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Joel.2:1–2. Blow the trumpet in Zion, preach in my holy mountain, and let all who dwell on earth be troubled: for the day of the Lord is coming, for the 13th day of darkness and storm, the day of clouds and darkness is at hand. Again, he elegantly describes to us the image of the war (and whether we understand it “about springs and mosses”, or apply it to the Babylonians themselves, in either case it will be correct): the city was filled, he says, with confusion and fear, as if war had already entered the gates and was declared, so to speak, throughout all of Zion or all of Judea, for “the day of the Lord is coming,” that is: this is no longer just one prediction, but everything, what was foretold from ancient times is coming true in reality and in fact with those for whom it was much better to direct themselves for the better, and even before the onset and arrival of evils, cast off concern for them. Thus, he does not allow hesitation in repentance, but commands, leaving behind the licentiousness and carelessness of the mind, to vigorously move towards hard work and in general the desire to help ourselves, of course, resorting to God and destroying traces of ancient crimes with the help of the best (virtue). That is why he says that “the day of the Lord is near,” when they will be in darkness and darkness, fearing hunger from locusts, or misfortune and destruction threatening them from the land of Assyria. Joel.2:2–3. Like the morning, multitudes and strong people spill over the mountains: there has not been one like them since the beginning of time, and to them no more years will be added to generation and generation. Even before him (them), he consumes fire, and behind him (them), a flame burns: like a paradise of sweetness, the earth is before him (them), and behind him (them) there is a field of destruction, and there will be no one to save them (from them). “Morning” apparently refers either to the morning dew, which, if it spreads over the mountains, will leave nothing on them unirrigated, or to the first rays of the sun, the just beginning radiance of daylight, which first of all seems to spread over the mountains and colors the hills with crimson. In the same way, he says, a strong people will appear on the mountains, whether locusts, or, for example, the Assyrians themselves, who appear in countless numbers, because, he says, there has not been such a people (people) since the ages and never will be. But since during locust invasions everything that comes across is immediately destroyed, and if something by chance survives, then this too will fall to the lot of those who follow the first, therefore he says: “Consume fire, and the flame that follows it will burn,” and the following. I think the enemy army is doing the same thing, because, probably, those coming soon after them will imitate the arrogant and arbitrary actions of those in front, making the earth for themselves, as it were, a “paradise of sweetness,” completely devastating (it) and enjoying what they have gained. The speech is fair if we apply it to the locusts themselves. Joel.2:4–5. Like the appearance of a horse, and like the cavalry, they will be born: like the voice of chariots, they will rise up on the tops of the mountains, and like the voice of a fiery flame, scorching a reed, and like many people and strong men taking up arms for battle. Locusts and moss, when they attack countries and cities, he says, are in no way inferior to warlike cavalry, because they gallop along the ground so much that, one might say, they imitate the noise of chariots; Moreover, they climb every mountain peak, fly onto every hill and produce the sound of flames burning reeds. Indeed, they say that they attack the fields not without noise, but, crushing whatever they come across, they make a certain dull sound with their teeth, like the wind fanning a fire. If they had to be likened to a horde of enemies, then there would be nothing unnatural in this: they move en masse and are little inferior to the brave in battle, because they are a voracious creature and, due to their immeasurable numbers, are difficult to overcome and even invincible. The same word can be applied to the Assyrians, and, if you wish, to the army of the Romans themselves (who, like locusts, devoured Israel, who sinned against Christ), then this will not be bad. Joel.2:6. People will be crushed at their face. As I said, the invasion of “locusts” and “moss” is something irresistible and insurmountable for people. Joel.2:6. Every face is like the scorching of a highlander. Indeed, sometimes the complexion withers from fears and sorrows and becomes unpleasantly dark, as if changing color from mental anxieties. Joel.2:7. Like fighters they will flow, and like brave men they will rise to the fences. They will run, then, like the bravest fighters, overcoming laziness and fear, and even climb the walls, as if undertaking some kind of brave attack. Joel.2:7–8. And each one will go on his way, and will not turn away from his ways, and each one will not depart from his brother. The locusts do not have a king, but they decorously set out on a campaign at the behest of one, and they say that they walk in rows and fly as if in formation, and do not lag behind in the least, but follow one after another like sisters, because nature puts mutual affection in them. Joel.2:8. The burdens of their weapons will go away. I think that she calls her teeth a weapon, with the help of which she wages war and performs feats of arms, as it were, when the grass is destroyed, the crops fall down, and the plants are dried out. Joel.2:8. And they will fall in their arrows, but will not die. The locust does not throw sharp spears at its enemies, it never even draws its bow, but it kills through the destruction of food, hunger and the horrors of poverty. And that for those who find themselves in such trouble, the matter is not limited to the destruction of what is in the fields, but that they themselves will be subjected to a terrible invasion in houses and cities and burdened by a horde of locusts (or the Assyrians themselves), he showed this by saying: “but they will not die,” just as if he had said: and this will not be the limit of punishment, but will go further, for he says: Joel.2:9–10. There are hail, and they will flow onto the visors, and they will climb onto the churches, and they will penetrate through the windows, like a tatie. Before the face of him (them), the earth will be confused and the sky will shake: the sun and the moon will darken, and the stars will extinguish their light. Do you hear: they will even climb onto the walls and, destroying the grass, they will climb into the windows like thieves, throwing the people into confusion and, so to speak, destroying everything, so that it will seem that the sky itself is shaking, the sun, the moon and the stars seem to be holding back their shine. Again, here we have hyperbolic speech, depicting the burdensomeness and burden of disaster for the inhabitants of the earth. The speech is fair if we apply it to human troops when they attack the country and cities, because they, scattering everywhere like locusts, damage the fields, besiege the cities, climbing the walls, running into their houses and competing in cruelty with the horrors of an earthquake. Joel.2:11. And the Lord will give his voice in the face of his strength, for his army is great, for the deeds of his words are strong: the day of the Lord is great, great and bright. I have already said earlier that the purpose of the prophet is to depict the cruelty and unbearableness of the disaster so that those who offend the Lawmaker by evading the prophet will henceforth turn to the desire to do good and to more prudent thoughts, because an excess of sorrows can, easily can, as it were, forcefully lead some to do what is pleasing to someone who is skilled in saving and able to free. So, “the Lord will give his voice before the face of his strength,” like a commander inspiring against the enemy, because it is natural for no one else but leaders and commanders over others to encourage and lead their army to battle. This shows that troubles do not occur by themselves and do not occur as a result of simple chance, but, on the contrary, are sent by God, of course, angry and therefore righteously punishing. He frightens them even more, saying that “his army” is very great and “how strong is the work of his words,” because, of course, what God commanded to be cannot fail to reach the end; That’s why He said to one of the holy prophets (it was Jeremiah): “The food of my words is not... a burning fire, says the Lord, and like dust, tearing down the stone” (Jer. 23:29)? This means that the word of God, as it were, penetrates everything, and nothing will resist what He proclaims; on the contrary, it will yield, and what is stubborn and resistant is easily crushed and involuntarily obeys the wishes of the Master. Therefore, “great is the day,” he says, “and bright” because of the rumor about the disasters being caused, spreading throughout all people. Joel.2:11. And who will be pleased with him? That is: there will be no one on earth who would be so firm and strong as to resist God’s punishments, and David was very wise, exclaiming to God: “Thou art terrible, and who will resist thee? from your wrath? 14 (Ps. 75:8) Joel.2:12–14. And now the Lord your God says: Turn to me with all your heart, in fasting and in weeping and in mourning, and rend your hearts, and not your garments, and turn to the Lord your God: for he is merciful and generous, long-suffering and abounding in mercy, and repent of your evil. Who knows whether he will turn and repent and leave behind a blessing and a sacrifice and a drink offering for the Lord your God? From this you can understand, and it is very clear, that it was not for the sake of anything else that He proposed the above (he foreshadowed a very cruel and unbearable disaster for them), but in order to then turn them to repentance (because He does not allow refusal). He asserts, and it is very clear, that if they begin to think more prudently and direct, at least for the second time, their ways to please God, then, without a doubt, the repressions of anger will cease and their affairs will immediately come to a state of complete well-being. And what should be the image of prayer and turning to Him, he clearly indicates, saying this: “and now the Lord your God says: turn to me with all your heart.” Let, he says, the past be abandoned and the former come into oblivion; prove to be better than yourself: again appease God with fasting and labor, crying and sobbing, because those who begin to do this will probably later be visited by due prosperity and contentment. Indeed, just as extreme inactivity and devotion to pleasure probably leads to lamentation and punishment, so the performance of deeds of piety and penitential works leads to a wide range of prosperity. So, it is useful to cry about sins and lament before God, because, as Paul writes, “sorrow, even according to God, makes repentance unrepentantly unto salvation” 15 (2 Cor. 7:10), and Christ Himself pleases those who cry, “for they will be comforted” (Matthew 5:4); also the wise Solomon tells us something similar: “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting” (Eccl. 7:2). But it is necessary to think about how great the power of fasting is: it appeases the Lord, calms anger, averts punishment, because we, by humbling ourselves, very successfully calm the anger of God, as if angry and excited and irritated against us, and easily restrain the hand of the one who strikes. Indeed, if it is true that by confessing only sins, we are justified by God’s mercy, then how can one doubt that by exhausting ourselves with the labors of asceticism and, as it were, serving a punishment, we will receive remission of sins from God? So, he commands us to cry and tear apart not our clothes, but to mentally open our heart, stubborn and hardened, into which the fear of God does not penetrate. Therefore, Paul writes to the Corinthians: “It is not crowded into us, but you are oppressed in your bellies: and the recompense, as I say to a child, will be spread over you also” (2 Cor. 6:12-13). This means that you need to, as it were, expand your heart before God and open your mind so that it accepts what is characteristic of it. Consequently, showing an appearance of sadness, tearing apart (clothes) in vain and in vain, will not bring any benefit to the one who decides to do this: on the contrary, opening the heart and entrusting the thought to God will bring a considerable profit: this will lead to salvation. And that those who make prayers will achieve their goal, he assures of this, saying that the Lord of all is humane and merciful, compassionate and good, and “repent of your evils”: even if he decides to embitter those who have sinned, however, even after a short time, he will have mercy, because he easily moves on to goodwill. This, I think, means “to repent of evils.” Refuting the unreasonableness of those who despaired of salvation, the prophet says: “Who knows, will he repent and leave a blessing behind him,” and so on, that is, he will give those who convert a share in the blessing, so that they will again bring him a libation and a sacrifice, rejoicing and having fun, singing songs of thanks. Joel.2:15–17. Blow the trumpet in Zion, consecrate the fast, preach celibacy, gather the people, consecrate the church, elect elders, unite the sucklings of the babies: let the groom come from his bed, and the bride from her palace. Between the degrees and the altar 16 the priests who serve the Lord will weep and say: Spare, O Lord, your people, and do not give your wealth to reproach, so that the heathen do not possess them, and do not say among the nations: Where is their God? And with this he excellently disposes them to repentance and prudently commands them not to leave any type of exercise in this unfulfilled: it is necessary, he says, with the help of a solemn and deliberate proclamation to sanctify the fast, preach the “purpose” and gather in the church those who must appease (of course, the angry God of all), be it young men and virgins, old and young, and with them newborns and infants, even grooms and newlywed brides, perhaps running out of the palaces still crowned (with flowers), leaving the wedding bed, leaving the fun and feast, and instead (when the splashing stops, the songs and magnifications with which it is customary for others to address the newlyweds at certain times) will experience grief and weep along with the grooms, and it is right that one of our sages said: “Music for lamentations, timeless tales” (Sir.22:6). Therefore, when the wrath of God visits us, we should cry, and not indulge in abundant drinking and feasting; that untimely feasting will not remain without reproach and punishment, this will be explained by one of the holy prophets, who speaks of the Israelites: “And the Lord of hosts called on that day weeping and mourning, and shorn hair, and girding in sackcloth, and with these he created... joy” 17, slaughtering calves, and devouring sheep,... and saying: let pits and drink in the morning for we will die” (Is. 22:12–13). Thus, when anger strikes, one should resort to crying and tears and give up drinking. The prophet says that the sacred and chosen rank itself should join those who weep, and should weep between the porch of the temple and the altar, zealously exclaiming and saying: “Lord, have mercy on your people, and do not give your inheritance to reproach, lest the pagans possess them, lest the pagans say: Where is their God?” If he had only spoken about locusts, wouldn’t it have been better for them to ask for relief from hunger and poverty? However, they are afraid of falling into the hands of enemies and with prayers they ward off ridicule and reproach. Therefore, naturally, I could recognize as true that the invasion of the Assyrians is covertly described under the image of locusts. If we relate this to the locusts themselves, then we should rightly be surprised at the skillful construction of prophetic speeches: the very image of the punishment seems to speak of the madness of Israel and, moreover, of its inherent powerlessness, because they turned to gods who are not gods - leaving the God of all, they worshiped Baal. But then the locusts make an unstoppable onslaught, the mosses arm themselves, and they fall, not receiving any help from their false gods. What kind of healing can they offer, having failed to cope with the “moss” and locusts, to their fans if they fight against enemies and are besieged by hordes of adversaries? Joel.2:18–20. And the Lord was jealous for his land, and had mercy on his people. And the Lord answered and said to his people 18: Behold, I will send you 19 wheat, and wine, and oil, 20 and be satisfied with them, and I will not give you to be a reproach to the nations: and I will take away from you the things of the north. Notice how quickly the pardon follows. I think that sorrow is forestalled by silence, and repentant tears are forestalled by the grace of the Merciful, because it not only has mercy on the victims, but is also zealous to reproach the offenders, who were the perpetrators of the disaster brought upon them: as if the God of all is indignant at the Babylonians because they dealt more harshly with those who fell under the wrath of God. So, He said: “I breathed into your hand 21, but you did not give them mercy” (Is. 47:6), also to Zechariah: “Here saith the Lord 22: I am zealous for Jerusalem and Zion with great zeal, and with great wrath I am angry with the tongues that lay down on me 23: For a little while I was angry; burden" into evil 24 (Zechariah 1:14–15). Thus, being jealous of his people, he promises to provide abundantly the means of subsistence, well-being corresponding to the previous misfortune, food until satiety, and, moreover, the firm confidence that they will not be delivered into the hands of enemies, that, having fallen into their slavery, they will not spend a bitter life in need. In addition, he promises to destroy “the one from the north,” that is, those living closer to the north, because their country (the Assyrians) lies rather to the east. If anyone believes that the locust invasion is taking place from the northern side of Judea, then there is no obstacle to the correctness of such an understanding of the speech. In the same way, if someone’s heart’s blessings and wealth of spiritual productivity perish, when a horde of demons attacks them like locusts and the principles, powers and powers rush in (of course, the evil ones), then let him cry, let him think about repentance and shed tears before God, because he will soon hear humane words: behold, I give you “wheat, and wine, and oil,” for He He will make his heart fertile land, a garden adorned with fruit trees, a fruitful vineyard, he will also anoint him with oil (“you have anointed my head with oil” (Ps. 22:5)), he will drive away from him “the creature from the north,” that is, he who cools Satan and does not allow those who fall under his power to live in the spirit. And love will grow cold, as the Lord said, “for the increase of lawlessness” (Matthew 24:12); but those close to Christ are on fire in spirit and never cease to grow cold towards alien pleasures, for “they have crucified their flesh with the passions and lusts” (Gal. 5:24). Joel.2:20. And I will cast him into the waterless land, and I will destroy his face in the first blight and his back in the last blight, and his rottenness will rise up, and his stench will arise, for he has magnified his deeds. The turn of phrase is still figurative, as at the beginning, in relation to locusts and “mosses”, which, he says, will die, being carried away by the will of God, as one must assume, to the very borders of the land of Judea, and will emit such a stench that communication will be difficult for all the inhabitants of the earth. Again, the speech does not in the least prevent us from understanding this as applied to the Babylonians. Namely: on the southern side of Jerusalem there is a vast desert, which to the east and south is bordered by the Indian seas, and to the west and north by the sea adjacent to Palestine and washing Egypt itself. There, he says, he destroyed the mosses and locusts, and the stench from them was unbearable. But the Babylonians, who inhabited the country located in the northeast, were destroyed - destroyed during the reign of Hezekiah (2 Kings 19), and the stench from the corpses was unbearable, so that the land was cleansed for seven months and the rotting corpses were removed (so says Ezekiel (Ezekiel 39:12-14)). And that the land of Babylon is located to the north, this will be clear from the words of God, who, in the voice of the saints, speaks to the descendants of Israel who were led into captivity: “Oh, oh, flee from the land of the north, says the Lord,... escape to Zion, you who live among the daughters of Babylon” (Zechariah 2:6-7). And Christ, having driven out the locusts from ourselves, I mean spiritual ones, that is, the all-destructive armies of demons, imprisoned them in hell and hid them in the secret places of the abyss, as if casting them into the depths of the sea: then a putrid smell and stench came from them, and became painful and disgusting for us, although before it did not seem so, because (they did not consider) Satan stinking; now, finally, they found out that he was like this: when, captured by the bonds of vice, they fell under his hand, they considered him, the unfortunate one, fragrant and amiable; when Emmanuel appeared to us, exclaiming and saying: “I am a full flower, and a grain of bread” (Song. 2:1), then we, having felt the fragrance inherent in Him, finally recognized the stench of the first. Joel.2:21–24. Be bold, O earth, rejoice and be merry, for the Lord magnifies what He has created. Be bold, you flattering beasts, as the desert fields have vegetated, as a tree has brought forth its fruit, grapes and figs have given their strength. And children of Zion, rejoice and be glad in the Lord your God, for He has given you food in righteousness, and will bring you the early and late rain, as before: and the threshing floors will be filled with wheat, and the wine presses will overflow with wine and oil. It is the custom of the holy prophets to elevate the word from the benefits of the particular and those pertaining to the few to the universal and more accessible. And these are the blessings of Christ. Thus, again our speech comes down to the same thing. Indeed, when is the earth given due boldness? Or “when the Lord magnifies what he has created”? Is it not when the Word, being God, became man, so that, watering the heavenly skies with heavenly blessings, He could become for those who believe in Him like a river of peace, a source of pleasure, the early and late rain, and the giver of all spiritual productivity? It was then that for the most senseless (they are called “Polish cattle”) a certain spiritual pasture grew - the word of those who teach; “Then the desert fields vegetated.” The church calls it a desert, according to the saying: “Rejoice, thirsty desert, let the desert be glad and bloom like a tree” (Is. 35:1): and their “fields” are the rulers of people and those who can lead (them), who, with divine gifts from heaven, make the spirit fruitful, abundantly blooming, fragrant with the flowers of dogmas and crowned with fresh greenery. They cheer the spirits of the brutalized in order to raise them to an understanding worthy of man. He also said that “the tree shall bear its fruit, the grapes and figs shall give its strength,” likening the fruits of figs and grapes, as I think, to the firm speech of those who teach, in which there is also sweetness, and also the property of cheering. But in all fairness, those who are more dull in mind and characterized by ignorance should also be offered a teaching characteristic of cattle, closer to the earth, growing among those who study small things like grass in appearance and meaning, and for those who are already perfect - an exalted fruit and growing on fruitful trees - regarding the holy and consubstantial Trinity, or moral instruction, presented as if on high. That is why he calls them beasts, and Zion - the more perfect children, to whom he commands to rejoice in the Lord our God, because all the joy of our spirit is Christ, from Whom is all the fullness of blessings and the giving of heavenly gifts to those who love Him, conceived under the guise of the early and late rains, the wheat overflowing the threshing floor, the wine press, and the oil flowing abundantly. It should be noted that in the sense of the mysterious fulfillment, the promise is true: in the form of rain we are given the living water of holy baptism, in the form of wheat - animal bread, and in the form of wine - blood. The use of oil is also added, fulfilling perfection, justified in Christ by holy baptism. Joel.2:25–26. And I will repay you in lieu of years, in the yawning of the springs and moss, and the hoarse grass and the caterpillars, my great strength, which I have sent to you: and eat the food 26 and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God, who 27 has done miracles with you. As for the historical meaning, he promises a reward completely equivalent and equal to previous locust invasions and says that the supply of food will be much greater than the shortage that has already occurred to them. If we understand the prophetic word in a spiritual sense, then we think that when we were, as it were, devoured by Satan and, like “snoops, springs and caterpillars,” were damaged by unbearably destructive spirits under the image of many different passions, then we remained dry and barren, naked and naked from all good, without spiritual and moral courage, as if damaged by hunger and deprived, quite literally, of any fruiting. When we were enriched by Christ with due boldness (for with him we overcame the world - John 16:33, and he gave us the power to tread on snakes and scorpions - Luke 10:19), then we received spiritual rains - early and late - I mean legal instruction and the teaching of the Gospel, then, having tasted, we were satisfied and glorified as the Lord Savior our Christ, preaching about Him as a Miracle Worker and who gives to those who love Him that which surpasses both word and expectation; Apart from Him, we don’t know anyone else at all; learned to say with good disposition: “Lord, do you know anything else” (Is. 26:13). Notice how God of all sorts in some way mocks and mocks humanity, calling “hoarse power” His “great power,” which, he says, He sent against them. Of course, we will not say that “sipli” is the power of God. But He seems to say this to those who could not bear their punishment: O proud, arrogant ones, and those who have no intention of insulting Me! I did not send fire upon you from heaven, nor thunder, nor hail, nor anything else that was found in grief and more fitting for divine glory. I brought it down: a despicable herd of worms appeared on the earth, and you were confused and lost; The “sipli” must be very strong, and I consider them to be My great strength. So, the speech is as if adaptive and as if mocking, as if God is reproaching the proud, so that if He wanted to punish them, then instead of great and irresistible force, hoarseness is enough for this. Let heretics not laugh too much, let them not blaspheme the glory of the Only Begotten, let great power not be supplied on a par with a worm (and let the unfortunate ones dare to reach such poverty of thoughts)! Joel.2:26–27. And my people will not be put to shame forever: and you will see that in the midst of Israel I am, and I am the Lord your God, and there is no other 28 except me, and all 29 my people will not be put to shame forever. The image of the incarnation clearly proclaims that He who humbled Himself and became like us, that is, man (Phil. 2:7), will live together with the inhabitants of the earth, because then He appeared “in the midst of Israel,” and we escaped reproach, got rid of shame, after death had fallen, sin had been destroyed and true knowledge had been brought. Indeed, we no longer worship “the creature rather than the Creator” (Rom. 1:25), and apart from Him we do not accept any other God at all. That is why we have been enriched by living in the well-known hope (2 Cor. 1:7) and belief in eternal life, in holiness and righteousness of behavior. Joel.2:28–29. And it shall come to pass from now on that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your old men will see dreams, and your young men will see visions. For on my male and female servants... 30 I will pour out my Spirit. So it is clearly promised to bestow the grace of the Holy Spirit, that is, an abundant gift, not exclusively for the prophet, one or two, but for everyone generally worthy to accept, which, we think, happened when Christ rose again and crushed the power of death. Thus, at first He seemed to impart such wondrous and wonderful grace into the holy disciples, blowing and saying: “Receive the Holy Spirit” (John 20:22), because it was necessary for the future teachers of the church and mentors of the sunflower, yes, it was necessary, first of all, to be adorned with the gift of the Holy Spirit and, having first become, as it were, something adorned by faith for sanctification, to be gilded by divine and heavenly grace. Both came true when, on the days of Holy Pentecost, the disciples gathered in one house and offered up the usual prayers to God: there was a noise, and each individual’s tongues ceased, and they began to speak in other tongues, as if “the Spirit had given them to speak” (Acts 2:1-4). And they prophesied by prophesying, or by bringing and expressing the sacraments spoken by the holy prophets regarding Christ and that, as a result of which deeply convinced listeners could willingly come to obedience, that the time of favor had already come, that the ancient prophecies about Christ had come to an end. So, they prophesied, speaking in all kinds of tongues, that God also foretold through the mouth of the saints, for it is written: “I will speak to this people with other tongues and other lips, and neither will they listen” (1 Cor. 14 according to Is. 28:11-12). And Paul, citing this, says that the gift of tongues was given as a sign to the Jews. And that when the Holy Spirit flew from heaven, very many were granted the grace of prophecy, Paul makes clear, writing: “Let two or three prophets speak,” and then: “For you can all prophesy in one way” (1 Cor. 14:29, 31). Previously, that is, when Israel, through great stubbornness, sinned, God said: behold, I will bring upon the earth “a famine of hearing the word of the Lord, and from east to west they will flow around, seeking the word of the Lord, and will not find it” (Am. 8:11-12), and to Ezekiel: “and I will bind your tongue 31, and you will be speechless, and you will not be a husband for them,” convicting 32 for there is a house of great sorrow 33 (Ezek. 3:26); when, according to the word of the Psalmist, “God is the Lord, and He appeared to us” (Ps. 117:27), Christ appeared to us, relieving guilt and stopping the mouth of sin, then the outpouring of the Holy Spirit was given, with God filling human nature with joy, crowning it with the highest and original glory and again benevolently elevating it to what it was before, when sin had not yet appeared. Indeed, we will find that Adam was not devoid of the prophetic spirit when he had not yet transgressed the divine commandment, but, so to speak, was still firm and distinguished by natural virtues: for example, when God, having formed a wife, brought her to him, he, although he had never heard who she was and how she appeared, immediately said: this is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: “This woman will be called, as she was taken from man” ( Gen.2:23). But the grace given to man remained inactive, but was renewed in Christ, Who is the second Adam (1 Cor. 15). How was it updated? Since He is God, and from God by nature the Son, for he was born of God the Father, the Spirit is His own, and in Him and from Him - in the same way, without a doubt, as it is thought of in relation to God the Father Himself; and since He became man and became like us, it is said that He has the gift of spirit. So the Spirit descended on Him in the form of a dove (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22; John 1:32), because, having become like us, as one of us, He was baptized in the prescribed manner; then, as they say, His Own Spirit became for Him given from above. This is belittlement (Phil. 2:7); This is how we should understand the words: for our sake “he is rich through poverty, so that through his poverty we may become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). So, as I said, the Spirit was given to Adam in the beginning, but He did not remain in human nature, for (the latter) turned away to crime, fell into sin; when the Only Begotten, being rich, became poor and together with us, as a man, received His own Spirit as given, He abided on him, as the Evangelist John says (John 1:32) in order to then live in us due to the fact that He already abides in the second ancestor, that is, in Christ (which is why He is called the second Adam). Thanks to this, we are recreated in an unprecedented way in a better state and very easily receive rebirth by the Spirit, acquiring not the first, I mean, the carnal, corruptible, sinful, for “wisdom... what is carnal according to custom is death” (Rom. 8:6), but what is above is second, from God by the Spirit, as far as the saying is true: “who was not of blood, nor of the lust of the flesh,... but was born of God” (John 1:13). So, those who were numbered among the children of God were to be enriched by the grace of the Holy Spirit, which Christ accomplished in us, and Peter confirms, saying: “He was exalted by the right hand of the Father, and the promise of the Holy Spirit was received from the Father; abundantly” (Titus 3:6), because He is God by nature and became flesh (John 1:14). He will pour it out “on all flesh.” From this it is clear that not only “those who are of circumcision” (Col. 4:11), but absolutely for all those who are called through faith, whether small or great, slaves and free, barbarians and Scythians (Col. 3:11): the grace of salvation in Christ is offered to those living in all the heavenly places, because “that is the desire of the tongues” (Gen. 49:10). If anyone, with an unbridled tongue, chattering nonsense, says that even animals are called flesh, then let him know that the subject of prophecy is limited to the human race alone, and not “God wills,” as the wise Paul said (1 Cor. 9:9). They will, he says, prophesy “sons and daughters,” clearly showing by this the breadth of grace and its uniformity for everyone, because the female sex, not rejected by God, if it willingly does what is pleasing to Him and if it thinks about it, will not remain without a reward and will not be exempt from sanctification if it is glorified by faith and doing good deeds: and it is awarded both grace and mercy and receives a pledge from God Spirit (2 Cor. 5:5, 1:22); He is also numbered among the children. He goes on to say that “the elders will see sleep”, and the young men will “see visions”, calling old age, as I think, the one that is distinguished and surpasses the maturity of virtue, whitened by brilliant exploits, distinguished and arouses self-respect by the most perfect understanding. Such, for example, was Paul, who saw in a dream a certain man from the Macedonians, begging and saying: “come to Macedonia, help us” (Acts 16:9). And Ananias, one of the most experienced in the faith, saw a vision about Paul himself, namely: when he was going to Damascus, Christ appeared to him on the way, then he lost his sight from the brilliance of the light and was healed by Christ. It is written about it like this: “Now there was a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias, and the Lord spoke to him in a vision:... rise up, go to the right stack, and seek in the house of Judah Saul in the name of Tarsus” (Acts 9:10-11). Do you hear how he spoke to Ananias in a vision: it means that he was strong in faith, cheerful in spirit, with a mind flaming for good, indestructible in firmness - of course, spiritually. And a Macedonian appeared to Paul in a dream, offering prayers, because he was old in mind, mature in mind and filled with heavenly wisdom. And the wise John in a watery place proclaims to those sanctified in Christ by faith: “I am writing to you, fathers, as I have known him from the beginning 34; “I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one” (1 John 2:13). Thus he promises the outpouring of the Spirit to those who work for Him. Who are they? Are they not, in fact, those who incline their thoughts to the verbs of the Gospel, retreating from the service of images and abandoning Hellenic charm, according to the speaker: Joel.2:30–31. and I will give wonders in the heavens and mountains 35, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire, and burning smoke, the sun will turn into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and enlightened day of the Lord comes The very nature of things was indignant at the wicked deeds of the Jews committed against Christ; the creation seemed to groan, seeing the Creator desecrated, and the church of God, lamenting like those who weep, was divided, for it is written that “the veil of the church was rent” from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51); the sun, having retained its characteristic shine, did not give light to those living on earth, for there was darkness from the sixth hour to the ninth (Matthew 27:45); the rocks fell apart (Matthew 27:51); It must be assumed that something extraordinary happened to the lunar disk, so that it seemed that it was turning into blood. Of course, the holy evangelists are silent about this; but the evidence from the prophecy is sufficient. And that at the behest of the Creator there were signs not only on the sun, but as if all nature changed for the worse and unusual for it, this can be clear from what God says through the mouth of Isaiah: and 36 “I will clothe the heavens with darkness, and will put on their clothing like sackcloth” (Is. 50:3). When he says: “heaven,” he means that everything in heaven is clothed in darkness like sackcloth, lamenting, mourning, and, as it were, crying out in appearance. These, I think, are the signs in heaven. And on the “earth” - (signs) “blood and fire, and smoking smoke”, I believe, mean the disasters of the Jews, which were brought upon them by the most painful war erected by the hand of the Romans: their whole country was watered with blood; along with the cities, the famous church itself was to be burned; houses, destroyed, were smoking. And that before the great and enlightened day, when the divine judgment seat awaits everyone, at which Christ will reward everyone according to his deeds, the same will befall the Jews, he makes clear, saying: “before the great and enlightened day of the Lord comes.” In addition, it should be noted that the Lord himself, when asked by the holy apostles about the end of the age and the destruction of Jerusalem, mixed up signs, so that, one might say, it is not known when which will come true (Matthew 24). Joel.2:32. And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved: for in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem one will be saved, as the Lord has spoken, and those who will be preached with the good news, which the Lord has called. Thus, he says, without fail, because of the unrighteous deeds of the Jews, signs and wonders will appear in heaven and on earth. However, despite this, they also have mercy from God, that is, salvation by faith, justification in Christ, the deposit of the spirit, sanctification, hope for the kingdom of heaven, since God will unforgetfully forgive them their crimes against Christ. Thus, Peter strongly denounced the Jewish people, openly proclaiming that they killed, hanging on a tree, the Savior and Redeemer of all, denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked to give them a murderer; but to this he added: “And now, brethren, we know that through ignorance you have done these things, even as your princes did:... repent therefore” (Acts 3:17-19), “and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus; ...and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is to you and to your children” (Acts 2:38–39). So, although, he says, signs and wonders will come, everyone who calls on the Master, the Lord of heaven and earth, will be saved. And that the word of salvation had to be preached first in Jerusalem itself, where the Lord was put to death, and then be carried by the holy Apostles to all nations - it will be clear from the words of the prophet: “in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be one who is saved, and one who will have the gospel, to whom the Lord has called,” for, as Paul writes, “no one accepts honor to himself, but he who is called of God” (Heb. 5:4). Therefore, by choice, the blessed disciples were called from all and did not arbitrarily begin the apostleship, like that crazy Pharisee or lawyer who, appropriating for himself the privileges of a disciple, followed, saying: Lord, “I will follow you even if you walk” (Matthew 8:19). That is why the Savior rejected the one who boldly pestered and did not in the least approach the requirements of the Gospel, saying: “foxes” and so on (Matthew 8:20). Meanwhile, he proclaimed to those ready for the apostleship, saying: “He is coming after me, and I will make you a man as a fisher” (Matthew 4:19). And Matthew even takes away from selfish pursuits, commanding him to follow him (Matthew 9:9). Those who were most capable, and with special zeal, of fulfilling His will were called of their own free will, as was natural, although the father and inventor of lawlessness kidnapped the traitor. Slav.: “That is why your anger is.” Slav.: “unrepentant repentance for salvation...” Slav.: “between the degrees of the altar.” Slav.: “cheerfulness and joy.” Slav.: “And the Lord answered his people, and said.” Slav: “Behold, I will send it to you.” Slav.: “Lord Almighty.” Slav.: “and my slave.” Slav.: “I will tie it to your larynx.” You might be interested in: