Apocalypse. Millennium. Chiliasm and Chillegorism. Valeriy Sterkh
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Название: Apocalypse. Millennium. Chiliasm and Chillegorism

Автор: Valeriy Sterkh

Издательство: Издательские решения

Жанр: Публицистика: прочее

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isbn: 9785449871831

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СКАЧАТЬ to the times of the Kingdom when the earth will be restored by Christ (to its primitive state) and Jerusalem will be recreated in the image of the heavenly Jerusalem, concerning which the prophet Isaiah says: «Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me» (Is 49:16). In the same way, the Apostle also says in Galatians: «But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all» (Gal 4:26). He says this not about some wandering Eon or some force that may have emanated from Pleroma and Prunica but about the Jerusalem written on the hands (of God). And this (heavenly Jerusalem) John saw coming down to the renewed earth in the book of Revelation [Rev 21:2, 10]. For after the times of the Kingdom, «I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them». He tells us about the universal resurrection and judgment: «I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death» (Rev 20:11—14). This place is called hell; the Lord calls it eternal fire (Mt 25:41). «And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire» (Rev 20:15). Further, John says: «And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away» (Rev 21:1—4). Isaiah says the same thing: «There will be a new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in it» (Is 65:17—18). The Apostle testifies to the same: «For the fashion of this world passeth away» (1 Cor 7:31). Likewise, the Lord also says: «Heaven and earth pass» (Mt 5:18). With the passing of these two, the new, heavenly Jerusalem will come down to earth, according to the words of John, the disciple of the Lord. It will be adorned like a bride for her husband, and this is the Tabernacle of God in which He will dwell with His people. This (heavenly) Jerusalem was foreshadowed by the former earthly Jerusalem in which the righteous are prepared for incorruption and salvation. Moses saw a copy of this Tabernacle on the mountain, and nothing in this can be taken allegorically – everything is real, true, and essential, having been created by God for the enjoyment of the righteous. For just as surely as there is a God who raises the dead, so will every man truly rise – not allegorically, as I have repeatedly shown. And just as surely as he is raised from the dead, he will also be prepared for the incorruption and will grow and become stronger during the times of the Kingdom so that he will be able to receive the glory of the Father. After the renewal of all things, he will surely live in the city of God. For (John) says: «And he that sat upon the throne said, behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, write: for these words are true and faithful. And he said unto me, it is done» (Rev 21:5—6). This is how it should be.

      Chapter 36. All people will surely rise from the dead; the world will not be destroyed but there will be different abodes for the saints according to their dignity. And all things will be subject to God the Father, and he will be all in all.

      1. Since people are real (people), the place of their abode must be just as real and not reduced in any way. And this place of abode must prosper. For neither the substance nor the essence of creation is destroyed – the One who made it is faithful and true. It is the «fashion of the world» that is passing (the sin was committed in it) because this is where man has fallen. And therefore this «fashion» was temporary according to God’s foreknowledge of all things, as I have already explained in my previous book [See 4, 5, 5 (?)] where I attempted to show the reason for creating the temporary things of the world. When this «fashion» passes away and the mankind is restored and strengthened enough to be ready for incorruption so that they would not decay anymore, then there will be a new heaven and a new earth in which the new man will abide forever, ever conversing with God about new things. Isaiah says that this will go on forever and ever: «For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain» (Is 66:22). And, As the elders say, those who are found worthy of the heavenly abode will at that time go there, that is, up to heaven, while others will enjoy the pleasures of the Paradise and some will enjoy the beauty of the city. Yet God will be seen everywhere as long as those who dwell there are worthy to see Him.

      2. Besides, (they also say) there is a difference between the abodes of those who bore fruit a hundredfold, sixtyfold, and thirtyfold (Mt 13:3—8); some of them will be taken up to heaven, others will abide in Paradise, and others will dwell in the city. Therefore the Lord says that the Father has many mansions (Jn 14:2). For everything belongs to God who provides all with decent abodes, just as His Word says that everything is distributed by the Father according to who we are or what we deserve. And this is a table around which those invited to the wedding feast will recline. According to the elders, the disciples of the Apostles, such is the distribution and the order of salvation for those who are being saved, and through such a gradual course they are perfected: they ascend to the Son through the Spirit, and then through the Son to the Father, because the Son will hand over all His works to the Father as the Apostle says: «For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death». For, during the times of the Kingdom, a righteous person on earth will forget how to die: «But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all» (1 Cor 15:25—28).

      3. So, John clearly foresaw the first resurrection of the righteous and their inheritance in the Kingdom on earth. The prophets spoke of this Kingdom as well. The Lord taught the same, promising his disciples to drink of the new cup with them in the Kingdom to come (Mt 26:29). And the Apostle said that the creation itself would be liberated from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the sons of God (Rom 8:21). And in all this and through this, the same God and Father who created man and promised the fathers their earthly inheritance reveals Himself, bringing the creation out (of its slavery) and into the resurrection of the righteous, fulfilling the promises in the Kingdom of His Son, and then, out of His fatherly compassion, granting that which no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man (1 Cor 2:9). For the one and only Son who accomplished the will of the Father, and the one human race in which the mysteries of God are being unfolded – the mysteries «which the angels desire to look into» (1 Pet 1:12) – cannot comprehend the wisdom of God through which His creation is being perfected. For the creation has been conformed to the image of the Son and united with Him through His body so that the firstborn Word of God descends into the creature, that is, into the (bodily) creature, and is embraced by it. On the other hand, the creature receives the Word and ascends to Him, rising above the angels, and gets conformed into the image and likeness of God [Grabe and others suppose that the conclusion of St. Irenaeus’s work is missing, and has probably been lost.].

      Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 – c. 215)

      After all, not only our spirits but also our character, life, and body must become holy. For how else should we understand the words of Paul that the unbelieving wife sanctifies her husband and the unbelieving husband sanctifies his wife? [1 Cor 7:14] Did not the Lord give a similar answer to the one who had asked him about divorce that Moses had given them permission to divorce? The Lord said that it was done because of the hardness of heart. Did you СКАЧАТЬ