Paisiy Svyatogorets: biography of the holy elder and 7 predictions about the future of Russia, Turkey and Greece

We live in turbulent times: the world is rocked by wars, regular economic and political crises hit, natural disasters are raging, claiming thousands of lives. People are afraid of tomorrow and they want to know what awaits them in the future, at least from the lips of predictors. One of the most famous Christian spirit seers is the holy Athonite Elder Paisius the Svyatorets. So, the topic of our material today is the biography and predictions of Paisius Svyatogorets about the future of Russia, Turkey, Greece and the Third World War. His prophecies are well known to people interested in esotericism and the study of the unknown.

Paisiy Svyatogorets: predictions for 2022 about Russia, Turkey and Greece.

Prophecies about Ukraine by St. Paisius Svyatogorets

The Holy Father always said that the three Slavic Orthodox peoples should always be inseparable and stick together. In the modern world community, evil rules, so we can only stand against it and protect the rest of the Orthodox world by uniting. Not only Father Paisiy, but almost all the Athonite elders are warning Ukraine about the danger of communicating with the deceitful and depraved European Union.

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Monastic life

In 1954, Arsenios Eznepidis was tonsured as a ryassophore with the name Averky. And already into the minor schema, that is, into monasticism with the name Paisius, he was tonsured in 1957.

However, during these years, Monk Paisius traveled a lot to meet the needs of the church. He lived in a cell on Mount Sinai, and established missionary activities in Kolwezi (now a city in the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and organized life at the monastery of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in the Greek city of Stomio.

Then there was a return to Athos and a serious illness, during which part of the old man’s lungs was cut out. And since the late seventies, hundreds and thousands of pilgrims from all over the world gradually flocked to Paisius.

Predictions of Elder Paisius Svyatogorets about the future of Russia

Monks on Mount Athos constantly pray for Russia. Saint Paisius said that Russia will have to go through difficult times, it will be like a ship thrown ashore. The Jews will come to power and try to destroy both Orthodoxy and Russia as a whole.

But the time will come when she will be reborn in glory. The Christian faith, spirituality and pride in their homeland will return to the Russian people. In difficult recent times, when the Russian people are experiencing an internal crisis, our country is destined for the return of the monarchy.

Just before the end of the world, Russia will be led by the Orthodox Tsar, popularly elected and given by God to the Russian people, a highly worthy man, possessor of an iron will, great mind and fiery faith. He will not reign for long, because he will be killed, but during his reign he will have time to clear the secular and spiritual power of the unworthy, and will return Russia the glory and respect of the whole world.

The Elder's Vision of 12 Miles

Late last year, the Greek government announced it would expand its territorial waters to 12 miles. This event is also spelled out in the elder’s prophecies. Back in 2022, changes in foreign policy were aimed at expanding sovereignty. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured that the increase from 6 to 12 miles is the right decision, the first step towards expanding the territorial waters zone. The Turkish government immediately began talking about a formal declaration of war.

Paisiy himself foresaw these negotiations and stated that the war would begin immediately after the discussion on television about increasing the water zone. He called Turkey's actions provocations. It was assumed that Russia would also participate in this conflict. Although there was no talk that the Russian government would help. Paisiy spoke about his interests of the Russians, but their invasion would have a positive effect on the course of events.

The elder did not exclude the participation of other countries that would begin to protect the integrity of strategic objects. The Europeans would also not stand aside, trying to get their “share” amid the conflict.

The latest negotiations in 2022 between politicians from Turkey and Greece demonstrated their desire to find a way out of the current situation. Representatives of both countries intend to “break out of the crises” by trying to improve relations between themselves.

Prophecies of Paisius the Holy Mountain about the third world war

The Third World War will definitely happen, it will be very bloody and will begin in the Middle East, in the zone of current military conflicts.

The Russians will also participate in the battle - against the Turkish army and the united European coalition. There will be military action in Palestine.

When the Euphrates becomes shallow, then the Chinese with an army of 200 million will be able to invade the conflict zone and occupy Jerusalem. There will be many victims, and most of the Jews will convert to Christianity. During military operations, the Omar Mosque will be destroyed.

Carpenter and radio operator

Aresniy did not become a monk right away. He first trained as a carpenter and even served in the Greek army as a radio operator; it is also known that he participated in combat operations.

It was 1945-1949, the time of the Greek Civil War, when the government's pro-monarchy army fought the Greek communists. By the way, according to many historians, it was this conflict that became a kind of “trigger” for the development of what would later be called the Cold War.

As a result, after the war and a certain period of worldly life, during which Paisius helped his sisters get back on their feet, in 1950, the future elder began his monastic path, asceticism as a novice in the Kultumush monastery on Mount Athos.

Other predictions of the Athonite elder Paisius the Holy Mountain

Elder Paisios predicted that, as a result of a deep crisis, the Vatican and Catholicism would lose their influence. The destruction of the Mosque of Omar, which now stands on the site of the ancient Temple of Solomon, will be the impetus for its restoration, and a sign of the onset of the end times.

As a result of the world war, hundreds of millions of people will die, therefore, in order to avoid further bloodshed, it will be proposed to elect a single world leader. He will choose the Antichrist, whom Israel is waiting for as the messiah, and to meet whom it is in a hurry to restore the temple of Solomon.

The false messiah will forcibly introduce an economic system, which was mentioned in the Revelation of John the Theologian, when all humanity will receive a mark on their forehead or hand containing the number of the beast - 666, and without it it will be impossible to buy or sell.

An old man’s vision of the decline of moral values: what awaits Russia

Cruelty is gradually replacing the moral principles that previously defined humanity. The elder believes that people forget about their origin, connections with ancestors, prerequisites for goodness and good deeds. Morality is replaced by material wealth, and commercial interests can surpass even family values. All this will lead to a complete decline in morality.

The same thing awaits the institution of the church. The sacred place is gradually becoming a business, the commandments of Christ are being devalued. Believers are losing hope for a better future, beginning to treat churches and priests with contempt.

The clergy forget about their mission and put personal interests and the desire to make money from their activities in the forefront. Afonsky is confident that in a few more years the church will simply lose its authority. Despite the fact that the future is created by people themselves, we are wary of such consequences. When we put our moral foundations on the line, we have to sacrifice the most valuable thing we have. The dominance of greed and social superiority of people with large financial capital cannot but affect the situation in the country.

Paisiy Svyatogorets about the war with Turkey

The Turks do not like to turn to the prophecies of Elder Paisius, and all because he clearly predicted the disappearance of Turkey from the world map. The Turks also have their own prophecies on this matter, which coincide with the prediction of the Holy Father. Plotting to conquer Greece, she herself will be defeated by her northern neighbor.

Russia will stand up for its Orthodox ally and defeat Turkey completely and irrevocably. In order to prevent the reunification of the two Orthodox peoples, united NATO troops will act on Turkey’s side.

The massacre on the territory of the former Byzantine Empire will be so bloody that Istanbul will drown in blood. There will be so much blood that a three-year-old bull can swim in it, says the elder. At first everyone will think that the superiority of forces is on the side of the Turks, and then Russia will win.

Turkey will break up into three parts, one will be given to the Kurds, the other will become Orthodox, the third will go south. A third of the state's population will die. Istanbul will again become Constantinople, and the Orthodox service will again sound in the main temple of this ancient capital of the great state of Byzantium, the Church of Sophia.

The city itself will become Greek, without firing a single shot from their side. The circumstances will be such that this will be the only compromise solution that will suit all parties to the conflict.

The Church of the End Times will be alive and full of grace

The Holy Mountain continues to publish a series of interviews with modern Athonite elders. Readers are invited to the second part of a conversation with one of the most famous Athonite theologians, the resident of the Gregoriate Monastery, Hieromonk Luke. Father Luke is known as the author of numerous publications in periodicals and several books. Among them, his monograph “Dioscorus and Sevier” became especially famous. Anti-Chalcedonian heresiarchs."

— Is it true that on the eve of the coming of the Antichrist there will be no spiritual fathers (elders), and Christians will be forced to take care of their own salvation?
— The last times are a time of great apostasy[1]. The Holy Fathers describe with trepidation the terrible scale of humanity's apostasy from God. But at the same time they testify that Christians of the last times will be higher than the martyrs of the period of the first persecution of the Church. God will give them greater grace.

And here I have a question: will they be able to achieve such a high spiritual state without the Church? No. The Church of the end times will be alive and grace-filled. “Apocalypse” also testifies to this.

And once there is a Church, there will be bishops, priests, monks and laity. The fact that there will be few of them and they will be persecuted is not so important. The Savior Himself told us “do not be afraid, little flock”[2]. Even in the last terrible times, the Orthodox will be able to find a foothold and receive support from their spiritual fathers. I believe that the Lord will provide and comfort Christians in a special way. Including through the confessors who will be next to them.

