How the Antichrist will receive the power of the beast and from whom according to the Bible: interpretation

Some comments on the teaching about the Antichrist by professor of theology Viktor Mikhailovich Chernyshev.

Before we begin to consider this topic, which today causes fierce debate and gives rise to all sorts of speculation, we should point out the signs of the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, since His coming to earth will precede, according to Scripture, the reign of the Antichrist by three and a half years.

How the Antichrist will gain power - through communication with the beast from the sea

How will the Antichrist gain power throughout the world, according to the Bible?
The book of the Apocalypse states that the beast from the sea will receive power, authority and throne from Satan. But the Antichrist is not a beast from the sea, but a false prophet, and there is evidence for this. How then will he receive power if it is not said that the beast will transfer it to him? A connection has been identified between them. It will lead to the Antichrist receiving all the power of the beast, whose mortal wound has been healed. First we need to determine who the beast from the sea is and who the Antichrist is in the Revelation of John the Theologian. The book of the Apocalypse is the primary source of all the most reliable information about the end times from the Lord God himself. Therefore, let's turn to it. And also to the Epistles of the Apostles, because the name “Antichrist” is found only there.

The Internet is full of publications that claim that the coming of the Antichrist will be in Russia. And that even he already exists. Next, two options are considered - either Putin or Patriarch Kirill. True, it is not clear how they can gain power throughout the world? Let us also check these versions in the Bible, since they are so popular.

Who is the Antichrist - quotes

Let's collect quotes about the Antichrist from the Bible:

• Children! Lately. And as you have heard that the Antichrist will come, and now many antichrists have appeared, then we know from this that the time is last. They left us, but they were not ours: for if they were ours, they would have remained with us; but they came out, and through this it was revealed that not all of us... every lie is not from the truth. Who is a liar if not he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the Antichrist, denying the Father and the Son (1 John 2:18-22)
• Let no one deceive you in any way: for that day will not come, until a falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above everything that is called God or that is worshiped, so that in the temple of God he sits as God, betraying yourself for God (2 Thess. 2:3–4)
• ...liar and father of lies (John 8:44)
• For many deceivers have entered into the world, not confessing Jesus Christ who has come in the flesh: such a person is a deceiver and Antichrist (2 John 7)
• “... another will come in his name, you will receive him” (John 5:43)
• “whose coming will be according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9)
• I looked at these horns, and behold, another little horn came out between them, and three of the first horns were plucked up by the roots before it, and behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of men, and a mouth that spoke arrogant things (Dan. 7). :8)
• and about the ten horns that were on his head, and about another that came out again, in front of which three fell, about that same horn that had eyes and a mouth that spoke arrogantly, and which in appearance became greater than the rest (Dan. 7). :19)
• And ten horns mean that ten kings will rise from this kingdom, and after them another will rise, different from the previous ones, and will humiliate three kings, and will utter words against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High; He will even dream of abolishing the festival times and the law from them, and they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time (Dan. 7:24)
• And he was given a mouth speaking proudly and blasphemously...And he opened his mouth to blaspheme God, to blaspheme His name and His habitation, and those who dwell in heaven (Rev. 13:5-6)
• I saw another beast coming out of the ground; he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (Rev. 13:11)

There were two versions regarding the conception of the Antichrist. According to the first, more common, he was conceived by people - of course, terrible sinners and adulterers; for example, depraved monk and nun. However, as Adso notes, “from the very beginning of conception, the devil entered his mother’s womb and the power of the devil nourished and both reigned him in his mother’s womb” (qtd. in EMMERSON, 81). Thus, the Antichrist is possessed by the devil (Possession) even before birth. It is not difficult to notice here a parody of Christ, who “was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb” (LUKE 1:15).

According to another version, characteristic mainly of folk legends and parodying the incarnation of Christ, the Antichrist is the child of a demon and a whore; in the French mystery “Judgment Day” (14th century), the council of demons is planning to send a demon to Babylon, where he, taking the form of a pleasant young man, must seduce a certain harlot; when all this is accomplished and a son is born to the harlot, Satan sends two demon educators to him, and the mother willingly gives her son into their care. In the French poem by Berengier (early 13th century) “On the Coming of the Antichrist,” the Antichrist was born in Babylon from the incestuous relationship of the devil and his depraved daughter (EMMERSON, 82). Folk legends (and their literary adaptations) are generally characterized by a lack of distinction between the devil and the Antichrist, the idea of ​​the latter as “the devil in the flesh”; learned commentators, on the contrary, tend to carefully distinguish between the two, emphasizing that the Antichrist is a man completely and irrevocably possessed by the devil, but not the devil and not the son of the devil. True, here theologians found themselves in a difficult position: the postulate that the devil and demons cannot have their own children came into conflict with the desire in everything to achieve complete symmetry between Christ, the son of God, and the Antichrist. This desire sometimes still prevailed, and then a dual nature was recognized in the Antichrist: “Christ is the true God and man, and the Antichrist is the devil and man” (Wulfstan I, Archbishop of York, d. 1023; cited in: Kissling, 27).

Antichrist is a Jew; he appeared - as PSEUDO-ALCUIN notes, interpreting the speech of the Apocalypse about the beast that appeared from the abyss - “from the deepest wickedness of the Jewish people, that is, from the tribe of Dan” (COMMENTARY ON THE APOCALYPSE, col. 1148). In the tribe of Dan, according to Jewish tradition, the mother of the Messiah should be born, but since this tribe was also seen in the worship of idols, the medieval Christian world attributed to it the birth of the Pseudo-Messiah - the Antichrist, finding confirmation of this idea in Jacob’s dying blessing of Dan: “Dan He will be a serpent on the road, an adder on the way, biting the horse’s foot, so that his rider falls back” (GEN. 49:17). Babylon is most often chosen as the place of his birth - for commentators could not imagine a more wicked place; the emerging contradiction between the Jewish blood of the Antichrist and the place of his birth was cunningly circumvented: thus, Hugh of Newcastle (1280-1322, “On the Victory of Christ over the Antichrist,” 1319) was able to use this contradiction to enrich the parallelism between Christ and Antichrist: just as Christ was conceived in Nazareth, and born in Bethlehem, the Antichrist was conceived in Palestine, in Chorazin (remembered by the unkind word of Christ: “Woe to you, Chorazin!” - LUKE 1013), and born in Babylon (EMMERSSN, 81).

The appearance of the Antichrist and the onset of her kingdom are preceded by corresponding enacities: the decline of morals, natural disasters, plague, the ferocity of the mysterious Gog and Magog; Moreover, all these troubles were already predicted by Christ: “.. nation will rise up against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes in places, and famines, and pestilences, and terrible phenomena, and great signs from heaven” (LUKE 21:10-11). Gog and Magog especially excited the imagination: they were identified with one or another barbarian tribes, but especially often with the ten lost tribes of Israel (the 10 tribes that founded the state of Israel in the north in 930 BC, while the tribes of Judah and Benjamin founded the state of Judah in the south; after the defeat of the northern kingdom by the Assyrians in 721 BC, the 10 tribes mentioned disappeared into other nations and disappeared from history, but there was always a belief that they would be found). Theologians interpreted Gog and Magog allegorically. Jerome (Commentary on the Book of Ezekiel) gives the etymology of these names: Gog - tectum, “roof”, Magog - de tecto, “from the roof”; Jerome's etymologies were accepted by medieval scholarship as the key to a hidden allegory: AUGUSTINE believes that Gog denotes sinners in whom the devil hides, “as under a roof,” and Magog, the devil who emerges from these people, “as from under a roof” ( ABOUT THE CITY OF GOD, 20:11). Only the demons, who have been waiting for him for a long time, rejoice at the appearance of the Antichrist: thus, the underground demons keep their treasures just for him, so that he can use them to seduce Christians.

Before the coming of the Antichrist, certain ten kings will rule; or his arrival will be preceded by a twelve-year (or even one hundred and twelve-year) reign of the Last Great Emperor, who will save Jerusalem from the pagans, crush Babylon and then abdicate power, placing his crown on the altar of the Jerusalem temple - but then the Antichrist will appear. In the Latin play “The Play of the Antichrist” from Tegernsee (Bavaria, 12th century), he appears accompanied by allegorical figures - Hypocrisy and Heresy - and asks them to begin by destroying every memory of Christ on earth. During his reign, the Antichrist will first pose as Christ, but very soon he will reveal his tyranny; In medieval drama, this dual nature of the Antichrist was sometimes emphasized by cross-dressing: the Antichrist first appeared in religious vestments, but then discarded them, revealing military armor underneath.

Sometimes the Antichrist begins his career as a king and even defeats the enemies of Christianity, posing as a sovereign-savior in the line of the Last Emperor. In other versions, he begins as a false Christ and gradually, through cunning, reaches secular power. He proclaims: “I am Christ” (Ego sum Christus), he begins to preach a new doctrine and declares that the former (true) Christ was a false prophet. He imitates Christ's miracles, raises the dead, and even supposedly dies on the cross, resurrecting, naturally, on the third day. At the same time, he criticizes the Bible and denies the Holy Trinity, proclaiming himself to be the true God. He sends out prophets who are very successful and convert almost the entire world to the new faith. Then the Antichrist goes to Jerusalem, expels faithful Christians from there, restores the temple of Solomon, destroyed by the Romans, and establishes in the temple the worship of his own idol, which he places in the temple; he acts so cunningly that he confirms his loyalty to the Old Testament and even undergoes circumcision; as a result, the Jews who are fascinated by him accept his faith.

Most church fathers agree that the Antichrist achieves all this by four methods, which Vincent Ferrer (“On the Antichrist”) formulates as follows: “The first method is gifts. The second is false miracles. The third is disputes. The fourth is torment” (quoted in: EMMERSON, 272). The ability of the Antichrist to perform miracles similar to the miracles of Christ especially worried commentators, since it decisively deprived any possibility of distinguishing him from the true Christ; the majority, however, agreed that the Antichrist was nothing more than a skilled magician, rivaling Simon the Magician in skill; THOMAS AQUINAS explains that the miracles of the Antichrist make such an impression only because human feelings are easily deceived (SUMMARY OF THEOLOGY, part 1, question 114, art. 4). However, other commentators believed that "with God's permission" the Antichrist would be given true power to perform miracles similar to those of Christ; AUGUSTINE quite reasonably argued that the fire with which Satan, with the permission of God, burned Job's house and flocks was not at all an illusion (ON THE CITY OF GOD, 20:19).

The true tyrannical nature of the Antichrist will be revealed when he cannot subjugate the few righteous ones to his power: neither miracles, nor gifts, nor learned disputes will seduce them, and then torture and torment will fall upon them; the blood of Christians will flow through the streets; those who follow the Antichrist will receive a special sign; those deprived of this mark will not be able to sell or buy (“no one can sell to another, nor buy from another, unless he is marked with the name of the beast” - CASSIODOROUS, CONCLUSIONS ON THE APOCALYPSE, col. 1412), and many will have to flee to the mountains and deserts. According to Adso, when the last king of the Franks lays down his scepter and crown before the Antichrist on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, the Antichrist will kill the true prophets and reign completely in peace. His kingdom and persecution of the righteous will last 1260 days (REV. 11:3; 12:6), or 42 months (REV. 13:5), or three and a half years.

The turning point in the fate of the Antichrist is the appearance of the prophets Enoch and Elijah, in accordance with the saying of the Apocalypse: “And I will give to my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth” (REV. 11:3). Prophets of the true Christ, they will challenge the Antichrist and convert those who worshiped him to the true faith. In some versions of the life of the Antichrist, we are talking about one prophet (probably in accordance with the Old Testament prophecy: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord” - MAL. 3:6). Thus, in the Old High German poem “Muspilli” (early 9th century), Elijah appears alone and, heroically resisting the Antichrist, accepts death from him. Medieval exegesis chose Enoch and Elijah for the role of apocalyptic “witnesses” because they were viewed as Old Testament “prototypes” of Christ: their ascension to heaven was perceived as a metaphor for his future ascension. The Antichrist, not wanting to put up with their missionary activities, will kill them and leave their bodies unburied; however, after three and a half days they will be resurrected and ascended to heaven, where they will join the host of saints.

After Elijah and Enoch ascend to heaven, the Antichrist must commit his last and gravest blasphemy:

He will ascend the Mount of Olives (Mount of Olives) in order, like Christ, to ascend to heaven. Here he will be killed, just as Simon the Magician was killed when he tried to rise into the sky with the help of demons. On the mountain he will make a boastful speech, in which, in particular, he will declare that he is going to God to prepare his new coming on the day of the Last Judgment. Most commentators, relying on the authority of the Apostle Paul, argue that Jesus will kill the Antichrist “with the spirit of His mouth” (2 THES. 2:8), without asking the question of what, in fact, is meant by “spirit,” but they separated this “spirit” from Christ himself: thus, Thomas Aquinas saw in him an “order” given by Christ; Matthew of Yanov believed that Christian preachers would be filled with the “Holy Spirit” and destroy the Antichrist;

RUPERT OF DEUTZ identified this "spirit" with the Holy Spirit - the person of the Trinity (ON THE VICTORY OF THE WORD OF GOD, col. 1496-1497). In medieval drama aimed at popular tastes, the Antichrist is sometimes struck by an ordinary lightning strike (Berengier, “On the Coming of the Antichrist”); finally, the Archangel Michael often acts as the executioner of the Antichrist. Sometimes the execution of the Antichrist was associated with the second coming of Christ, but other commentators were more cautious: for example, ALCUIN (ON THE FAITH IN THE HOLY AND INDIVIDUAL TRINITY, col. 51) reasonably noted that no one can know when the second coming of Christ will take place, but probably , this will happen after the death of the Antichrist.

Before the second coming there will be a brief moment of peace and tranquility - those who were deceived by the Antichrist will have the opportunity to repent and return to the true faith. This idea was suggested to commentators by the message in the Apocalypse about the opening of the seventh seal, after which “there was silence in heaven for as it were half an hour” (REV. 8:1). These “half an hour” were interpreted either as forty-five (Hippolytus, Jerome) or forty (Adso Dervensky) days. The version of the forty-five days of rest came from manipulations with two numbers in the book of Daniel (“the time of the ceasing of the daily sacrifice and the setting up of the abomination that makes desolate shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”; DAN. 12:11-12 ; - by subtraction we got forty-five), the second number (“forty”) apparently arose from the desire to see here an analogy to the forty days that passed between the resurrection of Christ and his ascension into heaven.

The biography of the Antichrist is significantly inscribed in the sacred history of the world.
Irenaeus of Lyons saw a parallel between Lucifer and Adam, on the one hand, and Antichrist and Christ, on the other, between the two great temptations that border the entire history of mankind. The story begins with temptation (of Adam by Lucifer) and ends with it; but if at the beginning of the world the devil managed to seduce man, then at the end of the world the devil and God, both having assumed human nature - one in the person of Antichrist, and the other in the person of Christ - again fight, and God takes revenge this time. Comments (0) | Print | | Complaint
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How the Antichrist will gain power over Christians

The name Antichrist is not mentioned in the book of Revelation of John the Theologian. But there is a red dragon, a beast from the earth and a beast from the sea - a false prophet. It is clear that the Antichrist is a person who will act in the world for the last 3.5 years. Embodying the will of Satan - the red dragon, waging war against Christians, and transferring his power, authority and throne to the beast from the sea.

Why specifically against Christians? Because in Revelation it is said that “the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the rest of her seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” Thus, in the last time, both the red dragon Satan, the beast from the sea, and the false prophet will wage war against Christians for 3.5 years.

To understand how the Antichrist will gain power throughout the world, let's read about the two beasts in Revelation. About the beast from the sea and the false prophet - the beast from the earth. And we will find out which of them is the Antichrist - the man of sin and the son of perdition. We cannot simply interpret this prophecy ourselves. It is imperative to find evidence in the Bible.

Let us note that Russia is a large Christian country, a tasty morsel for Satan and the Antichrist. This is probably why they think that the coming of the Antichrist will be here. The people are Orthodox and President Putin positions himself as Orthodox. Why not? Although, it’s really funny to think that Putin or Patriarch Kirill will gain power over the whole world.

Why will many mistake the Antichrist for Christ and how not to be deceived?

Photo: Bigenc.ru
According to the writings of Orthodox saints, the Antichrist will be a real tyrant and very cruel, but he will not immediately reveal his true essence. At the very beginning of his reign, he will be considered the kindest and fairest person. He will show many signs and wonders, thereby winning the trust of a large number of people.

The Holy Scriptures say that those who cannot comprehend true love for salvation will be deceived and perish. In this regard, it is safe to say that those who live according to the commandments of God will not be deceived.

Antichrist is a beast or a false prophet, evidence

The beast from the sea is the eighth king of the last animal kingdom (Rev. 17:11). More precisely, an empire, since it is said that he will emerge from the sea - from many countries and peoples. And the sea or many waters in the language of the Bible means “many countries and peoples.” According to the prophet Daniel, this is not even an empire, but a union of ten kings. This is “a divided kingdom that will not be united into one” Daniel 2:41. The Revelation of John the Theologian says that the false prophet will act with all the power of the first beast with the healed wound (Rev. 13:12). Although it is not said that the first beast from the sea will give him power. Moreover, they will act simultaneously. It is obvious that they have a connection with each other. Which allows the false prophet to gain power over the saints, just as the eighth beast has it.

The beast from the sea has great political power in the world and will wage a war of conquest for 3.5 years. As befits a beast. Together with the false prophet they will participate in Armageddon. Together they will be defeated by Christ and then thrown into the lake of fire.

That is, the beast from the sea receives power, throne and strength from the dragon Rev. 13:2. But, at the same time, it does not say that he will hand them over to the false prophet. Then how will he receive power if it is said that he acts with all the power of the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed? And, almost simultaneously with him, 3.5 years. How can this be? Two animals with the same power, practically on the same territory, and didn’t come to blows?

This is possible if the beast from the sea is the head of the state, and the false prophet is its main religious leader. Then they can act simultaneously and not conflict. Their spheres of influence in the world differ. The proof is that the false prophet has two horns, like the “lambs” of Rev. 13:11. The Lamb has seven horns. Just like Christ has seven lamps. These are the seven churches from the first chapter of the book Apocalypse of John the Theologian.

But which one of them is the Antichrist? It is said that the Antichrist:

1. will blaspheme Jesus, “not recognizing that He is the Christ” 1 John 2:22
2. He will sit in the temple of God as God, showing himself to be God 2 Thess. 2:3-4
3. will be from Christians, but will leave them through apostasy (1 John 2:18-22)
4. intends to change the law and holidays, obviously religious, since it is said that “among the saints” (Dan. 7:24)
5. He will speak words against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High (Dan. 7:25)
6. they will be given into his hand for 3.5 years (Dan.7:25)
7. called “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44)
8. connected to the beast through its ten horns

At the same time, John the Theologian in the book of the Apocalypse said about the false prophet that he:

1. there is the mouth of the beast, speaking proudly and blasphemously (Rev. 13:5)
2. blasphemed the name of God and His habitation (Rev. 13:6)
3. it was given to him to make war with the saints and overcome them (Rev. 13:7)
4. had two horns like a Lamb and spoke like a dragon (Rev. 13:11)
5. performed great signs (Rev. 13:13)
6. performed miracles to deceive those living on earth (Rev. 13:14)

From the above it is obvious that the false prophet is the Antichrist or the little horn of the prophet Daniel.

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.

Little Horn of the Prophet Daniel

Moreover, according to the description, this is also the little horn of Daniel. Who “will utter words against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High. He even dreams of abolishing their holidays and the law. And they will be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.” Dan.7:24 Which in Bible language means 3.5 years.

By the way, it is said that the little horn will be different from the ten kings. That he is “different.” This also suggests that this will not be a king, but a religious leader. From this passage from the prophet Daniel it is clear that ten kings will act for the first half-week - 42 months. And the little horn is the second half-week - 3.5 years. At the same time, ten kings will “transfer their power to the beast” in the first half-week, when they form the Union of Ten.

And then the little horn will come out and destroy three of them. He will not defeat the kings, of course, but upon his exit he will receive religious power in three Islamic countries. Of course, not over Muslims, but over Christian churches. The Union of Ten will remain, perhaps weaken after the first half-week.

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.

How the Antichrist will receive power, from whom and what kind of power

The ten horns have political power in the world, and the little horn has religious power, so there is no layering here. You just need to understand that the little horn will initially come out of three countries. At the same time, it is obvious that he will claim much greater power in the world. He will territorially take aim at all the power belonging to the ten kings and the dragon. But not on a political, but on a religious level.

Religious power over the saints in the territory of the beast from the sea.

Now it is becoming clearer how the Antichrist will gain power and what kind of power. That is, it will be power over the saints in the territory of the conquering beast for 3.5 years. And, therefore, it is necessary to determine the territory of the beast from the sea, then it will be clear where the coming of the “man of sin” will take place.

It's hard to understand and imagine all this. But, surprisingly, there was a real example from life. Let's figure it out. Ten horns grew on the fourth beast of Daniel, great and terrible. Almost all interpreters have long agreed that this is the Roman Empire. According to Revelation, these ten kings will have “the same thoughts” and intentions.

Agree that this is very far from Russia. And Putin is very far from becoming a world ruler. Although, they say that there are prophecies that the coming of the Antichrist will be with us.

Ten kings emerged from the Roman Empire

We have found ten countries that emerged from the Roman Empire and show signs of unanimity and like-mindedness. These are the ten countries of Islam:

1. Türkiye
2. Iraq
3. Syria
4. Lebanon
5. Jordan
6. Egypt
7. Libya
8. Algeria
9. Albania
10. Tunisia

The most amazing thing is that they were all part of the sixth kingdom of the beast - the Ottoman Empire. Their unanimity was also expressed in the fact that when the state of ISIS (a banned state in Russia) was created, the heads of gangs from these countries swore allegiance to its head. And militants from these countries fought on the side of this state, banned in Russia.

This is such a military alliance. As the prophet Daniel said, the ten kingdoms will not merge into one, but will be united through the seed of man. Moreover, the ten fingers of the idol consist partly of clay and partly of iron. Iron, like the Roman Empire, was together with the conquering beast, and clay, of course, did not fight.

ISIS (a banned state in Russia), as you know, was still tolerant of Christians at that time. Although, sometimes they cut off their heads, but not systematically. But they really wanted to conquer Israel and capture the Holy Mountain. This was their goal. This is an example of ten kings, isn’t it very similar?

Again, great doubts prevail that the coming of the Antichrist will take place in Russia. And that Putin is this person and will begin to blaspheme Christ is also extremely doubtful. Or for Patriarch Kirill to declare that Jesus is not the Christ. And, in general, it somehow does not agree with the Bible that the coming of the Antichrist will be precisely in Russia.

How can God allow the coming of universal evil?

Christians often ask a very obvious question - if the Lord is Love, then how can He allow such a huge evil to invade humanity, which will lead to the death of many?

The Antichrist will come at the end of time to compete with Christ for the eternal fate of human souls

John Chrysostom answers this question in detail: based on the words of the Apostle Paul (2 Thess. 2:10-12), the Antichrist will come to condemn all who have chosen the path of unrighteous life. These people would never have accepted Christ anyway and would have persecuted Him, dooming their souls to eternal torment.

Saint John Chrysostom encourages believers, saying that the Antichrist will lead to the destruction of only infidels and persecutors of Christ, and sincerely believing people, on the contrary, will be granted eternal salvation if they survive the final decisive battle with evil. This is why God allows the coming of the Antichrist into this world, so that every person makes his final choice in favor of good or evil.

Now, when people still have time to repent and correct their lives, they are in no hurry to do this. Many “believe in their souls,” many profess a large number of alternative beliefs, and some have no time to think about God at all. Before the end of the world, the world will be diametrically divided, all other worries and matters will disappear, and the only thing that matters is the choice of who a person is with.

And so those people who never followed Christ and persecuted him will follow the Antichrist. False teaching will be perceived by them as truth, since they never knew the real Truth and did not strive for it.

About the spiritual life of a Christian:

• Why give alms?
• About Orthodoxy in the modern world
• Missionary in Orthodoxy

A false prophet will come out of a Christian

The beast from the earth will not unite ten kings. But he will come out of them, from one of these ten countries. And he will destroy the three horns. Upon leaving, he will receive power in the three kingdoms for 3.5 years. But he will not be a Muslim, but a major apostate Christian leader.

The Apostle Paul states about the Antichrist, and about all antichrists, that they “went out from us, but they were not ours. And this was revealed only when they went out” (1 John 2:18-22). The way out, of course, is through apostasy from the true faith (2 Thess. 2:3–4).

This apostasy will be expressed in such blasphemy against Christ, when the “man of sin” will claim that Jesus is not the Christ. That is, not God’s Anointed for the Kingdom. So in the temple of God he will sit as God, showing himself to be God (2 Thess. 2:3-4).

But Christians do not have one temple to sit in. Let's think about how the “man of sin” can then take the place of Christ? If Christ is the head of the Christian Church throughout the world, then the Antichrist can declare himself its head. And some churches will accept this, that is, they will worship him as the Lord.

How can this be imagined in real life? How can this be imagined in Russia? So that Putin sits in the temple of God as God, posing as God. It’s impossible to even imagine this. In any case, until he sits down, there is no reason to assert that this man is the very “man of sin, the son of perdition.” You might still think that Patriarch Kirill would sit in the temple as a religious leader. But they do not come from any of the ten countries of the beast, so both are excluded from contenders for world domination.

How the Antichrist will gain power - a real-life example

Surprisingly, the largest Christian leader in Turkey is actually the Patriarch of Constantinople. Which claims to universal power and primacy in the entire Orthodox Church. Although, everyone knows that the head of the entire Orthodox Church is Christ. Even more surprising is that the majority of autocephalous churches recognize this authority. From whom did he receive such power, which for some reason even the ancient patriarchates recognize? Why did churches and patriarchates accept his supremacy instead of Christ and recognize his authority? How do they explain this?

Of course, there was some pressure on them. Are there still levers and intra-church hierarchical connections? Fear that they won't help? Historical memory of Byzantium? Rather, it is a historical memory of the Ottoman Empire, the sixth head of the beast. When all the churches were subordinate to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and it was he who resolved all issues with the Sultan.

I once had to talk with a Ukrainian Christian who began to fiercely advocate submission to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. He claimed that he would not allow them to fall under the authority of the Pope. And that he will be able to come to an agreement with the Turks, with whom he learned to negotiate and build relationships during the entire existence of the Ottoman Empire, which conquered many nations. Fear of the Roman Empire - the fourth beast of Daniel, and of the Ottoman Empire - the sixth head of the beast, unexpectedly appeared in the representative of Ukraine.

All the peoples that were once conquered by them, and even those nearby, still remember and understand what kind of terrible conquering beast this is. And what power he used to have. Therefore, when he appears with his mortal wound healed, they will bow down, saying: “Who can resist this beast?” Now it becomes clear how the Antichrist will gain power and strength. The fear of the beast with its mortal wound healed and historical memory will cause many peoples who have already experienced the expansion of the beast to bow to it when they see it again.

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.”