Lord Jesus Christ shed His priceless blood for the deliverance of the human race from corruption and death, in order to lift fallen man to his first bliss. He brought His teaching to earth, which contains everything that is needed for the salvation of the human soul. If the seal of the Antichrist were more dangerous than the Antichrist himself, then, we believe, the Lord Himself would have spoken about this in the Holy Gospel. But it doesn't say that there. It is said this way: “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5). In the last times, many deceivers will appear in the world: false prophets and false Christs. By accepting them, the human race can easily accept the last Antichrist.

All the apostles and holy fathers, speaking about the last times, focus on the final test for believers in the Savior: the coming of Christ’s enemy - the Antichrist. “Who is this, Satan? No way: but a certain man, accept every action of his” ( St. John Chrysostom ). “Truly from a woman of filth will be born a vessel for him (the devil), not Satan himself will be born, but in his image will come a most vile one, like a thief” ( St. Ephraim the Syrian , Homily 105).

The Apostle Paul warns: “But no one will deceive you in any way: for unless the falling away comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, the adversary, and exalt yourself more than any other god or worshiper, as if he should sit in the church of God, like God.” “I will show myself that there is a God” (2 Sol. 2:3-4). Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria explains: “Some seducers said that the coming of the Lord was approaching and, most dangerous of all, they invented some words as if they were spoken by Paul, and messages as if they were written by him. But the devil planned this to shake the believers. And since believers considered the hope of the resurrection to be a great consolation, because they expected that they would receive a reward for virtue, and would see their persecutors deservedly punished, the devil allowed his servants to teach that the coming of Christ and the judgment were already coming, in order to show that in the future there is no retribution, no judgment, no punishment to thus destroy the hopes of the saints and make the enemies of the Gospel more daring; They even accused Christ Himself of lying, who said that there were some signs of His coming: if these signs were not there, but the resurrection, as they lied, was, then Christ clearly turned out to be a liar. That is why Paul writes this letter and speaks about the coming of the Lord, not revealing the time itself, but pointing to the sign of this time - the Antichrist.”

The above words of the apostle give us confidence: we should not be seduced by any means of control, electronic documents, cards, etc., until a retreat occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, that is, the Antichrist. “He (the apostle) calls the Antichrist himself an apostasy, since he has the power to destroy many and lead to apostasy: so as to deceive, as it is said, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24). He also calls him a man of lawlessness, because he will commit thousands of iniquities and prepare others to commit them. And he calls him the son of destruction because he himself will perish” ( St. John Chrysostom, “Interpretation of the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians”).

The Holy Fathers of the Church described those events (signs) that will precede the appearance of the Antichrist, and then the second coming to earth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let's look at them in order, based on the book of St. Arseny of Ural "On the Antichrist and other actions like those who want to be with him":

1. The destruction of the Roman kingdom and the desolation of the city of Rome itself.
2. False Christs and false prophets will rise. In the likeness of St. John the Baptist, a certain forerunner of the Antichrist will appear, who, by magic and deception, will do everything to seduce people so that they consider the Antichrist to be God.
3. Before the reign of the Antichrist, the Lord will send the holy prophets Elijah and Enoch to establish the faithful. “In those days there will be great need from much sorrow caused by the serpent, from fear and earthquakes, and from the noise of the sea, from hunger and thirst, and the remorse of beasts. And all those who accepted the seal of the Antichrist and worshiped the Antichrist as a good God will not have any part in the kingdom of Christ, but together with the serpent they will be cast into Gehenna. Blessed is the one who turns out to be completely holy and faithful, whose heart is undoubtedly devoted to God, because he will fearlessly reject all the proposals of the serpent, neglecting both his tortures and his dreams. But before this happens, the Lord, in His mercy, will send Elijah the Tezbite and Enoch, so that they will proclaim godliness to the human race, boldly preach the good news to everyone, teach them not to believe the tormentor out of fear, crying out and saying: “This is flattery, O people! Let no one believe her at all, let no one obey the atheist; Let none of you be afraid, for he will soon be rendered inactive. Behold, the Holy Lord comes from heaven to judge all those who believed his signs” ( Reverend Ephraim the Syrian “Word on the Coming of the Lord, on the End of the World and on the Coming of the Antichrist”).

