Слово 3

Chapter 7. Revealed to the Angel of the Church of Sardis Rev.3:1. “And write to the angel of the Sardinian church: this is what he says: “You have the seven spirits of God and the seven stars: we know your works, for you are alive and yet you are dead.” The seven stars, we said before, are seven angels and seven spirits, either they themselves, or the actions of the Life-giving Spirit, since both are in the hand of Christ. He holds some in His hand as the Lord, and He is the giver of the Spirit, as one in essence with Him. He threatens the church, as having only one living name of faith, but dead in good deeds. Rev. 3:2–3. “Be vigilant and confirm other things, even if you die: for your deeds that you have finished will not be found before your God. Remember how you received and heard, and observe and repent.” Be vigilant - shake off, he says, the sleep of laziness and strengthen your members, who are about to die completely for unbelief. For it is not the beginning of good deeds that crowns the doer, but the completion. Remember that you received and heard, and keep the tradition that you received from the Apostles, and repent of your laziness. Rev.3:3. “If you don’t watch, I’ll come to you like a thief, and you won’t even know at what hour I’ll come to you.” I'll come like a thief. Genuinely; for the death of each and the general end of the world is unknown to anyone. For those who are prepared, it is peace from their labors, but for those who are not prepared, it is a thief who brings spiritual death. Rev.3:4. “But they have few names even in Sardia, who have not desecrated their garments: and they walk with Me in white, because they are worthy.” But there are few imashas who have not desecrated their garments. This good thing you have acquired is that you have some whose clothes of their souls have not been defiled by unclean deeds, who will be with Me in the coming of life, like those who have kept the undefiled clothes of incorruptibility. Rev. 3:5–6. “He who conquers, he will be clothed in white garments: and I will not wash away his name from the books of animals, and I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. Have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the Churches.” He who has previously acquired the indicated victory through the robes of his virtues will be enlightened like the sun, and his name will not be blotted out from the book of the living. He will be confessed by Me before My Father and the forces of the Angels as good-victorious martyrs, as it is said in the Gospel: the righteous will shine like the sun. Chapter 8. Revelation to the Angel of the Philadelphia Church Rev.3:7. “And write to the angel of the Philadelphian church: This is what the True Holy One says, having the key of David: He opens, and no one will close; he who closes, and no one will open.” His kingdom is designated by the key of David, and it is a sign of power. Another key to the book of psalms and all prophecy is the Holy Spirit, by whom the treasures of knowledge are opened. He has the first key according to humanity, the second according to the originlessness of deity. since in some of the ancient copies, instead of: David, it is written: hell, then with the key of hell the power of life and death is attributed to Christ: He is holy and true, as self-existent shrine and truth. Rev.3:8. “Behold thy works: behold, the doors are open before thee, and no one can shut them: for thou hast little strength, and thou hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” From what is written we learn that this city was small in size, but great in faith, which is why it was said to it: We know your deeds, i.e. I praise you, just as he said to Moses: We appreciate you above all others. And I have opened before you the door of teaching preaching, which temptation cannot close. I am content with your will and do not demand greater strength. Rev.3:9. “Behold, I give from the host of Satan those who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie: Behold, I will create them, that they may come and worship before your feet, and understand that I have loved you.” Behold, I give from the host of Satan. As a reward for My confession, you will have the conversion and repentance of the Jews, who will fall at your feet, asking to be brought to Me and enlightened by Me: in the secret of the heart, but openly Judaizing. Rev. 3:10–11. “For you have kept the word of My patience, and I will keep you from the times of temptation, which would come upon the whole world to tempt those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming soon; hold it, O imashi, so that no one may take your crown.” He called the year of temptation, or soon to be, the persecution of Christians from the wicked rulers of Rome at that time; He promises to rid this city of it. Or he means, at the end of the age, a worldwide attack against believers from the Antichrist, from which he promises to free the zealots, delighting them with permission from this life, so that they will not be tempted beyond their strength (more so than they can). He says well, I am coming quickly, for after the tribulation of days, as it is said: the Lord will come. Therefore, he prefaces this by keeping the treasure of faith unstolen, so that no one destroys the crown of patience. Rev.3:12. “I will make him who overcomes as a pillar in the church of my God, and no one will come out again.” He said correctly that he will make the one who overcomes a pillar in the church of God. For the conqueror of opposing forces is the pillar and affirmation of the Church, having an immovable foundation in it, according to the Divine Apostle. Rev.3:12. “And I will write on it the name of My God, and the name of My city, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God, and My new name.” And on the heart of this pillar I will inscribe a vision of the Divine name and the highest Jerusalem, so that with spiritual eyes he will see its beauty, and My new name, which will be known to the saints in the next century. My God - humanly spoke about the Father, how immutably he became flesh for our sake. Jerusalem descends from above, since Divine knowledge, starting from the Angels, reaches for us, with the union of both through Christ, our head. Rev.3:13. “Have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Let us pray that we too receive such an ear. Chapter 9. Revelation to the Angel of the Laodicean Church Rev.3:14. “And write to the angel of the Laodicean church, thus says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the firstfruits of the creation of God.” The word faithful means the truth of Christ, or better yet, that He Himself is the self-existent truth. The firstfruits of creation, instead: the kingdom and the beginning of everything, as having dominion over creation. For the firstfruits of creation is the dominating and uncreated cause. Rev. 3:15–16. “We know your deeds, as if you were neither cold nor warm: oh, so that you were cold or hot. So you are warm, and you are not cold, but you are not burning.” And the Theologian Gregory says: you need to burn carefully, or carefully be cold. And truly; for a cold person who does not have ardent faith can have hope that he will receive it; and he who burns in spirit through baptism and then grows cold from laziness, cuts off the hope of salvation, rejecting his chosen faith. In matters one cannot blame the middle; Thus, lawless marriage, constituting a middle ground between virginity and fornication, is not rejected, but in faith the middle and warmth have no value. Rev. 3:15–17. “Imam will vomit you from My mouth. You say before, that I am rich, and have become rich, and demand nothing: and do not weigh, for you are damned, and poor, and poor, and blind, and naked.” Just as something warm causes vomit in those who receive it, so with the word of my mouth I will vomit you into everlasting torment like disgusting food. Because having drowned the seed of the Divine Word with the thorns of wealth, you do not realize your poverty in the spiritual, and the blindness of your intelligent eyes and nakedness in good deeds: Rev.3:18. “I advise you to buy from Me gold kindled with fire, so that you may become rich, and be clothed in white clothing, and let the shame of your nakedness not appear; and anoint your eyes with collurium, so that you may see.” If you want to be rich, I advise you, with a fiery desire and will, to buy from Me, the enricher, refined gold, a teaching word purified in the fire of temptation. From him you will have in your heart an inestimable treasure, and you will be clothed in the bright robe of virtue, and you will cover with it the nakedness that results from sin. Collurium is non-covetousness, for if gifts blind the eyes of those who see, then their contempt for gifts truly opens them up. Rev. 3:19. “Even if I love them, I rebuke and punish: be jealous and repent.” O love for humanity! With what goodness reproof dissolves! Rev.3:20. “Behold, I stand at the door and speak: if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and sup with him, and he with Me.” I’m standing at the door and it’s no use. Not forced by My presence. I push at the door of my heart and rejoice with those who open it for their salvation; I honor him with supper and feasting, being satisfied with that with which they are satisfied and drive away the hunger of hearing the word of the Lord and the darkness of error. Rev. 3:21–22. “To him who overcomes I will give to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also conquered and sat with My Father on His throne. Have an ear to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” The throne indicates the kingdom and peace of the next century. He says that those who defeat the enemy will be glorified and will reign with Me. As I have conquered - it is said according to humanity, for the sake of the perception of the flesh. For God the Word did not receive the kingdom as a reward for virtue, for in essence it did not come from God. And if it were not so, I could not transmit it to others, but, according to the Theologian and son of Gromov, from His fullness he communicated it to all the saints; why he promised the holy Apostles that they would sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. For, since for our sake He became man, being God and the eternal King, and shared everything we have except sin, therefore He gave all of His to the conquerors of the devil, as far as it was possible for people to accept this. Why, having made the clouds the chariot of His ascension to heaven during the Ascension, will also take away the saints into the clouds at His meeting, according to the word of the Apostle; and he who has to come as a Judge, as the Creator and Master of creation, will give the saints the right to judge those who have rejected the truly Divine and blessed slavery, as the Apostle says: Do you not know how imams judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3), i.e. leaders of darkness. Since we have such a humane Judge, we strive to be pleasing to Him, constantly fulfilling the saying of Solomon: at all times let your garments be white (Eccl. 9:8), not defiled by evil deeds. Thus, adorning our souls like a bride, let us present ourselves worthy of love to the immortal Bridegroom and King and, uniting with Him through virtues, we will receive eternal blessings in Christ Himself, our God, their Giver. With him is glory, honor and worship of the Father along with the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.