Presented here is a transcript of a lecture by Father Daniil Sysoev on dogmatic theology concerning eternal life, consisting of two parts - part 1 "On Eternal Torments" and part 2 "On the Life of the Future Age". Also, notes have been added by the transcript's editor to more broadly reveal the meaning of Father Daniil's speech. They are placed in separate brackets and marked as (editor's note:…. ).
This lecture is particularly relevant for refuting the heresy of "universal salvation" condemned at the Fifth Ecumenical Council.
Part 1. On Eternal Torments.
So, today our talk will be about the very, very end. Or about the very, very beginning, as you wish. Because it can be understood both ways. For some it will be the very, very end, and for others the very, very beginning. We will talk about the eternal torments of sinners and the eternal blessedness of the righteous. Why do I want to do everything in this particular order? Let me try to say why. I, by the way, also advise you to speak in this order. The fact is that there is such a rule: the last thing is remembered best. If you see a hardened sinner, start in reverse order. Understand, right? If a person is committing outrages, lawlessness, then you need to start with the "sweet torments". And if a person is in a normal state or in despondency, you need to start, of course, with the torments, and end with blessedness. Understand?
Let's begin, perhaps, with the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 25, verse 46: "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life" (Matthew 25:46).
And according to the Savior's words, sinners who did not want to repent on earth, did not want to live according to God's commandments, are awaited by eternal torment. They are awaited by eternal separation from God, and that most terrible state of eternal gehenna fire, about which the Lord says: "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44).
The words are very harsh, I will read them entirely:
As for salt. What does it mean "will be seasoned with fire"? The fact is that according to ancient custom, every sacrifice was sprinkled with salt before being burned. This is how the sacrifice was prepared. The Lord says that just as the sacrifice was salted before being burned, so every Christian will be salted by the fire of trials, and the final will be the fiery judgment at the end of the world. And for those who are not salted with the salt of grace, what will happen?
There is one of the "favorite" opinions against the eternity of torments, but we see that revelation speaks directly about the eternity of torments (Mark 9:44). I will give many other examples of the eternity of torments later. In fact, in revelation there are very many of them, starting from the ancient prophets and ending with the New Testament and the Apocalypse. That is, the whole Bible knows about the eternity of torments for sinners and the eternal reward for the righteous. This is such a leitmotif of the entire Bible. Its prototype first appeared in the time of Noah's ark, the time of the Flood, when the flood swept away all sinners. Its prototype was in Sodom, where all sinners were burned by fire.
I myself was personally in the ash city - near Masada (editor's note: Masada is an ancient fortress on the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea, in Israel). When you approach Masada, below you will see such white formations, grayish-white. Stop the car, if you will. They are of such a regular shape, there are depressions, as if walls stand, depressions - as if streets. You approach, and there it's such ash. There is an ash city, and inside you can see, for example, ash in the shape of bricks. Pure ash, like from matches. With pieces of sulfur embedded inside. Ash in the shape of bricks, and the whole city is so ashy.
As Peter says, a sign of eternal punishment is left for people as an eternal admonition.
So, regarding the eternity of fire, the eternity of punishment. There is such a question: what is this Fire, which is eternal, which awaits people? The book of Deuteronomy, chapter 4, verse 24 says this: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God" (Deuteronomy 4:24). The same is said in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter 9, verse 3: "Understand therefore today that the Lord your God is He who goes over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and bring them down before you; so you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said to you" (Deuteronomy 9:3). The same is said in the book "Epistle to the Hebrews", chapter 12, verse 29: "For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).
That is, God Himself is called in Scripture a consuming fire. That is, the very presence of God will be perceived by sinners as a blazing fire of wrath. And this is understandable, right? That is, God's presence acts on one as light, on another as flame. Well, actually, even now, ordinary fire acts as fire and as something luminous. It can burn or just shine. But at the same time, of course, one must understand that God will separate sinners from the righteous. This is a very important rule, because people say that everything will be the same as now. But if everything were the same as now, of course, who would lose as a result? The righteous. In our life, it is usually the good people who always lose. It's long known, right? In clashes between villains and good people, villains most often win. Why? Because villains can use any method, you understand? A villain can even use apparent good to achieve his goal, right? And a righteous person is limited in his actions, right? A righteous person cannot do evil in the name of good, right? And a villainous person can even do good in the name of evil. Understand, right? He can do false good. Therefore, in the present earth, it turns out that the righteous person is in a losing state. But even the Bible speaks about this, and our life also shows that this is most often the case.
If therefore the Lord did not separate the two, if there were no this great separation, then, of course, there would be no blessedness, because the villains would continue to do evil. But Scripture says that God will mercilessly punish the villains, there will be no mercy. Remember, yesterday, last time, when we were finishing the conversation, we talked about the irreversibility of choice, that on the day of judgment God will not accept any repentance. This is spoken of in the Gospel of Luke: "Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able" (Luke 13:24). Remember, we talked about this?
If we turn to Holy Scripture, we will see that there are several images that describe the future life. I'll start perhaps with a softer image that describes the future punishment - this is (Matthew 25:10). Well, remember, what is the context? This is the parable of the 10 virgins. And when everyone woke up... When everyone woke up, all 10 virgins? 10 virgins, when they woke up?
Why did they trim them? Because at that moment it was revealed what was hidden in the depths of their spirit.
Another passage similar to the parable of the 10 virgins is said in (Luke 13:25), it is said thus - I read in context:
This image is terrifying, actually. It is not so terrifying in terms of torment, but actually it is an image of great rejection. Imagine, you see the Kingdom of God, but you cannot enter it. Can you imagine this horror? This, by the way, is also spoken of in our Great Canon of Repentance. It says: "I am naked (I remain outside) of the bridal chamber, naked both of the marriage and the supper (deprived of the wedding feast). The lamp has gone out, for lack of oil, the chamber was closed while I slept, the supper is consumed; I am bound hand and foot, cast out." That is, imagine an image: you know that there is a wedding feast going on behind the walls, you can hear the noise, and you are forever walking in the dark streets. You will walk forever in the dark streets, and there will never be any way out again. The door is closed forever.
This is the most terrible image of the great rejection, the final rejection, of which the Lord speaks, which you must always remember, so as not to find yourself outside, behind the doors. Because we too often pity ourselves, we too often care about ourselves, forgetting that we still need to enter the doors. Because we live as if we have already entered.
But more often Scripture speaks, indeed, focusing on people for whom pain is the most vivid megaphone that helps us remember God's presence. Scripture most often speaks of the torment of fire. This is very often called fiery gehenna in Scripture. For example, (Matthew 5:22), (Matthew 18:9), (Mark 9:47) and many other places.
So, the Lord says:
"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire" (Matthew 5:22).
That is, "fool", simply speaking, whoever says to his brother "fool", is liable to the hell of fire.
