Глава II. Об отношении Бога как Творца и Промыслителя к миру духовному

§ 42. The division of the spiritual world into good and evil spirits and the relationship of God, as Creator and Provider, to both The spiritual world, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, is made up of two kinds of spirits: good spirits, otherwise called Angels, and evil spirits or demons, who were also created good by God, but became evil of their own free will (Rev. confession, part 1, answer to questions 19–21). The relationship of God, as the Creator, to good and evil spirits is the same: He equally bestowed existence on both, nature, powers and abilities. But, as a Provider, He relates differently to good spirits and differently to evil ones: first, He assists in their good activities and controls them in accordance with the purpose of their existence; and with the latter He only allowed their fall and allows their evil activity, and limits it, directing it, if possible, to a good goal. I. Relationship to Good Spirits or Angels § 43. The concept of Angels; the authenticity of their existence and their origin from God 1. The name Angel (Ἄγγελος, messenger, messenger) is the name of a position, not a nature. Therefore, it is not surprising if in the Holy Scriptures it is assimilated by various messengers of Jehovah who proclaimed His will, for example, Moses (Num. 20:16), and other Prophets (Hag. 1:13; Isa. 33:7), the Forerunner of the Savior (Matt. 11:10), the Apostles (Luke 9:52) and heads of churches (Mal. 2:7; Ap. 1:20; 2:1). But, in the strict and proper sense, Angels are called in Holy Scripture beings of a special kind, different from God and from man, spiritual beings, real, and not imaginary. Yes - 1. In the book of Job we read: what? food will a person be clean before God? or a man without blemish in his deeds? If he does not believe in his servants, he also sees in his angels what he sees (Job 4:17, 18). Here the Angels differ from both God and man, and seem to be superior in nature to man. 2. The Psalmist makes a similar comparison between man and the Angels, only in stronger words: What is man, O Lord, that you remember him? or son of man, because you visit him? The angel made him a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor (Ps. 8:5, 6). 3. Christ the Savior taught: a) Everyone who has confessed Me before men, and the Son of man will confess him before the angels of God. But whoever rejects Me before men will be rejected before the angels of God (Luke 8:9). This means that Angels constitute a special class of beings, different from the human race. b) No one knows about those days or about that hour, not the Angels who are in heaven, not the Son, only the Father (Mark 13:32). Angels here are presented as inhabitants of heaven, possessing the most perfect knowledge compared to people and also undoubtedly existing, just as the Father and the Son exist. c) On Sunday they neither marry nor commit sexual intercourse, but as the angels of God are in heaven (Matthew 22:30). These words, in which Angels are so indisputably recognized as real beings, are all the more remarkable because the Savior spoke them before the Sadducees, who rejected the existence of Angels (Acts 23:8). 4. Ap. Paul writes to his beloved disciple Timothy: I will testify before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and (His) chosen angels, that you may preserve these things (1 Tim. 5:21). If, therefore, the Apostle calls the Angels as witnesses, together with God the Father and the Lord Jesus, then, obviously, he attributes to them an undoubted existence. And in the Epistle to the Hebrews the same Apostle, comparing the Savior with the Angels, says: He was so much better than the Angels, so much more glorious than their inheritance was the name. To whom should an angel say: “Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten Thee?”... When he again brings the firstborn into the universe, he says: And let all the angels of God worship Him (Heb. 1:4–6). II. Holy Scripture clearly teaches about the origin of Angels from God when it speaks of the Son of God: all things were by Him, and without Him they were nothing (John 1:3); and in another place: By Him all things were created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether they were Thrones, whether they were Dominions, whether they were Principalities, whether they were Powers: by Him all things were created and about Him (Col. 1:16). The invisible here means the spiritual world, in contrast to the visible, material world - and Thrones, Dominions, Principalities and Powers are the names of the Orders of Angels, as can be seen from other places (1 Pet. 3:22; Eph. 1:20, 21). By their nature, Angels are disembodied spirits, the most perfect of the human soul, but limited. 1. Angels are spirits. This is what Holy Scripture teaches: a) when it speaks of Angels in general: Are they not all souls of service, sent into service for those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14); b) when, in particular, he attributes to them essential properties of the spirit: mind and will, mentioning their desire to enter into the mystery of our redemption (1 Pet. 1:12), their ignorance of the last day of the world (Mark 13:32) and their holiness (Matthew 25:31); c) when he depicts them: contemplating (Matt. 18:10), praising God (Is. 6:3) and doing His will (Ps. 103:20). 2. Angels are disembodied spirits. This idea is revealed from the demolition of various passages of Holy Scripture. In one place it testifies that Angels are spirits - πνεύματα (Heb. 1:14), just as it says about God that the Spirit - πνεῦμα is God (John 4:24). In another he explains that the Spirit - πνεῦμα does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) - even such flesh as was the flesh of Christ the Savior after the resurrection, glorified flesh, in which He could enter to His disciples with closed doors (John 20:19). In the third, he actually notes about the Angels that they, in contrast to people clothed with flesh, neither marry nor commit violence (Matthew 22:30), that they cannot even die (Luke 20:35, 36). The doctrine of the incorporeality of Angels is clearly preached by St. fathers and teachers of the Church, for example: a) St. Athanasius: “An angel is a rational, immaterial being (ἄϋλον), hymn-speaking, immortal”; b) at St. Gregory of Nyssa: “all rational creation is divided into an incorporeal (ἀσόματον) nature and one clothed with flesh - the incorporeal is the Angelic nature; another species is us, people”; c) at St. Chrysostom: “God created Angels, Archangels and other incorporeal natures”; d) at St. John of Damascus: An angel is a rational, free, incorporeal being who serves God. 3. Angels are the most perfect spirits of the human soul, but limited. Perfect, but limited. a) By nature in general. This idea is directly and clearly expressed in the words of the Psalmist that man is made a little lower than the Angels (Ps. 8:6), which follow. although higher than man, but only by a little. It is necessary that she assumes. Paul, firstly, when the Apostle proves the Divine greatness of the Only Begotten Son of God, by the way, by the fact that He is better than the Angels themselves (Heb. 1:4-14); and secondly, when, depicting the glory of the Redeemer of men, into which He entered after the days of His flesh, after the ascension of the flesh into heaven, He says that even the Angels, and the Authorities, and the Powers submitted to Him (1 Pet. 3:22). b) According to your mind. The Savior said to the Apostles when they asked Him about the last day of the world - about those days or about that hour, no one knows, neither the Angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, only the Father (Mark 13:32). It is clear from this that higher knowledge is available to Angels than to man, and that this knowledge has its limits. c) By its strength and power. The Word of God testifies that angels are greater in strength and power than we are (2 Pet. 2:11; narrated by Ps. 102:20). But the power of Angels has its limits and does not extend to the point that they themselves can work miracles: blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who alone works miracles (Ps. 71:18). § 45. Number of Angels and degrees: heavenly hierarchy 1. The Angelic World appears to be unusually great in Holy Scripture. One of the seers of the Old Testament saw in his dream that when the Ancient of Days sat on his throne, thousands of thousands served Him, and these stood before Him (Dan. 7:9, 10). Another New Testament seer also saw and heard the voice of many angels around the throne of God - and their number was thousands upon thousands (Ap. 5:11). Many heavenly howls praised the coming to earth of the Son of God for the redemption of the human race (Luke 2:13). In the darkness of His saints, the Lord will come to execute judgment on everyone and expose all the wicked (Jude 14–15). Every person who truly believes in Christ the Savior enters into fellowship with the darkness of Angels (Heb. 12:22). 