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In this video recording, Elder Ephraim of Arizona talks about the importance of monasteries in the End Times, as beacons of Orthodox spirituality, “Special Units”, fighting against the work of antichrist and “Big Brother”.
Video source: Το Περιβόλι του Αγίου Λαζάρου
Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Church in Pittsburgh, PA, 1992
Elder Ephraim of Arizona:
The presence of our monastery is a beacon of our Orthodox monasticism.
Every monastery is an outpost of God and a presence of Holy Fathers.
Every monastery blesses the whole place where it is built and the whole of the people.
Brings peace to the place, casts away the demons, angels arrive
Also, with the spiritual work it provides, it helps our Christians walk the path of salvation more correctly.
It is a spiritual shelter in which takes refuge every soul that wants to be saved, wants to consoled itself, wants to be revived, wants to be enlightened, there are so many problems, especially in our times, especially the psychological problems and so many more [that create] the need for solution and enlightenment.
The presence of the monastery and the people that reside there have the ability, have the Grace, have the experience to help and save the people that resort there.
The presence of our monasticism in this New World, that is called America, Canada where there is not more than one Greek Orthodox Monastery with a genuine presence.
This provides us with the hopes in Christ, the hopes that will provide life, that will provide light, that will provide salvation to the people here.
The presence of monasticism and especially the first monastery … let us have your prayers and the blessings so they can multiply. Meaning, let this first one act as a starting point for others to come in this New World that will acts as beacons, as Orthodox gatherings, as spiritual oases where our Christians will resort to, between regions, to “feed” themselves, to “water” themselves, to “refresh” themselves, to be saved since we are expecting the New Age, which means the Age of Antichrist.
Although, there are a lot of Antichrists and as Apostle John the Theologian says:
“Who is the Antichrist?”
“Every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God.”
[1 John 4:3]
Whoever does not confess that Christ descended onto earth as the real God and received flesh and became man, God-man to save man and to lift man where He already was, meaning into the heavenly world, into the glory of God… whoever does not confess these things and so much more, he is Antichrist.
Since we are expecting the Age of Antichrist, I have a humble opinion, I do not adapt it and say that the Antichrist who will be the personification of all satanic power will make his presence into the center, which is called New York, inside the seas and the rivers, Babylon, the one the Revelation talks about … maybe it is there where he will first make his presence or his seat or his center from which he will communicate with all around the world and will call himself the “Big Brother”, the Antichrist.
And through television, through electronic means he will communicate at any given moment with every human. Meaning, man will be into his room and whatever he will be doing, Antichrist uninvited will appear by himself and would give his orders, his beliefs so the man would obey with demonic energy, he would make the man believe him and follow him.
Since in this world, there are satanists, heretics, antichrists …. in such a situation the Antichrist will grow, who is expected, …
and here is where the General-in-chief, Christ and let’s hope He will … prepare His brave army, His “Special Units” for such battles, like the ones the army has, that will face satan.
This brave army will draw the Christians, the simple soldiers, so that they prepare God’s front and his army. These “Special Units” are called monks and nuns and the fortresses are the monasteries. There the people will take refuge in order to hide and prepare under this power. These monasteries, this army, these brave … today, unfortunately, the church itself fights against the creation of such an army.
Ahead of the coming of Antichrist, when the danger of rejecting [the faith] will be imminent since the martyrdoms will be much harder through the means of science and technology that will be available then. Satan will have through them a lot of power… and this is why Christ says in the Gospel:
“Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” [Luke 18:8] “Will He find people who believe Him? Not with their tongues but with their hearts and the power of bravery.”
Exactly for this reason, the need for the creation of monasteries is urgent, if we want our children, our grandchildren and ourselves to find safety in front of the calamities that expect us and will come without any doubt, because all of these appear in the Scriptures, the Scriptures, through the Holy Spirit, and nothing will be escaped, all of these things will happen.
We are in absolute need of the presence of the monasteries and the people that will live there and we must help complete them and surround them with brave souls who will act drastically against satan and his army. [These brave souls] will help our Christians, will provide them with faith so that they resist, so that they become the new martyrs.
The martyrs that will be incomparably more glorious from the ones of the first years [of Christianity]. Certainly, the ones that will be saved during the End Times will shine brighter than the first Saints because their tortures will be great, the faith will be weak, the evil in abundance and for this, the ones that will fight the battle will be the people selected by God.
Back then, faith was “in tons” with all of the miracles of the Apostles and the Saints, miracles, miracles, the evils were short, the sin was not as drastic and apparent. Today, the faith is weak, the evils are many, much sin, much darkness, a few guides, rarely a spiritual man [to be found], poor spiritual state …therefore whoever is found to confess the “good confession of Christ” («καλή μαρτυρία» in Greek) will become great ‘in tons’ up [in heaven] and will be the happiest of all who will win the first lottery.
