We have been here before

🦜 was asked:

"Before the Russian Revolution of 1917, were there cult movements expecting the "Antichrist"

🦜 answered:

Yes—before the Russian Revolution of 1917, there were indeed several religious and quasi-cult movements in the Russian Empire that believed the Antichrist was imminent or already present. These ideas were especially strong among dissident Orthodox groups and apocalyptic sects.

Here are the main examples:

🔥 Old Believers and Antichrist Beliefs

The Old Believers (who split from the official church in the 17th century) often developed intense apocalyptic interpretations.

• Many believed reforms under Patriarch Nikon had corrupted the true faith.
• Some concluded that the state church itself was under the rule of the Antichrist.
• Under rulers like Peter the Great, modernization and Westernization reinforced fears that the Antichrist had effectively taken power.
• Extreme groups (like the Bezpopovtsy, “priestless”) believed the Antichrist’s reign had already begun.

Some even engaged in mass self-immolation (called “fire baptisms”) to avoid living under what they saw as a satanic world order.

🕯️ Sectarian & Mystical Movements

Several fringe sects in the 18th–19th centuries had strong apocalyptic expectations:

• Khlysty

• Believed in direct divine inspiration and ongoing revelation.
• Some followers believed that Christ and the Antichrist could incarnate in living people.
• Their ecstatic rituals and secrecy led outsiders to label them as dangerous or heretical.

• Skoptsy

• An offshoot of Khlysty.
• Practiced extreme bodily asceticism (including castration) to purify themselves before the end times.
• Saw the world as deeply corrupted and close to final judgment.

👑 The Tsar as Antichrist (or Savior)

There were competing narratives:

• Some groups saw the Tsar—especially reforming rulers—as the Antichrist.
• Others viewed the Tsar as a divinely appointed protector holding back the Antichrist.

For example, in the late imperial period:

• Nicholas II was sometimes seen as a sacred ruler…
• …while others believed the entire imperial system had become spiritually corrupted.

📜 Intellectual & Apocalyptic Currents

Even outside fringe sects, apocalyptic thinking was widespread:

• Influential thinkers like Vladimir Solovyov wrote about the Antichrist in philosophical and literary terms.
• His work “A Short Tale of the Antichrist” imagined a charismatic global leader deceiving humanity—reflecting broader anxieties about modernity.

⚡ Why These Beliefs Were So Common

Several conditions made Antichrist expectations widespread:

• Rapid modernization and social upheaval
• Tension between tradition and Western influence
• Weak institutional trust in church/state
• Deep-rooted Orthodox apocalyptic traditions

🧭 Bottom Line

Yes—apocalyptic sects expecting the Antichrist were a real and significant phenomenon in pre-revolutionary Russia. While not mainstream, they were persistent, sometimes extreme, and reflected deeper anxieties that helped shape the cultural atmosphere leading up to 1917.

If you want, I can dig into specific dramatic cases (like mass suicides or prophetic leaders) or compare these movements to similar ones in Western Europe.