How Did We Get Here? (2003)

by Dr. Timothy J. Clader, M.D.

This was an invited talk, scheduled to be given at 11:00 a. m. on 28 Nov/11 Dec, 2003, at the Clergy Conference of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Nyack, New York. The talk was canceled.

 

 

Beloved Metropolitan, Archpastors, and Pastors: I ask for your blessings and for your prayers for my family and myself. Thank you for asking me to come to this conference. I am an American convert to Orthodoxy, and was invited to give the convert perspective on the issue at hand.

The prime issue at hand is not whether to normalize relations with the Moscow Patriarchate; rather, it is whether we can say categorically and with God's authority that the Moscow Patriarchate has grace.

My family's journey to the Orthodox Church began in the late 1970s. We began to realize that the watered-down Protestantism of our youth was missing something. When we first began to search for that something, we had no idea that it would lead us to the Orthodox Church. In fact, we spent quite some time visiting a variety of Protestant denominations, realizing with each visit that they lacked that "something" we were looking for. We both began to wonder if that "something" perhaps didn't even exist. After we had been at this search for some time, a friend of ours sent us a copy of a letter written by Bishop Ilarion in the late 19th century. This letter was his response to an invitation for the Russian Orthodox Church to join the then-fledgling World Council of Churches. (Even as Protestants, we realized that the whole concept of the W.C.C. was demonically inspired and smacked of a one-world church.) This same letter stated plainly that "we" (the Orthodox Church) had the truth, and there was no reason for us to join with the W.C.C., since the Russian Orthodox Church embodied the Truth. Bishop Ilarion then invited those churches (from the W.C.C.) to join the Orthodox Church. Because he made such an emphatic statement regarding the Truth, we realized that our own challenge was before us: To decide if this church did, in fact, embody the Truth.

We then bought a copy of Timothy Ware's book, The Orthodox Church, and read it over and over with hunger. After months of prayer, and with great anticipation and some fear (that we might be once more disappointed), in the summer of 1980 we decided to visit an Orthodox Church. What we found was an English-language mission of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia attached to the Cathedral of the Holy Transfiguration in Los Angeles, California. This mission was run in a small school room; it had a plywood iconostasis and paper icons. In spite of its small size, there were about 30 people crowded into the room, standing shoulder-to-shoulder, including some pious Old-Calendar Greek families who joined ROCOR because of the Calendar issue. The singing was off-key and alternated between Byzantine and Russian chants. It was August, and the temperature was well above 100 degrees. There was no air conditioning. The room was so crowded that we could barely fit inside (we had two small children with us who were both in diapers). When the Ektenia of the Catechumens began, we were ushered out into the hallway. As we stood in the hallway while the Ektenia of the Faithful progressed through the rest of the Divine Liturgy (and in spite of the spartan surroundings), we were both struck with the unambiguous realization that we were standing outside, and that God was inside, and that we were, at that moment, separated from Him – not only physically, but spiritually as well.

In spite of the heat, in spite of the singing, in spite of the plywood and paper, in spite of the children crying, we were both struck with an immutable fact that hit us like a sledgehammer: This Church had that "something". It wasn't until later that we began to realize that that "something" was God and His grace.

Since we became Orthodox, we have read and listened and learned what you, our beloved Bishops, have taught us.

We learned from Archbishop Averky [1] that the Russian Church in Exile has a love for the Truth, and that the Orthodox Church is the "pillar and ground of the Truth." [2] Further, that we are commanded by the Apostle to "walk in the Truth" [3] and, following the warning of the great Father of the Church St. Gregory the Theologian, we do not want to "become betrayers of the teaching of the faith and Truth, communing in the leaven of the Evil One and joining ourselves to the plague ridden... apostates from the Truth." [4] Archbishop Averky warned us, however, that "The Russian Church Abroad is dear to us beyond price, but only insofar as it actually remains the lawful heir of the previous Russian Orthodox Church." [5] Vladyka reminded us of the words of St. Athanasius, Archbishop of Alexandria:

"We must not serve time, but God."

Archbishop Averky warned us that there will not be a cry that says: "Forward! Forward! To the Antichrist!" No, he taught us, it will be much more subtle; it will seem on some levels to even be good; he taught us, however, that as members of the Russian Church Abroad the age-old motto of the true Church of Christ remains in full force:

Stand... remain unmoved! [6]

Although these times call for us to "move forward" and to "overlook our differences", Archbishop Averky states plainly: "For us, 'forward' is only the constant spreading, as predicted by the Word of God and the Holy Fathers of the Church, of 'Apostasy' and its crown: Antichrist, of whose near arrival so many are already so openly speaking." Vladyka warned us not to become the "salt which has lost its savor." He concluded by saying: "Whoever thinks otherwise, whoever is inclined to `march in step with the times,' consequently, has already entered into some sort of compromise with the `evil of this world,' leading to the Antichrist, and is not a member of the Russian Church Abroad, even if he formally continues to belong to it." [7]

Archbishop Averky taught us that – more than anything on earth – we should value our Church's freedom. [8] As an American convert, I am eternally grateful to the Russian Church Abroad for accepting my family where we may partake of the Mysteries of the True Faith. I also smile at the realization that - in spite of her own weaknesses and shortcomings – my own country, the United States of America, was entrusted by God Almighty to preserve this kernel of the True Faith when the Synod relocated here. Part of that decision, no doubt, came from the Synod hierarchy realizing that the spiritual freedom of the Church could, in fact, be preserved in this country.

As a convert to Orthodoxy, I also had to learn what it meant to be in a Church that is a "hierarchal" church. Not only did I read about the difficulties with the Greek Archdiocese and the calendar issue, but also the history of the Metropolia. Finally, following my entry into the Church, there was the crisis that centered around the Boston Monastery. Through these troubled times, we were led by our hierarchs, as we should have been. I was struck by the strong words of Dositheus:

"The dignity of the Bishop is so necessary in the Church that without him neither the Church nor the name Christian could exist or be spoken of at all... He is the living image of God upon earth... the fountain of the Sacraments." [9]

You taught us further that the bishops of the Church were the sole source of authority for the presbyters: No priest had the "right" to celebrate the Mysteries except at the express appointment and authorization of his Bishop. Thus, the Orthodox Church and Its Faith are defined by its hierarchy. The hierarchs of the Church are the guardians of the Faith, and through them the grace and authority to perform the Holy Mysteries flow. Once one becomes a bishop, the Holy. Scriptures warn you to:

"Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the Church of God." [10]

Further, the Scriptures demand that: "A bishop must be blameless as being the steward of God... holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to confute opponents. For there are also many disobedient, vain babblers and deceivers." [11]

As a convert to Orthodoxy, I was aghast at the utter cruelty and demonic force of the Communist state in Russia. During those initial years of uncertainty, the Soviets would intimidate the faithful in many heinous ways. One of the favorite means of shocking the faithful employed by the KGB was to greet parishioners who were arriving at church with their crucified priest hanging, naked, upside down spread-eagle over the center of the Royal Doors. The Soviet state would ask little children if their parents ever said prayers at home, or had icons. If the innocents said "Yes", their parents would disappear soon thereafter, never to be seen again. Those same children were then raised and indoctrinated by the state. Other parents would be cowed into submission and not tell their own children about the Faith at all. I could go on and on, but the tale of atrocities and murders and terrorism and blood baths seemed endless. Much of it was not aimed at political enemies; rather, it was aimed specifically at Orthodox Christians. Besides the many innocent clergy who perished during those years, the Tsar himself, having abdicated the throne, was a powerless layperson, but was – together with his family – nonetheless murdered because he was Orthodox.

All of these atrocities were carried out by the Communist Soviet state: the same state to which Metropolitan Sergius pledged full allegiance (while tens of thousands of his fellow clergymen went to their deaths). Why was Sergius' capitulation so important? What difference did it make?

You taught us, dear Vladykas, that our Church is a Church defined by the Faith of its bishops. If Sergius defined the faith of his church, then how did Sergius' church choose its replacement bishops once many had fled Russia or were murdered?

There is no question that the main tool by which the Communist state implemented its terrorism and strong-armed its policies was with the KGB. [12] The KGB hand-picked its members from those people who were particularly cold and ruthless. One had to "prove" one's worthiness to become a member of the inner sanctum of the KGB. This proof could come in many forms: Murders and tortures of the faithful, ghastly acts of terrorism; destruction of churches and holy places; intimidation of the faithful, etc. This same KGB became the breeding ground and source for most – if not all – of the bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate. [12] These bishops were hand-picked by the KGB as looking and acting and seeming like pious pastors, but they were, in fact, KGB agents, selected for their viciousness and cruelty. The Mitrokhin Archives even names the KGB code names for their agents who became bishops in the Moscow Patriarchate. [13] Even the present "Patriarch" of the Moscow Patriarchate, Alexsi II, came up through the ranks of the KGB. As a KGB agent, he was known as "Agent Drozdov." [14]

Following the annihilation of the hierarchy by Stalin, it was systematically replaced by Communist-state-approved bishops. [15] These "bishops" have then – following all of the "external" rituals of the Orthodox Church – systematically appointed many additional bishops. It can safely be said that all of the current bishops of the Moscow Patriarchate are KGB operatives or were personally chosen by the same. [16]

The KGB also orchestrated the joining of the Moscow church to the World Council of Churches. This was useful as a political tool to the KGB: Its faithful hierarchs [17] and representatives to the W.C.C. denied – often indignantly – all reports of persecution of the Church by the Soviet state. Tales of outright deception, lying, and propaganda – all to aid the Soviet state – were the order of the day with the KGB agents in the W.C.C.

This method of infiltration of various organizations by the KGB, with the eventual aim of taking it over, has been their modus operandi for many years. It was used by the KGB to take over most of the Eastern bloc countries and other countries in Central America and throughout the world without ever even firing a shot. They simply infiltrated their agents within the body of the government, organization or church, and then began to take control with time. It is a highly successful method that they have used over and over and over. [18]

When Satan unleashed his unbridled fury on the Russian land in 1917, it was always assumed by many of the faithful that one of the evil one's goals was the destruction of religion. This fact seemed obvious because of the millions of clergy and pious laity that were imprisoned, tortured and murdered, and the tens of thousands of churches and monasteries that were physically destroyed. It is curious, however, that the evil one never seemed to quite finish the job. There were still a few churches standing; there were still some scattered services going on here and there; there were still a few bishops left. The Soviet state was simply preparing the church – the Moscow Patriarchate – to be remade in its own image. With the numbers decimated and the faithful cowed, the Central Committee recognized all along that the ultimate control of the Church rested in controlling the Episcopal ranks. The Evil One knew that the Faith of the Church was defined by Her Bishops.

The godless Soviet state has had 80 years to replace the ranks of the hierarchy with its own. How am I to believe that any of their present hierarchs are even Christians? Based on the simple truths of their selection and their background, I can only conclude that they all must be agents of the Antichrist. I have been presented with no data to support any other conclusion.

As converts to the Faith, you have taught us, holy fathers, that the Orthodox Church is a Church defined and upheld by its Bishops. How can we find grace in a church that has avowed enemies of Christ not only within it, but leading it? We have been told by some that the laity have maintained the faith, and that even though the hierarchy is corrupt, the Moscow Patriarchate still maintains its grace because of the deep faith of the laity.

I am sorry, but this statement flies in contrast to all that I have been taught by you and have learned about Orthodoxy.

You also taught me, dear bishops, that the day of reconciliation with the Moscow Patriarchate would come when several conditions were fulfilled. These included the glorification of the New Martyrs, the rejection of Sergianism, and the rejection of ecumenism. It also included the Apostolic injunction that any clergy who are traitors of Christ (apostates) must be defrocked and can only reenter the Church as laymen. [19]

If the rumors I have heard are true, it seems that we, as the faithful of the Russian Church Abroad, are not demanding their repentance and defrocking of these apostate bishops; instead, there are some who would even consider the Patriarchate to be grace-filled and submit to her "bishops". Glorification of the New Martyrs came about begrudgingly and half-heartedly; Sergius is now the topic of a book that calls him a "Man of God" and the MP still participates in the WCC and is expanding its interaction with the Vatican. So much for the fulfillment of the conditions.

