St. John of Kronstadt, from Russia, recounts this vision he had seen in January 1901:
"The sanctified people of God would not betray the faith with a word"
After the evening prayers, I lay down to rest for a while in my dimly lit cell, as I was tired. In front of the image of the Mother of God lay my candle hanging. Not more than half an hour had passed when I heard a rustling sound. Someone touched my left shoulder and in a tender voice said to me: "Arise, servant of God, John, and follow God's will!"
I got up and saw near the window a glorious starets [1] (old man) with fisherman's hair, wearing a black cloak, and holding a rod in his hand. He was looking at me tenderly, and I could hardly keep from falling because of my great fear. My hands and feet trembled; I wanted to speak, but my tongue would not obey me. The old man made the sign of the cross to me and soon I was filled with peace and joy. Then I made the sign of the cross myself.
He then pointed his rod toward the west wall of my cell so that I could observe a particular spot. The old man had engraved the following numbers on the wall: 1913, 1914, 1917, 1922, 1924, and 1934. Suddenly the wall disappeared and I was walking with the old man in a green meadow and saw a multitude of thousands of crosses like grave markers.
They were wooden, clay, or gold. I asked the old man what these crosses were for. He replied peacefully that these crosses existed for those who suffered and were murdered for their faith in Christ and the Word of God and became martyrs. And so we kept walking.
Suddenly I saw a whole river of blood and I asked the old man what the significance of this blood was and how much had been spilled. The old man looked around and replied, "This is the blood of true Christians!" He then pointed to some clouds, and I saw a multitude of lighted candles burning with white flame. They began to fall to the ground one after another by the dozens and hundreds. As they fell, they darkened and turned to ashes.
Then the old man said to me, "Look!", and I saw in a cloud seven burning candles. I asked what the meaning of the burning candles falling to the ground and he replied, "These are the churches of God that have fallen into heresy, but these seven candles in the clouds are the seven Churches of the one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, which will remain until the end of the world!"
The old man then pointed up in the air and I saw and heard angels singing: "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord of Sabaoth!" There were archbishops, monks, nuns, groups of laypeople, adults, young people, and even children and babies. I asked the miraculous old man who these people were and he replied: "All these are the people who suffered for the Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church and for the holy icons that were in the hands of sinful destroyers."
Then I asked the grand old man if I could sit next to them. The old man said to me: "It is too early for you to suffer, so sitting with them is not blessed by God!" Again I saw a great multitude of newborns suffering for Christ from Herod[2] and receiving a crown from the Heavenly King.
We went further and went to a big church. I wanted to make the sign of the cross, but the old man advised me: "There is no need to make the sign of the cross, for this place is the abomination of desolation."[3]
The church was dark and depressing.
On the altar was a star and a Gospel with stars.
Candles made of tar burned and crackled like firewood.
The chalice was standing there, covered with horrible dirt.
There was also a banner[4] with stars.
A priest was standing in front of the altar with a face as black as pitch, and a woman was under the altar, covered in red and with a star on her lips, and she was screaming and laughing throughout the church, saying: "I am free!" I thought: "My God, how terrible!"
People like crazy started running around the altar, shouting, whistling, and clapping. Then, they started singing obscene songs. Suddenly, lightning flashed, a terrible starburst echoed, the earth shook and the church collapsed, sending the woman, the people, the priest, and the rest of the people into the abyss. I thought: "God how terrible, save us!".
The old man saw what had happened as I did.
I asked him, "Father, tell me, what is the significance of this terrible church?"
Answer: "These are the worldly people, the heretics, who have abandoned the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church and recognized the recent modernizing church which God has not blessed. In this church, they do not fast, attend services and receive Holy Communion!"
I was afraid and said, "God has mercy on us, but He curses them with death"! The old man interrupted me and said: "Don't grieve, just pray".
Then I saw a crowd of people, each of whom had a star on their lips and were exhausted from thirst, walking here and there. They saw us and shouted: "Holy Fathers, pray for us. It is very difficult for us because we cannot. Our fathers and mothers did not teach us the law of God.[5] We do not have the name of Christ either, and we have not received peace. We have rejected the Holy Spirit and the sign of the cross. They began to weep.
I followed the old man. "Look!" he said, pointing with his finger. I saw a mountain of human corpses painted in blood. I was very scared and asked the old man what the meaning of these dead bodies was. He replied. They suffered for their faith in Christ and the Apostolic Church and received the crowns of martyrdom by dying for Christ. Pray for these servants of God!"
Without warning the old man turned to the north and pointed with his hand. I saw an imperial palace, with dogs running around it. Wild monsters and scorpions were howling and attacking with their teeth bared. And I saw the Tsar sitting on a throne. His face was pale but manly. He was saying the blessing of Jesus.
Suddenly he fell like a dead man. His crown fell. The wild beasts, the dogs, and the scorpions trampled the king. I was frightened and cried bitterly. The old man took me by the right shoulder. I saw a figure swathed in white; it was Nicholas II. On his head was a crown of green leaves, and his face was white and somewhat bloody. He wore a golden cross around his neck and quietly whispered a prayer. And then he told me with tears: "Pray for me, Father John. Tell all Orthodox Christians that I, the Tsar-martyr, died bravely for my faith in Christ and the Orthodox Church. Tell the Holy Fathers that we must make a Pannychida[6] for me, a sinner, or there will be no grave for me!"
Soon everything became invisible in the fog. I wept bitterly, praying for the martyr Tsar. My hands and feet trembled with fear. The old man said: "Look!". Then I saw a throng of people scattered around the earth who had starved to death while others ate grass and plants. Dogs were eating the bodies of the dead, and the stench was terrible. I thought: "Lord, these people had no faith." Blasphemies were coming out of their mouths, and for this, they received the Lord's wrath.
I also saw a whole mountain of books, and among the books, worms were crawling around giving off a terrible stench. I asked the old man what was the meaning of these books. He said: "These books are impiety and blasphemy that will infect all Christians with heretical teachings! Then the old man touched his staff to some of the books and they caught fire. The wind scattered the ashes.
Then I saw a church around which was a stack of prayers for the deceased. I bent down and wanted to read them, but the old man said: "These prayers for the dead have been here for many years and the priests have forgotten them. They will never read them, but the dead will ask someone to pray for them!" I asked him, "Who will pray for them?" The old man replied: "The Angels will pray for them".
We moved on, and the old man quickened his pace so much that I could hardly keep up with him. "Look!" he said to me. I saw a great crowd of people being pursued by the demons who were beating them with stakes, pitchforks, and hooks. I asked the old man what the meaning of these people was. He replied: "These are those who renounced their faith and left the Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church and accepted the new, modernizing church. This group, represents the priests, monks, nuns, and laymen who renounced their vows, or their marriage, and committed themselves to drink, immorality, and all manner of blasphemies and devils. All of these have frightful faces, and a terrible stench comes out of their mouths. The demons beat them, leading them into the terrible abyss from which the flames of hell come out. I was very frightened. I made the sign of the cross while praying, to the Lord to prevent us from such a fate!
Then, I saw a group of people, young and old together, all dressed up badly, holding up a big star with 5 points. In each corner were 12 demons and in the middle was Satan himself with horns and a straw head. He let out a noxious foam to the people while announcing these words: "Arise ye cursed with my seal..."
Suddenly many demons appeared with iron seals and on all the people they placed the seal: on their lips, on their elbows, and their right hand. I asked the old man: "What does this mean?" And he answered: "This is the mark of the Antichrist!" I made my cross and followed the old man.
Suddenly, he stopped and pointed to the East with his hand. I saw a large gathering of people with happy faces carrying crosses and candles in their hands. In their midst was an altar as white as snow. On the altar was the cross and the Holy Gospel and above the altar was the air with a golden imperial crown on which was written in gold letters "For the immediate future". Patriarchs, bishops, priests, monks, nuns, and lay people stood around the altar. Everyone was chanting: "Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth". With great joy, I made my cross and glorified God.
Suddenly the old man waved his cross upwards three times and I saw a mountain of corpses covered with human blood and above them, angels were flying. They were taking the souls of those who had been murdered for the Word of God to heaven while they sang: "Hallelujah!"
I noticed all this and cried loudly. The old man took me by the hand and forbade me to cry.
What pleases God is that the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and shed His precious blood for us. Some like them will become martyrs who will not receive the seal of the Antichrist, and all those who shed their blood will receive heavenly crowns. The old man then prayed for these servants of God and turned to the East as the words of the Prophet Daniel came true:
"The abomination of desolation".
Finally, I saw the dome of the temple of Jerusalem. On it was a star. Inside the church, millions of people were gathering and again many were trying to get in. I wanted to make the sign of the cross, but the old man grabbed my hand and said: "Here is the abomination of desolation."
So we entered the church, which was full of people. I saw an altar, where they were burning candles made of animal fat. On the altar was a king in red, fiery, and purple. On his head was a golden crown with a star. I asked the old man: "Who is he?" He answered, "The Antichrist." He was very tall with eyes like fire, black eyebrows, a shaved beard, beastly, cunning, evil with a frightening face. He was alone at the altar and he was extending his hands to the people. He had claws as sharp as a tiger's and he cried out: "I am a king, I am God. I am the Chief. He who does not have my seal will be put to death."
All the people fell and worshipped him and he began to put his seal on their lips and hands so that they could receive a little bread and not die of hunger and thirst. Around the Antichrist, his servants were leading several people whose hands were bound, and they had not fallen to worship him. They said: "we are Christians, and we all believe in our Lord Jesus Christ!" The Antichrist crushed their heads in a flash, and the Christian blood began to flow.
A child was then led to the altar of the Antichrist to worship him, others boldly proclaimed: "I am a Christian and believe in our Lord Jesus Christ, but you are a servant of Satan!" The Antichrist exclaimed. Others who accepted the Antichrist's sealing fell and worshipped him.
Suddenly a roar of a cosmic roar was heard again and thousands of illuminated lightning bolts began to flash. Arrows began to strike the servants of the Antichrist. 'Then a great flaming arrow flashed and struck Antichrist himself in the head. As he waved his hand, his crown fell off and crashed to the ground. Then millions of birds flew and perched on Antichrist's servants. I felt the old man take me by the hand.
We went further, and I saw a lot of Christian blood again. It was here that I remembered the words of St. John the Theologian in the Book of Revelation, that the blood would go as far as the horse's bridle. I thought: "God save us!" At that moment I saw angels flying and chanting "Holy, Holy, Holy Lord Sabaoth!"
The old man looked back and began to say: "Don't be sorry, for soon, very soon, the end of the world will come! Pray to the Lord. God is merciful to his servants." The time was coming to an end. He pointed to the East, fell on his knees, and began to pray. And I prayed with him. Then the old man began to depart quickly from the earth to the heavenly monasteries. As he did this, I remembered that I did not know his name, so I begged aloud: "Father what is your name?"
Tenderly he replied:
"Seraphim of Sarov".
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