Глава 15

About the seven Angels who bring plagues to people before death, and about the glass sea that I saw in Revelation Rev. 15:1. And I saw another sign in heaven, great and wonderful: seven Angels having the seven last plagues, with which the wrath of God ended. Everywhere the number seven is taken and this indicates that the untruths boldly committed in the seven days of our life will be curbed by seven plagues and seven Angels. Under the guise of the glass sea, the future life and glorification of the saints are shown. Rev.15:2. And I saw, as it were, a sea of ​​glass mixed with fire; and they that conquered the beast, and his image, and his mark, and the number of his name, stand on this sea of ​​glass, holding the harp of God, “The glass sea,” we think, means the multitude of those being saved, the purity of their peace and the lightness of the saints, with the rays of which they will shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43). The sea is “mixed with fire,” and this must be understood from the words of the apostle: “Everyone’s work will be tempted by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13). This fire does not in any way harm the pure and undefiled, because, according to the saying of the Psalmist (Ps. 28:7), it has two properties: one – burning sinners, and the other, as Basil the Great understood it – enlightening the righteous. It will also be plausible if we understand by “fire” the Divine knowledge and grace of the Life-giving Spirit, for in the fire God appeared to Moses and the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles in the form of tongues of fire. “Psaltery” indicates mortification of the flesh and life guided by the Holy Spirit and well-ordered in the harmony of virtues. Rev.15:3. and they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying: Great and wonderful are thy works, O Lord God Almighty! righteous and true are Your ways, King of saints! Rev.15:4. Who will not fear You, O Lord, and glorify Your name? for You alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your judgments have been revealed. And “I will sing the song of Moses.” According to the song of Moses, we assume that here the song of the justified to grace under the law is sent to God, and from the song of the Lamb - that those who lived righteously on earth after the coming of Christ offer Him unceasing song and thanksgiving for the mercies and blessings He sent to our race, for He called all nations to His knowledge through the divine apostles. Rev. 15:5. And after this I looked, and, behold, the church of the tabernacle of testimony was opened in heaven. Rev.15:6. And seven angels came out of the church, having seven plagues, clothed in clean and light linen clothing and girded around their chests with golden belts. Here we are talking about the heavenly tabernacle, in the image of which God commanded Moses to build the earthly tabernacle. From this church came Angels who, as a sign of their purity, closeness to the cornerstone - Christ and the lordship of the virtues, were dressed in linen clothes or in pure stone, as some lists say. They are “girt around the chest with golden belts” as a sign of their power, purity, honesty and authority in service. Rev.15:7. And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives forever. Seven Angels received from four animals seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, as Ezekiel says (Ezekiel 5:13), and this means that the knowledge of doing, as the great Dionysius teaches, is obtained by the second from the first. Rev.15:8. And the church was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power. The smoke indicates the terrible, terrible and painful wrath of God, which, having filled the church, befalls those worthy of it on the day of Judgment, and above all, those who submitted to the Antichrist and committed apostate deeds. This is confirmed further, for he says: and no one could enter the church until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished. Therefore, we assume that until Divine wrath against the wicked separates the righteous from the unrighteous, until then the Saints will in no way receive a lot in heavenly Jerusalem, sacred rites and peace in the church of God. For first the plagues must end, with which those who deserve it are rewarded for sin, and then the saints will be given residence in the city on high. I think that the one who attributes each of the plagues to those on the earth at its death will not sin either. And God, as a lover of mankind, in order to reduce endless torment in the future, allows in the present life to inflict punitive plagues on those who deserve it, either through the Prophets Enoch and Elijah or through the ongoing suffering from wars. “But we will pray to the Lord that He would punish us in a fatherly manner, and not painfully scourge us in His anger, for it is said: “There is no place in our flesh because of His wrath” (Ps. 37:4), so that, having washed our sin-defiled garments with tears of repentance, and having put on the wedding garment, we may enter into the eternal chamber of joy of Christ our God, to whom belongs all glory, honor and worship, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen. You might be interested in: