Thursday, 1 October 2026 · Almaty

Let us recall the teaching of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem:

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Let us recall the teaching of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem:
When you see the desolation of the holy place, know that what the Lord warned of is drawing near. Do not say: this is impossible. It is precisely the impossible that comes to pass in the last times

Christ warned his disciples of the coming end of the world shortly before his crucifixion, referring to the prophecy of Daniel:

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains

In the Apocalypse of John the Divine it is written:

Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

In the seventeenth century the hagiographic and prophetic tradition was enriched by a saying on the last times attributed to the Athonite Venerable Nilus the Myrrh-Streaming:

There will come a time when there will be no true worship in the churches. There will be churches, but the Spirit will not be in them. Then seek God in your heart.

He is echoed by the Elder Paisios the Athonite:

When they close the churches and forbid services, that will be a sign. Do not be afraid. Pray at home. The Lord is nearer than walls.

The Athonite elders have traditionally warned that a time will come when the Holy Fire will not descend. But there is no need to despair or be afraid. The first Christians celebrated Pascha in underground chambers, under threat of death. That was their confession of faith. This is how modern Orthodox theologians regard any closure of churches.

And Saint John Chrysostom insisted that the Church is not bound to a place:

Where two or three are gathered together in My name.

Yes, the forces of evil know that Christianity is now the only true light on earth and the only path to awakening, and so they will make every effort to suppress and erase as much Christian symbolism as possible. But we know that Pascha is celebrated wherever there are believers and a priest. A ban on entering a particular building will not abolish the Resurrection of Christ

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