Metropolitan Agafangel, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
October 27, 2025 | Borrego Springs,
California
Man’s
faith overcomes even the Law given by God, which is established for man and
applies only to man. God is above the Law; He is Love Itself, Mercy, and
Forgiveness.
***
Today
we are witnessing what was foretold many centuries ago — the persecutions of
the last times against the Church — against all who have sincerely followed
Christ. However, at this stage, the present persecutions are not so much
physical as they are spiritual. More precisely, persecutions have always
combined both a physical and spiritual nature, but in our days, it is the
spiritual aspect of the persecution of Christians (in the so-called “civilized
world”) that prevails. The main temptation of our time is that the devil has
mixed those who truly believe in Christ with his own servants — servants of
Satan under the guise of servants of God — and they have already infiltrated
everywhere and taken the lead in everything they needed. Today, everything is being
done to finally convince the simple people that it is they who are the servants
of Christ, and only they are authorized to speak in His name. And they are
listened to, because in the modern spiritual wilderness, unfortunately, the
seed of truth has long since been completely choked by the thorns and tares of
sin. Moreover, these false ministers are at the forefront of the persecutors of
the last remaining faithful followers of Christ.
***
In
our days, the visible and readily accessible saving Church of Christ is hidden
— according to the prophecy of the Apocalypse, in the last times, when the
persecutions of Christians intensify, “the woman [the Church] fled into the
wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God” (Rev. 12:6). The true
Church is now inaccessible to the majority of eyes, which are desirously fixed
upon the false values of “this world” — its vices and temptations.
***
In
Holy Scripture it is stated that the Gentiles, not knowing the Law, are saved
by the law written on their hearts — by their conscience (cf. Rom. 2:12–29).
Today, it might seem this could be interpreted as meaning that those who do not
know Christ (more precisely, are not within His Church), but do not transgress
His commandments, are saved by an involuntary, unconscious keeping of Christ’s
commandments. But are they truly saved? For the words of the Apostle likely
refer to the Gentiles who lived before Christ, and were spoken at a time when
the universal preaching of the Gospel had not yet occurred. Can these words be
applied to those living today? And how can this be reconciled with the fact
that Christians, as we know, are not saved by the mechanical observance of
commandments, but directly by Christ Himself? That is, the question comes down
to the age-old and traditional one: can those who remain outside the bounds of
the Church of Christ be saved?
***
Without
doubt, there are many sincerely believing people both in the Moscow
Patriarchate and the Constantinopolitan, as well as in other historic Local
Churches, even among simple Catholics and Protestants who do not know patristic
theology. There are many who are, humanly speaking, honest and sincere among
the various non-Christians. Undoubtedly, there are many pure human souls in all
corners of our sinful and fallen world — children, for example, are all such.
There are not a few whose hearts bear the Law of God inscribed on the tablets
of their conscience. How should this be regarded?
***
The
Church of Christ itself, properly speaking, will not be judged at the Dread
Judgment, but will be among the judges of the human race together with the
Angelic hosts (cf. Matt. 19:28; Luke 22:30). At the Dread Judgment there will
be judged and saved also those who, even not knowing Christ, showed compassion
toward Him (cf. Matt. 25:31–46). According to the word of the Savior, everyone
who has compassion on a true follower of Christ (one of “these least of My
brethren,” Matt. 25:40 — that is, the saints present at the Dread Judgment),
has compassion on Christ Himself. The true disciples of Christ — the righteous
of Christ — are already saved, before the Dread Judgment, during their
lifetime: “He who hears My word and believes in Him Who sent Me has everlasting
life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life”
(John 5:24). This is said of the saints faithful to Christ, as they called
themselves in the earliest times of Christianity. But from the Gospel we know
that many were saved by Christ even during His earthly life, who were not
initially among His disciples and followers (the wise thief, for example).
Also, some were saved solely by their initial faith in Christ, even just as a
Wonderworker capable of healing bodily illness. Perhaps this continues in our
days — there are saints who are saved, dwellers of Heaven, who after the
Judgment will be equal to the Angels and Archangels — all of them, without
doubt, having ended their earthly path within the bounds of the Church of
Christ. And there will also be many saved at the Judgment from among those who
stand hierarchically lower than these heavenly saints — from among those who
showed compassion and sympathy toward them?
Perhaps,
as spoken by Christ Himself in the Beatitudes (cf. Matt. 5:3–11), all pure
souls will be saved — those who perceive the world with childlike simplicity
and are persecuted by this world, who sincerely believe in the justice and
mercy of God. The saving grace of Christ, through His already saved followers,
according to Christ’s word at the Dread Judgment (Matt. 25:40), is invisibly
and imperceptibly transmitted also to those who show compassion to the
disciples of Christ, as to Christ Himself.
***
Christ’s
attitude was unequivocally uncompromising only toward the Pharisees and
hypocrites — the leaders and authorities of the people, splendidly adorned
outwardly with supposed virtues, but inwardly full of dead bones and
uncleanness (cf. Matt. 23:27).
If
Christ, living in His earthly time, openly, publicly, and uncompromisingly
rebuked them as the most dangerous enemies of our salvation, then now these
hypocrites are defended in the name of Christianity by an entire army of
shameless and conscienceless loudspeakers from every possible means of
information, as well as by the brethren of the “servers” who have comfortably
adapted themselves to the radiance of their prosperity — despite the fact that
all these professional defenders are perfectly well aware of the true nature of
those whom they attempt to whitewash.
***
The
Kingdom of Heaven is not democratic, but hierarchical — if there is a King at
its head, then there are Powers close to the King, and there are those more
distant. The heavenly hierarchy is a spiritual hierarchy — closest of all to
the King is she who, from the beginning, before the creation of the world, was
forechosen at the Pre-eternal Council for the Incarnation of the Savior of the
human race — after her follow the other holy human souls and the Heavenly
Angelic Hosts. “In My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). “There is
one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the
stars; for one star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). If
those who became saints during their lifetime, after death are filled with the
fullness of Divine grace, then those saved by the great mercy of God will
likewise not be utterly deprived of it: “Every man’s work shall be made
manifest; for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire;
and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work
abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s
work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet
so as by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13–15). Even those saved out of the fire will be
blessed in eternity.
Hell
also is hierarchical — from the “lowest depths of hell” to the “bosom of
Abraham,” in which there was an utter absence of torment — and likewise the
Kingdom of Heaven includes both the Highest Heaven, closest to God, and a
multitude of the smallest dwellings, in which shall abide those “saved out of
the fire.”
The
forecourt, the beginning, of the majestic and grand Heavenly Kingdom is
evidently Paradise, in which there is a place even for animals and plants, and
in which is laid the foundation of the great and perfect bliss of the Heavenly
Kingdom.
Perishing
in hell will be, without doubt, all that stands in direct opposition to the
Savior and to the Church founded by Him, and all those who consciously distort
His Most Pure Image.
***
A
tremendous responsibility lies upon the churches of “world Orthodoxy” — people
look to them as “representatives of Christ,” and if these “representatives” are
steeped in luxury, sin, and vice, then, in the eyes of the people, something is
not right in such a community. This is directly indicated by elementary logic.
In our days, there is a widespread turning away from Christianity — are not
those who call themselves Christians, but in essence are not, primarily to
blame for this? — the corrupters of simple people, of “these little ones” (cf.
Matt. 18:6; Mark 9:42; Luke 17:2)? Have not the wolves in sheep’s clothing
driven away from Christ the worthy ones, and shut for them the Kingdom of
Heaven — according to the word of the Savior: “Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men: for ye
neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in”
(Matt. 23:13)? Are all those foreordained by the Lord to salvation within the
bounds of the Church? And if not, then where is the True Church, which unites
all the saved?
Every
individual who openly calls himself a Christian must correspond to this title —
to love Christ and his neighbor, and, according to his strength, having
renounced this world, to follow the Savior. Unfortunately, it is often the case
that in the one who ought to represent Christians is found a wolf in a
beautiful sheep’s skin — a frequently encountered and already typical figure in
our days: a hardened sinner and hypocrite hiding behind the mask of a
Christian. This is now a common affliction for all honest Christians.
All
the more, the purity of faith and life is of special significance within the
community of true Christians — the Church of Christ.
That
same Moscow Patriarchate, in order to keep the Orthodox people under the
influence of its corrupt leadership, which grovels before the Kremlin
criminals, has surrounded itself with false principles — “red lines” elevated
by it to the rank of “dogmas,” such as the convenient claim that “obedience is
above fasting and prayer.” If only the simple parishioners of the MP would
realize that their obedience to any authority whatsoever cannot be above the
personal communion with Christ Himself commanded by Him in fasting and prayer
(cf. Matt. 17:21), and that fasting and prayer are true service to God (cf.
Luke 2:37). Perhaps, in realizing this, they might be able to break free from
the nets of hypocrisy with which the leaders of the Moscow Patriarchate have
bound and captured them? God grant that the pharisaical ice of falsehood
covering the MP may not extinguish the flame of faith in the hearts of the
sincerely believing!
***
True
righteous ones consider themselves sinners and are conscious of their
sinfulness. Sinners, on the contrary, consider themselves righteous and,
accordingly, are unaware of their sinfulness. From this awareness all further
words and actions proceed. A righteous person will never say of himself that he
is righteous — this can be pointed out only by those who know him and are
honest Christians possessing authority. But a sinner, by all sorts of cunning
and deceitful means, tirelessly glorifies himself wherever he can — and,
unfortunately, very often not without success. The righteous is always in the
shadows, while the sinner is always in the spotlight. And, as usually happens
with such counterfeit righteous ones — the greater the sinner, the more he is
on display before all. This, too, we must understand.
At
present, there are many self-deceivers (also called self-willed eccentrics),
who present themselves before the people as “someone great” (cf. Acts 5:36–37;
8:9), as well as a multitude of organizations, large and small, claiming to
possess the truth, calling people to themselves and promising anything
whatsoever. It must be acknowledged plainly — a simple person cannot make sense
of all this. Therefore, those who are honest before their conscience, in our
days, must seek not even an organization (since in the present spiritual
wilderness the Church is hidden), but, first and foremost, “depart from evil” —
not to remain in even the slightest dependence upon evil and corrupt people,
avoiding, if possible, even ordinary contact with them; and to seek, at the
very least, sincere and honest Christians who, without bitterness, do not
compromise with sin, lawlessness, and falsehood in the Church, and to remain
close to such people. And, of course, “to do good” — to strive, with all one’s
strength, to be such oneself. This very path was prescribed for the righteous
throughout the entire Old Testament, when the visible and saving Church of
Christ had not yet been established. Perhaps today this is the last remaining
path by which those who have not yet lost faith and conscience may be led to
Christ.
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