Слово 9

Chapter 25. About the fourth Angel and the darkening of the luminaries Rev.8:12. “And the fourth angel sounded, and a third part of the sun was bruised, and a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars, and a third part of them was darkened, and a third part of the day did not shine, and the night likewise.” We think that this is akin to what is said in Joel about the sun and the moon and is already assumed by the Lord’s definition of death. We say that the third part of the luminaries and stars means the third part of the continuation of day and night, from which we can see that God will then bring evil not without weakening, then, allowing the punished to be tormented for a third of the time, the rest of the time he secretly calls them; for who can endure the cup of God's wrath undissolved. Rev.8:13. “And I saw and heard one angel soaring in the midst of heaven, saying with a great voice: Woe, woe, woe to them that dwell on the earth, because of the other voices of the trumpets of the three angels who wanted to sound.” Woe, woe, woe to those living on earth - this shows the compassion and love for mankind of the Divine Angels. They show God-like mercy for punished sinners, and especially for those who do not recover from their ulcers; Woe is especially and fitting for them, since they live on earth and think earthly things, and breathe dust instead of the peace poured out for us. For those who live in heaven, the onslaught of disasters is the cause of imperishable crowns and victorious rewards. Chapter 26. About the fifth Angel and mental locusts, and about their different types Rev. 9:1–5. “And the fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star fall from heaven to the earth. And the key of the student of the abyss was given to her. And the abyss was opened for the student, and the smoke from the student rose up, like the smoke of a cave, and the sun and the air became darker from the smoke of the student. And from the smoke the springs came out onto the earth, and a region was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have a region. And it was said to them that they should not harm the grass of the earth, nor any grain, nor any tree, but only men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads. And it was given to them, that they might not kill them, but that they might suffer five months of torment: and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion, when he beheads a man.” He says about the star that it is the Angel of God who descended from heaven to earth for punishment, or into the valley of Jehoshaphat intended for judgment, and the student of the abyss is Gehenna, and the smoke coming from it - that the sun and air will be invisible to those punished; the worms are worms, about which the Prophet said: and their worm will not die. (Isa. 66:24). And so as not to harm the earth or grass, but only to people, because they will be freed from corruption, to which they are now slaves for our sake. And they say that they will suffer for five months: they will suffer severely for a certain period of time, and after that, although it will be easier, it will be eternal. And I agree about the star that it is a Divine Angel; he, by God's permission, will lead out of the abyss the condemned evil demons, whom the incarnate Christ bound, so that, while doing their part, they would receive endless torment before the end. Smoke is the darkness produced by evil deeds from their instigations; when things are revealed, power will be given to them to torment people. The darkening of the sun and the air means the spiritual blindness of people who enjoy their light or their state during disasters, for light is darkness to those in tribulation. And that mental locusts bite people like scorpions, this means that at the end of bad deeds the harmful death of the soul is hidden, to which those who are not imprinted on their foreheads with the Divine Seal and who do not shine with the illumination of the Life-giving Cross through the Holy Spirit are subjected, so that, according to the word of the Master, their light shines before people for the glory of the name of God. Five months of their torment means, as we think, either a shortness of time, for if those days had not been shortened, all flesh would not have been saved (Mark 24:22), according to the word of the Master, or a certain five-fold time, due to the five senses through which sin penetrates people, or a certain time known to God alone. Rev.9:6. “And in those days men will seek death, and will not find it: and they will desire to die, and death will flee from them.” And people will seek death - this signifies an excess of suffering, for it is usual for those in sorrow to call upon death. And that it does not come to those who ask for it during sorrow, this depends on the destinies of God, because He considers it convenient, through the bitterness of the induced disasters, to make sin hateful for people, as the culprit and the cause of them. Rev.9:7–9. “And the springs are likened to horses prepared for battle: and on their heads they are like crowns of gold, and their faces are like the faces of men. And I had hair like the hair of a woman, and teeth like lions, and I had armor like the armor of iron.” Because of all this and what was said below, by the mentioned locusts, some understood the Divine Angels, punishing, depicted in every saying, either for the sake of fear and horror, or for the speed of them, or for the sake of punishment, bringing torment on the worthy in Gehenna. But I think that by these locusts it is better to understand the crafty demons who are preparing for battle with us, and on their heads wearing golden-shaped crowns of victory over us, with which we, when we are defeated, think to be crowned, as having acquired an evil victory through pleasures. Women's hair means the voluptuousness of demons and the excitement for fornication, and lion's teeth - their murderousness and poisonousness, iron armor - their hard-heartedness. Rev. 9:9–12. “And a voice shouted at them, like the voice of chariots, when many horses rush to battle. And I had mistakes like scorpions, and the sting was in their mistakes: and the area was given to them to harm people for five months. And they had over them a king, the angel of the abyss, whose name in Hebrew was Abaddon, and in Hellenic name Apollyon. One sorrow has departed: behold, two more sorrows are coming after this.” The voice of the krill of mental locusts is likened to the voice of war chariots, we think by their height and speed, for they fight us from on high, as blessed David says (Psalm 53:3). And that their mistakes (tails) are similar to scorpions, this indicates the consequences of sins that give rise to spiritual death. For the sin of the deed gives birth to death (James 1:15), and because of it, grief comes upon people for five months, which means a short time in comparison with the future age, and points to the five senses through which sin enters us, as has already been written. By their king one should understand the devil, who in truth destroys those who submit to him. And in order for us to wage an irreconcilable battle with him, he threatens that after this two griefs will come upon us. Chapter 27. About the sixth Angel and about the Angels allowed on the Euphrates Rev. 9:13–16. “And the sixth angel sounded his trumpet, and I heard one voice from the four horns of the golden altar that is before God, saying to the sixth angel who has the trumpet: let the four angels be bound at the river of the great Euphrates. And the four angels were given permission for an hour and a day and a month and a summer, that they might slay the third part of the people. And the number of the mounted warriors was two in darkness: and I heard their number.” Some say that these four Angels are Michael and Gabriel, and Uriel and Raphael, bound by the joy of Divine contemplation, and on the day they will be allowed, together with a countless number of Angels, to condemn the wicked, of which the third part will be destroyed. I think that these too are the most crafty demons, bound at the coming of Christ, that they, according to the Divine command emanating from the heavenly altar (the image of which was in the ancient Tabernacle), will be allowed by the Divine Angel to revolt the people not only against Christians, but against each other, so that some will appear worthy and faithful and will be worthy of the best rewards and the highest abodes and containers, like ripe wheat, others, like tares, wicked and very sinful and unrepentant, righteously punished here, received a more durable condemnation to judgment. And that they are bound at the Euphrates, there is nothing strange in that, for, by the command of God, before the time was condemned, some were condemned to the abyss, others to pigs, others to other places; so that, at the end of their battle with people, they would suffer eternal torment. Or maybe that’s why the Euphrates is mentioned, because the Antichrist will come out of those places. There is no doubt about the multitude of demons, for all the saints say that the air is filled with them. And what does the third part of those destroyed mean, we have already talked about that before. Rev. 9:17–19. “And so I saw in the vision the horses, and the armor that sat on them was fiery, and Hyacinthian, and bogeymen: and the heads of the horses (their) were like the heads of a lion, and from their mouths came fire and smoke and a bogeyman. And by these three plagues the third part of men perished, by the fire and by the smoke and by the bogeyman that came out of their mouth. The region of horses is in their mouths and their mistakes are like a serpent, having a head, and doing dirty tricks with them.” Horses, I think, mean either sexist and bestial people, or subordinates and those under the command of demons, and riders mean those who control them. For they usually use not only each other’s services, but also crafty people, as instruments in slandering relatives. And the armor is fiery and Hyacinthian and bogey, we think, means the airy being of crafty spirits and burning activity. And the heads of the lion indicate their murderousness and brutality, and the fire, with smoke and brimstone coming out of their mouths, which will destroy a third of the people, means either sins, which, through their poisonous suggestions and temptations, burn the fruits of the heart, or the devastation of cities and bloodshed, by God's permission, carried out by the hands of barbarians, from which, as we see, no less than a third of the people died. It is well said that their mistakes (tails) are like snakes with heads, for the end of demonic sowing is poisonous sin and spiritual death. Rev.9:20–21. “And the rest of mankind, who were not injured by these plagues, having repented from the works of their hands, let them not worship demons, nor idols of gold and silver, and copper, and stone, and wood, which they can neither see, nor hear, nor walk: and not repent from their murders, nor from their fornication, nor from their thieves.” And others from people who were unharmed - and this is in accordance with what was said before. For, having said above that a third of the people were killed by these three plagues, he adds that the rest of the people, who were awarded mercy and did not suffer this, remained unrepentant and, not ceasing from murder, and fornication, and theft, and sorcery, will be subjected to the same. From this it is clear that wrath will extend to the whole world. For various errors are rampant among nations that have not known the truth: some worship idols, others honor the creature instead of the Creator, and even those who profess that they know God are rejected by His works and, while observing the image of piety, His powers are rejected, and others work for mammon through the love of money, which the Divine Apostle calls idolatry, saying: and covetousness, which is idolatry (Col. 3:5). May it be that whatever we do, demonstrating the sincerity and purity of faith in God, we do not hear that terrible voice saying: Amen, Amen, I say to you, we do not know you (Matt. 25:12) and further: go away, you workers of unrighteousness, and you have heard this blessed and longed-for voice: Come, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world (Matthew 25:34), by the grace and love for mankind and the mercies of Christ our God, who suffered the cross by the will; with Him be the Father with the Holy Life-giving Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.