In Revelation, St. John the Theologian sees the war of the 200 million cavalry of the evil cavalry, which kills a third of the people. Evil affects souls as well as bodies (like a mechanized army). (Rev. 9:16).
After this war, the 2nd Coming of the Lord does not take place, because John has time to tell us that people did not repent, i.e. humanity was given an extension of life, but a few took advantage of it to be saved. Fr. Athanasios Mytilineos explains this.
By a miraculous intervention of God, the evil spirits (who led people into war) are bound so that the earth can be pacified and the Gospel can be spread unadulterated throughout the world, as Revelation 10 says:
10-1 And I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow on his head, and his face like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire,
10-2 and he has a book open in his hand. And he put his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the earth...
This mighty Angel helps the unstable (sea-like) unbelievers with more power, symbolically using his right foot, and with less power (indicated by the left) those (earth-like) who are more stable in faith.
10-5 And the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and the earth lifted his right hand to heaven.
10-6 And he hath sworn by him that liveth forever and ever, who built heaven and all that is therein, and the earth and all that is therein, and the sea and all that is therein, that time shall be no more.
That is, no further extension for repentance will be given.
It must be said here that the "Mighty Angel" is a God-given appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ, who, as the Son of God, is "Holy Mighty", as we say in the hymn of the Trisagion, while His other names, as the prophet Isaiah says of His incarnation, are "Angel of the Great Council", "Mighty God", "Mighty God", "Prince of Peace": "A child is born unto us, a son is born unto us, and a son is given unto us, the beginning is not born upon his shoulder (the Cross), and his name is called the angel of the great council, a wonderful counselor, a mighty God, a ruler, a prince of peace, a father of the age to come.".. (Isaiah 9:6)
The Son is the most reliable to swear by the Father because, as we say in the Creed, through Him "all things were made" (through whom all things were made), both space and time. And because even the angels in Heaven do not know the day of the 2nd Coming, as the Lord declared. Matthew (24:36).
Disclosure:
10-11 And they say unto me, (the holy angels which were with the mighty angel). You must again prophesy to peoples and nations and tongues and kings many.
Therefore, John, the great Theologian of the Church, assumes in the peaceful period after the War the responsibility of the doctrinally unadulterated preaching of the Word of God to the whole world. For, according to the word of the Lord to Peter, John remains on earth until His 2nd coming: "If I will abide with him until I come, what of thee? thou shalt follow me". (John 21:22). 21:21. If I want him (John) to stay until I come, what is it to thee? Thou follow Me.
The two prophets Elijah and Enoch are physically present on earth, because they did not die, and will openly test the Antichrist. John, who is also shown in the iconography, after his transubstantiation (which our Church celebrates on September 26) is spiritually present and thus will not be killed by the Antichrist, as the two prophets were.
Because there is not much time left until the Last Judgment after the devastating war, John's sermon will be very short, as indicated by the "biblical scroll" i.e. a very small book that symbolically contains it and was given to him by the "Mighty Angel".
10-8 And the voice which I heard from heaven spake again unto me, saying. Go, receive the little book opened in the hand of the angel standing on the sea and the earth.
10-9 And I went to the angel and told him to give me the little book. And he says to me. Take it and swallow it, and it will make your belly bitter, but in your mouth, it will be sweet as honey.
The Gospel will be preached again, and unadulterated by ecumenical and other errors, and this is guaranteed by John the Theologian, who was called to his new mission with the words, "You must prophesy again"...
For our time, before the world war, Saint Paisios says:
Now it will be a shower, a little possession of the antichrist satan. He will then receive a slap from Christ, all nations will be shaken and peace will come to the world for many years. This time Christ will give His creature a chance to be saved. Will Christ leave His creature? He will show Himself in the deadlock of men, to save them from the hands of the (then) antichrist.
They will return to Christ and there will be spiritual peace throughout the world for many years to come. Some associate this intervention of Christ with the Second Coming. I cannot say. My calculus says it will not be the Second Coming of Christ when He comes as Judge, but an intervention of Christ, because there are so many events that have not yet taken place.
Christ will step in, slap this whole system in the face, smite all the evil, and make it right in the end. The streets will be filled with pilgrims. Outside the buses will have pictures. All the people will believe. They'll pull you in to tell them about Jesus! So the Gospel will be preached throughout the entire World and then (when this period is complete) Christ will come as Judge to judge the world. One thing is Judgment, and another is an intervention of Christ to help His creature! (St. Paisios of Mount Athos: Words B "Spiritual Awakening", edition of the Holy Monastery of Evangelist John the Theologian - Suroti Thessaloniki)
Conclusion:
Revelation and Saint Paisios the Athonite (+1994), agree that before the 2nd Coming the Gospel will be preached to the whole world. This is the peaceful period of the "dawning" of Orthodoxy. It is God's gift to humanity, even though it does not deserve it, because it prefers to live in sin, despising all His commandments. From this point of view (if we do not take into account God's gift), St. Sophronius of Athos (+1993) was not wrong when he said:
"We are living in the last years. The crisis could happen now!"
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