Birth of the Beast

Metropolitan Agafangel: Birth of the Beast
Автор: Митрополит Агафангел. Дата публикации: 05 ноября 2026. Категория: Авторская колонка.
http://internetsobor.org/index.php/stati/avtorskaya-kolonka/mitropolit-agafangel-rozhdenie-zverya#

Nowadays, one hears claims that the Russian Federation is the last Orthodox country—a bulwark of Christianity on our planet, upon which rests nearly the entire world.  As for everyone else [non-Orthodox, non-Christians], one must assume they are doomed to live—if not in hell itself—then at least in its antechamber.

But let us take a closer look at the Russian Federation. This state entity traces its origins to the last century, when a group of avowed Godfighters led a segment of the former Russian people—a segment that had renounced God—carried out a "revolutionary" coup within the Russian Empire, murdered the legitimate ruler—the Orthodox Emperor—and declared their ultimate goal to be the complete destruction of the Church and the construction of a blissful, international, godless society: communism.

They completely rejected the Orthodox past of our fatherland and attempted to replace it with a class struggle between the "oppressed" and the "oppressors."  They declared the date they seized power—October 1917—to be the beginning of a new life, while labeling all history preceding this upheaval as, successively, "slavery," the "Middle Ages," "predatory capitalism," and "tsarist oppression."  They have always regarded—and continue to regard—materialism as their ideological foundation, with Marx, Engels, and Lenin as their founding fathers (an "unholy" materialist trinity).  This is the true and sole origin from which the modern Russian Federation traces its own sinful existence.  They declared themselves the legal successors specifically of the USSR—a fact even enshrined in Article 67.1 of the Constitution: "The Russian Federation is the legal successor to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics."  In other words, they are the heirs exclusively to those who destroyed the Russian Empire and renounced its entire historical and spiritual legacy.

This is of critical importance—a point that must be constantly reiterated and brought to mind—given that the Russian Federation has recently, and quite unexpectedly, begun styling itself as the successor to the Russian Empire, even though it was precisely the Orthodox state that they destroyed—by their own hands, no less—and subsequently defiled and debased through their words and deeds.

Moreover, in January of this year, 2026, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation officially stated 

 https://iz.ru/2034297/olga-anaseva/faktory-iska-rf-otkazalas-otdavat-dolgi-ssha-po-carskim-bondam
that the Russian Federation is not the legal successor to the Russian Empire—a point underscored by the rejection of a lawsuit from an investment fund that sought to recover $225 billion in Tsarist-era debt from the Russian Federation.  The rejection cited the USSR’s 1918 repudiation of the Russian Empire’s foreign debts.  In other words, when it comes to the repayment of debts, the Russian Federation—by official decree of the Prosecutor General’s Office—is not the legal successor to Tsarist Russia; yet, when it comes to the theft and appropriation of the historical past, it lays claim to it in every possible way.  So, of whom is the Russian Federation the legal successor today—Tsarist Russia or the USSR?  To an unbiased observer, the answer is perfectly obvious.

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"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their accomplices in shedding the blood of the prophets.'  Thus you testify against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets; go ahead, then, and fill up the measure of your fathers" (Matthew 23:29–32).

The sin of those in the Russian Federation who profess to honor Christ with their lips, while simultaneously refusing to renounce the veneration of their own god-hating forebears, is a twofold sin—perhaps even greater than the sin of their fathers, who murdered a multitude of Christians, many of whom "did not know what they were doing."  Those of the present day, however, know full well what they are doing as they attempt to reconcile light with darkness, Christ with Belial (2 Corinthians 6:14–17).  And it is this monstrous hybrid—a perversion never before seen—that is now growing within the territory of the Russian Federation.

If the USSR can be likened to the first apocalyptic beast, then a second beast has now emerged within the territory of the Russian Federation—a composite entity made up of a multitude of parts (nationalities, religions, social strata, etc.), akin to a form of ecumenism—a hybrid that seeks to devour everything within its reach.  With regard to Ukraine, this beast’s "maximum plan" is to erase Ukraine as a country from the geographical map—and, simultaneously, from historical memory.  Such a state must not exist, and all recollections of it must be rooted out.  Kyiv should be nothing more than an ordinary regional center, subordinate to a capital in Moscow.  Perhaps the Kremlin leadership—for the sake of peace with the rest of the world—might agree to return "historical lands" carved out of a destroyed Ukraine to neighboring Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland.  Or perhaps they might not.  That is the "maximum plan."  The "minimum plan," meanwhile, is simply to see where things lead—to grab whatever they can get their hands on.

It is also clear what kind of Orthodoxy exists in the Russian Federation: it is a structure that appears Orthodox but was established by Stalin to serve as a pillar for the ruling regime.  Everything decided in the Kremlin is accepted for unconditional implementation—with no regard even for Christ or the Gospel.  It is, in effect, an eternal union with the Kremlin—or, more accurately, with the devil himself.  A striking example of this is the blessing given to the mass killing of Christians in Ukraine, all to satisfy the boundless ambitions of the criminal Kremlin authorities.

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This must be discussed constantly, because it is not just the Russians themselves who have become convinced that they are the heirs to an Orthodox Empire; unfortunately, almost the entire world now shares this view.  Those who were Soviet internationalists yesterday are today called "Russians," the Soviet "evil empire" is equated with Tsarist Russia, and many are firmly convinced that Orthodoxy is exactly as it is presented by the Soviet-era Moscow Patriarchate.

