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Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Antichrist Orthodox Perspective

The Antichrist Orthodox Perspective

Archangel Michael Of The Apocalypse
Archangel Michael
Of The Apocalypse
The Antichrist Orthodox Perspective
Compiled By Archimandrite Nektarios Serfes
Boise, Idaho
USA
October 1999



In The Name Of The Father,
The Son,
&
The Holy Spirit


"The Antichrist can come only as a result of universal Apostasy, that is,
the abjuration of the people from God and His paths,
when God's grace withdraw from the people.
(Archpriest Boris Molchanoff)
 
 
Introduction by Father Demetrios Serfes:"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God that in due time he may exalt you.  Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you.  Be sober, be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him, firm in your faith." (In the 1st Holy Epistle of the Apostle Peter 5:6-9).
Here the Holy Apostle Peter urges us to humble ourselves beneath the strong hand of God, so that he can lift us up in the appropriate time -- urging us to not be concerned for earthly things, but to throw the care of our lives onto God, Who is our provider.

We are currently living in Apocalyptic times!
Nothing on this earth is so important as Orthodox Christians to up hold the faith in which we ourselves where humbly baptized.  Nothing is so important spiritually for us all to pray, pray, pray, and pray, but at the same time to be watchful in regards towards the path of our salvation.
Another important spiritual factor is that we must be great warriors and confessors of our Holy Orthodox Faith, as were the divine Holy Fathers, the Saints, the Martyrs, and Ascetics of our Sacred and Holy Church. Then again we must be also defenders of the early seven Ecumenical Councils and lesser councils, as included in the doctrines of our pious faith. Finally we must be aware of the Apostasy that is surrounding us on a daily basis, and be spiritually prepared to suffer in our struggles to be witnesses of our faith. What can we ourselves do to avoid Apostasy?  "Get to know it, protect yourself from it and that is enough for you.  Get to know the spirit of the times, study it so that you can avoid its influence whenever possible", wrote the humble Bishop Igantius.
In the loving truth of our Holy Orthodox Christian Faith, we ourselves are "experiencing a terrible time, a time such as has never before been seen in the history of Christianity, in the history of mankind!  A time of almost total instability!"  Thus wrote the humble Archbishop Averky of blessed memory. Without a doubt we have heard about the constant flow now of persecution of our Faith in almost every part of the world, and in general all Christian faiths. Many of us have heard that others are not living up the pure and unadulterated Holy Orthodox Christian faith, that we have those who feel that righteousness on their part is far better then giving guidance and expressing this faith in a truthful way of life. We hear of accusations of heresy and are called heretics! We have among us those who now believe that black is white, and white is black!
We are for sure seeing the neglect of the sufferings and the needs of others, as we turn our heads and hearts to the means of our worldly life.  We ourselves notice that the world is now turning away from God and is even beginning to fall into apostasy. We feel that we must step into the times, and to deal with it as we stray away and leave Christ our Lord out of our lives, and the loving teachings of His Holy and Sacred Church. We become the sole interpreters of Holy Scripture and neglect our spiritual lives, and the way to avoid this is to turn to the Holy Fathers of our Church, as we cannot speak about Holy Scriptures without them as we only stray from the holiness and purity of the meaning. We notice that children are killing children, parents killing children, and children killing parents, crime is at our door steps of innocent people. War is at the door and rumors or more wars, as well as earthquakes are increasing, as even our weather is out of control, and the melting down of our hemisphere, and our earnest neglect of our environment the creation of our Lord God. Morals now mean nothing is the new philosophy. Nuclear power and nuclear energy become an excuse for us to save money and money becomes power in it's neglect for the poor and starving children.
We ourselves as Orthodox Christians certainly have several responsiblities in this humble regards in our preparations for the Antichrist and the last days on this earth, we simply have an obligation which are placed upon us!
We must look to our spiritual Fathers of the Church and stay close to the Holy Orthodox Church and faith that we confess and believe.  We can protect ourselves from the current Apostasy, and we must defend ourselves against the corrupting spirit of the times to avoid its influence.

If someone is teaching you outside of the things which the holy catholic Church received from the Holy Apostles, Fathers and Synods and preserved up till now, do not listen to him..., close your ears." (St. John Damascene)
Then again we as Orthodox Christians must return towards the path of righteous faith, as well as fully spiritually participate in it with all our minds, hearts, and souls.  I would like humbly to make the following suggestions to you that would help all of us be most faithful Orthodox and pious Christians as we all ourselves struggle for our salvation and that we will indeed have a good and great defense before the great judgement seat of our Christ our Lord:
1). Participate in loving prayer of the Divine Services of your parish Church, attend frequently Vespers, Matins, and the Holy Divine Liturgy, and when the Church calls you for further prayer.
2).  Prepare yourself to go frequently to Holy Confession with your local parish priest, and read the prayers before Holy Communion, and give Thanks to our Lord God afterwards.
3). Live up to the prescibed fasting rules during the weekdays as we fast on both Wednesdays, and Fridays, as well as of midnight the night before the Holy Divine Liturgy. In addition follow the fasting periods in which the Orthodox Church has offered.  We fast for forty days in preparation for the birth of our Lord, we fast for forty days for our Lord's Holy Resurrection, we fast for a period of time for the Apostles, and for the Mother of God for fifteeen days.  Follow your Orthodox Church calendar in this regards to note when you should fast, and when you are free from fasting.
4). Acquire to understand fully the teachings of our Holy Orthodox Faith from the teachings of the Holy Apostles, and the early Holy Fathers of the Church, and live within these guidelines to defend and share with others this loving faith. Seek out those who lived and struggled a most ascetical life and who have given us guidelines on the path towards our salvation. Find out what would the Holy Fathers say about the life of our Church, and about the issues we face from day to day.  It's spiritually impossible to live a full Orthodox life without the Holy Fathers of our Church.  Learn who they were, how humbly they lived,  and what they taught us!
5). Learn about the lives of the saints of our Church, as well as the holy martyrs, and the ascetics of our faith.  Read as frequently as possible (almost daily) about these lives, as a means of spiritual guidance for you and a means for you to follow their loving example for us all!
6). Study the teachings of the early Seven Ecumenical Councils, and the lesser councils, as to what has been expressed and taught to us about the teachings about our Saviour Jesus Christ, both His divine and human nature, as well as the teachings of the Mother of God. Learn how these Ecumenical councils developed the guide lines on the books of Holy Scripture, and the Nicene Creed we confess, and other teachings of our Church.
7).  Do your morning and evening prayers as a family, and on an individual basis daily!  Pray to our Lord God during the day as well.  Find time for yourself to pray frequently and often.  Learn about prayer and seek it out so that you can find God!  Seek out the teachings of the "Jesus Prayer", also known as the "Prayer of the heart", seek guidance from not only the many rich spiritual texts we have available, but also seek out more information from your spiritual father, or have him suggest further guidance for you. Make prostrations to the floor frequently, and afterwards stay on the floor with tears in prayer for others who need our prayers, pray as did St. Seraphim of Sarov before your holy icons, and lift up your hands to the heavens as did the Holy Prophet and God-Seerer Moses, and other saints. Take a ride by yourself and go to the mountains to find even more private time for prayer and behold the spiritual beauty of our God.
Or take a walk by yourself through the woods and pray. Do this often as possible. Weep in your prayers, and learn about tears, keep your head bowed down and fold your hands cross wise in humility before our Lord God. Fold your hands to pray, pray, and pray.
8).  Find time within your busy day to try to learn more about your faith and search out the many books now available that can quide you on the right path of your Holy Orthodox Christian faith. Read humbly about those who have confessed our faith, and lived it daily, read frequently about the lives of the Saints and you will be spiritually rewarded.  Know the life of your loving patron saint, and be an expert in this regards to tell others about this precious God-loving life and good works.  Share this information with others, and teach your children about the faith in a childlike manner.
9).  Know that the Ten Commandments are important for us to live and to follow. Read what the Holy Fathers had written about these Ten Commandments and seek from an Orthodox point of view their meanings for not only yourself but also for your beloved children.
10). Pick up and read Holy Scriptures daily, and struggle to read both the Old and New Testament and the books of the Apochraphal.
11). Make a pilgrimage to either an Orthodox monastery or a convent.  Make a serious decision to visit the Holy Land, or to go to Holy Mt. Athos.  When you travel make plans to visit the local Orthodox Church's and monasteries in the area, and call the monastery and parish that you would like to stop and pray.
12). Seek out the teachings of our faith about the virtues and the teachings that lead you on your path towards salvation, in both seeking your salvation on a daily basis and living your faith as a good example.  Seek truth, and learn that truth will guide towards your salvation. Remember humbly truth is bitter, but it's truth!  Have hope, and above all have faith in our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. Remember to endure, and learn more about endurance, as did the lives of the Holy Martyrs of our loving Church.
13). Love your children, respect your parents, and be honorable to your relatives, as well as your Godparents. Love your neighbor and care for their needs. Judge no one, and let our Lord God take care of this for all you have to do is pray for those in desperate need of your loving prayers.
14). Forgive, forgive, forgive and learn how to forgive!
15). Struggle, struggle, and struggle with love for God and His Church!
16). Roar like a lion, but be mostly meek as a lamb!
17). Pray for the living, and pray for the departed in the Lord!  Keep list of these names, and bring it often to the priest to pray with you.
18). Seek to be saintly and prepare yourself spiritually.  Love peace and seek spiritually inner peace with our Lord Jesus Christ. When war is at our door step and destruction, cry out for peace, peace, and never cease in this regards in spite of what might seem a failure at that time. Keep knocking on the door for peace again and again!
19). Love God and love one another!  Love your faith and live your faith!  Know your faith, and share your faith with others, as well as defend it and speak of it's truths. Once again I repeat truth is bitter, but it's truth. Christ our Lord is truth, and Holy Orthodoxy is the same truth.
20). Learn about the inner peace of our Lord God and live for this peace.
21). Live the pious Christian life of Beatitude!  Remember almost by heart in remembrance of these spiritually rewarding Beatitudes. "Blessed are the meek...."   Learn to be meek also.
22). Feed the homeless and help the homeless in any way to get on their feet to lead a productive life.  Learn that your responsibility is not to convert them, but to live a true Christian life. Reach out in caring for others when they ask for your help. Be a volunteer, and do it with Christian love and expect no reward. The poor and most unfortunate need food, a warm blanket, and shelter, as well as your love, give one of your blankets away, give some of your extra food to someone else, and suggest where one can find shelter and assist in this on a temporary basis. Pray for them and do not cry out that it's their fault, as being poor is a horrific struggle to be what all human beings desire to get back on their feet once again. Aren't we all ourselves at the door step at times in being homeless?  Afterwards do not seek any rewards, and deny you did anything before man, as our Lord God will reward you most humbly. Help sponsor a dinner in your local parish and remember to when it's Wednesday or Friday prepare fasting foods. When it's not a fasting day remember that those who are homeless and hungry do not eat as often as yourself.
23). Avoid pride and be humble!
24). Do nothing for honor, and when you are caught doing something good express the following: It's all for the Glory of our God!  Or say: Glory be to God for all things!
25). Pray for all and judge no one, leave that up to God!
26). When you pray learn to weep in these humble prayers with all your mind, heart, and soul!
27). Struggle and learn to struggle more!
28). Look for Christ our Lord in others, and speak from the heart to the heart before you!
29). Seek to cleanse your sins, and weep before our Lord God that you desire not to sin in the same manner again.
30). Pick up your Cross, and then pick it up again!
31). When you are ill seek out your parish priest to anoint you with the gift of the Holy Spirit that was performed on Holy Wednesday at the Holy Unction services.
32). Be forbearing always!
33). Listen to the truth as it might at times seem bitter to you.
34). Learn about the Creed we confess during the Divine Services and in your daily prayers, seek to fully understand the Creed, and learn that it's a confession of our Holy Orthodox Faith and it's teachings.  If anyone ask you about our faith refer to this Creed frequently.
35). Establish icon corners and places for your holy icons in your home. Keep a vigil light burning fervently before your loving icons, and take oil from it anointing yourself and your beloved children.
36). Respect your environment and plant a tree, and put flowers in the ground and see the beauty of our Lord God and His creation.  Give room for nature to dwell, as we desire to dwell on this earth in humble preparations for the Kingdom of our Lord God.
37).  Have your house blessed by your parish priest every year.
38).  Go to Holy Confession and ask your local parish priest guidelines in preparation for this Holy Mystery.
39).  Lean that Holy Marriage is a blessing from God and constantly keep telling each other of your respected love, and learn to talk to each other, as well as the members of your family, and let Christ our Lord reign in your home and hearts. Pray together, and go to Church together, and struggle altogether!
40). Give always Glory, Honor, and Worship to God  to the Most Holy Trinity, One in Essence, and Undivided - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen!

