Attempts To Destroy Russia Linked with the Coming of the Antichrist - Head of the Russian Church

His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia spoke out about anti-Russian sentiments in the world, recalling the last book of the New Testament (Revelations). It refers to the power that restrains the coming of the Antichrist into the world. Such a force was the Orthodox faith and pious people of all times and all nations, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church reminded. 

So why did outside forces rise up against the land of Russia, asks Patriarch Kirill. Why do they seek to divide and destroy the land of Russia, sending brother against brother? To answer these difficult questions, we should turn to the text of the last book of the New Testament. The apostle did not name the "power that can restrain the appearance of the Antichrist"¹. That is why at various times it was thought that the Roman state, which, for all its paganism, maintained a certain order, could be a deterrent, the Primate continued. But there have been those who believe that the Church will contain the Antichrist, in this regard, Patriarch Kirill stressed:

The Church keeps people from losing their reference points in life. But it is also all pious people of all times and all nations. It is the Orthodox faith, which lives and works in the Orthodox Church, that is the force that holds [the Antichrist] back.

And it is no coincidence that it is the Church today that they are trying to compromise by directing at it "all sharp arrows". It is not for nothing that they are trying to tear the Church away from the people by dividing people, stressed Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia after the liturgy in Christ the Savior Cathedral on the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Annunciation of the Mother of God, one of the Twelve Great Feasts of Orthodoxy, is celebrated on Thursday in the Russian Orthodox Church. The date of the feast is fixed - April 7, exactly nine months before the Nativity of Christ (January 7). On this day believers remember how an angel appeared to the Virgin Mary with the good news that she would become the mother of God.

Among the traditions of the holiday is the release of doves, which symbolize the Holy Spirit. It is believed that he descended in the form of a dove during the Baptism of the Lord - so he is often depicted on icons, and the Feast of the Annunciation is associated with the visit of the Holy Spirit to Mary.

1 - It is not a direct quote from Scripture, but its reference is found rather in St. Paul's epistle to the Thessalonians (2 Ts 2.7), not in the book of Revelation.

Source: tsargrad.tv (Russian)