A phenomenon such as apostasy can harm many of us, but only those who do not live spiritually and have a real connection with God. Those who have a thirst for Christ, a desire to be with the Lord, will never leave the Grace of God.

Let's remember the Soviet era. In published books we read how few elders and spiritual fathers there were who could support the Orthodox people. But despite this, the laity who longed to be with the Lord had spiritual mentors! Despite huge and seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

— At the same time, even in our time, many Christians, citing the fact that there are no real elders and confessors left, do not have a permanent spiritual leader.
“This condition carries great danger.” This is a disastrous delusion!

We must find not great elders and confessors, but ourselves. We should humbly ask the Lord to give us a spiritual guide. And no matter how small he may be (in virtue, in fame...), the Lord will bless and guide our spiritual life through him for our humility.

It is not the absence of elders that is to blame, but our lack of desire to truly live a spiritual life. If we sincerely want to be with Christ, the Lord can raise confessors and elders out of stones.

Sometimes people come to our monastery and ask: are there people like Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets on Mount Athos today? But it is wrong to pose the question this way. And today there are many elders and ascetic monks. But the problem lies within us. Can we simply and humbly ask about what interests us? Will we be able to obey?

There have always been elders and there will always be elders.
Laymen and monks of our time should strive to listen to their spiritual father with humility and obedience, and not spend their lives in search of great elders.

This is especially true for monks. According to the Holy Fathers, only for three reasons can a monk leave his monastery and look for a new spiritual mentor: if the abbot is a heretic, if access to the monastery is open to women, or if small children live in it[3].

—What should be the place of the hesychast tradition in the life of monks and laity today?

— The hesychast tradition is the quintessence of the Orthodox Church and the basis of the life of an Orthodox Christian.

Let us remember the life of St. Gregory Palamas.

Once in the Berean desert, he became friends with one simple old man, the silent man Job. He, once listening to Saint Gregory, who expressed the idea that not only ascetics, but all Christians should pray unceasingly, did not agree with him and objected that unceasing prayer is the duty of only monks, and not the laity. Gregory Palamas, not wanting to offend the elder and not liking verbosity, fell silent. But as soon as Job returned to his cell and began to pray, an angel appeared to him and said:

- Do not doubt, elder, the truth of Gregory’s words - he spoke and speaks the truth; So think about it, and pass it on to others.

The hesychast tradition includes not only the creation of mental prayer (“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner”), but also the entire spectrum of spiritual life. This is both a struggle for purification from passions and the acquisition of virtues opposite to them.

If we lose touch with the hesychast tradition, we (lay people and monks) will go astray from the path of salvation. Let us wander into a hopeless dead end of various Western Christian doctrines.

For example, let's dive into pietism - the doctrine according to which we will be saved through our good works. The destruction of this approach lies in self-justification, which hinders our salvation.

Or in denial of the inspiration of Scripture and Tradition. Or into secularization. Or in many other movements that have flooded the Western Churches.

The antidote to the distortion of church life is fidelity to the hesychast tradition.
Its main content is the desire to keep the mind sober, so that with the help of Divine grace we can be cleansed of passions and acquire the virtues opposite to them. Then we will cultivate suitable soil in our hearts so that Christ can dwell in it. The Savior Himself says: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and I will come to him and make our abode with Him.”[4] Nowadays, some monks write theological works. But this is not the usual, much less the main thing for a monk, as St. John Climacus clearly points out. We (monks) will be judged not because we did not theologize or did not missionary, but because we did not cry over our sins. The job of a monk is repentance.

The general atmosphere in the monastery should be hesychast.
If silence and a repentant spirit reign in the monastery, then pilgrims visiting the monastery, through participation in divine services and viewing the ascetic life of the brethren, will be able to receive real spiritual benefit and understand what the true meaning of life is. — Father Luke, how necessary is the creation of the Jesus Prayer for the laity?

— The great Russian elders of the 18th – 19th centuries persistently called upon the laity to create mental prayer and immerse themselves in the hesychast type of ascetic life.

In modern Greece, many lay people also say the Jesus Prayer, although forty years ago there was no trace of anything like this. In the turn of Christians to the hesychast tradition, the merit of Holy Mount Athos is undoubted.

The spiritual life of Greece in the first half of the 20th century was under undoubted Western influence, and the first ascetic who reversed this spiritual captivity was St. Nektarios of Aegina (Pentapolis).
He clearly showed the meaning of the Jesus Prayer and the hesychast tradition. In Russia, in my opinion, the break with the spiritual tradition of hesychasm was facilitated by the dominance of atheistic ideology. The connection with the living Patristic heritage of the 19th century was lost. But I hope that with God’s help the laity will once again be able to touch the amazing beauty of the spiritual tradition of hesychasm. Restore connection with the heritage of Sergius of Radonezh and Paisius Velichkovsky.

In fact, creating the Jesus Prayer for the laity is not a difficult task.
Wherever they are and no matter what they do, they can repeat the words “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Every day they face many problems and difficulties. If, during each trial, they turn to the Lord at least several times, their entire day will be filled with prayer. Parents can pray for their children. Children for academic success. Young for the older generation. All together for our Fatherland. There are many reasons to pray! First part of the conversation: Aimless travel through the Internet is extremely dangerous

[1] Apostasy is apostasy.

[2]Luke. 12:32.

[3]George (Kapsanis), archimandrite. Pastoral service according to the sacred canons. M., 2006. P. 262.

[4]In. 14:23.

“Pray that Christ will have mercy on me”

Those who witnessed the life and works of Saint Paisius spoke of him as a non-covetous and ascetic, as if he had come from the early centuries of Christianity. Paisius himself, talking about his childhood and adolescence, said that he often went to some mountain and prayed there for a long time, like the ancient monks-pillars. The elder performed this kind of constant prayer throughout his life.

However, he himself had a low opinion of himself and his spiritual life, and said that in one way or another he “violated all the commandments of God.” That the favors God bestowed upon him were “undeserved” and were a gift and mercy from the Lord.

By the way, this is exactly what is written on the elder’s grave: “I monk Paisius, having examined my life, saw that I had transgressed all the commandments of the Lord, that I had committed all sins. And it doesn’t matter if I committed some of these sins to a lesser extent, because I have no extenuating circumstances at all, since the Lord has shown me great benefits. Pray that Christ will have mercy on me. Forgive me, and may all those who believe that they have upset me in some way be forgiven by me... I am very grateful and again I ask: pray.”

Revival through trials

People at all times strive for a calm, prosperous life. There is no sin in this. But the fate of humanity is such that only those who will not betray the Lord can enter the Kingdom of God. And everyone will have their own “front”. There is already a war going on in our souls. The Antichrist is trying to win people over to his side. If you think about it, you will see it yourself. We are constantly fed other people's goals, unnatural desires and dreams. Is it possible for a person to resist the “golden calf” when everyone around him considers the possession of wealth to be true happiness? This is how the Antichrist works. He needs to erase thoughts about Orthodoxy and God from human souls. Then he will become the owner of our world. But the earth will be different, cruel and bloodthirsty. Don’t we now see in ISIS (an organization banned in the Russian Federation) signs of a diabolical ideology? Blood flows like a river, people die without trial or investigation. Do those who are the creation of God dream of such a world? But the battle is already underway. It is, we repeat, in the souls of people. Which side will you take?

Pain only helps

Saint Paisius left a rich literary heritage. These are books with his sayings and letters, with his advice to Orthodox Christians about spiritual life.

At the same time, according to eyewitnesses, people were healed through the prayers of the elder. Although Paisiy Svyatogorets treated his own illnesses as something that “helps to pray” and helps humility.

He died after a protracted and very serious cancer illness. At the same time, he said about cancer that the pain he experienced only helped him, and almost until the end of his life he did not refuse to receive pilgrims.

Saint Paisios died in 1994 and was buried behind the altar of the Church of St. Arsenios of Cappadocia. The same one who baptized him and predicted monasticism for him. And the grave almost immediately became a place of mass pilgrimage.

Speedy canonization

In the Russian Church, they wait quite a long time before canonization (70 years or more) before starting the procedure of glorifying the saint. However, this is not such a strict rule. If a deceased righteous person is considered a saint by many people, then he in fact becomes locally revered, and then the canonization commission at the Synod gets into work.

In the Church of Constantinople, apparently, there is no problem at all with any clearly defined time frames. What is important here is honoring people, living a righteous life, and following Orthodox virtues.

An additional, but by no means the main evidence, is the miracle-working of the saint. And in general, judging by the fact that only a little over 10 years passed from the moment of death to the moment of canonization of the elder, everything was quite obvious to the hierarchs of the Universal Church and the glorification commission. And for the laity this was obvious even during the life of the elder.