This is the greatest untruth of our time—an untruth that blocks the path to Christ for a vast number of people, alienating them both from a saving faith and from the historical past of the Orthodox Russian people who once lived on our land.

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At one time, Metropolitan Vitaly, First Hierarch of the ROCOR, stated that our Church had articulated and published everything a Russian person needs in order to make the right choice regarding the path to salvation.  During the years when communism held sway, it was the ROCOR alone that openly bore witness to authentic Orthodoxy.  That witness remains alive and effective to this day.  This is why we strive to preserve the heritage and spirit of the fathers of the Church Abroad exactly as we received them; we have no need for any other "spirit," nor could any other "spirit" ever entice us.

We do not know whether salvation exists within various "parts" of Orthodoxy, but we believe that salvation has existed and continues to exist within the Russian Church Abroad.

 

We do not know if salvation exists in other "parts" of Orthodoxy, 

but we know salvation exists in our ROCA.

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Since 2007, we have proposed—and continue to propose—to everyone associated with the former ROCOR (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia) that, at the very least, we begin talking to one another, rather than engaging in vilification and slander.  The only things upon which we cannot reach an agreement are any sympathies toward the communist past of the USSR—in any of its forms—and the presence of an overt mortal sin; for, as the Apostle Paul says: "Expel the wicked person from among you" (1 Corinthians 5:13).

Of course, not everyone within the Moscow Patriarchate shares the inclinations of its leadership; rather, they are held in place by sheer mass and numbers—that is, by material and political factors.  In their regard, the demands once rightly made by the former Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) remain relevant: they must repent for their collaboration with godless authorities and renounce the heresy of ecumenism.  These issues continue to weigh heavily upon the Moscow Patriarchate to this day.  Yet, for this to happen, the Moscow Patriarchate would first need to become an autonomous organization, independent of the state—a step that is vitally necessary, especially in our current times, for without it, it is utterly impossible to serve Christ as one’s sole Master.  It is clear, however, that for the Patriarchate—or, more precisely, for its leadership—this is entirely unachievable, and there is no point in even discussing it.

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The most terrifying words of Christ, spoken before His death—"My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46)—speak to the state of abandonment experienced by all of humanity, separated from God.  Beyond the confines of our brief lives and this imperfect world lies eternal life and an eternal realm.  We need only follow Christ, passing from this world into the everlasting Kingdom of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  To do this, we must strive with all our might to follow Christ in everything—even to the point of total abandonment here on earth.

+ Metropolitan Agafangel
October 23/November 5, 2026

Комментарии   
# Vadim Vadimovich 07.11.2026 09:28
During his years in emigration—first in Germany and later in Switzerland—Ivan Alexandrovich Ilyin maintained close spiritual and personal ties with several prominent hierarchs and pastors of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR).

His primary spiritual mentors and associates included:

Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky), the second First Hierarch of the ROCOR.
For many years, Metropolitan Anastassy exerted a profound spiritual influence on the philosopher. They were bound by a long-standing personal friendship, regular correspondence, and mutual respect.  Metropolitan Anastassy held Ilyin’s works in high regard, while Ivan Alexandrovich, for his part, treated the First Hierarch with the devotion of a son, frequently seeking his counsel on critical matters concerning both church and public life.

Metropolitan Seraphim (Lade), Metropolitan of Berlin and Germany (ROCOR).
During his time in Berlin—prior to his forced relocation to Switzerland in 1938 due to persecution by the Gestapo—Ilyin was part of the German Diocese of the ROCOR, which was headed by Metropolitan Seraphim.  He received archpastoral guidance and support from the Metropolitan for his church-related and public endeavors.

Archpriest Sergei Orlov (who later took monastic vows as Hieromonk Seraphim).  After moving to Switzerland (to Zurich), Ivan Ilyin and his wife, Natalia Nikolaevna, became parishioners of the local Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) church.  Father Sergiy Orlov, who served as the rector of the Resurrection parish in Zurich, was a close friend of the family; he heard the philosopher’s confessions, administered Holy Communion to him, and provided spiritual support during the final, most difficult years of his illness.  It was also he who conducted the funeral service for the great thinker following his passing in December 1954.

#  Vadim Vadimovich 07.11.2026 09:54
Reflections on the Historical Path and Continuity of Russia

The legal pragmatism of state bodies—for instance, the Prosecutor General’s Office’s assertion that the Russian Federation is not the legal successor to the Russian Empire, a stance taken to shield the state treasury from imperial-era debts—necessitates a clear distinction between legal acts and matters of the spirit.  True legal succession and the assessment of the historical path of Rus’ belong exclusively to the realm of the conscience of the people and the Church—a sphere over which secular authorities hold no sway.

The primary catalyst for the contemporary geopolitical schism was the 1991 "Belovezha Accords," which disregarded the legitimate will of the peoples to preserve a unified state.  Historical Rus’ was artificially dismembered along administrative borders—drawn during the Lenin-Stalin era—that effectively served as time bombs for peoples bound by common blood.

In his vision for the post-Soviet future, the philosopher Ivan Ilyin—a devoted son of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia—foresaw two potential paths for a "United and Indivisible Russia."  The first was a catastrophic trajectory: fragmentation into small, self-proclaimed states, leading to perpetual anarchy, "Balkanization," and foreign colonization.  The second was a path of salvation: one of spiritual recovery, a strong patriotic government, and the revival of authentic Orthodoxy—cleansed of any compromises with godlessness.  Historical unity can recover from the traumas of the last century only through inner repentance and faithfulness to the precepts of one’s ancestors.

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