But the greatest miracle of His royal power was manifested by Jesus Christ in our times. It consisted not in the violation of the laws of the physical world, but in the upheaval of the political and moral world, which took place to the glory of Christ, and moreover in the most unexpected and miraculous way. By this shock is meant the French Revolution. It is well known that the past century, as history presents it, was a century of unbelief: French, German, and English freethinkers formed whole societies hostile to Christianity. It has become a proverb among these encyclopedists: "To cast down the Inglorious One, that is, Jesus Christ, from the throne." During their lifetime these hostile actions were successful, and after their death even more so. The kings themselves were infected with this, for Frederick the Great clearly followed an encyclopedic godless trend. But especially the French people fell from abyss to abyss. The Convention decided to expel the Christian religion from France, and the Archbishop of Paris rejected God before the Convention, saying that He had deceived the people. A terrible betrayal, if only equal to the betrayal of Judas! Finally, after such a satanic renunciation of the archbishop, the triumph of reason was presented in the square, which was represented by an obscene woman. In this way, among Europe, what was described by the Apostle in the Epistle to the Thessalonians, in the place where he speaks of the Antichrist, took place. After this, who would have thought that where reason had triumphed so disorderly, Christianity would triumph again? No one! Except for faithful followers of Christ. But under Napoleon the triumph of the Catholic Church had already been accomplished. However, this was not yet the true triumph of Christianity. It was the same beast, only from the other side; only the outward appearance of piety has been restored here, and no one has thought of a true restoration, and those Catholic writers who wrote about it were revered as dreamers. But Napoleon fell, and true piety was restored in place of Christian hypocrisy. At the place of the celebration, which was celebrated in honor of reason, a pannikhida was performed, then an unparalleled alliance of the three monarchs of Europe was concluded, promising to preserve faith and virtue in the name of the Holy Trinity. This union is recognized by one of our ministers as the first act of the future Kingdom of Christ. And he really is. Who inspired monarchs with such thoughts as our Emperor Alexander I begins his manifesto? Before, it would have been a shame to admit it like that. Who made Voltaire, Diderot, and others like them think of evil spirits? Who, if not our supreme King, Jesus Christ? He brought about such a saving change that if Voltaire and others like him had been resurrected, they would have become true Christians.

How much does the Holy Scripture say about the royal office of Jesus Christ? In the Old Testament, especially in the prophets, much is said, in the New Testament, in the Gospels, much is said, in the Epistles there is little, the Apocalypse almost all speaks of this. But is it possible to form a complete and definite teaching about the kingdom of Jesus Christ from what the prophets said? It is possible to compose a doctrine, but it is incomplete, because the prophecies are vague and too extensive. The gaze of the prophets often embraced not only the visible, but also the entire invisible extension of this Kingdom; with them everything was presented suddenly, as if in perspective, that is, persons and incidents seemed to be confused. In order to see where everything belongs, it is necessary to find the point from which they were looking; But we cannot always find this point. That is why we cannot form a complete and definite teaching about the Kingdom of Jesus Christ from their prophecies; however, we can extract the general teaching. The Gospels speak more about the moral kingdom that consists in the spirit. Jesus Christ, even if He touched upon His appearance in some parables (and He usually spoke about His Kingdom in the form of a parable), He limited Himself only to that time, and did not speak about the future, about the present state of His Kingdom. True, in the last conversation with His disciples, He touched upon it in part; but he touched only on the end of the visible kingdom, and then indefinitely. The Epistles that teach about the kingdom of Jesus Christ can be pointed to. They are: the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2; 1-12), which speaks of the Antichrist, also in the Epistles to the Corinthians, to the Ephesians - about the union of Jesus Christ with the Church, and to the Hebrews. In all these passages the Kingdom of Jesus Christ is spoken of directly and definitely, but these passages are few.

Why not enough, why did not the apostles say as much in their Epistles as John did in the Apocalypse? Partly because the Jews still had sensual conceptions of the Kingdom of the Messiah, and the Gentiles were politically suspicious, and partly, one might guess, because the Holy Spirit did not reveal it to them. On what can this conjecture be based? On the fact that they did not have a definite concept of this Kingdom, especially of the time of its continuation. From this they formed an opinion about the imminent expectation of the coming of Christ, which is clearly revealed from the words of the Apostle Paul. In this case, Providence left them to their own arbitrariness, but did not want to open them, and therefore they could sin. Crowding and misfortunes could predispose them to this.

Is it possible to use the Apocalypse much in this case? Not much, for here events are represented under symbols and pictures; but to what time should a certain event be assigned, what is essential in it and what is extraneous? It is difficult and even impossible to determine. The Apocalypse serves hope and feeling, but it is not enough for faith. It represents the struggle of light with darkness and the victory of the former over the latter; but how does this struggle take place, what means are used?.. Unknown. All this is presented to pious feeling, and not to reason. In letter this book is very extensive, but in spirit it is not so extensive; it presents descriptively the general and well-known truth that virtue is persecuted, but these persecutions end in glory.

So, is Jesus Christ a King? There is, - this is evident from the innumerable names. Thus, at His very birth He is called King. Where is the King of the Jews born? (Matt. 2:2). Likewise, Pilate calls Him King, and He does not deny this: Art Thou the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him, "Thou shalt speak" (Matt. 27:11).

What is the purpose of this Kingdom? The goal is general: the salvation of the human race from the oath and its management; otherwise - the overthrow of the enemies, vices, deeds of the devil and himself. In particular, in relation to the moral law, the destruction of the dominion of sin and the reign of truth, holiness and law; in relation to the whole world, the restoration of all sighing creatures, or the leadership of all; in relation to the Church, the presentation of her as pure, without defilement and vice, or something of these. What means are used, how is it expressed? It is expressed visibly through the pastors of the Church: in the New Testament it is Christ's rulership, since in the Old Testament there was God's rulership.

What are the laws? The internal code, written, and the external, unwritten, is the action of the Holy Spirit on the heart. Thus, the legal position here is one mediocre, and the other immediate.

In what way is this Kingdom similar and in what way is it different from the kingdoms of the earth? Similar in that it also has laws, punishments, and rewards, it is dissimilar in the form of government. There physical force is used, and here spiritual persuasion; sometimes external means are also used, but very rarely and in extreme need. In the Church, αναθεμα is the same as political death in states.

What is the condition for entering this Kingdom? Two conditions: faith and works. One must first believe that this Kingdom exists, and then one must act as its laws require.

Whoever fulfills both of these conditions is given great rights, namely: he accepts the forgiveness of sins - this is a negative good! He is adopted by God on earth and becomes an heir of heaven - these are positive blessings!

What is the door through which one can enter this Kingdom? This door is Baptism. Everything is assimilated to Baptism because everything is concentrated here from the side of God and from the side of man: from the side of man - vows; and on the part of God, promises and rewards.

Do the subjects of this Kingdom fulfill the laws on their own? No, by the powers of grace, which constitutes a new distinction in the Kingdom of Christ.

Are rewards promised? They are promised and given, namely: in this life there is inner and outer peace; the Apostle Paul often points this out; external benefits are also given, such as longevity, health, fame and respect. These blessings were in the Old Testament and in the New, and they are promised, and were promised by the Apostles. In addition, in this same life miraculous gifts are given; in relation to them, no earthly kingdom can be compared with this Kingdom. There is a direct indication of these gifts, as a sign of the members of this Kingdom: they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be healthy... the serpent shall be brought up: if they drink mortally, it shall not harm them (Mk. 16:18). They are also promised the appearance of God and the saints: I and the Father will come to him, and make our abode with him (John 14:23). There are a lot of examples of apparitions of the Mother of God and saints. In the future life they are promised the totality of all blessings, known under the name of eternal bliss. What are the punishments? The opposite of rewards, that is, the deprivation of all that is indicated above. Here is a brief and superficial sketch of the Kingdom of Christ.

On the Application of Salvation, or the Assimilation of the Merits of Jesus Christ to the Faithful