Глава 6 Загробная участь праведников

1. Special revelations of God about the eternal bliss of the righteous. The saints of God loved to reflect on the bliss of the righteous, and some of them were awarded special revelations about heavenly life. So, to strengthen the spirit of those walking the sorrowful and narrow path to paradise, we will extract from their lives God’s revelations about the Kingdom of Heaven. 1. Who among the saints, while living on earth, was closest to eternal bliss if not the Mother of God? And so, when she, dying, said goodbye to each of the saints. the apostles, who miraculously gathered for Her burial, when they were already face to face with the blessed eternity prepared for the righteous, in the warmest words she expressed to the apostles that she wished them eternal bliss, and about herself she said: “Remember me, Lord, in Thy endless kingdom!” Looking at the radiant face of Her dearest Son and Lord, who appeared in glory to receive the soul of His Mother, the Most Holy Virgin Mother of God, without any bodily suffering, as if falling asleep, betrayed Her most pure soul in his hand. The face of the Mother of God, sanctified by the “kindness of the Divine,” shone with the glory of Divine virginity (Service August 14, canon paragraph 8, trop. 2), and a wondrous fragrance spread from her body. On the day of the funeral, in the evening, St. The apostles were surprised by the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, whom they saw standing in the air, surrounded by angelic powers and shining ineffable glory. She told them: “Rejoice! I am with you all day!” This phenomenon made St. so happy. the apostles and those who were with them, that they all exclaimed: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us!” After this, there was no doubt that the tomb of the Blessed Virgin became a ladder to heaven (service August 15, eternal verse “I cried out to the Lord” (“Red. – Min.” under August 15). 2. St. Mark, an ascetic of the 4th and early 5th centuries, speaks of two revelations to one saint, which, without a doubt, foreshadowed the eternal fate of the righteous. For the first time, the saint saw that three loaves of bread were brought to him during his prayer; “The more he ate (these loaves), the more they increased.” (Isn’t this a sign of inexhaustible pleasures in the next world that the righteous will receive?) Another time the saint saw himself in a light robe, following the example of the clothes of Jesus Christ on Tabor, and was horrified with joy. (In the “ninth word on sobriety” according to r.p.). 3. The Monk Ephraim, reflecting on the vanity of his present life, once with his soul’s gaze saw the Lord sitting in heavenly glory, and the Lord said to his soul: “Why did you, soul, abhor your heavenly palace... the good things I have prepared for you?” (according to Gregory of Nyssa). 4. The longest and, therefore, the most clear vision of the blessed fate of the righteous in the next world was awarded to St. Andrew, the holy fool for Christ’s sake, is the same one who saw in the Blachernae church the “veil of the Mother of God” celebrated by the church. Andrew lived in Constantinople in the 5th century. His life was described by the person closest to him - his confessor, priest Nicephorus. The biography writer also heard about him, and what he personally did not know, from another person closest to him - Epiphanius. (And this was Andrei’s disciple, who saw with him a wonderful revelation in the church, later the Patriarch of Constantinople). Epiphanius in monastic life began to be under the name Polyeuctus (he is commemorated in Greek min. February 5). Here is the story of what blessed Andrew saw and heard in his rapture to heaven. “I don’t understand what happened to me,” says the blessed one. By the will of God, I remained in a sweet vision for two weeks, just as someone slept sweetly all night and got up in the morning. I saw myself in a very beautiful and wondrous paradise and, admiring the spirit, I thought: what does this mean? I know that my abode is in Constantinople; but by what force I was transported here, I don’t know, and I didn’t understand myself, whether I was with the body or outside the body? God knows this. But I saw myself dressed in bright clothes, woven as if from lightning, girded with a royal belt, and a crown woven from a wonderfully beautiful color was on top of my head. Overwhelmingly amazed at this indescribable beauty, I admired my mind and heart at the inexpressible beauty of God's paradise and, while in it, was filled with joy. I saw there many gardens with tall trees; they, swaying with their branches, greatly delighted the eye, and a great fragrance flowed from their branches. Some of the trees bloomed continuously, others were decorated with golden leaves, others were laden with various fruits of indescribable beauty. It is impossible to compare the trees of paradise to any tree on earth, the most beautiful: for God’s hand planted them, and not man’s. In these gardens there were countless birds, some of them had golden wings, others were white like snow, others were speckled with various flowers. Sitting on the branches of the trees of paradise, these birds sang so beautifully and delightfully that from their pleasant singing I reached self-forgetfulness, and it seemed to me that the voice of their singing was heard at the very heights of heaven. My heart was so delighted! And those beautiful gardens stood in amazing order, like a regiment standing against a regiment. When I walked with joy in my heart in these paradise gardens, I saw there a great river flowing through the gardens and watering them. On both sides of the river grew vines, which were decorated with golden leaves and golden-like fruits. A quiet and fragrant wind blew from four sides, with its breath the gardens swayed, and with the shaking of the leaves they produced a wondrous rustle. Then some horror came over me: it seemed to me that I was standing above the firmament of heaven, and some young man, dressed in purple, with a sun-shaped face, was walking around me. Following him, I saw a great beautiful cross, which looked like a heavenly rainbow. Around him stood fiery singers and, flaming with love for the cross, sang a wondrous and sweet song, with which they glorified the Lord crucified on the cross. The fiery young man who accompanied me approached the cross and kissed it; then he made a sign for me to kiss the cross too. Instantly falling to the holy cross, I kissed it with trepidation and great joy. As soon as I touched it with my lips, I was satiated with the flow of indescribable spiritual sweetness and smelled a much greater fragrance than in the Gardens of Eden. Leaving the cross and looking down, I saw beneath me, as it were, the abyss of the sea; It seemed to me that I was walking on air and, fearing the abyss, cried out to my leader: “Terror seizes me at the thought of falling into this abyss.” My companion, turning to me, said: “Do not be afraid! We must rise even higher." He gave me his hand - and we appeared above the second firmament. I saw wonderful men there, their peace, the everlasting joy of celebrating them - objects inexpressible for human language. Then we ascended into an amazing flame, which did not scorch us, but only enlightened us: I was struck by fear, but my guide, turning to me, gave me his hand and said: “We must ascend even higher”; and with this word we found ourselves above the third heaven, where I saw and heard countless heavenly powers singing and praising God. Approaching a certain curtain that shone like lightning, in front of which stood great, terrible, fiery-shaped youths, whose faces shone brighter than the sun, with fiery weapons in their hands, I saw an immense multitude of the heavenly army standing in fear. The (heavenly) youth accompanying me said: “When the mysterious veil is opened, then you will see the Lord Christ and bow down to the throne of his glory.” Hearing this, I trembled and rejoiced: horror and inexpressible joy filled my heart, I looked with reverence until the veil was taken away. When some fiery hand pulled back the curtain, then, like the prophet Isaiah, I saw my Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne; seraphim stood around him; He was dressed in a scarlet robe, his face was bright. He looked at me graciously. Having beheld the Lord, in an inexpressible emotion of spirit I fell on my face before him and bowed to the bright and terrible throne of her glory. ABOUT! here the mouth becomes numb, the tongue refuses to express spiritual objects, spiritual joy in sensual forms. What joy and delight filled my heart from seeing his face. It is impossible to explain, so even now, remembering this vision, I am filled with inexpressible joy! Having fallen in great horror before my Master, I was amazed at his great mercy, by which he allowed me, a sinful and unclean man, to stand before Him and see his divine beauty. Imbued with a feeling of tenderness and reflecting on the incomprehensible majesty and goodness of my Master and on my own unworthiness, I uttered within myself the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Woe to me, I am lost! For I am a man of unclean lips... and my eyes have seen the King. Lord of hosts" (Isa.6:5). The heavenly army, looking at such philanthropy and condescension towards fallen humanity, sang a wonderful and ineffable song. Having enjoyed the contemplation of the heavenly beauties of the spiritual world, blessed Andrei was in an anxious thought that among the vast host of angels and saints he was not worthy to see the Most Pure Mother of God. Instantly the saint saw a cloud-like, bright man wearing a cross. This wonderful man, understanding my thought, said to me: “You want to see the bright Queen of heavenly powers; but now She is not here: She has gone into a troubled world to help suffering humanity and console the sorrowful. I would show you her holy abode, but there is no time now: you must return again to where you were taken away from. Thus the Lord of all commands you! After this, the wonderful vision of heavenly life ended, and St. Andrei again saw himself on the ground (extracted from (“Thu – Min.” October 2 days). 5. Let us mention here the revelation of heavenly paradise to St. Tikhon of Zadonsk. St. Tikhon, as a reward for his thought of God and piety, was then honored to see the Kingdom of Heaven twice, each time at night. He had his first vision even before his monastic rank. One day he went out onto the porch to enjoy the quiet and bright night. From the beauty of the May night he moved on to thinking about eternal bliss. And then, suddenly, the sky opened before him: he saw an extraordinary radiance and lightness in the sky! A minute later the sky had already returned to its previous, ordinary appearance. Despite, however, the short time during which the vision lasted, he - when he only remembered this vision - came into great delight. Another time, already in the rank of bishop and walking according to his custom at night around the monastery church, he stopped at the altar. Here, after several fiery words of prayer to the Lord God that he might be shown the eternal bliss of the righteous, he again saw light from heaven, spreading over the entire monastery. A voice from heaven followed him: “See what is prepared for those who love God!” After this vision, the righteous man had already thrown himself to the ground and could barely reach his cell (“Notes of John in his cell.”). 6. One pious warrior husband was dying and saw a green meadow, decorated with flowers of fragrant herbs, on which one could see gatherings of people dressed in white clothes. There was such a pleasant smell in this place that the very pleasantness of the smell saturated those living and walking there. A house of amazing beauty was being built there, apparently made of golden bricks. Golden bricks: used to build houses were carried by elders and youths, maidens and youths. And another husband had a vision that a house was being built for him, but the workers only came to build it! on Saturdays. Afterwards, the one who had the vision had a revelation to understand the vision, that this house was being built! only on Saturdays because this husband had the custom of taking Blessed Peter to the church on Saturday and distributing to the poor what was left of food and clothing from the food and clothing produced on other days (“St. Gregory. Double.” Ed. 1858, pp. 328 and 331). 7. There was a vision of St. Mavra: a wonderful husband appeared to her, his face shone like the sun; He, taking her by the hand, took her to heaven, showed her the covered throne and the white clothes and a beautiful crown lying on it. She, amazed at the beauty, asked her husband who was driving: “Whose is this, sir?” He answered her: “This is your reward for your exploits, a throne has been prepared for you, clothes on it and a crown.” He raised her even higher, showed her another throne, also covered with clothes and a crown; again she asked him, whose is this? “Your husband Timofey,” answered the conductor. “Why are they separated from each other?” - “There is a great difference between you and your husband: you received an exhortation from your husband to the feat of martyrdom, and he is the culprit of your crown” (May 3 days). 8. One day righteous Martha, mother of St. Simeon of Divnomountain, having arrived to see her son on Divnaya Mountain to say goodbye to him, stopped to spend the night with him. In a dream vision, she (that is, her soul) was taken up to the heights of heaven and saw a bright and wonderful chamber, which is impossible to describe. When she walked around this chamber, she saw there the Most Holy Virgin Mary with two bright angels. The Mother of God said to her: “Why are you surprised?” She bowed to her with fear, joy and reverence and said: “Oh, Lady! I am amazed at the beauty of the chamber, because I have never seen such chambers in my entire life.” The Mother of God asked her: “Who do you think she is preparing for?” She: “I don’t know, oh. Madam! Mother of God: “Don’t you know that this peace is prepared for you, in which you will henceforth abide forever: your son bought it for you.” The Mother of God ordered the angels to place a wondrous throne in the middle and said to her: “This glory is bestowed upon you because you have lived a godly life in the fear of the Lord”; then she added: “Do you want to see even better?” And she told her to follow Him. They ascended to the highest heavenly places, where the Mother of God showed her the most wonderful and brightest, better than the first, chamber, filled with heavenly glory, which the human mind cannot comprehend and the tongue cannot express. The Mother of God said: “Your son created this chamber for himself and began to build a third.” The Mother of God again led her higher to the sunny east and showed her from above the heavenly villages, in which many rejoicing husbands and wives were rejoicing, and said: “Your son has given these places to those who live in observance of the commandments of the Lord, chastely and righteously, and do alms with zeal, for which they themselves will be worthy of mercy from the Lord: blessed and merciful”... (July 4, life of Martha). 9. In the life of St. To Eupraxia the Virgin it is said: “The Mother Superior told me a vision, so I, taking Eupraxia, was led by bright men to some wonderful gates, they opened on their own; we went inside, saw a miraculous chamber of indescribable beauty and a high throne; the bright King sat on it: I could not enter the middle, but the angels took Eupraxia and brought her to the King, they bowed to him and kissed his feet; I saw ten thousand angels and countless saints there; everyone stood and looked at Eupraxia; I saw the Mother of God, who took Eupraxia by the hand and showed her a beautiful palace and a prepared crown, shining with glory and purity, and heard a voice: “Eupraxia! This is your reward and peace, now return and in 10 days you will be satisfied with all these endless blessings” (July 25). 10. After the death of the merciful Philaret, one pious man was honored to see his monastery not made by hands. He said this: “In admiration, I saw myself in a bright place, where I saw a bright and handsome man who showed me a river of fire flowing with such noise and fear that a person cannot stand. On the other side of the river, a beautiful paradise was visible, filled with indescribable joy and joy, the whole place was filled with fragrance; beautiful, large, fruitful trees swayed with a quiet wind, and everything that God had prepared for those who loved him was beautiful there. There, among people in white robes, rejoicing and having fun and enjoying the fruits, I saw the merciful Philaret, but did not recognize him; he was in light clothes and sat on a golden throne in the middle of the gardens; on one side stood children holding candles in their hands, and on the other, crowded the poor and wretched. One young man appeared here, with a bright face, with a golden rod in his hand, and I dared to ask him: “Sir, who is this sitting on the bright throne among those bright-looking men, is it not Abraham?” The young man replied: “Filaret of Amniat, a lover of the poor, similar to Abraham in his honest life.” St. Philaret looked at me and began to quietly call me, saying: “Child! Come here too and enjoy these blessings.” I told him that I couldn’t, the fiery river forbids and frightens me, the path through it is narrow and the bridge is inconvenient, I’m afraid that I won’t get there either. Filaret said: “Go fearlessly, everyone came here this way and there is no other way; I will help you,” and extended his hand. I began to pass the fiery river without harm, and when I approached his hand, the vision ended and I woke up (“Thu – Min.” Dec. 1). 11. Pankratiy, monk of Athos. Father Pankratiy, in the world of Paramon, was a man of lordship. As a child, his cruel mistress forced him to walk barefoot in deep autumn, when snow and ice already covered the ground, causing his feet to hurt greatly. The poor boy could not bear it; he secretly ran away from his mistress and decided to get abroad at any cost, and went beyond the Danube, where he remained for some time in the service of the Russians, who had also fled abroad. The case of the arrival of Pankratius on St. Goru is strange: he was a soulmate of one of the Little Russians, who for some reason committed suicide: the unfortunate man hanged himself. Sensitive Pancratius was greatly touched and amazed by the eternal loss of his heart friend; he fervently prayed to God for mercy on the unfortunate man, and, seeing how vain worldly life was, he abandoned it and retired to St. mountain Here, in Rusika, he found the desired peace of mind, despite the fact that his leg was already rotting from wounds that were the result of a severe cold in childhood. However, no matter how terrible the suffering of Father Pancras is, he rejoices at himself and often further says to me: “Believe me, I agree to rot with my whole body, I just pray to God to save me from heartache, because it is unbearable. I sometimes look at you and feel sorry for you: sometimes you are not yourself due to internal unrest. Oh! If your heart hurts, it’s a disaster! This is hellish torment; and my wounds, even if there were ten