11.11.2014
HOW TO DISTINGUISH A REAL SPIRITUAL GUIDE FROM AN IMPOSTER?
Among parishioners of Orthodox churches you often hear: “And the elder said that we need to prepare for the Apocalypse. And he ordered Mary to give birth quickly, Ivan to take care of his mother... And the elder predicted... And the elders warned in the old days...” Everything indicates that today people are looking for “spiritual support”: the old Soviet ideals have collapsed, and people have new ones Not yet. Who are they, these “elders”, whose word enjoys such authority among church people, whose names are heard by every Orthodox Christian, whose memory is passed on with gratitude from generation to generation? And are there real elders now?
In preparing this material, I had long conversations with many priests and laity. And, as one of my interlocutors said, “there is a division even among Orthodox priests - some love the elders, receive spiritual guidance from them, go to them, talk for a long time, and some love Lexuses and do not want to raise the bar of spiritual requirements for themselves, they believe that the real elders have all already died and there will be no others. Maybe it comes from lack of education, or maybe they are afraid of anything they don’t understand.”
It is worth considering that there is no definition of “elder”. In Orthodoxy, eldership is not the highest level of the hierarchical ladder. Eldership is a special kind of holiness that can be inherent in everyone. “At some point, the Lord lays His hand on a person with special power, which is the ability to see the fate and will of God. And a person becomes aware of the essence of time, able to see the past, present and future of both an individual person and the history of the country, the fate of the whole world. He receives the gift of seeing what is really going on in a person’s soul, what kind of battle is going on there,” Father Dmitry explains to me. “Only God can appoint an elder!”
And how this happens is not a question for us, sinners. On the one hand, Orthodoxy in Russia has a thousand-year history, and on the other... the majority of laymen, priests, and monks became believers only twenty to twenty-five years ago. Where can we compare with those who imbibed their faith with their mother’s milk and from early childhood walked the narrow path to the heights of hesychasm. Yes, the emergence of eldership as a special institution dates back to the 10th century, when, under the influence of hesychasm, a union of Orthodox monasteries arose on Mount Athos (Greece), which became the center of elder leadership. And today a council of elders gathers on Mount Athos, which will recognize the new elder or not.
In Rus', a similar role was played by the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (St. Anthony and Theodosius of the Pechersk, XI century), the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (St. Sergius of Radonezh, XIV century), Trans-Volga monasteries and hermitages (St. Nil of Sorsky, XV century). Eldership was then perceived as spiritual mentoring, a prominent representative of which was St. Paisiy Velichkovsky (1722-1794), who labored mainly in Moldavia, due to the oppression of monks at that time, but through his students had a great influence on the development of this institution in Russia in the 19th century. So one of the definitions is: “An elder (or old woman) is a spiritual teacher, revered for holiness during his lifetime. As a rule, monks become elders.”
In the photo: Valaam Island. Lake Ladoga. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Valaam stauropegial monastery
Photo: Sergey Bergov. Photoxpress
“ELDERLY IS THE CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE OF GOD”
Today, almost every Orthodox monastery has its own elder-mentor, who serves as an ideal for the brethren. “Eldership is a reputation, the unanimous opinion of the people of God about this or that person, and, of course, it is impossible to assign this title to someone. Therefore, there is no official list of elders,” explains priest Mikhail Prokopenko, an employee of the department for external church relations of the Moscow Patriarchate. “It is noteworthy that even such an absolutely revered person as the recently deceased Archimandrite John (Krestyankin) was called an elder only once in official church documents - in the condolences sent by His Holiness the Patriarch on the occasion of his death.”
Our interlocutor talks about his meetings with the elder: “Archpriest Father Vladimir works in Petrozavodsk, who was ordained a priest back in 1963, now he serves in the Cathedral of the Holy Blessed Prince Alexander Nevsky, is the confessor of the Petrozavodsk and Karelian diocese, people often talk about him They speak of him as an old man, wise and perspicacious. I know people whom Father Vladimir seriously helped in solving complex spiritual problems (alas, all our life problems have spiritual roots). I myself have been to Father Vladimir for confession more than once...
Usually, without even listening to the end, he bowed my head with his hand, covered my stole and read a prayer of permission. As one of my acquaintances said, Father Vladimir has listened to so many confessions in his life that he knows in advance everything that we are thinking of saying. Maybe so. But if Father Vladimir asked me about something or gave me some advice, it always turned out that he was talking about something that had nothing to do with me. Maybe that’s why I had an opinion of him as an eccentric good-natured guy. I did not see in him the old man whom I imagined from the stories of others. Perhaps my bias is to blame. The evil “genius skepticus” bends the space around me, like in a crooked mirror.”
In Orthodoxy, it is customary to ask Christ to reveal His holy will through the priest who is next to you, and through your prayer and faith is given to you! It is not for nothing that Christ, returning from Nazareth, where the skeptical residents of this glorious city asked each other in bewilderment, “Isn’t He the son of carpenters?” (Matthew 13:55), said: “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country and in his own house. And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.” (Matt. 13:57-58).
In the photo: Elder Barsanuphius of Optina
ARE THERE ELDERS IN MODERN RUSSIA?
Father Dmitry told us that the mission of the elders on this earth is to see the hidden talent in a person, to see the path that God has prepared for a person, and “raise him so that he does not wallow in the dirt, put a person in the place where he can bring greatest benefit to the world." Agree that the world needs such people and that they are worth it for people to look for them and consult with them. Alexander Pavlov, editor of the Orthodox information bulletin “Rus-Front,” believes that “a true elder is a person who has succeeded in fulfilling the Law of Christ, whether he is young or old, whether he is a layman or a monk, whether in the priesthood or without it.
Fidelity to Christ, His teaching, church legislation, and the covenants of the Holy Fathers is the first and main sign of a true elder of Christ. If he remains obedient to the hierarchy, but the hierarchy has deviated into heresy, then he is not an elder, but a novice of the devil. And the true elders, such as St. Maximus the Confessor, did not hesitate to defend the Truth, even when the highest hierarchs of the Church retreated from it. The true eldership, according to the word of the Holy Fathers, will remain until the end of the century, but will be saved in the unknown.”
