Fr. Dcn. Joseph said:
So saith the Moscow Patriarchate where he died and which glorified him in 2000. I found his first-person "letters from God" just fascinating. It does bring new meaning to the term "God-bearer".
And Fr. Siluan said:
Father Seraphim de Viritsa only was glorified by the MP. He is the typical "MP Starets", a true Orthodox Christian should not to include him among the saints...
I do not wish to get into a tangent on the MP’s St. Seraphim of Viritsa, so let’s leave him out of this discussion going forward. While I brought up his name, my questions do not at all depend upon whether or not one accepts him as a saint or his words as true. If our attention becomes fixed on him, this will subvert the purpose of the thread and change the subject entirely.
Regarding my questions, Pravoslavnik said:
Also, concerning this prophecy of a future Russian Orthodox Tsar, my understanding is that this Tsar would restore the Russian Orthodox Church, purging it of apostasy and corruption, implying that the "church" would be corrupt at the time of his ascension to the throne.
Yes, this is a good observation on the implications of this prophecy.
I was hoping that others would be familiar with prophecies of some of the saints and elders of Russia regarding Communism, the fall of Communism, the renewal of Orthodoxy throughout the world, the last Orthodox Tsar, and the reign of the Antichrist. I was hoping that this post would result in additional prophecies beyond what I have included, and that this could help us better understand the following questions that the prophecies I have posted seem to raise:
I am interested in whether any of the great saints and elders have spoken specifically about the period in which we currently are in, following the period of great persecution which occurred under the Bolsheviks, and yet prior to the reign of the Orthodox Tsar in Russia. Did anyone suggest that Communism would only “appear” to fall? Or that the persecution would only “appear” to end? Or, did anyone suggest that the first signs of restoration and renewal in Russia would be a deception and the churches “devoid of grace” prior to the coming of the Orthodox Tsar? Or that the Patriarchates would unite with Rome or fall into heresy prior to this time of renewal under the Tsar?
Since the Tsar would bring an end to heresies and schisms, we can conclude that there will be heresies and schism at the time of the last Tsar. But are there any other prophecies that could help us better understand the questions above?
In Christ,
Jason