149. Там нам безопасно будет

We hear people say this word: “We will be safe there.” This word is spoken by those who have been absent from the Fatherland and their home, and who wish to return there, and so, consoling themselves, they say: “We will be safe there,” - that is, in the Fatherland and their home. This word is also said about another place where people hope to live safely. However, no matter what place in this world this word is spoken about, it is not entirely true. Why? Because there is no completely safe place in this world, as we will see below. Wherever a person lives, as long as he lives in this world, he does not live without danger. From the mother's womb to the grave, a person faces constant warfare. Therefore, it is decent and correct to speak this word to us, Christian, about eternal life: there we will truly be safe. We won't have anything to fear there; We will live there without any fear, we will live in a calm and peaceful city; there we will have perfect peace and rest, which is why eternal life in the Holy Scriptures is called rest (Matthew 11:29; Heb. 4:11). Living here, we are afraid of war and invasion of foreigners and enemies; It won't be there; for there only the kingdom of God, full of peace, truth and joy, will be. Here we fear fire, famine, and pestilence; there won't be any of that. Here we are afraid of evil people who are either openly or secretly playing tricks on us; this will not happen there, because they will have no place there. Here we are afraid of thieves and kidnappers, who sometimes openly, sometimes secretly, sometimes through flattery, take away our property from us; this will not happen there, since they will all be expelled from there. Here we are afraid of the unbridled tongue of man, for our great persecutor is a slanderer; This will not happen there, for that place is inaccessible for such people. Here we are afraid of false brethren, and a man’s enemies are those of his own household (Mic. 7:6; Matt. 10:36); This will not happen there, for there are like-minded and loving brethren. Here friendship is not safe either; there, without remorse, there will be true and loving friendship, for everyone will have the same heart, thought, will, desire and perfect love for each other. Here we fear heretics and corrupters of the holy faith; this will not happen there, for from there they will be removed and confined in their places. Here we are afraid of the flesh and the temptations of the world; it won't happen there. Here we are afraid of sin; this will not happen there, for there will be perfect truth and love. Here we are afraid of illness and sadness; this will not happen there, for there will be no sickness, sadness and sighing. Here we fear the devil and evil demons; this will not happen there, for they will be confined in their own place. Here we fear death and hell, but this will not happen there; there we will triumph over death and hell forever. Death! Where is your sting? Hell! Where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the power of sin is the law. Thanks be to God, who has given us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! (1 Cor. 15:55–57) You see, Christian, danger and safety. In this world, it is dangerous for anyone living everywhere and always to live; the future life has no danger. We can and should say about it correctly and comfortingly: “We will be safe there.” There we will not be afraid of war, nor enemies, nor hunger, nor fire, nor sea ulcers, nor treacherous people, nor illness, nor slanderers, nor scolders, nor thieves and kidnappers, nor the devil and his evil spirits, nor temptations, nor death and hell - in a word, no trouble. For all ill-being has been removed from there, and all perfect well-being, perfect but eternal, will be there. And from here you see: 1) How poor our life is in this world. Troubles and misfortunes constantly surround us and, like thorns, prick us. One misfortune passes, immediately another comes, after another a third, after a third a fourth, and so on. And so nothing else happens in this world but disasters; and like a ship from the winds and waves of the sea, so in this life we ​​are shaken by troubles and misfortunes. Where and what kind of security in this world should we look for? Will you go into the desert and get away from all people and deceit? There a greater attack of the devil and even more of his wiles will befall you. 2) From here it follows how carefully we should act when living in this world. See, tread carefully, says the apostle (Eph. 5:15). Just as a bird, sitting, looks everywhere and is wary of the archer and the fowler, so a Christian should be wary of everything in this world. 3) Our efforts are powerless without God’s help, especially when attacked by invisible enemies. Therefore, we must continually sigh and pray to God, so that He Himself may preserve us with His omnipotent right hand. Christian! Read the holy psalms, and you will see how David defended himself from his enemies with holy prayer and praise of the name of God, as if with a strong wall. Praise, I will call on the Lord and I will be saved from my enemies (Ps. 17:4). Do the same and you will be saved from the slander of the enemy. How You have increased Your mercy, O God! The sons of men will be trustworthy under the shelter of Your wings (Ps. 35:8). 4) If our life in this world is so dangerous and poor, Christian, why should we desire a long life in this world? In the world seven, to live is nothing other than to always be in poverty; and to wish to live long in the world is nothing other than to live in poverty for a long time. Therefore, the holy prophet laments and sighs about this, saying: Woe to me, that my life in exile is long (Ps. 119:5). A day of blessed death is better than a day of birth. We are born into troubles, but a blessed death puts an end to all troubles. Do not wish, Christian, a long life, as the sons of this age do, but wish for a blessed death. 5) If only in one eternal life there is security, peace, tranquility, joy, joy, and true, and perfect, and eternal bliss, let us hasten there, Christian, let us hasten, despising all the vanity of this world. We will be safe there. Blessed is he whom You have chosen and accepted; he will dwell in Your courts. Let us be satisfied with the blessings of Thy house: holy is Thy church, wondrous in righteousness. Hear us, O God, our Savior, the hope of all the ends of the earth and those who are far off at sea (Ps. 65:5-6). How desirable are Your dwellings, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs in every way for the courts of the Lord (and so on, until the end of Psalm 83). You might be interested in: