My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
Saint Anthony’s Mysterious Prophecy of
Mankind’s Queer Future.
Saint Anthony the Great one of the Great Ascetic and Desert Fathers of the Orthodox Church and who is commemorated on the 17th of January. He is known for spending 85 years in the desert in unceasing prayer, pondering and contemplation, patiently enduring inexpressible demonic temptations. He departed this earthly life and entered into rest in the Lord in the year 356 A.D., at the age of 105. It was he who prophesied about future strange happenings among the people. He predicted that "A time is coming when men will go mad, and when they see someone who is NOT mad, they will attack him saying, ‘YOU ARE MAD, YOU ARE NOT LIKE US."
It is evident that sadly that time is upon us. What Abba (Father) Antony predicted is true and applicable to an age such as ours. His prediction is supported by the Great and Holy Prophet Isaia who also said, "Woe to those who call EVIL GOOD and GOOD EVIL, who put DARKNESS FOR LIGHT and LIGHT FOR DARKNESS, who put BITTER FOR SWEET and SWEET FOR BITTER" [Isaiah 5:20]. Again the Holy Prophet Isaiah reveals and describes in detail an evil and sinful society Isaiah in chapter 5:8-15. He describes their sins: GREED; LOVE OF PLEASURE; INDIFFERENCE TO GOD; INTENTIONAL EVIL ACTS; MOCKING GOD; PERVERSION OF TRUTH; VANITY AND CONCEIT; DISHONESTY; AND FINALLY, REJECTING GOD’S LAW AND DESPISING HIS WORD. It seems somehow that he is describing the current conditions in society world wide.
Although thousands of years have elapsed since Prophet Isaiah and Saint Antony the Great lived and taught, the human race has not changed for the better. Humanity remains static and spiritually anemic and weak. The moral, ethical and spiritual challenges which human beings faced centuries ago are the same challenges they confront today. However, due to the present technology and instant means of communication, this evil virus can easily and instantly spread and infect or poison the entire world. It is foolish to refer to this as human progress and advancement.
Christianity is the only hope for the present and future of the world. Christianity is also the greatest obstacle to those who seek the destruction of the human race and why Christians are still persecuted by atheists and idolaters today. Satanism (evil) and idolatry i.e., hedonism (pleasure) and greed (wealth) are two ‘gods’ sought after. They will never worship the True God and His Divine Commandments. They not only reject God, the wish to trample anything good underfoot. They are so obsessed with what they perceive as power that they, the creatures, are greater in power than the Creator Himself.
Historically, the Jews should have been rich and fruitful, but in theri rebellion and disobedience they became barren. God gave men and women A NATURAL LAW within them–THE ABILITY TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE GOOD AND THE EVIL–but they chose selfishness. Then God gave them the law of Moses, and it too was broken. It is important to know and understand that great darkness falls upon the soul that is without the light and wisdom of the Commandments. We all witness today how these evil people promote lawlessness, rebelliousness, division, theft, injustice, anarchy, and unhindered crime. They deliberately protect the criminal and punish the victim. It is a sick and twisted society.
Christianity must remain steadfast in her principles, values, precepts, and divine teachings. Humanity can truly experience God’s love and presence only through authentic Christianity. For Christians there is no other kind of life,other than the one Jesus Christ lived, taught, and preached. Prophet Jeremiah speaks of . ‘ worship when he says, "This is the nation that heard not the voice of the Lord, nor received correction. Faith has perished from their mouth" [Jeremiah 7:27]. Man has shown time and again not to be trustworthy and obedient to God’s law and has sinned against Him. The sure way of returning to God is through repentance ( Gk. metanoia). When humanity not only turns but accepts darkness sinister things happen because evil is emboldernt. When we read in the Holy Scripture what happens to a person who is possessed by evil we can better understand the lethal consequences that follow. In the Gospel of Saint Matthew 8:28 we read, "When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way" [v. 28]. The evil in them drove them to a frenzy, mental derangement, made them aggressive and self-destructive. They were not only a threat to themselves, but also to all others.
"And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and n one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart from him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me.’ For He said to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ Then He asked him, ‘What is your name?’ and he answered, saying, ‘My name is Legion; FOR WE ARE MANY" [Mark 5:1-9]. The term "legion" comes from the Latin word legio, which was the name of the largest unit in the Roman army. A Roman legion typically had around 5,000 soldiers. Of course the use of the term "legion" in the Holy Bible highlights the severity of the man’s possession, and the power of Jesus over the demons.
What Saint Anthony the Great predicts centuries ago, as well as, what the Holy Prophet Isaiah witnessed among his people; confusion. delusions the disttortions, mental derangement, and the lack of discernment. These are symptoms of evil influence and possessions. The Church teaches that evil brings about "defective reasoning and confusion of thought." We, today, are confronting similar insane situations and conditions in the world that we live in. We are told lies after lies from government officials, politicians, heads of gorernment ministies or departments, to believe on things which are totally false and dangerous to one’s health. Governments throughout the world deceive and turn people against eachother. They actually create hostility among the citizens and even among family members which is outrighte an evil things to do. No matter if one is a Christian or not, the reality is that there is this evil entity known as Satan along with his demons. There are many Scriptural accounts of the existence of evll both in the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. To deny the existence of evil is foolish and dangerous to one’s life and soul. Our Lord Christ Himself drove out demons from people of that time. Not only are the demons unable to resist Jesus’ command, they are unable to escape confrontation with Him. Though they may be able to tempt man, they have no power over Jesus. Jesus’ words or commands accomplish in an instant what shackles and chains cannot.
We, Orthodox Christians, believe in the existence of the evil one and that he is our greatest enemy. Satan is the only source of all evil in the world. Those who promote, wicked conduct, and commit evil acts are listening to no one else but the evil one. It is evil that creates enmity among the people, and creates "defective reasoning and confusion of thought". No matter how much evil is in the world, God always prevails and triumphs. "For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God" [John 3:20-21]. A profound insight: Goodness and a pure heart welcome THE LIGHT, whereas EVIL DEEDS AND MALICE RESIST THE LIGHT AND SEEK TO HIDE IN THE "DARKNESS."
The faithful who remain united to Christ have nothing to fear. We know that the purpose of Christ’s coming is to save, but the result is also condemnation for those who will not believe. Jesus is very clear when He says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world. but THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but HE WHO DOES NOT BELIEVE IS CONDEMNED ALREADY, BECAUSE HE HAS NOT BELIEVED IN THE NAME OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD. And this is the condemnation, THAT THE LIGHT HAS COME INTO THE WORLD, AND MEN LOVED DARKNESS RATHER THAN LIGHT, BECAUSE THEIR DEEDS WERE EVIL For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does THE TRUTH COMES TO THE LIGHT, THAT HIS DEEDS MAY BE CLEARLY SEEN, THAT THEY HAVE BEEN DONE IN GOD" [John 3: 16-21]. Therefore, my friends, the essence of the Gospel: God’s gift of His Son as the ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF HIS LOVE FOR THE WORLD.
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 