In a letter to Sergius, Metropolitan Anthony declared Sergius' infamous declaration to be no less than an act of treason against the Church. Since the fundamental goal of the KGB is to eradicate religion, the dealings of the MP hierarchs who are KGB agents should be considered to be even worse than treason. [20]

How am I, a convert to the Orthodox Faith, to deal with all of this?

I am eternally grateful to the Church Abroad for showing me the fullness of Holy Orthodoxy. In spite of worldly pressures, poverty and dwindling numbers, the Faith has been preserved by the Church Abroad just as Patriarch Tikhon envisioned, and as our Lord promised:

"Upon this rock will I build My Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." [21]

I, for one, am not bothered by our lack of glorious cathedrals or swelling numbers. These are, after all, the last times.

Perhaps this odd topic of "unification" with the Patriarchal church is only a wild and vicious rumor. This is my most sincere hope. Sadly, I have also heard that the Patriarchate has offered the Synod autocephaly if only the Synod will recognize the grace of the Patriarchal church. I am not only reminded of the same type of actions being taken by the Pope with the Uniates, but – even more poignantly – I am reminded of the great temptation that Satan presented Christ:

"Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, 'All these things will I give Thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.' Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him." [22]

I hope that you know that those of us who left our ethnic and familial roots to become Orthodox are particularly unnerved by this news, and are hoping against hope that the information on the website is false. Placing familial and cultural values at a higher level than the basic tenets of the Faith will completely negate the very reasons that I turned my back on my ethnic and cultural background – and much of my family – to become Orthodox.

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial?" [23]

"Blessed is the man that hath not walked in the council of the ungodly...." [24]

It is my sincere hope that these talks of "reconciliation" and "unification" and "overlooking our little differences" are just talk. From my perspective as a convert to the Faith, it is certainly not easy to walk away from your comfortable ethnic and cultural background. Nonetheless, when you are making that trip from darkness into the Light of the Truth, it is precisely because you are searching for the Truth, and not some cultural equivalent. I am happy that I made that journey, and I hope and pray that it may give me the means to salvation, unworthy as I am. I also hope that those whom I know and love are not taking a walk in the opposite direction. [25]

"I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you. And I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." [26]

Just as the Soviets – through all their persecutions, programs and propaganda over the past eight decades – have created a puppet Russian Orthodox Church to serve the state, and have now unleashed it by declaring it and their Fatherland to be free, so unwittingly have they provided us the freedom to establish our churches in Russia for the resurrection of the Holy Faith.

This is the same Holy Faith that was entrusted to us – the ROCOR – to maintain in its fullness over that same time. Let us rise to meet the challenge as the Church Militant on earth. Our path is clear: There can be no uniting of Christ with Belial. Let us bring back to the true Orthodox faithful in Russia the Church as She has flourished and been preserved in freedom from bondage to the Evil One and his Soviet state. Let us bring to them what the Soviet church cannot:

"[The] Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." [27]

Let us step away from the external trappings of the church: For just as the Divine Liturgy was served in that sweaty little classroom 23 years ago, and just as it was served on the breast of an imprisoned saint, and just as it has been served anywhere the faithful are gathered, so it can be celebrated without the beautiful Orthodox churches occupied by the Soviets and their agents. God does not need our stone or wooden edifices; He needs the hearts of the faithful!

"Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom." [28]

Looking back 2000 years at the Roman Empire, one can see how the world stage was set for the Advent of Christ. Looking today, one can see how the world stage has been set by the Soviet state and its relations with the U.N., and the W.C.C., with their mutual goal of establishing world peace through one-world government and a one-world church. Using the tools of satellite television and the internet, their mutual goal is more readily and instantly available through mass communications to all peoples throughout the world.

Is it possible that even our most esteemed and pious leaders could be drawn into this deceit? I hope and pray to God that this could not be so.

There is a holy and pious and heartfelt desire on the part of all of the faithful of the Russian diaspora that someday Russia would be (spiritually) resurrected. Since the dawn of the Communist revolution our premise has always been that Satan was seeking to completely destroy the Church; i.e., to obliterate it from the earth. It is abundantly clear, however, that this was not the Evil One's goal; rather, Satan sought to recreate the "Orthodox Church" in his own image: To present himself as an "angel of light." St. Paul warns us of this very possibility in his second Epistle to the Corinthians, and he speaks directly to the issue of the ranks of the bishops (apostles) in the Church:

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light." [29]

Then what happened to the resurrection of Holy Russia? Are we to conclude that the blood of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Land had no voice before the throne of God? I would submit that this resurrection has already been taking place right in front of us. The New Martyrs were glorified. The Royal Martyrs have rightly assumed their place on the right hand of the Throne. Holy Orthodoxy has spread to all the ends of the world. These are the fruits of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and they are happening now, and have been happening all around us!

"But... but...," you say, "is this all there is? What about the glory of the Patriarchate? What about the huge churches, trimmed in gold, with booming deacons; what about the glory of the Fatherland?" It is this very thought that the Evil One has used to such effect with some of the pious faithful. As a convert to Orthodoxy, looking at this with non-Russian eyes, it is plain and clear to me that Satan has recreated the Moscow Patriarchate in his own image to provide this illusion to the faithful, and, in turn, to drag them unwittingly to the edge of the abyss.

I say: Awake, sleeping giant! It is time for the Church Abroad to take its rightful place in history and fight this "abomination of desolation" [30] [31] that has set itself up in Christ's place.

I am reminded by the words of our Savior regarding the last days, and hope that they are not upon us:

"And then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, He is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect." [32]

Finally, I am reminded of Bishop Ilarion's response to the invitation from the W.C.C., which was to refuse to join them, but to instead ask them to join the Orthodox Church. It seems to me that it is once again time to refuse discourse with the MP in regards to joining it or recognizing its grace; rather, it is time to invite the MP to repent and join the True Church.

My prayers are with our little remnant of the True Church.

In Christ -

Timothy J. Clader, M.D. [as of 2020, Fr. Timothy Clader]

Choir Director and Parishioner

Protection of the Mother of God Russian Orthodox Church

Rochester, New York, USA

 

ENDNOTES

1. Archbishop Averky, On the Russian Church Abroad, from the writings of Archb. Averky, reprinted from Stand Fast in the Truth, compiled by Fr. Demetrios Serfes, pp. 3-5, and republished by the St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN

2. I Tim 3:15

3. II John 1:4

4. Cf. the Works of St. Gregory, Part I, p. 192

5. Ibid., Archbishop Averky, On the Russian Church Abroad

6. Cf. the words of Bishop Theophan in On Orthodoxy, with Warnings about Errors against It, p. 7

7. Ibid., Archbishop Averky, On the Russian Church Abroad, p. 4

8. A particularly moving passage on this topic is found in I.M. Andreyev's masterpiece Russia's Catacomb Saints (St. Herman of Alaska Press, Platina, CA 1982, pp. 48-49), as follows:

"After the death of Patriarch [Tikhon], his successors one after another were banished. And then Metropolitan Sergius, becoming head of the church, published the Declaration known to everyone, which acknowledged the joys and sorrows of the Soviets as his own and declared all martyrs political criminals.

"All Orthodox Russia was shaken, and delegations with protests extended to Metr. Sergius from all corners of the land. "As a member of such a delegation from the Petrograd Diocese I [I. M. Andreyev] too came to Moscow. In the Metropolitan' reception room forty people were waiting, and everyone of whom I asked his reason for coming replied that he had come as a delegate to see the Metropolitan. Russia had not accepted the Declaration!

"The Metropolitan received us out of order. Finding out the reason why we had come, he reaffirmed everything written in the Declaration, and in answer to our convictions called us 'counter-revolutionaries' and 'schismatics.' Not taking his blessing, we left without obtaining anything.

"Soon the churches that did not accept the Declaration began to be closed. In Petrograd only one remained, but everyone who entered it was registered and later arrested. This was the time when the atheist Soviet power demanded of believers that they go to churches of the official Church. [i.e., the Moscow Patriarchate]

"I, too, was arrested and banished for five years. At Solovki I encountered many hierarchs of the true Church. And there we already had our Catacomb Church.

"In the concentration camps the persecution against faith was completely open: priests were shorn and shaved, forbidden to wear cassocks and crosses. For making the sign of the Cross a new term of imprisonment was given. Of course, there was no question of any open services. The relics of saints were exhibited for mockery in an anti-religious museum with blasphemous inscriptions – even the saints suffered with us! The monks of Solovki who remained there as specialist laborers were forbidden to have any contact with the prisoners under penalty of death. It was especially difficult before great feasts: it was impossible to gather even in twos, no one was allowed anywhere without special passes, night rounds were made more frequent, sentries were doubled. In order to pray one had to be ready at any minute for a martyr's death. And we were ready for it, always carrying with us, like the first Christians, a Particle of the Holy Gifts. I brought such a Particle abroad and gave it to Metropolitan Anastassy.

"And not only were we ready to die, but many did die, confident that somewhere there, outside the reach of the Soviet authorities, where there is freedom-there the Truth was shining in all its purity. There people were living by it and submitting to it. There people did not bow down to Antichrist. And what terror overwhelmed me when, fairly recently, I managed to come abroad and found out that some people here ‘spiritually’ recognize the Soviet church. Spiritually! Many of us there fell, `for fear of the Jews,' or giving in to the temptation of outward cooperation with the authorities. I knew priests of the official Church [MP] who, at home, tore their hair out, who smashed their heads making prostrations, begging forgiveness for their apostasy, calling themselves Cain – but nonetheless they did not have the strength to decide upon martyrdom. But even they spiritually did not recognize the Red Church. But these others abroad – it is precisely spiritually that they submit to it. What good fortune that our priest-martyrs, in dying, did not find out about this betrayal!"

9. What is a Bishop?, published by the St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN

10. Acts 20:28

11. Titus 1:5, 7, 9-10

12. From the Records of the Council for Religious Affairs to the Members of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, published in Russian 1974; English translation, Monastery Press, 8011 Champagneur Ave., Montreal, H3N 2K4 Que. 1981

13. Andrew C, and Mitrokhin V: The Sword and the Shield, the Mitrokhin Archive and the Secret History of the KGB, Published by Basic Books, A member of the Perseus Books Group, NY, NY 1999 ISBN 0-465-00310- 9 pp. 486-507

14. Ibid., p. 507

15. Ibid., p. 501

16. I. M. Andreyev: Russia's Catacomb Saints, St. Herman of Alaska Press, Platina, CA 1982

17. Ibid., p. 487

18. Crozier B: The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 1999, Prima Lifestyles, ASN 0761520570

19. Apostolic Canon Number 62, The Rudder (Pedalion), English Translation of John Nicolaides, 5th Ed., Athens, Greece, 1908; Published by The Orthodox Christian Educational Society, Chicago, IL 1957, pp. 107-108

20. Last Will and Testament, Archbishop Antony of Los Angeles, 24 Nov/7 Dec 1995 21 Matt 16:18

21. Matt. 16:18

22. Matt. 4:8-11

23. II Cor. 6:14-15

24. Ps. 1:1

25. I.M. Andreyev: Russia's Catacomb Saints (St. Herman of Alaska Press, Platina, CA 1982, p. 51):

"This is why the question of our jurisdictional divisions is not a question of `quarrels of bishops over portfolios.' No, it is a question of cooperation (or tacit agreement) with the forerunners of Antichrist, or else uncompromising battle against them. This alone separates us from those who have broken away from the Truth; but it does not separate us from the Russian people, for there the soul, even if it is invisible, even if it has retracted within itself, is still alive, is not spiritually enslaved; it is drawn to the light of Truth."

26. II Cor. 6:16-18

27. Eph. 5:27

28. Luke 12:32

29. II Cor. 11:13-14

30. Matt. 24:15

31. Mark 14:14

32. Mark 13:21-22

 

Source: Living Orthodoxy, #155, September-October 2006, St. John of Kronstadt Press, Liberty, TN, pp. 21-27.