Father Vlasiy lives in the St. Paphnutievo Borovsky Monastery. He says about himself: “I am supposed to see and know from the Lord, but some people are embarrassed when I see their secrets...” The elders have abilities that an ordinary person cannot possess. Crowds of people thirsting for healing come to Father Blasius. And many people get it. They say that many drug addicts and alcoholics, after talking with him, take the path of healing.
WITH ONE ADVICE YOU CAN SOLVE COMPLEX LIFE ISSUES
On weekends and holidays, dozens of buses with pilgrims rush from the city to the nearest monasteries. Among them, of course, there are many ordinary tourists, whose goal is to look at the ancient monastery walls and personally see that the masters of the past laid the masonry evenly, but the majority come for spiritual help.
Often in their lives people find themselves in situations where it is very difficult to make the right choice. Should I join the army or go to university? Should I marry Peter or Vasily? And, as a rule, we are talking about issues that can determine the entire future life of a person. Help is often needed in family matters: they learn how, for example, to return prodigal sons to the right path. Pilgrims seek advice from the wisest and most authoritative person in spiritual matters, who, of course, is the elder in the monastery.
Maybe the priest on duty, the schema-monk, will answer the suffering person, or maybe he will actually get to the elder. It is simply impossible to distinguish an old man from another person in black robes. Schema monks, for example, have a brightly distinctive robe, but... the schema monk may not be an elder. Near the Pskov-Pechersk Lavra sits a woman in the robes of a schema maiden, with a begging basket at her feet. To my question whether she was an old woman, the woman answered in the negative, saying that she could not give advice, she could only pray: “Tell me who I should pray for, and I will.”
“Few of the pilgrims realize their responsibility from the fact that they learned the will of God from the elder. Sometimes a lot of grief is brought by such a desire to quickly find out one’s fate and relieve oneself of the burden of choice,” explains Father Dmitry. - The elder said to one young man: “Come to the monastery, I will accept you.” But the young man decided to get married, but his first bride suddenly fell ill and died, the second died tragically...
Only then did he take monastic vows, accepting the advice and will of God. But these deaths could have been avoided. Or two girls came to the priest and asked for a blessing. One is going to a monastery, the second is getting married. The priest says, “I bless you, but on the contrary: you get married, and you go to a monastery.”
Pilgrims must be ready to accept any guidance to action. After all, they question their fate, and knowledge of fate is the readiness to follow it, whatever it may be. Everything is God's will. The elder only “has the right” to voice this to you. And if you receive advice, please follow it, consolation means stop crying and start acting, you have received a blessing for good deeds - do it. The elder differs from all of us in that he sincerely loves us - with the warmth of his soul he fills the emptiness of our wounded heart and soul, pure energy penetrates our entire body. A true elder through himself introduces a person to the Holy Spirit, saturates the soul with the spirit.
An atmosphere of love is what distinguishes a true elder. And the flowers around him grow better, the trees bear fruit more abundantly, animals come to his abode.
There are such people today, look around and you will see. Of those living today, they name the elder Archimandrite Andrian in the Pskov Caves; Elder Schema-Abbot Elijah (Nozdrin) of Optina (confessor of the Patriarch); Elder Schema-Archimandrite Ioannikis from the Ivanovo region; Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov); confessor of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra (since 2012 in a coma from an incurable disease); Archimandrite Naum (Bayborodin); Archimandrite Hilarion from Klyuchevskaya Hermitage in Mordovia; Elder George (Savva) from the Holy Spiritual Monastery... Sincere prayer at the graves of the elders also helps people. No wonder many elders said: “Shout louder than me, and I will hear!”
HOW TO GET TO A CONVERSATION WITH AN ELDER?
Usually, when a pilgrim comes to a monastery for the liturgy, he goes to confession with the priest on duty, but getting to the elder is not so easy. There are many of us, he is alone. We must not forget that this is an old man, well over sixty. It is physically difficult for him to simply listen to a large number of people in a day. Therefore, on the monastery’s website they usually write to call the monastery in advance and make an appointment.
While remaining orthodox in their faith, the Orthodox have always kept pace with scientific and technological progress. As you know, the first hydroelectric power station in Russia was built in the monastery of New Athos. So now, as a rule, monasteries have all modern means of communication. Call, email or Skype, find out, make an appointment. Indeed, thanks to modern means of communication, it can also be done in absentia.
The Valaam elder schema-abbot John, who lived the last years of his life in Finland, in New Valaam, communicated with his spiritual children, scattered by wars and revolutions all over the world, through mail. Today the book “Letters of the Valaam Elder,” in secular terms, is an Orthodox bestseller that is worth reading and re-reading. There you can find answers to many questions that today, like many years ago, torment young people.
And here is how one of the great elders, our contemporary, Archimandrite John Krestyankin, a resident of the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery, conducted the reception of pilgrims: “Immediately after the end of the liturgy, the reception began. In the altar, issues with the visiting clergy were resolved, in the choir the attendants who had arrived with the priests waited for their turn, local parishioners and visiting pilgrims waited in the church. The priest was leaving the church surrounded by many people when it was time for lunch. But even on the street belated questioners and curious people ran up, whose attention was attracted by the gathered crowd. And the curious, having become curious, found in the center of the crowd, first an attentive listener, and in the future a spiritual father.
Very soon, Father John acquired the apt description of “a fast train with all stops.” He walked in a very peculiar way, he did not walk, but glided like a bright ray, elusively, smoothly and quickly. If he was limited in time by some kind of obedience and ran past the hands extended to him for a blessing, then his pastoral conscience was not calm. And, having run, he often returned just as quickly and pattered
He asked: “Well, what do you have there?” And since there was no time to wait for an explanation of what the man came up with, the priest began to immediately answer the question that was not asked to him. At these moments, he, without meaning to, gave away his sacramental knowledge about man and his life.”
Often people, finding themselves in a difficult situation, seek advice from the wisest person in spiritual matters.
Photo: Sergey Pyatakov. RIA Novosti
YOUNG AGE AND FALSE ELDER
Many Orthodox books warn against “young age.”
Priest Vladimir Sokolov in his book “Young Age. Temptations and Reasons” notes that it is the psychology of the flock that gives rise to false eldership: “Not wanting to change, we want to shift responsibility for everything that happens to us to the shepherd. Such an escape from freedom and responsibility is sometimes expressed in a readiness to do anything... Such “obedience” is a form of idolatry, when through the violation of commandments there is a betrayal of God: the elder is revered more than God... The prerequisite for such readiness is the amazing openness and gullibility of the Russian person, his compliance and pliability, his tendency towards maximalism, towards sacrificial service. But such an open, naive and ready to sacrifice person can always become a victim of unscrupulous violence.”
It happens that a monk, or even a priest, suddenly decides that he has reached extraordinary spiritual heights and can now, from the height of his spiritual growth, give advice to others, look far into the future and past, and determine the present. From the Orthodox point of view, such a person simply “fell into delusion,” that is, he was seduced and imagined that he possessed such spiritual fruits as he actually did not have. Unfortunately, the activities of such a person are not at all harmless. People who follow the advice of a young man risk, instead of solving existing problems, getting new ones that are many times more difficult.
There are false elders, communication with whom is dangerous for mental health, and sometimes even for life. First of all, these are priests who imagine themselves to be elders. They can be distinguished by a group of their “admirers” who spread rumors of miracles everywhere, blindly worship their guru, and can be hit for disrespectful comments about him. If you ask around the fans, it turns out that their “teacher” constantly advises them on issues of family and sexual life, opportunities for making money (at the same time, he himself constantly needs finances for various things, and he does not hesitate to ask for and receive them).
Such false elders actually strive to rise above everyone, to have glory, to rule over others. This is why they encourage stories about themselves rather than suppress them. There were cases when they forced me to leave my family and children, to renounce my parents, to sell my house, giving money to the temple, to go to the taiga to build a temple, and in their requests they did not take into account the state of health of the flock. From the point of view of Orthodoxy, the main sin took possession of their souls - pride. And when someone opposes their advice, based on the laws of morality or simple sanity, the false elders do not shy away from cursing: “If you go against me, remember that my prayer is strong!”
Often these people create their own “church”, outside the subordination of the diocese. On the portals of some Orthodox dioceses there are warnings about those who took monastic vows, but left and founded their own church. For example, the former abbot Cyprian (Evgeniy Tsibulsky). For gross violations of pastoral activity and corruption of parishioners, Kiprian was excommunicated from the Church, banned from the priesthood and expelled from the monastery (Trinity-Sergius Lavra). In response, he attracted several dozen fanatics who revere him as a saint, and created a pseudo-Orthodox sect. Their methods are manipulation of consciousness, hypnosis, personality suppression techniques. The result is that people sell their apartments and give away their savings.
If a person’s actions contain proven violations of the Criminal Code, such as fraud, hidden or overt propaganda of religious and national intolerance, theft of funds, harm to health (there are many cases when a sick person was advised to throw away crutches, stop taking medications, refuse surgery - and in As a result, the person died without medical care), then the Investigative Committee or the Prosecutor’s Office deals with the false elders. But for “replacing sound church teaching with pride, demonic delusion and malice” - the judgment is only of God, but not of the world.
As the clergy themselves aptly note, “to have the glory of an elder, to call oneself an elder and to be an elder are completely different things. Everything is learned by way of life. “A believer should not deliver the weak into the hands of the strong.”
HOW DO YOU BECOME AN ELDER?
Nowadays many books are available, many biographies of elders, those who, with their lives and deeds, remained in the memory of people, descriptions of miracles that happen to people after communicating with elders...
The story of Elder Barsanuphius of Optina is of considerable interest. Being successful in the military field, he rose to the rank of colonel and stood out among his colleagues only by his reluctance to marry, attend balls and the fact that he spent a lot of time in prayer. At the age of forty-six he entered a monastery. According to the review of the Monk Nektarios, “from a brilliant military man, in one night, by the will of God, he became a great old man.” Elder Barsanuphius possessed all the gifts inherent in the Optina elders: insight, miracle-working, the ability to cast out unclean spirits, and heal diseases. He was honored with true prophecies about paradise. He was seen at prayer illuminated by an unearthly light. After his death, he appeared to the Optina monks several times.
The holy fool John Vasilyevich Koreisha was revered by many contemporaries as a clairvoyant, soothsayer and blessed one, but was not canonized. He spent over 47 years in hospitals as a mentally ill person (in the memoirs of his contemporaries it slips that he was convicted by officials for exposing thieves, swindlers among officials and embezzlers), but they also went to a psychiatric clinic for advice. Immortalized in the works of Russian classical literature by F.M. Dostoevsky, A.N. Ostrovsky, N.S. Leskov and L.N. Tolstoy.
There is a book by Elder Ephraim of Philothesky “My Life with Elder Joseph”, in which page by page it is revealed how a person becomes an Orthodox elder. A young successful Greek entrepreneur suddenly begins to feel burdened by his activities; he is overcome by only one desire - to become a monk on Mount Athos. But he is a business man, so he approaches his aspiration with businesslike practicality. Before becoming a monk forever, he decides to test himself and goes far into the mountains for several months, where he lives in a cave, like the famous hermits of the past. And only after this, having established himself in his aspiration, he comes to Athos, becomes a monk, a student of an experienced Athonite elder. And step by step he rises up in his chosen spiritual field.
From the outside, for secular people, far from religion, a person’s spiritual growth may be hardly noticeable. Well, a person leads an ascetic life, lives in unbearable conditions of a cell or cave, where the sun scorches him in the summer and the cold kills him in the winter. It turns out that the monks also have their own ladder, along which they climb up step by step. In the book of the abbot of the Sinai monastery (VI century), the Monk John Climacus, “The Ladder, or Spiritual Tablets,” the essence of each step to which a monk must rise in his spiritual work is revealed in detail.
In one of the chapters, Rev.
John Climacus tells about a man named Isidore, who decided to rise in his spiritual growth to at least the first step. The abbot of the monastery, who received Isidore, noticed that he was treacherous, harsh, angry, proud and recommended that Isidore “first of all learn obedience.” Isidore spent seven years overcoming this first monastic step. Over the years he has changed so much that Rev. John Climacus respectfully calls him nothing less than “the great Isidore,” and writes further: “...Come out from among them and separate yourself, and do not touch the uncleanness of the world, says the Lord... (2 Cor. 6:17). For which layman has ever performed miracles? Who raised the dead? Who cast out the demons? - Nobody. All these are the victorious honors of the monks, and the world cannot accommodate them; if he could, then why would there be monasticism and removal from the world?
Authors:
The prophecy of this Athonite elder was remembered quite recently, when the Russian SU-24 airliner was shot down in the skies over Turkey. This Greek monk, who has gained respect throughout the world, has long foreshadowed a military confrontation between Russia and Turkey. Therefore, it is no coincidence that Paisius Athossky’s predictions about Russia 2018 are now of interest to many people in our country.
In fact, this Athonite elder predicted more than one event concerning our state, which has already come true:
A little history
Paisiy was born on July 25, 1924 in Greece. After graduating from school, he, like an ordinary guy, went to serve in the army. In 1950, he became interested in religion and went to the Kutlumush Monastery. Here he lived almost his entire life, engaged in religious practice. In May 1978, the monk moved to the Athonite cell, where he began to receive a huge number of people. He died near Thessaloniki in 1994. Orthodox Christians all over the world continue to come to the grave of this famous elder, which is located in the Theological Monastery. In 2015, the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate canonized Paisius the Holy Mountain. At the same time, the reverend monk was included in the calendar of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Terrible predictions for Russia
The elder's prophecy regarding the Middle East looks quite frightening. With his words, he did not try to intimidate anyone, but only indicated what consequences await humanity that has forgotten God. The immorality of people, the cynicism of politicians and the selfishness of the West will lead to unprecedented bloodshed in the East. His prophecy literally goes like this:
“When the Turks block the Euphrates, wait for the arrival of an army of two hundred million at sunrise.”
Until recently, these words seemed like fiction. Today, the predictions of Paisius of Athos are already coming true. Turkey is indeed building a dam on the Euphrates River, and its commissioning is scheduled for 2018. According to a further prediction that Svyatogorets made back in the nineties of the last century, a terrible war will begin between Russia and Turkey. As a result of this confrontation between Christians and Muslims, a third of the Turks will convert to Christianity, another third of the Turkish population will die, and the rest will be forced to leave their homeland. Back in 1991, Paisius mentioned the fall of Constantinople and the destruction of the Turkish state. The bloodshed will be so large-scale that three-year-old bulls will “swim” in a sea of blood. Schemamonk said the following verbatim about these events:
“During the battle, the Mosque of Omar will be destroyed, which will be the beginning of the restoration of Solomon’s Temple. China's army of two hundred million will cross the Euphrates and come to Jerusalem."
Western European countries will also take part in the war, but they will oppose Russia. Constantinople will be handed over to the rightful owner of this city - Greece, although it will not fight.
The events of recent times indicate that the elder’s words are already coming true. The Russian Federation is already fighting the Islamic State in Syria. Türkiye is also indirectly present in this conflict. The situation in this country is quite tense and it is unclear what it will lead to, especially after the strengthening of the power of leader R. Erdogan after the attempted military coup. Western countries, Israel and the United States also do not remain aloof from the flaring fire of war. Everything suggests that the Third World War may begin in this region. Soon a new redistribution of the world will begin.
What awaits Russia in the future?
The Athonite elder predicted that Russia would become the leader in the defense of Orthodoxy and the Russian-speaking population. He is echoed by other elders of Athos, who claimed the beginning of a new era. In this new time, a new leader must appear on the territory of the Russian Federation, sent by God to save the world from destruction.
Other predictors of the world also spoke about the appearance of the savior of mankind, such as:
- Nostradamus;
- Edgar Cayce;
- Vanga.
Approximately identical forecasts regarding the emergence of a new world leader can be explained quite simply. To obtain the necessary information, the media use various practices:
- prayer;
- meditation;
- immersion in trance.
Thus, a slowdown in human brain oscillations is achieved, and he gains access to the Earth’s Noosphere. In a state of altered consciousness, various information comes to him from the information field depending on the request.
It is also worth noting that almost all the Athonite elders, speaking about the new leader, mentioned joint prayer and repentance. That is, we all must admit to the collective unconscious (God) that we are not able to find a worthy leader and ask him to be revealed from above. It is necessary that a psychologically significant image understand our request and give the new ruler the strength to restore order throughout the world.
Athonite elders about Ukraine
At one time, Paisius of Athos spoke about the confrontation between two fraternal peoples. He also mentioned attacks in Ukraine on the Russian Orthodox Church.
Many monks from Mount Athos also predicted the development of events in Ukraine. They warned this country about the dangers of its choice. So Elder Parfeniy did not stop talking about the insincerity of the European Union. He argued that Ukraine would plunge into crisis and the situation would be much worse than in Greece. The hardworking and sincere Ukrainian people are alien to the sins of Sodom, which are legalized in Europe.
Elder Tikhon, who lived in the Trinity Monastery fifty years ago, predicted a conflict in Ukraine. The cause of the war, in his opinion, will be overseas forces. Those who unleashed the bloodshed in Ukraine will ultimately be the losers. Soon there will be a renewal of power in Russia and the conflict in Donbass will end quickly.
The Greek elders are confident that Ukraine will cope with all problems and get out of this situation if it builds its future together with its Slavic brothers - the Russian and Belarusian peoples.
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Prophecies of perspicacious, spirit-bearing Orthodox elders about Russia and the world: war and three great miracles October 24th, 2016
The Lord will resurrect St. Seraphim of Sarov, who will be alive for quite some time. Whoever wishes will see him alive! Oh, how many miracles there will be then! The relics of the Venerable Father Seraphim are in Moscow with a pious old woman. The Angel of the Lord, when necessary, tells her to turn to the first hierarch and say...
ELDER VLADISLAV (SHUMOV):
1. Cards will be introduced in Moscow, and then there will be famine.
2. There will be a big earthquake in Moscow. Six hills in Moscow will turn into one.
3. No one needs to move from their places: where you live, stay there (for rural residents).
4. Don’t go to the monastery in Diveevo now: the relics of St. Seraphim of Sarov are not there.
5. Yes, there will still be persecution of the Orthodox Faith!
6. In Russia, the communists will still come to power...
7. As soon as you find out that such and such a priest was driven out of the temple, cleave to him for the duration of the persecution.
8. Japan and America will go under water together.
9. All of Australia will also be flooded.
10. America will be flooded by the ocean all the way to Alaska. So Alaska itself, which will be ours again.
11. There will be such a war in Russia: from the west - the Germans, and from the east - the Chinese!
12. The southern half of China will be flooded by the Indian Ocean. And then the Chinese will reach Chelyabinsk. Russia will unite with the Mongols and drive them back.
13. When China comes at us, then there will be war. But after the Chinese conquer the city of Chelyabinsk, the Lord will convert them to Orthodoxy.
14. The war between Russia and Germany will begin again through Serbia.
15. Everything will be on fire!... Great sorrows are coming, but Russia will not perish in fire.
16. Belarus will suffer greatly. Only then will Belarus unite with Russia... But Ukraine will not unite with us then; and then there will be a lot of crying!
17. The Turks will again fight the Greeks. Russia will help the Greeks.
18. Afghanistan faces an endless war.
19. Know! There will be war here, and there will be war, and there will be war! .. And only then the warring countries will decide to choose one common ruler. You cannot participate in this! After all, this single ruler is the Antichrist.
BLESSED ELDER PELAGEIA OF RYAZAN:
In recent times, for every Christian there will be a hundred or more sorcerers!<...>How many books of sorcery and witchcraft are published all over the world under the leadership of Jews?!
There will be great tribulation when the servants of the Antichrist will deprive the believers food, work, pensions... There will be groaning, crying and much more... Many will die, and only those strong in faith will remain, whom the Lord will choose, and will live to see His Second Coming.
When the Lord allows the Antichrist to appear, then the majority of the clergy will immediately convert to another faith, and the people will follow them!
The Antichrist will sacrifice many nations, which Satan will prepare for this, turning them into ruminant cattle!<...>
There will be no food, there will be no water, the heat is unspeakable, the stings of animals, strangled people will hang at every step...<...>
Most people in the world, out of hunger, will accept the seal of the Antichrist; very few will not. This seal will forever seal those who accept it for the grace of repentance, that is, they will never be able to repent and will go to hell!
The Antichrist will only have enough food for those who accepted the seal for six months, and then they will begin a great tribulation, they will begin to seek death and will not find it!
The Russian people will be strangled by all means! And Adventists - the satanic faith - have a green light! There will be so many suicides in our country! More to come! Hunger, and in hunger - cannibalism! War and then choose the Antichrist!
Make every effort so that the Lord will deliver you from the sin of Sodom. Satan will give the command to shame especially the clergy and monasticism with this sin!<...>(This sin) will be spread on a large scale, it is sodomy!
The Antichrist teaching will differ from the Orthodox teaching of Christ only in that it will deny the redemptive Cross! - warned the saint of God Pelagia of Ryazan, - Seventh-day Adventists are the first enemies of the Cross of Christ!
Rich priests crucified the Lord!..
Rich priests overthrew the Tsar!!.
Rich priests will lead us to the Antichrist!!!
There will be three great miracles:
The first miracle - in Jerusalem - the resurrection from the dead of the holy patriarch Enoch and the holy prophet Elijah on the third day after their murder by the Antichrist!
The second miracle is in the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra; St. Sergius will be resurrected after the reign of the Antichrist. He will rise from the shrine, walk in front of everyone to the Assumption Cathedral and then ascend to heaven! There will be a sea of tears here! Then there will be nothing to do in the monastery, there will be no grace!
And the third miracle will be in Sarov. The Lord will resurrect St. Seraphim of Sarov, who will be alive for quite some time. Whoever wishes will see him alive! Oh, how many miracles there will be then!
The relics of the Venerable Father Seraphim are in Moscow with a pious old woman. The Angel of the Lord, when necessary, orders her to turn to the first hierarch and say that she has the relics of St. Seraphim. These holy relics will be carried on their shoulders through Kashira along the Volgograd road through Mikhailov to Tambov, and from there to Sarov. In Sarov, Father Seraphim will rise from the dead!
At the time when his relics are carried, there will be darkness among the people, and a great many sick people will be healed! His resurrection in Sarov will be announced on radio and television, and there will be countless people!
At this time, many foreigners will arrive in Sarov from all over the world: both the priesthood and simply the curious. Everyone will be convinced of the resurrection of St. Seraphim: yes, truly, this is the elder who dedicated himself to God on this earth, in this area! This will be a global wonder!
REVEREND BARSONOPHIUS OF OPTINA:
The whole world is under the influence of some force, which takes possession of the mind, will and all spiritual qualities of a person. This is an extraneous force, an evil force. Its source is the devil, and evil people are only the instrument through which it acts. These are the forerunners of the Antichrist.
In the Church we no longer have living prophets, but we do have signs. They are given to us for the knowledge of times. They are clearly visible to people who have a spiritual mind. But this is not recognized in the world... Everyone is going against Russia, that is, against the Church of Christ, for the Russian people are God-bearers, the true faith of Christ is preserved in them.
REVEREND ANATOLIY OF OPTINSKY:
Heresies will spread everywhere and deceive many. The enemy of the human race will act by cunning in order, if possible, to persuade even the elect to heresy. He will not rudely reject the dogmas of the Holy Trinity, the Divinity of Jesus Christ and the dignity of the Mother of God, but will imperceptibly begin to distort the teachings of the Church, transmitted by the Holy Fathers from the Holy Spirit, and its very spirit and statutes, and these tricks of the enemy will be noticed only by a few, the most skilled in spiritual life .
REVEREND THEODOSIUS (KASHIN):
Was it really a war (the Great Patriotic War)? There will be a war. It will start from the east. And then from all sides, like locusts, enemies will crawl towards Russia. This will be a war!
REVEREND KIRILL BELY:
This time is already a rebellion among people (the destruction of the power of the Monarch), there will be great trouble on our land and great wrath on the people, and they will fall by the edge of the sword and will be captured<...>as the Lord showed me.
Now I saw the king sitting on the throne and standing in front of him were two brave youths with royal crowns on their heads. And the Lord gave them weapons in their hands against those opposing them, and their enemies will be defeated, and all nations will worship, and our kingdom will be pacified by God and established. You, brothers and fathers, pray with tears to God and His Most Pure Mother of God for the power of the kingdom of the Russian land.
SCHIARCHIMANDRITE STEPHAN (Athos):
America will soon collapse. It will disappear terribly, completely. Americans will flee, trying to escape to Russia and Serbia. It will be so.
ELDER MATTHEW OF RESTHENES:
This war of the world, perhaps the entire New World Order, against Russia will be terrible in its consequences for humanity, claiming billions of lives. The reason for it will be painfully recognizable - Serbia.<...>After the resurrection of Russia there will be a Third World War and it will begin in Yugoslavia. The winner will be Russia, the Russian Kingdom, which will be able to establish lasting peace and prosperity on earth after the war, although it will not conquer most of the lands of its opponents.
ELDER VISSARION (Optina Pustyn):
There will be something like a coup d'etat in Russia. The Chinese will attack that same year. They will reach the Urals. Then there will be a unification of Russians according to the Orthodox principle...
ELDER NIKOLAY (GURYANOV):
Father Nikolai, who will come after Yeltsin? What should we expect?
- Afterwards there will be a military man.
- Will it be soon?
-...His power will be linear. But his age is short, and so is he.
A prediction found in the ancient Greek books of the Lavra of Sava the Sanctified by the Russian monk Anthony Savait, built on the prophecies of the Holy Fathers from Greek texts:
The last times have not yet arrived, and it is completely wrong to believe that we are on the threshold of the coming of the Antichrist, because the one and last flowering of Orthodoxy is yet to come, this time throughout the world - led by Russia. It will happen after a terrible war, in which either 1/2 or 2/3 of humanity will die and which will be stopped by a voice from heaven.
And the Gospel will be preached throughout the world!
For until now it was not the Gospel of Christ that was preached, but the Gospel distorted by heretics (This refers, of course, to the preaching of the Gospel in the world by Catholics, Protestants and various kinds of sectarians).
There will be a period of global prosperity - but not for long.
In Russia at this time there will be an Orthodox Tsar, whom the Lord will reveal to the Russian people.
And after this, the world will again become corrupted and will no longer be capable of correction, then the Lord will allow the reign of the Antichrist.
ELDER ANTONY
They are called now aliens, somehow, but these are demons. Time will pass, and they will freely reveal themselves to people, being in the service of the Antichrist and his minions. How difficult it will be to fight them then!
PAISIY OF ATHONSKY:
Unfortunately, today people are being pushed into theology who have no relation to the Church and with absolutely worldly wisdom, who say different things and commit impermissible actions, with the goal of deliberately removing Christians from the faith with their position.
When you hear that the Turks are blocking the waters of the Euphrates in the upper reaches with a dam and using them for irrigation, then know that we have already entered into preparations for that great war, and thus the way is being prepared for an army of two hundred million from the rising of the sun, as Revelation says.
Apostasy (retreat) has set in, and now all that remains is for the “son of perdition” to come. (The world) will turn into a madhouse. There will be complete chaos, in the midst of which each state will begin to do whatever it pleases. God grant that the interests of those who make big policies will be in our favor. Every now and then we will hear something new. We will see the most incredible, craziest events happen. (The only good thing is) that these events will replace each other very quickly.
Ecumenism, a common market, one big state, one religion, tailored to their standards. These are the plans of these devils. The Zionists are already preparing someone to be the Messiah. For them, the Messiah will be a king, that is, he will rule here on earth. Jehovah's Witnesses are also waiting for an earthly king. The Zionists will present their king, and the Jehovah's Witnesses will accept him. They will all recognize him as king, they will say: “Yes, it is he.” There will be great turmoil. In this turmoil, everyone will want a king who could save them. And then they will put forward a person who will say: “I am the imam, I am the fifth Buddha, I am the Christ for whom Christians are waiting, I am the one whom the Jehovah’s Witnesses are waiting for, I am the Messiah of the Jews.” He will have five selves.
He will appear to the people of Israel as the messiah and deceive the world. Hard times are coming, great trials await us. Christians will suffer great persecution. Meanwhile, it is obvious that people do not even understand that we are already experiencing the signs of the (end) times, that the seal of the Antichrist is becoming a reality. It's like nothing is happening. Therefore, Holy Scripture says that even the elect will be deceived. Those who do not have a good disposition will not receive enlightenment from God and will be deceived during the years of apostasy. Because the one who does not have Divine Grace does not have spiritual clarity, just as the devil does not have it.<...>
(Zionists) want to rule the world. In order to achieve their goal, they use witchcraft and Satanism. They look at the worship of Satan as a force that will help in the implementation of their plans. Little by little, after introducing cards and identity cards, that is, compiling personal dossiers, they will slyly begin to apply the seal. With the help of various tricks, people will be forced to accept the seal on their forehead or hand. They will give people a hard time and say, “Only use credit cards, money will be abolished.”
In order to buy something, a person will give a card to the seller in a store, and the store owner will receive money from his bank account. Anyone who does not have a card will not be able to sell or buy.
BLESSED JEROME:
One should not think that the Antichrist is either a devil or a demon, but one of the people in whom all Satan has a bodily dwelling.
Fr. Vladimir Vorobyov, rector of the Orthodox St. Tikhon's Humanitarian University. He spoke about the elders with whom he was personally acquainted. After the lecture, Father Vladimir answered questions about confessors and elders.
What to do if, despite great respect and gratitude to your confessor, there is no mutual understanding with him, and there is a desire to move to another confessor to whom you feel great closeness. Is this wrong?
What does it mean that there is no mutual understanding with your confessor? It can be different. It happens that people have such different temperaments and moods that they simply do not understand each other. This happens quite often in life. Confessors are, for the most part, not holy people, very good people, but not saints, so the kind of mutual understanding that one would like to achieve may not be achieved. With holy people this is always easier, because with holy people their temperament and character fade into the background, and grace acts more powerfully. So, this may be the case, and it may be that with another priest it is easier to establish contact and mutual understanding.
I think that in a number of cases you can openly tell your confessor about this and, with your blessing, you can move on to the priest with whom you have contact. After all, relationships with a confessor are very important for a person’s spiritual life. If it doesn’t work out with this confessor, but it might work out with another, then you can’t proceed from some formal prohibitions that you can’t change your confessor (and this is a widespread opinion among us), it seems to me that you can’t proceed from such prohibitions.
But the fact is that the confessor accuses you of some shortcomings, of some passions. It happens that the confessor is very busy, he does not have enough time or energy. And you take it personally: my confessor treats me badly. And if a person, for such reasons, goes to another confessor, then this is a big mistake.
If you ask your confessor: “Father, I don’t find mutual understanding with you, but with the other priest I have complete contact. Give your blessing to leave,” and he will say: “Of course, go quickly!” - this is not a very suitable way to solve the issue. In such cases, they usually seek some kind of arbitration advice. If you manage to find a spiritual person, an elder (now there are very few such elders), but you need to find a third person who can understand and consult with him on what to do. So as not to rely on your passions, your passionate spiritual movements, so as not to be based on them, otherwise there may be a big mistake. Communication with your confessor is very important. If you are very grateful to him, if he is very respected by you, if the Lord once brought you to him, then it is not just like that. And it’s impossible to break this connection just like that, because something has become difficult. Difficulties do not mean that you have to immediately move on to someone else, with whom it may or may not be easier. So you shouldn’t rush in such things, but you need to be very careful.
But in principle, I think that such cases happen, and this is quite natural. And you can solve them.
Father, why did you go to different elders? Maybe there was something you weren't happy with? Did the elders have friends?
I think elders can have friends. Why not? Saints had friends, even Christ had friends.
Why did I go to the elders? You know, I haven't traveled much. I could well have visited many more contemporary elders. I was able to visit Bishop Afanasy (Sakharov). I still can’t forgive myself for not going to see him. I could visit many more wonderful elders. But I was always ashamed, I thought: “I have a spiritual father, he tells me everything, I don’t have questions that I could also ask the elder, why will I distract the elder and burden myself?” That's why I didn't go. And now I am very sorry, because if there is an opportunity to see a holy person, then never miss this opportunity. This is the most precious thing in life. Even just seeing him, looking at him, standing next to him is the most precious experience that will put everything else in its place in your soul and life. That’s why I went to the elders whenever possible. But I asked Father Vsevolod: “Can I go to Father Tavrion?” He blessed: “Yes, yes, go.” He never showed any jealousy and didn’t think that I wanted to leave him.
I have not yet spoken about Father Tikhon Pelikh, whom Father Arkady and I also knew closely. He was also a wonderful old man. I had to communicate closely with him for a long time during the life of Father Vsevolod.
I think, if there is such an opportunity, then you need to go to the elders, only these should be real elders. There is no need to obey frivolous curiosity and act on the principle: where the people go, there I will go. It's not necessary. But if it is known that there is such a holy person, then it would be good to see him.
How did you manage to meet the people you are talking about now? Did you somehow look for them? Where can we find elders now?
For example, I saw the recently glorified elder Schema-Archimandrite Seraphim (Romantsov). This is Elder Glinsky, he spent his last years in Sukhumi. He was a great old man, now he has been canonized in Ukraine. How did I see him? Very simple. In the summer we went to the Caucasus on a trip, at the end we crossed the pass and went down to Sukhumi, and naturally came to the temple, and Father Seraphim stood in the temple and confessed. That's how I saw him.
I came to Father Tikhon when I was studying at the seminary and could not get to Father Vsevolod. And Father Tikhon was then serving in Sergiev Posad and it was possible to get to him. And I started going to him.
I don’t even remember how we got to Father Seraphim (Tyapochkin), on purpose or while passing through. But I heard about him from my close friends and decided to go to him. I didn’t have any questions for him. I arrived, and my friends, his spiritual children, happened to be there. Then still young Natasha, now Mother Natalya Boyarintseva, took me to Father Seraphim and said: “Father, here is Volodya. We've known each other for a long time." He looks at me and says: “He will be a priest, a priest.” She says: “Volodya gave me spiritual books to read.” “Well, even more so.”
Of course, it was memorable for me and meant a lot. But I didn’t have any questions, I didn’t ask anything. But, of course, such communication is remembered for a lifetime.
And today, who do you recommend turning to among the elders? Very necessary.
And today I don’t know who to turn to. Many people turn to Father Elijah. Father Eli is a wonderful father. But he is very sick and now it has become difficult to get to him. Many now name some other elders. But I don't know them. It so happened that now I don’t know anyone. Therefore, I cannot send it to someone.
Is it necessary to treat a confessor as an elder? Is it necessary to seek the advice of elders if there is a confessor? And in what cases?
No, you don’t need to treat your confessor as an elder if he is not an elder. You need to treat him as a confessor. This is very difficult and it is important to learn how to do it. A confessor, although he is not an elder, is given to a person by God. And in our time, finding a real confessor is also not at all easy. If the Lord leads you to a real confessor, if you can become a real spiritual child, then this is God’s greatest gift. If you have the right attitude towards your confessor, then the Lord will show you the spiritual path through him and, perhaps, will reveal the will of God through him, although he does not have the gift of clairvoyance. But it will be revealed to you, according to your faith, this happens very often.
It depends exactly on how you treat him. One must treat a confessor with love for Christ’s sake, and not with partiality. Treating a confessor with partiality is a sin. This is not only futile, but also very dangerous. Some choose as their confessors those priests who for some reason they like best. Sometimes they choose the young and handsome, or for some other reason. This is wrong. The relationship with your confessor should be spiritual, not emotional.
You need to treat your confessor with trust, selflessly, i.e. don't expect to get anything from him. I don't mean money or gifts. Often we want to be in a special position in church: if I am closer to the priest, I will come and be the main one or the main one. This is also self-interest. Relationships should be selfless. You need to treat your confessor with humility. The task of a confessor is, first of all, to show us our sins and shortcomings. It means hurting us. This can only be done when a person comes with trust and humility. So you come to the doctor, the doctor says: “You need an injection or surgery.” And you believe him, and out of obedience you begin to suffer and suffer - they prick you, cut you, perform unpleasant procedures, because you believe the doctor and believe that he is doing this for your health. You should treat your confessor the same way. So the doctor says: “You know, you have a serious illness.” Now they even tell the patient that he has cancer. Who enjoys this? Suddenly they tell you that you have cancer. But the confessor also says: “You know, you have pride. You don’t know how to behave, you’re behaving boorishly.” This is unpleasant to hear. But the confessor must tell us this. And we must accept this with gratitude, with trust, with the desire to improve. Then it will be a real relationship.
And when you like to be stroked on the head, this is not a spiritual attitude, this is self-interest. We want the priest to only console, encourage and never make any comments, but as soon as he says something unpleasant, then the priest is bad. “Father has gone bad,” you hear this very often. Father used to be good, but now he has gone bad.
If there is a confessor, then thank God. But if there is an opportunity to get to a holy man, to an elder, then I think a real confessor will not mind, he will definitely send you to him.
It happens that even a very good confessor finds it difficult to answer some question or give some advice. It is really difficult to say whether to marry this man or not. They come up very often: “Father, bless me to get married.” “For whom?” "Here's to this one." You think: “Oh, Lord have mercy! What will happen from such a marriage! And everything is already set up for them, they have already agreed on the wedding. And the priest is in a very difficult position. And it happens that the priest cannot stand his temper and follows the lead of his spiritual children. He doesn't say what he has to say, he just can't refuse. This is bad. To be a priest, for your information, is very difficult. It's hard to hurt a person, it's hard to tell people something they don't want to hear.
What should a spiritual child do in the event of the death of his confessor? My friend says that there cannot be several real confessors. And now she doesn’t have a confessor, she goes to different churches. The idea that a confessor is no longer needed seems strange and wrong to me. Is this correct?
I think you are absolutely right. A person may have several confessors throughout his life. I had several very good confessors.
When should you go to the elder, and when to your parish priest?
The parish priest is the third category of priests. They are completely different. A confessor is one thing, a parish priest is another. Not every parish priest can be a confessor. A confessor is a spiritual father, the person to whom your heart is open, who knows you, who constantly prays for you and suffers from your illnesses. He will stand before God for you. He takes responsibility for you, he doesn’t just tell you: “You can’t do this,” he painfully searches for the right path for you. And the parish priest may not be interested in you at all. These are different things. Therefore, who is better to go to? It's better to go to someone who cares about you more seriously.
If you have the opportunity to go to an elder, a real elder, then that’s good.
If there is no spiritual father, but a serious issue needs to be resolved, who can you turn to for spiritual advice?
To a spiritual person, to a spiritual priest. You need to look for the most experienced one. You need to pray, you need to ask around so that you can be shown a sensible, experienced confessor who can give advice, and you can go to him. If suddenly there is no one around you... I remember asking my elder, what to do if there is absolutely no one to go to, as, for example, during persecution. He said this: “Pray better and then start doing what your conscience tells you, try to renounce all passions and think about what to do according to your conscience. And start doing it. And pray. If something works out, it means God’s will is there. But if you pray, start doing something and nothing works out, then God’s will is not there.” The idea is very simple - if you sincerely, from the bottom of your heart, with contrition, with repentance, with humility, pray, ask and try, then the Lord will definitely show you. It will simply indicate the circumstances of life. It will not leave you in a disastrous state. We think that everyone has died, I am the only one left and will die. No, the Lord will not leave.
How to get to the elder who is currently receiving? And how not to make a mistake. Usually they talk about people who have already died. This is very interesting, but I need advice now. There is no one to turn to. There have already been sorrows from wrong advice.
This problem has always been and always will be. I can only tell you one thing from my own experience. When I was young, I also heard a lot about various elders and saints. These were the years of Soviet power. And there was no one around me. For many years I did not have any confessor and I did not know where to go. I was a believer, but I didn’t even know which temple to go to. We were very intimidated in those days. And our parents scared us, they said: “If you go to church now, they will kick you out of school, from the university, and maybe they’ll put you in jail.” So we were afraid, we didn’t trust the priests, because there were informants among them. From a young age I began to pray: Lord: “Give me a spiritual father.” And then he also asked, as I now understand, very boldly: “Show me an old man from whom I can find out Your will. I want to do according to Your will. Who should I ask? And I shared the spiritual father and the elder. And I prayed for so many years, and only then, after dozens of years, I realized that the Lord literally fulfilled my request. I had both a spiritual father and an elder who wrote to me: “This is the will of God.” And the Lord did not give me just any old man, but exactly the one I asked for, who revealed the will of God to me.
God is merciful. If we search and ask with all our hearts, if we ask for good, if we want to do truly well, to arrange our lives spiritually, then the Lord will definitely answer. Maybe not right away. Maybe you need to pray, work hard. But there is no need to doubt this for a single minute. But if you have such a desire, I am deeply convinced that the Lord will not leave it unanswered.
It's not easy, and rightly so, it's not easy. If it were easy, we wouldn't value it. There is a saying: “What comes easily is worth little.”
Is it possible to go to the elders and have the desire to confess to the elder? Because they are great prayer leaders.
This question is posed a little frivolously in my opinion. Such a good desire may be good, but you no longer understand what an elder is.
An elder, in the sense in which we spoke today, is, first of all, a very tortured person. We once told Father John Krestyankin: “Father, there is absolutely no time to pray.” And he answers: “What kind of prayer is that? You talk and talk all day, and then you can only make one bow for tomorrow. No prayer." There is no time or energy left. The elders are exhausted to the last extreme, the elders do not confess, they have no time to confess. They answer briefly and quickly if you get to them. And to confess - to your confessors.
How to find out the will of God. I can't get married?
We need to pray. You need to look for the will of God, ask around.
Are there elders in Russia now like Seraphim of Sarov or the Optina elders?
I don’t think anyone can answer this question. Because people understood who St. Seraphim of Sarov was many years after his death. He was canonized only 70 years later. And then by the direct will of Sovereign Nicholas II, and the Synod was against canonization. Now, when the whole world honors St. Seraphim, when so many miracles have happened, now we know who he is.
There is an image: to see a mountain, you need to move far enough away, but it is not visible up close. Being close to an elder, very often you do not understand who is in front of you. It is known that elders have very difficult cell attendants or cell attendants who do not understand who is in front of them. And they literally torture their elders. And then time passes and it turns out that this is what a saint he was. God does not immediately reveal the holiness and greatness of such ascetics. Maybe time will pass and we will find out that we lived next to a great saint - Father John Krestyankin, for example. Or someone else. But now it is impossible to answer this question.
Does every Christian need a spiritual director?
I think that everyone should have a spiritual leader. Another thing is that not every person wants this. If a person does not want to, then it is impossible to force such leadership on him. He simply will not obey, he will not want anyone to control him or command him. He is a free citizen of a free country! And if a person sincerely seeks spiritual life, then a leader is needed.
What did the elders say or advise when a person has sorrows: poverty, difficulties in his personal life, problems with people around him? When sorrows press from all sides. Humanly speaking, there is no need to expect improvements.
They always said: be patient, humble yourself and pray.
Do elders have a hierarchy?
Hierarchy is when you are the director, you are the deputy director, and you are the head of the department.
There is no such hierarchy among elders. But, of course, there are greater and less great elders.
If you cannot fulfill a blessing, how terrible is this sin?
It happens in different ways, depending on what kind of blessing it is. Actually, the real blessing is one that can be fulfilled.
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