"The Church of Christ is not comprised of the many, but of those who keep the correct and saving confession of faith, even if they are few"  (St. Theodore Studite)
As you have read some of the spiritual guide lines indicated, all of us can follow some other means and suggestions that can as well be most piously helpful to you, by turning to the "Ladder of Divine Ascent", or the "Philokalia", the teachings of the "Holy Fathers", and "Holy Scripture". Forgive me in being neglectful, but I am giving you some guide lines, as a means for us all to begin to realize we must spiritually prepare ourselves, and not be neglectful. We can do this with the love for our God and His Church in knowing that we can accomplish more then we actually think, and all of this is done with prayer, prayer, prayer, and more prayer. All of us can do it with the help of our Loving Lord God, and with the guidance of our spiritual father. What really prepares us is up to us all, and what really gives us hope is without a doubt faith, faith, and more faith. Pray and love to pray, hope and learn about hope, and live in faith and in having more joyful faith in our Lord God who loves us all!  Seek the mercy and the inner peace of God! Fight the good fight within yourself to cleanse your sins, and always guard yourself to sin no more...

Now I would like to humbly touch upon you about the "Antichrist" from an Orthodox perspective, and in doing so I of course desire that you spiritually awaken yourself and fully understand that this presentation is to help you in giving you fuller awareness and preparations. Does this simply mean that the world itself will end in the year 2000?  We do not know as only our Lord God knows this answer, as we even know that even the Holy Angels do not have an answer for us. What we need to do spiritually is again I repeat, be aware, prepare and learn about the teachings of our Holy Orthodox Faith for the sake of our humble salvation. The following was written by a Russian Orthodox priest named Father Boris Molchanoff, and this particular presentation is taken from the book "The Mystery Of Iniquity And The Antichrist".


The Antichrist
by Archpriest Father Boris Molchanoff
 
The Lord Jesus Christ said, "....I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." (St. Matthew 16:18).  What do the gates of hell signify?The Jews had the custom of gathering under the leadership of their elders, by the city gates, for the discussion of political, legal and social questions.  These meetings were the last appeal of all litigation, and here all divine commandments were announced.  They were vested with a definite authority among the people.  This Jewish custom of meeting at the city gates is mentioned in the Book of Ruth (IV:1,11).  A description of an active wife in the Book of Proverbs (31: 23) says that, "Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land."  He is invested with the trust of society and takes an active part in important meetings. (Prof. V.V. Bolotoff).
The "gates" of hell" signifies not only the forces of hell, but in general staff of Hell's power.  Their most important meeting is dedicated to developing a plan for a general battle with the Church.  The Church and Hell are represented as two warring powers.  And in this war with Hell, according to Christ's words, the Church will remain invincible.
Hell's war plan with the Church is called the "Mystery of Iniquity" in the Holy Scriptures (2 Thessalonians 2:8).  The iniquity has been working for centuries and will have its culmination in the appearance of the Antichrist ( 2 Thessalonians 2:8).  The Antichrist can come only as a result of universal Apostasy, that is, the abjuration of the people from God and His paths, when God's grace will withdraw from the people.

"And in the latter times of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up." (Daniel 8:23)

"Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders...."  (2 Thessalonians 2:9)
 
All of the evil in its fullest strength which human nature can accept and endure will be concentrated in the person of the Antichrist.  Thousands of years were required to develop and perfect the kind of human seed that was required to receive the purest most perfect Fruit of the human tree in the person of the Most Blessed Virgin.  Comparably, for the appearance of the most depraved fruit, capable of containing within itself all Satanic malice, an entire line of human generations will be demanded in the direction of greatest corruption and defilement of human nature, based upon mad hatred towards Christ and war against His Church.  "It can be admitted," says Pro. Belyaeff, "that innate and acquired evil, gradually accumulating in a long line of ancestors of the Antichrist, transmitted with each new generation, will reach such a degree of force in the Antichrist himself, which human nature is capable of containing, revealing and enduring.  The evil which lives in mankind, will reach the highest limit of its development in him." (Godlessness And The Antichrist, Vol. 1. p. 193).Of course, to the degree that evil strengthens in man's will, diabolic activity within man will increase also, as the devil thus receives greater access to man's soul.  Inasmuch as the Antichrist's personal evil will and its corruption will reach the limit of its greatest growth, the relationship of the devil to him will reach the limit of maximum nearness, which will be expressed in the devil himself continuously acting in the person of the Antichrist, "God", says St. John of Damascus, "Foreseeing future depravity of his will (the Antichrist's) will allow the devil to inhabit him." ("The Exact Exposition Of The Orthodox Faith", Book IV, Chapter 26) St. Cyril of Jerusalem teaches the same. (Teaching, V. 14).  St. Andrew of Kessary says that the Antichrist "will come out of the gloomiest and remotest lands of the earth to which the devil is banished." (Interpretation of the 11th chapter of the Apocalypse, 30th chapter.)  Blessed Theodore writes, "Man's enemy, clothed in human nature, God's adversary, the demon, usurping God's Name, will appear in the world before Christ's coming." ("An Exact Exposition Of Divine Dogma", chapter 23, printed in "Christian Readings", 1844, Chapter IV, page 355.) Laktancy, Gezihy of Jerusalem and Blessed Heronim, call the Antichrist the son of Satan.

In agreement with such teachings of the Holy Fathers, the life of the Antichrist cannot admit one moment free from satanic action.  It must already appear in the very birth and even in his conception, peculiar and exceptional in its depravity.  "From a defiled virgin will actually be born his (the devil's) weapon." says St. Ephrem the Syrian.  This is also confirmed by St. John of Damascus.  "A man (the Antichrist) will be born from fornication."
The Holy Fathers Iriney ("Against Heresy", Book V, chapter 30), Ippolit (Legends about Christ and the Antichrist), and also Ilariy, Ambrose, Ieronim and Augustus, remark that the Antichrist will be of Jewish ancestry, from the tribe of Dan.
In the Synaksare, stated in the Week of Lent without meat, we read that, "The Antichrist will come and be born, as St. Ippolit of Rome declares, from a depraved wife and self-styled virgin, which is from the Jews, from the tribe of Dan." (Lenten Triod)  Such indications in God's Word have several foundations:
    1. In the prophecies of Patriarch Jacob about each of his sons becoming the progenitors of the tribes of Israel, the fate of Dan's ancestors is depicted in such a way that can only be ascribed to the Antichrist. "Dan shall be a serpent on the way, an adder in the path..." (Genesis 49, 17)
    2. In the prophecies of Ierenim: "From Dan himself...(Ierenim VIII,16)
    3. In the prophecies of the Apocalypse, enumerating the remainder of all the tribes of Israel, marked by the Angel for salvation, the tribe of Dan is absolutely excluded. (Revelations VII, 4-8).
According to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, the devil, exalting the Antichrist, will try to vest his coming with all the signs of the coming of the Son of God to earth.  (See St. Cyril of Jerusalem, the 150th catechistic word; St. Ephrem the Syrian, the 39th word, in the Russian translation Blessed Theodore, "A Short Exposition of Divine Dogma", Chapter 23, St. Ippolit, "The Legends of Christ and the Antichrist")
Of course, some resemblance of the Antichrist to Christ will only be external and in essence deceitful, for the whole life and all the deeds of the Antichrist will be an incensed and blasphemous revolt against Christ and His Church.  This false external resemblance to Christ will appear in the very birth of the Antichrist.  Keeping in mind that Christ was born a Virgin, the devil will produce his weapon from a virgin, not from a pure virgin, however, but from one filled with every vice and satanic filth.  Then, as the Lord until he was thirty years old remained in obscurity, so the Antichrist, we assume, will, until the age of 30, remain in clandestine solitude and obscurity.  As Christ began His saving service with sermons of His Divine teaching and miracles, so will the Antichrist begin his completely destructive service with the delusion of the people with his false teaching and incredibly shameful, deceitful miracles.  As it was pleasing for the Lord to reveal Himself to all the people as the Messiah by solemnly entering Jerusalem and into its Temple, so the Antichrist will reveal himself as the false Jewish Messiah, the international monarch, in him solemn ceremonial entrance into Jerusalem and his enthronement in the temple of Jerusalem, which will by that time be restored.
The Lord's entry into Jerusalem, says Archbishop Innokenty of Herson, was "for all Jews a national declaration that Jesus Christ was veritably the Messiah.  Indisputable proof of this are His own words, proclaimed before the gates of Jerusalem, saying: "If thou hadst known, even now, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace: But now they are hid from thine eyes."  (Luke XIX, 42.)  "With this day, with the rejection of the Messiah, the fate of the Israelite nation was decided for eternity."  (The Last Days on Earth of Jesus Christ")
On the day when the Antichrist shall enter into Jerusalem as the false Messiah, forever and irrevocably the fate of his contemporaries will be decided.  Blessed are those who, on the last day given by God for the conclusive self-determination of the people, will see the Antichrist as Satan's servant and the inescapable peril of all mankind which recognized him.  Finally, as the Lord revealed Himself to the world and fulfilled His service as a Prophet, as King and as High Priest, so will the Antichrist concentrate all this triple power in his hands and complete his destructive service as the teacher of all mankind, as the monarch of an international monarchy and as the highest primate of all religions, demanding reverence for himself as God.
The entire life and activity of the Antichrist may be examined in three periods:
        The FIRST PERIOD of the Antichrist from the day of birth to the moment of his social
        appearance will pass in clandestine obscurity.  St. John of Damascus says that,
        "Antichrist will be raised secretly."  (The Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith", Book
        IV, Chapter 26.)
        The SECOND PERIOD of the Antichrist's life will be opened by his thunderous entry (on
        the world stage - my addition) in the role of a universal teacher or "prophet".  It is very
        possible that he will begin his activity during a world war, when people, enduring all its
        horrors, will not see any way out of the calamitous dead end.  All the concealed levers for
        the solution will be in the hands of a secret society assisting the Antichrist.
The Antichrist will offer the most successful project for solving the world crisis from the perspective of political and social wisdom, which would establish a uniform political and social order in the whole world.  Exhausted from the shock of war, spiritually blinded humanity will not only by unaware that this project is a cowardly trap, enticing it into the most degrading and merciless slavery, but on the contrary, will recognize it as a manifestation of scholarship and genius.
Universal advertisement about the Antichrist as a brilliant thinker, new leader, and savior of mankind, will thunder over all nations in the shortest possible period of time.  "Evil spirits dispersed in the universe, will awaken a general, inflated opinion about the Antichrist in man, a general enthusiasm and an irresistible attraction for him."  (St. Ephraim the Syrian, 16th word.)

In this period of his activity, the Antichrist will not use any force and will try to win men's trust and affection with his deceitful and hypocritical public mask of virtue.  He, according to the expression of Vladimir Soloviev, "will throw a gleaming veil of kindness and truth over the mystery of iniquity."  "He will come," said St. Ephrem the Syrian, "in an image which will seduce everyone.  He will come as a humble, kind, hater of falsehood (as he will say about himself), rejecting idols, preferring piety and kindness, loving the poor, bearing extremely handsome features, constant, sweet to everyone, respecting especially the Jewish nation because they will be awaiting his coming...He will take sly measures to please everyone, will not accept gifts nor speak in anger, will not show an overcast countenance, but will entice the world with a decorous exterior until he is enthroned."  (See previous citation.)
From the great wealth of ascetical experience from our great men of podvig, it is known that when the black devil cannot overcome an ascetic, encountering unswerving opposition from him, a stronger devil comes as an "angel of light" (II Corinthians, XI, 14), attempting to awaken sympathy and trust towards himself in the ascetic, and easily charming him away to destruction.  Thus, we can imagine how easily and quickly the bright image of the Antichrist will attract general sympathy towards itself after the filthy devil of Bolshevism.
As a result of such deceit, "the need to invite the Antichrist will arise" within the very temperament of man's spirit.  "A beckoning voice will resound in man's society, expressing urgent need for a genius of geniuses, who would raise material development and prosperity to the highest degree and establish affluence on earth".  (Bishop Ignatius Brianchaninoff.  Vol IV, page 313.)
The hypocrisy of the Antichrist in this period will reach the point that he, even in his relationship to Christians, will not oppose them, but will appear ready to be their benefactor.  He will try to imitate Christ in the external, showy side of his life.  The majority of Christians, not guided by the spiritual wisdom of the Church, but by worldly wisdom, will not see this deceit, recognizing the Antichrist as Christ who has come to earth a second time.  The monks of the Solovetsky monastery pass on the answer given by Righteous Zosima to his disciples when he was asked how the Antichrist could be recognized.  Righteous Zosima said, "When you will hear that Christ has appeared on earth, know then that this is the Antichrist."  This answer is most precise.  "The world or mankind will not recognize the Antichrist, it will recognize him as Christ, it will proclaim him Christ.....
("Antichrist", by Very Reverend Boris Moltchanoff published in 1976, by Archpriest George Grabbe, Department of Foregin Relations Synod of Bishops, New York., pp. 1-4.)


Through Prayers Of Our Holy Fathers,
Lord Jesus Christ Son Of God,
Have Mercy On Us And Save Us!

Glory Be To God For All Things!

Content written/compiled by Father Nektarios Serfes.
(c) Father Nektarios Serfes






    

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Israel is the Nation of the Antichrist = Dajjal: Israel is the Nation of the Antichrist

Salaam al-Maseeh alaykum, assalaamu alaykum wa masaa’ul khayr, algmi akhuani wa akhawati.

Salaam al-Maseeh

Assalaamu alaykum,

The below is of course my site on Christian profession of faith in Christ in love of our fellow believers in the true God, Muslims who confess the Triune God and the Immortal Word of God Who is Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son Jesus Christ.

 The Final Trial

Contained therein is reference to the Triad. A little history is appropriate. In the 19th century, the Triad was a Zio-Marxist-Communist network between Jews in three cities for the purpose of invading Palestine and bringing forth the evil reign of their 'ha maschiach' (The Antichrist - ad Dajjal) in total opposition to the true Messiah professed by both Christians and Muslims who is Our Lord Jesus Christ. Those cities were Moscow (Tsarist Russia), New York City (Freemasonic America) and Tel Aviv (Ottoman Palestine). This network brought forth Communism in Russia (financed by New York Jewry at the time of the beginning of the mythic 6,000,000 disappearing Jews - which recalled all the Jew migrations after they had murdered and pillaged and stole all they could in various lands and amongst every nation they could). At the same time the Federal Reserve and the Jews' Tax system was started in the United States to collectivize America under their thumb and give them the power to control politics in the United States, particularly to get the United States to act as their Bully Boy in three (sic) World Wars and many conflicts in between. The third has just begun in 2001 at the infamous beginning of 911. The Triad was morphed by the Jews into the United States, Russia and Red China during the cold war which was between WWII and the current WWIII. That was all explained to me over forty years ago by a Russian-Canadian Jew operative of the Triad transnationalist Intelligence service of the KGB, shadow CIA (not regular lawful CIA) and Red Chinese Military Intelligence while that operative was conducting operations for them from the United States in the Caribbean with their long time operative Fidel Castro.

Current events and the near future:

The Triad is Russia, China and the United States until Israel replaces the United States, then it is Russia, China and Israel – then there were two, Russia and Israel and then there was one: ISRAEL THE HOME OF THE DAJJAL, ANTICHRIST – that last move is the real reason that Yamantau exists

Beware and all of us get the word out to warn God's faithful.

Baarakul laahu fiik,

Ma’ assalaamah

E.J.L.



Israel is the Nation of the Antichrist = Dajjal: Israel is the Nation of the Antichrist



About the Antichrist http://www.impantokratoros.gr/1C83A2A7.en.aspx


About the Antichrist
        Prior to the 2nd Coming of Christ to the world, according to the Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Orthodox Church, the Antichrist will precede -- a most impious man activated by Satan. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem informs us that the Αntίchrist "is coming... when the close ofthe world is approaching", that he will reveal all his murderous disposition against the Church, and "against all (people) especially against us Christians". According to Saint John Chrysostom, the Antichrist will be a person accepting all the energy of Satan. "What will he notwork then? He will move all, he will disturb all..  , for he willwork a million things and prepare others to work hard­ships" (P.G. 62, 482). "When the Antichrist becomes prevail­ing," says the sacred Chrysostom, "he will persecute the Church of God and reveal his wickedness..." Among many other things, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem makes known to us the following also about the Antichrist: Daring such things for only 3 & 1/2 years, he will then be abolished by the second glorious coming from the heavens of the only begotten Son of God, of our true Lord and Savior Christ Who, defeating the Antichrist with the breath of His mouth, will hand him over to the fire of Gehenna" (Catech. 15, Chapter 12).
         Hate amongst brothers, according to Saint Cyril of Jeru­salem, will give ground to the Αntίchrist; because the Devil pre­pares the schisms of peoples, so that he who is coming can become acceptable. St. Cyril places above all martyrs, those who at the time of the Αntίchrist - will witness with piety for the name of Christ; because the former struggled only with people, whereas the martyrs of the Α nt ί christ's time will fight with Satan himself ίη person. 
 
The temptation to define the time of the events of the revelations is limited by the terms of Saint Irenaeus, who says: "It is safer and less dangerous, to await the outcome of the pro­phecy, rather than to ponder and guess at the name" (Contra Hares. 30:3), and elsewhere he tells us: "Every prophecy before being fulfilled is an enigma and something irrational to people. When, however, the time comes and that which has been prophesied is realized, then it achieves the most precise explanation." While Saint Andrew of Caesarea says: "Time and experience will reveal to those who are vigilant."
 
 The Antichrist will precede the 2nd Coming of Christ. He will preach οn earth a worldwide persecution against the faith­ful, and for this reason great attention and spiritual wakefulness is demanded; so that we not be deceived ίn any way, as the Apostle Paul proclaims to the Thessalonians. 
 
The Αntichrist will be a natural person, who will place him­self against the God-man Christ, His teaching and His Orthodox Church. Antichrist means he who is coming instead of Christ and is opposed to Christ. He is essentially the opponent, accord­ing to the Apostle Paul, of Christ and His world saving work. 
 
The Evangelist John tells us (1 John 2:22) "This is the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son." While Saint John Damascene assures us, that "he who does not con­fess the Son of God having come in the flesh and that he is perfect God and has become a perfect man, after being God, is antichrist" (P.G. 94, 1216). Whoever, that is, rejects the incarnation of Christ is antichrist. Whoever again are enemies of Christ's Faith, opponents of the Gospel of the Lord, are anti­christs. There existed many forerunners of the Antichrist in the past, but also very many who are working today in his own plans, as are the heresies, sorceries, Zionism and many interna­tional political and financial organizations. 
 
Additional signs of the last days will be: the appearance of many false prophets; the increase of destructive wars; hunger; dreadful and mortal illnesses; earthquakes in places; and the scandals of lay people and clergymen. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem writes ίη relation: "Bishops against bishops and clergymen against clergymen and peoples against peoples unto blood". The Ηοly father urges us not to pay attention to those things which are happening, but to those which have been written; nor should the per chance evil conduct of the clergy be a cause, for our own perdition.
 
Another eschatological sin is the lessening of love and the increase of hating brothers before the coming of the Antichrist ''And because wickedness is multiplied, most men's love will grow cold", as the Evangelist Matthew mentions in chapter 24 verse 12. 
 
Another sign is the preaching of the Gospel to all the world, independently of whether the people believe or not: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come." (Mat. 24: 14). 
 
The planned superinflation will aid in the nations being subjected to the electronic money system. ΑΙΙ exchanges and buying/selling will occur through the electronic means of ex­changing values, and will be conducted with the "mark" {primarily the "mark" is preternatural, sorcerous  and of the will denoting service to Satan}: "Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked οn the right hand or the fore­head, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let him who has understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number, its number is six hundred and sixty-six." (Revelation 13: 16-18).
 
The Αntichrist's coming is being prepared by his forerun­ners, who with impious and sinful works will lead humanity to great apostasy and uselessness; and to idolatry, in order to accept the Antichrist. They will pursue the joining of the currents of politics, of economy and of religion with the aim of the creation of a worldwide state with a worldwide Governor-Dictator, and a pan-religion with the Antichrist as God. 
 
The heresies, many satanic organizations, as well as the atheistic material systems are forerunners of the Αntichrist; which cause confusion, disbelief in Christ's Church, and lead unsupported people to perdition. With all these things they strive to wound Orthodoxy, in order to work unbattered for Satan and his ungodly instruments. The most effective manner of facing the forerunners of the Αntichrist, and of the Αntichrist himself, are tο know Christ and place Him cοrrectly inside us with such intensity, that we will love Him first and above all; so that, hence­forth, it is nοt possible for anything tο separate us from Him. 
 
The par excellence Antichrist will be him whom God will allow tο appear to the world a little prior t ο the 2nd Coming of Christ "he who is coming during the close of the world", according t ο St. John Damascene, "to fight the Church of Christ and the faithful disciples of Christ". He will perform in a word whatever Satan dictates t ο him, as if Satan is acting in person through him. He will be the person through whom Satan will act. 
 
God will allow the Αntichrist t ο come for the unbelieving, the Jews and the believers. According t ο Saint John Chrysostom he will nοt be powerful οn the believers, but οn all those who follow the road of perdition, as well as unrepentant believers. 
 
Saint Ephraim the Syrian tells us in relation, that "by the allowance of Holy God, he (the Antichrist) will receive authority to deceive the world; because the impiety of the world has multiplied and everywhere he works hardships" 
 
Let us forbear, beloved, the satanic violence with bravery in our wicked days, tο avoid the Antichrist's deception. 
 
Saint Cyril of Jerusalem stresses t ο us: "So man, guard please your own self. Υο u now have all the signs to know before hand of the Antichrist. And do not just think about it, but also tell them and inform the others, as many more as you can." 
 
"While the Son of God", according t ο Athanasios the Great, "coming will destroy him" (BEPES 35, 150). 
 
So, while we don't know the precise year of the coming of the Antichrist, we know from the Holy Scriptures and the God­bearing fathers quite a few things about his dark person and his actions.
Ι n our wicked generation many international organizations work for the more general plan of people being governed by the Antichrist. The complete giving over of people to the demon is being pursued by the dark powers. So let us be wakeful, because faith is a delicate thing and we should not deny it either with words or actions; so that we not lose the Grace of Holy Baptism.
We are called to pay attention, because whoever accepts the mark denies holy Baptism, the faith of Christ; and he can ηο longer repent. For this reason, a careful Christ ί an life is demand­ed and great attention; so that we never accept the deceiver Antichrist as true. It is necessary that we be ί n a state of repen­tance and spiritual readiness. And we must not forget such sacred words of our Lord as: "Now the Κίη gd ο m of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force." (Mat. 11: 12); and "Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour ίη which the Son of Man is coming." (Mat. 5:13). The Lord will come again suddenly to judge the world as we also say ίη the Symbol of Faith: "And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, Whose kingdom shall have nο end... ." 
 
The Lord will come as the flood of Noah, that is, suddenly: ''As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Mat. 24:37) Like the thief: "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (2 Peter 3:10). Like light­ning! "For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man." (Mat. 24:27) That is, it will be felt like lightning, and will be seen all over the earth and to all people. 
 
The Lord will come again οn earth with the same manner that He left. The angels Who were present with the disciples of the Lord in His Ascension assured this: "This Jesus, Who was taken υρ from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1: 11). Τ ill then, let us cul­tivate inside us this sweet expectation -- with worthy works of repentance and virtue, love and holiness. 
 
In chapter 24, verse 30 of the Evangelist Matthew we read: "Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man (the precious Cross) in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming ο n the clouds of heaven with power and great glory".
While in the first chapter of Revelation verse 7 is written. "Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, every one who pierced Him; and all tribes of the earth will wail ο n account of Him." 
 
Christ will not leave His faithful people, so long as we walk the path of the Saints of our Church: Το live with the fear of God, with humility, with prayer, with charity, with repentance, with patience, with love. Let us walk the path of truth, of light, of grace, of sanctification, studying the Ηο ly Scripture, patristic works, the lives of our Saints, partaking worthily in the sacra­mental life of our Church; and the philanthropic and soul-saving Lord will not leave us helpless. Our Lord assured us of this with the following consoling words of His: "And lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Mat. 28:20). 
 
We are called completely to entrust ourselves to God, to strive to serve the truth, to do that which pleases God; and to never forget, neither God's Judgment nor the Recompense. Then, and only then, the peace of God and His divine protection will accompany us and guard us always.
 
IN GENERAL ABOUT THE CLOSE OF THE AGE, THE ANTICHRIST AND THE 2ND COMING OF CHRIST

The Early Church Fathers Belief about the Antichrist | Bible Prophecy

The Early Church Fathers Belief about the Antichrist | Bible Prophecy

The Early Church Fathers Belief about the Antichrist | Bible Prophecy

The Early Church Fathers Belief about the Antichrist


So much in our modern day has been written on the topic of the Antichrist. The Bible certainly has much to say about this coming evil person who is so wicked he is literally the Devil-Incarnate. The Bible gives him many titles, including 'fierce king' (Daniel 8:23), 'master of intrigue'  (Daniel 8:23), 'contemptible person' (Daniel 11:21), 'the prince who is to come' (Daniel 9:26), 'man of lawlessness' (2 Thessalonians 2:3), 'son of destruction' (2 Thessalonians 2:3), 'the Beast' (Revelation 13:1), 'the Wicked One' (Psalm 10:2,4), and 'the little horn' (Daniel 7:8) among others. He is the one the Bible says will arise within a 10 kingdom confederacy at the end of days. Some scholars say it will be 10 nations within the old Roman Empire. Other scholars say the world itself will be divided into 10 regions of which he will rule over. It could be either.
Something occurred to me though. Why be satisfied with just studying behind modern day authors? What if we could go back 1,800 years and see what the Early Church Fathers wrote, taught, and believed (i.e., those of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generation after the apostles)? Can we know what they believed regarding the End Times? Can we even trace a spiritual lineage after the apostles? The answer to those questions is yes! Not only do we have the original writings of what some of the Early Church Fathers believed about the coming of Christ and Antichrist, we can trace the Early Church Fathers spiritual lineage through the first three centuries and, amazingly, it begins with one of the original 12 Apostles! Just the fact that we can go back to the source for interpretation of the Biblical text has far reaching implications, as you will see.
Church historians have traced a spiritual lineage through 235 A.D., and it all began with the writer of the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John. We are told that Polycarp (martyred in 155 A.D.) was a disciple of John. Further, Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp. Finally, living 170-235 A.D., Hippolytus was a disciple of Irenaeus. Again, and maybe less confusing, it was John followed by Polycarp, Irenaeus, and Hippolytus. Three generations stem from the Apostle John. Those are the Bible teachers who would have most preserved John's teachings and, just as important, his interpretation of what he wrote because Polycarp would have heard it directly from John himself.
I came by a book entitled 'The Antichrist' by Larry Harper. It's a different type of book as he brought together two separate works on the subject of the Antichrist and the Second Coming of Christ. One work was that of the Church Father Irenaeus. The other was that of his disciple Hippolytus. The premise was that these two men preserved the apostolic teaching of the early Church. Certainly, Polycarp and Irenaeus believed they had been accurately taught the apostolic tradition. Irenaeus wrote this of his great teacher, "Polycarp...instructed by apostles...always taught the things which he had learned from the apostles, and which the Church has handed down, and which alone are true".
As stated before, Hippolytus was a disciple of Irenaeus. It is these latter two who clearly believed they were taught those things the original Apostles received from Jesus Christ. As well, and not surprisingly, Irenaeus and Hippolytus agree on the basic points regarding the advent of Christ and Antichrist, these interpretations most likely being handed down by the Apostle John himself through Polycarp! If this is true, then what follows cannot be ignored. Even more so, just maybe we need to factor these points into our own belief system concerning what is about to occur in the near future.
The beliefs* that Irenaeus and Hippolytus held in common regarding the coming Antichrist can be summarized as follows:
1. Satan will appear as a man in the person of the Antichrist because he seeks to reign as king over mankind and desires to focus the worship of God on himself.
2. The Antichrist will be a Jew, and will achieve his stated objectives by being accepted as the Christ, the messianic king of the Jews, taking his seat in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, pretending to be God Himself, and thereby becoming the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by the prophet Daniel and mentioned also by Jesus (Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15).
3. The Antichrist is the 'little horn' of the fourth beast mentioned in Daniel 7. He will slay three of the other horns and reign as an eighth with the remaining seven (Hippolytus explains that those three are the rulers of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia).
4. The Antichrist will achieve his objectives in the middle of the final 7-year period of this age. At that time he will be proclaimed the messianic king of the Jews and will take his seat as God in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. He will reign for three and one-half years.
5. The Antichrist, during his reign, will deceive the majority of people living on the Earth at the time into believing he is God. However, he will persecute those who refuse to worship him because they are able to see through his delusion.
6. Jesus Christ will return to Earth at the end of the three and one-half year reign of the Antichrist, destroying Satan's kingdom. The resurrection of the just will occur at that time.
*References - IRENAEUS:Against Heresies (V, 19-30); HIPPOLYTUS:Treatise on Christ and Antichrist

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The Church Fathers on the Antichrist — Fulfilled Prophecy

The Church Fathers on the Antichrist — Fulfilled Prophecy

The Church Fathers on the Antichrist

The popular pretribulation rapture teaching claims that Christians will be snatched off the earth prior to the Antichrist’s reign. Advocates of this view claim that the early Christians held this view. But, in anearlier post, I showed how not one quotation can be furnished from before the 19th century supporting the pretrib rapture. On the other hand, every church father who wrote about the Antichrist assumed that Christians will be persecuted by him. Below, I present quotations from some of the earliest and most respected church fathers, showing their belief.

The Didache

The Didache, also called “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” was a popular text written in the late first or early second century that provided instruction for the Christian communities. It was so popular, in fact, that some of the church fathers at first thought it should be part of Scripture. [Editor's note: it emphatically is part of scripture and was accepted as such since its writing by the Apostles at the Council of Jerusalem in 49 A.D. - It is in fact one of the earliest parts of New Testament Scripture. It wasn't until the fourth century that some people started casting doubt on this out of motivation to gain power over the believers by religious domination, something that is in fact a practice of paganism.] But the consensus was that it was not inspired. [Editor's note -  not so, it is inspired by the Holy Spirit.] Yet, the fact that it was so widely esteemed among Christians at that time shows that it was a good representation of their views. [Editor's note: It was written by the Apostles at the Council of Jerusalem in 49 A.D. and reflects their exact preaching at Pentecost some years earlier where the beginning of the public exposition and preaching of the Gospel began after Christ's Ascension into heaven in the same flesh in which He will return from heaven.]
The last section, chapter 16, addresses the subject of Christ’s return. It’s titled “Watchfulness; the Coming of the Lord.” It’s purpose is to warn Christians about the persecution and deception of the Antichrist that will precede Christ’s return and encourage them to “endure in their faith.” Here’s what it says:
Watch for your life’s sake. Let not your lamps be quenched, nor your loins unloosed; but be ready, for you know not the hour in which our Lord will come. But come together often, seeking the things which are befitting to your souls: for the whole time of your faith will not profit you, if you are not made perfect in the last time. For in the last days false prophets and corrupters shall be multiplied, and the sheep shall be turned into wolves, and love shall be turned into hate; for when lawlessness increases, they shall hate and persecute and betray one another, and then shall appear the world-deceiver as Son of God, and shall do signs and wonders, and the earth shall be delivered into his hands, and he shall do iniquitous things which have never yet come to pass since the beginning. Then shall the creation of men come into the fire of trial, and many shall be made to stumble and shall perish; but those who endure in their faith shall be saved from under the curse itself. And then shall appear the signs of the truth: first, the sign of an outspreading in heaven, then the sign of the sound of the trumpet. And third, the resurrection of the dead — yet not of all, but as it is said: “The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him.” Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven. (See it here)

Justin the Martyr

Justin the Martyr was a Christian apologist (defender of the faith), born in Rome, who wrote about the middle of the second century. He had been a pagan philosopher who converted to Christianity. According to tradition, he was martyred for his faith.
Justin clearly believed that Christians would be persecuted by the Antichrist, as is evident from the following excerpt. But he thought the Antichrist’s persecution would not defeat true Christians — who were already undergoing severe persecution in his day. Here’s what he said on this topic in chapter 60 of his work titled, Dialogue With Trypho:
He [Christ] shall come from heaven with glory, when the man of apostasy [Antichrist], who speaks strange things against the Most High, shall venture to do unlawful deeds on the earth against us the Christians, who, having learned the true worship of God from the law, and the word which went forth from Jerusalem by means of the apostles of Jesus, have fled for safety to the God of Jacob and God of Israel; and we who were filled with war, and mutual slaughter, and every wickedness, have each through the whole earth changed our warlike weapons,—our swords into ploughshares, and our spears into implements of tillage,—and we cultivate piety, righteousness, philanthropy, faith, and hope, which we have from the Father Himself through Him who was crucified; and sitting each under his vine, i.e., each man possessing his own married wife. For you are aware that the prophetic word says, ‘And his wife shall be like a fruitful vine.’ Now it is evident that no one can terrify or subdue us who have believed in Jesus over all the world. For it is plain that, though beheaded, and crucified, and thrown to wild beasts, and chains, and fire, and all other kinds of torture, we do not give up our confession; but the more such things happen, the more do others and in larger numbers become faithful, and worshippers of God through the name of Jesus.

Irenaeus

Irenaeus, the bishop of Lyons, wrote at length about the Antichrist toward the end of the second century. He was a student of Polycarp, who, in turn, had known the apostle John. In his best-known writing, titled Against Heresies, Irenaeus said the Antichrist would persecute the Church, but God would use the time of tribulation to purify Christians. Here’s what he said (all three excerpts are quoted from Against Heresies, Book 5).
In a still clearer light has John, in the Apocalypse, indicated to the Lord’s disciples what shall happen in the last times, and concerning the ten kings who shall then arise, among whom the empire which now rules [the earth] shall be partitioned. He teaches us what the ten horns shall be which were seen by Daniel, telling us that thus it had been said to him: “And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, who have received no kingdom as yet, but shall receive power as if kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and give their strength and power to the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, because He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings.” It is manifest, therefore, that of these [potentates], he who is to come shall slay three, and subject the remainder to his power, and that he shall be himself the eighth among them. And they shall lay Babylon waste, and burn her with fire, and shall give their kingdom to the beast, and put the Church to flight. After that they shall be destroyed by the coming of our Lord. (Book 5, Chapter 26)

Hippolytus

Hippolytus, a leader of the church at Rome who was martyred for his faith, wrote about the Antichrist in the early third century in a document titled Treatise on Christ and Antichrist. In section 60 of the treatise, he interprets Revelation 12 as a description of the Church being persecuted by the Antichrist for a period of three and a half years:
Now, concerning the tribulation of the persecution which is to fall upon the Church from the adversary, John also speaks thus: “And I saw a great and wondrous sign in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. And she, being with child, cries, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. And the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man-child, who is to rule all the nations: and the child was caught up unto God and to His throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath the place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And then when the dragon saw it, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast (out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast) out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the saints of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus.”
And in section 61, he also speaks of the Antichrist’s persecution of the Church and how the Church flees from city to city and to the wilderness:
By the woman then clothed with the sun, he meant most manifestly the Church, endued with the Father’s word, whose brightness is above the sun. … “And the dragon,” he says, “saw and persecuted the woman which brought forth the man-child. And to the woman were given two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” That refers to the one thousand two hundred and threescore days (the half of the week) during which the tyrant is to reign and persecute the Church, which flees from city to city, and seeks conceal-meat in the wilderness among the mountains, possessed of no other defence than the two wings of the great eagle, that is to say, the faith of Jesus Christ, who, in stretching forth His holy hands on the holy tree, unfolded two wings, the right and the left, and called to Him all who believed upon Him, and covered them as a hen her chickens.
— Holly Pivec