2. Being so numerous, the Angels are divided into special classes or degrees. Ap. Paul clearly distinguishes these classes when he speaks of the Son of God: By Him were all things created, both in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether Thrones, whether Dominions, whether Principalities, whether Powers: by Him all things were created (Col. 1:16), and when, depicting the glory of the Savior after His Ascension into heaven, it is expressed that the Father seated Him at His right hand heavenly, above all Principality and Authority and Power and Dominion (Eph. 1:21). In addition, from the very names that the Word of God assigns to the powers of the Angels, one can conclude that they differ in dignity: some of them, for example, are called Angels (1 Pet. 3:22), and others Archangels (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 9). The Church's belief on this subject was expressed at the Fifth Ecumenical Council (553), when it condemned Origen, among other things, because he admitted that the Angels were completely equal in their powers and virtues, and that initially they were not divided into classes, but were divided later, when some of them fell. 3. In particular, the Orthodox Church teaches about the classes or degrees of the heavenly hierarchy: Angels are divided into nine ranks, and these nine are divided into three ranks. In the first rank are those who are closer to God, such as: Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. In the second rank: Power, Dominion and Strength. In the third: Angels, Archangels, Principalities” (Right. Ex. part 1, answer to question 20). This division is a) Partly based on Holy Scripture, at least in the sense that in the Holy. books contain the names of all the Angelic Orders listed here, such as: Cherubim (Gen. 3:24), Seraphim (Isa. 6:1-8), Powers (Eph. 1:21; Rom. 8:38), Thrones, Principalities, Dominions, Authorities (Col. 1:16; Eph. 1:21; 3:10), Archangels ( 1 Sol. 4:16; Jude 9) and Angels (1 Pet. 3:22; Rom. 8:38), and more than these nine names of the Orders of Angels are not mentioned. b) But it is mainly based on the Holy. legends. And St. Dionysius the Areopagite produces this tradition directly from the lips of his mentor, St. Apostle Paul, saying: “The Word of God called all the Powers (Orders) of heaven by nine separate names, and our Divine Hierarch divided them into three triple degrees.” Then, we find the same division of Angels into nine Orders, or at least the calculation of precisely nine Orders of Angels, in the Apostolic Constitutions, in St. Ignatius the God-Bearer, at St. Gregory the Theologian, at St. John Chrysostom, even more clearly in St. Gregory Dvoeslov and St. John of Damascus. § 46. God assists the good angels The teaching of the Church about God’s assistance to the good Angels can be seen in the following words: “they (the Orders of Angels) are placed in such an order that the lower Angels receive the enlightenment and benefits of God through the higher ones. These Angels were established in the grace of God forever so that they could no longer sin; however, not by one’s nature, but by the grace of God” (Right. confession, part I, answer to question 20). That is - I. God assists the mind of the Angels in its pursuit of truth, imparting to it enlightenment and revelations from Himself. This idea has its basis in those places of Holy Scripture where it is said: a) that Angels dwell in heaven (Matthew 22:30; Mark 13:32), surround the throne of God (Isaiah 6:2), and they see the face of the heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10); track. they directly know God, and in Him all things; b) that God is spiritual light (1 John 1:5), eternal light (Isa. 60:19, 20); track. first and most of all they illuminate the worldly spirits surrounding His throne; finally, c) that God often reveals His will to the Angels in a special way or on special occasions, to communicate it to people (Dan. 9:21, 26; Luke 1:26–38, etc.). II. God promotes the free will of the Angels in its activity with His omnipotent grace, with the help of which they have already become so established in goodness that they cannot fall and will always remain good. 1. The first half of the thought follows, on the one hand, from the fact that Angels, as limited beings who do not have life in themselves (John 5:26), but who received it from the Source of life (Ps. 35:10), necessarily need, in order to continue their life and activity, constant reinforcement from God and, like all creatures, yearn for Him to give them food (Ps. 103:27), which may be for them only the grace of God. And on the other hand, from the fact that God, as the Holy Scripture teaches, bears everything, a trace. and Angels, with the verb of his power (Heb. 1:3), and revives all things, trace. and Angels (1 Tim. 6:13; Neh. 9:6); that in His hand is the soul of all living (Job 12:10). 