St. Paisios on the Antichrist, the Number 666, and Identity Cards
Excerpt from the book: Saint Paisios of Mount Athos by Hieromonk Isaac
The Antichrist, the Number 666, and Identity Cards
Father Paisios shared the people's concerns and responded to their questions. One matter that especially troubled the faithful at that time was the government's decision to issue new identification cards. Even before this, the Saint would speak about the signs of the times and the Antichrist when he thought it appropriate. In time, as barcodes containing the number “666” became pervasive, and the Greek state attempted to issue new identification cards bearing —as was revealed later — a magnetic strip, the number 666, and the semblance1 of the devil, he expressed himself even more frequently on the topic.2
There was a risk in speaking about these matters then — people were afraid that their opinions were wrong, but there was also the matter of how others would react to what one said. Spiritual fathers with the best theological training avoided answering the questions of the faithful and sent people to learn the Elder’s views. In the beginning, it created confusion even in the Church, because, with the exception of some bright examples, people either expressed erroneous views (fortunately there were very few of these) or remained indifferent or apathetic.
The Saint took a position that he expressed with clarity. For him, it was not enough to reply to all the questions that the faithful asked him about this matter. In 1987, he wrote a letter, well-known in Greece, entitled “Signs of the Times—666.”3 It was well-received and remains instructive. Because of it, many reconsidered their opinions and sided with the views of the Elder. Foreseeing that it would be needed in the future as well, he wrote it in his own handwriting and signed it, so that the record of the views he expressed, which he held until the time of his repose, could not be altered.
Whatever he said and wrote was the fruit of prayer, spiritual sensitivity and interior knowledge. He wanted the faithful to lead spiritual lives, to be well-informed and prepared to make sacrifices, being neither indifferent nor gripped by panic and anxious worrying. He wanted the spirit of the confessors of the faith to be visible in the lives of the faithful who would be ready to confess wherever necessary in accord with their particular station in life.
When young people would ask him if they should marry, given that these apocalyptic events could occur, he would encourage them to start a family and find a job, since this is what the early Christians did in the years of persecution. “Our times are difficult,” he would say, “and we will have to go through hardships and maybe even suffer martyrdom during the storm [of persecutions] that is going to pour down on us. The only way to get through it will be to live a spiritual life. We should not despair. These hard times are a blessing, because they force us to live closer to Christ. It is an opportunity for more struggles. The war now will not be fought with weapons: it will be a spiritual war against the Antichrist. He will try to lead astray ‘If it were possible the very elect.’4 Everything will be controlled by the beast, from Brussels. After the identity cards, they will move on in a cunning way to the Mark of the Beast—they will force people to be marked on the hand or the forehead. Only people who have the mark will be able to buy and sell and be taken care of. The faithful, who will refuse, will be punished. So they should start getting used to living simply, and if they can, they should have a field, a few olive trees, or an animal for their families’ needs. The toughest part will last three-and-a-half years. God will not leave people without help.”
He disapproved of the rationale of people who said, for example, “So what if I receive the mark? I will make the sign of the Cross on my head,” or, “I will get an identity card and scratch a cross on top of it,” or “I will not deny Christ on the inside.” He would say, “If today’s Christians, with this kind of thinking, had lived during the persecutions, we would not have any martyrs. The first Christians did not rationalize their situation: they confessed Christ firmly, and they were on fire for martyrdom. The pagans offered them prominent positions, and they tried to persuade them [to avoid martyrdom] by saying, ‘Just say that you are not a Christian, then believe in your God privately; offer a little incense, pretend like you are sacrificing, but later on do not; pretend like you eat food offered to the gods, then just eat the clean meat; do not preach here, just go somewhere else.’ But there was no way they would deny Christ. They ran toward martyrdom for Christ with joy. They were aflame with divine love.”
“The Church should take the right position. It should object and ask the government at least not to make the new identity card mandatory. And it should explain everything to the faithful so they will understand that, if they accept the identity card, it will be a fall [into sin].”
In conclusion, the Saint believed that, “Behind the EU,5 there’s a dictatorship of those hiding in Zion.6 Only the devil could think up such a cruel dictatorship. The mark [of the beast] equals denial. The identification cards also equal denial. When they put the sign of the devil, 666,7 on top of the identification cards, and I sign it, then I am agreeing to it. It is a denial [of Christ], make no mistake about it. You deny your Holy Baptism and you put on another seal—you deny Christ’s seal and take the Devil’s. It is one thing that there is a 666 on the currency—‘render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar’s8—but it is another matter to be on the identity card, because that is something personal.9
“Even if someone accepts the mark because of inexcusable ignorance or indifference, they will still lose Divine Grace and receive demonic energy.”
This, in short, was the Elder’s position. He spoke with clarity and firmness until his repose; now he guides and instructs us with his writings.
-Saint Paisios of Mount Athos, 2nd ed., Hieromonk Isaac, pp. 269-273
An image of a demonic figure, barely discernable, is meant.—Trans.
The Elder’s views about the new identity cards were based on his examination of documents brought to him by pilgrims, government employees and spiritual information.—eds.
We refer the reader to the Elder’s letter, which has been published independently; as well as to a leaflet including quotes from a recorded conversation with him about these subjects (The signs of the times-666. “Simeia ton kairon-666”. [in Greek]). See also Spiritual Awakening, pp. 197-217.
Matt. 24:24.
The European Union is a founding element of the European integration process.
The Elder made a clear distinction between Zionism and its leaders and the people of Israel. The Elder’s concern with Zionism was eschatological. He, like many ancient and modern Fathers, taught that the Antichrist will in the last days rule the world from Jerusalem, as part of his imitation of the Lord. The Elder, as we see, held these events to be imminent, and it was in this context that he viewed the rise of the modern Israeli state, which he saw as a crucial building-block in Antichrist’s approaching dictatorship.—eds.
Rev. 3:17.
Luke 20:25.
This fine distinction shows the Elder’s traditional stance should be seen: every detail of lived Christian faith requires careful attention. In the fourth century, Saint Theodore of Tyre appeared to warn Christians not to eat food sold in the marketplace, because the apostate Emperor Julian had ordered it to be sprinkled secretly with the blood of animals offered to idols. This is an event celebrated by the Church (on the first Saturday of Great Lent), which desires all the faithful to be free from even incidental defilement.—eds.