April 1, 2011
The Vicar of the Astana and Alma-Ata Diocese Bishop Gennady of Kaskelen urged Orthodox believers to strengthen their faith instead of waiting for the Apocalypse.
"We can't prevent apocalyptic events - we can only save ourselves and help save those people with whom the Lord gives us a chance to communicate with, delivering them from fears, inspiring the spirit of love, peace, kindness," the Bishop said in his interview with Interfax-Religion.
He noted that the New Testament, especially the Revelation of John the Theologian, points out to signs of the end of human history that echo with current events in some countries, but "we can say for sure that some prophesies of Revelation have not been completed yet."
"World history, as the Apostle John predicts, will end up with setting one universal political regimen on Earth, the Kingdom of Antichrist, and God will allow him to have power over every tribe and nation, people and race," the bishop said.
The other "important argument" proving that "we don't live in apocalyptic times" is words from Gospel according to Luke, which says that there would be few Christians in the end of human history.
"Seeing how the Russian Orthodox Church is reviving, so many people are coming to newly open churches, you start thinking - perhaps Russia hasn't said its last word in Christian history? And how intensive is spiritual life on Athos! And so many people convert to holy Orthodoxy in the West!" the interviewee of the agency said.
According to him, "the world will come to its end" and Christ says it "absolutely clearly." However, the bishop further said, "it is not an event of the natural order, but supernatural interference of the Almighty Lord in the life of the universe He created."
"Natural human history ends up with complete apostasy, expressed in the triumph of the Antichrist's global state. This triumph of evil and vice will end up with the second glorious coming of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," he said.
Talks about the coming Apocalypse have recently intensified in connection with natural calamities in Japan and instability in Arabian world.