Let me show you something:
These are the little-known words of the Ever-Memorable Seraphim, Archbishop of Chicago and Detroit, writing in 1959 in The Destinies of Russia:
"Recently during my first pilgrimage to Palestine, the Lord made me, a sinner, worthy to discover new and hitherto unknown prophecies which cast new light on the destiny of Russia. These prophecies were revealed 'by chance' to the learned Russian monk Fr Antony of St Sabbas monastery, near Jerusalem. He discovered them in ancient Greek manuscripts. They are written by unknown Fathers of the eighth and ninth centuries i.e. contemporaries of St John Damascene, and these prophecies are couched in the following terms:
'After the chosen people of the Jews gave up their Messiah and Redeemer to torment and a shameful death, they were no longer counted a chosen people and this honour passed to the Greeks, a second chosen people.
The searching and inquisitive mind of the Ancient Greeks was enlightened by Christianity and penetrated to the very depths of knowledge. The great Eastern Church Fathers defined the Christian dogmas and created the harmonious system of Christian teaching. This is the great merit of the Greek people. However, the Roman State (Byzantium) is not creative or strong enough to build up a harmonious political and social life on a solid Christian foundation. The sceptre of the Orthodox Empire will fall from the weak hands of the Emperors of Constantinople who are unable to achieve symphony and concord between Church and State.
For this reason the Lord through His Providence shall send a third chosen people to succeed the spiritually weakened Greeks. This people will appear in the North within 100-200 years (these prophecies were set down in Palestine 150-200 years before the Baptism of the Russian people), and will become Christian wholeheartedly. They will strive to live according to the commandments of Christ and will seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, as Christ Our Saviour showed us. The Lord God will love this people for their zeal and will add unto them all other things - huge territories, riches, a mighty and glorious State.
At various times this great people will fall into sin and for this will be chastised through considerable trials. In about a thousand years this people, chosen by God, will falter in its Faith and its standing for the Truth of Christ. It will become proud of its earthly might and glory, will cease to seek the Kingdom and will want paradise not in Heaven but on this sinful Earth.
However not all this people will tread this broad and pernicious path, though a substantial majority will, especially its governing class. On account of this great fall, a terrible fiery trial will be sent from on high to this people which will despise the ways of God. Rivers of blood shall flow across their land, brother shall slay brother, more than once famine shall visit the land and gather its dread harvest, nearly all the churches and other holy places shall be destroyed or suffer sacrilege, many shall perish.
A part of this people, rejecting iniquity and untruth, will pass over the borders of their homeland and will be dispersed like unto the people of the Jews all over the world. 4 Nevertheless the Lord will not show His wrath on them to the uttermost. The blood of thousands of martyrs will cry to the heavens for mercy. A spirit of sobriety will grow among this chosen people and they will return to God. At last this period of cleansing trial, appointed by the Righteous Judge, will come to an end, and once more Holy Orthodoxy will shine forth and those northern lands will be resplendent with the brightness of a faith reborn.
This wonderful light of Christ will shine forth from there and enlighten all the peoples of the earth. This will be helped by that part of the people providentially sent ahead into the diaspora, who will create centres of Orthodoxy - churches of God all over the world.
Christianity will then be revealed in all its heavenly beauty and fullness. Most of the peoples of the world will become Christian. And for a time a period of peace, prosperity and Christian living will come to the whole world ...
And then? Then, when the fullness of time has come, a great decline in faith will begin and everything foretold in the Holy Scriptures will occur, Antichrist will appear and the world will end.'
These prophecies are set forth in various manuscripts with variants, but basically they all agree.
I would remind readers that these prophecies were found in authentic Greek manuscripts of the eighth and ninth centuries when nobody had ever heard of Russia as a State and the Russian plains were settled by more or less savage, warring Slavic tribes and other peoples.