“Oh, the wonderful Grace of God! For she offers an equivalent cure for the wound. The Antichrist, according to the action of the devil, with his false signs and wonders, will be the most glorious of all the magicians and deceivers; God will also arm these His saints with the power of true signs and wonders, so that with light and truth they will reject darkness and lies and turn those deceived to the path of righteousness with a word of admonition or punishment: lack of rain, fire, changes in the elements and the like, and convict the seducer himself without suffering from He is evil until the end of his sermon" ( St. Andrew of Caesarea ). Until these prophets come, the Antichrist will not reign.

1. Conversion of some Jews to faith in Christ. The other part will believe and worship the Antichrist, whom they expect as the Messiah. Elijah the Tezbite will convince the Jews to believe in Christ, so that when Christ comes the second time, they will not all be completely destroyed. “That is why Christ, bringing this to their memory, said: “He will arrange everything,” that is, he will correct the unbelief of the Jews of that time. That is why the prophet said very precisely; he did not say: “turn ... the heart of the son to the father,” but: “father to the son.” Since the fathers of the apostles were Jews, it is said: he will turn the hearts of the fathers, that is, the disposition of the Jewish people, to the teaching of the sons, that is, the apostles” ( St. John Chrysostom , “Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew”).
2. Enoch and Elijah will perform signs and wonders of God's execution. “These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth. And if anyone wants to offend them, fire will come out of their mouth and devour their enemies; if anyone wants to offend them, he must be killed. They have power to shut the heavens so that no rain falls on the earth in the days of their prophecy, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague whenever they want” (Rev. 11:4-6).
3. The Antichrist will be called and appear to be god. Saint John Chrysostom says: “He (the Antichrist) will not lead to idolatry, but will be an opponent of God, reject all gods and order to worship himself, instead of God, and will sit in the temple of God - not only in Jerusalem, but everywhere in churches. Presenting himself, he says, as God. He did not say that he would call himself God, but that he would try to show himself as God. He will do great things and show wonderful signs. You see that the Antichrist will be a king, and not only a king, but will also be called a god, and will perform great signs” (Conversation 3 on 2 of the message to the Thessalonians).

“By the permission of the holy God he will receive the power to deceive the world; because the wickedness of the world is fulfilled, and all kinds of horrors are being committed everywhere. Therefore, the Most Pure Lord, for the wickedness of people, allowed the world to be tempted by the spirit of flattery, because people so wanted to depart from God and love the evil one... The shameless one, having then assumed power, will send demons to all ends to boldly preach: “The great king has appeared in glory , come and see him...” ( Reverend Ephraim the Syrian “Word on the Coming of the Lord...”).

1. The throne of the Antichrist will be in Jerusalem. In this city, the Antichrist will establish his kingdom and royal throne in the likeness of King David, whose son according to the flesh was Christ, our true God. By this he will try to show that he is Christ, fulfilling the prophecy: “I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David and recompense its fallen” (Amos 9:11), which the Jews, mistakenly, attribute to his coming ( St. Andrew of Caesarea “Commentary on the Apocalypse” ). And Saint Ephraim the Syrian writes: “The filthy Jews will greatly begin to revere him and rejoice in his kingdom, because the Antichrist will give honor to both the place and their church” (word 105).
2. Elijah and Enoch will be killed by the Antichrist and then resurrected (Apoc. 11:3). “And when they have finished their testimony, the beast coming out of the abyss will fight with them, and defeat them, and kill them, and leave their corpses on the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified” (Rev. .11:7-8). “But after three and a half days the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they both stood on their feet, and great fear fell on those who looked at them. And they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here.” And they ascended to heaven on a cloud” (Apoc. 11:11-12).
3. An abomination of desolation standing in a holy place. “When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place,” let the reader understand, “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Matthew 24:15-16). “He (the Antichrist) deceives those who live on the earth, telling those who live on the earth to make an image of the beast, which has the wound of the sword and lives. And it was given to him to put spirit into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would speak and act in such a way that everyone who would not worship the image of the beast would be killed” (Rev. 13:14-15). Saint Andrew of Caesarea interprets: “The forerunner and squire of the Antichrist, with the help of demons, having made an image of the beast, will falsely show him speaking, and will order the beating of all those who do not worship him.”
4. The imposition of the seal of the Antichrist after his accession. “Everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, will receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one will be able to buy or sell except he who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Apoc. 13:16). “The forerunner and armor-bearer of the Antichrist […] will try to put on everyone the mark of the disastrous name of the apostate and seducer on the right hands, in order to take away the strength to do good deeds, and also on the forehead, in order to make those who are seduced bold in deception and darkness. But those whose faces are imprinted with Divine light will not accept it. And he will distribute the seal of the beast everywhere, both for purchase and for sale, so that those who do not accept it will die a violent death from the lack of things necessary to maintain life.” Here is wisdom. He who has intelligence, count the number of the beast, for it is a human number; his number is six hundred and sixty-six (Apoc. 13:18). “A diligent examination of the number of the seal and everything else written about it will reveal the time of temptation to those who are watchful and sober. If there had been a need to know his name, then, as some teachers say, the seer would have revealed it, but the grace of God did not deign that this destructive name should be written in the Divine Book” ( St. Andrew of Caesarea “Commentary on the Apocalypse”).

This imposition of the seal will not take place by force, against the will of a person, but voluntarily, according to the interpretation of the Apocalypse of St. Andrew of Caesarea : “If anyone submits to the beast-like Antichrist and participates in the lawless life that depicts him, and in word or deed proclaims him god (for this can mean a mark made on the forehead and hand), he will participate with him in drinking the cup of punishment " Saint Hippolytus of Rome in his “Tale of the Antichrist” writes: “And all the crowds will come to him for the sake of food and worship him. And he will give them a sign on their hands, gums, and foreheads.” The same saint writes: “That seal that will read: I renounce the Creator of heaven and earth, I renounce baptism, I renounce my service (to God) and join you and believe in you.”

Saint John Chrysostom speaks about man’s conscious choice of the Antichrist: “Why, you say, did God allow all this to happen? And what is His intention? What is the use of this coming of the Antichrist if it will serve to our destruction? Fear not, beloved, but listen to what the apostle says: Antichrist will prevail only over those who are perishing, who, even if he had not come, would not believe. What will be the benefit of this, you say? The one that will stop the mouths of those who are condemned to destruction. How? They would not have believed in Christ, even if this Antichrist had not come; but he will come for the purpose of exposing them” (“On the Antichrist”).

It is instructive to remember the lives of the holy venerable Father Theophan and Theodore of the Inscribed - these are holy confessors, Palestinian monks originally from Jerusalem, famous church hymnographers, students of Michael Sincellus. The brothers, together with their teacher, arrived in Constantinople in 813, where they were persecuted for their loyalty to icon veneration during the reigns of the iconoclast emperors Leo V (813-820) and Theophilus (821-842). They were repeatedly expelled from the capital, tortured and thrown into prison. The brothers successfully defended the holy icons in a dispute with Emperor Theophilus, for which, at his command, they received 20 blows with sticks. On their foreheads, against their will, offensive “iambs” (verses) of the emperor’s own composition were burned with a hot iron. Doesn't this look like the seal of the Antichrist? But to these actions the brothers answered the emperor: “Write, write, king, whatever you want; this will be read before the righteous and terrible Judge.” And the Holy Church glorified them in the host of holy confessors; they were not defiled by the fact that these heretical inscriptions were applied to them, against their will. So it is in our time - if any “iambs” (heretical inscriptions or seal) are imposed on someone against his will, then they will not harm him at all, for the person himself did not accept this and will not be condemned , according to the lives of the holy confessors.

Separately, mention should be made of false prophecies regarding cards and passports. Back in the 19th century, a prediction was spread that allegedly belonged to Zinovy ​​Mnich, who lived in the 16th century, a student of St. Maximus the Greek. These writings, unknown before the 19th century, contain an indication that “that the Antichrist will give cards on which he will write his name secretly 666. And with these cards they may go and pass without trouble” (quoted from: Bishop Arseny Ural “Book about the Antichrist and about other actions like those who want to be with him” - M. Panagia; Languages ​​of Slavic Culture, 2005. P. 130). Commenting on these words of “Zinovy ​​Mnich,” our great reader and saint Arseny of Uralsky writes that the book of Zinovy ​​Mnich really exists, but Zinovy ​​Mnich wrote more against Protestant Lutherans, against their heresies. He wrote first of all that these heretics do not worship holy icons. “He wrote nothing about the Antichrist and his seal, and did not mention it anywhere, and this is written falsely only in extracts, and it is not appropriate to believe this” (ibid. p. 130). It is also obvious that the word “cards” is not a Church Slavonic word at all, but a later modern Russian one. Such words are not found anywhere in the literature of the 16th-17th centuries in Rus'. Rightly, Saint Arseny wrote that such writing cannot be trusted.

Likewise, one cannot trust the “prophecies” of modern elders, which run counter to the patristic teaching on this issue. In this regard, it is appropriate to always remember the words of St. Gregory Palamas: “And the fact that we believe in God Orthodoxy, i.e. We think beautifully, firmly and piously regarding Him, how can we show this to us? - Because we are unanimous, like-minded and of the same confession with our God-bearing Fathers. How true it is to believe in God is manifested not only in resistance to carnal passions and evil snares, but also in resistance to people possessed by passions, who seduce and lure into ignoble pleasures; So Orthodox faith in the one true God is manifested not only in resistance to ignorance and the suggestions of the adversary, but also in resistance to wicked people who secretly kidnap and co-deceive into their destruction" (Omilia VIII. "On Faith. It also contains the presentation of the Orthodox Confession" ).

So, according to the patristic teaching, the imposition of the Antichrist seal, which the Apocalypse narrates, will take place after his sensual reign over the entire earth. Until this time, it is completely unreasonable to be afraid of the state assigning any numbers to its citizens. Although such sentiments existed centuries ago. For example, in the 18th century, the numbers were opposed by wanderer runners (unmarried Old Believers, non-priests who separated from Philip’s consent). They fled to the forests because they considered the Russian Tsar and his government to be the Antichrist. The runners broke ties with civil society: they were not included in any audit lists, did not pay taxes to the state, did not have real estate, passports, or permanent residence.

Those who talk about the existence of some kind of “pre-seal” of the Antichrist (be it a tax identification number, a biometric passport, etc.), about the danger of assigning numbers, and those who consider it possible that Christians will receive a seal unnoticed and against their will are mistaken. Those who teach this way express a heretical thought and fall under the 19th canon of the VI Ecumenical Council, which prescribes that the Holy Scriptures should be interpreted “not otherwise than as the luminaries and Doctors of the Church have set forth in their writings.” And they are also condemned by the decree of the VII Ecumenical Council, which reads: “We anathematize those who add anything to (the teaching of) the Catholic Church, or subtract from it” (Act Seven).

1. The Antichrist will cause great persecution and tribulation, such as has not been seen since the creation of the world. “The Antichrist will come to human destruction to inflict offense on people. Really, what won't he do at that time? Everything will lead to confusion and confusion, both through its commands and through fear. He will be terrible in all respects - both with his power, and cruelty, and lawless commands" ( St. John Chrysostom , "Conversations on the Epistle to the Thessalonians").

“Then (the Antichrist) commanded like an angel to do his commandments with much fear and trembling. Then he will send demonic armies into the mountains and dens and into the abysses of the earth, to seek out and invent those hidden from his sight, and bring them to worship him. And he marks those who repent to him with his seal. Those who do not want to listen to him will be exhausted by languid and countless torments, fierce and cunning, even as they were below, below the hearing of man were heard, below the eye of man" ( St. Hippolytus, Pope of Rome ).

But even in the most severe persecution, the Lord will not abandon and will preserve those who trust in Him. The Monk Ephraim the Syrian writes: “Many saints (faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ) will then be revealed... and will flee with great diligence into the desert... and help will be given to them from God, and he will guide them to places of purpose, and they will be saved by hiding in dens and abysses.” .

1. The Antichrist will reign for three and a half years, after which his godless kingdom will come to an end and the Lord our God Jesus Christ will come in glory to judge the righteous and sinners. “Daniel (the prophet) regarding the end of the last kingdom, that is, the last ten kings, between whom their kingdom will be divided and on whom the son of destruction will come, says that the beast will grow ten horns and in the middle of them another small horn will grow, and that three the horns of the first will be cut off from his face. He says: “And behold, this horn has eyes like human eyes, and a mouth that speaks all sorts of things, and its appearance is greater than others. I saw, and this horn made war against the saints and prospered against them, until the Ancient of Days came and gave judgment to the saints of the Most High God, and the time came, and the saints received the kingdom” (Dan. 7:8, 20-22, 23-25 ). Then in the explanation of the visions it was said to him: the fourth here will be the fourth kingdom on earth, which will surpass the other kingdoms, and will devour the whole earth, trample it and crush it. And his ten horns - ten kings - will rise, and after them another will rise, who will surpass in evil deeds all those who were before him and will humble the three kings; and will speak words against the Most High God and destroy the saints of the Most High God and will plot to change the times and the law; and everything will be given into his hands until the time of times and half the time, that is, for three years and six months, during which he will reign on earth” ( Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyons ).

“And the Lord will come from heaven in the same way as the holy apostles saw Him ascending into heaven (Acts 1:11), that is, the perfect God and the perfect man will come, with glory and power, and will kill the man of lawlessness, the son of destruction, with the breath of his mouth His own (2 Sol. 2:8). So, no one should wait for the Lord from earth, but let everyone wait from heaven, as He Himself confirmed” ( St. John of Damascus, “An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith”).

“So be careful, man. You know the signs of the Antichrist; Do not remember them yourself, but communicate them generously to everyone. If you have a child according to the flesh, instruct him; and if you gave birth to someone by announcement, warn him also, so that he does not take the false for the true. The mystery of iniquity is already being done (2 Thess. 2:7). People's wars frighten me; Church schisms frighten me; The mutual hatred of the brethren frightens me. Oh, if, although this was said, God would grant that this would not happen to us! At least we'll be careful. And this is enough about the Antichrist” ( St. Cyril of Jerusalem “Catechetical Sermon on the Second Coming of Christ”).

This was prepared by Deacon Vasily Andronikov.

Coming of the Beast

Having come into the world, he will destroy people through seduction and violence. He is called the son of destruction because he will destroy others and will himself perish. He will sow evil and eradicate good. The Antichrist will exalt himself above God himself and cancel his service. He will begin to blaspheme, rejecting all religions and Christianity in particular.

He will win people over with flattery, miracles and deceit. And on whom these means do not work, he will force him to worship himself through persecution and deprivation. It will be impossible to buy or sell anything unless the name of the beast or its number is placed on a person’s hand or forehead. And those who persist will be killed.

Everything human, all God’s institutions will be trampled and destroyed, the structure of human society will be violated, marriage and family will be trampled under foot. The beast will mock Divine and human laws. Judging by some of the indicated signs, some preachers believe that the coming of the Antichrist has already begun.

The reign of the beast, destructive and godless, will last three and a half years. After this, Jesus will kill him, destroying him with the appearance of his coming. The Apocalypse says that the beast will be captured along with his false prophet, and both of them will be thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone. There they will suffer forever and ever.

What does it mean?

The entire book of Revelation is mysterious: there are more allegories and symbols in it than explicit predictions. But some characters are relatively easy to decipher. For example, the image of an apocalyptic beast with seven heads is clearly a symbol of the Antichrist, who will rule the nations for a short time (forty-two months, that is, three and a half years). And another beast with horns like a lamb symbolizes the false prophet or, as St. Andrew of Caesarea says, the forerunner of the Antichrist, whose task will be to support the Antichrist’s claims to world domination with various external effects and miracles that people are so greedy for. Outwardly he will be like Christ (the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world, John 1:29 ), but in reality he will be His complete opposite.

But the number 666 , the outline of which will be applied by order of the false prophet to the right hand or on the forehead of a person, and the very method of applying this number still remain subjects of debate. Are we talking about tattoos? Or about mass microchipping of people? Until recently, some Orthodox Christians tried to discern the notorious “seal of the Antichrist” in individual tax numbers (TIN), barcodes, electronic passports, etc. Therefore, it is worth figuring out what the prophecy of John the Theologian actually says, and where our speculation is.

“You have heard that the Antichrist will come, and now many antichrists have appeared,” writes the holy Apostle John (1 John 2:18 ), and further clarifies: the antichrist is a liar who denies that Jesus is the Christ. This is the Antichrist who denies the Father and the Son (1 John 2:22 ). If we follow this understanding, then we must say that Antichrists exist in every era. And different Antichrists used different “seals,” writes Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome.

Antichrist and his followers Germany, 1367

He cites the example of the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes (2nd century BC), who captured Jerusalem and brutally persecuted the Jews, ordering them to place altars to pagan gods in front of the doors of their houses, make sacrifices to them, and then, crowned with ivy, arrange celebrations in honor of Dionysus. He ordered those who did not want to obey to be tortured, interrogated and ultimately killed.

Obviously, Antiochus Epiphanes can hardly be called the Antichrist in the exact sense of the word (there were simply no Christians in his time), but it is quite possible to call him a predecessor.

Subsequently, the Roman emperors forced Christians, under threat of death, to make offerings to statues of pagan gods - and this act of demonstrating loyalty can also be called the seal of the Antichrist, because it symbolized the rejection of Christ.

The seal of the Antichrist is everything that leads to a conscious renunciation of Christ, one of the most authoritative spiritual fathers of the Russian Church, the “All-Russian Elder” John (Krestyankin), wrote in the late 1990s: “The seal will follow only a person’s personal renunciation of God, and not by deception. There is no point in deception. The Lord needs our heart that loves Him.” Now TIN and other electronic documents “do not pose a danger to us. But of course, this is one of the stages in preparing for future fear.”

In 2000, the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church (the Holy Synod is the governing body of the Russian Orthodox Church in the period between Councils of Bishops, is a meeting of nine bishops who sit permanently, and five more who participate on a temporary basis. The Chairman of the Holy Synod is the Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' . - Ed.) adopted a special statement regarding barcodes, which the state just at that time began to actively introduce in trade, statistics, accounting for the movement of goods, etc. This statement shows serious concern: after all, every barcode the code, which depicts numbers in the form of lines of different thicknesses, “contains three dividing lines that graphically coincide with the symbol adopted for the number “6”.”

“Thus, the barcodes, by the will of the creators of the international system for writing them, contain an image of the number 666, which is mentioned in the Book of Revelation of St. John the Theologian as the number of the Antichrist.” There was no need to use the number “6” as a dividing line, which means that “consciously or unconsciously, the developers of the global barcode system ... chose a symbol that is offensive and alarming to Christians, which looks at least like an impudent mockery.” , said the Holy Synod. Nevertheless, he called on all Orthodox people to “keep Christian sobriety” and not be afraid of external symbols and signs, because “nothing and no one can shake a person’s faith if he truly abides with Christ and resorts to the sacraments of the church.”

Battle with the Devil France, medieval engraving

None of the holy fathers believed that the seal of the Antichrist could magically influence a person and force him to renounce Christ against his will. They all understood it as “a sign confirming the conscious renunciation of Christ.”

Here is what Saint Hippolytus of Rome wrote, for example: “that seal will read: “I renounce the Creator of heaven and earth; I renounce Baptism; I renounce my service to God and join you and believe in you.” No external sign violates a person’s spiritual health unless it becomes the result of a conscious betrayal of Christ and a desecration of faith, the Holy Synod concluded, but called on the authorities to give people the opportunity to use alternative technologies without ambiguous designations.