Where does the word gehenna come from? You probably know, right? It is the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom - the Ge Hinnom valley near Jerusalem. It was also called Topheth in the Bible. And in this place, the idolatrous kings of Israel set up a place for human sacrifices. There they burned children as sacrifices to the devil. There stood a huge idol, with an open bull's head, inside which there was an oven where they threw living children and burned them. And Topheth was destroyed by King Josiah. In that place, the priests were killed right on those altars. I think this is just. They themselves were given last to the devil, so that he would devour his own victims. And on the site of the shrine, a public garbage dump was established, where they threw the corpses of executed people who were denied burial. And to prevent an epidemic there, a fire constantly burned there forever. The Valley of Topheth is located on the left side of the Mount of Olives. From the side of the Mount of Olives, the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom goes off to the left. Such a huge terrible valley, and there fire always burned, and there lay corpses from which worms crawled out.
"And they shall go forth and look upon the corpses of the men who have transgressed against Me. For their worm does not die, and their fire is not quenched. They shall be an abhorrence to all flesh" (Isaiah 66:24).
These are the last words of the book of the prophet Isaiah. This awaits the apostates - their eternal fire.
Also the Bible calls this place of torment the "furnace of fire" (Matthew 13:50): "and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 13:50).
By the way, in these places, why is the word "furnace" used like this? Not only in the sense of fire. How is a furnace different from a valley? A furnace is a confined space. You understand, right? It's a certain limitation, right? God will limit the movement of fire.
And this place is also called "outer darkness". This is (Matthew 8:12), (Matthew 22:13), (Matthew 25:30), there are actually many of these places. What does "outer" mean? The word "outer" means "external". From the word "outside", i.e., "external". That's why the oprichniki were called "kromeshniki" by the people. The word "oprich" is the same as "krome". It's the same thing. Therefore they were called "kromeshniki" or "oprichniki". That is, these people will be outside the communion of the righteous. As Saint John Chrysostom said: "I think that the places of torment will be separated from the place of the righteous." In a certain sense, the Valley of the Dead Sea somehow correlates with the place of torment - the sea of sin - the sea of evil - the lowest place on planet Earth of all dry land. There is no lower place than the Dead Sea. And it is the sea of death, and the sea of cursed cities. And the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom flows into it, which is most interesting. The Valley of Gehenna passes through the Kidron Valley and flows into the Dead Sea. So it's logical, if we correlate geography, it will be clear that from under the throne of God a river of fire flows, goes right through the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom, catches up the rebellious sinners, and washes them into the lake burning with fire and brimstone.
Also Scripture speaks of a lake burning with fire and brimstone. People and angels who are thrown there will be tormented day and night forever and ever. And in another place it is said: "they have no rest".
"And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (Revelation 14:11).
Scripture directly says that those people who departed from God, those who did not accept grace, will be tormented forever.
Scripture speaks of eternal rejection.
And Scripture also speaks of darkness. I spoke of darkness, of the worm. And it speaks of fire, these three things. Fire is, as I said, the grace of God and the Divine power, which are felt by sinners as a fire consuming them. The principle can be explained very easily when they ask, for example: "But why is it so?"
Imagine if you insulted an innocent person and are forced to be with him always. You can no longer harm him. Imagine, right? It is such malice that consumes a person.
The worm is a real worm, but at the same time it is a manifestation of conscience that will devour a person, and the person will no longer be able to shield himself from it. We now love and know how to shield ourselves from conscience. But here conscience will come out, and not only will it gnaw at the soul, but also the body, like a worm.
And darkness, because whoever rejects God, departs from God, that is, from Light, inevitably falls into darkness. This is logical and natural, right? Because it is said in Scripture: "For indeed, those who are far from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for harlotry" (Psalm 73:27).
And the Apostle Paul says: "tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek" (Romans 2:9).
And their impenitence will turn against them. They will grieve and sorrow forever. Therefore it is said that weeping and gnashing of teeth awaits them.
And here there is such an interesting point. The favorite argument against eternal torment is: "How can this be? God would dare... And why would God punish with eternal punishment for a temporary crime?" In fact, this argument, firstly, is very strange, because the measurement by the time of the commission of the crime and the punishment is not used anywhere in any justice system. Even now, for example, for rape, they do not sentence for the time the rape lasted, right? But they sentence for several years after all. And we do not consider this unjust. Right? And murder can last seconds. But does that change anything? Nothing changes. Duration and time of commission of a crime are things that are never comparable.
Moreover, there will be no more time, says the Apocalypse. Remember?
"and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things that are in it, the earth and the things that are in it, and the sea and the things that are in it, that there should be delay no longer" (Revelation 10:6).
And that is precisely why eternity will come. And here moreover, Scripture speaks of the finality of this choice. That is precisely the main argument, not even the duration, but the finality of this choice. That is, finality, without revision, without even talk of revision. Therefore Scripture calls it the "second death".
"Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Revelation 20:14).
Also Scripture says that people will no longer be able to harm anyone, not even themselves.
"Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 22:13).
What do these words (Matthew 22:13) mean? They mean that a person will not be able to harm anyone. Understand? Neither man nor angel will be able to harm anyone. Here, by the way, is a very good argument against satanists. satanists are convinced, the devil has convinced them, that they supposedly can never get into paradise, because supposedly "everything... is tied to them" - their life is somehow connected. But at the same time, supposedly satan tells them: "I'll leave them a nice place in hell, so that they can torment sinners on frying pans, and not be tormented themselves" - and so on. For example, the devil promised Cyprian that he would be a prince in hell, but Scripture says, firstly, that there will be no hell. That's the most interesting thing. You understand? The devil is so cunning, he promises them some rights in a temporary place. But in eternity, there will be no hell. There will be a lake burning with fire and brimstone. And satan knows this, that it will be eternal, he knows that the abyss awaits them, he knows this from Scripture. Scripture says that the demons cried out: "And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss" (Luke 8:31). They are afraid of the fiery abyss that is promised to sinners and to themselves. Because the fire is prepared for them. They are terribly afraid, they panic before the face of Gehenna. And they know that there they will harm no one. The only thing is that they will associate with sinners. There will be such a "pleasant" company there. (nervous laughter in the room...)
And the Epistle of the Apostle Jude, verse 6, there is only one chapter. It is said thus: "And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day" (Jude 1:6). That is, people will be there in this state of communion with demons in eternity. There is a very interesting point. As Archimandrite Rafail Karelin well said: "Why can hellish torments not cease, in principle? Because man cannot live without love." You know, right? No person can. There are no people who do not love. That's the most interesting thing. The question is: "Whom do they love?" That person who passionately loves the devil, and the one who loves sin, he actually loves the devil. He is in a covenant, in an alliance with the devil, you understand? That is precisely why the alliance and covenant with the devil never cease, but only intensify. Why will these rejected sinners weep and gnash their teeth? Weep and gnash their teeth from unquenchable malice and hatred, into which their apostasy will lead them.
That's an interesting point. By the way, this thought of the Holy Fathers, in particular the thought of St. Cyprian of Carthage, which I am now retelling to you, is confirmed by practice. Notice, a Christian who went to church, then fell into mortal sin and does not want to repent. This boundary is very important. The boundary is not that a person fell into mortal sin, but that he considers sin the norm. This is the most terrible boundary. If a person does not want to repent, what begins? He begins to depart from the Church. You understand, right? He falls away internally, everything ecclesiastical becomes unpleasant to him. You understand? Everything ecclesiastical becomes disgusting to him. Clear, right, why? He feels offense against God, he is indignant with God, he makes claims against God precisely because he has rebellion inside him. You understand, right? And then he gradually departs from the Church, and he does not simply become an unbeliever. He becomes an enemy of God. Do you feel the difference, right? Precisely because unrepented evil leads to destruction, to this eternal destruction. Because the person has come to love the devil. Understand?
By the way, there is a Biblical prohibition on communicating with the proud and envious. You know, right? It is absolutely forbidden to communicate. It primarily concerns not even people, but angels. One must not communicate with proud and envious angels. You understand, right? Can you guess why? Because if you communicate with a proud angel, with an envious angel, you will become like that yourself. That is, it is about an alliance with the devil. People in alliance with the devil will be thrown into the fiery abyss, where they will be forever. The smoke of their torment will ascend before the holy angels (editor's note: "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:11–12)). And at the same time Scripture says that there will be different measures of punishment. Some say: "How is this possible? Surely everyone will be tormented the same there?" But Scripture says that each will receive according to his deeds. Remember, we talked about (Matthew 16:27): "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works" (Matthew 16:27). The same is said in (Romans 2:6): "who 'will render to each one according to his deeds'" (Romans 2:6). That punishment will be different is also said in (Luke 12:47–48):
That is, the measures of punishment will be different, that is, there will not be a common punishment. People have even seen this description in a sense now: one elder saw his disciple who lived carelessly in the monastery - in unrepented sins. He asks: "Where are you?" He says: "I am up to my neck in fire." And the elder then asks: "Is there anyone who is worse off than you?" He says: "Yes, there is. I am standing over the head of a bishop." You understand, right? That is, the more a person is given, the more will be required from him for his sins.
Ephraim the Syrian says this:
"There are different kinds of torments, as we have heard in the Gospel. There is outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), and from this it is evident that there is another darkness – deeper; the gehenna of fire (Matthew 5:22) – another place of torment; gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:42) – also a special place; the worm that does not sleep (see Mark 9:48) – in another place; the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20) – again another place; tartarus – also its own place; the unquenchable fire (see Mark 9:48) – a special region; the abyss (Philippians 2:10) and destruction (Matthew 7:13) – in their places; the lower parts of the earth (Ephesians 4:9) – yet another place; hell, where sinners abide, and the bottom of hell – the most tormenting place. To these torments the unfortunate will be distributed, each according to the measure of his sins – either more grievous, or more tolerable, according to what is written: 'He is held with the cords of his sins' (Proverbs 5:22). The same is meant by the saying: 'He will be beaten with many blows and he will be beaten with few blows' (Luke 12:47–48). As there are distinctions of punishments here, so also in the future age.
As there are many ways of salvation, so many are the inhabitants in the Kingdom of Heaven; and as there are many kinds of sin and sinful deeds, so many are the kinds of torment."
For example, an adulterer will be tormented one way, a fornicator another way, a murderer, a thief, and a drunkard each in their own way.
The same is known for missionaries, that, for example, a city where there were no missionaries will be punished less than a city that rejected missionaries. The Lord said:
"Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city" (Matthew 10:15).
But the main thing, of course, that we need to know is that all torments are described as eternal, having no end. And this is a terrible thing. But we must speak about it, for it is the truth.
By the way, the word "Tartarus" is literally mentioned in the Greek original in the 2nd Epistle of Peter. The Apostle Peter says: "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to Tartarus and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment" (2 Peter 2:4). This is the first time. The Lord is not here, He is not mentioned. But it is specifically a place of confinement for demons. For now. This is the same abyss that the demons asked not to be sent into before the time. But when the time comes, the demons will be thrown there, and also people who are in alliance with them. People in alliance with demons will be thrown into the fiery abyss, where they will be forever. And they will not be able to harm anyone.
The book of the prophet Daniel also says that sinners will rise to everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2) "And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Daniel 12:2). We have already quoted.
So, the Savior said: "where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:44).
In the Epistle of the Apostle Jude, verse 7, it speaks of the eternal punishment of sinners. (editor's note: "as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7)).
Second Epistle to the Thessalonians, chapter 1, verse 9, says that sinners will receive punishment, eternal destruction. (editor's note: "These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thessalonians 1:9)).
And we have already cited the Apocalypse. (editor's note: "And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name" (Revelation 14:11)).
I have given you a small number of quotes. Actually, there is a huge number of accounts on this topic. Why am I emphasizing this? Because for the last 18 centuries (a short recent time), people have periodically appeared in the Church who say that, supposedly, the torment will not be eternal. Because, supposedly, it must be understood allegorically. The first of such heretics inside the Church, not in an outside 'church', but inside the Church, was Origen. Origen, in turn, took this teaching from Plato. Plato taught that sinners would be punished for a millennium, and then they would be justified. Origen - a former presbyter of the Alexandrian Church, defrocked for a canonical crime - for self-castration. He taught that the whole world was created by God as something spiritual - a world of spirits. It co-exists eternally with God. And some spirits got bored communing with God. They became too lazy to commune with Him, and they decided to come up with something else. And they cooled down. Some became colder, some cooled down to angels, others cooled down even more to souls. Some cooled down to demons. And as a result, God gave material bodies to the souls. But then Origen says that all people and demons will later gradually come to the point where God will forgive them, God will spare everyone, and God supposedly will have mercy on everyone, and over the course of ages, a universal restoration will supposedly occur - apokatastasis, that is, universal restoration. The word apokatastasis occurs in Holy Scripture, it means restoration. But there it is about the restoration of creation, not about the release of all from torment. What arguments do proponents of universal salvation still present? How to answer them? Because we encounter these arguments almost every day.
Argument one: "God is good, God is love, how can He eternally torment a person?" How can this be answered?
There is such a false syllogism: "How can God punish sinners forever? After all, the righteous will not be able to live peacefully if they know that somewhere people are suffering. If they look upon this calmly, even if they do not cease to be righteous, then they themselves will deserve punishment by eternal fire." Understand, right? The ideology is called the "dog in the manger" ideology (editor's note: "i.e., the dog itself does not eat the hay and does not let others eat it, scaring everyone away"). Understand, right? In fact, it is very convenient for the sinner. Here sinners, exactly, would gladly say that there...
The righteous act entirely according to God's will. They think in God's way. They feel in God's way. They do not have their own independent thoughts. Understand? Sin does not consist in a person acting with mercy or cruelty as such. On the contrary, sin consists in a person violating the will of God. And good follows the will of God. If God so decided, the righteous must say: "You are right, You are right, Lord, in everything." Gregory of Nyssa says: "On the day of Judgment, all people will acknowledge the absolute rightness and justice of God." Both sinners and righteous. As it is said in Scripture: "every knee will bow before Him." (editor's note: "I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, That to Me every knee shall bow, Every tongue shall take an oath" (Isaiah 45:23)). Understand, right?
Now another point. Others say that the words "eternal torment" must be understood allegorically, and the word "eternal" supposedly does not mean "eternal", but can mean indefinitely long, but finite time.
The word "κόλασιν" can literally be translated as punishment, retribution, penalty. And in the same verse, the word "eternal" is used for both the righteous and the sinners. I.e., if sinners receive retribution for a hundred years or for a certain amount of time, then the righteous also receive a reward only for a certain amount of time. Understand? The argument immediately strikes against the eternal blessedness of the righteous. (editor's note: i.e., Alexander Tkachenko's logic is the logic of satan.)
As for Tkachenko, I can console him. His opinion was examined by the Fifth Ecumenical Council, and all such opinions were condemned. And he, like any other person professing the teachings of Origen, which are more heretical than the heresy itself, is subject to anathema.
Another point. Now, what other evasive argument do they use? They say: "Origen's view was condemned, but the theory of Gregory of Nyssa was not condemned." Gregory of Nyssa taught as a private opinion that, supposedly, he thinks that maybe fire will someday cleanse people, and God will be able to restore them, because evil is not equal in strength to good. But the point is this. The fact is that Scripture contradicts this, the teaching of the Church contradicts this. You understand, even if there is no formal excommunication, this private opinion means nothing here. We are not given the right to construct doctrine as we wish. We are given clear revelation and knowledge of what will be.
For example, Irenaeus of Lyons writes thus: "To all who keep their love toward Him, He grants His communion. Communion with God is life and light and the enjoyment of all the good things that are with Him. And those who by their own choice depart from Him, He subjects to separation from Himself, which they themselves have chosen. Separation from God is death, and separation from light is darkness, and alienation from God is the loss of all the good things that are with Him. Therefore, those who through their apostasy have lost all these things, as being deprived of all good things, will be in every kind of torment, not because God Himself beforehand subjected them to punishment, but punishment will overtake them as a result of their deprivation of all good things. But the good things of God are eternal and without end, therefore their deprivation is also eternal and without end, just as, regarding the immeasurable light, those who have blinded themselves or have been blinded by others are forever deprived of its sweetness, not because the light causes them the torment of blindness, but the blindness itself causes them unhappiness." (Irenaeus of Lyons, saint. Against Heresies.)
There is a large homiletic literature on the eternity of torments; from contemporary authors, I will refer you to Yura Maksimov. He has a work, even floating around on the internet, about apokatastasis - it's called "on the eternity of torments" by Yura Maksimov. But there is one thing that he mentions but does not develop. The fact is that the Church Fathers said that it would be unjust and offensive to the righteous that sinners would not receive retribution. As Saint Justinian said: "And what does this insane Origen say? Surely Plato, who became famous for his pederasty and idolatry, will he also dwell in the same place where Peter and Paul are? And is this just?" You understand, right? An argument that is now being suppressed, because we are being made to think that the demand for justice is supposedly sinful. The demand for justice is not sinful, it is normal and natural for a person, because our God is just. And an ordinary person in ordinary life wants justice. Right? And this demand will be satisfied in its fullness. And, by the way, the martyrs found consolation precisely in this. They know that if a person has not repented, he will receive retribution according to his deeds.
Here it must also be said that the thought that the eternal fire will stop, that it is a temporary thing, was considered by the Church Fathers to be especially harmful to the soul. This thought was considered especially diabolical. Because it relaxes people. You understand yourselves, right, why? "I won't get it now, well, I'll suffer, and then it will end" - this thought deprives a person of the possibility of eternal choice.
There were very many arguments on this topic, but the main arguments boil down precisely to the question of "morality", i.e., it was asserted: "To punish a person is 'morally' contrary to God's love. It is contrary to God's love to punish eternally for a temporary crime. Etc." We've discussed this, right? The first argument, we analyzed it. It is not contrary to God's love, because love does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth (1 Corinthians 13:6). Love, Truth, and Justice are one and the same. Love is the bond of perfection. Remember this is said? (editor's note: "But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection" (Colossians 3:14)).
Love is the fulfillment of the law - (Romans 13:10) (editor's note: "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law" (Romans 13:10)).
So, you see? Love and law are not at all opposite things.
But the most beloved place for us is, of course, the 1st Epistle to the Corinthians, which speaks of love, in chapter 13. And there we see that love in no way contradicts punishment:
You see, it says: "does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth"? Therefore, Divine love is such that it does not in any way hinder Divine justice for those who did not want to find the truth. Right?
The next argument about proportionality, they say there: "Well, you can't punish everyone equally with eternal punishment." The answer is very simple. Eternal punishment will NOT be the same. Remember, right? The measure of punishment depends on the measure of a person's sin. And eternity does not depend on that. Eternity means the constant eternal rejection of a person from God. And Augustine makes an interesting point:
"Likewise, some of those against whom we defend the city of God find it unjust that anyone should be condemned to eternal punishments for sins, however great they may be, but committed in a short time; as if ever the justice of any law aimed at a person suffering punishment exactly for the length of time during which he committed the thing for which he is punished. Tully writes that eight kinds of punishment are specified in the laws, namely: fine, imprisonment, corporal punishment, retaliation, loss of civil rights, exile, death, slavery. Which of these punishments, according to the speed of the crime, is determined for such a short time that it would be served in the same period in which the crime was committed? The only possible exception is retaliation. Hence the law's saying: 'Eye for eye, tooth for tooth' (Exodus 21:24).
It is, of course, possible that each, by the harsh law of revenge, loses an eye in the same short time in which he himself inflicted this on another. But if someone is subjected to corporal punishment for kissing another's wife, does not he who took a single moment for the kiss feel the pain of the blows for several hours, and is not the pleasure of a fleeting enjoyment punished by prolonged suffering? And in prison, is each sentenced to serve as much time as he spent on committing the act for which he deserved imprisonment, when it is considered, for example, a perfectly just thing if a slave who insulted his master by word or deed is subjected to many years of imprisonment in chains? And fine, dishonor, exile, slavery, not mitigated by any mercy, do they not, within the limits of this present life, appear similar to eternal punishments? For they cannot be eternal because the life itself which they punish does not extend into eternity; nevertheless, crimes subjected to prolonged punishments are committed in the shortest time; and there is no one who would think that the punishments of criminals should end as quickly as murder, or adultery, or sacrilege, or any other villainy is committed, but everyone considers that each of them should be measured not by the length of time, but by the magnitude of the depravity and impiety. And when someone is punished by death for some great crime, do the laws consider the time of execution, which is very short, as the punishment, rather than the fact that the punished is forever excluded from the society of the living?
Meanwhile, the removal of people from the present mortal city through punishment by the first death is equivalent to the removal of people from the immortal city through punishment by the second death. For as the laws of the present city do not summon the slain back to life, so likewise the laws of that city do not summon the one condemned to the second death to eternal life....
...while there is time, those who wish to avoid eternal punishment should not argue against God, but obey divine teaching."
A very good argument. If you argue, you'll fly there yourself. It won't help you at all. Because heretics are awaited by eternal fire. Remember, right? A person who invents arguments against Divine justice is not just engaged in some human fabrication, but he is simply preparing fire for hell for himself. Which, actually, is not worth doing.
And the last thing I wanted to say is precisely about the internal connection of sin with the crime. This is well said in the book of the prophet Isaiah, chapter 50, verse 11:
"Look, all you who kindle a fire, Who encircle yourselves with sparks: Walk in the light of your fire and in the sparks you have kindled— This you shall have from My hand: You shall lie down in torment" (Isaiah 50:11).
So you see, what kind of fire, where does it come from? Who kindles the eternal fire? Man himself kindles the eternal flame for himself. Understand? Therefore God says: "This you shall have from My hand" (Isaiah 50:11) - that I will return your iniquities upon your own head.
What can I say about missionary practice? When a person begins to talk about the eternal fire, he is, firstly, doomed to increased attention. That's guaranteed, right? There. And at the same time he is more often doomed to indignation. That is completely guaranteed. (Laughs...) But you understand what your task is? Your task is not to pay attention to the indignation and speak about real facts. That there is punishment for your crime, you have the opportunity to avoid it, right? We warned you, it's your business.
On this, I think we should end our conversation about the punishment of sinners. What other arguments have you heard? We've mainly covered them all, right?
Part 2. On the Life of the Future Age.
We must now move on to our main ultimate hope, which is spoken of in the Creed. "I look for the resurrection of the dead" - we spoke about this last time - "and the life of the age to come."
The eternal reward of the Kingdom of God is called, of course, first and foremost, eternal life. It is also called the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Lord calls it the Kingdom of Heaven in (Matthew 5:3), (Matthew 7:21), (Matthew 8:11), (Matthew 11:11), (Matthew 19:14), (Matthew 25:1) and so on. There are very many places. In general, actually, the message of the Kingdom has always been considered one of the main messages of the Bible.
The fact is that Scripture knows of three Kingdoms of God. Do you know which ones? The Kingdom of Nature, the Kingdom of Grace, the Kingdom of Glory. The Kingdom of Nature is the Kingdom by which God reigns over all creation. The Kingdom of Grace begins from the time of redemption. Although it was prefigured by the fact that God directly reigned over His people Israel. He is called the King of Israel. Repeatedly.
And the Savior says: "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 4:17) - the Kingdom of God. This same Kingdom is spoken of in the Lord's Prayer, and it is also spoken of in the exclamation of the Lord's Prayer.
There are many conditions for how to enter the Kingdom of Heaven - the Kingdom of God. This is spoken of repeatedly. Moreover, for Christ, the only consolation there is, is the consolation of the Kingdom of Heaven. You know, people nowadays say: "How can I be consoled?" Maybe you've seen such people who would like consolation and joy? Have you met such people? The Lord never consoled them with earth. Never. He said this: "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).
How to understand this? Very simply. In the Kingdom of God, there will not be lecturers walking around, as the "Jehovah's Witnesses" imagine. You can simply compare the idea of paradise of Christians and "Jehovah's Witnesses". "Jehovah's Witnesses" say: "it will be so great there, there will be a banana republic, we will work only 4 hours a day. We will communicate with the prophet Jeremiah and Ezekiel, who will sit there and say: 'But I, when I made the prophecy, meant this'... And we will sit there and discuss this interesting text." This is the Kingdom of God in words. But we are not interested in that. You understand? We are not interested in just stories. You understand? We are interested in life, after all. Agree. The Kingdom of God is therefore not in words, but in power. That's why the main argument of a missionary, which I strongly recommend everyone to use. What argument? An ordinary miracle. A miracle. For example, you come to preach. You see a sick person? Heal him. That's it. "Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons." The best argument. In the name of Jesus Christ: "In the name of Jesus Christ, rise up and walk!"
What is the essence of the Kingdom of God? Righteousness and peace and joy. That is, in the Kingdom of God, people will be in an eternal state of righteousness. That is, people will always be righteous. Actually, the most luxurious thing is to never have evil thoughts. Can you imagine, right?
In the Slavonic translation it is said: "everlasting joy will overtake them." That's more vivid, right? It will catch up with them, everlasting joy will suddenly pounce upon them, and sorrow and sickness will depart.
So, this eternal Kingdom will be given by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, there is an interesting interpretation of the words "Your kingdom come" (Luke 11:2). There is an ancient version of this text, which existed back in the second century in the Gospel of Luke: "May Your Holy Spirit come upon us." The Holy Spirit is the Source of the Kingdom. He introduces us into the Kingdom. The Holy Spirit will reveal His Kingdom in people. And people will be gods, deified by Him. This is said in the Second Epistle of the Apostle Peter, chapter 1, from verse 3 to verse 11:
That is, people will become partakers of the Divine nature. That very deification, about which the Church Fathers speak. People will become gods. As it is said in Scripture: "I said, 'You are gods, And all of you are children of the Most High'" (Psalm 82:6). Psalm 82, there it says that God takes His stand in the assembly of the gods, He judges in the midst of the gods.
You see, by the way, a ladder, right? The biblical ladder of virtues.
So, Christ will give everything. He is the eternal King. He will reign over people. And the essence of eternal life, according to the Lord Himself, is as follows: "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). The word "γινώσκωσιν" ("may know") is very strong, meaning "to know, to come to know, to perceive, to notice, to realize, to understand, to comprehend, to acknowledge." Even such a nuance. I.e., to know through communion. You understand, right? That's the logic. Not just to know information about Him, but to know Him Himself. Therefore, the question will not be that they will learn about God, but that they will come to know God. Do you feel the difference? Elena, is the difference clear, right? Knowing about God and knowing God, what's the difference? To know information about Him and to know Him personally, entering into eternal communion with Him.
The abundance of eternal life – these are the surpassing gifts that God gives, besides eternal life, besides communion with Himself.
But at the same time, Christ confesses not only before the Heavenly Father, but also before the holy angels. (Luke 12:8). "Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8).
It is very important that Tolstoyanism has entered the flesh and blood of the Russian person, unfortunately. In reality, we need good not for the sake of good, but for the sake of Whom? For the sake of God. We have a Personal Good, not some faceless force. So.
Next, the Lord promises to specially reward a person and give him a crown of reward. This is said in the Second Epistle to Timothy, chapter 4, verse 8. There is a very interesting point there, I will even show you in Greek now, because here...
By the way, this is that same example of assurance of salvation which the Holy Spirit gives. Some people say, can a person have assurance of salvation? The answer is – he can, provided that the Holy Spirit personally revealed it to him, understand? Well, just as the Apostle Paul was directly told, that's how you must receive the same personal assurance.
In a literal translation it sounds like this: "For I am already being poured out as a drink offering." - that is, literally, I am suffering and becoming a drink offering. Wine was poured on top of the thank offering. Therefore the Apostle says: "I am already becoming a drink offering." The fact is, do you know from where the Apostle wrote this letter? From the Mamertine Prison. He was sitting in a pit awaiting execution. And he wrote this final Epistle to the Apostle Timothy, his spiritual son.
"... and the time of my departure has come." Literally, you know how you untie a rope? Casting off. I am casting off from the pier. The time has come for me to cast off from the pier, to set sail. The ship is sailing, it's time for the ship to set sail on its voyage. You understand, this is about death. Some are afraid of death. But how does the Apostle Paul speak about death? Well then, it's time for me to cast off. That's it.
"I have fought the good fight," - a good phrase, right? I have fought the good battle. - "... I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." (2 Timothy 4:7–8)
A beautiful text, right? If you can say this before death, it means you did not live in vain. You understand, right? We are casting off! And I see, the crown is already lying there. It's time already. But at the end, I see the finish line. The final finish line. I am already running to the finish line. The crown is already lying there. And He will give it to me, and to all who have loved His appearing.
That is, the righteous will be clothed in certain shining garments with which the righteous will be adorned.
Sinners will walk about naked. Therefore, you may have seen on icons of the Last Judgment, how they depict sinners, remember? Naked in the fire, remember, they are depicted, right? And the righteous, on the contrary, are depicted clothed in all icons, right? This is the clothing of their righteousness. Clothing is the righteousness of the saints, so it is said about the Church, the bride. This is chapter 19 of the book of Revelation: "And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8).
What does it look like? It is a thin, white, transparent, shining garment. The righteous will be clothed in such a white, shining garment. By the way, why will it be white? Because it is light. It is said that God covers Himself with light as with a garment (Psalm 104:2): "Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain" (Psalm 104:2). That's exactly what it will be. God will clothe man with the garment of light and crown him with the Holy Spirit.
"For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee" (2 Corinthians 5:4–5).
So, and when the end comes... The Apostle Paul describes in detail the events of the end (1 Corinthians 15:24–28):
"Then the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power." (1 Corinthians 15:24) - that is, in the end, after the Judgment, when death is cast into the fiery gehenna, every rule and every authority and power will be abolished. The end of the world will come when Christ hands over the Kingdom to God the Father. Whom will He hand over? Us. Therefore it is said that He will confess before the Father. Understand, right? He will present each of us to God the Father. He will present us Personally. By the way, this is Personal communion. Therefore we will see God face to Face. This is promised to us.
"For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For 'He has put all things under His feet.' But when He says 'all things are put under Him,' it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:25–28).
The Son will be subjected, not Himself, we talked about this last time, but He will be subjected through us - His members. As Blessed Augustine says, then on the day of resurrection one of the rewards of the Kingdom will appear. Do you know which one? That we will see the Church in its entirety. There will be the total Christ, head and body. There will be a universal assembly of all Christians. Can you imagine, right? The righteous. As Blessed John Chrysostom says, can you imagine the joy of meeting the Apostle Peter and Paul, talking with Isaiah, communing with Adam and Noah. Can you imagine, right? Well, it's interesting. And to have the eternal opportunity to blissfully commune with the Archangels and Angels. To be in communion with them. Together with them to form the great choir of the saved.
We will sit on the throne of Christ the Savior (Revelation 3:21). And we will reign forever with Him (2 Timothy 2:11–12).
Paradise will be, in part, restored. By the way, who said that paradise will not exist? Hell will not exist, but paradise will.
Interestingly, in the Russian translation it says: "... when I awake, I will be satisfied with Your likeness." (Psalm 17:15) When I awake? After death, at the resurrection, yes, can you imagine? I always give examples, you remember, I gave an example of what the light of life is, right? The light that one sees for the first time, emerging from the grave. Your eyes, after the grave, after the grave's decay, opening for the first time, see the Light that will never end. This is the Light of eternal life.
So.
Look, God Himself personally will wipe every tear from the face. Can you imagine, like this? You are crying, and God Himself wipes the tear from you. Can you imagine, He will wipe from your face all the tears that were on earth? This is the greatest consolation there is. That's why God is called the Comforter of all the sorrowful.
So, but at the same time, the rewards of the righteous will not be the same. Christ the Savior said that He will repay each according to his deeds. Remember (Matthew 16:27)? And also the Lord said: "In My Father's house are many mansions" (John 14:2).
Here the Lord speaks of the Last Judgment, right?
You have one mina. Notice, you were given the same gift. You have received the same training this year, you have received the same knowledge, the same talent, the same mina has been given. And it depends on you how many cities you will convert, whether you will convert 10 cities, make 10 communities, or make 5 communities, or you will do nothing. You say: "well, interesting, we studied and that's it." Now "if you studied and that's it," what is said there? You knew that I am an exacting man. Reaping where I did not sow, gathering where I scattered no seed. Where is mine? Why didn't you put it in business, huh? And what is said then to those who fought against Me? Those who did not want Me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before Me. Understand? So you see the rewards are different? As the Lord also said about different rewards.
Also, in fact, Scripture says that rewards are directly connected with our efforts here. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verses 29 to 36, amazing and very joyful words are said:
By the way, how cheerful is the Lord's word, actually, right? "Gather as many treasures as possible, sell them into heaven. These treasures that you are preparing here, you are transferring them into eternity, and you will live with them forever." Understand?
(editor's note: meanwhile, the Lord in the verse (Matthew 19:21) calls not just to give away possessions, but also to take up the cross and follow Him. St. Ignatius Brianchaninov (†1847) says the following: "to take up the cross means to crucify the flesh with its passions and lusts, to live in the flesh not for the flesh, to mortify the deeds of the body by the Spirit, to live by the Spirit, to be guided by the Spirit (Galatians 5:24–25; Romans 8:12–13). What then does Christian perfection mean? It is the perceptible and manifest renewal of the Christian by the Holy Spirit, which can take place only over one who has died to sin and to the world on the cross of Christ. A man renewed by the Spirit becomes a God-bearer, becomes a temple of God and a Priest, performing sacred rites in this Temple, worshipping God in Spirit and Truth. Such perfection in various degrees was granted to the Apostles and all the other saints of God.")
Father Daniil: So, Saint Irenaeus says this, interpreting these words, he says this: "In the Kingdom of Heaven, God the Father Himself will be seen, who formerly appeared through the Spirit and the Son. As the Father grants men incorruption and eternal life, which for everyone comes from the vision of the Father. For as he who sees the light is within the light and partakes of its radiance, so he who sees God will be in God and will partake of His radiance. It is impossible to live without life. And the existence of life comes from communion with God. And communion with God consists in the knowledge of God and the enjoyment of His goodness."
Theophilus of Antioch says this: "When you put off the mortal and put on immortality, then you will see God worthily. For God will raise your flesh immortal together with the soul, and then, having become immortal, you will see the Immortal, if now you believe in Him." You see, right? This is the reward - the incorruptible Kingdom, the immortal Kingdom, which is promised to those who believe in God.
And Augustine says this: "He will be the goal of our desires, whom we shall behold without end, love without satiety, and praise without weariness." As usual, Latin theologians speak beautifully, right? Love without satiety and praise without weariness.
And actually, Scripture also gives a very interesting image that would be useful for us to know. This is the image of the eternal feast. The most beautiful description was given in the Old Testament in chapter 25 of the book of the prophet Isaiah, verses 1 to 12:
That is, what does this mean? What will the righteous people see? They will see how God's plans went through all the millennia to lead to the Kingdom. Can you imagine, it's interesting to see the plans by which God led to the Kingdom. How we were woven to come to the Kingdom, right? How God worked the history of nations, right? And they will see how this providence of Truth was accomplished.
Another one, you see what a reward of the Kingdom it is? That at last wickedness has ceased. By the way, the righteous will not only not be indignant at the punishment of the sinner, they will be glad that the villain is finally punished. Ordinary people understand this perfectly well, right? An ordinary person who was insulted, humiliated, he rejoices that villainy and tyranny are destroyed. As Christians rejoiced on August 21, 1991. Remember the joy that Soviet power collapsed? There was such joy, celebration among all Christians. We exulted with joy, I think we drank champagne, exulted with joy at the demise of Soviet power. At last the oppressors fell. The persecutors vanished. The lawless villains fell. This was truly one of the happiest days of my life. I still remember the joy when we saw, remember, we saw this hanged one? Remember? Dzerzhinsky. They were toppling the monument. Remember? By the neck, finally.
And again, notice what an interesting image. Amidst the heat and scorching of the world, the coolness of God will be. Interesting, right? And the Bible also calls the Kingdom of Heaven times of refreshing. Now this is clear to us, right? In summer, coolness when evening comes. Amidst this heat, the coolness of God will be.
And the feast in the Kingdom of God will not consist of gluttony, but of communion with God. That is, the food itself will be a way of communing with God.
That is, different rewards, different measures, different dwelling places with the Father, which are promised. And John Chrysostom interestingly says this: "Imagine the state of that life, as far as it is possible to imagine it: for no word is capable of fully depicting it worthily, but from what we hear, as from certain riddles, we can obtain some vague idea of it. 'Sorrow and sighing will flee away,' says (Scripture) (Isaiah 35:10). What could be more blessed than such a life? There is no need to fear poverty or sickness; you see neither the oppressor nor the oppressed, neither the irritator nor the irritated, neither the angry nor the envious, nor those inflamed with unseemly lust, nor those anxious about acquiring the necessities of life, nor those tormented by the desire for power and dominion: for all the storm of our passions, having subsided, will cease," - Can you imagine how great this moment is, right? - "and everything will be in peace, gladness and joy, everything quiet and calm, all day, and clarity, and light, - a light not this present one, but another, which is as much brighter than this as this is brighter than a lamp's light. The light there is not darkened by night, nor by the thickening of clouds; it does not burn or scorch bodies, because there is no night, no evening, no cold, no heat, nor any other change of seasons, but some other state, which only the worthy know; there is no old age, no infirmities of old age, but all that is mortal is cast off, since incorruptible glory reigns everywhere. And most important of all, it is the continuous enjoyment of communion with Christ, together with angels, with archangels, with the heavenly powers."
Saint Hippolytus says, for example, that people will be able to walk on water calmly. And the prophet Isaiah says that people will be able to fly. The righteous, of course. And the main thing is that this will never end, but will only increase. By the way, we remember that there will be no believers there, not a single believer. There will not even be hope. People will be completely hopeless, because it will be fulfilled. There will be only Love, in which they will abound throughout all ages.
So. And in conclusion, I will read to you in translation from Greek, literally, two chapters with brief comments. With this we will finish today's account of the Kingdom of Heaven. These are chapters 21 and 22 of the Apocalypse.
We have already discussed some points about the Kingdom of Heaven, but most often people say: "We don't know what awaits us in the Kingdom of Heaven." That is precisely why you need to have a positive description. Unfortunately, I have said very little about it, because in fact the volume about the Kingdom of Heaven in Scripture is enormous. Not little, but very much in Scripture about the Kingdom of God. After all, it is our Homeland, after all.
"Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea" (Revelation 21:1).
The same words that the Lord said on the cross. Remember? It is finished! It is accomplished, finally! Everything happened. The redemption that was accomplished on the cross, it gave birth to the New Jerusalem. In the sense that the doors to it were opened. Previously they were closed.
Again we encounter those remarkable words of the last chapter of the Gospel of John. When the Apostles fish and catch nothing all night, and then at the Lord's word they catch 153 fish - they come ashore, and everything is already prepared. Such an amazing moment. The Lord by this seems to say: you labor, you receive a reward, but in reality everything is given freely. Understand? Eternal life is given by God. This is an amazing combination of both. What the Lord showed in this amazing appearance on the shore of the Sea of Galilee is exactly how it will be at the very end. When we cross the boundaries of the world, when our ship finally berths at the dock, finally arriving at our eternal Homeland forever, then we will drink from the water of life freely. And the water of life is the Holy Spirit, who is given to believers now. Do you know what will happen then? We have a little spring, in some a bigger spring - in the depths of the heart. In some a little water, barely splashing. In some already a great river. And then what will happen is that all the dirt will be washed away, and from the depths of people's hearts the life-giving powers of the Holy Spirit will flow, they will blaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit. This living water will flow out of them into all creation.
"He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son" (Revelation 21:7).
Notice, for us, unlike the opinion of my "beloved" deacon, the main thing is not participation, but victory. A certain deacon asked an acquaintance, does Christ really need only winners? Christ says: yes, only winners. He who overcomes will receive everything. For us, it's either all or nothing. You understand, right? In the literal sense of the word. Either you become a master, or you are cast out forever. Therefore it is said: "He who overcomes will inherit all things."
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:8).
"Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, 'Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife'" (Revelation 21:9). In general, it's interesting, why "spoke with me, saying"? There's a hint here. Because God can speak by His very manifestation, i.e., by His manifestation God sends both truth, and good, and punishment. His manifestation already shows that His actions are always good, even if they are perceived as punishment and as reward, they are always good. Therefore His messenger is the same.
That is, it has, firstly, the glory of God. What does it mean to have the glory of God? That it is completely covered by the radiance of God. As, remember, the tabernacle was covered by a radiant cloud? As God covered the whole people with a radiant cloud when the Egyptians rushed at them. As a cloud took the Son of God when He ascended into Heaven. This is the glory of God, the City will shine. You know, there is such an image - a golden city on a green hill, covered with a radiant cloud - this is the New Jerusalem. And in it there will be a certain luminary, like a most precious stone, like a crystal-clear jasper stone. The Luminary is Christ, described with such a greenish-shining radiance.
"Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Revelation 21:12).
"three gates on the east, three gates on the north, three gates on the south, and three gates on the west" (Revelation 21:13).
Here, actually, there is an interesting image. In fact, these gates also signify that people will be gathered from all sides. From all corners of the world.
How does this manifest? How can the height be equal? Would this be the wall? If it were a wall, it could not be of such height. You understand? (editor's note: a stadion is an ancient Greek unit of length, which was approximately 185 meters. Thus, 12 thousand stadia is approximately 2,220 km.) It's not about a cube. A pyramid, of course. A mountain. The Mountain of God, therefore it is called the "Mountain of God". (editor's note: "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?" (Psalm 24:3)) You understand, right? A city on a mountain. By the way, do you know the size? The size approximately corresponds to the Moon.
(editor's note: Andrew of Caesarea, St. (†637), says this:
"The twelve foundations are twelve precious stones; eight of them were worn on the breastplate of the ancient high priest, and four others, - to show the agreement of the New Testament with the Old and the preeminence of those who shone forth in it. And rightly so! For the Apostles signified by the precious stones were adorned with every virtue.
The first foundation, jasper. By the jasper, greenish in color like emerald, is plausibly signified the Chief Peter, who bore in his body the mortification of Christ, who showed an ever-flourishing and unfading love for Him, and by his warm faith led us to the green pasture.
The second, sapphire. By the sapphire, like the heavenly body (from which, they say, the azure color comes), is signified, I think, the blessed Paul, who was caught up even to the third heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2) and draws those obedient to him to the same place where he himself has his citizenship (Philippians 3:20).
The third, chalcedony. This stone is not worn on the high priest's breastplate, but the anthrax, which is not mentioned here. Therefore, one must think whether the Saint did not call the anthrax by this name. - Anthrax (i.e., coal) is called the blessed Andrew the Apostle, kindled by the Spirit.
The fourth, emerald. By the emerald, having a green color, nourished by oil and from it receiving brightness and beauty, is signified the preaching of the Evangelist John, who with divine oil softens the regret and despondency arising in us from sins, and by the precious gift of Theology grants us a faith that never weakens.
The fifth, sardonyx. Probably, by this stone, having the color of a shining human nail, is signified James, who before others suffered bodily mortification for Christ, which the nail, not feeling pain when cut, indicates.
The sixth, sardius. By the orange-colored and shining sardius, healing for swellings and wounds from iron, is signified, I think, the beauty of the virtue of the blessed Philip, enlightened by the fire of the Divine Spirit and healing the spiritual wounds of the deceived, which they receive from the wounding of the devil.
The seventh, chrysolite. By the chrysolite, shining like gold, is signified, perhaps, Bartholomew, shining with precious virtues and divine preaching.
The eighth, beryl. By this stone, having the color of the sea and air, is signified, I suppose, Thomas, who undertook a distant journey for the salvation of the Indians.
The ninth, topaz. By the topaz, black, similar in color to anthrax, emitting, they say, a milky juice, healing for those suffering from eye diseases, may be signified the soul of the blessed Matthew, which, being seized with divine zeal and adorned with the shedding of blood for Christ, heals with the Gospel those blind in heart and gives milk to drink to those newborn in faith.
The tenth, chrysoprase. By the chrysoprase, surpassing even gold in brightness, is signified the blessed Thaddaeus, who preached to Abgar, the king of Edessa, signifying by the gold the Kingdom of Christ, and by the prase the mortification in Him.
The eleventh, jacinth. By the azure or sky-blue jacinth is plausibly signified Simon, as a zealot of Christ's gifts, having heavenly wisdom.
The twelfth, amethyst. By the purple-colored amethyst is signified Matthias, who was deemed worthy of the divine fire at the division of tongues and, for his fervent desire to please the One who chose him, took the place of the fallen one. - Having borrowed this from what was said about the stones by Saint Epiphanius in application to the leaders of the tribes of Israel, we repeat here, for the exercise of readers, as suppositions and guesses about the truth known only to the One who revealed it. In any case, it is true that the foundations and precious stones are the Apostles, possessing the properties of one, another, another stone, and all together the distinctive and best in all stones. Therefore, I ask not to consider the proposed reflections as if forcibly invented. For by indicating the particular properties of the virtue of each of the Apostles, we do not deny their commonality and unity, but only wish to reveal the complete identity uniting them among themselves like a chain.")
"And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it" (Revelation 21:24).
"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Revelation 22:1).
Imagine, a river pure as rock crystal. A pure river of the water of life - of the Holy Spirit - "proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb." - the water of the Holy Spirit flows out upon all the saved from under the throne of God.
"In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (Revelation 22:2).
That is, the tree of life continuously bearing fruit and leaves for the healing of the nations. What does healing mean? Healing from ignorance. Healing from the consequences of the passions that are in a person. They will be healed gradually in paradise further and further. That is, if a person struggled with passions, but some consequences of the passions always remain. Yes, right? There remains a residue in a person - informational noise, right? The will is fixed, but the noise remains, and it is healed by the leaves of the tree of life.
"And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him" (Revelation 22:3). As God predicted, all people will serve God directly.
(editor's note: "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23–24))
"They shall see His face, and His name shall be on their foreheads" (Revelation 22:4). At last people will see face to Face. And most importantly, the name of God will be on their foreheads. So what does this mean? It means that we are God's, that's all. No one will ever steal us again.
"There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever" (Revelation 22:5). Imagine, an eternal Kingdom that will never end again?
If the prophet Daniel was told to seal up, remember, right? Then here John is forbidden to seal up, because the time has already come. Not sealed up - means that each time during the fulfillment of prophecies we already clearly understand what is being spoken of.
God says, right? Notice, interestingly, God's approach differs from our approach. People now say: "I would break everything to make them good." Right? As they said about one priest: "he is so kind, so kind, so kind that he is ready to drive everyone into paradise with a pitchfork." So. And the Lord says, no, let them do what they want. Please, do it. I am coming and I will pay each one! My reward is with Me.
This is what awaits us after the end. I used to like one song by Grebenshchikov, there: "We will wait until time ends, and we will meet after the end." So, after the end there will be a day, finally, of constant eternal meeting. The spring of the Kingdom will come, which will never end.
(editor's note: Theophylact of Bulgaria, blessed (†1107) on this verse says this: "Then, the disciples might have said; how can we not be troubled, when such difficulties come upon us? He answers: 'believe in God, believe also in Me,' and all your difficulties will be resolved, and your trouble will be calmed through faith in God and in Me. Therefore He said to them, 'Let not your heart be troubled,' so that by this very fact, that He sees the state of their heart and knows their hidden trouble, they might be assured that He is God.")
Well then. Our next class will be the last one. We will meet next time this Wednesday. We will have a special class dedicated to working with occultists and sorcerers.
So. Our missionary feast day will be on the Day of the Holy Spirit. You absolutely must free up that day. On Monday, here in the morning we will have the Liturgy, after which there will be a solemn presentation of diplomas.