Ilya Sergeevich Glazunov: “Christ and Antichrist”, a picture of good and evil

In 1999, from the brush of the Russian artist Ilya Glazunov (born in 1930), a painting was released depicting the faces of Christ and the Antichrist. The image on the canvas symbolizes good and evil. Priest Andrei Ukhtomsky, candidate of theology, teacher of KDAiS, talks about this for PravLife.

I. Glazunov “Christ and Antichrist”

The two faces have a slight difference in facial expression

The face of Christ is straight, open and calm; the devil's face is tense and somewhat embittered, his beard is pointed. Above the face of the Savior there is a round halo with a cross inscribed in it. The halo, depicted above the faces of Jesus Christ, the Mother of God and the saints (in the Byzantine tradition, the reigning person was depicted with a halo), symbolizes holiness and detachment from the outside world.

Above the image of the devil there is a halo, similar to a halo covered by the halo of Christ.
Unlike the halo of Christ, which depicts the Cross, the image above the devil is an inverted star, a symbol of the devil, which is more clearly indicated by the three sixes located at the tops of the star. “Here is wisdom. He who has intelligence, count the number of the beast, for it is a human number; his number is six hundred and sixty-six” (Apoc. 13:18).

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Ilya Glazuno in “ Christ and the Antichrist”
THE BRIGHT FACE OF CHRIST

REPULSING THE LYING world, we know the world, gentlemen of the darkeners, and its face is clear, like the face of the creator =============== Glazunov is trying to bring in the darkness of incomprehensibility

according to Glazunov’s interpretation, it is impossible for an ordinary person to distinguish good from evil and truth from lies and the righteous path from the unrighteous and the face of Christ from the face of the Antichrist; this is a straightforward and pathetic illustration of the thought “good intentions are the road to hell”, this is what it means that the artist, without having time to understand the topic, begins to illustrate it this comes from the fact that he is an excellent manager who crushed the artist, it turns out that he ordered - draw this topic, it will be in demand, although the artist was not ready for it. Glazunov is trying to introduce darkness of incomprehensibility... in vain... the world is clear and festive - we look into the faces of the deputies and We see perfectly the faces of scoundrels and only some of them - honest people - everything is written on their faces! so you need to listen not to their wicked lips, but to listen to your hearts, and then it’s easy to walk along the paths of this world; we know the world, gentlemen of darkness, and his face is clear; it’s not worth bringing darkness to clear truths; think if - that it’s difficult to distinguish the faces of Christ and the Antichrist; then the wings drop to live and why try to understand good and evil, this is the path of darkness and intimidation, the path of despondency, it is clear that God could not create a world where evil triumphs over good and where truth cannot be distinguished from error and good can be distinguished from evil, then the world would not be perfect and God would not be omnipotent no Mr. Glazunov! no, dear speculators of the truth! the paths in this world are clear - you just need to listen to your intuition and your hearts - they were created for this purpose by nature and God and honed over a million years by evolution - for a clear vision of the road in a festive world

==================== Here is an interesting point of view of Georgy-Ilia - but I wonder why he agrees with the difficulty of separating lies from truth - he is going to become the President of Russia (!) - then it becomes clear where the mercantile interest or thirst for power lies, and it is necessary to cast blindness on the people and offer oneself as a clairvoyant...

Now I’ll find this material that flashed on the Internet...

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Georgy - Ilia

There is a famous painting by Ilya Glazunov. "Christ and Antichrist." Looking at it, you can note that the appearance of the antipode of the Lord, the anti-Christ, is almost identical to the appearance of the Lord. Almost the same appearance. The question arises: why did the author depict two completely different personalities in their spiritual essence? After all, it would be possible to portray the Antichrist as some kind of beast-like monster. And thus the physical deformity of the man of sin would emphasize his spiritual deformity. And it would be easier for people looking at this picture to determine who the Lord is and who the Antichrist is. And so there is no external difference... . What's the matter...?

Yes, the fact is that the picture was painted under God’s guidance. And in such a depiction of the Lord and His antipode - the Antichrist, there is a deep meaning hidden. And its essence is for people to understand how difficult it will be to distinguish the Antichrist from the true Son of God. And many will accept the Antichrist as God incarnate and will honor him as God. So charming will be, outwardly, a man of sin. But this charm is the result of magic. But how many will understand this?

We can observe one difference in the picture. These are halos… . Above the head of the Lord is a halo of holiness, above the head of the man of sin is a halo with sixes (the number of the beast is 666). But the halo is visible with spiritual eyes, it is not visible to the physical eye

https://ralf.com.ua/index.php?act=news&show=yes&page=397

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Georgy -Ilia - President of Russia!

Who will be the next President of Russia?

I ask everyone - politicians, businessmen, public figures, leaders of various movements, parties,

public associations, writers, philosophers, political scientists, journalists, television and radio presenters, editors of various publications,

government officials and responsible government officials! Give an answer to the question - who will be next?

The President of Russia ???!!! I address the same question to clergy. Pastors and clergy of different denominations

and denominations - who has the Lord blessed to bear the cross of the President of Russia in the coming, future time???!!!

A separate conversation with my “colleagues”!

Not very respected brethren - astrologers, fortune tellers, palmists, sorcerers, shamans, etc., what are your stars telling you,

cards, coffee grounds, palms, diamonds and your other equipment?

Who do you see as the next President of Russia?

And somehow it seems to me that no one, none of you, will correctly foretell the name of the future President of Russia!

Why is that so?!

Is it because the Lord never revealed this man to any of you? But there is one servant of God,

who knows this person. Just like once upon a time, on Mount Carmel, when many represented themselves as faithful,

God's servants, but only one Elijah turned out to be one. Even now, many people present themselves as charismatic

omniscient, outstanding personalities, but... .

There will only be one Elijah...

Georgy-Ilia - President of Russia!

This is who the Lord blessed to bear the cross of presidential power in the coming time!

Amen! ……………………

https://ralf.com.ua/index.php?act=news&show=yes&page=700

(fragment - Yu.K.)

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those. it is difficult to distinguish darkness from light and truth from lies and a prophet from a false prophet - say those who are interested in power or other personal interests

*

Remember the proverb “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”

This proverb goes back to the expression of the 17th century English theologian. George Herbert “Hell is full of good meaning and wishes” - “Hell is full of good intentions and desires.” The expression means that there are much more good intentions than good deeds. Because “there is a desire for good in me, but I don’t find it to do it. I don’t do the good that I want, but I do the evil that I don’t want. If I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin living in me. So I find it a law that when I want to do good, evil is present with me” (Rom. 7:18-21).

Symbolic aspects of the canvas

It is not for nothing that the artist touches on the theme of good and evil in his work. Modern society has ceased to distinguish between these two concepts. Outwardly similar to Christ, the Antichrist is an interpretation of the fact that a person very easily perceives good as bad, and bad as good. Many critics condemn Glazunov’s work, since he puts Christ and the Devil on the same line, but true experts assure that Ilya Sergeevich is a genius. Antichrist, like Christ, are messengers, one of God in human likeness, the other a messenger of Satan. Many people confuse the concepts of Antichrist and the Devil, but the painter depicts two human faces; no hooves or horns are presented to the viewer. Evil in the likeness of the Antichrist came to earth in the form of the Savior in order to confuse believers and put them on a sinful path. For a sheep to follow a wolf, you need the appearance of a sheep, it’s simple. This is exactly what Sergei Glazunov wanted to convey to society. Evil - in any way, under any guise, can penetrate our world and take possession of our souls. There is a well-known proverb, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” which means that there are many good intentions, but the pseudo-virtue lacks good deeds.

How will he come?

The early Christian author Hippolytus of Rome writes that the Antichrist, “having risen above all kings and above every god, will build the city of Jerusalem and restore the destroyed temple, and return the whole country and its borders to the Jews” with the sole purpose that the Jews would worship him as God.

Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov warns about the false image of the Antichrist: “The Antichrist will appear meek, merciful, full of love, full of every virtue: they will recognize him as such, and will submit to him because of his most sublime virtue.”

Jewish, Christian and Muslim theologians are unanimous in their opinion: no matter what form the Antichrist appears in, the seduction of people will be his main tool, and the conquest of human souls will be his main goal.

What does it look like?

The Apocalypse from St. John describes the Antichrist this way: “And I stood on the sand of the sea, and I saw a beast coming out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns: on his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads were blasphemous names. The beast that I saw was like a leopard; His legs are like those of a bear, and his mouth is like the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his strength and his throne and great authority.”

See also: Interesting but unpleasant facts

In later Judaism, there is an idea of ​​the Antichrist under the name Armillia (“destroyer of nations”) as a monstrous giant, red-haired, bald, “twelve feet tall and twelve feet thick.”

There is also a description of the Islamic Antichrist - Dajjal, whom Muslims imagined as red-skinned, broad-bodied with curly hair, with the letter “kaf” or the word “kafir” (“unbeliever”) painted on his forehead.

Still from the film “Antichrist” (2009)

The Antichrist's battle with the kingdom of Christ and its defeat by the Lord

According to St. John of Damascus (Exact summary... book 4, chapter 26), “the Antichrist will be raised in secret, then he will suddenly rise up, rebel and reign.” He will fight against all religions and “come in his own name” (John 5:43). An. Paul says that the Antichrist is “... exalted above everything that is called God or that is holy...” (2 Thess. 2:4), that is, God in both the Christian and pagan understanding, and all objects of religious honor.

According to the Apocalypse, a characteristic feature of the Antichrist will be blasphemy : “And a mouth was given to him speaking proudly and blasphemously... And he opened his mouth to blaspheme against God, to blaspheme His name and His habitation, and those who dwell in heaven” (Rev. 13:5 -6).

The Antichrist will assume Divine dignity and demand Divine worship and service: “... in the temple of God he will sit as God, showing himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4). It is impossible to say exactly which temple we are talking about here - whether it will be the Jerusalem Temple restored by that time or some other one that will be most revered and known at that time.

In his struggle against Christianity and all his opponents, the Antichrist will use the following means: he will be helped by false prophets who “... will show great signs and wonders...” (Matthew 24:24); the appearance of the Antichrist “...according to the working of Satan, it will be with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).

The Antichrist will have enormous power. Satan will give him “…his power and his throne and great authority” (Rev. 13:2). What power and strength is meant? Satan himself speaks of his power this way: “...I will give you (Jesus) authority over all these kingdoms and the glory of them, for it has been given to me, and I give it to whomever I want” (Luke 4:6). Apparently, what is meant here is religious power in combination with political power, and most likely the power will be individual, possibly royal, because the power of Satan itself is essentially monarchical power.

The reign of the Antichrist will be worldwide: “...and authority was given to him over every tribe and people and tongue and nation” (Rev. 13:7). In the Old Testament, the prototype of the Antichrist is a powerful all-destroying conqueror (Dan. ch. 7, 8, 11). Most likely, Antiochus Epiphanes was such a prototype in the minds of the Jews. The persecution of Christians will be especially severe. The Antichrist will issue a decree, “...that everyone who does not worship the image of the beast should be killed” (Rev. 13:15). In Apoc. (chapter 11) tells about the murder of two witnesses who will expose the kingdom of the Antichrist. It would then be impossible for Christians to enjoy civil rights: “And he did this, that all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, would receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one would be allowed to buy, neither shall it be sold except to him who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Rev. 13:16-17).

The Church in these times will be forced to hide in the wilderness (Rev. Chapter 12). However, “...the gates of hell will not prevail against her” (Matthew 16:18), and the offering of the Eucharistic sacrifice will not stop until the Second Coming of Christ (1 Cor. 11:26). According to Ap. Paul, the effect of the Antichrist will be especially strong on those who are perishing, those who “... did not accept the love of the truth for their salvation” (2 Thess. 2:10).

The reign of the Antichrist will provoke open resistance against itself. The Apocalypse speaks of two witnesses who will prophesy for 1260 days. According to Tradition, one of these prophets is Elijah. Nothing is said in Scripture about the second, but, according to Tradition, it will be either Enoch (the most common opinion) or Moses.

In the fight against the Antichrist, people will be given Divine help (for example, the story of the Apocalypse about the seven Angels having seven plagues (Rev. ch. 15, 16)). Moreover, according to God’s Providence, for the sake of the elect (those who have kept the faith), those days will be shortened (Matthew 24:22). But it is impossible to defeat satanic power by purely human means: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them...” (Rev. 13:7).

According to the prophecies of Daniel, the duration of the reign of the Antichrist (Dan. 7:25) is three and a half years. The Apocalypse calls 42 months (Rev. 11:2; 13, 5) or 1260 days (Rev. 12:6), which is the same three and a half prophetic years. The Old Testament prophets used a special measure of time in their prophecies, the so-called prophetic year, which is exactly 360 days. Thus, the duration of the reign of the Antichrist will be three and a half years - exactly as long as the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ lasted.

The Lord Jesus Christ Himself will defeat the Antichrist directly by His Second Coming: “... The Lord Jesus will kill with the spirit of His mouth and destroy with the appearance of His coming” (2 Thess. 2, 8). The Apocalypse says: “And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet, who performed miracles before him, ... they were both thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with brimstone” (Rev. 19:20-21).

When did you expect?

The first known expectation of the coming of the Antichrist is mentioned on the eve of the year 1000 AD; later apocalyptic sentiments returned during the First Crusade (1096-1099), during the plague pandemic (1346-1353). In Byzantium in the 13th century, Pope Innocent III, who organized the Fourth Crusade, was considered the Antichrist, and in the 15th century, the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, who conquered Constantinople. The Antichrist was seen in the form of Napoleon, Lenin, Hitler and many other persons whose activities led to social cataclysms.

Still from the film “The Omen” (1976)

How to be born?

Archbishop Averky of Trinity and Syracuse states that “The Antichrist will not be some kind of spirit or demon, but a pernicious fiend of the human race, not the Devil incarnate, as some thought, but a man.” Many suggest that the Antichrist will be born from the relationship of a virgin and Satan.

The Apostle Paul calls Antichrist the man of sin, the son of destruction (2 Thess. 2:3). “According to the most reliable and more widespread opinion, the Antichrist will be a true man, but he will be born from an unlawful marriage, from an imaginary virgin - a bad wife, in contrast to Jesus Christ, born of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” prophesies the saint.

Bruce Pennington "Faces of the Antichrist"