Elder Porphyrios: "I Don't Like To Prophesy"

By Hieromonk Fr. George Kavsokalyvites

(From the Holy Kalyva of Zoodochos Pege, of the Holy Skete of Kavsokalyvia on Mount Athos)

At a time when more and more people feel the need, because of the profound crisis affecting mankind, to deal with eschatological events as described in the Apocalypse of Saint John the Theologian, as well as those things revealed by the Grace of God to the Prophets, the Fathers of the Church and contemporary saintly elders like Elder Paisios, we must especially stand with the view of Elder Porphyrios, and decode why such a great Saint of our time, while knowing with precision and detail everything that we are living and where things come from, avoided talking about these things.

The Term 'Kingdom of God' Is Not In the New Testament

By Protopresbyter Fr. John Romanides

Both fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist biblical scholars, who have been victims of Augustinian and Carolingian presuppositions, become prone to misunderstandings of what they read in the Bible, especially when terms and symbols denoting glorifications which produce prophets are alluded to.

A classical example is 1 Cor. 12:26. Here St. Paul does not write, "If one is honored," but "If one is glorified," i.e. has become a prophet. To be glorified means that one has seen the Lord of Glory either before His incarnation or after, like Paul did on his way to Damascus to persecute the Incarnate Lord of Glory's followers.

The Freedom of the Fathers and the Enslavement of Fanaticism

The following is from an interview with Bishop Atanasije (Jevtic), a disciple of St. Justin Popovich, translated from the Russian to Serbian and published in a Serbian monastery periodical in 2002 (here, in Serbian).

Below is a part of his answer to the question, 

“Our Church warns us about that which is called the personal tax number, which you refer to as the social number, etc. We know the Greeks had similar issues (Identification Card).”

If we look at it realistically, can the Church avoid the required laws and norms of mass registration? I believe that it’s not our issue. In Greece there are a few who said that this was the number of the Antichrist – 666 - and that everyone will be sealed with it. Which means that this is the seal of the Antichrist which will be on us. However, I think this is nonsense. Would the demons offend us in such a way – through computers, numbers? This is too primitive. However, a worse thing can occur – the more deeper and mightier we begin losing the feeling, we are opening the door wider for the demons. He can act more deeper within us....

What Do Athonite Monks Say About the Last Days? (Abbot Ephraim of Vatopaidi)

Archimandrite Ephraim, Abbot of Vatopaidi Monastery, was asked the following question and responded:

What do Athonite Monks say about the Last Days?

Well, nowadays it is fashionable to speak about the Antichrist. Satan attacks from the left and from the right: he advises man either not to take care for the end times, or he tries to convince him that the end of time comes tomorrow. People apt to think about the End Times are afraid of everything, and that can bring only spiritual harm. A great number of such advice is not God-pleasing. A true Christian has to take care about the moment of his death – our death is our Last Day. Be devoted to our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Church that keeps the Tradition will inform us about the Antichrist, and She is the One that will tell us what to do.

"Behold, I Am Coming Soon" (Rev. 22:7)

By St. Nikolai Velimirovich

"Behold, I am coming soon" (Rev. 22:7).

The unfaithful and the slayers of the spirit will say, "Nearly two thousand years ago He promised that He will come and He has not come yet!" This is how they, who ridiculed Him, will lament in eternal torment. But we who are prepared for happiness in His Kingdom know that He will come in power and glory just as He promised.