2. The second half of the thought, namely about the inflexibility of the Angels to evil, with the help of grace, and their establishment in goodness forever, is confirmed by the passages of Scripture - where the Angels are called the servants of God, doing His will (Ps. 103:21; followed by Matt. 6:10) and His chosen Angels (1 Tim. 5:21); they appear to be living in heaven in the presence of God Himself (Matthew 22:30), and enjoying the blessed sight of Him (Matthew 18:10); and where it is said that the Angels will remain holy even at the end of the world, when the Lord appears with them to judge the living and the dead (Matt. 25:31), and that they will remain members of the Church triumphant in heaven (Heb. 12:22, 23), or the kingdom of glory, which is to exist forever and ever (Ap. 22:5). § 47. God rules the good angels: a) their service to God I. “Angels, according to the teaching of the Orthodox Church, are brought from God from non-existence into existence so that they glorify Him and serve Him, and in addition serve people in this world, guiding them to the Kingdom of God” (Right. Confession, Part I, answer to Question 19). Therefore, the control of the Almighty by the Angels consists in the fact that He, in accordance with their purpose, uses them: a) to serve Himself and b) to serve people. II. The service of Angels to God is of two kinds - 1. They serve God directly by standing before Him, worshiping Him, and glorifying Him. The prophet Isaiah saw that the Seraphim stood around the throne of God, and they called out to each other, and said: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of hosts: the whole earth is filled with His glory (Isaiah 6:3). The Prophet Daniel was also honored to see the Ancient of Days, sitting on the throne of heaven, when thousands of thousands of angels served Him, and many of them stood before Him (Dan. 7:10). 2. Angels serve God mediocrely, as instruments of His providence for the universe and the human race. This is confirmed by Holy Scripture - when it calls them primarily Angels (ἄγγελος, messenger) (Heb. 1:4, 6), Angels of God (Matt. 22:30), Angels of the Lord (Matt. 1:20), i.e. such creatures who are sent by God into the world to carry out His instructions; also calls His powers and His servants doing His will (Ps. 103:20, 21), and presents in the history of the Church, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, numerous examples of the actual embassy of Angels in the world to serve people (Gen. Ch. 18, 19, 28, Dan. 9:21; Zech. 3:1; Luke 1:28; Matt. 1:20; Acts 5:19; 12:7 etc.). § 48. b) Service of Angels to people: Guardian Angels In addition to the fact that Angels generally serve as instruments of God’s providence for people, the Lord also grants a special Guardian Angel to each of the believers, as the Orthodox Church teaches (Long Catech. on Part 1). The doctrine of such Guardian Angels has solid foundations in Holy Scripture - I. Traces of this teaching are found in the books of the Old Testament, for example, in the saying of the Psalmist: the Angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear Him, and will deliver them (Ps. 33:8) and in another: evil will not come to you, and no wound will come near your body. As His Angel commanded you, keep you in all your ways (90:10, 11). 1. In the New Testament, the Savior himself said: take heed, lest you despise one of these little ones: for I say unto you, that their angels in heaven shall always see the face of my heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10). These words contain a clear teaching that each of the believers in Christ has his own, special Guardian Angel: for a) as can be seen from the entire course of the Savior’s speech, by little ones or infants He meant His followers, infants in the spiritual sense, and b) about them He expressed Himself: Their Angels (οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν), i.e. The angels assigned to each of them are their own angels. 2. As a result of such clear teaching of the Lord, faith in the existence of a special Guardian Angel for every Christian existed even in the Apostolic Church. When Peter, having been miraculously brought out of prison by an Angel, suddenly came to the house in which the believers were gathered, they, struck by the surprise, did not want to believe what had happened and said: “It is surely not he himself, but his Angel” - the verb: His Angel is (Acts 12:15). 3. Finally, the idea of ​​​​Guardian Angels of private individuals can be deduced from the words of the Apostle Paul about Angels: is not the essence of service souls, sent to serve for those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14)? If Angels are sent to serve for those who want to inherit salvation; and all those who are baptized into Christ and believe in Him, of course, are among these willing ones: this means that Angels are sent to serve each of those who believe in Christ. Note The holy fathers and shepherds of the ancient Church not only unanimously taught that there really are Guardian Angels of individuals, but, if possible, they set out this teaching even in detail. They tried to determine: 1) to whom exactly and from what time the Guardian Angel is given; 2) whether he has been constantly with the person since then, and 3) what his service to the person consists of. 1. Holding to the words of the Psalmist about the Angel of the Lord, who encamps only around those who fear God (Ps. 33:8), also the words of the Savior that the little Angels who believe in Him, will always see the face of the Heavenly Father (Matthew 18:10), and finally the sayings of St. The Apostle about the sending of Angels to those who want to inherit salvation (Heb. 1:14), the most famous of teachers concluded that the Guardian Angel is not given to every person, indifferently, but only to Christians, and so on. is given as soon as they become Christians, i.e. from the time of baptism. 2. Based on the same words of the Psalmist that Angels take up arms only around those who fear God (Ps. 33:8), the ancient teachers of the Church concluded: a) that the Guardian Angel is with every believer constantly, throughout his entire life, while he remains fearing God; b) that the Guardian Angel sometimes leaves a Christian when he ceases to fear God and falls into wickedness, or otherwise, our sins can remove our Angels from us. 3. Finally, according to the words of St. Paul: Isn’t that the essence of ministerial souls, sent into service for those who want to inherit knowledge (Heb. 1: 14), the teachers of the Church believed that in general the service of Guardian Angels to us is to, according to the will of God, contribute to our salvation. In particular, they said that Angels are: a) our faithful mentors in faith and piety (2 Kings 1: 3, 15–17; Zech. 2: 3); b) guardians of our souls and bodies (Ps. 90: 10, 11); c) our prayer books and intercessors before God (Matthew 18: 10; Ap. 8: 3; Tob. 12: 15–20); d) they do not leave us at the very end and take the souls of the dead to the land of eternity (Luke 16:22). II. Attitude towards evil spirits § 49. Different names of evil spirits and the certainty of their existence I. The same Word of God, which speaks about good spirits, also speaks about evil spirits (Luke 7:21), also calling them unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1), spirits of evil (Eph. 6:12), demons or demons (Luke 8:30, 33, 35). In particular, it distinguishes between them one main one, whom he most often calls the devil (1 Pet. 5:8), the tempter (Matthew 4:3), Satan (Apoc. 20:2, 7), sometimes Beelzebub (Luke 11:15), Belial (2 Cor. 6:15), the prince of this world (John 12:31), the prince of power air (Eph. 2:2), the prince of demons (Matthew 9:34) and under; and in relation to him, he calls other evil spirits the angels of the devil (Matt. 25:41), the angels of Satan (Ap. 12:7, 9). II. That this devil and his angels are received into the Holy Place. The Scriptures, as personal and real beings, can be seen - 1. From the books of the Old Testament. Here it is narrated that more than once, when the Angels of God appeared before the face of God, the devil also appeared with them, and then the many different disasters with which the devil tempted the righteous Job, with the permission of the Almighty, are described in detail (Job 1:6; 2:2 et seq.). It is also narrated that the evil Spirit pressed upon Saul, when the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (1 Samuel 18), that the devil arose against Israel and killed David, that he might number Israel (1 Chronicles 21:1). In Zechariah's prophetic vision, the high priest Jesus is depicted standing in the presence of the Angel of the Lord, and at the right hand of Jesus is the devil as his accuser (Zech. 3:1). Finally, the Wise One testifies: because of the devil, death comes into the world (Wis. 2:24). 2. Even more - from the books of the New Testament. To prove it, it is enough to point out some examples: a) When the Pharisees accused the Savior that He cast out demons only about Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Matthew 12:24), the Savior not only did not say that Beelzebub and his demons were not real beings, on the contrary, he answered - if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided among himself: what then will his kingdom become? And if I cast out demons about Beelzebub, who will your sons cast out (12:26–27)? b) In that terrible sentence that the righteous Judge pronounced on sinners - go from Me, cursed into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angel (Matthew 25:41), the devil and his angels clearly differ from evil people and appear to be real beings, to whom eternal punishment is determined. c) The Apostle James says - and demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). This means that they are intelligent, thinking beings. d) The Apostle Paul writes - let us not be offended by Satan: we do not fail to understand his intentions (2 Cor. 2:11), and, therefore, portrays the devil as a thinking being; and in another place he expresses the desire that those who resist the truth from the snare of the devil may arise, live from his snares, in accordance with his own will (2 Tim. 2:26), and thus teaches that the devil is a personal being, having his own will. § 50. Evil spirits were created good by God, but they themselves became evil This truth, which a sound mind cannot but accept on the basis of the very concept of God as a most perfect being, is clearly expressed in the Word of God. Christ the Savior, denouncing the Jews for their wickedness, among other things, said to them: You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the lusts of your father; he is a murderer from time immemorial, and does not stand in truth - ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ οὐκ ἔστηκεν, i.e. did not stand in the truth (John 8:44). If the devil did not stand in the truth, then it means that he was placed in the truth and it depended on him not to stand in it. The Apostle Peter says that God did not show mercy to the angels who sinned (ἁμαρτησάντων), but bound them captives in darkness, and gave them over to the tormented to watch over (2 Pet. 2:4): it turns out that fallen spirits were created sinless, but they themselves sinned, for which they were condemned. The Apostle Jude writes that God kept the angels who did not keep their authority, but left their habitation for the judgment of the great day, with eternal bonds under darkness (Jude 6), - the angels who did not keep their authority - τοὺς μὴ τηρήσαντας τὴν ἐατῶν ἀρχὴν: i.e. those who did not preserve their beginning, their original appearance, their original state: but leaving their home - οἰκήτημον, i.e. a dwelling that corresponded to their original condition. Note 1. Since ancient times, in the Church of Christ there has been an opinion that the devil, having drawn all other evil spirits with him, fell with pride, and this opinion has a basis in the Word of God. The Apostle Paul, giving the law that no one from the newly baptized should be ordained as a bishop, adds: lest the devil become proud (εἰς κρίμα) fall into judgment (1 Tim. 3:6), i.e. so that, having become proud, he would not be subjected to the same condemnation that the devil was subjected to. If equally condemned according to the law of truth presupposes equal guilt; then it is natural to conclude from the words of the Apostle that the devil fell with pride. And the wise son of Sirach speaks generally about sin: the beginning of sin is pride (Sir. 10:15); track. this can also be attributed to the first sin in the world, which was the beginning of all subsequent ones, i.e. to the sin of the devil. 2. To the question: how deep have the evil spirits fallen? - The teachers of the Church usually answered: so deep that they will never rise again. And the Word of God testifies that the fallen angels are kept under darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6), and that eternal fire is prepared for them (Matthew 25:41). Why can't they repent? Because, as pure spirits, being free from any material shell, and trace. from all the temptations of the flesh, if they fell, then they fell solely by the deliberate determination of their own will and by pure attraction to evil, and in addition, they fell precisely by a daring rebellion against God Himself, a stubborn and bitter rebellion. “The angels have fallen away,” notes our domestic saint, “into such bitterness, as if it would never be possible for them to come to repentance” (St. Demetrius, Rostov, in his cell chronicles). § 51. The nature of evil spirits and their number 1. Since the fallen spirits were Angels before their fall, it goes without saying that by their nature they, like Angels, are disembodied spirits, the highest souls of the human, but limited. Holy Scripture, indeed, and - a) Calls them spirits or unclean spirits. “I came later,” says the Evangelist, “and brought many demons to Him (Jesus Christ), and cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick (Matthew 8:16). And further: and He called His disciples to be stripped, and gave them authority over the unclean souls, so that they might drive them out (- 10:1). b) Attributes to them intelligence and will. The Apostle Paul in one place warns Orthodox Christians: let us not be offended by Satan: for we do not fail to understand his plans (νοήματα) (2 Cor. 2:11); and in the other he expresses his benevolence, so that those who have betrayed the truth of Christ should arise from the snare of the devil, living caught from him, according to his will (θέλημα) (2 Tim. 2:26). c) Gives grounds to conclude that they are alien to all materiality and fleshiness. This basis is provided by: aa) cases mentioned in the Gospel, which show that one person can be possessed by many demons at once; for example, the Savior cast out seven demons from Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9); in another man there was a whole legion of them, so that when they were expelled from this man and entered into the swine, the whole herd rushed into the lake (Luke 8:30, 33); bb) clear words of St. Apostle Paul: Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against the spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph. 6:12). d) Represents them as creatures exceeding man in strength, and yet limited. This is evident, firstly, from the actions of the devil, when, by God’s permission, he tempted the righteous Job (Job 1:12), and then Christ the Savior Himself (Matthew 4:1–11); secondly, from the instructions that the Apostle gives to Christians regarding spiritual warfare: otherwise, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His strength: Put on the full armor of God, for you are able to stand against the wiles of the devil (Eph. 6:10–11; 1 Pet. 5:8). 2. Numbers of fallen spirits Holy. Scripture does not define, but makes it clear that this number is large when it speaks of demons and unclean spirits in the plural (Luke 10:17, 20; Eph. 6:12, etc.); testifies that in the country of the Gadarenes the Savior cast out many demons from one man, a legion (Luke 8:30), and presents the Savior’s saying: even if Satan were divided among himself, what would his kingdom become (Luke 11:18)? Note Is there any difference or subordination between fallen spirits? You have to think that there is. For the Savior also mentions the unclean spirit, which, having departed from a person, then brings into him seven others who were proud of themselves (Luke 11:26), about Beelzebub, the prince of demons (Matt. 12:27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18), about the devil and his angels (Matt. 25:41); and St. The Apostle distinguishes between them the principles, powers and rulers of the darkness of this world (Col. 2:15; Eph. 6:12) i.e. He calls them, by the way, the very words that designate the different degrees of the Angelic world. § 52. God only allows the activities of evil spirits About the activities of fallen spirits, which God only allows because he does not want to restrict their freedom, the Orthodox Church teaches: “they (evil spirits) are the perpetrators of all wickedness, blasphemers of Divine majesty, corrupters of human souls... However, they cannot use violence against a single person... unless God allows them” (Right. confession, part 1, answer to question 21). That is, the devil acts as an enemy of God and at the same time as an enemy of man. I. The Savior Himself called the devil His enemy, who sows tares in the village where He, the Son of man, sows good seed (Matthew 13: 37, 39); the prince of this world (John 12: 31; 14:30; 16: 11), who has his own kingdom, completely opposite to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 12: 26, 28), and expressed the idea that this area of ​​Satan is paganism (Acts 26: 18) and in general the sinful state of people whose father is the devil (John 8:44). The Holy Apostles called the devil and the angels his principalities, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age (Eph. 6:12); his kingdom is the power of death (Heb. 2:14), a dark power (region), opposite to the kingdom of the Son of God (Col. 1:13). II. The following is known about the devil’s enmity against people: 1. The devil, being a murderer from time immemorial, i.e. Having tempted our forefathers in paradise (John 8:44), from that time on he did not cease to tempt and incline each person to moral evil by all possible means. He walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8); Some are blinded by their minds, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ cannot shine upon them (2 Cor. 4:4); from others, for whom this light has already shone, he takes the word of God from their hearts, so that those who do not believe may be saved (Luke 8:12); third, like the pious Job (Job 1:9 et al.), by God’s permission, he pursues with disasters, and puts him in prison, so that they may be tempted (Ap. 2:10), etc. 2. The devil or his demons have often even taken possession, by God’s permission, and take possession of a person in order to torment him. The Gospel stories about demoniacs undoubtedly convince us of this: a) The Savior Himself looked at the demon-possessed as people who actually had demons within them, and therefore, when He talked with the demon-possessed, He directed His words not to people, but directly to demons, clearly called them unclean spirits and commanded them to come out from people: Depart from man, unclean soul (Mark 5:8; demolished 1:25); mute and deaf in soul, I command you: come out of him, and do not let anyone enter into him (Mark 9:25). b) The demons who were in people, as real beings and separate from those persons in whom they lived, recognized the Son of God in Christ, and trembled at His power and authority over them, crying out: what do we and You, Jesus Son of God? ecu came before the time to torment us (Matthew 8:29; Mark 1:24; 5:7); and one day they asked Him to allow them, when they left man, to be brought into the herd of swine (Luke 8:32, 33). c) Holy writers, in their tales about the possessed, clearly distinguish them from people possessed by diseases. For example, the Evangelist Matthew narrates: And He called His disciples to be convinced, and gave them authority over the unclean souls, that they might cast them out, and heal every disease and every sickness (10:1); Evangelist Mark: I was late, when the sun was setting, and brought to Him all that was sick and demonic. And heal many who suffer evil from various ailments, and cast out many demons, and do not leave the demons to speak, because they know His Christ today (1:32, 34). § 53. God limited and limits the activity of evil spirits, directing it, moreover, to good consequences However, allowing the evil activity of fallen spirits, so as not to deprive them of freedom, the Lord God, as infinitely righteous and wise, limited and limits this activity, directing it, if possible, to good consequences. I. Restricted and restricts: 1. By the fact that as soon as the evil spirits fell, He subjected them to deserved punishment, and having bound them captives in darkness, He handed them over to the tormented to watch over (2 Pet. 2:4). 2. By the fact that He has already partially destroyed by His death (Heb. 2:14) and continues to destroy the kingdom of the spirits of evil on earth through the constant expansion of His grace-filled kingdom. 3. By the fact that he has given us all the Divine powers, including life and piety (2 Pet. 1:3), with the help of which we can extinguish all the arrows of the evil one who kindled (Eph. 6:16), and - the most reliable means of resisting the devil and defeating him, which are: a) calling on His most holy name: these signs will follow to those who believe: in My name demons will be destroyed (Mark 16:17); b) prayer, fasting and spiritual vigilance: this kind can come out in no way except through prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29); Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into misfortune (temptation) (Matthew 26:41). 4. Finally, by never allowing the devil to tempt us more than we can bear. God is faithful, wrote the saints to his Corinthian children. Apostle Paul, “God is faithful, He will not leave you to be tempted beyond what you can, but He will create with temptation the abundance that you are able to bear (1 Cor. 10:13). And no matter how much the Lord allowed His servant Job to be tempted, but with all this he set a limit to the actions of the evil tempter: then the Lord said to the devil: behold, all that is unto him I give into your hand, but not touching it (Job 1:12). II. The goal for which the Lord allows all the tricks of the original seducer, who seeks our destruction, is our moral benefit, our salvation. For the temptations of the devil, like all temptations allowed to us by God - 1. Sometimes they serve as medicine to heal us from spiritual illnesses and to save us from eternal punishment. The Holy Apostle once commanded the Corinthians to hand over the fornicator to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the Spirit would be saved on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 5:5). 2. They warn us against spiritual pride and teach us humility. The Holy Apostle said about himself: because of the many revelations, let me not be arrogant; let me be a dirty trickster of the flesh, the angel of Satan, and play dirty tricks on me, so let me not be arrogant (2 Cor. 12:7). 3. They provide us with the most convenient opportunity to testify to the firmness of our faith and trust in God and to become more and more strengthened in goodness. Even the wise son of Sirach said: as gold is tempted by fire, and men are welcomed in the furnace of humility (Sir. 2:5). And St. The Apostle Peter wrote to Christians: in this regard, rejoice, for now there is little, although it is evil, having been sorrowful in various adversities: Yes, the temptation of your faith is more honorable than gold, being perishing, and being tempted by fire, it will be found in praise and honor and glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ (1 Pet. 1:6-7). 4. And next. provide us with the most convenient opportunity to achieve greater and greater rewards from the Righteous Giver: blessed is the man who endures temptation; having been skilled, he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). You might be interested in: