Слово 22

Chapter 64. About the one sitting on the throne, the general resurrection and judgment Rev.20:11. “And I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose presence heaven and earth fled, and no place was found for him.” The white throne signifies the rest of God, which He will create in the shining virtues of the saints, sitting on them as on a throne. The retreat of heaven and earth means their passing and renewal for the better, so that there is no longer room for change in them. For if the creation for our sake is subject to corruption, according to the Apostle (Rom. 8:20), then with us it will be transformed into the freedom of the glory of the children of God, being renewed in the most brilliant form, and will not undergo final destruction, as blessed Irenaeus, Antipater and other saints thought about it. Blessed Irenaeus says: neither the being nor the essence of creation is destroyed, for He who created it is true and faithful, but the image of this world passes away, i.e. that in which there was a crime, because in this man became obsolete, and therefore this image was for a time, according to God's foreknowledge of everything (Against heresy, book 5, chapter 26:1). The great Methodius, in his word on the resurrection, put it this way: we also do not like the word of some that everything will be destroyed to the ground, and that there will be no earth, air, and sky, for the whole world will burn for purification and renewal (according to Basil), darkened by fire, but will not reach final destruction and destruction. And below he says: and Paul clearly testifies, saying: for the creatures long for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creature obeys vanity not by will, but because of him who obeyed in hope. For the creation itself will be freed from the work of decay, etc. (Rom. 8:19–21). And before these blessed ones, Saint David, singing to the Lord, said: send Thy Spirit, and they will be created, and renew the face of the earth (Psalm 103:30). And Isaiah says: there will be a new heaven, and a new earth, and they will not remember the former, lower will come upon their hearts (labor), but joy and gladness will be found in it (Is. 65:17-18). And truly, in an abundance of unceasing joy and many rewards, they will forget about the struggle in exploits and labors. And in another place he says: For as the heavens and the new earth remain before Me, even as I create, so will your seed and your name become (Is. 66:22). So for our sake, the creature that happened to us will receive a change for the better, without passing into oblivion, just like we did after. Rev.20:12. “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were broken down: and another book was opened, even a living one: and the dead received judgment from them that were written in the books, according to their deeds.” He calls either all people dead, as bodies subject to death, or those killed by crimes. They are great and small, (as we said before), either by age, or by the fact that they have more or less committed deeds of death, and they will be punished according to their deeds. Or the great are righteous, and the small and truly worthless are sinners, because their souls are of little value from their sins. Unfolded books mean the deeds and conscience of everyone. And the book of life is the one in which the names of the saints are written. Rev.20:13. “And he gave the sea his dead, and death and hell gave his dead: and he accepted judgment according to his deeds.” Every body in which it is decomposed will be composed and given away from the same, whether it was committed to the earth or to the sea. Death and hell are not animate animals, as some write, but death is the separation of soul and body, and hell is a place invisible to us, i.e. the unknown and unknowable, receiving our souls departing from here. Those souls that carry out deadly deeds are dead, but the souls of the righteous, as some sage said, are in the hand of God and no torment will touch them (Wis. 3:1). Rev. 20:14–15. “And death and hell were quickly cast into the lake of fire: and behold, there is the second death. And those who are not found in the bottom of the living creatures will be cast into the lake of fire.” That death and hell were cast into the lake of fire is either the same as what is written: the last enemy will be destroyed by death (1 Cor. 15:26), or that the wicked demons, guilty of the gravest and evil death of sin, who have hell as their refuge, and transport those who obey them, will be condemned to fire. For just as those who live in it are called a city, so those who are responsible for them are called death and hell, for since everything that came from God is good, this fire will not burn Him, for it is written that God did not create death (Wis. 1:13). Therefore, by saying that there will be no more death and corruption, it is meant that incorruptibility and immortality will reign. And that all who are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire, this should not be surprising. For just as God and the Father has many mansions for those who are being saved, so there are different methods and places of torment - some more severe, others more moderate: those who are not worthy of the Book of Life will be tempted by them. Chapter 65. About the new heaven and earth and the highest Jerusalem Rev.21:1. “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there was no sea.” And here it does not indicate the non-existence of the creation, but its renewal for the better, as the Apostle says: the creation itself will be freed from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:21). And the Divine Songsinger says: “Like I took off a garment, and they will be changed” (Psalm 101:27). For the renewal of what has become dilapidated does not mean the destruction of the essence, but the cutting off of old age and wrinkles. And it is our custom to say about people who have improved in some way or become worse in some way: both this one and not that one. It should be noted that it is said about heaven and earth: before, instead of: they have changed, just as we will change; as a kind of death he considered a change from the previous state, and an ending for the better. He said about the sea; and there is no sea. For what is the need for the sea when people have no need to sail on it, or transport the products of the earth along it to distant places? Moreover, if the sea means a stormy and exciting life, then there will be no need for it. For there will then be no remnant of indignation or fear left in the saints. The Great Basil also confirms this opinion, explaining the saying of Isaiah, saying: Say to the abyss: You are desolate and I will dry up your rivers (Is. 44:27). Rev.21:2. “And I John saw the new city of the Holy Jerusalem coming down from God from heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.” The fact that he saw the holy city of Jerusalem as new shows that the name of the news is the transformation of the greater light that the highest Jerusalem will receive, descending from the disembodied forces of the highest to people, since the common head of both is Christ our God. The city itself is made up of saints, about whom it is written: holy stones are rolled on the ground (Zech. 9:16), having Christ as the cornerstone. It is called a city as the abode of the Royal Trinity, for in it she dwells and walks, according to promise (1 Cor. 6:16). The Bride is called as one who cleaves to the Lord and is united with Him by a supreme and indissoluble union. It is called adorned because it has within itself, according to the Psalmist (Psalm 44:10), glory and beauty in a variety of virtues. Rev. 21:3–4. “And I heard a great voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is made of men, and he will dwell with them: and these his people will be, and God himself will be with them, their God. And God will take away every tear from their eyes.” The Holy One is taught from heaven that this tabernacle will be true: its image, or better yet a transformation of the image, was shown to Moses, and now the Church serves as its image. In this tabernacle not made by hands there will be no weeping or tears. For the Giver of eternal joy grants the saints to see unceasing joy. “And there will be no death for anyone: neither crying, nor crying, nor illness will be for anyone: like the first one who passed by.” And this is according to Scripture: from there sickness, sorrow and sighing will escape (Psalm 51:11). And the words: the first mimoidosha mean that the suffering of the saints and the arrogance of the wicked will receive an end appropriate to each of them. Chapter 66. What He Who Sit on the Throne Said Rev. 21:5–6. “And he who sat on the throne said: I am creating all things new, and with these words: write, because these words are true and true. And we said: it’s done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The words spoken by Truth Itself are true, and are no longer known through symbols, but through deeds themselves. The beginning and the end are Christ, as the first in Divinity and the last in humanity, and as extending His providence from the first incorporeal creature to the last people. “I will give to the thirsty animal food from the source of water.” He promises to give to those who thirst for truth the grace of the Life-giving Spirit, which in the Gospel he promised to bestow on those who believe in Him. Tune, because the passions of this present age are unworthy of the desire for glory to appear among the saints (Rom. 8:18). Or because tuna cannot be acquired by possessions, but by good deeds and the philanthropy of the Giver. Rev.21:7. “He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.” He who is victorious in the war against invisible demons will receive these benefits, becoming a son of God and enjoying spiritual pleasure. Rev.21:8. “But to the fearful and unfaithful, and to the abominable and murderers, and to those who commit fornication and to perform enchantments, to idolaters and to all who lie, some of them are in the lake that burns with fire and the bogeyman, which is the second death.” The God who thirsts for our salvation turns us all to the inheritance of his blessings - both pleasant and sorrowful, offering us the sight of both the lightness of the highest Jerusalem, and the dark and sorrowful closeness of the fire of hell, so that we do good while there is time, either according to the desire of eternal glory, or out of fear of endless shame. And about the rest of the rejected, and fearful, and without courage in the fight against the devil, it is said that they will be condemned to the second death. May it be that we, having propitiated the Giver of mercy with good deeds, who desires not death, but the conversion of the sinner, will receive His gifts, interceded for us not by verbal teachings, but also by deeds and suffering. For He could be content with simply attracting to good and removing from evil, and after this either punish or honor those worthy of punishment or glory. He did not fail to suffer for us, so that it would not seem that he was punishing spontaneously, and that he did not pay attention to anything during our healing and correction. So, let us not receive the grace of God in vain, but by conversion and the demonstration of good deeds we will make ourselves well-accepted to His benefits, so that we may receive the promised benefits in Christ our God himself, with whom be glory and power to the Father with the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.