Cheesefare Sunday - The Sunday of the Dread Judgement, 2

First of all, the forces preparing for his coming fight against lawful monarchical rule. The holy Apostle Paul says that the Antichrist cannot appear until “the one who restraineth” is put aside. Saint John Chrysostom explains that the “one who restraineth” refers to a lawful, pious authority. Such a power struggles with evil. “The mystery” working in the world does not want this, does not want the struggle against evil by the power of a pious ruler - quite the opposite. It wants the rule of lawlessness, and when it achieves this, nothing more will stop the appearance of the Antichrist. He will not only be clever and charming, he will be merciful and do works of charity for the sake of bolstering his control. And when he strengthens his control to the point where the entire world recognises him, then he will reveal his true face. He will choose Jerusalem because it was precisely there that the Saviour revealed His Divine teaching and His Person, and the whole world was called to the blessedness of virtue and salvation. But the world did not accept Christ and crucified Him in Jerusalem, and during the Antichrist’s reign Jerusalem will become the capital of the world that has accepted his rule.

Reaching the summit of power, the Antichrist will demand people acknowledge that he has achieved what no earthly power and no one else has been able to do, and will demand worship of himself as an exalted being - a god. He will do only what pleases people, under the condition that they recognise him as the Supreme Power. He will provide opportunities for Church life, allow her to hold services, and promise that wonderful temples will be built, provided that he be recognised as “Supreme Being” and worshipped. He will have a personal hatred for Christ. He will thrive on this hatred and will rejoice in people’s apostasy from Christ and the Church. There will be a mass falling away from the faith, during which many bishops will betray the faith, and point to the wonderful position of the Church as justification. A search for compromise will be the characteristic state of the people’s faith. Directness of confession will vanish. People will subtly justify their fall, and solicitous evil will support such a general state of mind. People will grow used to apostatising from the truth and will be accustomed to the sweetness of compromise and sin. The Antichrist will allow people anything as long as they, falling down before him, worship him. This will not be a new attitude toward people: the Roman Cæsars were also prepared to grant Christians freedom if they would recognise the Emperor’s divinity and supreme divine power. They martyred Christians only because they confessed: “One God do we worship, and Him alone do we serve.” The whole world will be conquered by him, and he will then reveal his hatred for Christ and Christianity.

Saint John the Theologian says that there will be a sign on the forehead and right hand of those who follow Antichrist. It is not known whether this will be an actual mark on the body, or if this is a symbolic expression of peoples’ mental acknowledgement of the necessity of worshipping the Antichrist and of the complete subjugation of peoples’ will to him. During such a completely willing and conscious submission of the entire world, the above-mentioned two righteous men will appear, and they will fearlessly preach the Faith, and condemn the Antichrist. The Holy Scriptures say that before the coming of the Saviour, there will appear “two lamps,” “two burning olive trees,” “two saints.” They will be killed by the Antichrist through the power of his magus. Who are these saints? According to the tradition of the Church, these are the two saints that did not yet taste of death: the Prophet Elias and the Prophet Enoch. There is a prophecy that these saints, not having tasted of death, will taste of it for three days and in three days will be resurrected. Their death will be a great joy for the Antichrist and his servants. Their resurrection in three days will bring inexpressible horror, fear, and confusion upon them. And then the end of the world will come.