The Desert is the Place of the ChurchThe Church is in constant persecution.
“>Part 24
The seal and globalization
We’re reading the thirteenth chapter of the 
Revelation: Removing the VeilThis revelation was given by God to the Apostle John because we needed to know it.
“>Revelation of the Apostle John the Theologian. Let’s summarize the previous one. In chapter twelve, the Apostle and Evangelist John speaks about the persecution of the Church that has taken place and which awaits us in the age of the antichrist. Then he describes the war in Heaven of the On Names and Angels. The Day of Archangel Michael“There is no one like God”—in this is expressed all of the great Archangel’s knowledge of his God. He doesn’t describe Him, nor does he explain—he stands and witnesses.”>Archangel Michael and the angels against the dragon and his angels and satan’s fall to earth. And then it speaks about the woes that came to earth with the fall of satan, about the persecutions that the dragon organizes against the Church.
Archangel Michael Defeats the Dragon, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
In Revelation, the Church is depicted as a woman who bore a male Child. She was given the wings of a great eagle to fly into the desert and remain there for three and a half years. The dragon continues the war against the woman (the Church) and those who followed Christ.
In chapter thirteen, verse one says the following: And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy (Rev. 13:1). These mysterious visions continue: a beast with seven heads and ten horns. On the ten horns a diadem, and on the heads—blasphemous names. It’s a disgusting sight: a mysterious, demonic, satanic beast, hostile to God and which has no connection with the Holy Spirit of God. It comes from the sea. Some Holy Fathers say the sea symbolizes worldly vanity, worldly reality. This beast won’t be exactly as described, but something will happen that’s described this way in Revelation. We’ll see later on where this is spoken about in more detail.
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority (Rev. 13:2). Here the Apostle John describes exactly what he saw. Satan gave this beast his throne. He receives the throne, power, and authority from satan. Of course, the throne, power, and authority of satan are insignificant. Satan has no power, he has no throne to sit on, he has no authority over anything. However, satan can receive power when we give him the right.
You should know that the devil has no authority over man—he has no authority at all over us. But when we ourselves start listening to his commands (the passions and sins), then through our passions and sins satan starts to rule over us. Every day, what the Apostle Peter says happens to us and those around us: For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage (2 Pet. 2:19). Where someone is defeated, that’s where he’s enslaved. You have a passion that has established itself in you and you’ve become a slave to this passion. Your freedom is lost and this passion begins to rule over you. It takes a lot of hard work to overcome this passion; it demands a bloody struggle. Often, a man has to fight a terrible battle to be delivered from captivity to the devil.
The devil is a terrible dictator. He doesn’t have even the slightest pity for man; he seeks to destroy us completely. He doesn’t sorrow over us, he doesn’t love us. He wants our complete destruction, and unfortunately, finds a reason and enjoys authority when we give him that right. Therefore, we can’t justify ourselves by saying: “But he has power over me—he found my weakness.” The devil has no power over us. God didn’t create us to submit to the devil. Our passions and sins subordinate us to him, take power over us, and force us to do whatever they want. The Holy Fathers say that the power of the devil has no essence.1 The devil isn’t a second power in the world; only God has power. The devil is completely devoid of strength and power. Of course, he exists as a reality, but he doesn’t rule. When man gives him the right, then he receives power. Just as light and darkness don’t exist, so there is no dual leadership in the world. When there’s no light, there’s darkness. But darkness isn’t another essence, but only the absence of light. Similarly, the absence of Divine grace makes room for the devil to exist and exercise power.
The power of the beast
We’re talking about specific things right now—about the beast with seven heads and ten horns that came out of the sea. The dragon, whom we read about earlier, gives this beast his power, authority, and throne. Now let’s see what kind of beast this is. And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast (Rev. 13:3). It looked like one of his heads was mortally wounded, but it wasn’t so. It was a hoax, not reality. The interpretations of the Holy Fathers say that it was a deception, to confuse people. This one of the seven heads wasn’t mortally wounded; the seemingly fatal wound was healed. The whole world was surprised by the beast. Everyone had seen that the beast’s head was mortally wounded, which wasn’t true; the wound was healed, and the world was amazed and followed the beast. The whole world, the whole universe considered this a miracle. The beast showed people a miracle: His wounded head was healed.
The Dragon Gives Power to the Beast, Apocalypse Tapestry, 14th c.
But in the eyes of St. John the Theologian, it wasn’t so: The head was “as it were” mortally wounded. It was obvious that this was a hoax, designed to captivate the world. This beast will be able to lead the world with its lies and false healings and miracles. This is one of the features of the antichrist—a lie that will make the world marvel and wonder. The beast will deceive the world with false miracles; the entire world will be delighted and will follow him. People will follow him.
And they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? (Rev. 13:4). People worshiped the beast, the dragon’s chosen one, satan’s chosen one. They started saying: “Who is like this beast? Who can fight him?” Of course, they don’t call it a beast. If they did, it would eat them. It will be a nice animal, like a lamb. But this lamb will eat the soul of men. Who can defeat this animal? He will be very strong, he will seem very good, he will have the power of miracles and will draw the world after himself. The world will say: “Who is like this animal? Is there really anyone so good? Who can be compared with him?” He will seem strong and wonderful.
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months (Rev. 13:5). How else can he speak if not pridefully and blasphemously, if this is the chosen one of satan? The mouth of the one who speaks lofty and blasphemous words is borrowed from the devil. This beast is given authority to wage war for forty-two months, that is, three and a half years. We will see this number constantly.
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven (Rev. 13:6). The evil beast opened his mouth to blaspheme God and the Church. Blasphemy isn’t just an insult, but also a distortion and slander. The beast slanders and insults God and the Church of God. He’s given authority to wage war.
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations (Rev. 13:7). These are all symbols and riddles. This is how St. John the Theologian saw it; this is how the Holy Spirit revealed it to him.
The beast is given authority to wage war against the saints and to conquer them. Will this beast, in the end, conquer the Church, the saints, God’s chosen ones? Not completely, but to a significant degree. It will seem like the Church and the saints have been defeated. God will allow this according to our sins, because we’ll be cold, as the Gospel says elsewhere: When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth? (Lk. 18:8). Because of our unbelief, because of the coldness of our hearts, the beast will receive authority in the last days and will begin to wage war against the people of the Church and will defeat them. He’ll also be given power over the whole world—over all peoples, tongues, and tribes. Globalization, as they call it. He’ll rule everywhere, gaining universal recognition and respect.
Worship of the Beast, French Apocalypse, late 13th c.
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb Who has been slain (Rev. 13:8). All but a few will worship him. Those whose names were written in the Book of Life won’t worship him. Who are they? The chosen ones of God, the holy people who remain faithful to God, who don’t follow the beast, despite the miracles, despite his rule over the world, despite the fact that he will shine and dazzle with his great power. Everyone will say: “Who can compare with this all-powerful being?” But there will be people—simple, humble, purehearted, who won’t worship him.
The name written in the Book of Life
Speaking of the Book of Life, I’ll tell you a story from the Holy Mountain that happened in the 1920s and 1930s at New Skete, where there were caves. We didn’t live in the caves, but in huts, but there were caves on the territory of our kallyvia where there lived an elder—Geronda Averkios—a simple, semi-literate man, who spent his whole life in a cave, where puddles of water gathered in the winter. This poor elder, an ascetic and cave-dweller, had the obedience of collecting snails, earning his bread this way. Snails were in fashion then. When it rained, the elder collected snails and then gave them to the fathers. In return, they gave him oil and a little bread to sustain himself. They had this barter system then.
New Skete, Mt. Athos
Fr. Averkios lived in poverty and simplicity. Being semi-literate, he could read by syllables. In the skete’s main church, where the fathers gather for the All-Night Vigil for Sundays, he would sit at the very end, on the litia,2 as we call this part of the church on Mt. Athos. He would go to the very last stasidia and pray in the darkness, bent over in the corner. Once, at an All-Night Vigil, when all the fathers were gathered in the main church, they saw him leave his place. It was very strange, because it wasn’t time yet to venerate the icons, and he never left before that. However, he walked through the whole church and entered the altar through the Royal Doors, although he wasn’t a priest, and only priests are allowed to walk through the Royal Doors. He stood before the holy altar, bowed and kissed something, saying: “Monk Averkios, Your Grace. I see, I see—Monk Averkios.” Then he kissed something and returned to his spot. The fathers started asking him:
“What, have you gone crazy? You were just sitting in your spot, then you get up and go into the altar?”
They thought something had happened to him.
“I didn’t go by myself. There was a bishop in the altar and he summoned me, so I approached him. He asked me my name. I told him my name is Monk Averkios, and he wrote my name in some book and asked me to read it. I said I saw written there the name ‘Monk Averkios.’ And the bishop said he’d written my name in the Book of Life.”
The simple elder didn’t understand what was said to him. He kissed his hand and went back. A few days later, he reposed and went to Heaven.
The names of such people are recorded in the Lamb’s Book of Life—innocent, purehearted, unblemished people who are recorded there because of their repentance and love for Christ. They will be faithful followers of the Lamb Christ and not worship the beast. But that will mean torments. It’s not easy at all; it’s a very difficult thing to resist, to sacrifice everything for everything.
To be continued…
