Слово о воскресении мертвых

Question: What do the words of Scripture mean: There is nothing in this world, as if we could endure what we can (1 Tim. 6:7)? Answer: I think that this expresses the following: “For we have brought nothing into this world... below we can carry away” - because everything belongs to the Creator, and we are “foreigners and strangers” (Ps. 39:13). If someone has wealth in his hands and prosperity, then he is not his sovereign master, but only his steward, for he received it from another, and after him it will again be inherited by another, according to the command of the Creator. Therefore, one must confess the mercy of the Giver. Knowing this, wise guardians will not neglect the cause of truth, wanting to be worthy of this satisfaction. The Lord says: “Blessed is that servant, who, when his master comes, will be found doing such things. Amen I say to you, for he will set him over all his possessions” (Matthew 24:46–47) - because he established “his words in judgment”, therefore “he will not move forever.” And the Holy Spirit says: “It is a good man to be generous and give; he will order his words in judgment, for he will not move in the world. There will be a righteous person in eternal memory. He will not fear evil from hearing: his heart is ready to trust in the Lord. If his heart is strengthened, he will not be afraid, Dondezhe will look at his enemies. Scatter, give to the needy, his righteousness endures forever: his horn will be exalted in glory. The sinner will see and become angry, grind his teeth and melt. The desire of the sinner will perish" (Ps. 111: 5-10), "The righteous will be an eternal memory and will not fear the hearing of evil." What evil rumor is this? I think this: “Let the wicked be lifted up, and not see the glory of the Lord” (Is. 26:10). “Binding his hand and nose... cast” the indecent slave “into the outer darkness” (Matthew 22:13). “Depart from Me, cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angel” (Matthew 25:41). The righteous will instead hear: “Well done, good and faithful servant, for a little while you were faithful, I will make you ruler over many: enter into the joy of your Lord” (Matthew 25:23). Therefore, the Lord, the Giver of good things, commanded not to have partiality for everyday, saying this: “No one can work for two masters... You cannot work for God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). “Do not hide for yourselves treasures on earth, where worms and aphids corrupt, and where thieves break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19). “Sell your possessions and give alms. Create for yourself a treasure that will never grow old” (Luke 12:33). he who boasts of the abundance of his wealth" (Ps. 48:7), "like men" die, "and like one of princes" they fall, because they did not maintain their commitment to the Lord (Ps. 82:7). “But those who endure Him will inherit the earth,” for the word in them is light, and salt, and power, according to the saying of the Lord: “You are the salt of the earth... and the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13–14). That is why the world stands to this day because it has this salt and this luminary in itself. From generation to generation there are those who serve the Lord, otherwise the world would not stand. “If”, it is said, “the salt becomes strong, then it becomes salty; no matter what anyone wants, let men be thrown out and trampled underfoot” (Matthew 5:13). Since there were no such people in Sodom, except for one, the city perished in an instant. But while the righteous man was still with them, the Almighty hand did not send wrath upon them until it took it from among them. Therefore, blessed is the country, blessed is the city, blessed is the generation in which there are many righteous people. Much more blessed are the righteous themselves, through whom the world is saved, because pleasures and praises (to the Lord) are observed by the righteous. So, putting aside deeds that are uncharacteristic of righteousness, let us be jealous of the lives of the righteous, so that with them we may inherit praise, becoming the light, and salt, and city of the Great King, may He be our praise, “as in His hand are the ends of the earth” (Ps. 93:4). He, in the words of the Psalmist, gives “His snow like a wave, darkness like ashes, strewing, throwing His bare leaves like bread. Who can stand against the face of His scum? He will carry away His word, and I will fail: His spirit will die, and the waters will flow out” (Ps. 147:5-7). Then the earth, fragrant to the eye, is clothed in its splendor by God’s command and delights the spectators, as if it were a gilded vessel with expensive stones; fluttering birds, enjoying the clarity of the air, make harmonious sounds; four-legged animals gallop through the valleys, because the desert valleys are covered with grain, and the delighted shepherds rejoice in the gifts of the Lord. The rivers, after the stormy and immoderate rush of the waters, flow silently, amuse the places they flood, and the fish play in the sunshine; Trees, hitherto deprived of leaves, are dressed with flowers and, with an abundance of fruits, stand, decorated with leaves. Mountains, and hills, and valleys, and the whole earth, full of flowers, proclaim the glory of the Lord, because the Lord, like a bride, clothed the earth with decoration. And we, sons of men, having laid aside our winter gloom, rejoice, having enjoyed the goodness of the air and the abundance of fruits. So let us also produce fruits of righteousness that are pleasing to the Lord, so that we may have the boldness to say to the Creator: “The Lord will rejoice in His works” (Ps. 103:31). For the Lord truly rejoices in those who do righteousness. So let no one boast of vain wisdom, or strength, or wealth, for all will wither like grass. “Let him boast in the Lord” (1 Cor. 1:31). What is higher or more honorable than the people of the royal diadem? And it is not always on the head of a person, because generation after generation passes from one head to another. What does the king have that is not given by God? Didn't the Lord Himself create the heavens and the earth and everything in them? Didn't He Himself create the water on which He founded the earth? What does the king have that is not given by the Lord, Who rules over bodies and weapons and treasures? But tell me, Who created everything, Who multiplies living creatures through childbearing, the abundance of necessities that they use, and the ability to make weapons? Is it not the Lord Himself who gives life to everything? Who stores ore for the miners in the mines? Isn't it the Lord Himself? Who with his gaze causes the earth to tremble, like a leaf or a rod floating on water? Isn't it the Lord Himself? And no matter how easy everything is in His sight, yet from the shaking of the earth those who dwell on it will be confused and sick. If we have everything - gold, and silver, and clothing, and servants, and maidservants, and herds of oxen, sheep, horses and camels, but He does not command the sun to shine - everything will be counted as nothing. The wise become foolish, the strong become weak, the rich become poor. So, it will be fair to admit that no one has anything for himself, but everything belongs to the Creator. We know our weakness. And just as we ourselves, looking at the skeleton or skull of those who died before us, sigh, so those who will come after us, seeing our bones, will take on a sad look - for all of us, the sons of men, are made up of the same dust. Brethren, beloved of the Lord, let us humble our souls under the mighty hand of God, so that God may exalt us during his visit. Let us hate vanity and arrogance, which is unreasonable; Let us flee from pride, because God resists it. Let us love humility, so that when we become meek, the Lord will teach us His ways. How many have ruled the universe since the foundation of the world - and they all rest under a pile of earth, and there is no difference between the bones of a king and a captive, the owner of a golden-bridled chariot and one who walked on his own legs, who ate luxuriously and lived in poverty, the handsome and the ugly, the destroyer and the destroyed. But everyone sleeps under a pile of earth until the holy trumpet sounds, which will awaken the dead from the beginning of the age, “that everyone may receive either good or evil from what he has done to his body” (2 Cor. 5:10). It is a great miracle, brethren, to suddenly see coffins opened at the sound of a trumpet, the awakened dead and all who have died from Adam until that hour rising together in one elusive blink of an eye; to see Angels rushing with a thunderous trumpet and gathering the righteous “from the four winds, from the end of the heavens to the end of them” (Matthew 24:31). This voice will revive everyone: from the first to the last, and none of the people will remain unvivified, but some will be resurrected “in the resurrection of the belly,” and others “in the resurrection of Judgment” (John 5:29). Hearing about the resurrection of the dead, let us not doubt it, Christ-loving brethren. Everything is possible for God, and nothing is impossible for Him. Those cast into the “fiery furnace” and hidden as in a tomb, He preserved unharmed in the flames; not only was their hair not singed, but there was not even a stench left on them with such an effort of the kindled flame. So the dead will rise incorruptible, and not only will there be no loss of hair, but even the stench of decay will not be found in them after such a long time since their dormition. Everything is possible for God, and nothing is impossible for Him. Listen to what the prophet Ezekiel also says: “And the hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the Lord, and set me in the midst of a field, which was full of human bones, and led me around around them, and behold, there were many green things on the faces of the field, and behold, they were very dry. And he said to me: Son of man... the prophets are on these bones, and you said to them: These bones are dry, hear the word of the Lord. Behold, the Lord says to Adonai in this bone: Behold, I will put the spirit of life into you, and I will put sinews upon you, and I will bring flesh upon you, and I will spread skin over you, and I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live, and you will know that I am the Lord. And he prophesied, as the Lord commanded me, and there came a voice to prophesy at times, and behold, he was a coward, and he copulated with bones, bones... to his composition. And they saw, and behold, they lived, and the flesh stretched... and the skin on top stretched out for them, but there was no spirit in them. And he said to me: the prophets of the soul, the prophets of the son of man, and the prophets of the spirit, this says Adonai the Lord: come from the four winds to the soul, and blow upon these dead, that they may live. And he prophesied, as he commanded me, and the spirit of life entered into her, and she came to life: and standing on her feet, the council gathered much. And the Lord spoke to me, saying: Son of man, these are the bones of the whole house of Israel, for they say, our bones were dry, our hope perished, we were killed. For this reason the prophets and the prophets spoke to them, this is what Adonai the Lord says: Behold, I will open your graves, and will bring you out from your graves... and will bring you into the land of Israel. And you will know that I am the Lord, your graves have always been opened to Me, so that I will raise you from your graves, my people: and I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live. And I will establish you in your land, and you will know that I am the Lord, saying, “And I will do,” says Adonai the Lord” (Ezek. 37:1-14). That is why our Lord and God Jesus Christ, when he came to earth, spoke with his Divine lips: Amen, amen, I say to you, the hour is coming, even now, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and having heard it, they will live (John 5:25). And again: Do not be surprised at this: for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God. And they will come out, having done good, into the resurrection of life, and having done evil, into the resurrection of Judgment (John 5:28-29). For it is written: Listen to the heavens, and I will speak, and let the earth hear the words of My mouth. Let My message fall like rain, and let My words come down like dew (Deut. 32:1-2). This is the dew that raises and revives the dead. And another prophet cries out, saying: The dead will rise again, and those who are in the tombs will rise, and those who are on earth will rejoice: for the dew that comes from You is their healing (Is. 26:19). For everything is possible with God, and nothing is impossible for Him. Whether people, the earth, the breadth of the seas, the abysses, or any other creature - everything is in His hand, and everything is like nothing. May the prophet convince you of this, who says: Who measured water in a handful, and the sky in a span, and all the earth in a handful; who put the mountains in measure, and the hills in weight? (Ps. 40:12) And he also says: all the nations are counted like a drop of water, and like a drop of weight they are counted, and like spitting they are counted. Livanova's oak forest is not content to be burned, and all the four-legged creatures are not content to receive a burnt offering. And all the nations seem to be nothing, and counted as nothing (Isa. 40:15-17). Habakkuk says: Lord, I heard Your hearing and was afraid; Lord, I understood Your works, and I was horrified (Hab. 3: 1-2), - for it is written: In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, in the last trumpet: the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we will be changed. It is fitting for this corruptible to put on incorruption, and for this dead thing to put on immortality. When this corruptible thing is clothed with...immortality, then the word will be written: death was sacrificed in victory. Where are you, death, sting? Where is the victory (1 Cor. 15:52–56)? Let not the poor man weep, and let not the rich man become arrogant; Let not the weak be dishonored, and let not the strong be exalted; Let not the servant be troubled, and let not the master boast. We are all from the earth, and our body will be dissolved (disintegrated into dust) in the dust until the time when the Lord comes, giving life to our bodies. Let the righteous praise themselves and rejoice in the Lord; Blessed are all who will then prove worthy of that blessed voice: “Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). Therefore, be patient with those who do righteousness and labor for the truth of God. The labors of this temporary life will acquire (give) you great boldness in the future life; the needs of this life will be for you repose, exaltation and praise in the life to come, and present mourning will turn for you into consolation and peace. For it is written: “Blessed are all who abide in Him. The holy people will dwell in Zion” (Is. 30:18–19). Then what is written will be fulfilled again: “Behold, those who work for Me will rejoice, but you will be put to shame: behold, those who work for Me will rejoice with gladness of heart, but you will cry out in the pain of your heart, and from contrition of spirit you will weep. Leave your name for a supply for My chosen ones, but the Lord will beat you up, but those who work for Me will be called a new name, which will be blessed in the earth” (Is. 65:14-16). And he also says: “For they will forget their first sorrow, and it will not come into their hearts. For the sky will be new, and the earth will be new, and they will not remember the former, they will rise lower in their hearts. But joy and gladness will be found in her” (Is. 65:16–18). I, a sinner, ponder to myself what blessings are in store for the righteous, and what wrath awaits the sinners, but I do not care about myself. Since I am not aware of a good deed in myself, I raise this voice to the Good God and Redeemer: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner! This publican was taller than my thinness. Standing on my feet, looking down and beating my chest, I begged You. I, who surpass him in sins, falling face down on the ground and hitting the floor with my forehead, cry out to the Merciful, the Most Pure and the Terrible: “God, be merciful” to “me, a sinner” and unworthy! May it not be a condemnation for me that with my unworthy tongue and unclean lips I dare to pronounce Your holy name, which has been praised forever. On the contrary, may calling on Your name, O Lord, be for the enlightenment and sanctification of my flesh and spirit. The burning of incense, rising upward, fills the house with fragrance, all the more so does the remembrance of You, Lord, sweeter than honey and honeycomb, fill the soul with holiness and enlightenment in the knowledge (in the knowledge) of those who desire You as the Savior. Give me, O Lord, the desire for Your salvation, like a land thirsty and waiting for rain, so that you can create fruit for me before I die, so that I will not be ashamed on the day of trial. Have mercy on us all, O Good One! We thank Your goodness, Lord, that You have made us, unworthy, worthy to serve Your holy name and to stretch out our hands to You, the Father of all. Deliver us from every satanic action and give glory to Your holy name, Lord! Grant that we may be like good and fertilized soil, so that, having received Your seed, we may bear fruit of a hundred and sixty and thirty. Grant us, Lord, to make a worthy purchase for Your silver coin, which You have entrusted to us, so that, having increased this mnas tenfold (mnas is a coin of 100 drachmas, which was equal to 21 and a half pre-revolutionary rubles), we will bring You the fruit of righteousness and be worthy to rule over ten cities. Give us, Lord, the zeal to stay awake to meet You, having the loins of the mind girded and the mental lamps of the soul unquenchable, in anticipation of You, our God and Savior Jesus Christ. Grant us, Lord, the rapture (ascension to Heaven) with the righteous, when they meet You, the Master, on the clouds, so that we do not experience that bitter and inevitable Judgment. Scatter, O Lord, the unbearable burden of our sins until our death, so that it does not serve as an obstacle to us on the Day of Judgment, and does not drag us from the council of the righteous into the unquenchable fire. Righteousness is the swiftest wings that carry the righteous from earth to heaven. May Your grace, Lord, be our strength, may it receive us on the clouds with the righteous and chosen to meet You, the King of all, in the air, to worship as we should, You, Lord, when the holy Angels receive us with joy and a cheerful face, and then we will see the indescribable glory, filled with great rejoicing and crying out: “Glory to Him who has clothed the humble and corruptible with glory and incorruptible! Glory to the One who gave immortality to mortals! Glory to Him who delivered us from the mouth of lions and from the destroying enemy and who accepted us into His Heavenly Kingdom, which is the root of all good things, where there is ineffable light, which is not followed by night, where there is unspeakable joy, not disturbed by sorrow or anything else, where there is incorruption, where there is life that is not subject to corruption, not interrupted by death. Indeed, illness and sadness and sighing fled. From now on we will all be with the Lord.” Such will be the voices of the righteous, and saints, and ascetics, and the elect, and all those who have pleased God in repentance. Let us be sober, and we, beloved, be attentive to ourselves, so that we may be found with the righteous. Then our heart will rejoice, “and no one will take our joy from us,” it will rejoice, singing songs and blessing the Holy, Most Pure and Consubstantial Trinity and worshiping Her forever! Amen. You might be interested in: