Bible Questions and Answers
Published 12/03/2011
What is the “abomination that makes desolate” that Jesus Christ spoke about in the Gospel of Mark, referring to the prophet Daniel?
When you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing where it should not be—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains... (Mark 13:14-15)
Answer:
Etymology
In the traditional sense, the word “abomination” is something very repulsive, something that causes an involuntary shudder. However, in the Tanakh and Mishnah, written in Hebrew, it is often used in a different meaning. There it signifies an idol. Therefore, a number of researchers believe that the book of the prophet Daniel refers to the “immovable abomination,” that is, a statue for worship.
Another group of scientists is inclined to believe that the ancient Roman god Jupiter was named by this word with the intention of distortion. In Hebrew, “abomination” is written as βδέλυγμα, a word similar in spelling to Baalshamem, “lord of heaven.” This could be following the injunction that the names of idols, which for the Jews, in fact, was the statue of Jupiter, can only be pronounced in a distorted or abbreviated form.
The first three occurrences of the phrase under study are found in the Book of Daniel, where he sets out his apocalyptic visions.
"Abomination that makes desolate" in Daniel
Christian tradition classifies him as one of the great biblical prophets. He was a descendant of a noble family of Jews and, while still a teenager, found himself together with his fellow tribesmen in Babylonian captivity. There he received a Chaldean education, and he was called to serve at court.
As the Bible says, Daniel was given a gift from God - to understand and interpret dreams, and this is what he became famous for. The two most famous episodes of his life are his miraculous escape from the lions in the den and the solution to the meaning of the words written on the wall by a mysterious hand at Belshazzar's feast.
Among others, Daniel made prophecies about the “abomination that makes desolate.” He says that she will appear on the wing of the sanctuary, the daily sacrifice will be stopped, and this will last 1290 days, and then the desolator will suffer the predetermined final death. What does it mean? An explanation will be given below.
Conversation 3 The abomination of desolation.And now that we have learned all this, it’s your turn to ask me, Eschaticus... Ask me something... ask about the abomination of desolation.
-When will the abomination of desolation begin?
- I knew you would ask this... This is a very important question.
15 Therefore, when you see the abomination that makes desolate, spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, let whoever reads understand 21 ... then there will be great tribulation (Matt. 24:15, 21).
The abomination of desolation will begin at the same time as the great tribulation: with the beginning of the 2nd half of the last week of Daniel.
-Why with the beginning of the 2nd half? How did we understand this?
-The day before yesterday I had a dream about this... But seriously, here you need to pay attention to what the Lord said: “spoken through the prophet Daniel”
. Only Daniel reports the time when the abomination of desolation began. He reports this in chapter 9:
And the covenant shall be established for many for one week, and in the half of the week sacrifice and offering shall cease, and the abomination of desolation shall be upon the wing of the sanctuary, and the final predetermined destruction shall befall the desolator. (Dan.9:27)
-Now everything is clear.
-Everything, but not everything. Now if we ask ourselves what the abomination of desolation is and where it will be established, then with the allegorical method of interpretation the answer will be: anything and anywhere.
With the literal method of interpretation, the abomination of desolation or what will lead to it is an image of a false deity installed on the wing of the Jerusalem temple, an abomination that will cause desolation, Ichabod.
For example, in the interpretation of the verse Daniel 11:31
the same expression denotes the blasphemous actions of the Syrian ruler Antiochus Epiphanes (a prototype of the Antichrist):
And they will appoint a part of the army that will defile the sanctuary of power, and will stop the daily sacrifice, and will set up the abomination that makes desolate.
Only then in 167 BC. Antiochus Epiphanes placed a statue of the idol of Zeus, and not on the wing of the sanctuary, but in the sanctuary itself. And this happened in the 41st week, and we are considering the 70th. The Aramaic word "shikoots", "abomination", verse Daniel 7:27 contemptuously refers to an idol (false god).
Like 1 Kings 11:7,8.
Then Solomon built a temple for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, on the mountain that is before Jerusalem, and for Moloch, the abomination of Ammon. He did this for all his foreign wives, who burned incense and made sacrifices to their gods.
A description of the terrible properties of the idol of the 70th week is found in Rev. 13:15:
And it was given to him to put spirit into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would speak and act in such a way that anyone who would not worship the image of the beast would be killed.
From all appearances, this will be an unusual idol. A spirit will be put into it, which will receive the ability to make the idol move and speak...
The movements and speech of this idol will lead to the death of anyone who refuses to worship it.
...says to Him: I will give all this to you if you fall down and worship me (Matt. 4:9).
It is easy to guess whose authority and whose personality this idol will promote, forcing worship:
- The devil?
-What about whispering? Devilish actions will lead to desolation in the temple, the disappearance of God's presence. Let us read again from Daniel: “on the pinnacle of the sanctuary will be the abomination that makes desolate.”
In addition to the presence of an idol in the temple, the presence of the Antichrist himself will contribute to this. Most interpreters see an indication of this in 2 Thess. 2:3-4.
...the man of sin will be revealed, the son of perdition, opposing and exalting himself above everything that is called God or that is holy, so that he sits in the temple of God as God, showing himself to be God.
-I have a possible objection: how can desolation mean the disappearance of God’s presence in a rebuilt temple, when God no longer lives in man-made temples?
-...but he visits him in living temples: “Go and stand in the temple, speak to the people all these words of life” (Acts 5:20)
. So it was in the beginning, so it will be in the end. Surely the Messianic believers will often come to the temple at the leading of the Lord. Some with the Gospel, some with prophecy. So desolation in the sense we have considered it will happen anyway.
Let’s look at what “wing of the sanctuary” means.
The sanctuary is, of course, a temple, according to the method of literal interpretation. But the word “wing” is kanaf (Aramic) - edge, corner, wing, border. The wing of the temple is a very real place: a projection of the top. No spoiled allegories. Satan once already placed Jesus there, wanting to tempt Him:
Then the devil takes Him to the holy city and places Him on the pinnacle of the temple... (Matt. 4:5)
-Will the church have to pass the test of not worshiping an idol?
-Scripture says yes.
And I saw... the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years... This is the 1st resurrection. (Rev.20:4,5)
What do we see here? Those who are revived in this passage are not “left behind”, supposedly repenting after the main, secret rapture and falling into the next, which is what the proponents of the pre-tribulation view insist on.
But it is said that the living martyrs are from the 1st resurrection. The only, one-time and mass resurrection of the righteous that Scripture mentions. It will end with a single, one-time and massive admiration.
The 2nd resurrection will be the resurrection of condemnation, and not the rapture “left behind”, and it is better not to participate in it (Rev. 20:12).
Jesus speaks of only 2 mass resurrections:
And those who did good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who did evil into the resurrection of condemnation. (John 5:29)
No additional resurrection of the righteous is expected, besides the separate resurrection of the 2 witnesses of the book of Revelation.
If after reading you feel uneasy, well, that is, you were a supporter of the view of admiration in favorable conditions, and here you are, then please do not be deceived in this regard, as if your current feeling from what you read is the pressure of the enemy, and that, like, “God wouldn’t scare me” and all that.
You know, we're just dissecting the Word, and God really wouldn't be so scary if the majority of the church weren't falsely lulled into erroneous doctrine today. Stay tuned... A chapter-by-chapter summary of the book of Revelation.
-A comparative study of Matthew 24 with the book of Revelation is another key to clarifying the chronology of end-time events.
To do this, let's at least briefly get acquainted with the book of Revelation. Let's make an illustrated express review of it. Let's trace the sequence of recent events chapter by chapter. It does not take a lot of time.
Chapter 1 John's meeting with the risen Christ on the island of Patmos.
Ch. 2-3 Message to the 7 churches of Asia Minor.
Chapter 4. The promise of revelation of future events. A vision of God sitting on a heavenly throne, as well as 24 elders and 4 living creatures.
Chapter 5 A scroll with 7 seals, which contains recent events. The Slain Ang is the only one worthy of revealing it.
Chapter 6. The Lamb opens 6 seals one after another. A day of wrath has been declared.
Chapter 7 The sealing of 144,000 Jews before the wrath begins, plus the picture of those caught up into heaven from the great tribulation.
Chapter 8 The 7th seal is opened; she opens 7 trumpets of Revelation, the first 4 of them: judgment by fire.
Chapter 9 Judgment of the 5th and 6th trumpets. End of the week. Further chronology of events is suspended until chapter 14.
Chapter 10 An angel stands on the sea and on the earth, prophesying that there will be no more time and that the 7th trumpet will reveal a certain secret.
Chapters 11-13. Each of these chapters runs from the beginning to the end of the events of the 2nd half of the 70th week, as it will take place first for the 2 prophets (chapter 11), then for Israel (chapter 12) and, finally, for the Antichrist (Chapter 13).
Additionally, chapters 11 and 12 report: - At the end of the week, Jesus reigned on the earth. The judgments of the 7 bowls are coming. This is the 11th chapter. - in the middle of the last week, Satan loses the war to the Archangel Michael for a place in heaven, heaven becomes the Kingdom of God and comes under the authority of Christ. This is chapter 12.
Chapter 14 Events of the beginning of the 30-day period following the end of the 70th week: Jesus stands on the earth; He brought the remnant of Israel to Jerusalem from a place of hiding; the three angel's message is a warning about the powerful completion of the wrath by the judgment of the seven bowls. The harvest of wrath is ripe.
Chapter 15 Removal of the seven bowls of wrath in heaven. The delighted ones play the harp and sing before the throne.
Chapter 16 The pouring out of the seven bowls ends the 30-day period after the week.
Chapter 17 A chapter outside of strict chronology about the union of religion and earthly kingdoms. Kingdoms will destroy religion.
Chapter 18 A chapter outside of strict chronology about the fall of Babylon - the city of luxury and world trade.
Chapter 19 The losers of Armageddon, the false prophet and the Antichrist, are thrown into the lake of fire. The end of 30 days after the week.
Chapter 20. 1000 year kingdom. Ends with the final rebellion of men against God and the resurrection of the dead from hell and sea for the final white throne judgment.
Chapters 21-22. New heaven and new earth. Faat Yanbulat.
to be continued…
Antiochus Epiphanes
This Greek king in 170 BC. e., in order to restore order in Jerusalem, he brought troops there, and the rebellion was brutally suppressed and the city was plundered. After this, relying on loyal priests, he moved on to forced Hellenization. He turned the Jerusalem Temple into a sanctuary of Zeus. In front of everyone, he personally slaughtered a sacrificial pig on the altar.
This was followed by persecution of the Jews, which was accompanied by torture and public executions. The city's fortifications were razed, and severe persecution contributed to the outbreak of a new uprising, led by the Maccabees. The organization of a new campaign against the Jews was prevented by the death of Epiphanes in 164 BC. e.
It is these events that are known as the “abomination of desolation,” and Daniel prophesied about them.
How to explain it:
In fact, the time of Christ’s delivery to death in this prophecy is indicated simply with amazing accuracy. We are accustomed to consider the year 33 as the time of the crucifixion only because we proceed from the generally accepted chronology “from the Nativity of Christ.” But it is reliably known that the Roman monk Dionysius the Small, who at the beginning of the 6th century undertook to connect the events of the earthly life of the Savior with the earthly calendar, made a mistake in his calculations. The actual Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ did not occur at the beginning of the period that we today call “our era”, but around 5 or 6 BC. e. - in any case, definitely during the life of the Jewish king Herod, who died in 4 BC. e.
If we take into account this error in the calculations and remember the Gospel instructions that Christ was baptized around the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar (who became co-ruler of Augustus in the year 13), and that after Baptism Christ preached for three and a half years, then it turns out that He was crucified was about 30 AD. e. By the way, it was in the year 30 that the 15th of the month of Nisan, the day on which the Jews ate Passover and on which Christ was crucified, fell on Friday...
Siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans under the command of Titus David Roberts. 1850
Christ will be put to death, and will not be - this is how the Synodal Translation of the Bible conveys the Hebrew phrase, which would be more accurately expressed as follows: “... and it will not be for him.” “To him” is the Jewish people, who for the most part rejected the Messiah, explains professor of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy Alexander Pavlovich Lopukhin: this people did not recognize Christ as their Savior and are no longer His people.
Well, half of the week, during which sacrifice and offering will cease, is obviously the time of the Savior’s earthly ministry, three and a half years after His Baptism in the Jordan. Since Christ offered Himself as a Sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, all other sacrifices are already meaningless.
As for the expression abomination of desolation, it is interpreted differently, but most of the holy fathers are inclined to think that this is a prophecy about the bringing of a pagan idol into the Jerusalem temple. In general, the Bible often calls pagan “shrines” “an abomination.” And in 130, when Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire, the Romans actually installed the pagan temple of Jupiter Capitolinus on the site of the Jerusalem Temple destroyed by that time, and the name “Jerusalem” itself was replaced by Aelia Capitolina for almost 200 years. “Aelius” was part of the name of the emperor himself, and “Capitolina” indicated the pagan deity to whom the city was henceforth dedicated. In a word, it is quite possible to say that desolation and pagan abomination reigned on the wing of the former sanctuary (as is known, only one wall remained from the destroyed temple).
First Book of Maccabees
It says that an “abomination” was erected on the altar of burnt offering. The altar of burnt offering in Judaism is understood as one of the main objects of the religious service held in the Tabernacle, and later in the Temple. As stated in the Bible, several miraculous phenomena were associated with this item:
- The fire was constantly burning in the altar, but despite this, it was never damaged.
- It was located in the open air, but the fire was never extinguished by rain.
- The column of smoke rising from the altar went vertically to the sky, and the wind never carried it to the side.
- The smell of burning flesh never came from him.
For the Jews, the desecration of this sacred object was truly an abomination. The book of Maccabees says that they destroyed the “abomination” erected by Antiochus Epiphanes in Jerusalem over the altar of burnt offering, and surrounded the sanctuary with high walls, as before. As stated above, this, as well as the death of the devastator, was also spoken of in Daniel’s prophecy.
Interpretations in Daniel and the Maccabees
As interpreters of the Holy Scriptures suggest, in the two indicated sources “abomination” is interpreted literally, that is, either as an “idol” in general, or as a statue of Zeus (Jupiter). Which in both cases was a great insult to devout Jews.
Here it would be appropriate to recall one of the biblical commandments, which calls not to create an idol for yourself, that is, a statue of a pagan god. Thus, Antiochus Epiphanes violated the fundamental foundations of the Jewish faith.
In the Gospel of Matthew
There Jesus on the Mount of Olives speaks of the abomination of desolation spoken by the prophet Daniel. In his sermon he recalls his prediction. As it was found out, they relate to the installation of a statue of the supreme pagan god, who was called Zeus by the Greeks, and Jupiter by the Romans, in a Jewish temple.
What does the Son of God mean when he utters the words about the abomination of desolation in a holy place, given in the Gospel of Matthew? They were spoken approximately 200 years after the events described. Thus, Jesus uttered a prophecy that in the future something similar would happen in the Jerusalem temple at a certain time. Most Bible interpreters believe that the Savior had in mind the coming of the Antichrist.
Chapter XLII. How to understand Daniel's prophecy about the abomination that makes desolate (chapter 9)
I. Bl. Jerome of Stridon, citing verses 24–27 from the prophecy of Daniel, writes: “I know that the most learned men discussed this issue differently and that each, in accordance with his mental gifts, expressed what he thought. Therefore, since it is dangerous to judge the opinions of the teachers of the church and give preference to one over the other, I will say what each of them thought, leaving the reader to decide whose explanation should be followed... Eusebius Panfil: For the covenant will establish for many one week, and in half of the week, sacrifice and offering will cease - he explains that during the reign of Herod over Judea and Augustus over the Romans, Christ was born, who for three years and six months, according to the Evangelist John, preached the gospel and established for many the service of the true God, of course, together with apostles and believers; After the suffering of the Lord, again at half the week, the sacrifice and offering ceased. For everything that was done in the temple after that was not a sacrifice to God, but service to the devil, when everyone generally cried out: “His blood be on us and on our children” (Matthew 27:25), and: not the imams of the king, only Caesar (John 19:15). A more detailed explanation of this passage can be found by a zealous reader in the chronicle of the same Eusebius, which we translated into Latin many years ago” (Part XII, pp. 80 and 88).
b) “They say that this means those who, two years after the robbery of the temple, were sent by Antiochus to demand taxes from the Jews, and to destroy the service of God and in the temple of Jerusalem to erect statues of Olympian Jupiter and Antiochus, now called the abomination of desolation, when they were stopped there were burnt offerings and daily sacrifices” (Part XII, p. 122).
II. St. John Chrysostom: a) “Predicting the very time during which these calamities will weigh upon them (the Jews), he says: from the time of the change of the eternal sacrifice. The daily sacrifice was called everlasting because it was constant and continuous. The Jews had the custom of offering a sacrifice to God in the evening and morning of every day: which is why the prophet called that sacrifice everlasting. And since Antiochus, having come, destroyed this custom and stopped it, the angel said that from the time of the change of the everlasting sacrifice, that is, from the time of the cessation of this sacrifice, there were one thousand two hundred and ninety days, that is, three years and a half and not at all more. Then, revealing that there would be an end and cessation to these disasters, he added: blessed is he who endures and reaches the days of one thousand three hundred and thirty-five, adding, that is, to one thousand two hundred and ninety forty-five days; because the war lasted for one month and a half, which ended for the Jews with a brilliant victory, and at the same time with complete liberation from the disasters that weighed on the Jews” (vol. I, pp. 695–696).
b) “Look how amazingly he (the prophet) speaks about disasters! At half the week the incense and the sacrifice and the drink offering will be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate will be taken away from the sanctuaries, and even to the end of time they will become desolate (v. 27). Look how he ended his speech with regrettable events, but did not speak clearly about favorable ones - the latter are indicated in the words: one week will confirm the covenant with many; but he speaks often and a lot about deplorable things. And the abomination of desolation, that is, Adrian’s” (vol. VI, p. 539).
c) “Christ says, the end of Jerusalem will come. And what he points to is clear from the following. As evidence of the destruction of Jerusalem, He also cited a prophecy, saying: Whenever you see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet, I stand in the place, whoever honors the Holy One will understand (v. 15). He pointed them to Daniel. And he calls the statue of the one who then conquered the city an abomination, which he, after devastating the city and the temple, will place inside the temple, which is why he calls it the abomination of desolation. Then, so that they would know that this would happen during the lifetime of some of them, he said: “When you see the abomination that makes desolate” (vol. VII, pp. 755–756).
III. St. Ephraim the Syrian: a) “Until the end of the definition of desolation, it will be given to desolation. For this migration will not be like the Egyptian or Babylonian migration. The Jews returned from Egypt after 400 years, and from Babylon they will return after seventy. This desolation determined by God will not cease, and will continue to be desolate forever. And he will confirm the covenant with many; the slain King Christ will confirm the covenant with many with His blood. The week is one and half a week, and sacrifice and offering will be taken away. He who established them will abolish them. And on the wings of abomination is desolation; because the Romans will bring an eagle into the temple and place it there along with the image of their king. This is in accordance with what was said: when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet (Matthew 24:17). And until the end of the decree it will be desolate, that is, Jerusalem, until the decree of God is fulfilled, will be given over to oblivion and desolation” (vol. VI, ed. 1887, pp. 99–100).
b) “From the time when the everlasting sacrifice will be changed, the abomination of desolation will be given for a thousand two hundred and ninety days. This indicates the time of the end of the ever-present sacrifice under the power of Antiochus, who turned the entire land of Israel into the abomination of desolation. And the days of 1290 constitute the time of disaster for the people and the desecration of the temple by the fact that they dared to erect an altar in the sanctuary. Blessed is he who endures and has reached the days one thousand three hundred and thirty-five, that is, the time when the calamities of the Jews will cease, and the house of vows and offerings will be cleansed” (Vol. VI, p. 119).
c) “When you see the sign of the horror of its desolation (Matthew 24:15). Although the city of Jerusalem was often destroyed and rebuilt again, in this place the Lord speaks of its complete destruction and the desecration of its sanctuary, because after this it will remain in its own destruction, that is, it will be consigned to oblivion. The Romans placed their banners inside the temple, on which there was an image of an eagle, as it is said: on the wing of abomination and destruction (Dan. 9:27). A sign of the horror of its desolation, spoken by Daniel the prophet (Matthew 24:15) (vol. VIII, ed. 1896, p. 270).
IV. Bl. Theodoret: “And the covenant shall be confirmed by many in one week: and in half a week the sacrifice and the drink offering will be taken away, and the abomination of desolation will be taken away from the sanctuary, and even until the end of time, the end will be given to desolation. That there will be sixty-two weeks in the continuation of seven weeks, this, says the Archangel, I said before; you must know what will happen in the next week. For during this time a new covenant will be given to the believers, and it will fulfill them with all power. In half of this week the sacrifice and drink offering will be taken away, that is, the legal sacrifice will cease; because the true sacrifice of the spotless Lamb was brought, taking away the sin of the dead. After this sacrifice is made, the legal sacrifice will come to an end. Therefore, after the completion of this sacrifice, when the Savior gave up the Spirit, the veil of the church was torn from the highest to the lowest (Matthew 27:51), making the previously inconceivable visible to everyone, making the inviolable accessible to everyone. Since the curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place, in which there was an atonement, cherubim and an ark, the curtain, torn from edge to edge, actually showed that the grace residing within had receded, and that which was accessible only to the high priest became unholy. And this happened as soon as the sacrifice was made for the whole world... The Divine Archangel said to blessed Daniel that the covenant of many would be confirmed by one week, uniting together both the time of the crucifixion of the Lord and the time when St. After the resurrection of the Savior, the apostles preached the teaching to Jerusalem. Then he divides the week in half, and says: and in half the week the sacrifice and the drink offering will be taken away; because, for the sake of the sacrifice of the cross, not only will the legal sacrifice cease, but also the abomination of desolation will be given to the sanctuary, that is, having previously been revered and brought into awe, it will become desolate. A sign of desolation will be some images prohibited by law and brought into the sanctuary. Pilate did this in the temple of God, contrary to “God’s law, by bringing in royal images at night. This is what the Lord predicted to St. to His disciples in St. Gospel: Whenever you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, understand that desolation is drawing near to Jerusalem (Matt. 24:15–17; Luke 21:20)” (vol. IV, ed. 1857, pp. 188–190) .
Prophecy of Jesus
In it he tells his disciples: “When you see the abomination that makes desolate, which Daniel prophesied, standing where it should not be, let those who are present flee to the mountains.” Jesus then gives the following instructions. Those on the roof do not have to go down to take anything from their house. And those who are in the field do not have to go back to get their clothes.
Woe will befall those who are pregnant and nursing in those days. Everyone will need to pray that this flight does not happen in winter, since then there will be such a strong sorrow, which has not yet happened from the very beginning of creation and which will not happen after. Jesus further notes that if the Lord had not shortened the number of these days, no flesh would have been saved. But for the sake of those whom he chose, he shortened those terrible days.
The Son of God warns: “If anyone tells you that Christ is here or there, do not believe him. Since false prophets and false Christs will arise, they will give signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if possible. I said everything in advance, but you beware.” At the same time, the Savior’s words are mysterious, and they need to be understood. And he himself says about them: “Let him who reads understand.”
Interpretation of the Gospel for every day of the year. Thursday of the 11th week of Pentecost
Matthew, 99 credits, 24, 13–28
The Lord said to His disciples: he who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come. So, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let him who is on the housetop not come down to take anything from his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his clothes. Woe to them that are pregnant and to those who nurse at the breast in those days! Pray that your flight does not happen in winter or on the Sabbath, for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no flesh would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Then, if anyone tells you: behold, here is Christ, or there, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I told you in advance. So, if they say to you: “Behold, He is in the wilderness,” do not go out; “Behold, He is in the secret chambers” - do not believe it; for just as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man; for where the carcass is, there the eagles will gather.
The Lord warns what terrible times will come on earth as a result of people’s apostasy from God. And he calls on the faithful to courage: “He who endures to the end will be saved.” Although many will be tempted and fall away, there will always be those who remain faithful to the end. The crowns of Christ's glory will be their reward. It is better to die in a pigsty with the persecuted, together with the holy martyr, “who had his bed among unclean swine” (Canon of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia), than to live in a palace with the persecutors.
And then the Lord speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem and about His Second Coming. One plan overlaps with another: the imminent destruction of Jerusalem, which will occur in the year 70 under Emperor Titus, and the disasters at the end of time, which will end with the Second Coming of Christ.
The Lord says that the Gospel will be preached throughout the world, “and then the end will come” - the truth of God and the will of God must be proclaimed to everyone. 30 years after the death and resurrection of Christ, the preaching of the apostles reached the center of the world - Rome, and as the Apostle Paul says: “Their message went out into all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world” (Rom. 10:18). Even the persecution of the first Christians contributed to the spread of the Gospel - due to their dispersion throughout the world. The persecution of the last Christians will have exactly the same effect. Only after the worldwide preaching of the Gospel will the end come - not before that. The Word of God must do its work in the world. The mystery of God will be fulfilled, and the “number of those sealed” will enter the mystical body of the Church - “a great multitude of people from all nations and tribes and peoples and languages” (Rev. 8:4, 9), and then the end will come.
The fall of Jerusalem could mean the end of one era and the beginning of another. The abomination of desolation spoken through the prophet Daniel (Dan. 11:31) will be similar to the desecration of the Temple by Antiochus Epiphanes, who made a sacrifice in it to the pagan god Zeus. The word of Christ about the abomination of desolation will soon be fulfilled after the siege of Jerusalem by Titus, but the Apostle Paul speaks of the further revelation of this prophecy, when “the man of sin will sit in the temple of God as God, showing himself to be God” (2 Thess. 2:4). The desecration of shrines, which we experienced in the last century in our Fatherland, is only a stage on the path of this further revelation. Some interpreters believe that the words “the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place” also mean a fallen and unworthy priesthood.
Christ refers to the prophecy of Daniel to show the disciples how what was written in the Old Testament about the destruction of the city and the Temple was fulfilled and thereby confirm His prophecy. The fulfillment of Christ's prophecy about Jerusalem in the year 70 will be for them a sign of the fulfillment of everything spoken by the Lord until the end of time. “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains,” says the Lord. Events will come when the followers of Christ will have to hastily leave this city and this country, just as they leave a house engulfed in an unquenchable fire or a sinking ship. So Lot left Sodom. The Lord shows where they should flee - from Judea to the mountains. From absolute immersion in the earthly world - to where the sky is closer. And with what haste they will do this: “Let him not come down to take anything from his house.” When the alarm sounds, not a minute will be wasted in choosing the shortest route to escape. “And let him who is in the field not turn back to take his clothes.” When death is at hand, delay is dangerous. In addition, even clothes, let alone anything valuable, hastily grabbed from the house, can turn out to be a hindrance in escape. He who has grace in his heart may have nothing.
“Woe to those who are pregnant and those who suckle in those days!” For them, hunger and sword will be the most terrible. It will be more difficult for them to escape than for others. “The mother will leave her child behind,” and if the flight with the baby is not fast enough, death will overtake them both.
“Pray that your flight may not happen in winter or on the Sabbath.” When we know in advance what troubles are coming to us, it is good for us to stock up on prayers in advance. So that this does not happen in winter, when it is cold and the days are short, and the roads are snowy or snowy, and it is unknown whether we have enough strength to overcome all external obstacles. So that this doesn't happen on Saturday. The Lord shows us how mysterious and deep the commandment to honor the Sabbath, that is, Sundays and holidays, is. We must pray that we may be given this sacred peace, so that on the Feast of the Lord we will always have a holiday, and we will be able to serve the Lord without distraction. Escape in winter is hard on the body, but escape on Saturday is hard on the soul.
“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor will ever be.” When the measure of wickedness is fulfilled, then troubles will come. Many cities and kingdoms have been destroyed throughout the history of the world, but never has there been such destruction. The historian Josephus describes the horrors of the siege of Jerusalem - a terrible famine when a woman ate her newborn baby, the death of more than a million of the city's inhabitants, and hundreds of thousands sold into slavery - disasters unprecedented in the history of Israel. It is not surprising that the death of Jerusalem in 70 was an incomparable death, for the sin of Jerusalem was an incomparable sin - the crucifixion of Christ. But the Lord also has in mind the end of the world, when the apostasy will be universal. And the closer some nations are to God in their confession of faith, the more they are blessed by Him, the more terrible the judgments against them will be.
If these disasters continued, they would become so intolerable that no flesh would be saved. The Lord does not say: “No soul could be saved,” for what is destructive for the flesh can be saving for the soul. And in the midst of all this horror, we hear a word of consolation from the Lord: “But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” In times of universal distress, God shows His favor to the chosen remnant. Shortening the days of disaster is a gift of God often sent to us. Instead of complaining that our sorrows are too long, we should thank God that they do not last forever because of our sins.
In the midst of unprecedented trials, we are called to be faithful to our Lord, beingware of false messiahs and false prophets who will show great signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Those who seek Christ should not rush into deserts or hidden places, and not listen to anyone who beckons their finger, promising to show them where Christ is. up our eyes
, for our Lord is in heaven, from where we await our salvation.
It will be impossible not to see Christ - unlike the false messiahs. His appearance will be like lightning - sudden and illuminating everything. “For where the carcass is,” says the Lord, “there the eagles will gather.” God delivers the spiritually dead Jews who apostatized from Him to His righteous judgment. Roman warriors had eagles, and their military banners featured eagles. At the same time, the Lord says that when the world, as a result of the establishment of sin as the norm in it, becomes a living rotting corpse, then the Son of Man will come with the glory of the Last Judgment.
What's the point?
According to exegetes, it is as follows. When Jesus spoke of the “abomination that makes desolate” to the witnesses of his earthly life, he did not have one specific event in mind. The Holy Fathers come to the conclusion that this implies a demonic personality - the Antichrist, who must come at the end of times. Therefore, Christ demands to leave the terrible place, since in case of delay in flight, death will occur. It is necessary to pray that no unfavorable circumstances will hinder the quick outcome.
There are times and circumstances when the earthly fatherland must be immediately abandoned for the sake of the heavenly fatherland. When it is said that we need to pray so that flight does not happen in winter, we are talking about the cold of the Apocalypse, from which hearts freeze.
But in the midst of his anger, Jesus also remembers mercy. He says that the Lord will shorten these days for the elect, that is, for those who accept Christ. For those who were promised that “a remnant will be saved.” God's chosen ones cry out to him day and night, and the Lord answers their prayers.
These chosen ones include all those who remain faithful to him in trials. No matter what happens around, God is always here. He is the absolute master of time and history. He will shorten the time of testing, he will save from all despair, salvation is always his main and last word.
Thus, the expression “abomination that makes desolate” is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures both literally and figuratively. In the first case, this is a pagan statue installed in a Jewish temple, and in the second, these are the trials that await everyone during the coming of the Antichrist, but their time will be shortened in the name of true believers.
HOLY PLACE
The spirit (mind) is truly the place of saints. And the saint is the Spirit’s own place, represents himself in the dwelling of the Spirit with God, and is called His temple.
Saint Basil the Great
Jesus Christ (Savior)
When you see the abomination that makes desolate... standing in the holy place
So, when you see the abomination of desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house, and Let him who is in the field not turn back to take his clothes. Woe to them that are pregnant and to those who nurse at the breast in those days! Pray that your flight does not happen in winter or on the Sabbath, for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, and never will be. And if those days were not shortened, no flesh would be saved, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. Then, if anyone tells you: “Behold, here is Christ,” or “there,” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I told you in advance. So, if they tell you, “Behold, He is in the wilderness,” do not go out: “Behold, He is in the secret chambers,” do not believe it. For just as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For where the carcass is, there the eagles will gather (Matt. 24:15-28).
Prophet Ezekiel
To separate the holy place from the unholy
And he said to me: “The rooms to the north and the rooms to the south, which are in front of the square, are sacred rooms in which the priests approaching the Lord eat the most sacred sacrifices; there they place the most holy sacrifices, the grain offering, the sin offering, and the trespass offering, for this is a holy place. When the priests enter there, they must not leave this holy place into the outer court until they leave there their clothes in which they served, for they are sacred; they must put on other clothes and then go out to the people.” When he finished measuring the inner temple, he led me out through the gate facing the east and began to measure it around. He measured the eastern side with a measuring reed and measured with a measuring reed a total of five hundred reeds; on the north side, with the same measuring stick, I measured only five hundred canes; on the south side I also measured five hundred canes with a cane. Turning to the western side, he measured five hundred canes with a cane. He measured it on all four sides, and around it was a wall five hundred reeds long and five hundred reeds wide, to separate the holy place from the unholy (Ezek. 42:13-20).
Apostle Luke
“This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and against the law.”
And the word of God grew, and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and many of the priests submitted to the faith. And Stephen, full of faith and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. Some of the so-called synagogue of the Libertines and the Cyrenians and the Alexandrians and some from Cilicia and Asia entered into dispute with Stephen, but could not resist the wisdom and the Spirit to whom he spoke. Then they taught some to say: We heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God. And they aroused the people and the elders and the scribes and, attacking, seized him and took him to the Sanhedrin. And they presented false witnesses who said: This man does not cease to speak blasphemous words against this holy place and against the law. For we heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth would destroy this place and change the customs that Moses handed down to us. And all those sitting in the Sanhedrin, looking at him, saw his face like the face of an angel (Acts 6:7-15).
Saint Anthony the Great
The Holy Spirit dwells in the souls of those who repent
The Holy Spirit constantly blows a fragrance most pleasant, sweet and indescribable to the human tongue. But who knows this pleasantness of the Spirit and His sweetness, except those who are worthy of having Him dwell in them? The Holy Spirit does not dwell in the souls of those who repent except after much labor.
Saint Basil the Great
Spiritual souls, being illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual...
It is beyond human nature to explain the reason why the Spirit of God acts differently in the worthy, and prophecy is entrusted to one, and to a certain extent; another receives the gifts of healing, and those to a certain extent, and another receives the effects of greater or lesser powers. For He alone knows this, Who delves into the spiritual merits of everyone, and, according to the invisible measures of justice, gives to each what he deserves.
Our guardian is the Holy Spirit. When the soul bears fruit worthy of eternal granaries, the Holy Spirit abides with it, protects it and repels the machinations of secluded divinity (Ps. 79:14).
Just as with God the Word is not spoken by the mouth, but living, independent, all-effective, so with God the Spirit is not an overflowing breath, not scattered air, but a sanctifying Power, self-existent, original, independent.
Just as the rays of the sun make a cloud light and brilliant, producing a golden appearance in it, so the Removed Spirit, having entered the body of a person, gave it life, bestowed immortality, bestowed a shrine, so it erected it when it fell. And man, who until then was earth and ashes, after the Spirit infused him, received the dignity of a prophet, an Apostle, an Angel of God.
Those who receive are made holy when the Spirit descends on them, and perish when He leaves them... He is the source of Eternal Life.
The Holy Spirit gave Himself to the entire multitude of Heavenly Powers and the entire multitude of the righteous. And among the righteous, great and small, Angels and Archangels, every indivisible thing is sanctified by Him. And although the indivisibles are different, and just as bodies are one here, the other there, so other forces have a medium separating them from each other, however, the Spirit is indivisible and not a part of It, dissolved with each indivisible, produces Divine life in it, but all lives entirely by His power, the Spirit is present everywhere, being likened to the God who sends Him both in being and in being everywhere and in everything equally.
God's Spirit dwells abundantly in the rational soul if it does not want to negligencely depart from itself.
Everything that needs sanctification is turned to the Holy Spirit; everything that lives virtuously desires Him, being, as it were, watered and empowered by His inspiration to achieve its own and natural end. He perfects others, but He Himself lacks nothing; He lives without renewal of strength, but is the Giver of life; He does not grow through addition, but is suddenly full, established in Himself and omnipresent. He is the beginning of sanctification, mental light, which provides every rational force, in the search for truth, with some kind of evidence. He is unapproachable by nature, and tractable by goodness; although He fulfills everything with His power, it is nevertheless communicated to only those worthy, and is not accepted by them in the same measure, but shares the action according to the measure of faith. He is simple in essence, unique in strength, all present in everyone, and all everywhere. He, when shared, does not suffer, and when they commune with Him, he does not cease to be entirely, like the sun’s radiance, the one enjoying the pleasantness of which, as it were, alone enjoys it, while this radiance illuminates the earth and the sea, and (dissolves with the air. So the Spirit is in everyone of those who receive Him, He remains as His own, and sufficiently pours out to all the full grace that those who partake enjoy, according to their own acceptability, and not according to what is possible for the Spirit.
The Spirit, shining cleansed from all filth,... makes them spiritual
He who has been cleansed of the shame that he has created in himself through sin, has returned to natural beauty, and through purification has, as it were, returned the ancient appearance to the royal image, he alone can approach the Comforter. And He, like the sun with which a pure eye meets, will show you in Himself the image of the Invisible. And in the blissful contemplation of the image you will see the indescribable beauty of the Prototype. Through the Spirit - uplifting of hearts, guidance of the weak, perfection of the successful. The Spirit, shining forth cleansed from all filth, makes them spiritual through communication with Himself. And just as shiny and transparent bodies, when a ray of light falls on them, they themselves become luminous and send out a new ray, so spirit-bearing souls, being illuminated by the Spirit, themselves become spiritual and pour out grace on others. Hence - foreknowledge of the future, understanding of the sacraments, comprehension of the unseen, the distribution of gifts, heavenly residence, standing with the Angels, endless joy, being in God, becoming like God, and the extreme limit of what is desired - deification.
He who does not believe in the Spirit has no part in true worship. For there is no other way to worship the Son except in the Holy Spirit, and no other way to call on the Father except in the Spirit of sonhood.
By the Holy Spirit - our restoration to paradise, entry into the Heavenly Kingdom, return to sonship, boldness to call God our Father, to become partakers of the grace of Christ, to be called children of Light, to partake of eternal glory, in a word, to acquire the fullness of blessing both in this and in the next century when in ourselves, as in a mirror, we reflect the grace of those blessings that are destined for us according to the promises, and which through faith we enjoy as if they were already real.
The Spirit is the place of the saints.
The Spirit, although it does not have communion with the unworthy, nevertheless apparently coexists in some way with those who were once sealed, awaiting their salvation upon conversion.
A life enslaved to carnal passions does not accept the grace of the Spirit, like a sick eye does not accept the light of the sun's rays.
Just as in bodies there is health, or warmth, or in general freedom of bodily functions, so the Spirit is often inherent in the soul, but it does not remain forever in those who, due to the inconstancy of the will, easily push away the grace they have received.
The Spirit is truly the place of saints. And the saint is the Spirit’s own place, represents himself in the dwelling of the Spirit with God, and is called His temple.
Just as it is inseparable from fire that it heats, and from light that it shines, so it is inseparable from the Spirit that He sanctifies, gives life, that He is goodness, righteousness.
The Spirit writes on hearts according to preparatory purity
But as for the method of giving, and before the Spirit is in everyone, and in each individually, let this be considered by a mind that is worthy of such consideration, and freed from heretical seduction, and from women who enchant others. Let him begin in a silent state, and let not only the body and bodily excitement that envelops him be silent, but also everything around him, the sky, the earth, the sea, and all rational creatures on them. And let Him imagine that everything is filled with the Spirit, that the Spirit is being introduced into them from everywhere, as if flowing in, pouring in, penetrating and sifting. For “the Spirit of the Lord fills the world and, as he who embraces all things, knows every word” (Wis. Sol. 1:7). It shines forth in all the worthy. For, just as the rays of the sun make a cloud light and brilliant, producing a golden appearance in it, so the Holy Spirit, having entered the human body, gave it life, bestowed immortality, bestowed a shrine, so it erected it when it fell. And man, who until then was earth and ashes, after the Spirit entered into him, received the dignity of a prophet, an apostle, an angel of God.
The Spirit writes on the hearts according to the preparatory purity for everyone, either explicitly or implicitly. By the speed of what is written, the whole universe is already filled with the gospel.
It is beyond human nature to explain the reason why the Spirit of God acts differently in the worthy - and one is entrusted with prophecy, and, moreover, to a certain extent, another receives the gifts of healings, and those to a certain extent, and another the effects of greater or lesser powers. For He alone knows this, Who delves into the spiritual merits of everyone, and, according to the invisible measures of justice, gives to each what he deserves.
The Holy Spirit abides in everyone, but actually reveals His power in those who are pure from passions, and not in those whose sovereignty of the soul is darkened by sinful impurities. In addition to cleanliness, they must show in themselves the equality of a well-ordered state. For he is not pure who behaves unevenly in relation to chastity, but he who has subordinated the wisdom of the flesh to the Spirit. Just as we do not see images of faces in every substance, but only in smooth and transparent substances, so the action of the Spirit is not reflected in every soul, but only in souls that have nothing obstinate and nothing corrupt in themselves (Prov. 8:8). The snow glitters, but does not show the image of those who look at it, because it is rough and made of frozen foam. Milk is white, but does not take on images, because it also contains some small bubbles. And in the water, due to its smoothness, even a black image is visible. Likewise, the unevenness of life is incapable of receiving God’s action. Therefore, when the soul, having devoted itself to every feat of virtue, with strong love for God, constantly preserves in itself the remembrance of God imprinted in it, and thus makes God as if living within itself, then from a strong desire and ineffable love for God, becoming inspired by God, it becomes worthy of the prophetic gift, because God gives Divine power and opens the eyes of the soul to understand the visions that He pleases to communicate.
Venerable Maximus the Confessor
A holy place... there is a human mind
From the passions lying in the soul, demons borrow reasons to raise passionate thoughts in us. Then, using them to overcome the mind, they force it to condescend to commit sin; having defeated him in this, they lead him into mental sin, and after doing this, as a captive, they lead him to the very sinful deed. After this, finally, having made the soul desolate through thoughts, they depart with them. Only the idol (mental image) of sin remains in the mind, about which the Lord speaks: when you see the abomination of desolation, I stand in a holy place (Matthew 24:15).
Let the reader understand that the holy place and temple of God is the human mind, in which demons, having devastated the soul with passionate thoughts, have placed an idol of sin. I think that no one who read Josephus Flavius doubts that what the Lord said came true historically. Some, however, say that the same will happen under the Antichrist.
Saint Dmitry of Rostov
(Word on the renovation of the Jerusalem Church of the Resurrection of Christ)
The holy place... was mocked and desecrated by the enemies of Christ
On this day we celebrate the Renewal of the glorious and great temple in Jerusalem - not the one that King Solomon erected on Mount Moriah, but the one that the pious King Constantine wonderfully built with his praiseworthy mother Helen on Mount Golgotha, cleansing and renewing the holy place that had been desecrated pagan wickedness.
After the free suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ. His resurrection and ascension into heaven, that holy place where our salvation was accomplished, was desecrated and desecrated by the enemies of Christ. The wicked Roman king Hadrian especially desecrated all holy places with demonic idols and sacrifices. Having erected a city on the site of Jerusalem, devastated by Titus, he ordered the tomb of the Lord to be covered with earth and many stones, and on the mountain where the Lord was crucified, he built a temple to the pagan goddess of debauchery Venus and placed her idol, and over the tomb of the Lord he placed an idol of the god Dius ( Jupiter). So, where the Lamb of God offered Himself as a sacrifice to God the Father for our sins, there unclean sacrifices were made to demons and all sorts of indecent things were committed. Likewise, in Bethlehem, where the Most Pure One was born from the womb of the Most Pure Virgin, the wicked king erected an idol of Adonis, so that this holy place was desecrated by shameful deeds, and where the temple of Solomon was, he built an idol temple. He named the city itself Elijah in his honor, for it bore the name Elijah-Adrian, and commanded that no one dare call it Jerusalem. He did all this out of a desire to destroy from the earth the very memory of the name of Jesus Christ. He renamed the city in which Jesus Christ performed many miracles, and built demonic dwellings at the places of His birth, crucifixion and burial, precisely with the goal that the subsequent human race would completely forget Christ, and would never again remember the places where he lived. and the Lord taught. However, Adrian himself died, and the King of Glory glorified the holy place again.
The Lord, having enlightened Tsar Constantine and his mother Helen with the light of the holy faith, placed in their hearts the desire to renew the holy city of Jerusalem - in the place where the ruined temple of the body of Christ was created in three days (John 2:19, 21; Matt. 26 :16; 27:40; Mark 14:58; 15:29), create a beautiful temple of God and cleanse all holy places from demonic filth and sanctify. For this purpose, the pious king sent his mother with a lot of gold to Jerusalem and wrote to His Holiness Patriarch Macarius, asking him to put all his efforts into building the church. Saint Helena, upon her arrival in Jerusalem, destroyed all the temples in it, destroyed idols and cleansed the entire city from pagan defilements and sanctified it. She found the honorable cross of the Lord and the tomb, scattering the earth and stones with which it was covered, and built a church in that area so large that with one building both the place of the crucifixion and the place of Christ’s burial were fenced, for they were not far from one another, as the Evangelist John notes: “In the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been laid. They laid Jesus there because of the Friday of Judah, because the tomb was near” (John 19:41-42). And so, with one church, she surrounded both Golgotha and the Holy Sepulcher. This church is called “Martirion”, i.e. testimony is evidence of the resurrection of Christ, since in that place Christ died and was resurrected. Saint Helena also built other churches: in Bethlehem, on the Mount of Olives, in Gethsemane and in many holy places, and decorated them in various and rich ways. However, the church over the Holy Sepulcher was more beautiful and larger than all. But Queen Elena herself did not see the completion of its construction: returning to her son, she rested in the Lord when the church was not yet ready, for it was impossible to rebuild such a large and wondrous building in a short time, and it was barely finished in ten years.
When the church was completely established, the pious king ordered bishops from all countries to gather in Jerusalem to consecrate the temple. And a great many bishops arrived here: from Bithynia, Thrace, Cilicia, Cappadocia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Phenicia, Arabia, Palestine, Egypt and other African countries, and one bishop from Persia; Countless people also gathered from all over the world, so that not everyone could fit within the boundaries of Jerusalem. The Temple of the Resurrection was consecrated on September 13, 335, in the 30th year of the reign of Constantine, when all of Jerusalem was renewed. The holy fathers who gathered for this celebration, following the example of the Old Testament decree, determined to forever celebrate the day of the Renewal of the Temple. For, as in the Old Testament, Judas Maccabee, having cleansed the greatest sanctuary - the Holy of Holies from desecration by Syrian idolatry, legalized for all times the celebration of its renewal (1 Macc. 4: 36-59), which is also mentioned in the Gospel: “Then a holiday came in Jerusalem renewal" (John 10:22), so in the New Testament, the Equal-to-the-Apostles King Constantine, having built, as it were, a second Holy of Holies, established with the holy fathers that the Renewal of the great Church of Jerusalem, which is the mother of all churches, should be celebrated throughout the entire universe.
So, now we will celebrate its Renewal, thanking Christ God, who through His suffering and resurrection renewed all creation and cleansed His holy Church from the filth of idols. Let us also be renewed, as temples of the Living God, putting off the old man and putting on the new, we will cleanse ourselves of the old evils in us and begin to do good deeds, beginning to walk in a new, godly life. Then, just as people celebrate the Renewal of a temple made with hands, the angels will celebrate the renewal of our spiritual temple, for for every sinner who is renewed by repentance, there is joy in heaven with the angels, and with them the Creator of angels, who does not want the death of sinners, rejoices over him. – Christ our Lord, to whom be glory forever, amen.
Monk Nicodemus
A holy place is never empty
Very many people, not understanding spiritual things, travel to all sorts of well-known “holy places” where the ascetics of Christ labored, in the hope that staying there will help solve their everyday problems, which are known to everyone and are the same for everyone: healing of bodily ailments, money, good work, marriage, etc. No one thinks or asks about the same thing, to work on cleansing oneself from old vices (passions). Thus, the Orthodox faith is turned into paganism, which should help them in their current life if they visit certain places. This is called spiritual darkness about which the Lord said:
So, if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness? (Matt. 6:23).
And at the same time, neither “holy places” on earth, nor things or religious objects of worship bring peace and contentment, but the internal state of a person, or rather, his mind, cleared of passions, which is the “eye of the soul.” When he is pure, then he sees everything clearly as it is, and not as a “hedgehog in the fog” with the distortion of the truth by lies.
The lamp for the body is the eye. So, if your eye (mind) is pure, then your whole body (soul) will be bright; if your eye be evil, then your whole body will be dark (Matthew 6:22).
A holy place (mind) is never empty; if Christ departed from it (for disobedience to the commandments), then His opponent, the devil, settles in it... with all the ensuing consequences for the unfortunate person.
The Lord, teaching, exhorts us:
The Kingdom of God (the grace of the Holy Spirit) will not come in a noticeable way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or: behold, there. For behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:20-21).
If we do not find within ourselves what we are looking for by walking and driving to “holy places,” including attending church services, then we will not find it anywhere. This is the law of the Spirit and His Providence for us sinners.
Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool... For My hand has made all this, and all this was done, says the Lord. But this is who I will look to: the one who is humble and contrite in spirit and who trembles at My Word (Isa. 66:1,2).
A holy place (mind) is never empty; if Christ departed from it (for disobedience to the commandments), then His opponent—the devil—settles in it... with all the ensuing consequences for the unfortunate person.
