The Purpose of God-given Prophecy | Metropolitan Neophytos

[interviewer]: Why does God announce events that are going to take place to the world through His prophets and saints? [They are events] that sometimes frighten us and at other times bring joy. Jonah’s prophecy foretold the destruction of the great city of Nineveh within three days. His prophecy didn’t come to pass, leaving many to wonder. We all thought from the start that God decided to destroy this city because of the people’s sins. God seemingly “changed” His decision when the people of this city repented. So does a people’s repentance “change” God’s decision? Can God really “be proven wrong?”

How can we accept the words of prophets as calls from heaven — exhorting us to repent, to weep, to fall on our knees, and above all, to recognize that our actions have placed us outside the spirit of God’s commandments? Truly — if we do all these things — can God “be proven wrong?”

In the following interview, His Eminence Metropolitan Neophytos of Morphou vividly explains why God sends prophecies to men. We asked him to tell us about the great earthquake that is coming, a subject that he has addressed frequently in his public homilies.

As you mentioned, it’s been communicated by heavenly message that a great earthquake is coming. Both in Greek territory as well as in Asia Minor, which is now called Turkey but tomorrow will again become Romiosini and Asia Minor and in other neighboring countries. Many earthquakes have already begun, right?

Ever since we first said this — or rather, relayed it — Because I am not a prophet myself, I am a mere “prophetologist.” The prophetologist is likened to the geologist, to the philologist. A philologist doesn’t compose poetry, he is not a poet himself. Yet he dedicates himself to the study of poetry, essays, prose and the works of authors [in general].

In the same way, I work also — because of a responsibility I’ve felt for some years now — especially following 2012 … All the things I’ve heard by the grace of God from the Holy Fathers and Mothers I’ve known in my life, and I still talk to some of them [who have not fallen asleep]. I’ve shared all these to prepare our people.

The prophetic message I have cultivated over these years, my dear Konstantinos, aims at repentance and not panic or fear. Certainly, repentance is often preceded by panic. It is preceded by fear. Besides, let us not forget that, “The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” [Psalms 110:10]. This ancient [yet ever-relevant] causality is handed down to us in the Book of the Psalms of the Old Testament.

Let’s say one more thing about the earthquake. We heard by some saints that a great earthquake is coming to some parts of Greece — a really great one. Saint Porphyrios of Kavsokalyvia said: “Prophecy is given to men with the hope by the Holy Spirit that it won’t [have to] be realized.” What a great word this is! What great love! What great philanthropy of God!

Why then is prophecy given by the Holy Spirit to the prophet? A prophecy which is often terrible — you cannot bear it: to listen that your city, your house will be destroyed, maybe even your life will be lost. [It is given] in order to accomplish what could not be achieved while you were living in tranquility, in complacency, in decay and corruption.

Besides, we’ve already said what our Christ aims at: “To Give us His Life, His Body, His Blood for everlasting life.” Christ does not aim for everyone to live a hundred years. You see a child leaving [this life] at two years of age, others at twenty, some reach eighty and some a hundred. What comes afterwards? Eternal life!

That is, eternal communion with the Triune Light. For the righteous, [this] is paradise. It is information, it is [true] knowledge. It is enjoyment, it is joy, it is love. It is communion and communication with the saints, with the Most Holy Theotokos and with our Lord Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word.

For the damned, the unrighteous, those who hate, those who don’t want to forgive, those who envy, those who oppose God’s law, those who don’t love temperance, those who don’t love the law of Christ, those who don’t love the Holy Spirit — they don’t cooperate with Him, right? For them, [this] will be hell.

The same Light. Not some other Light. To the righteous, it is an illuminating, cathartic, sanctifying [Light]. To the unrighteous, it is a damning [Light]. The guilt alone, and their evils that will be multiplied, will be such that they will reject and will not be able to stand the presence of this same Uncreated Light. What a terrifying thing! This is what paradise and what hell are. One Light, both for righteous and unrighteous. Both for the saved [and the damned].

Do you know what the good thing is? “Hades is open until the Second Coming” (translator’s note: This is a quote from Saint Paisios, Metropolitan Neophytos uses quite often to urge people to pray for their reposed ones.) Eternal life is awaiting all of us. Well, coming back now to prophetology. The prophecy is given as a way for repentance in order to prepare us for the eternal life. Yes? Since we failed to prepare in the easy way, with comforts … [Now it will be done] in a difficult way. This is it.

Sickness, pain, sorrow are an educational way for man to come to know his eternal benefit. Some Christians realize [what is to their benefit] from this life. From a young age they start loving fasting, prayer, vigil, forgiveness and love. They realize that we alone cannot achieve this. The commandments of Christ can’t be fulfilled [merely] with our own power. “For without Me you can do nothing” [John 15:5]. Let us start cooperating with the Holy Spirit. If some don’t cooperate with the easy way, the difficult way will come. [Notice that] I don’t call it, “the bad way.”

God doesn’t want earthquakes or diseases to happen. The good-pleasure [“κατ’ευδοκίαν”], the first will of God, is our health [Compare Ephesians 1:5]. That’s why in the eternal life, there won’t be death. There won’t be diseases. There won’t be pain. There won’t be sorrow. There won’t be earthquakes, natural disasters, remorse or guilt. Right? But only if we wish for it. The prophecy comes to assist [us and] our sick will.

What does our Triune God do, then? According to Saint Porphyrios, he enlightens one or ten prophets … Do you know which prophecies I relay to people? The ones that were said by more than three men of God. You see? That is, I cross-reference things. Many [saintly men and women of God] have prophesized — some of them in the 18th century, others in the 19th century, others in the 20th, some now in the 21st century. Saintly people still exist but remain hidden. And their visions and prophetic words coincide.

Saint Porphyrios says that prophecy is an event that assists the repentance of the people with Christ hoping that the whole prophecy won’t have to be realized — but merely a part of it. What does this mean practically? On the topic of the earthquake: Say a great 7.5-Richter earthquake will take place. Fear, terror, panic. While we think that this earthquake will take place, our good heavenly Mother, our Panagia turns the switch down and instead of a 7.5 Richter, a 5.5 Richter earthquake occurs. A city, a village, an area is shaken a bit by the earthquake. A few repent – it’s possible that the majority will not repent. Still, Christ is glad about the few who do. Even with the repentance of one person.

So, these few start praying. In this way, the events — all kind of events — that we are already witnessing, thanks to the repentance of the few, the evil will be lessened. God will not prove His prophets wrong completely. On our side, let us activate our prayer and our repentance. Our concern shouldn’t be to live 10 more years. I am 58 years old. Let’s suppose I will live 20 more years, that is 78. Eh? My grandma got to 98. Then? What about the eternal life? Do you understand?

All of us — clergy and laity — need to realize that eternal life is expecting us. We shouldn’t be afraid or merely pray for 20 or 30 more years [of life]. That’s not much. The ninety-seven years of my grandmother aren’t enough for me. I long for the eternal life of my grandmother Myrofora, for whom I know with certainty that she now enjoys the Light of the Holy Trinity. The Father is Light, the Word is Light and the Holy Spirit is Light.

Thus, prophecies are aiming at eternal life always through repentance, prayer, regular [attendance of] Divine Liturgy. This is why I was upset when I saw the Churches close. If the Churches are closed, if the spiritual fathers are not confessing people, if the priests don’t preach, if the prophetic word of the saints isn’t heard, if the lives of the modern saints are not heard, because people with a certain “pathology” and attitude are bothered … Excuse me! Where will our children go? Where will our grandchildren go? Did we think about that?

The concern of us — the elderly — is to live 10, 15 [more] years. Don’t you care about your child? Don’t you care about your grandchild? How will he or she live? To end up half-formed? Eh? We need to be worried about these things. This fear doesn’t do injustice merely to our soul. It also does injustice to our children, our grandchildren, it does injustice to our homeland.

For me to be able to live in free Cyprus today, even if only in half of it, or Greece — being a “free” country to some extent — certain people fought in order to hand it down to me in this way. Right? We, who visit the occupied [northern] Cyprus [or] Asia Minor, which is also occupied, [we] feel our responsibility towards these deserted churches which have been turned into stables. Yet you can still feel the grace of the Holy Spirit rise and you ask yourself, “What’s my responsibility?”

Now all of a sudden, a coronavirus made us close our churches and replaced the Holy Chalice with multiple spoons? For God’s sake, for God’s sake, for God’s sake! And we came to regard the holy icons with suspicion [for fear of contracting COVID]? Why did the confessors become martyrs during Iconoclasm then? Why? Do you see how many problems, theological problems, arise out of this phobic reaction?

Only the bishops and the Synods can solve these problems. Otherwise, we, the bishops, and our Patriarchs shouldn’t be surprised in case every priest ends up going off on his own. Let us not be surprised by that! It’s something I don’t wish for; however, if this phobic, chaotic stance continues and this negligent collaboration with the New World Order — which I hope that it is indeed negligent — then each priest will act as he sees fit, and that’s not a good thing. Of course, Christ has His plan.

I really am optimistic. And the events that will follow — earthquakes, famines, natural disasters and wars — will lead to the realization of an eastern proverb: “Where Satan plows, Christ sows.” Now is a time of great sowing. “A sower went out to sow his seed” [Luke 8:5]. What kind of sons are we?