times more of them, are a wasteland: I will not rejoice over my illness, because, as I suffer, God consoles me. The heavier my leg is, the more significant the pain, the more cheerful I am, because the hope of heavenly bliss rests me, the hope of reigning in heaven is always with me. But it’s very good in heaven!” - Pankraty sometimes exclaims with a smile. - How do you know this? – I asked him one day. “Forgive me,” he answered, “I should not answer such a question frankly; but I feel sorry for you in your heartache, and I want to give you at least a little comfort with my story. You have seen how I suffer over time: oh, it’s not for nothing that I curl like a snake on my bed; It hurts me, it hurts hard - unbearably! But what happens to me afterwards, only it knows,” Pankratiy remarked mysteriously, putting his hand to his heart; - Do you remember how I once, unable to bear the pain, tossed about on my bed, and then something similar to a murmur escaped from my filthy lips. But the pain subsided, I calmed down, you went away from me to your cells, and I, laying down my leg, dozed off sweetly. I don’t remember how long I slept or dozed, I just saw a vision, and God knows what... Even now, as soon as I remember about that vision, I feel an inexplicable, heavenly pleasure in my heart, and I would be glad to be sick forever, if only the unforgettable vision for me would be repeated at least once in my life. I felt so good then! -What did you see? - I asked Father Pankraty. “I remember,” he answers, “when I dozed off, a boy of amazing, angelic beauty comes up to me and asks: “Are you in pain, Father Pankratiy?” Nothing now,” I answered, “thank God!” “Be patient,” the boy continued, “you will soon be free, because the master bought you, and at a very, very high price”... - How, am I bought again? – I objected. “Yes, bought,” the youth answered with a smile, “they paid dearly for you, and your master demands you to come to him.” Would you like to come with me? he asked. I agreed. We walked through some too dangerous places; wild, huge dogs were ready to tear me to pieces, viciously rushing at me, but one word from the boy - and they rushed away from us like a whirlwind. Finally, we came out onto a spacious, clean and bright field, which seemed to have no end. “Now you are safe,” the boy told me, “go to the gentleman who you see sitting in the distance.” I looked and, indeed, saw three people sitting next to each other. Amazed by the beauty of the place, I joyfully walked forward; people unknown to me in wonderful attire met and hugged me; Then I saw many beautiful maidens in white royal attire: they modestly greeted me and silently pointed into the distance, where three strangers were sitting. When I approached those sitting, two of them stood up and stepped aside; the third seemed to be waiting for me. In quiet joy and some kind of touching awe, I approached the stranger. – Do you like it here? – the stranger asked me meekly. I looked at his face: it was light; royal grandeur distinguished my new master from ordinary people. Silently I fell at his feet and with feeling kissed them; there were wounds on his legs. After that, I respectfully folded my hands on my chest, asking permission to press his right hand to my sinful lips. Without saying a word, he handed it to me. And there were also deep wounds on his hands. I kissed the stranger’s right hand several times and looked at him in quiet, inexpressible joy. My new master's features were amazingly good; they breathed meekness and compassion; a smile of love and greeting was on his lips; his gaze expressed the imperturbable calm of his heart. “I bought you from your mistress, and now you are mine forever,” the stranger began to tell me. “I was sorry to see your suffering; your childish cry reached me when you complained to me about your mistress, who tormented you with cold and hunger; and now you are free forever. For your suffering, this is what I am preparing for you. The wondrous stranger pointed me to the department: it was very light there; beautiful gardens, in full bloom, were depicted there, and a magnificent house glittered under their Edenic canopy. “This is yours,” the stranger continued, “but it’s not quite ready yet, be patient. When the time comes for your eternal rest, I will take you to me; Meanwhile, stay here, look at the beauty of your place and endure until the time: he who endures to the end will be saved!” - God! - I exclaimed beside myself with joy, - I’m not worth such mercy! At these words I threw myself at his feet and kissed them; but when I got up, there was no one and nothing in front of me. I woke up. The knock on the board for Matins sounded throughout our monastery, and I quietly got out of bed to pray. It was very easy for me, but what I felt, what was in my heart, is my secret. I would give thousands of years of suffering to repeat such a vision. It was so good! (From “Letters of the Holy Mountainer”). 2. New Jerusalem (Rev. 21). St. John the Theologian depicts paradise or the dwelling of the righteous under the guise of the new Jerusalem. "1. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the former heaven and the former earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. 2. And I, John, saw the holy city Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them: they shall be His people, and God himself with them shall be their God. 4. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away. 5. And he who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he says to me: write; for these words are true and true. 6. And he said to me: It is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; To the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water. 7. He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son. 8. But the fearful, and the unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and fornicators, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone. This is the second death. 9. And one of the seven angels, who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, came to me and said to me: Go, I will show you a wife, the bride of the Lamb. 10. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me: the great city, holy Jerusalem, which came down from heaven from God. 11. He has the glory of God. It shone like a most precious stone, like a crystalline jasper stone. 12. It has a large and high wall, has twelve gates and twelve angels on them; On the gate are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel. 13. There are three gates from the east, three gates from the north, three gates from the south, and three gates from the west. 14. The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 15. He who spoke to me had a golden reed to measure the city and its gates and its walls. 16. The city is located in a quadrangle, and its length is the same as its latitude. And he measured the city with a reed for twelve thousand furlongs. 17 And he measured the wall thereof to be one hundred and forty-four cubits, according to the measure of a man, as is the measure of an angel. 18. Its wall was built of jasper, and the city was pure gold, like pure glass. 19. The foundations of the city wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones. The first base is jasper, the second is sapphire, the third is chalcedon, the fourth is emerald. 20. Fifth sardonyx, sixth carnelian, seventh chrysolite, eighth beryl, ninth topaz, tenth chrysoprase, eleventh hyacinth, twelfth amethyst. 21. And twelve gates are twelve pearls. Each gate was made of one pearl; The city street is pure gold, like transparent glass. 22. But I saw no church in it, for the Lord God Almighty is his church and the Lamb. 23. And the city has no need of either the sun or the moon for its illumination; for the glory of God has illuminated it, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24. The saved nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor into it. 25. Its gates will not be locked during the day, and there will be no night there. 26. And they will bring into it the glory and honor of the nations. 27. And nothing unclean will enter into it, and no one devoted to abomination and lies, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” 3. Description by the holy fathers of the bliss of the righteous. The most picturesque description of this kind is found in Ephraim the Syrian, Chrysostom and Basil the Great, among the fathers of the Eastern Church; from Lactantius and Ambrose of Milan from the ancient fathers and teachers of the West. The description of Ephraim the Syrian is especially remarkable in its liveliness and brightness of colors: it is found in his famous “hymns about paradise”, imbued with a deep enthusiastic feeling of his holy soul and marked by the majestic charm of his original highly poetic talent. He calls Paradise 49 “Eden,” “a garden,” a place of light and splendor,” “a place of joy,” “a haven of victors,” etc. and places it “on the other side of the ocean that washes the earth.” There are four rivers in paradise, the waters of which pass through underground channels to the earth and form water streams here. In shape, it represents a high mountain - “above all the mountains of the earth” and is so vast in size that it can accommodate all the righteous - the mountain is divided into three sections: the lower - from the base to the middle, the middle part and the top of the mountain, above which God himself dwells - the righteous, who pass to heaven after death, are placed according to the degrees of their merits in three different sections of the paradise mountain. Paradise has gates, which serve as a place of testing for those entering it, since only people who are completely worthy can pass through them, and the unworthy remain outside the gates, and in this sense, according to Ephraim the Syrian, every person has the keys of heaven. In paradise, among the many trees of paradise, rise the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the tree of life. Ephraim the Syrian calls the first “the sun of paradise” - its leaves spread light everywhere, “all the trees of the Garden of Eden bow before it as before their king,” its beauty and brilliance are beyond any description. And the tree of life is also distinguished by its extraordinary virtues and beauty - under it and around it there are flowers, “forming a whole floral carpet”, on its branches “luxurious fruits”, which constitute, as it were, its cover, “its sky”... In addition to these trees, there are many others in paradise, many plants and herbs that have extraordinary properties: Their number and brilliance exceeds the number and brilliance of the heavenly stars, their fragrance is like a healing balm... The gardens of paradise are washed by crystal water from luxurious streams and springs flowing in different directions. Ephraim the Syrian calls the air of paradise “a source of sweetness” and says that everything beautiful in paradise is united in it - everything outside it is united”; “it revives and delights, gives spiritual food and drink to blessed souls, spirits move in it, bathe in it, for them it is - a sea of joys..." Under the gentle breath of air in paradise, everything blooms and grows: eternal spring reigns here, among which the inhabitants of paradise - the "sons of light" - live. Their dwellings are “woven from clouds”, spreading an unusually pleasant fragrance around them, “surrounded by flowers and hung with precious fruits.” In appearance, these dwellings are not all the same: some are higher, others are lower, some are distinguished by greater splendor, others by less, depending on the degrees of merit and merit of their inhabitants. All the saints and righteous, after leaving earthly life, go to heaven, and since, according to Ephraim the Syrian, “Jesus Christ and His teaching are the key and gates of heaven,” then among them the first place is occupied by the apostles, who spread the word of God on earth: “from the day when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles, they already entered heaven,” followed by the prophets and martyrs, then virgins and virgins, etc. In describing the blissful life of the righteous, as in describing the heavenly nature, Ephraim the Syrian also uses the brightest colors, although in both cases he makes it clear that the picturesqueness or, if one can put it this way, the poetry of his eastern painting should not be taken in the direct, literal sense, separately from that high spiritual content, for which it serves only as a means to concretely convey thoughts and clothe in living images an inspired feeling of love for the subject of almost inaccessible spiritual contemplation - to to the fatherland of all the joys, hopes and aspirations of holy souls. Staying in paradise, among luxurious, indescribable nature, the righteous enjoy the promised inheritance - the bliss of heavenly life; “clothed in the robe of light,” they are free from all urges, passions and needs that are inevitable in earthly and bodily existence, the former grief and suffering of the earth, as well as earthly joys, are alien to them; “their bliss, their food is the praise of God, their clothing is light, their appearance is greatness and height,” everything in them is spiritual or inspired by a higher spiritual power, bringing them into close communion with God and the angels. Their whole life is incessant praise and glorification of God, incessant singing - “holy, holy, holy is the Lord,” which is why Ephraim the Syrian calls the very place of their stay “the place of Hosanna or Hallelujah; they glorify the goodness of God, and in their lips are rivers of wisdom, in their hearts is peace, in knowledge is truth, in testing is reverence, in their singing of praise is love.” The above description of paradise by Ephraim the Syrian, despite the bright oriental flavor, in essential features, of course, is in harmony with the general opinion about the location and life of the departed righteous souls, which among the fathers of the church, among Christian speakers and poets, was expressed, as in Ephraim the Syrian, in a whole series of picturesque Images and paintings that delight the senses and introduce the Christian’s thought into the heavenly abodes of the afterlife. In the West, besides Lactantius, Ambrose of Milan and others, almost the same as that of Ephraim the Syrian, and, moreover, also a highly poetic description of paradise is found in the hymns of his famous contemporary Clementius Aurelius Prudentius. Here, for example, with what features in one of his hymns he describes the blissful abode of the righteous: there (in paradise), he says, the earth, strewn with roses and multi-colored grass, spills a fragrance and, watered by murmuring streams, produces fragrant violets and tender crumbs, - there flows balm flowing from tender branches, there they spread a precious fragrance kinnamon (cinnamon tree) and other rare plants... There blessed souls, walking with immaculate feet on the lilies, resound with the green fields with the consonant singing of sweet hymns.” Let us compare these poetic images with one of the visions in the martyrdom of St. Felicitatus and Perpetua, whose antiquity is attested by Tertullian. “Four angels,” says St. martyr (Satur), - they took us out of prison, and together with them we headed towards the east. We climbed up, but not directly perpendicular, but as if along the slope of a beautiful and imperceptibly rising hill. As soon as we moved a little away from the earth, we were surrounded by a blaze of light. I then said to Perpetua, who was next to me: “My sister, the promise of the Lord is being fulfilled: this is what the Lord promised us!” Having walked a little further, we entered a garden in which there were many different kinds of flowers: there were rose bushes, tall as cypress, the white and red flowers of which, moved by the breath of tender zephyr, fell and looked like fragrant, multi-colored snow falling in a thick layer... Four angels, even more brilliant than those who were with us, came out to meet us and greeted us... We walked through these vast and beautiful gardens and met here Secundus, Saturninus and Lrtax, who suffered for the faith - they were burned alive, and Quintus, who died in prison also for the faith. And when we asked where the other martyrs who suffered for the faith were, the angels told us: “Enter and greet the lord of this beautiful garden...” Before us was a magnificent palace, the walls of which seemed to be made of pure diamonds; we entered it, and in one of the rooms, which was incomparably more beautiful and richer than all the others through which we passed, the angels gave each of us white clothes; voices were heard, merging in unanimous singing and constantly repeating: “Holy, holy, holy!”... Satur further tells that they were presented before the throne of the Lord Jesus, “near Whom on the right and on the left, on golden seats, sat twenty-four elders”; the Lord accepted them into His arms and allowed them to remain “in these beautiful places,” taking advantage of everything that was in them. “We stayed,” says the martyr, “and our food was the fragrance of heavenly flowers and plants.” (From the book by Prof. A. Ponomarev “Conversation of St. Gregory. Great. about the afterlife”) A. High preparatory conditions for the beatitude of the saints. Judgment and glorification of the saints 1. People of all ages, conditions and nations, from the beginning of the creation of the world until the day known only to God, will have to appear in court and hear their sentence. Terrible day! Happy day! Terrible for those who forgot about the coming of their Savior, happy for those who hoped and expected Him. Then everyone will have to give an account of his life, namely, how he used the gifts received from God; time, health, reason, grace, sorrows, help and suggestions. The sins of youth, forgotten by sinners, with all their private falls, will be revealed before people and angels. They insulted the Savior Jesus Christ, not listening to His words, insulted His servants: they will then see Him sitting as their Judge. Their consciences will accuse them and remind them of their crimes. Where will the unfortunate sinner hide? Who will understand the thoughts that trouble his heart? Neither the world nor his former friends are able to help him. There was a time, sinner, when Jesus Christ wanted to save you, but you did not want it; now you would like this, but He no longer wants. In vain will you now cry out: Woe, fall on me and hide me from the face of him who sits on the throne and the wrath of the Lamb. So, I demand of you, before God and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is to judge the living and the dead when He appears in His kingdom, to seriously think about all this. But why should you be embarrassed, humble and pious soul? Having saved Noah from the flood and Lot from the destruction of Sodom, will He forget you on this day? The Lord will be able to deliver the godly from adversity and preserve sinners for punishment on the day of judgment (2 Peter 2:9). On this day He will strike terror into His enemies and show His people unspeakable happiness. There is no condemnation here for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. Who will accuse God's elect? God will justify them. Who will condemn if the