Слово 13

Rev.13:11. “And I saw another beast rising up from the earth, and it had two horns, like a lamb, and spoke like a serpent.” Some say that this beast is the Antichrist, others thought that it was Satan, and its two horns mean the Antichrist and the false prophet. since they agree that the false prophet will come in his own person, we do not consider it inappropriate to take the serpent for Satan, the beast emerging from the sea for the Antichrist, and the present one, in accordance with the opinion of Blessed Irenaeus (Against Heresies, book 5, chapter 18:2), for the false prophet. He comes out of the ground, i.e. from earthly and earthly life, has horns like a Lamb, because in the skin of a sheep the murderousness of the hidden wolf is hidden, and because at the beginning it will have the appearance of piety. What Irenaeus says literally like this: about the armor bearer, whom he also calls a false prophet, we say that he spoke like a serpent. He was told that he was given the power of signs and wonders, in order to precede the Antichrist, to arrange for him the path of destruction. The healing of the plague of the beast, we say, is apparently the soon-to-come unification of the divided kingdom, or the restoration by the Antichrist for a short time of the destroyed dominion of Satan, or the imaginary resurrection of someone who died from those close to him. Like the serpent, it is said, he says, for he will do and say what is characteristic of the devil, the author of evil. Rev. 13:12–13. “And the power of the first beast was done all before him, and he created the earth and all that lived on it to worship the first beast, and to him the mortal plague was healed. And perform great miracles, and let fire come down from heaven to earth before men.” Nevertheless, the forerunner of the apostate - the false Christ - will perform magic to deceive people, so that the Antichrist will be considered God, as having received testimony from the doer of such miracles, and having received undoubted glory, in imitation of how the Baptist led believers to the Savior. For lies try to imitate the truth to deceive people. It is not surprising for deceived eyes to see fire descending from heaven, because in the story of Job we know that, by God’s permission and by the action of Satan, fire came down from heaven and ate his flocks (Job 1:16). Rev.13:14. “And the inhabitants of the earth flatter because of the signs that were given to him to do before the beast.” He deceives those who have a permanent presence of heart in the earth, for those who have acquired residence in heaven will not be deceived by feeling - so carefully they are confirmed by the prediction of his coming. Rev. 13:14–17. “He says to those who live on the earth, make an image for the beast, which had a weapon and lived. And it was given to him to give spirit to the image of the beast, so that the icon of the beast would speak and do, and if they did not worship the image of the beast, they would be killed. And he will create all things, small and great, rich and poor, free and working, and give them a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. Yes, no one can buy or sell except someone who has the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." Let the icon of the beast speak. They say that demons often spoke by magic, through images and statues, and trees and waters, through the statue of Apollo and others, perhaps through dead bodies, as Simon the Magus, in the presence of the great Peter, showed the Romans the dead moving, although the Apostle exposed the deception, showing how the dead rise, through those whom he himself raised. Therefore, there is nothing incongruous that the armor bearer of the Antichrist, acting through demons, will make an image of the beast and deceitfully show him speaking, and will arrange for everyone who does not worship him to be killed. He will try to have the mark of the destructive name of the apostate and seductive placed on everyone, partly on the right hand, in order to cut off the doing of right and good deeds, and partly on the forehead, in order to teach the deceived to be bold in deception and darkness. But those who have imprinted their faces with Divine Light will not accept this. And he will try to spread the seal (name) of the beast everywhere, in buying and selling, so that those who do not accept it will suffer a violent death from lack of what they need. Chapter 38. About the nasty name of the Antichrist Rev.13:18. “There is wisdom here. Let those who have intelligence respect the number of beasts: the number of men is, and its number is six hundred and sixty-six.” A thorough knowledge of the seal, as well as everything else written about it, will open up waking experience and time. For if it were necessary to clearly know this name, then, as some teachers said, he who saw it would reveal it. But the grace of God did not want the name of the molester to be written in the Divine Book. By practicing the word a lot, according to Blessed Hippolytus and others, you can find names that have this number in them, both common and proper. Proper, for example, Lampetis (λαμπετις), Titan (τειταν) from τεινω tyanu, according to Hippolytus, equal (through the two-voiced written Benedikt (βενεδεικτος), which means - blessed or blessed, perhaps by imitation To the truly Blessed Christ, our God. Common nouns: bad leader (κακός οδηγος), ancient envious person (παλαιβάσκανος), truly harmful (αληθώς, βλαβερός), unrighteous lamb (αγνός άδικος). So those who resist deception call him, who puts his glory in shame. Chapter 39. About the Lamb and the Hundred and Forty Thousand Rev.14:1. “And I saw, and behold a Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with him an hundred and fourty and four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” Christ is undoubtedly called the Lamb. On the mountain stands He Zion, not in the ancient, but in the new city of the living God. And one hundred and forty-four thousand or show the multiplicity of the Apostolic sowing, since grace in each of them produced twelve times a thousand, i.e. the most perfect fruit of faith of those who are being saved, or they mean the New Testament virgins, both in outward and inward man. For the asceticism of virginity was rare, and in very few it can be found. Why should these thousands be considered different from those numbered before, collected by name from the tribes of Israel, whose virginity was not attested? And the faces of all these are imprinted with the light of the face of God, which is why they are terrible to the destructive angels. Rev. 14:2–3. “And I heard a voice from heaven, like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of great thunder: and I heard the voice of them blaring with their harps, and singing like a new song before the throne, and before the four living creatures and the elders.” The voice of many waters and thunder and those playing the harp shows the sonority of the hymns of the saints, and the euphony, harmony and harmony of their song, which resounds throughout the entire Church of the firstborn, written in heaven, and the praise of the unanimity of the saints, as if sung by the harmony of the strings and governed by the mortification of the lusts of the flesh. This song, it is said, no one else can learn except them, because knowledge is commensurate with the measure of life, just as among people the discovery of the secrets of their masters is communicated in proportion to the goodwill of their masters towards them. Rev. 14:3–5. “And no one can learn songs except these hundred and forty and four thousand redemptions from the earth. These are the ones who have not been defiled with their wives: these are virgins; these will follow the Lamb, even if He goes: these are the firstborn of God and the Lamb, bought from men; and in their mouths lies no flattery; for they are without blemish before the throne of God.” We think that these, after the named twenty-four elders, are superior to others by virtue of virginity and purity of tongue and heart, having acquired, after the coming of Christ, the lordship of virtues. That’s why they learned a new song, unknown to many not only in the present, but also in the future life. For although perfect knowledge will then come, after the abolition of knowledge, even in part, according to the Divine Apostle (1 Cor. 13:9-12), but the revelation of the Divine mysteries will be in accordance with the here life of the saints. For the Father has many mansions (John 14:2), and star differs from star in glory, and likewise there is great difference in torment. From which may the Lord free everyone and count those saved by His goodness, looking not at the multitude of our sins, but at His mercies, by which He came and shed His honest blood for us, so that, having washed away our filth and uncleanness, He will lead us clean to the Father, with whom He, the Beginning of our life and salvation, together with the All-Holy Spirit, is due glory, power, honor now and ever and ever. Amen.