We have been born in an age of confrontations. Our age reminds us of the earlier ages, yet it has its own unique identity, since history does not repeat itself. A characteristic of our times is the incredible and rapid diffusion of evil, which manifests itself in ever-changing forms. Those who are able to see are grieved by this, witnessing the operation of the mystery of iniquity (2 Thes. 2:7) in a world which is as beautiful as a jewel.
It has been many years since the times of relative innocence, where a wolf was lurking to attack the sheep as soon as they were alone. Nowadays, the wolf has been disguised into the shepherd who pretends to be protecting the sheep. He has put on the façade of the government, the president, the world organization, and is taking advantage of the concentrated power in his hands. The supposedly powerful figures, who are on the spotlight worldwide, present themselves as sensitive saviours and conscientious workers of the public well-being, while in fact they are no more than a well-decorated store window, who serve the purposes of a world elite. The latter does not consist of “rich fools” – capitallists who are keen on showing off their wealth – but those who are financially powerful and take good care to remain anonymous.
This small group which exerts power from the backstage is colored by metaphysical principles which are derived from occultism and Gnosticism. This is what the philosophy of the new world order is based on. The spirit of the “new age” uses the zodiacal division of history. It talks about the chronological end of the age of Pisces and the beginning of the age of Aquarius. The Pisces is a symbol of Christ, therefore according to them the coming of the new age will signify the end of Christianity as well. The words of Christ, more specifically that He will be with us until the end of the aeon, are deliberately misinterpreted, since they translate the word “aeon” as a historical period that will eventually come to an end. Of course, this is not true, because with the term “aeon” Christ means the historical period until the Second Coming (Matt. 28:20). According to the followers of the new age movement, just as in the age of Pisces the dominant figure of Christ played a catalytic role in the course of mankind, accordingly in the age of Aquarius a world leader is expected, who will magically initiate people worldwide to a more advanced level of consciousness. Christ is degraded to an initiator, amongst many others, and the content of the Scriptures is considered to withhold the spiritual maturation of man. Consequently, from now on, people should be looking forward to the new Messiah, whose task will be to guide mankind towards an age of peace, equality and supreme enlightenment.
The views of the aforementioned occultists stem from a basic distortion of the Old Testament. In the garden of Eden, the snake is taken not as a cunning figure that through deception persuaded man to distance himself from God and caused the fall, but as a Promethean figure, in other words a benefactor of mankind, because allegedly he is the one who enriched the human soul with the spirit. The words of the devil, as the sole bringer of light (Lucifer), are accepted without a doubt, because according to them the devil made humans capable of distinguishing between good and evil, and stand in front of God as equals. Detached from God, man has acquired self-knowledge and self-consciousness as a separate entity with our own freedom of will. Within the rational faculty of man a divine seed is found, and by cultivating it he himself can become God.
At the core of the philosophy of the new age movement one finds the aforementioned Gospel of the Snake which is saturated with hatred against God and His works, and is presented as the liberation from a vicious God. The movie industry has been mobilized to support this antichristian propaganda. Let us give a tangible example of a recent film that graphically depicts the religious beliefs of this movement and the secret intentions of its leaders. It is the movie “11-11-11”.
The main idea is that in 11-11-2011 a portal opens, that allows demons to enter this world. It is their last chance to kill Samuel, a priest whose ambition is to restore the real message of religion, which he finds to be flawed. Samuel has a brother, Joseph, who eventually sacrifices himself to save him, and as mentioned in the movie, from this sacrifice “the serpent will rise and the end will come”. This could be an imitation of the Christian motif in which Jesus was sacrificed for the salvation of man. To further this, it is mentioned in the movie that Samuel’s mother conceived him immaculately. In fact, Samuel is no less of a demon than those who attempt to kill him. Towards the end of the movie, when asked by his brother who he really is, he transforms into a satanic figure and confesses “I am the end”. It is most indicative that a demon who attempts to stab Samuel has a crown of thorns on his head. The message is indirect, yet clear: Jesus Christ is the obstacle in the emergence of the new religion, and of course of the truth. Furthermore, according to the plot of the movie, Joseph’s wife, Sarah, and his son, David, were killed in a fire that burned down their house. Let us just recall who are the spouse and son of Joseph in the New Testament. It is a subconscious message that cunningly introduces people to a new plan. Some wish to see Jesus Christ and Virgin Mary “dead”.
Throughout the movie, the viewer is presented with two choices: either atheism or the coming pan-religion, which, as it gains more and more followers, will eventually devour Christianity. The atheist writer resolves his inner struggle by abandoning the insecurity of disbelief and is looking forward to the “salvation” offered by his brother’s new founded religion, as promised in the last scene. It is noteworthy that according to the director the last scene had been pre-ordered by the producers. Finally, the film can be found for free on the internet. How come the producers care more about getting the message across to as many people as possible than their profits? It makes one wonder.
In all likelihood, the Age of Aquarius will reveal a forerunner of the Antichrist, who will prepare mankind to be subdued to the representative of the devil in flesh. The devil cannot know when the Second Coming will happen, but only that his end is near. Hence, he is trying, in the time he has left, to cause as much evil as possible. He is sowing seeds of evil in a number of candidates, without knowing who will eventually become the vessel that will accept so much demonic energy, so as to bring his work into completion. Only God knows this. This is why many possible “antichrists” have appeared in public during the last decades, something that has brought confusion in the collective mind of mankind.
Furthermore, globalization pretends to be tolerant to diversity. Within the framework of the ideology that every person can be god, humility is lost, as well as the communion with the divinity. Thus, subjugation to one’s passions is established as a rule, under the pretext that it fosters individuality. In fact, this implicitly urges people to enact the law of the new age, as expressed by Aleister Crowley, one of the most notorious satanists of the previous century: “Do what thou wilt, shall be the whole of the law”. In other words, let us forget about the saving commandments of Christ, let us replace them with an individualistic philosophy, according to which every person lives by his personal code of ethics, designed in a way that perfectly fits his egoism. This particular philosophy also forms the backbone of the theoretical system of certain schools of psychotherapy which were founded and established in the twentieth century.
If we examine things objectively, we will find ourselves in front of a masterfully hidden disgust, hatred and deep intention to dissolute the Christian truth. A number of world leaders, who act as defenders of the new age, constantly repeat the need for a world government under the flag of unity, which will cultivate mutual understanding and respect between people, thus transcending external or internal frontiers. This is just the bait for those who lack critical thinking. As soon as they undermine the values that enable true communion between people -the communion of love- and confine every person within the castle of his own individualism (hence causing despair and insecurity), people, being consumed by the instinct of self-preservation, will themselves seek to be mashed in the blender of globalization.
The architects of this apparently innocent system of global governance have been working on it ceaselessly for hundreds of years, not with the audacity of an opportunist robber, or the arrogance of the powerful, but with the inhumanity of a ruthless criminal, whose methods resemble those of the mafia. The technique they use in order to achieve the psychological collapse of societies is well established and based on fear. When one is possessed by fear, his behavior becomes chaotic; to escape this, he tries to hold on to the first thing that makes him feel secure. The rulers of this world operate on this inherent psychological mechanism, by orchestrating catastrophic events. Why wait for a problem to come up, if they can save time by creating it themselves? Needless to mention, that they are not interested in resolving the already existing problems, since they contribute to an overall situation of social deterioration. If people show discontent or question their policies, they arm the psychological arsenal of the media -which they utterly control- to remove people’s critical thinking.
By causing limited or extensive catastrophes, at any cost, the leaders of globalization achieve the immediate shift of public opinion in their favour, so that people condescend to their plans. Even though these events are designed with sheer secrecy, those who are responsible for them always sign their works with symbols that most people ignore. Let us mention in brief the symbolic patterns on the American one dollar bill, which are reproduced in monumental constructions, such as the stadium of the Olympic Games in 2012 and relevant logos that sketch the word “ZION”. Events that happen on dates that are connected are also included, such as the staged terrorist acts of September 11th with the controlled demolition of the towers that functioned as a pretext for the United States to launch a series of destructive wars, to pass constitutional changes that indirectly dissolute the democratic rights of the citizens and to create a state of terror worldwide. Exactly ten years earlier, on September 11th 1991, the president of the United States made a public announcement for the need of a new world order. Those who are eager to conduct research, will soon discover plenty of relevant information.
Behind the mask of the good shepherd lies something so sinister and inconceivable to the mind of the layman. The power of a group with covert operations will be used to weave the constitutional, legal, technological and financial web that will capture the whole of humanity. Modern technology enables the surveillance of people from the moment they wake up throughout the day, for example through the use of credit cards, cameras, cell phones, satellites, electronic IDs, electronic chips and a number of other devices of which we may be unaware. Using these methods, detailed files could be composed on every person on the planet, which a world tyrant could have at his disposal.
Evil has unleashed an unprecedented attack not only on Christ but on humans as well. If we take ourselves for people of faith and altruism, how could we step aside and remain passive? And if we decide to confront evil, how could we achieve it but with the power of Christ? And Christ does not demand from us superficial acceptance of his word. He wants us to transcend ourselves. He does not ask for employees. He asks for friends who are free. He does not negotiate, He asks for unconditional obedience to His will. He does not seek a place in our souls, but the whole of our soul. He does not ask from us to use maneuvers so that we satisfy both people and God. He wants us to be unyielding, when people become obstacles to our dedication to Him. God gave us everything; this is why He demands everything. The point is not what we receive, but what we are willing to give.
Our times press us to dialect with our conscience. Amongst the believers, one finds both those who try to use God as guarantee for the realization of their ambitions, as well as those who are willing even to give their life for God. Jesus Christ and His Apostles have warned us of the coming of the Antichrist, they have informed us of the signs that will precede it, they have told us about the devil’s intent to deceive us, and they have reassured us that the real life and the resurrection come through the denial of ourselves for the sake of Jesus and the Gospel. Indeed, do we consider these things as a burden, do they frighten us, discomfort us from the convenience of our lives or distance us from our dream of well-being?
Maybe we fail to realize the uniqueness of the historical period we are in. Our times are reflected in the descriptions of the Apocalypse. This makes a number of people wonder with insecurity “why should we be the ones to lift the burden of the coming of the Antichrist? Why can’t we live a quiet life?” Genuine Christian conscience, however, acknowledges that all events in life occur because God allows them to be so. And He does, because He knows how to turn evil into good, thus giving us the chance to forge ourselves through trial, patience, freedom, spirit of martyrdom and cultivation of love. Divine wisdom and love is included in everything in life, yet it escapes us how this is happening. Who dares say he knows better than God?
Elder Paisios was trying to tell us this exact thing, that the coming of the times of the Apocalypse are visible on the horizon of our times. We can fool ourselves and expect to walk with security the road most travelled; to organize our life as if nothing is happening, ensure our comfort and enjoyment, our job, our house, our family, our friends, public recognition, in other words everything that is part of conventional social life. Amidst the current crisis, all this seems more and more unfeasible. This is some kind of divine providence, so that we detach ourselves from material things and turn to those that are of most importance in life. Where your treasure is, there will be your heart, too, says the Lord (Matt. 6:21). Indeed, what is it that each of us considers to be his treasure? Maybe it is high time we examined our priorities.
Besides, Jesus is very clear: “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it”. (Mark 8:35) Jesus did not come to bind us with the things of this world, he came to rip from our heart our dependence on this world. It is better for someone to cut off his arm or remove his eye, if they are obstacles for the salvation of his soul (Mark 9:43-47).
In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act. And elder Paisios used to tell the truth. The truth he witnessed and experienced with his acute spiritual senses. We may choose to be indifferent to the events around us and wait passively to be integrated into a system that serves globalization, or, each of us could set off his own revolution through a confession to the truth of Christ, not so much externally, but with actual spiritual struggle. The truth of Christ is the power that overthrows any anti-god power. By transforming ourselves internally, at the same time we also change the world, because each person is part of the world. Nevertheless, it is not we who will win the battle against the devil, but He who has already done it and has the power to restore the whole of creation in the divine glory. We do not acknowledge the new age. We acknowledge the “new creation”, which is Christ himself. Let us be simple and humble, so that we are enlightened by His uncreated Grace and become transformed into “sons of light and day”.
Holy Monastery of Koutloumous
From the book ‘Elder Paisios and the Signs of the Times’, Mount Athos 2012