Very Rev. Fr Nicholas Dalinkiewicz of Holy Protection Cathedral Melbourne, Victoria will be attending Syezd as a speaker.

Abstract – Introduction

The theme of this year’s Syezd is the Apocalypse. Taken literally that would refer to events described in the Book of Revelation. This has little relevance to our day-to-day Orthodox life for a number of reasons:

• Nobody knows when the Apocalypse will occur, except God the Father; it could be a thousand years from now
• The Book of Revelation is highly symbolic, such that only a handful of saints were able to understand its significance and the meaning of its symbolism
• From our perspective, the actual Apocalypse is only of academic value

Rather than focussing on the Apocalypse as a specific event, it is far more important to understand that the apocalyptic process is a journey that will eventually culminate in Antichrist and his subsequent downfall. That journey has now begun in earnest.

The holy fathers were experts in Unseen Warfare. They warned that no matter how intense and horrific physical warfare may be, unseen warfare is vastly more dangerous because the enemy is not visible. The unseen warfare in the 21st century is, however, entirely different to that experienced by the saints of old.

In our time the enemy is, in fact, visible, but he is heavily camouflaged, and uses tactics that the Church is not familiar with. The result is that, with few exceptions, we are not even aware that we are under attack, and consequently, we have no idea how to respond.