Guardian of Paradise. AiF sensational report from Iraqi Kurdistan

Guardian of Heaven's Gate

One of the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm tells about a poor tailor who once knocked on the gates of heaven where the Apostle Peter stood. The tailor asked the saint for a pass to heaven. The Apostle Peter reluctantly allowed the tailor to go to this beautiful place, but warned him to be quiet, otherwise he would be kicked out of paradise.

But the curious tailor could not keep his promise - he began to examine the heavenly abodes and found a beautiful golden chair, next to which stood a golden footstool.

From here you could see the whole earth, and the tailor noticed a little old woman by the lake. She washed someone else's clothes and saved herself a couple of good things. The tailor decided to punish the thief and threw a golden bench at her. Soon the Lord returned and asked where his bench had gone. The Apostle Peter pointed to the little tailor, and he began to justify himself before God:

“I saw the thief and in anger threw a bench at her.

“If I started throwing benches at sinners out of anger, then there wouldn’t be a single object left in heaven.” You had no right to judge people, so the Apostle Peter will expel you from heaven right now.

The tailor was banished from heaven forever for judging another person.

The Apostle is the hero of fairy tales and jokes

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Apostle Peter - the fisherman who became the foundation stone of the Church

It was Peter who became the first head of the Church of Christ on earth. The good news for the first Christians was carried by a person from the most powerless class. How did a simple fisherman from a Galilean village become the rock on which the Christian Church was built and still stands?

The German fairy tale “The Tailor in Paradise”, the ancient Russian story about a drunkard who went to heaven, other fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm, Russian folk legends collected by Alexander Afanasyev - in all these books you can find stories about the Apostle Peter, who heals princesses and helps a poor soldier , together with Christ, enters the houses of Russian peasants, performs miracles, helps the poor, punishes sinners and even argues with the Savior.

Of course, the fabulous Apostle Peter bears little resemblance to the Peter about whom the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles tell. In Russian and German fairy tales, Peter descends from heaven to earth, turns into a beggar, asks for alms, punishes the stingy and rewards the generous. But the main job of the fabulous apostle is to stand in front of the gates of Paradise, let in the righteous and drive away unrepentant sinners.

This folklore image is alive even today. It is present in jokes, especially when it comes to business oligarchs striving to get to heaven for money. Such an apostle Peter can forgive a sinner, but he does not tolerate lies, deceit and self-justification.

Such a deep degree of penetration of the Gospel saint into oral folk culture is an excellent example of how deeply the Gospel and church tradition are deeply rooted in our consciousness, regardless of the degree of church membership and attitude to faith. However, an important question arises: why Peter, why exactly did this holy apostle conquer the hearts of the people?

Why Simon became Peter

In the New Testament, the Apostle Peter is a man whose experiences, tossing, contradictory actions, fears and tears are described as fully as possible.

He wants to follow Christ on the water, but then he gets scared and begins to drown. At first he is ready to follow the Teacher through fire and water; during the arrest of Christ, he boldly takes up the sword. And then he renounces the Savior three times in one terrible night. He suffers, carries within himself this feeling of betrayal. But in the end, it is to him that Christ addresses the question: Simon (the original name of the apostle is A.Z) Jonin! Do you love Me more than they? (John 21:15). And he answers honestly and sincerely, without pretense: You know everything; You know I love you. From this moment on, he regains the name Peter, which in Greek means “stone.” About which the Savior said: I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).

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'Apostles Peter and Paul' El Greco

Historian, theologian, head of the Pilgrimage Center of the Apostle Thomas in Europe Timothy Katnis answers the questions of “Thomas”.

It is this inconsistency, the ability to remain himself even next to God, that made the Apostle Peter in the popular consciousness the keeper of the gates of heaven (only a person who has known the bitterness of sin and the joy of repentance can stand at the gates of heaven), a man who went with Christ to the poorest villages and houses (firstly, Peter is a fisherman, and secondly, an apostle who knows what family life is - his mother-in-law lived in his house, and at the same time the apostle was worried about her health).

Peter really became the “rock” on which the people’s faith was built, the people’s understanding of the Gospel - a book about how God suffered for human sins, how He helped people and was available to His disciples.

This is probably the most important lesson of the Apostle Peter: next to Christ he was not afraid to be himself, not afraid to say what he thought, not afraid to judge what was happening from the position of worldly wisdom. He was mistaken in the Gospels, he was also mistaken in fairy tales (for example, he invited Christ to spend the night in the house of a rich widow, believing that they would be fed better there, forgetting that rich people can be greedy, and the poor can give away their last), but I always knew how to admit my mistakes, ask for forgiveness and learn from my mistakes. For this, the Apostle Peter was and is loved in many countries.

What is the Apostle Peter famous for?

Photo: Ru.Wikipedia.org
Saints Peter and Paul are among the most famous apostles and zealots of the Christian faith. Moreover, their characters were complete opposites. If one was distinguished by his oratory skills, then the second was a simple but very inspired person.

In the world, Peter was called Simon. The apostle received the name by which he became known to all Christians from Jesus Christ. Translated from Hebrew it means “stone.” Peter was a simple-minded and sincere person who did not have an outstanding education. At the same time, he was distinguished by his hot temper and amazing imaginative thinking. Often he gave speeches that made people rise up and follow him.

Peter is a direct participant in many episodes that are mentioned in Holy Scripture. One of the first miracles of Christ was the healing of the mother-in-law of the future apostle. He also participated in fishing, when, thanks to Jesus, there was a huge amount of catch.

Later, Peter became an eyewitness to the Transfiguration of the Son of the Lord; before his arrest, he swore that he would never renounce his teacher, but he broke his word just a few hours later, more than once. He repented of his action, found the courage to admit his betrayal, his own weakness in the face of circumstances. When Peter repented, the Lord confirmed his apostolic title.

They began to venerate him together with Paul after the execution of the apostles. Both died as martyrs, and the place of their execution was recognized as sacred. The Church has always glorified the spiritual strength of Peter, creating around him the image of a sinner, but sincerely repentant believer.

Favorite Saint and Living Faith

Each era has its own favorite saints. If fairy tales and legends were being written in Russia now, the main characters in them could be the Monk Seraphim of Sarov, the blessed Matrona of Moscow or the bishop-doctor Luka (Voino-Yasenetsky). And in those days when the Brothers Grimm or Alexander Afanasyev collected and processed fairy tales and legends, the favorite saints were St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, St. Elijah of Murom and the Apostle Peter - a simple fisherman, an ardent man, but sincerely repenting of his sins.

From the pages of the Gospel, he, together with Christ, stepped into the everyday life of rich and poor, kings and peasants.

And there is no need to be afraid that the “fairytale” Apostle Peter is not like the “gospel” Peter. The popular faith only highlighted some of the features of the supreme apostle, fell in love with them and made it so that this saint became part of any home.

As long as such heroes remain in the hearts of the people, our faith is alive.

Gates of Heaven

Holy Apostle Peter, mosaic of the baptistery, Ravenna (5th century) The Holy Scripture compares the temple of God with paradise. In the vision of the prophet Ezekiel, the Garden of Eden grows on the banks of a river flowing from the temple: “From under the threshold of the temple water flowed to the east, for the temple stood facing east, and the water flowed from under the right side of the temple, on the south side of the altar... By the stream along its banks, on both sides, all kinds of trees will grow that provide food: their leaves will not wither, and their fruits will not be exhausted; Every month new ones will ripen, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary; their fruits will be used for food, and their leaves for healing” (Ezek 47:1-12). The garments of paradise are similar to the vestments of the high priest: “You were in Eden, in the garden of God; your garments were adorned with all kinds of precious stones; ruby, topaz and diamond, peridot, onyx, jasper, sapphire, carbuncle and emerald and gold” (Ezek 28:13).

The connection between the temple and paradise is mentioned in the book of Jesus, son of Sirach, the Revelation of John the Theologian, as well as apocryphal texts and the works of the Church Fathers.

“Paradise Eden is the holy of holies and the dwelling place of the Lord” (Book of Jubilees or Lesser Genesis, chapter 8).

“The mystery of paradise is depicted by Moses, who built two sanctuaries - the holy and the holy of holies. Access to the outer sanctuary was always free, but entry into the inner sanctuary was only allowed once. Thus, God closed the interior of paradise for Adam, and opened the exterior, so that he could be content with the exterior.

Since Adam was not allowed to enter the inner temple, this temple was guarded so that Adam would be content with serving in the outer temple, and as a priest serves, bringing a censer, so he would serve, keeping the commandment.

The tree of knowledge was for Adam the image of a door, the fruit was a curtain that covered the temple. He who planted the tree of knowledge placed it in the midst, so that it would separate the highest from the lowest, the holy and the holy of holies.

Adam approached, dared to enter, and was horrified. Just as King Uzziah was covered with leprosy, so Adam exposed himself; and since he was struck like Uzziah, he hastened to leave.

Adam, in his uncleanness, wanted to enter the Holy of Holies, which loves only those like him; and since he dared to enter the inner sanctuary, he was not abandoned in the outer one.

Speaking about the symbolism of Byzantine worship, Saint Simeon of Thessalonica explains: “The splendor of the temple means the beauty of paradise, because the divine temple depicts paradise, or better said, represents the heavenly gifts of paradise...

At the beginning of prayers, we stand outside the temple, as if outside paradise or heaven itself. When the gates open at the end of the songs sung outside the temple, then we enter the divine temple, as if into paradise or heaven. This action means that the heavenly villages have been opened to us and we have already gained access to the Holy of Holies, we are ascending to the light, and approaching, we are approaching the throne of the Lord...

Standing and singing outside the temple expresses our expulsion from paradise... Litia happens outside the temple and indicates our falling away from paradise” (St. Simeon of Thessaloniki, Conversation on sacred rites and sacraments of the church, chapters 108, 123, 505 and 515). In modern Russian Orthodox worship, before the beginning of Vespers, the royal doors are opened and the clergy begin to cense the altar. When the 103rd Psalm is chanted, the entire temple is censed. These sacred rites symbolize the creation of the world and the blissful stay of Adam and Eve in paradise. Then the royal doors are closed, just as the doors of heaven were closed after the fall of people. The opening of the royal doors during the singing of the dogmatist (Theotokos) means that through the incarnation of the Son of God from the Blessed Virgin Mary and His descent to earth, the doors of paradise were opened for us. (On the meaning of the all-night vigil and the Divine Liturgy).

According to legends, the Jerusalem Temple was built on the site where the ancestors expelled from paradise worshiped (Louis Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, vol. 5). The temple was divided into three parts - the vestibule, the sanctuary and the holy of holies. Precious trees were used to decorate the temple - cedar, cypress and pevg (2 Chron 2.8). These trees were considered paradise (Ezek 31:8).

The symbol of the Garden of Eden was the golden seven-lamp lamp: “And he made a lampstand of pure gold, a hammered lamp he made; its stem, its branches, its cups, its apples, and its flowers came out of it; six branches came out of its sides” (Exodus 25.31-40; 37.17-24).

Cherubs and palms. An ancient bronze plate from South Arabia The cherubs, palm trees and flowers depicted on the walls of the temple also reminded one of paradise (1 Kings 6.18, 29, 32, 35). These images were decorated with gold and precious stones: “Solomon made carved cherubs and palm trees and blossoming flowers and overlaid them with gold; covered both the cherubim and the palm trees with gold... And he carved out the cherubim and the palm trees and the blossoming flowers and overlaid the carvings with gold” (1 Kings 6.32, 35); “And he overlaid the house of God with costly stones for beauty” (2 Chronicles 3:6).

The cherubim were depicted with the faces of a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle: “Lions, oxen and cherubim were depicted, and above and below the lions and oxen were spreading wreaths” (1 Kings 7.29); “From the top of the doors, both inside and outside the temple, and all around the wall, inside and outside, there were carved images, cherubs and palm trees were made: a palm tree between two cherubs, and each cherub had two faces. On one side, a human face is facing the palm tree, and on the other side, a lion’s face is facing the palm tree; this was done all around the temple” (Ezek 41:17-19).

The question of the presence of images of cherubs “outside,” that is, on the outer walls of the Old Testament temple, remains open to debate. “None of the ancient texts of the Old Testament, except for the version of the Greek text accepted by the publisher A. Ralphs as the main but little widespread edition, speaks of any external sculptural decoration of the temple” (A.M. Vysotsky, Ezekiel’s Temple as a source of external sculptural decoration decor of Vladimir-Suzdal churches of the XII-XIII centuries: sic et non, Old Russian art: Rus' and the countries of the Byzantine world, XII century, St. Petersburg, 2002). Although textual research shows that in most editions of the Old Testament there is no textual version of the Septuagint about the carved decorations of the facades of the temple, images of cherubs with animal faces were part of a single iconographic program of external temple utensils. Images of bulls, lions and cherubim decorated the copper sea (1 Kings 7:23-25) and the laver stands (1 Kings 7:29, 36). Such images corresponded to the idea of ​​cherubs as guardians of the sacred territory of the temple.

The faces of cherubim were embroidered on the curtain that covered the entrance to the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31-33). The Holy of Holies was guarded by gilded sculptures of cherubim made from olive wood (1 Kings 6.23-28).

Pure gold, completely covering the Holy of Holies (1 Kings 6.20), showed an image of the radiance of the Glory of God.

The ancient symbols of heaven were inherited by Christian church art. Orthodox churches are decorated with mosaics, frescoes, icons, carvings and floral decorations.

Orthodox iconography includes heavenly palms, flowers and plant designs, for “the righteous blooms like a palm tree, rises like a cedar in Lebanon. Planted in the house of the Lord, they bloom in the courts of our God” (Ps 91:13-14). Old Testament descriptions of images of angels, palm trees and flowers can be compared, for example, with Byzantine mosaics of the Basilica of San Apollinaris Nuovo in Ravenna (6th century), representing processions of martyrs and martyrs in the Garden of Eden. The green meadows under the feet of the saints are dotted with lily flowers. Between the figures of Christian ascetics are palm trees, symbolizing eternal life. During the period of the iconoclastic heresy in Byzantium, Old Testament symbols of paradise were depicted instead of icons, so that churches, according to contemporaries, “turned into gardens, flower beds and poultry houses.”

Adam was called to “till and keep” the Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:15). After the fall of people, cherubim became the guardians of paradise: “And God drove out Adam and placed in the east by the garden of Eden a cherubim and a flaming sword that turned to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3.24). The Holy Scripture compares the cherubim with the guards who stood at the gates of the temple: “And Jehoiada the priest appointed porters at the gates of the house of the Lord, so that for no reason the unclean could enter in” (2 Chronicles 23.18). In the New Testament, the High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, entrusted the keys to the gates of heaven to His Church: “I tell you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18-19). This is why saints, not cherubs, are depicted between palm trees on the walls of early Byzantine temples. For example, in one of the Byzantine mosaics of Ravenna, Saint Apostle Peter, standing between palm trees, holds in his hands the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Orthodox tradition also preserved images of cherubs with the faces of a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle. In the iconography they indicate the four evangelists - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

In Byzantium, rivers of paradise were depicted on the floors of temples.

Procession of martyrs, mosaic of the Church of St. Apollinaria Nuovo, Ravenna (VI century) It is significant that St. Ephraim the Syrian compares the trees of paradise with the veil of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple. In the altar of the Church of Boris and Gleb in Kideksha, images of shrouds dated to the 12th century, decorated with seven-branched candlesticks and trees, were cleared (V.N. Lazarev, Painting of Vladimir-Suzdal Rus'. History of Russian Art. Volume 1, M., 1953). According to M.A. Orlova, the shrouds with seven-branched candlesticks and trees are associated with the symbolism of the veil of the Old Testament tabernacle and temple: “The surviving part of the image of the white board is decorated with amazing ambiguity. The connection with the image of the Old Testament tabernacle was revealed and emphasized by the seven-branched candlesticks represented on it, and the image of a vine was reminiscent of the atoning sacrifice" (M.A. Orlova, On fragments of ornament and some decorative techniques in the paintings of churches of the Vladimir principality. Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir: by 800- anniversary of creation, M., 1997). On the facades of the Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir (12th century), an arcature-columnar belt with palm trees and saints creates a symbolic border of the temple as the New Jerusalem. This iconographic motif found its original embodiment in the iconostasis. The iconostases of Russian Orthodox churches combine the images of the veil and the Garden of Eden. In the iconostases, grapes, leaves and fruits of the trees of paradise, and flowers are woven into the general motif of a golden wonderful garden surrounding the iconographic images (Yu.N. Zvezdina, Floral decor of late Russian iconostases, “Iconostasis. Origin - development - symbolism”, M., 2000).

No sculptural images were allowed in Russian iconostases, except for carved gilded cherubs. Obviously, this exception was made under the influence of the Old Testament sculptures of cherubim that decorated the ark of the covenant and the holy of holies of the temple.

St. Simeon of Thessaloniki notes that in Byzantine churches there were multi-candlesticks that had the shape of paradise plants and the Burning Bush (St. Simeon of Thessalonica, Conversation on sacred rites and sacraments of the church, ch. 108). The seven-candlestick or seven-lamp lamp in the altar of a Russian church corresponds to the seven lamps that St. John the Theologian saw in the Heavenly Temple in a similar place - between the High Place (throne of the Lord) and the throne (altar).

Gold backgrounds, halos, assists, precious frames of icons show the action of Divine light emanating from the Heavenly Holy of Holies and transforming people and nature. The Lord Jesus Christ said about Himself: “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), and about His disciples he said the same: “You are the light of the world” (Matt 5:14); “The righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matthew 13:43).

John the Theologian testifies that in spiritual Jerusalem, descending from Heaven to earth (Rev 21. 1-2), at the Throne of God and the Lamb, a divine service is performed, which is similar to the divine service of the Orthodox Church. Therefore, the Orthodox church is called heaven on earth and the gates of heaven. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), the Church prays.

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Monday, February 18, 2008 1:53 pm + in the quote book I somehow came across a very interesting and informative quote from someone’s message with LiRu, I copied it a long time ago, so I’m too lazy to look for the source now, so I’ll throw it in like this... Angels, Greek, according to St. . Scripture, incorporeal beings created by God, more perfect than people, to whom they proclaim the will of God. A. gifted with free will; those who sin become evil spirits. According to the “Heavenly Hierarchy” of Dionysius the Areopagite, A. are divided into three faces: 1) Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; 2) Dominance, Strength and Authority; 3) Principalities, Archangels and Angels. 1) Metatron - “Prince of Peace” - Archangel of the Presence. Heralds the presence of the One God. He brings souls before His face. 2) Raziel - “Divine Herald” - Archangel of Sciences. Lord of secret knowledge and hidden information. 3) Tzafkiel - “The Cares of God” - Archangel of Struggle. Fights evil. 4) Tzadkiel - “Mercy of God” - Archangel of Judgment. The judge, representing the Divine Law, represents mercy and justice. 5) Kamael - “Severity of God” - Archangel Executioner. Executor of sentences, bearing measured retribution. 6) Michael - “Like God” - Archangel Protector. Guardian of the Gates of Heaven. Lord of Fire. Keeper of mysterious writings. 7) Ganiel - “God’s Pleasure” - Archangel of the Senses. Represents the powers of love, passion and love relationships, as well as friendship. 8) Raphael - “Divine Healer” - Archangel of Healing. He heals any wounds, the Supreme Healer. 9) Gabriel - “Divine Messenger” - Archangel of Signs. Brings signs to people. 10) Tyrael - “Divine Protector” - Archangel Helper. Helps people overcome difficulties and saves them in times of difficult troubles and misfortunes. 11) Gadreel - “Divine Warrior” - Archangel Wanderer. Protects the light and fights the darkness. 12) Sandalphon - “Divine Pathfinder” - Archangel Guide. Provides a connection between Paradise and the Earthly world, leads souls after the Last Judgment to Paradise or Purgatory 13) Barachiel - “Divine Rewarder” - Archangel of Reward. Distributes the highest blessings to people who deserve them. 14) Yehudiel - “Divine Blesser” - Archangel Protector. Protects from the forces of evil. With a golden crown in one hand, and with a light sword in the other. 15) Uriel - “Divine Patron” - Archangel of the Saints. Patronized those who devoted themselves to faith. 16) Salafiel - “Divine Hearing” - Archangel of Prayers. He listens to the prayers of the suffering and conveys them to G‑d. 17) Verohiel - “Divine Comforter” - Archangel of Lamentation. Comforts the discouraged and despairing. Encyclopedia of Mythological Creatures. (According to the assurances of the mentor :-), taken from the Torah, except for the last 4) Demon (from the Greek dáimon), in ancient Greek religion and mythology - any deity that is not more precisely defined, facilitating or preventing a person from fulfilling his intentions; in the Christian religion - an evil spirit, demon, devil. 1) Satan (from the other Hebrew Shatan - “Stranger” (the word “Shaitan” also came from this) when he was an Archangel - Yabliel (in Latin “Diablis” or “Yablis”, not a good word starting with “e” , came from his name)) - “Divine Caretaker” - Ruled Eden, became proud and wanted to overthrow God, for which he was overthrown from the Upper World and deprived of his beautiful appearance) - Lord of Hell, the supreme ruler of the dark forces, also called Diabolis. 2) Baal (brother of Satan, when he was an Archangel - Uel - “Tranquility of God” - gave rest and tranquility to the tired.) - God of torture, suffering and pain. 3) Lucifer (was neither an Archangel nor a demon, his name is translated from ancient Hebrew as “evening star” - in the sky of the ancient world, as Venus was called, every night, she disappeared from the upper edge of the sky, and appeared on the lower edge, near the horizon by the next evening, for which she was nicknamed “The Shooting Star”) - appeared as the God of tricks and fraud in the 17th-10th centuries AD, due to an incorrect translation of the verse of the prophet Elijah about a shooting star. 4) Abbadon (when he was an Archangel - Avvadiel - “Divine Face” - was the image of God on Earth.) - The Terrible Mouth - a fallen archangel who descended into the underworld. His main task is to seduce and drag human souls into the abyss. 5) Auducius (when he was an angel - Aduciel - “Divine Nature” - protected plants on Earth) - Killer of Nature - a fallen angel who destroys plants, and primarily trees. 6) Abigor (when he was an angel - Abigail - “Divine Horseman” - Harbinger of the Dawn) - “Dark Horseman” - a skilled warrior, sent by the supreme forces of hell to destroy strong and dangerous opponents. 7) Astoroth (when he was an Archangel - Astoriel - “Divine Ruler” - Ruled the strongholds of God on Earth. He loved beautiful smells, it is believed that he told the first people about ambergris, sandalwood and other beautifully smelling things. For betrayal, he was punished by God, therefore , that a terrible stench comes from him.) - “Grand Duke of the Underworld” - the governor of hell, a wonderful warrior, captured the Archangel Izuel. 9) Izual (when he was an Archangel - Izuel - “Divine Leader” - was the defender of the Gates of Heaven before Archangel Michael, was wounded and captured in a battle with Astoroth, after cruel torture for thousands of years, went over to the side of Evil.) - “Leader of the Hellish Army “His task is to destroy the stronghold that he himself once guarded - Paradise. 10) Maru (when he was an angel Mael - “Divine Servant” - helped all the other angels) - Military leader of demons - betrayed Paradise, for the power over demons promised by Satan. 11) Orobas (when he was an angel, Oroviel - “Divine Foreteller” - reported the past, spoke about the present and predicted the future) - “Dark Foreteller” - a high demon, does the same thing as when he was an angel. 12) Ronwe (when he was an angel - Ronviel - “Divine Knowledge” - could endow with wisdom and intelligence) - “Knowledge” - was engaged in the fact that, by order of Diabolis, he endowed with intelligence those people who served evil and hell. 13) Haphan (when he was an angel - Hawael - “Divine Gatekeeper” - opened and closed the Gates of Heaven, repaired them, and also repaired the weapons of other Archangels and angels) - “Hell Smith” - inflates the bellows of hell to maintain a high temperature in the underworld. 14) Yurin (when he was an Archangel - Juriel - “Divine Beauty” - was the Archangel of spring, beauty and bloom) - “Prince of Death” - for betrayal, God deprived him of his beauty, so he is ugly wrinkled, with clawed paws, devouring carrion. His main weapon is a scythe, with which he mows down human souls on the orders of Satan. 15) Keteh Meriri (when he was an Archangel - Ketekhel - “Divine Friend”, for his courage and endurance in the battle on Megiddo from a simple angel, he was made an archangel, but in the battle where Izuel was captured, trying to save him, he himself fell captured, and was turned to Evil) - He was returned to his original name, Keteh Meriri - became the prince of midday and sultry summer, anyone who died from sunstroke, or from high temperature, died because this prince of darkness was nearby . "The Hammer of the Witches" and "The Bull of Witchcraft". THE FOUR CROWNED PRINCE OF HELL SATAN - (Hebrew) adversary, enemy, accuser, Lord of Fire, Hell, South. LUCIFER - (lat.) bearer of light, enlightenment, morning star, Lord of the air and the East. BELIAL - (Hebrew) without owner, the foundation of the earth. independence, Lord of the North. LEVIATHAN - (Hebrew) serpent from the depths, Lord of the sea and the West Devilish names Abaddon (Abaddon, Abaddon) - (Hebrew) destroyer Adramelech (Adramelech) - Sumerian devil Apuch (Apukh) - Mayan devil Ahriman (Ahriman) - Mazdacean devil Amon ( Amon) - the Egyptian god of life and reproduction with the head of a ram Apollyon (Apollyon) - a Greek synonym for Satan, the archdevil Asmodeus (Asmodeus) - the Jewish god of sensuality and luxury, originally - a “judging being” Astaroth (Astarte) - the Phoenician goddess of voluptuousness and lust, equivalent Babylonian Ishtar Azazel (Azazel) - {Hebrew) gunsmith, inventor of cosmetics Baalberith (Baalberith) - Canaanite Lord of Concord, later turned into the devil Balaam (Balaam) - Jewish devil of greed and greed Baphomet (Baphomet) - the Templars worshiped him as the embodiment of Satan Bast ( Bast) - the Egyptian goddess of pleasure, represented in the form of a cat Beelzebub (Beelzebub) - {Hebrew) Lord of the Flies, taken from the symbolism of the scarab Behemoth (Behemoth) - the Jewish personification of Satan in the form of an elephant Beherith (Begerit) - the Syriac name for Satan Bile (Beel) - Celtic god of Hell Chemosh (Chemosh) - the national god of the Moabites, later - the devil Cimeries (Kimeris) - sits on a black horse and rules Africa Coyote (Coyote) - the devil of the American Indians Dagon (Dagon) - the Philistine vengeful god of the sea Damballa (Damballa) - the serpentine god of voodoo Demogorgon (Demogorgon) - the Greek name of the devil, not supposed to be known to mortals Diabolus (Devil) - (Greek) "flowing down" Dracula (Dracula) - the Romanian name for the devil Emma-O (Emma-O) - the Japanese ruler of Hell Euronymous (Euronymous) - Greek prince of death Fenriz (Fenriz) - son of Loki, depicted as a wolf Gorge (Gorgon) - diminutive. from Demogorgon, the Greek name for the devil Haborym (Haborim) - Hebrew synonym for Satan Hecate (Hecate) - Greek goddess of the underworld and witchcraft Ishtar (Ishtar) - Babylonian goddess of fertility Kali (Kali) - (Hindi) daughter of Shiva, high priestess of the Thuggi Lilith (Lilith ) - Jewish she-devil, first wife of Adam Loki (Loki) - Teutonic devil Mammon (Mammon) - Aramaic god of wealth and profit Mania (Mania) - goddess of Hell among the Etruscans Mantus (Mantu) - god of Hell among the Etruscans Marduk (Marduk) - god of the City Babylon Mastema (Mastema) - a Jewish synonym for Satan Meiek Taus (Chalk Taus) - the Yazidi devil Mephistopheies (Mephistopheles) - (rpech.) the one who avoids the light, see also Goethe's "Faust" Metztli (Metztli) - the goddess of the night among the Aztecs Mictian (Mictian) - Aztec god of death Midgard (Midgard) - son of Loki, depicted as a snake Milcom (Milk) - Ammonite devil Moloch (Moloch) - Phoenician and Canaanite devil Mormo (Mormo) - (Greek) King of the Vampires, husband of Hecate Naamah (Naama) - the Jewish she-devil of seduction Nergal (Nergal) - the Babylonian god of Hades Nihasa (Nihaza) - the devil of the American Indians Nija (Nidza) - the Polish god of the underworld O-Yama (O-Yama) - the Japanese name for Satan Pan (Pan) - Greek god of lust, later placed in the devil's retinue Pluto (Pluto) - Greek god of the underworld Proserpine (Proserpina) - Greek queen of the underworld Pwcca (Pakka) - Welsh name for Satan Rimmon (Rimmon) - Syrian devil, worshiped in Damascus Sabazios (Shavazy) - Phrygian origin, identified with Dionysus, snake worship Saitan (Saitan) - Enochian equivalent of Satan Sammael (Sammael) - {Hebrew) “malice of God” Samnu (Samnu) - devil of the peoples of Central Asia Sedit (Sedit) - devil of the American Indians Sekhmet (Sekhmet) ) - Egyptian goddess of revenge Set (Set) - Egyptian devil Shaitan (Shaitan) - Arabic name of Satan Shiva (Shiva) - (Hindi) destroyer Supay (Supai) - Indian god of the underworld T'an-mo (Tian-mo) - Chinese double of the devil, god of greed and passion Tchort (Devil) - Russian name for Satan, “black god” Tezcatlipoca (Tezcatlipoca) - Aztec god of Hell Thamuz (Tamuz) - Sumerian god, later included in the retinue of the Devil Thoth (Thoth) - Egyptian god of magic Tunrida (Tunrida) - Scandinavian she-devil Typhon (Typhoon) - Greek personification of Satan Yaotzin (Yaotsing) - Aztec god of Hell Yen-lo-Wang (Yen-lo-Wang) - Chinese ruler of Hell The Satanic Bible. LaVey. The “Great Field of Megiddo”... is a fairly large plain located in the territory of modern Israel. Once upon a time, on a mountain that stands exactly in the middle of this field, there stood the earthly fortress of the Angels - “Har”, there lived Uel - the future god of cruelty and pain - Baal. After the fall of the angels and the formation of hell, Baal cut an entrance to hell, next to Megiddo, near the lake (this cave still exists, nothing living grows there). Once upon a time, wars of darkness and wars of light, angels and demons, archangels and gods of the night, adepts of light and servants of darkness came together there. Blood flowed like a river, a lot of angels and Archangels and dark forces died, and many fighters were also missing. And it was then that Izeul and Ketekhel were captured, who later became Izual and Keteh Meriri. In the same battle, Raziel, the Blind Archangel, Archangel of Science, was blinded, trying to confront his brother Baal. The Jews (according to ancient books, only Jews participated there, since no one except them believed in one God), who survived that battle, listened to the warning of Archangel Raziel, and wrote down that the last battle of the peoples, angels, archangels of demons, of the dark Gods and will happen there, and will receive a name in honor of this place - the ancient fortress of angels “Har” (which means “Mountain”), and in honor of the field where blood will flow - “Megido”, and all the peoples will call it “HarMegido” "... and the survivors, if any remain, will shudder for a long time at the thought of this battle. "HarMegido". You hear this word very often, by the way, and practically no one knows that it was not invented by a man, but by the Archangel Raziel, and that this battle will be the beginning of the end of the Earthly world... Moonspell - Wolfshade is playing in the speakers

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Who will greet believers at the gates of Paradise?

Who will greet believers at the gates of Paradise?

Answer:

There are many angels at the gates of both Heaven and Hell. The Qur'an refers to these angels as Khazin, which means guardians. Therefore, this word should be considered not only as the name of these angels, but also as the position they occupy.

This is explained in detail in the following verses:

“Those who did not believe will be driven in droves to Gehenna. When they approach it, its gates will be thrown open, and its guardians will say to them: “Did not messengers come to you from among yourselves, who read to you the verses of your Lord and warned you to face this day of yours?” They will say: “Of course!” But the Word about torment came true regarding the unbelievers. It will be said: “Enter the gates of Gehenna and remain there forever!” How filthy is the abode of the proud! And those who feared their Lord are taken to Paradise in droves. When they approach and its gates open, its guards will say to them: “Peace be with you! You were good. Enter here forever!” (al-Zumar 39/71-73).

One of the rivayat reports that Khazin is the name of the angel standing at the gates of Paradise. It is reported that the Messenger of Allah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:

“On the Day of Judgment I will go to the gates of Heaven and open them. Khazin will ask me: “Who are you?” I will answer him: “I am Muhammad.” Then Khazin will say: “I was ordered not to open this gate to anyone except you” (Muslim, Iman, 85).

Another hadith says:

“At night I saw two men who came to me and said: “The one who kindles Hell is Malik - his Guardian. I am Jibril, and this is Mikail” (Bukhari, 3236).

The name of this angel is also mentioned in the following verse of the Quran:

To whom do the doors of heaven open?

If you ask a person: “Do you know the commandments?” He will answer: “I know. Don't steal; do not kill; honor your father and mother...” He will remember what was written on the stone tablets. But there are a lot of commandments. For example, the Lord says at the Last Supper: “Take, eat: this is My Body, broken for you for the remission of sins.” This is a commandment. “Drink everything from Her...” is a commandment. Any word of Christ spoken in an imperative mood is a commandment for all who believe in the Lord. But here is an amazing commandment: “You shall be holy, for holy am I the Lord your God” (Lev. 19:2). This is written in the book of the Pentateuch of Moses, the Lord commands us to be saints. What is holiness and can everyone be saints? The priest of the Moscow Church of the Resurrection of the Word, Archpriest Andrei TKACHEV, is reflecting.

Yes, my friends, we should all be saints. The Apostle Paul says these words in his letter, addressing Christians: “God's elect, holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12). Once you were strangers to God, but today you are close to God - close, dear.

How is holiness achieved? There is no holy person who is holy by personal holiness. Holiness is a gift from God to man. God is holy in essence, and man is holy by communion with God. All the saints were sanctified and cleansed, and justified, and washed, thanks to their closeness to the Lord and union with Him. They received grace through communion, but none of them is proud, “for by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). The holy saints of God understood perfectly well that they were not the source of the shrine, for in themselves they were just people, just flesh and just blood, dust and ashes. Food for worms is man without God. And with God, he is the son of God and the heir of eternal blessings. So you and I must understand perfectly well that without God we are nobody and nothing, but we must strive for holiness.

When the Gifts are broken at the service, the priest says: “Holy to the holy,” that is, the Holy Gifts to holy people. Who is this for? Us. What are we, saints? No, but the Church looks at us as possible, potential saints. G. Chesterton wrote in one of his essays that democracy believes that every person should be a good and honest citizen, conscious and enlightened; and the Church believes that every person should be a saint. The Church calls us to holiness. Moreover, we know saints who were holy from infancy until old age. For example, John the Baptist is the son of holy parents, a saint from childhood, a saint until death. We know saints who were sinners in childhood, youth, and adulthood, but became sanctified, for example, in the second half of their lives - like Mary of Egypt. Half a life of lawlessness and half a life of the hardest feats. We know saints who were sanctified in the last hours of their lives. It was the last hours of the prudent thief’s life that redeemed his soul for eternal life and opened the gates of heaven to him. The robber's repentance opened paradise! So we know different saints.

We know saints who were so holy that through their lives they gave birth to a whole galaxy of disciples and formed entire Christian civilizations. Rus', for example, stands on St. Sergius of Radonezh. St. Sergius is so great, so deep, so mysterious, so broad and subtle that Rus' is still fed by his holiness. Serbia boasts of Saint Sava and calls its Church St. Sava, because Sava was so great and grandiose in holiness that to this day, for many centuries, the Serbian Church has been nourished by the holiness of one person.

There is an immutable law: God does not need many people to sanctify everyone. Need one. Millions live for one holy man. God finds Abraham and multiplies the people from him. He looks for David, and through him gives the whole revealed teaching contained in the Psalter. God calls Prince Vladimir and through him brings many Slavic tribes to the baptismal font. That is, God needs one holy person who directs the course of life in the right direction.

Why do we remember the saints? We are debtors to the saints. On the one hand, we must know as many saints as possible. For what?

When setting off on a long journey, we look for telephone numbers and addresses of people who live in that distant country that we have never been to, so that when we arrive there we do not find ourselves of no use to anyone. So that when we arrive in Australia or South Africa, we find shelter, clothing, and help there. In the same way, when going to the future world, to the next world, to the Kingdom of God, we must know as much as possible the people who already live in that world. For example, Saint Equal to Apostles. Nina, or everyone’s beloved Nicholas the Wonderworker, or the apostles Peter and Paul are the supreme disciples of the Physician of souls and bodies, the Lord Jesus Christ. Or, let’s say, blessed Ksenia, an earthly sufferer who is amazing in helping. Or St. Basil the Blessed, who lived in Moscow. These are all residents of Heavenly Jerusalem. People who already live where we are yet to enter. We call them for help, we communicate with them in order to enlist their prayer in the face of Christ the Savior, whom they behold.

When we talk about holiness, we also say that the meaning of this word is “separate.” Holy means “separate.” For example, there are many, many ordinary days, and there is a holy day, separated from the rest, a holiday day. There are many different places that are completely ordinary and simple, but there is a holy place where you cannot enter, for example, in dirty clothes, with loud laughter. This is the temple of God. Dress cleanly, wash your face, cross yourself, gather the fear of God and quietly enter, because this place is holy. There are holy clothes, there are holy times, there are holy dates, there are holy people. That is, the sacred is something different, separate.

The Lord wants us to separate ourselves from the law of sin. “Depart from among them and separate yourself... and do not touch uncleanness, and I will receive you: and I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty” (2 Cor. 6:17,18). To be sanctified means not to live according to the laws of this world. Saints are people who have overcome worldly laws, which are discord, selfishness, self-will, the desire for glory for oneself and trampling on one’s neighbor. And the laws of God, which overcome the laws of this world, are glory to God, honor to neighbor, fear of God in the heart and as little self-will, self-indulgence, and self-praise as possible. Saints are people who, by the Spirit of God, overcame the laws of the world; they lived here, but not in the local way, not as the children of men live, but as the sons of God live.

It is appropriate for every person to begin his acquaintance with the saints of God with the saint whose name he bears. Let’s say I am Andrew, God Himself ordered me to know the lives of all the saints Andrew, the first of whom is Andrew the First-Called. Where he lived, what he became famous for, when he suffered, what were the features of his life. And besides this, it would also be nice to know about other Andreevs, for example Andrei Kritsky, martyr. Andrei Bogolyubsky, Rev. Andrei Rublev and other saints who bore this name. If you are Sergei, Nikolai, Peter, Vladimir, Natalya, Maria... get acquainted with the life of the saint in whose name you were baptized. This is where your spiritual growth can begin. On the day of remembrance of your saint, you must be in the temple of God, receive communion, and confess. Call upon your saint in prayer. Let’s say: “Pray to God for me, Holy Hierarch Father Basil, as I diligently resort to you, a quick helper and a prayer book for my soul.” This is where the meeting with the heavenly world begins. This is the point where the human soul meets those who already live in heaven.

But how you yourself can become a saint—the Lord will tell you. Either you will spend your property on the poor, or you will shed blood for the name of the Lord, or you will rush to defend your neighbor and die, or you will heal or teach people, or in any other way you will give yourself to the last drop in the service of God and your neighbor. And remember the words of the Lord: “Depart from the midst of sinners, do not touch uncleanness, and I will accept you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty.”

Guardians of Paradise. AiF sensational report from Iraqi Kurdistan

Its servants believe: the Universe originates here, and scientists suggest: perhaps this is where the main entrance to the biblical paradise is located, from where Adam and Eve were expelled... - Once upon a time, our planet was one continuous ocean. Only waves, and nothing more... until God decided to create the earth. He gave the order - seven angels, together with Melek Tavus, descended from heaven and dropped alum into the water right in this place. Does not look like it? Look around: around us there are only mountains scorched by the sun. And in Lalesh there is greenery, as if in an oasis. Isn't this the very point where the world was created?

Chief of Angels

The man in white clothes is sure: humanity originated here, in northern Iraq. Bave Chaves, a temple attendant from the Pir caste, leads me through Lalesh, a stone complex with pointed towers symbolizing the rays of the sun, and invites me to enter through a gate depicting a black snake. That's right, the temple is surrounded by a riot of greenery in the middle of the dead mountains, and this is not the last mysterious moment. Drinking water from the Zemzem underground spring in Lales is considered good luck, but the bride and groom should not go down into the cave with the spring - otherwise they will not get married, but will be brother and sister. The one who drinks from Zemzem will see a dream in which his future will be reflected. Getting to Lalesh is not easy - the fifty-degree heat heats up the car, the soldiers at the checkpoint twirl the Russian passport in their hands in amazement. Surrounded by checkpoints (Al-Qaeda militants have already tried to break through here), Lalesh is the only temple in the world of Yazidi Kurds, followers of one of the most mysterious and mystical teachings.

■ More than 30 thousand Yezidi Kurds, descendants of refugees from Turkey, live in Russia. ■ There are legends about other secret societies. For example, the “Society of Guardians of the Grail” (the cup in which Joseph of Arimathea collected the blood of Christ), as well as the “Winged Warriors” guarding the children of angels who supposedly lived on earth. ■ Some theologians believed that paradise was in India - the Tigris and Euphrates were allegedly named incorrectly, but in fact the Indus and Ganges rivers flowed from Eden.

Surprisingly, even the Yazidis themselves do not know exactly where their religion came from. Their sacred records - the Book of Revelation and the Black Book - were destroyed by their Muslim neighbors. All that remains are legends passed on from mouth to mouth. Meanwhile, the symbols on the walls of Lales - a six-pointed star, a sun in the form of a flower and especially the unfolded tail of a peacock - can be seen both in the catacombs of the citadel of King Nebuchadnezzar in Kirkuk, and at archaeological excavations in those parts of Babylon that date back to the reign of Hammurabi (18th century BC AD). What could this mean?

“The Yezidis consider Melek Tavus to be the head of all seven angels and the “ruler of the world,” literally translated as “peacock angel,” whom God, bored, created from a pearl,” says Michelle Badakhi, a historical researcher from Kirkuk. — It’s little known, but the peacock is one of the first symbols of Christianity, when it was banned. The tail is a halo, the circles on the feathers are God’s vision, peacock feathers were on the wings of cherubs. There are often images of the grotto in Bethlehem, where Jesus was born: two peacocks drinking from the same cup. I do not at all consider Lalesh to be the place where the world was founded, but phenomena have always occurred there that science is unable to explain.

Alternative view

Does our Guardian Angel act as a judge of our earthly life? Yes, of course, but not at all in the form of an angry “Angel of Vengeance,” but as a friend, as a loving friend, who does not want to offend or humiliate anyone, tries to explain to us who and what we really are and what needs to be done to improve our situation. After the death of a person, no disguise, pretense or hypocrisy will help, because the “film of the life we ​​lived,” the entire retrospective of life, has already demonstrated to us with all clarity when, where and how we did the right thing.

Many people have experienced, while dying, negative sensations associated with nightmarish experiences caused by devilish images, gloomy pictures in the corresponding environment. Such people, if they were able to be brought back to life, reanimated, that is, if they received, as a mercy, the opportunity to start all over again, usually radically change their position in life, namely towards an ethical positive. Now they are absolutely sure that God really exists and that heaven and hell are not fairy tales of priests.

—

Professor Dr. Werner Schiebeler cited in his work “Angels - Messengers of God and Helpers of Man” the story of art history professor Howard Storm about what he experienced: during clinical death, he heard three times absolutely clearly the words: “Pray to God!” Storm recalled:

“I thought, what kind of prayer should I say? I tried to remember the prayers I knew as a child, but it was quite difficult since it had been 25 years since I last went to church. I began to remember individual passages and pieces of prayers. The people who had gathered around me approached me. They shouted at me to stop praying."

In the most vulgar terms they tried to make Storm believe that there is no God. However, Storm noticed that as soon as he was able to utter the first words of prayer, people retreated from him! This gave him strength, and in the end he was able to drive away these tormenting spirits.

Statements that such experiences on the verge of life and death are supposedly “visions unrelated to reality” must be treated very carefully, since parapsychologists know of many cases when an otherworldly “meeter” clearly manifested itself even in this earthly world. life. On this occasion, the journal of the German Society of Paranormology (another name for parapsychology) in No. 2 (April 1995) published a message from the daughter of one of the deceased members of the Society:

“My father died on September 3, 1920, my mother two years before that. After her death, my father and I lived alone. I slept on my mother’s bed by the window, and my father on the bed closer to the opposite wall. There was a low cabinet in the middle of the wall, and a little further away there was a door leading to the kitchen.

A year before my father died, I woke up one day at about six o’clock in the morning. The room was already light. I saw my father; he walked around my bed and opened the window. He was 70 years old and was once again suffering from a severe asthma attack. With peripheral vision, I noticed that there was someone third in the room. I quickly turned my head to the left and saw that behind my father’s bed there was a creature that - oh horror! – it was not a person.

It was a small, fragile youthful figure, about 1 m 40 cm tall, wearing a black cape. I have never seen such deep blackness before! His head looked more like a skull, but his face was alive, with sharp features. Only there were no lips. The eyes were not eyes, but only black indentations, like those of a skull. The complexion was gray-brown. Each tooth stuck out separately, like a skull, but only emitted a muted red-golden light.

His face seemed to light up the whole room. The whole figure looked petrified and majestic like a monument. The otherworldly entity stood halfway in the closet, which was now not visible. It seemed like it was an incredibly dense thundercloud...

Paralyzed, I was speechless, feeling all my strength leaving me, as if someone was sucking it out of me. On the creature's head was a kind of flat, large headdress that looked like a quilt, decorated with brownish triangles. This headdress protruded far on both sides, bending closer to the ends like a crescent moon.

Father walked next to the scary figure several more times (to the toilet and back), and every time he walked past her, he was illuminated by a beam of yellow-red rays, as if a sparkler was being lit. All this lasted about half an hour (!). I clearly saw everything - including the fact that the edges of the strange headdress were decorated with two snakes intertwined with each other...

When I came home from school the next day, my father told me that it was the Angel of Death who had come and that he would soon die.

During the day, right at the place where the creepy figure was, a print appeared that looked like a tattoo! The print seemed to have three dimensions, like a living painting. There were no strangers in the room, and my father and I never talked about it.

When the father died, the priest came and, seeing the print, turned deathly pale and sank onto the sofa in exhaustion. The undertaker, who came to take measurements from the deceased, was frightened by the imprint on the wall to such an extent that after that he did not put together another coffin until his death, as one acquaintance told me.

After the funeral mass, a complete stranger approached me to ask about the last days of my father. “I knew your father better than you, he was a Mason,” the gentleman said goodbye.

In the editorial footnote to this message it was written that the “Angel of Death” was not a “young man” at all, but “a messenger of hell, which had previously declared its claims to this soul.”

The senior pastor of the cathedral, the Dane H. Martensen-Larsen, once told an acquaintance:

“I want to tell you about the most terrible experience of my entire life. I came to a small village house where the father of the family had just died. Both he and his wife, already elderly people, led a primitive worldly life in which there was no place for God.

On the last day of his life, the man drank punch twice, and his last words were curses. The widow took me to the deceased. Never in my life have I seen anything more terrible! He seemed the embodiment of fear, fright. The hair stood up. It seemed that the terrible picture that he saw at the moment of death left its imprint on his face.”

To the fairly common, derogatory arguments that in such cases we are talking about nothing more than some kind of dreams, imagination or hallucinations, the pastor objected:

“Yes, of course, these are just hallucinations. But how can you not understand all the deep, terrible seriousness contained in the words “only” hallucination? You don't really understand what this means? What does it mean when the entire external world disappears, when from the entire earthly environment nothing exists for a person except these visions? Do not forget that a dying person has a moment when dying visions (and they alone) mean the only, true reality. And she is more real to him than the room in which he is, than the bed in which he lies ... "

One Danish pastor said:

“During my service as a pastor in the town of Christianshavn, I had a faithful, tireless assistant who worked as a nurse in our community - Frau Petersen. Once she had the opportunity to care for a young widow and her little daughter Marie, who were sick with tuberculosis. Marie died, and I buried her, and I began to visit my sick mother even more often.

One morning Frau Petersen came to me and said that something strange had happened during the night. She found it difficult to talk about it. She was sitting by the patient's bedside, reading a book, when the door leading to the corridor suddenly opened.

Without turning around, the nurse wanted to close the door with her foot. But with her peripheral vision she noticed a beam of light. Turning around in surprise, she saw that the recently deceased Marie was standing in the doorway. In her white dress, she looked at her mother, who lay with blue lips and moaning in pain. Behind the child was an Angel in white robes, holding the girl’s hand.

A minute later the phenomenon disappeared and the door closed by itself. The patient stirred, looked around and asked: “Didn’t you see anything? Marie came, she wants to take me with her.” A few days later the patient died."

There are people who are endowed with the gift of seeing more than others - for example, clairvoyants from birth.

This was a parish nurse who worked in one of the evangelical communities. She, however, was reprimanded for “supposedly” seeing spirits, but was not kicked out of work, because the woman was very diligent and neat.

One day, the priest’s youngest daughter fell dangerously ill. No one knew what kind of disease it was. The doctors did everything in their power, but they could not help. The girl writhed in convulsions and grew weaker day by day.

It was already past midnight when the pastor finally decided to invite the parish sister to the sick child. When he went to see her, he was quite surprised that, despite the late hour, she was already dressed and immediately agreed to go to the sick woman. Arriving at the priest's house, the sister asked to bring hot water and towels for compresses. Three hours later, the girl was rescued. She fell asleep calmly and deeply.

Deeply touched, happy parents did not know how to thank their sister. And they, of course, wanted to know what happened. The sister said that it was already very late and she was getting ready to go to bed. But suddenly the child’s Guardian Angel appeared to her and said: “Get dressed and come with me. I need your help, because I can’t cope here alone. Hurry up, take this and that with you (he told her exactly what to take) and let’s go!” That's why she was completely ready to go when the pastor came to pick her up.

A rather instructive event related to our topic was described by the English nurse Joey Snell in her very interesting book “The Ministry of Angels.” When she saw a bright Angel at the patient’s bedside, it was an absolutely clear sign for her that the patient was recovering, even if the doctors had already given up all hope. If she saw a dark angel, it meant that the patient would soon die. Doctors, initially skeptical of her statements, later began to involve her in diagnostics.

Next, I will briefly retell what Adelma von Wai learned from the other world about the activities of the Angels of Death.

“There are Angels of Death. These are obstetricians, obstetricians of the other world. These are spirits whose special mission is to make it easier for dying people to separate their soul and spirit from their body. They perfectly know the laws that bind the soul to the body, and separate the soul from the body.

These good Angels of Death should not seem like scary creatures to you. They are full of love, kindness and wisdom. These are wise doctors who give you the necessary strengthening agents in your last hours. So, each person has his own Angel of Death, who relieves him of his earthly burdens and takes him away from the Earth.”

I find quite instructive the reports about the process of dying after suicide, according to which these already deplorable people “die without their Angels of Death, that is, their obstetricians of death. The Angel of Death appears only at the hour of death appointed from above. But the spirit of suicide does not wait for this hour. And now he stands helplessly in front of his own body, forcibly torn from life, not knowing what to do. It's like painful premature birth. He can't figure out where to go, no one is meeting him. He anticipated the law of his destined life, and now he will be forced to wait until his time comes.”

The level of my current knowledge of the subject convinces me that not every suicide is assessed equally in the Subtle World. Motive plays a very important role here. Also, when an obviously evil person dies, he is not greeted by Angels filled with love or people close to him who have previously passed into the Subtle World. Dr. Gottfried Hirtzenberger cites in his book “Studies of the Other World” the confessions of a deceased businessman who acquired a significant fortune through unjust means.

“In my earthly life, I never thought about the other world, or about life after death. I had a pious, kind mother. My father, on the contrary, conducted his affairs in exactly the same way as I did, that is, from a spiritual point of view, in an unacceptable way. One day I got sick and had to leave this world.

Opening my eyes in the other world, I saw my mother in front of me. She said sadly: “You have sinned a lot, and the world you will now have to live in will be terrible.”

Mom cried, and not only for me, but also for my father. She said that he was also (his father had already died) in some bad place, but she was allowed to come to him from time to time. But she especially felt sorry for me, since usually a soul that has left its earthly shell is greeted by Angels. When I arrived in the Subtle World, there was not a single Angel... But only they can lead the soul up the steps of the other world..."

The question arises: why is the Guardian Angel absent just at the time when his ward most needs support and consolation? Well, instead of the Angel, the mother consoled her son as best she could. Thanks to her good earthly life, inspired by hope in God, she reached a high level in the Subtle World. She suffered very much because of the sad fate of her son, but she was allowed to show him, at least after death, the only true path to get out of misfortune - repentance, prayer and a sincere desire to make amends.

In addition, we must keep in mind that the nature of the environment in the other world is in constant interaction with the internal, mental state of its inhabitants, that is, everyone, without realizing it, projects their environment “out of themselves.” Man's spiritual ignorance creates fog or darkness around him "out there." So the Angel or guardian spirit often simply fails to find such a soul. The Catholic teaching about “purgatorium”, purgatory, is not a myth at all, but a reality of the Subtle World. And yet, the inhabitants of the other world who are in such a state (“poor souls”) can sometimes even help us if we, remembering them in our prayers, give them enough energy necessary for this.

Therefore, it is strongly recommended that, upon awakening in the other world, you follow your Angel or guardian spirit with a soul full of trust; if he is not there, you must ask him to appear. Serious prayer was, is and will be our panacea - also in the other world. Or there is a (little known) danger that false “friends” will begin to approach us, who are able to take on the appearance of deceased relatives and friends. Such a danger cannot be underestimated, especially if a person during his lifetime, to put it mildly, was not a role model. Therefore, Josef Hahn is right when he wrote these lines:

"He who immediately after death

will not follow the Angel,

accompanying him in life,

he is defenseless and left to his own devices

any evil spirit in the intermediate world."

To put it another way, the task of each Guardian Angel also includes further accompaniment and care for his ward after he has passed through the gate leading to the Subtle Other. For respectable people, after their transition, a long stage of calm and rest usually begins, especially if the deceased suffered seriously during the last period of his earthly existence.

I think these messages are already enough to show that it depends on us what happens to a person after death, who will meet us “on the other side” and lead us into another world - a light or dark guide. And it would be dishonest to hush up such facts just in order not to frighten people, not to violate their usual standard thinking. After all, sooner or later everyone will encounter death, and those who have gleaned relevant information from one or another source in advance, instead of ignoring all thoughts about death “until the last”, will be in a more advantageous position.

R. Passian

Who guards paradise?

Mysterious phenomena are not only the source of the Earth, which grants brief clairvoyance. For example, in winter it is warmer in Lalesh than in the neighboring village, and colder in summer. A special climate is preserved only here. According to teacher Lukman from the neighboring city of Shaikhan, this is due to the special design of the towers. “The five columns are like five rays of the sun, connected by energy. You can grow fruit here in winter.”

Having examined Lalesh and taking into account its coordinates, you can come to interesting conclusions. According to the point of view of most theologians, Eden (the biblical paradise where the first people lived - Adam and Eve) was located in Iraq. “From Eden came a river to water Paradise; and then divided into four rivers... The name of the third river is Tigris... The fourth river is Euphrates.” After Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden, the Gardens of Eden were not wiped off the face of the earth. Paradise was sealed, a guard was placed at the entrance - a cherub with a flaming sword.

— Could the Yezidis be a secret society of guardians of the entrance to heaven? asks James McCornby, a history professor working on excavations in Alexandria. - Hmm, who knows. Look - the Yazidi religion prohibits its spread. The Yezidis are divided into three castes: sheikhs, who lead the services, pirs, the temple servants, and mrids, that is, the laity. Girls from the sheikh caste, for example, are not allowed to marry mrids. All the signs of a secret society are there. The serpent on the gates of Lalesh could also serve as a symbol of Eden - isn’t it the same one that led to the fall of Adam and Eve?

The Yazidis think differently: according to legend, during the Flood, a black snake plugged the leak on Noah’s Ark with its tail and saved the earth’s creatures from death. Anyway, we have two versions. According to the Yezidi Kurds, Lalesh is the founding place of the world. According to other signs, Eden is the former earthly residence of Adam and Eve. However, the main surprise is the revelation of the peacock angel's identity. Some believe that Melek Tavus is the same cherub left to guard the entrance to Eden. Others - what is this... Lucifer, cast out of heaven, but subsequently forgiven by God. The author expresses sincere gratitude to Amirkhan Mori, as well as Jemal Mori, for their assistance in preparing and organizing this report in Iraq.

Eden - heaven on earth

Reading the Bible carefully, we see that the word “paradise” is first described in Genesis 2:8.

Before this, the Almighty created Heaven and earth, the stars, plants and fauna, and only then in the east he founded the paradise of Eden, the location of which can be determined by a geographical map. The Bible says that one river flowed from Eden, which divided into four: Pishon, Gihon, Tigris and Euphrates.

Garden of Eden

If the first two rivers have sunk into oblivion, the Tigris and Euphrates still exist today, which serves as indisputable proof for atheists of the existence of Eden. Modern Christians equate the concepts of paradise and Eden, although Eden is the name of a locality, and paradise is the place where the Divine essence resides. The mercy of the Lord and His care for His children are amazing. The Loving Father first prepared everything for the bliss of the first people, and then created them themselves.

Adam and Eve were kicked out of their place of bliss, but the first earthly couple did not lose the love of God. Adam and Eve could be in direct communication with the Creator, they saw Him and were filled with His mercy. It is difficult to imagine the feelings of people who were “shrouded” in the love of the Creator.

In the structure of the Garden of Eden, theologians of the world have traced three components connected together:

• paradise;
• Eden;
• external world.

Eden became the prototype for the creation of the tabernacle, a tent created according to the descriptions given by the Creator. The Tabernacle served as the place of temple services for the Jews while moving through the desert and consisted of the Holy of Holies - paradise, the Sanctuary - Eden, and the outer court - the outer world.

The Tabernacle and its Ministry

In the design of modern temples one can also draw a parallel with the habitat of the first people. The altar is a symbol of the heavenly corner, the meal is associated with Eden, and the vestibule is a symbol of the outside world.

You should not look for the location of the Garden of Eden on modern maps, because it was created even before the flood, after which the earth’s crust changed.

For Orthodox believers, the Garden of Eden has become a place given by the Creator, where there is no suffering, illness, or death itself. Great is the promise of the Most High given in the Revelation of John. It says that the heavenly corner on earth will be restored. (Rev. 21:1)

Important! The description of heaven in Orthodoxy implies not only the geographical location of the Garden of Eden, but the bliss of being in the love of the Creator in spirit and soul, both now and in eternity.

Thieves crucified next to Christ: two paths

We are free to change our minds—as long as we live—and God humbly waits to see what we decide. But one day the time comes to make the final choice. For many people who surrounded Christ during the days of His earthly life, this time came on the eve of His suffering. Everyone had to decide whether he was with Christ or with the opponents of Christ.

Read about who made what decision and how it was given to him in the Thomas project “Heroes and Anti-Heroes of Holy Week.”

The earthly preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ lasted three and a half years, and almost all this time He was surrounded by people. He and his disciples had no time to eat or sleep, the Gospel says.

But in the last hours only five people remained with Christ. Two stood at the Cross - the Mother of God and John, “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” One, the centurion Longinus, watched the execution from afar: he supervised the actions of the soldiers and was responsible for order. And two more were crucified on either side of Jesus. Moreover, unlike Him, they deserved punishment. These were robbers. As the prophet Isaiah predicted 700 years earlier, Jesus, completing his earthly journey, was counted among the villains (Isaiah 53:12).

All the evangelists report that the Savior was crucified in the midst of two other condemned men. Matthew and Mark clarify that these two were slandering Jesus. But Luke tells us something else.

One of the two thieves suddenly began to shame the other, saying: Or are you not afraid of God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing? and we are condemned justly, because we accepted what was worthy of our deeds, but He did nothing bad. And then he turned to Jesus himself: Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom! And he heard in response: Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise (Luke 23:40-43).

According to the faith of the Church, this robber was the first to enter heaven. His words: Remember me, Lord, when You come into Your Kingdom, we hear at the beginning of the rite of representation (one of the services of the daily circle, performed in the church during Great Lent).

Who were these robbers, what were their names and why exactly were they sentenced to the most cruel of all possible executions? It is not known exactly. Although there are apocryphal legends (not included by the Church in the body of canonical texts, but taken into account, so to speak) that it was these two thieves who met the Holy Family - Righteous Joseph and the Mother of God with the Infant Christ - even during their flight from Jews to Egypt.

We know about the flight itself from the Gospel. King Herod was alarmed by the appearance of wise men in Jerusalem, who came to worship the recently born King of the Jews, and sent soldiers to Bethlehem (where, according to prophecy, this King was supposed to be born) with the command to destroy all boys under two years of age.

Meanwhile, Joseph, the Mother of God and little Jesus, warned by an Angel, were on their way to Egypt. It was during this journey, according to one of the apocrypha, that they were attacked by robbers. But one of them persuaded his comrades not to harm the travelers. Then the Child allegedly said, turning to the Virgin Mary: “O Mother, the Jews will crucify Me in thirty years in Jerusalem, and these two thieves with Me will be hanged on the same cross: Titus on the right hand, and Duma on the left. On the next day Titus will enter the Kingdom of Heaven before Me.”

The prudent robber on the deacon's door of the iconostasis. Moscow. 1560

The other two legends report that on the way to Egypt, the Mother of God nursed someone else's baby - the son of a robber. It was he who, having become an adult, brought repentance on the cross.

Whether these stories correspond to reality or not, they in no way cancel the significance of the event that the Evangelist Luke talks about. The change in the prudent robber occurred suddenly and without any external reason. Everyone passing by mocked Jesus, and this man, hardly prone to sentimentality, suddenly saw in Him an innocent Sufferer - and God...

The robber himself suffered terrible physical torment, but he realized that there was nothing left for him except a few hours of suffering and death. It is surprising that in these last moments of his earthly life he had the strength of spirit to focus not on himself, but on the Other. On Nailed to a nearby Cross. Suddenly he saw a gigantic gap between himself, who had committed many terrible and lawless deeds in his life, and the One who bore the same punishment without any guilt.

Of course, the thief did not think about any Kingdom of God, so he asked the Righteous One, who was dying nearby, for the smallest thing: to at least breathe for him in this Kingdom.

And I received salvation. After all, the One to whom he turned with a request was God Himself.

It turns out that until the last breath a person has the possibility of sincere repentance and salvation, no matter how lost a sinner he may be. And on the other hand, even in the face of death, a person’s soul can remain deaf and blind and not see God, even if He is very close...

- Welcome to heaven, Mr. President. But, unfortunately, before we settle you here, I must tell you that we need to solve one small problem. You see, it's very rare for a politician of such high rank to go to heaven, and we honestly don't even know what to do with you. Therefore, we have decided that you will spend one day in hell and one in heaven, so that you can freely decide where to spend your eternity. The apostle then accompanies the newcomer to the elevator, on which the former president descends to hell. The elevator doors open, Putin steps out and sees a bright green golf course around him. In the distance he notices a luxurious club. His political friends, with whom he once worked, run towards him and hug him joyfully, remembering the good old days when they all got rich together at the expense of the Russian people. They play a round of golf and then go to the club together for dinner with black caviar, lobster and other delicacies. Satan himself dined with them, who in reality turned out to be a very nice, amiable and cheerful person. Putin had such a fun time that he didn’t even notice that it was time to leave. Everyone comes up to him and warmly shakes his hands. Putin was very touched and felt sad. But now, the elevator doors close, and he again lifts Putin to the gates of heaven, where the Apostle Peter meets him. For the next 24 hours, Putin spends his time like this: jumping from cloud to cloud, playing the harp, praying and singing. The day is long and boring, but it finally ends. The Apostle Peter appears and asks: “Mr. President, you spent one day in hell and one in heaven, now you can democratically decide where to spend the rest of eternity.” Putin thought a little, scratched his bald head and said: “Well, what can I say, heaven is, of course, a very beautiful place, but it seems that I liked it better in hell.” Apostle Peter, shrugging his shoulders, again accompanies him to the elevator. When the elevator went down and the doors opened, Putin saw... a huge desert, all littered with garbage, and all his friends, dressed in overalls, collected this garbage and packed it in black plastic bags. Satan approaches him and puts one arm around his neck in greeting. “I don’t understand,” Putin babbles, “excuse me, yesterday there was a golf course and a club, where we had dinner with black caviar and lobster, and in general, we had such a great time here yesterday... And now there is only this desert, littered with garbage, and my friends seem like the last losers... Satan looks at him, smiles and says: “My friend, yesterday we had an election campaign.” And today you already voted for us...

Chapter 3. Wonderful visions of heavenly abodes

The saints of God loved to think about the bliss of the righteous, and some of them were awarded special revelations about heavenly life. So, to strengthen the spirit of those walking the sorrowful and narrow path to paradise, we will extract from their lives God’s revelations about the Kingdom of Heaven.

Many saints, during their lifetime or before their death, were granted by the grace of God a vision of heaven.

So, for example, the Venerable Martyr Evdokia

told about herself to the monk Herman, who taught her the knowledge of the true God, that one bright young man appeared to her and took her by the hand, led her into the air and then, as soon as they approached heaven, the Angels joyfully greeted them (Cheti-Minea, 1/ March 14th).

The angel also showed the paradise of St. Martyr Golindukha

, (in Holy Baptism of Mary) - (July 12/25) and St. Martyrs Timothy and Maura (May 3/16).

Venerable Matrona of Constantinople

(born in the city of Perga Pamphylia (Asia Minor) at the end of the 4th century) before her death there was such a vision: it seemed to her that she was walking through a most beautiful place where fruitful trees were planted, and springs of clean water flowed in the middle; then a flowering field spread out; many beautiful birds sang there in various pleasant voices; the trees swayed slightly from the quietly blowing wind; There were springs gurgling right there; it was absolutely impossible to depict the beauty of that place, for it was God’s paradise. Honest and splendid wives stood there, who showed the blessed Matrona the bright chamber created by God, and not by human hand, and said to her: “Here is your house, Matrona, prepared for you by God. Come and live in it!”

From this vision, the saint knew that her death was already approaching, and she began to prepare for her departure, praying even more fervently to the Lord, for whose sake she reduced everything to nothing. Then she called all her sisters to her and sufficiently taught them what was needed for salvation. Having taught them peace, she rested in the Lord and moved from the earthly abode to the heavenly one prepared for her, which she had previously seen in a vision. Thus the Venerable Matrona died at an advanced and good old age in 492. She lived twenty-five years in worldly life, and seventy-five in monastic life; all the same, she was a hundred years old.

Who among the saints, while living on earth, was closest to eternal bliss if not the Mother of God

? And so, when she, dying, said goodbye to each of the holy apostles, who miraculously gathered for Her burial, when she was already face to face with the blissful eternity prepared for the righteous, in the most touching words she expressed to the apostles that she wished them eternal bliss, and about She said to herself: “Remember me, Lord, in Your endless Kingdom!”

Looking at the radiant face of Her dearest Son and Lord, who appeared in glory to receive the soul of His Mother, the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos, without any bodily suffering, as if falling asleep, betrayed Her most pure soul in His hand. The face of the Mother of God, sanctified by the “kindness of the Divine,” shone with the glory of Divine virginity, and a wondrous fragrance spread from her body.

On the day of the burial, in the evening, the holy apostles were surprised by the appearance of the Queen of Heaven, who they saw standing in the air, surrounded by angelic powers and shining with ineffable glory. She told them: “Rejoice! I am with you all the days!” This phenomenon made St. so happy. the apostles and those who were with them, that they all exclaimed: “Most Holy Theotokos, help us!” After this, there was no doubt that the tomb of the Blessed Virgin became a ladder to heaven.

Reverend Mark,

an ascetic of the 4th and early 5th centuries, speaks of two revelations to one saint, which, without a doubt, showed the eternal fate of the righteous. For the first time, the saint saw that three loaves of bread were brought to him during his prayer; “The more he ate (these loaves), the more they increased.” (Isn’t this a sign of inexhaustible pleasures in the next world that the righteous will receive?) Another time, the saint saw himself in a light robe, following the example of the clothes of Jesus Christ on Tabor.

Reverend Ephraim

, reflecting on the vanity of this life, one day with his soul’s gaze he saw the Lord sitting in the glory of heaven, and the Lord said to his soul: “Why did you, soul, abhor your heavenly palace... the good that I have prepared for you?” (according to Gregory of Nyssa).

Let us mention here the revelation of heavenly paradise to St. Tikhon of Zadonsk

. Saint Tikhon, as a reward for his contemplation of God and piety, was even honored to see the Kingdom of Heaven twice, each time in the hours of the night.

He had his first vision even before his monastic rank. One day he went out onto the porch to enjoy the quiet and bright night. From the beauty of the May night he moved on to thinking about eternal bliss. And then, suddenly, the sky opened before him: he saw an extraordinary radiance and lightness in the sky! A minute later the sky had already returned to its previous, ordinary appearance. Despite, however, the short time during which the vision lasted, he, as soon as he remembered this vision, came into great delight

Another time, already in the rank of bishop and walking, according to his custom at night, around the monastery church, he stopped at the altar. Here, after several fiery words of prayer to the Lord God that he might be shown the eternal bliss of the righteous, he again saw light from heaven, spreading over the entire monastery. A voice from heaven followed him: “See what is prepared for those who love God!” After this vision, the righteous man had already thrown himself to the ground and could barely reach his cell.

One pious warrior husband was dying and saw a green meadow, decorated with flowers of fragrant herbs, on which one could see gatherings of people dressed in white clothes. There was such a pleasant smell in this place that the very pleasantness of the smell saturated those living and walking there. A house of amazing beauty was being built there, apparently made of golden bricks. Golden bricks: used to build houses were carried by elders and youths, maidens and youths.

And another husband had a vision that a house was being built for him, but the workers came to build it only on Saturdays. Afterwards, the one who had the vision had a revelation to clarify the vision that this house was built only on Saturdays because this man had the custom of taking Blessed Peter to the church on Saturday and distributing to the poor what was left of food and clothing from what was produced on other days.

Saints Timothy and Maura

suffered for their faith during the persecution of the Roman emperor Diocletian, who ruled the eastern half of the Roman Empire from 284 to 305.

It was reported to Saint Timothy that he kept Christian books, which, by order of the emperor, were taken away and burned. Saint Timothy was brought to the ruler Arian, who demanded the release of the holy books. For refusing to carry out the order, the saint was subjected to terrible torture. Two red-hot iron sticks were thrust into his ears, causing the sufferer's eyes to bleed out and he became blind. Saint Timothy courageously endured the pain and thanked God that he was deemed worthy to suffer for Him. The torturers hung the saint upside down, placing a piece of wood in his mouth, and tied a heavy stone to his neck. The suffering of Saint Timothy was so severe that the executioners themselves began to ask the ruler to ease the torture. At this time, Arian was informed that Timothy had a young wife named Mavra, whom he had married only 20 days ago. Arian ordered Mavra to be brought, hoping that in her presence the martyr’s inflexibility would be shaken. At Mavra's request, a piece of wood was taken out of the martyr's mouth so that he could speak. Saint Timothy convinced his wife not to be afraid of torment and to go with him to the feat. Saint Maura replied: “I am ready to die with you,” and boldly confessed herself to be a Christian. Aryan ordered the hair on her head to be torn out and her fingers cut off. Saint Mavra joyfully endured the torture and even thanked the ruler for the torment she endured to atone for her sins. Then Arian ordered Saint Maura to be thrown into a boiling cauldron, but she did not feel pain and remained unharmed. Suspecting that the servants, out of compassion for the martyr, had filled the cauldron with cold water, Arian approached and ordered the saint to sprinkle water from the cauldron on his hand. When the martyr did this, Arian cried out in pain and pulled back his burnt hand. Then, instantly obeying the power of the miracle, Arian confessed the God in whom Mavra believed to be the true God and ordered the saint to be released, but the power of the devil over the ruler was still strong, and soon he again began to convince Saint Mavra to make a sacrifice to the gods. Having achieved nothing, Arian became even more inflamed with satanic rage and began to invent new torments. Then the people began to be indignant and demand an end to the abuse of an innocent woman. But Saint Mavra, turning to the people, said: “Let no one protect me, I have only one Defender - God, in Whom I trust.”

Finally, after much torture, Arian ordered the martyrs to be crucified.

The saints remained on the cross for nine days and nine nights, mutually admonishing and comforting each other. Saint Timothy taught his wife until the evening, and Saint Maura exhorted the fellow sufferer until the morning. At the same time, Saint Maura said to Timothy:

“Let us not give ourselves over to sleep, lest our Lord, Jesus Christ, coming, find us sleeping and become angry with us.” And in the house of a person who does not sleep at night, a burning candle prevents thieves from coming, and, conversely, when the candle is extinguished, a thief easily enters the house and steals it. Let us watch and constantly pray that our Lord will find us patiently awaiting his coming; just as the enemy will not dare to approach us who are on the crosses, and will not dare to insult us.

After some time, Saint Maura again said to Timothy:

“Cheer up, my brother, and drive away sleep from yourself; stay awake and understand what I saw: it seemed to me that in front of me, as if in ecstasy, there was a man who had in his hand a cup filled with milk and honey. This man said to me: “Take this and drink it.” But I told him: “Who are you?” He answered: “I am the Angel of God.” Then I told him: “Let’s pray to the Lord.” Then he told me: “I came to you in order to ease your suffering. I saw that you were very hungry and thirsty, since until now you had not eaten any food.” Again I said to him: “Who prompted you to show me this favor? And what do you care about my patience and fasting? Don’t you know that God is able to create even what is impossible for people?” When I prayed, I saw that the man was turning his face to the west. From this I understood that it was a satanic deception; Satan wanted to tempt us on the cross. Then soon the vision disappeared. Then another man came up, and it seemed to me that he led me to a river flowing with milk and honey, and said to me: “Drink.” “But I answered: “I already told you that I will not drink water or any other earthly drink until I drink the cup of death for Christ my Lord, which He Himself will dissolve for me with salvation and immortality of eternal life.” . When I said this, that man drank from the river and suddenly he and the river with him disappeared. I also saw the third husband, beautiful in appearance; his face shone like the sun. Taking me by the hand, he took me to heaven and showed me a throne covered with white clothing and a crown, beautiful in appearance. Surprised by such beauty, I asked the husband who led me to heaven: “Whose is this, sir?” He told me: “This is the reward for your feat, this is the throne, and the clothes, and the crown.” Then the same husband took me a little higher and showed me another throne, just as beautifully decorated, and a white robe, and a crown. I again asked the husband who brought me: “Whose is this, sir?” He told me: “This is your husband, Timothy.” “I dared to ask him: “Why are these thrones not nearby, but at a great distance from each other?” He answered me: “Because there is a big difference between you and your husband. Don’t you know that you yourself took upon yourself the feat of martyrdom at his own admonition, and therefore he is, to a certain extent, the culprit of your crown. But now return to your body; In the morning, at the sixth hour, the Angels of God will come to take your souls and lift them to heaven. However, continue to watch, so that the enemy does not tempt you again.”

Saint Mavra told this vision to her brother Timothy, and they mutually consoled themselves in the Lord. When the sixth hour of the tenth day arrived, the Angels of God came to take the souls of the holy martyrs. At the same time, Saint Maura, turning to the people who were looking at her suffering, said in a loud voice:

- Brothers and sisters! Remember that we lived humanly (worldly) when we were among people; but then we lived according to God, being servants of God. And now we will soon receive immortal crowns from our Lord Jesus Christ. In the same way, while you do everything that human nature requires, try to do what pleases God; then you will receive forgiveness of sins and receive crowns from the same Master and our God.

When Saint Maura finished these words, both saints gave up their honest souls into the hands of God. The death of the holy martyrs followed around 286.

Venerable Eupraxia of Constantinople,

Tavenskaya (Younger), maiden (383–413), a relative of Emperor Theodosius, labored in Egypt in the 4th century. At the age of seven, the saint was sent to the Tavensky monastery, which was distinguished by the strictness of its rules. There the Monk Eupraxia led a harsh life: she fasted, prayed and did the hardest work. For her ascetic labors, by the age of 25, she received from God the gift of miracles: she healed a paralytic child, and through her prayers a demon came out of a possessed woman. At the age of 30, around 413, the Monk Eupraxia peacefully departed to the Lord. Many miracles and healings were performed from the relics of the saint.

In the life of Rev. Eupraxia is told: “The Mother Superior told the vision this way: I, taking Eupraxia, was led by bright men to some wonderful gates, they opened on their own; we went inside, saw a miraculous chamber of indescribable beauty and a high Throne; the bright King sat on it: I could not enter the middle, but the Angels took Eupraxia and brought her to the King, they bowed to him and kissed his feet; I saw ten thousand angels and countless saints there; everyone stood and looked at Eupraxia; I saw the Mother of God, who took Eupraxia by the hand and showed her a beautiful palace and a prepared crown, shining with glory and purity, and heard a voice: “Eupraxia! This is your reward and peace, now return and in 10 days you will be satisfied with all these endless blessings.”

Filaret the Merciful

(702–792), Byzantine landowner from the Asia Minor province of Paphlagonia. Father-in-law of the Byzantine Emperor Constantine VI.

According to his life, he was distinguished by extraordinary kindness and responsiveness to the needs of others. His house was plundered during one of the Arab-Byzantine wars. Despite this, he distributed the remnants of his wealth, his cattle and his supplies to the poorest neighbors who suffered more than he did. By this he aroused the indignation of his wife and children, but invariably answered that the giver will be rewarded a hundredfold. As a result, Filaret’s friends themselves began to help the old man out: his friend the tax collector sent him forty bags of grain, and the residents of neighboring villages gave him sheep.

Filaret became so famous that Empress Irina sent ambassadors to him demanding that he come to the court and bring his daughters and granddaughters. Emperor Constantine VI married one of them, Mary of Amnia.

After the death of Philaret the Merciful, one pious man was honored to see his miraculous monastery. He said this: “In admiration, I saw myself in a bright place, where I saw a bright and handsome man who showed me a river of fire flowing with such noise and fear that a person cannot stand. On the other side of the river, a beautiful paradise was visible, filled with indescribable joy and joy, the whole place was filled with fragrance; beautiful, large, fruitful trees were swayed by a quiet wind, and everything that God had prepared for those who loved him was beautiful there. There, among people in white robes, rejoicing and having fun and enjoying the fruits, I saw the merciful Philaret, but did not recognize him; he was in light clothes and sat on a golden throne in the middle of the gardens; On one side, children stood before him, holding candles in their hands, and on the other, beggars and wretched people crowded around. One young man appeared here, with a bright face, with a golden rod in his hand, and I dared to ask him: “Sir, who is it that sits on the bright throne among those bright-looking men, is it not Abraham?” The young man replied: “Filaret of Amnia, lover of the poor, similar to Abraham in his honest life.” St. Philaret looked at me and began to quietly call me, saying: “Child! Come here too and enjoy these blessings.” I told him that I couldn’t, the fiery river forbids and frightens me, the path through it is narrow and the bridge is inconvenient, I’m afraid that I won’t get there either. Filaret said: “Go fearlessly, everyone came here this way and there is no other way; I will help you,” and extended his hand. I began to pass the fiery river without harm, and when I approached his hand, the vision ended and I woke up (Cheti-Minei, December 1).

Venerable Euphrosyne of Suzdal

(in the world Theodulia) was born in 1212 and was the daughter of Holy Prince Michael of Chernigov. As a child, she saw in a dream the Last Judgment: a sea of ​​fire and paradise, and the Most Holy Theotokos called on her to share the bliss of the righteous, and the Lord Almighty held the book of life in His right hand. In another vision, she was shown the Pechersk Monastery and its monks singing the glory of God. And she thought about their bliss, already angelic on earth and in the future heirs of paradise.

She was engaged to the Suzdal prince Mina. But the groom died before her arrival in Suzdal. The princess remained in the Suzdal monastery in honor of the Order of the Robe of the Mother of God, and there she soon took monastic vows.

The very young nun zealously began to follow the rules of monastic life, demonstrating virtue and abstinence in everything. Euphrosyne’s ascetic life became known outside of Suzdal, and many came to the monastery to listen to her instructions. She had the gift of miracles and clairvoyance.

During the years of the Tatar-Mongol invasion, Suzdal was almost destroyed, but the monastery through the prayers of St. Euphrosyne survived. The saint died in 1250.

Venerable Simeon the Stylite,

Divnogorets was born in 512 in Syrian Antioch, and was asked by his mother through prayer to St. John the Baptist with the promise to dedicate his son to God. From infancy he was distinguished by strict fasting. Already in childhood, the Lord appeared to the Monk Simeon several times, predicting his future exploits and the reward for them.

For six years the saint withdrew to a deserted mountain, and then settled in the monastery of St. John the Stylite, near Seleucia of Syria, where he ascended a pillar. For the strictest and supernatural feats of fasting and vigil, he was awarded the special grace of God and the gift of healing ailments.

In the 22nd year of his life, by revelation from above, he moved to Divnaya Mountain, where he founded a monastery. Having reached a high degree of monastic perfection, the ascetic performed many miracles, saw the secret, and was rewarded with a vision of the Lord and a conversation with Him.

Thus, he predicted the capture of Antioch by Chosroes I and the earthquake in it, healed various ailments and even raised the dead; by invoking his name the Antiochians captive by the Persians were freed; Through the prayer of the monk, the wheat in the monastery granary did not become scarce for three years, despite the fact that it was taken in large quantities to feed many strangers. After spending 68 years on the pillar, the Monk Simeon died in 596.

(From the book of Archpriest Gr. Dyachenko “From the realm of the mysterious.

A simple speech about being and properties

human soul." M., 1900)