judge does not condemn (Rom. 8:1, 33, 34)? Those who confess “I will confess me before men...I will confess before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:32). Inexpressible joy! Our Savior, who loves us and is loved by us, will be our Judge. Christian! Jesus Christ will judge you. The One who came to earth, endured, cried, shed His blood and died for you - the One Who was judged, condemned and sacrificed as a propitiatory sacrifice for you. And after He has done the greatest part of His ministry in redeeming, regenerating, sanctifying, and saving you, will He undo all His work? The solemnity and greatness of this day are thus presented by the apostle: “It is right before God to repay those who offend you with sorrow, and you who are insulted with joy with us, at the appearing of the Lord Jesus from heaven with the angels of His power, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will be punished, eternal destruction, from the presence of the Lord from the glory of His might when He comes to be glorified in their saints, and to appear wondrous on that day among all who believed, because you believed our testimony” (2 Thess. 1:6-10). 2. Other preparatory measures for the beatitude of the saints consist in their solemn glorification and participation in the kingdom of God; because as Christ, their head, was king and high priest, so His chosen ones will become kings and priests of God (Rev. 5:10), to reign and always sing His praises. The crown of righteousness, reserved for them, will be given to them on that day by the Lord, the righteous Judge (2 Tim. 4:8). They were faithful unto death, and for this He will give them the “crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). Making them participants, He will address them with the following words: “Well done, faithful and good servant, you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things; enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25:23). He will say to them the following comforting words: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34) - words filled with life and joy (see the book “The Eternal Bliss of the Saints” by Richard Baxter, translated from French. Publ. 1882). B. The Benefits of the Beatitudes of the Saints See further what advantages are associated with the beatitude of the saints. The advantages of this beatitude: it is an inheritance acquired, - a gift given without merit, - a gift preferential to saints, - communion with saints and angels, - the direct origin of all joys from God, and finally, perfect and eternal peace. 1. Honor, which is most remarkable in relation to the blessedness of the saints, is an inheritance acquired (Eph. 1:14), that is, at the price of the blood of the Son of God. This is the greatest expression of love - to give your life for your loved ones. And what unceasing joy will we be filled with when we continually have before our eyes Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, and in our hearts the deep consciousness of love who suffered death for us! With what delight will the saints forever contemplate their merciful Redeemer! Contemplating his wounds of love will not open our wounds of sorrow. The one who immediately after his resurrection turned to the poor sinner with these comforting words: “Wife, why are you crying?” – can awaken joy and love without the slightest sign of sorrow. 2. Another advantage of the beatitude of the saints is that it is the gift of God. It costs a lot for Christ, but tune (free) is given to us. We receive and inherit it freely, without money or any price. What high, eternal reverence should the saints feel at the thought of this gift! What is it about me that the Savior honored me with such a fate, that he clothed me, poor, pitiful, with such lofty glory - he elevated me, the dust of the earth, to such a height - that he filled my heart with joy? Who can measure this endless love? Even if this bliss were free and independent of our merit, this is already an object worthy of amazement; but it was given to us in spite of our deeds, in spite of the conditions that we undertook for our own fall. How amazed we will be at the thought of the immeasurable distance between our deeds and the gift we receive! What love the following thought will awaken in us: “This is the place where sin led me, and the place where Christ brought me! There is death, the wages of my sin; here is eternal life, the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Savior.” 3. This blessedness, special for the saints, belongs only to them of all the sons of men and is common to all saints. It consists in the communion of blessed spirits, saints and angels, under the headship of Jesus Christ; it consists in the communion of saints in its entirety. If the hope of being together with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of God awakens legal joy in us, then to a greater extent the use and possession of this good will fill us with a joyful feeling. The union with Moses, David, and all the redeemed, forever singing the song of the Lamb, the vision of Enoch walking with God, of Noah receiving the reward of his piety, of Joseph for his chastity, of Job for his patience, and of all the saints, all this constitutes the reward of their faith. There we will not only recognize our ancestors, but also all the saints of all times whom we have never known in the flesh; we will recognize them and enjoy their presence. And the angels, like the saints, will be our friends. Rejoicing in heaven (Luke 15:7–10) over our conversion, they will rejoice with us over our glorification. 4. Another advantage of the blessedness of the saints is that they will receive all kinds of joys directly from God. Now the Christian knows from experience that the highest pleasures are also the most expensive, especially those that come directly from the Spirit. The more Christians devote themselves to prayer and contemplation, the more they are imbued with life and a joyful feeling, because they receive everything directly from God himself. This does not mean that we could therefore neglect preaching, reading, or any other grace-filled means established by God, but in using these means, a Christian must place himself above them. There is joy in these imperfect communications, but its fullness lies in the immediate presence of God. Then we will enjoy light without a lamp and an unceasing day without the sun. This city does not need either the sun or the moon for its illumination; the glory of God sows it, and the Lamb is its lamp. There will be no night there and there will be no need for light from the lamp and the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them, and they will reign forever and ever (Rev. 21:23, 22:5). 5. This will be perfect bliss. Our joy will be without any admixture of sadness. In this pier we will be protected from the waves that overwhelm us here. We will be free from all evil, both sin and sorrow. There will be no sin at all in heaven. Nothing nasty will enter there, there will be no one who indulges in abomination and lies (Rev. 21:27). Why would Christ die if heaven could be the abode of imperfect souls. The Son of God came “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). His blood and his spirit must not leave us with our filth. Christian! You will sin no more in heaven; Isn't this good news for you, who have prayed and worked for so long to protect yourself from sin? Your wishes will be fulfilled; you will be freed forever from this coarse heart, these bad thoughts that haunted you while performing almost all your duties. There we will be protected against all the temptations of Satan. How bitter it is for a Christian, even if he does not succumb to temptation, to be constantly provoked to deny his Lord! How sad it is to look at yourself, subject to such terrible disturbances, besieged by such unclean thoughts - sometimes to doubt the goodness of God, to humiliate the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, to doubt the truth of the Scriptures, to be indignant against Providence! How bitter it is to be stimulated to turn to the objects of the world, to be carried away by sinful aspirations, to indulge in carnal pleasures and sometimes further deny God! How sad it is to give in to these temptations, especially when we are aware of the wrong direction of our hearts, we know how susceptible they are to being ignited by the touch of one of these sparks! Satan can entice us here, but the Holy City is inaccessible to him. Thus, there will be no place there for any temptations of the world and the flesh. Oh, what dangers we are constantly surrounded here! All our senses, all our members, all our creations serve as snares for us. We can hardly open our eyes so as not to be in danger of envying our superiors and despising our inferiors, desiring riches and honors of some kind, and looking with pride at the rags and poverty of others. Beauty awakens envy in us, ugliness awakens disgust and contempt. What constant and active activity our desires require! Do we have pleasantness and beauty - how much food for pride! Are we gifted with reason and the gifts of knowledge - how many reasons for pride, for seeking praise and for the contempt of brothers! Have you risen in authority? How much temptation there is to abuse our significance, to recognize our will as law! Have we found ourselves in a humiliated position? How inclined we become to envy the exaltation of others, to subject their actions to our own condemnation! Are we rich? How much pride! Are you poor? What a temptation for discontent! It is not God who causes difficulties for us in this, but our own damaged nature, and we ourselves become harmful to ourselves. Our main consolation is that we will be protected from all these temptations. In heaven everything will be united so that we can offer praises to our great Savior. Let us also be at peace from all our troubles. This seems insignificant to those who live in joy and contentment; but for the soul, always sorrowful, this expectation makes the very thought of heaven comforting. Oh, my soul! Bear with the infirmities of your earthly church: they will only last for a short time; the coming Redeemer will help you achieve your goal. 6. The last stage of our glorification is the eternal continuation of this bliss, without which the rest would mean nothing. The mere thought of its discontinuity would poison all our joys. But, oh, blessed eternity, where such thoughts will not darken our lives, such fears will not disturb our joys! Oh, my soul! Leave all the delights of real happiness, part with the earth, renounce the flesh, think and discuss more often about one word - eternity. Why? Live and never die, rejoice and rejoice unceasingly! Those condemned to the torments of Gehenna would consider themselves happy if they could hope to be freed from them after millions of centuries! Miserable would the saints in heaven be if they were deprived of this after the duration of a million worlds! Eternal! Let the sinner remember this word, and may it awaken him from the sleep of death; let the pious soul think of him and be inspired by him in the midst of the deepest agony. Thus, I tried to reveal to you the glory of the future; but how insufficient is my word to express her superiority! Reader! If you are a humble and meek believer, if you strive for this bliss with all your desires and efforts, then you will soon feel the truth of all this, you will soon be convinced that everything I have said is beyond reality. And let what you see ignite your desires and awaken your efforts. Get up and give yourself to work: aspiration, incessant struggle, effort; before you is a sure and glorious reward. Don't hesitate and everything will be yours. How many people would become Christians in life and in the performance of duties if they always remembered this glory that appears to their thoughts! What a disposition they would be in if their heavenly hopes were alive and full of faith! Would their hearts be so immune? Would they seek consolation on earth? Heal, Lord, our carnal hearts, lest our unfaithfulness deprive us of this divine bliss (see the book “The Eternal Bliss of the Saints”, Richard Baxter, translated from French, 1882). The paradise in which Adam lived is located outside and above the earth - Enoch and Elijah were transferred to it, who will remain in it until the end of the world, Al was raptured into it. Paul (2 Cor. 12:4), in it is the dwelling of the blessed. The idea that the earthly paradise is in the east, far beyond the ocean, a representative of which in the 6th century. there was Kozma Indnkoplov, who made a description of it in his “Christian Topography”, probably passed on from the Jews, or. much more directly - from the Greeks, who placed Elysium and the Isles of the Blessed beyond the ocean. - About the day. VI, 561; Geznod. You might be interested in: