Revelations of John the theologian apocalypse. Apocalypse of John the Theologian. Revelation of John the Evangelist

The Revelations of St. John is the last book of the New Testament and the Bible. The uniqueness of the revelation lies in the fact that it is the only book telling about the apocalypse that was included in the canon of the New Testament.

Revelation written by John the Evangelist, contains 22 chapters, each of which can be read on the Internet or by purchasing the New Testament. In addition, they produce videos in which they talk about the revelations of John the Theologian and interpretations of them.

Main features of the revelation of John the Theologian

The revelation lists a number of disasters, which will manifest themselves before the Second Coming, which is why the book was included in the apocalyptic section. You can read it on any Internet resource on the relevant topic.

The time of entry of the revelation of John the Theologian into the canon of the New Testament

The work of John the Theologian was first mentioned at the beginning of the 2nd century, in the works of such famous people as Tertullian, Irenaeus, Eusebius, and Clement of Alexandria. But for a long time after its appearance, the text about the apocalypse was uncanonized.

Only in 383 did the revelation of John the Evangelist enter the New Testament canon, the Ippon Council and Athanasius the Great directly contributed to this. This decision was finally made and approved in 419 by the Council of Carthage.

But such a decision also had ardent opponents in the persons of Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint Gregory the Theologian.

According to some data, today there are about 300 manuscripts of the Apocalypse, but not all of them contain the full version of the revelation. Today, everyone is allowed to read the full versions of the revelations; the holy fathers of the churches even recommend that you take a look and understand the whole essence of the interpretation.

Interpretation of the Apocalypse of John the Theologian

In his revelation, John the Theologian describes to people the visions that came to him from God, During these visions he sees the following events:

• the appearance of the Antichrist in the world;
• the second coming of Jesus to earth;
• Apocalypse;
• Last Judgment.

The revelation ends with the information that God will win unquestioning victory over.

The visions set out on paper by John the Theologian have been tried to be interpreted many times, but the most popular to this day are the interpretations of the holy fathers.

The first vision describes a human son, who holds seven stars in his hands and is located in the center of seven lamps.

According to the interpretations of the holy fathers, it can be assumed that the son of man is Jesus, because he is also the son of Mary, who was a man. Jesus, like God, contains all that exists.

The placement of the son of God in the midst of the seven lampstands indicates that the interpretation was given to the seven churches. It was this number of churches that stood at the head of the entire religion during the life of John the Theologian.

The human son was wearing a podder and a golden belt. The first item of clothing indicates high priestly dignity, and the second item of clothing indicates royal dignity.

The presence of seven stars in Jesus' hands indicates seven bishops. That is, the human son closely monitors and controls the actions of the bishops.

In the process of the vision, the human son ordered John the Theologian to write down all further visions.

Second Vision

John ascends to the throne of God and sees his face. The throne is surrounded by 24 elders and 4 representatives of the animal world.

The interpretation interprets that Looking at the face of God, John noticed a radiance emanating from him:

• green - as a sign of life;
• yellow-red as a sign of holiness and punishment for sinners.

Thanks to this combination of colors, John realized that this was a prediction of the Last Judgment, which would destroy and renew the earth.

The 24 elders who surrounded God were people who pleased him with their deeds.

The animals near the throne are the elements governed by the Lord:

• Earth;
• heaven;
• sea;
• the underworld.

Third and fourth vision

John the Evangelist observed how seven seals are opened from a book held in God's hands.

The book presented in the vision indicates the wisdom of God, and the seals present on it will mark the fact that man cannot understand all the plans of the Lord.

Only Jesus could remove the seals from the book. who knows what self-sacrifice is and gave his life for other people.

In the fourth vision, John the Theologian sees seven Angels holding trumpets in their hands.

After the seven seals are opened by Jesus, there will be complete silence in heaven, which indicates the calm before the storm. After which seven angels will appear, who, having played their trumpets, will unleash seven great troubles on the representatives of humanity.

Fifth Vision

During the vision, John sees, like a red serpent follows on the heels of his wife, clothed in the sun. The war between Michael and the red serpent.

According to the interpretation of the holy fathers, the wife is the Most Holy Theotokos, however, a number of interpreters claim that this is the church.

The moon is placed under the woman’s feet - this is a sign of constancy. On the woman’s head there is a wreath with twelve stars - this indicates that she was originally created from the 12 tribes of Israel, and after that she was led by.

The red snake is the image of the Devil, which by its appearance symbolizes anger directed towards those created by God.

The purpose of the serpent is to take away the child that is soon to be born to the woman. But as a result, the child ends up with God, and the woman runs into the desert.

After this, a battle takes place between Michael and the Devil, according to the interpretation of the holy fathers - this symbolizes the war between Christianity and paganism. As a result of the battle, the snake was defeated, but did not die.

Sixth Vision

An unknown beast appears from the depths of the sea, which has seven heads and ten horns.

The beast that emerged from the depths of the sea is the Antichrist. But, despite having the features of an animal, he is a man. Therefore, those people who believe that the Antichrist and the Devil are one and the same are making a huge mistake.

The presence of 7 heads in the Antichrist indicates that he acts under the leadership of the Devil. Such cooperation will lead to the Antichrist reigning on earth and reigning for 42 months.

Everyone who renounces the Lord and worships the Antichrist will be branded, the number “666” will appear on his forehead or right hand.

Seventh Vision

The following vision indicates the appearance of angels.

In this vision, Mount Sinai appears to the gaze of John the Theologian, on the top of which stands a lamb, surrounded by 144 thousand people, God’s chosen ones from all kinds of nations.

Looking up John sees three angels:

1. The first tells people the “everlasting gospel.”
2. The second predicts the fall of Babylon.
3. The third promises unheard-of torment for those who betrayed God in the name of the Antichrist.

Angels will mark the beginning of the harvest. Jesus throws the sickle on the ground and the harvest begins. At this stage, the harvest means the apocalypse.

One of the angels is reaping grapes; these berries mean all the people who had a negative impact on the state of the church.

Eighth and ninth visions

The eighth vision describes the seven bowls of wrath.

In this vision, John sees a sea of ​​glass mixed with particles of fire. This sea refers to those people who were saved after the end of the world.

After this, the Theologian sees how the gates of heaven open and seven angels in snow-white robes come out; they receive from four animals 7 golden bowls filled with the wrath of the Lord. According to the decree of the Lord, the angels must, before the start of the Last Judgment, pour out all the bowls on the living and the dead.

John's ninth vision describes General Sunday which ends with the Last Judgment.

Tenth Vision

John sees the new Jerusalem, which was built after the final victory over the Devil. In the new world there will be no sea, since it symbolizes impermanence. In the new world, a person will forget about what grief, illness, and tears represent.

But only those who will resist the Devil and will not bow to him will become part of the new world. If people do not restrain themselves, they will be condemned to eternal torment.

Apocalypse of Saint John, this is the book that makes people attend churches more often and really devote themselves wholeheartedly to serving the Lord, since no one knows when the day of judgment will come or the Antichrist will come to the world.

Having familiarized yourself with the revelation of John the Theologian, you can obtain basic knowledge about the development and emergence of the Church, as well as receive a number of tips on how to live correctly, the main thing is to understand what John the Theologian wanted to present.

Apocalypse(or translated from Greek - Revelation) of St. John the Theologian is the only prophetic book of the New Testament. It predicts the future destinies of mankind, the end of the world and the beginning of eternal life, and therefore, naturally, is placed at the end of the Holy Scriptures.
Apocalypse- the book is mysterious and difficult to understand, but at the same time it is the mysterious nature of this book that attracts the attention of both believing Christians and simply inquisitive thinkers trying to unravel the meaning and significance of the visions described in it. There are a huge number of books about the Apocalypse, among which there are many works with all sorts of nonsense, this especially applies to modern sectarian literature.

Despite the difficulty of understanding this book, the spiritually enlightened fathers and teachers of the Church have always treated it with great reverence as a book inspired by God. Thus, Saint Dionysius of Alexandria writes: “The darkness of this book does not prevent one from being surprised by it. And if I don’t understand everything about it, it’s only because of my inability. I cannot be a judge of the truths contained in it, and measure them by the poverty of my mind; Guided more by faith than by reason, I find them only beyond my understanding.” Blessed Jerome speaks in the same way about the Apocalypse: “It contains as many secrets as words. But what am I saying? Any praise for this book would be beneath its dignity.”

The Apocalypse is not read during divine services because in ancient times the reading of Holy Scripture during divine services was always accompanied by an explanation of it, and the Apocalypse is very difficult to explain.

Book author.

The author of the apocalypse calls himself John (Rev. 1:1, 4 and 9; 22:8). According to the general opinion of the holy fathers of the Church, this was the Apostle John, the beloved disciple of Christ, who received the distinctive name “Theologian” for the height of his teaching about God the Word. ” His authorship is confirmed both by data in the Apocalypse itself and by many other internal and external signs. The Gospel and three Council Epistles also belong to the inspired pen of the Apostle John the Theologian. The author of the Apocalypse says that he was on the island of Patmos “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 1:9). From church history it is known that of the apostles, only Saint John the Theologian was imprisoned on this island.

Proof of the authorship of the Apocalypse. John the Theologian is served by the similarity of this book with his Gospel and epistles, not only in spirit, but also in style, and, especially, in some characteristic expressions. So, for example, the apostolic preaching is called here “testimony” (Rev. 1:2, 9; 20:4; see: John 1:7; 3:11; 21:24; 1 John 5:9-11) . The Lord Jesus Christ is called “the Word” (Rev. 19:13; see: John 1:1, 14 and 1 John 1:1) and “Lamb” (Rev. 5:6 and 17:14; see: John 1:36). The prophetic words of Zechariah: “and they will look on Him whom they have pierced” (12:10) both in the Gospel and in the Apocalypse are given equally according to the Greek translation of the “Seventy Interpreters” (Rev. 1:7 and John 19:37). Some differences between the language of the Apocalypse and other books of the Apostle John are explained both by the difference in content and by the circumstances of the origin of the writings of the holy Apostle. Saint John, a Jew by birth, although he spoke Greek, but, being imprisoned far from the living spoken Greek language, naturally left the stamp of influence of his native language on the Apocalypse. For an unprejudiced reader of the Apocalypse, it is obvious that its entire content bears the stamp of the great spirit of the Apostle of love and contemplation.

All ancient and later patristic testimonies recognize the author of the Apocalypse as Saint John the Theologian. His disciple Saint Papias of Hieropolis calls the writer of the Apocalypse “Elder John,” as the apostle himself calls himself in his epistles (2 John 1:1 and 3 John 1:1). The testimony of Saint Justin the Martyr, who lived in Ephesus even before his conversion to Christianity, where the Apostle John lived for a long time before him, is also important. Many holy fathers of the 2nd and 3rd centuries cite passages from the Apocalypse as from a divinely inspired book written by St. John the Theologian. One of them was Saint Hippolytus, Pope of Rome, who wrote an apology for the Apocalypse, a student of Irenaeus of Lyons. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and Origen also recognize the holy Apostle John as the author of the Apocalypse. The later Church Fathers were equally convinced of this: St. Ephraim the Syrian, Epiphanius, Basil the Great, Hilary, Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Didymus, Ambrose of Milan, St. Augustine and St. Jerome. The 33rd rule of the Council of Carthage, attributing the Apocalypse to St. John the Theologian, places it among the other canonical books of Holy Scripture. The testimony of Saint Irenaeus of Lyons regarding the authorship of the Apocalypse to Saint John the Theologian is especially valuable, since Saint Irenaeus was a disciple of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, who in turn was a disciple of Saint John the Theologian, heading the Smyrna Church under his apostolic leadership.

Time, place and purpose of writing the Apocalypse.

An ancient legend dates the writing of the Apocalypse to the end of the 1st century. So, for example, Saint Irenaeus writes: “The Apocalypse appeared shortly before this and almost in our time, at the end of the reign of Domitian.” The historian Eusebius (early 4th century) reports that contemporary pagan writers mention the exile of the Apostle John to Patmos for witnessing the Divine Word, attributing this event to the 15th year of the reign of Domitian (reigned 81-96 after the Nativity Christ's).

Thus, the Apocalypse was written at the end of the first century, when each of the seven churches of Asia Minor, to which St. John addresses, already had its own history and one way or another determined direction of religious life. Their Christianity was no longer in the first stage of purity and truth, and false Christianity was already trying to compete with the true one. Obviously, the activity of the Apostle Paul, who preached for a long time in Ephesus, was already a thing of the long past.

Church writers of the first 3 centuries also agree in indicating the place where the Apocalypse was written, which they recognize as the island of Patmos, mentioned by the Apostle himself, as the place where he received revelations (Rev. 1:9). Patmos is located in the Aegean Sea, south of the city of Ephesus and was a place of exile in ancient times.

In the first lines of the Apocalypse, Saint John indicates the purpose of writing the revelation: to predict the fate of the Church of Christ and the whole world. The mission of the Church of Christ was to revive the world with Christian preaching, to plant true faith in God in the souls of people, teach them to live righteously, and show them the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. But not all people accepted Christian preaching favorably. Already in the first days after Pentecost, the Church faced hostility and conscious resistance to Christianity - first from the Jewish priests and scribes, then from unbelieving Jews and pagans.

Already in the first year of Christianity, a bloody persecution of preachers of the Gospel began. Gradually, these persecutions began to take an organized and systematic form. The first center of the fight against Christianity was Jerusalem. Starting from the middle of the first century, Rome, led by Emperor Nero (reigned 54-68 after the Nativity of Christ), joined the hostile camp. The persecution began in Rome, where many Christians shed their blood, including the chief apostles Peter and Paul. From the end of the first century, persecution of Christians became more intense. Emperor Domitian orders the systematic persecution of Christians, first in Asia Minor, and then in other parts of the Roman Empire. The Apostle John the Theologian, summoned to Rome and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, remained unharmed. Domitian exiles the Apostle John to the island of Patmos, where the apostle receives a revelation about the fate of the Church and the whole world. With short breaks, the bloody persecution of the Church continued until 313, when Emperor Constantine issued the Edict of Milan on freedom of religion.

In view of the beginning of persecution, the Apostle John writes the Apocalypse to Christians to console them, instruct and strengthen them. He reveals the secret intentions of the enemies of the Church, whom he personifies in the beast that came out of the sea (as a representative of a hostile secular power) and in the beast that came out of the earth - a false prophet, as a representative of a hostile pseudo-religious government. He also discovers the main leader of the struggle against the Church - the devil, this ancient dragon who groups the godless forces of humanity and directs them against the Church. But the suffering of believers is not in vain: through fidelity to Christ and patience they receive a well-deserved reward in Heaven. At the time determined by God, forces hostile to the Church will be brought to justice and punished. After the Last Judgment and punishment of the wicked, eternal blissful life will begin.

The purpose of writing the Apocalypse is to depict the upcoming struggle of the Church with the forces of evil; show the methods by which the devil, with the assistance of his servants, fights against good and truth; provide guidance to believers on how to overcome temptation; depict the death of the enemies of the Church and the final victory of Christ over evil.

Content, plan and symbolism of the Apocalypse

The Apocalypse has always attracted the attention of Christians, especially at a time when various disasters and temptations began to agitate public and church life with greater force. Meanwhile, the imagery and mystery of this book makes it very difficult to understand, and therefore for careless interpreters there is always the risk of going beyond the boundaries of truth to unrealistic hopes and beliefs. So, for example, a literal understanding of the images of this book gave rise and now continues to give rise to the false teaching about the so-called “chiliasm” - the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. The horrors of persecution experienced by Christians in the first century and interpreted in the light of the Apocalypse gave some reason to believe that the “end times” had arrived and the second coming of Christ was near. This opinion arose already in the first century.

Over the past 20 centuries, many interpretations of the Apocalypse of the most diverse nature have appeared. All these interpreters can be divided into four categories. Some of them attribute the visions and symbols of the Apocalypse to the “end times” - the end of the world, the appearance of the Antichrist and the Second Coming of Christ. Others give the Apocalypse a purely historical meaning and limit its vision to the historical events of the first century: the persecution of Christians by pagan emperors. Still others try to find the fulfillment of apocalyptic predictions in the historical events of their time. In their opinion, for example, the Pope is the Antichrist and all apocalyptic disasters are announced, in fact, for the Roman Church, etc. The fourth, finally, see in the Apocalypse only an allegory, believing that the visions described in it have not so much a prophetic as a moral meaning. As we will see below, these points of view on the Apocalypse do not exclude, but complement each other.

The Apocalypse can only be properly understood in the context of the whole of Holy Scripture. A feature of many prophetic visions - both Old Testament and New Testament - is the principle of combining several historical events in one vision. In other words, spiritually related events, separated from one another by many centuries and even millennia, merge into one prophetic picture that combines events from different historical eras.

An example of such a synthesis of events is the prophetic conversation of the Savior about the end of the world. In it, the Lord speaks simultaneously about the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred 35 years after His crucifixion, and about the time before His second coming. (Matt. 24th chapter; Mr. 13th chapter; Luke 21st chapter. The reason for such a combination of events is that the first illustrates and explains the second.

Often, Old Testament predictions speak simultaneously of a beneficial change in human society in New Testament times and of new life in the Kingdom of Heaven. In this case, the first serves as the beginning of the second (Isa. (Isaiah) 4:2-6; Isa. 11:1-10; Is. 26, 60 and 65 chapters; Jer. (Jeremiah) 23:5-6; Jer. 33:6-11; Habakkuk 2:14; Zephaniah 3:9-20). Old Testament prophecies about the destruction of Chaldean Babylon also speak about the destruction of the kingdom of the Antichrist (Isa. 13-14 and 21 ch.; Jer. 50-51 ch.). There are many similar examples of events merging into one prediction. This method of combining events based on their internal unity is used to help a believer understand the essence of events based on what he already knows, leaving aside secondary and non-explanatory historical details.

As we will see below, the Apocalypse consists of a number of multi-layered compositional visions. The Mystery Viewer shows the future from the perspective of the past and present. So, for example, the many-headed beast in chapters 13-19. – this is the Antichrist himself and his predecessors: Antiochus Epiphanes, so vividly described by the prophet Daniel and in the first two books of Maccabees, and the Roman emperors Nero and Domitian, who persecuted the apostles of Christ, as well as subsequent enemies of the Church.

Two witnesses of Christ in chapter 11. - these are the accusers of the Antichrist (Enoch and Elijah), and their prototypes are the apostles Peter and Paul, as well as all preachers of the Gospel who carry out their mission in a world hostile to Christianity. The false prophet in the 13th chapter is the personification of all those who propagate false religions (Gnosticism, heresies, Mohammedanism, materialism, Hinduism, etc.), among which the most prominent representative will be the false prophet of the times of the Antichrist. To understand why the Apostle John united various events and different people in one image, we must take into account that he wrote the Apocalypse not only for his contemporaries, but for Christians of all times who had to endure similar persecutions and tribulations. The Apostle John reveals common methods of deception, and also shows the sure way to avoid them in order to be faithful to Christ until death.

Likewise, the judgment of God, which the Apocalypse repeatedly speaks of, is both the Last Judgment of God and all the private judgments of God over individual countries and people. This includes the judgment of all mankind under Noah, and the trial of the ancient cities of Sodom and Gomorrah under Abraham, and the trial of Egypt under Moses, and the double trial of Judea (six centuries before the birth of Christ and again in the seventies of our era), and the trial of ancient Nineveh, Babylon, the Roman Empire, Byzantium and, more recently, Russia. The reasons that caused God's righteous punishment were always the same: people's unbelief and lawlessness.

A certain timelessness is noticeable in the Apocalypse. It follows from the fact that the Apostle John contemplated the destinies of mankind not from an earthly, but from a heavenly perspective, where the Spirit of God led him. In an ideal world, the flow of time stops at the throne of the Most High and the present, past and future appear before the spiritual gaze at the same time. Obviously, this is why the author of the Apocalypse describes some future events as past, and past ones as present. For example, the war of angels in Heaven and the overthrow of the devil from there - events that happened even before the creation of the world, are described by the Apostle John, as if they happened at the dawn of Christianity (Rev. 12). The resurrection of the martyrs and their reign in Heaven, which covers the entire New Testament era, is placed by him after the trial of the Antichrist and the false prophet (Rev. 20). Thus, the seer does not narrate the chronological sequence of events, but reveals the essence of that great war of evil with good, which is going on simultaneously on several fronts and covers both the material and angelic worlds.

There is no doubt that some of the predictions of the Apocalypse have already been fulfilled (for example, regarding the fate of the seven churches of Asia Minor). The fulfilled predictions should help us understand the remaining ones that have yet to be fulfilled. However, when applying visions of the Apocalypse to certain specific events, one must take into account that such visions contain elements of different eras. Only with the completion of the destinies of the world and the punishment of the last enemies of God will all the details of the apocalyptic visions be realized.

The Apocalypse was written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. A correct understanding of it is most hindered by people’s departure from faith and true Christian life, which always leads to dulling, or even complete loss of spiritual vision. The complete devotion of modern man to sinful passions is the reason that some modern interpreters of the Apocalypse want to see in it only one allegory, and even the Second Coming of Christ itself is taught to be understood allegorically. Historical events and personalities of our time convince us that to see only an allegory in the Apocalypse means to be spiritually blind, so much of what is happening now resembles the terrible images and visions of the Apocalypse.

The method of presentation of the Apocalypse is shown in the table attached here. As can be seen from it, the apostle simultaneously reveals to the reader several spheres of existence. To the highest sphere belongs the Angelic world, the Church triumphant in Heaven, and the Church persecuted on earth. This sphere of good is headed and guided by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of people. Below is the sphere of evil: the unbelieving world, sinners, false teachers, conscious fighters against God and demons. They are led by a dragon - a fallen angel. Throughout the existence of mankind, these spheres have been at war with each other. The Apostle John in his visions gradually reveals to the reader different sides of the war between good and evil and reveals the process of spiritual self-determination in people, as a result of which some of them become on the side of good, others on the side of evil. During the development of the world conflict, God's Judgment is constantly being carried out on individuals and nations. Before the end of the world, evil will increase excessively, and the earthly Church will be extremely weakened. Then the Lord Jesus Christ will come to earth, all people will be resurrected, and the Last Judgment of God will be carried out over the world. The devil and his supporters will be condemned to eternal torment, but for the righteous, eternal, blissful life in Paradise will begin.

When read sequentially, the Apocalypse can be divided into the following parts:

1. Introductory picture of the Lord Jesus Christ appearing, commanding John to write down the Revelation to the seven churches of Asia Minor (chapter 1).
2. Letters to the 7 churches of Asia Minor (chapters 2 and 3), in which, along with instructions to these churches, the destinies of the Church of Christ are outlined - from the apostolic age to the end of the world.
3. Vision of God seated on the throne, the Lamb and heavenly worship (chapters 4 and 5). This worship is supplemented by visions in subsequent chapters.
4. From the 6th chapter the revelation of the destinies of humanity begins. The opening of the seven seals of the mysterious book by the Lamb-Christ serves as the beginning of a description of the different phases of the war between good and evil, between the Church and the devil. This war, which begins in the human soul, spreads to all aspects of human life, intensifies and becomes more and more terrible (until the 20th chapter).
5. The voices of the seven angelic trumpets (chapters 7-10) herald the initial disasters that must befall people for their unbelief and sins. The damage to nature and the appearance of evil forces in the world are described. Before the onset of disasters, believers receive a seal of grace on their forehead (forehead), which preserves them from moral evil and from the fate of the wicked.
6. The Vision of Seven Signs (chapters 11-14) shows humanity divided into two opposing and irreconcilable camps - good and evil. Good forces are concentrated in the Church of Christ, represented here in the image of a Woman clothed with the sun (chapter 12), and evil forces are concentrated in the kingdom of the beast-Antichrist. The beast that came out of the sea is a symbol of evil secular power, and the beast that came out of the earth is a symbol of decayed religious power. In this part of the Apocalypse, for the first time, a conscious, extra-worldly evil being is clearly revealed - the dragon-devil, who organizes and leads the war against the Church. The two witnesses of Christ symbolize here the preachers of the Gospel who fight the beast.
7. The Visions of the Seven Bowls (chapters 15-17) paint a grim picture of worldwide moral decay. The war against the Church becomes extremely intense (Armageddon) (Rev. 16:16), the trials become unbearably difficult. The image of Babylon the harlot depicts humanity that has apostatized from God, concentrated in the capital of the kingdom of the beast-Antichrist. The evil force extends its influence to all areas of the life of sinful humanity, after which God’s judgment on the forces of evil begins (here God’s judgment on Babylon is described in general terms, as an introduction).
8. The following chapters (18-19) describe the judgment of Babylon in detail. It also shows the death of the perpetrators of evil among people - the Antichrist and the false prophet - representatives of both civil and heretical anti-Christian authorities.
9. Chapter 20 summarizes spiritual warfare and world history. She speaks of the double defeat of the devil and the reign of martyrs. Having suffered physically, they won spiritually and are already blissful in Heaven. It covers the entire period of the existence of the Church, starting from apostolic times. Gog and Magog personify the totality of all the God-fighting forces, earthly and underworld, which throughout Christian history fought against the Church (Jerusalem). They are destroyed by the second coming of Christ. Finally, the devil, this ancient serpent who laid the foundation for all lawlessness, untruths and suffering in the Universe, is also subject to eternal punishment. The end of chapter 20 tells of the general resurrection of the dead, the Last Judgment and the punishment of the wicked. This brief description summarizes the Last Judgment of mankind and the fallen angels and sums up the drama of the universal war between good and evil.
10. The final two chapters (21-22) describe the new Heaven, the new Earth, and the blessed life of the saved. These are the brightest and most joyful chapters in the Bible.

Each new section of the Apocalypse usually begins with the words: “And I saw...” and ends with a description of God’s judgment. This description marks the end of the previous topic and the beginning of a new one. Between the main sections of the Apocalypse, the viewer sometimes inserts intermediate pictures that serve as a connecting link between them. The table given here clearly shows the plan and sections of the Apocalypse. For compactness, we have combined the intermediate pictures together with the main ones. Walking horizontally along the table above, we see how the following areas are gradually revealed more and more fully: The heavenly world; Church persecuted on earth; sinful and godless world; underworld; the war between them and the judgment of God.

The meaning of symbols and numbers. Symbols and allegories enable the seer to speak about the essence of world events at a high level of generalization, so he uses them widely. So, for example, eyes symbolize knowledge, many eyes - perfect knowledge. The horn is a symbol of power and might. Long clothing signifies priesthood; crown - royal dignity; whiteness – purity, innocence; the city of Jerusalem, the temple and Israel symbolize the Church. Numbers also have a symbolic meaning: three symbolizes the Trinity, four symbolizes peace and world order; seven means completeness and perfection; twelve - the people of God, the fullness of the Church (numbers derived from 12, like 24 and 144,000, have the same meaning). One third means some relatively small part. Three and a half years is a time of persecution. The number 666 will be discussed specifically later in this booklet.

New Testament events are often depicted against the background of homogeneous Old Testament events. So, for example, the disasters of the Church are described against the backdrop of the suffering of the Israelites in Egypt, temptation under the prophet Balaam, persecution by Queen Jezebel and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans; the salvation of believers from the devil is depicted against the background of the salvation of the Israelites from Pharaoh under the prophet Moses; the atheistic power is represented in the image of Babylon and Egypt; the punishment of the godless forces is depicted in the language of the 10 Egyptian plagues; the devil is identified with the serpent who seduced Adam and Eve; future heavenly bliss is depicted in the image of the Garden of Eden and the tree of life.

The main task of the author of the Apocalypse is to show how evil forces operate, who organizes and directs them in the fight against the Church; to instruct and strengthen believers in fidelity to Christ; show the complete defeat of the devil and his servants and the beginning of heavenly bliss.

For all the symbolism and mystery of the Apocalypse, religious truths are revealed in it very clearly. So, for example, the Apocalypse points to the devil as the culprit of all temptations and disasters of mankind. The tools with which he tries to destroy people are always the same: unbelief, disobedience to God, pride, sinful desires, lies, fear, doubts, etc. Despite all his cunning and experience, the devil is not able to destroy people who are devoted to God with all their hearts, because God protects them with His grace. The devil enslaves more and more apostates and sinners to himself and pushes them to all sorts of abominations and crimes. He directs them against the Church and with their help produces violence and organizes wars in the world. The Apocalypse clearly shows that in the end the devil and his servants will be defeated and punished, the truth of Christ will triumph, and a blessed life will come in the renewed world, which will have no end.

Having thus made a quick overview of the content and symbolism of the Apocalypse, let us now dwell on some of its most important parts.

Letters to the Seven Churches (chap. 2-3).

The seven churches—Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea—were located in the southwestern part of Asia Minor (now Turkey). They were founded by the Apostle Paul in the 40s of the first century. After his martyrdom in Rome around the year 67, the Apostle John the Theologian took charge of these churches, who cared for them for about forty years. Having been imprisoned on the island of Patmos, the Apostle John from there wrote messages to these churches in order to prepare Christians for the upcoming persecution. The letters are addressed to the “angels” of these churches, i.e. bishops.

A careful study of the epistles to the seven churches of Asia Minor suggests that they contain the destinies of the Church of Christ, starting from the apostolic age until the end of the world. At the same time, the upcoming path of the New Testament Church, this “New Israel,” is depicted against the backdrop of the most important events in the life of Old Testament Israel, starting with the Fall in Paradise and ending with the time of the Pharisees and Sadducees under the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle John uses Old Testament events as prototypes of the destinies of the New Testament Church. Thus, three elements are intertwined in the letters to the seven churches:

b) a new, deeper interpretation of Old Testament history; And

c) the future fate of the Church.

The combination of these three elements in the letters to the seven churches is summarized in the table attached here.

Notes: The Ephesian church was the most populous, and had metropolitan status in relation to the neighboring churches of Asia Minor. In 431, the 3rd Ecumenical Council took place in Ephesus. Gradually, the lamp of Christianity in the Ephesian Church died out, as the Apostle John predicted. Pergamum was the political center of western Asia Minor. It was dominated by paganism with a magnificent cult of deified pagan emperors. On a mountain near Pergamum, a pagan monument-altar stood majestically, mentioned in the Apocalypse as the “throne of Satan” (Rev. 2:13). The Nicolaitans are ancient Gnostic heretics. Gnosticism was a dangerous temptation for the Church in the first centuries of Christianity. Favorable soil for the development of Gnostic ideas was the syncretic culture that arose in the empire of Alexander the Great, uniting East and West. The religious worldview of the East, with its belief in the eternal struggle between good and evil, spirit and matter, body and soul, light and darkness, combined with the speculative method of Greek philosophy, gave rise to various Gnostic systems, which were characterized by the idea of ​​​​the emanation origin of the world from the Absolute and about the many intermediate stages of creation connecting the world with the Absolute. Naturally, with the spread of Christianity in the Hellenistic environment, the danger arose of its presentation in Gnostic terms and the transformation of Christian piety into one of the religious and philosophical Gnostic systems. Jesus Christ was perceived by the Gnostics as one of the mediators (eons) between the Absolute and the world.

One of the first distributors of Gnosticism among Christians was someone named Nicholas - hence the name “Nicolaitans” in the Apocalypse. (It is believed that this was Nicholas, who, along with the other six chosen men, was ordained by the apostles to the diaconate, see: Acts 6:5). By distorting the Christian faith, the Gnostics encouraged moral laxity. Beginning in the mid-first century, several Gnostic sects flourished in Asia Minor. The apostles Peter, Paul and Jude warned Christians not to fall into the snares of these heretical debauchees. Prominent representatives of Gnosticism were the heretics Valentinus, Marcion and Basilides, who were opposed by the apostolic men and early fathers of the Church.

The ancient Gnostic sects disappeared long ago, but Gnosticism as a fusion of heterogeneous philosophical and religious schools exists in our time in theosophy, cabala, Freemasonry, modern Hinduism, yoga and other cults.

Vision of heavenly worship (4-5 chapters).

The Apostle John received revelation on the “Day of the Lord,” i.e. on Sunday. It should be assumed that, according to apostolic custom, on this day he performed the “breaking of bread,” i.e. Divine Liturgy and received communion, so he “was in the Spirit,” i.e. experienced a special inspired state (Rev. 1:10).

And so, the first thing he is honored to see is, as it were, a continuation of the divine service he performed - the heavenly Liturgy. The Apostle John describes this service in the 4th and 5th chapters of the Apocalypse. An Orthodox person will recognize here the familiar features of the Sunday Liturgy and the most important accessories of the altar: the throne, the seven-branched candlestick, the censer with smoking incense, the golden cup, etc. (These objects, shown to Moses on Mount Sinai, were also used in the Old Testament temple). The slain Lamb seen by the apostle in the middle of the throne reminds a believer of the Communion lying on the throne under the guise of bread; the souls of those killed for the word of God under the heavenly throne - an antimension with particles of the relics of the holy martyrs sewn into it; elders in light robes and with golden crowns on their heads - a host of clergy celebrating the Divine Liturgy together. It is noteworthy here that even the exclamations and prayers themselves, heard by the Apostle in Heaven, express the essence of the prayers that the clergy and singers pronounce during the main part of the Liturgy - the Eucharistic Canon. The whitening of the robes of the righteous with the “Blood of the Lamb” is reminiscent of the sacrament of Communion, through which believers sanctify their souls.

Thus, the apostle begins the revelation of the destinies of humanity with a description of the heavenly Liturgy, which emphasizes the spiritual significance of this service and the need for the prayers of the saints for us.

Notes. The words “Lion of the Tribe of Judah” refer to the Lord Jesus Christ and are reminiscent of the prophecy of Patriarch Jacob about the Messiah (Gen. 49:9-10), “Seven Spirits of God” - the fullness of the gracious gifts of the Holy Spirit (see: Is. 11:2 and Zechariah 4th chapter). Many eyes symbolize omniscience. The twenty-four elders correspond to the twenty-four priestly orders established by King David for serving in the temple - two intercessors for each tribe of New Israel (1 Chron. 24:1-18). The four mysterious animals surrounding the throne are similar to the animals seen by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:5-19). They appear to be the creatures closest to God. These faces - man, lion, calf and eagle - were taken by the Church as emblems of the four Evangelists.

In the further description of the heavenly world we encounter many things that are incomprehensible to us. From the Apocalypse we learn that the angelic world is immensely large. Disembodied spirits - angels, like people, are endowed by the Creator with reason and free will, but their spiritual abilities are many times greater than ours. Angels are completely devoted to God and serve Him through prayer and the fulfillment of His will. So, for example, they lift up the prayers of the saints to the throne of God (Rev. 8:3-4), assist the righteous in achieving salvation (Rev. 7:2-3; 14:6-10; 19:9), sympathize with the suffering and persecuted (Rev. 8:13; 12:12), according to the command of God, sinners are punished (Rev. 8:7; 9:15; 15:1; 16:1). They are clothed with power and have power over nature and its elements (Rev. 10:1; 18:1). They wage war against the devil and his demons (Rev. 12:7-10; 19:17-21; 20:1-3), take part in the judgment of the enemies of God (Rev. 19:4).

The teaching of the Apocalypse about the angelic world radically overthrows the teaching of the ancient Gnostics, who recognized intermediate beings (eons) between the Absolute and the material world, which govern the world completely independently and independently of Him.

Among the saints whom the Apostle John sees in Heaven, two groups, or “faces,” stand out: martyrs and virgins. Historically, martyrdom is the first kind of holiness, and therefore the apostle begins with the martyrs (6:9-11). He sees their souls under the heavenly altar, which symbolizes the redemptive meaning of their suffering and death, with which they participate in the suffering of Christ and, as it were, complement them. The blood of the martyrs is likened to the blood of the Old Testament victims, which flowed under the altar of the Jerusalem Temple. The history of Christianity testifies that the suffering of the ancient martyrs served to morally renew the decrepit pagan world. The ancient writer Tertulian wrote that the blood of martyrs serves as the seed for new Christians. Persecution of believers will either subside or intensify during the continued existence of the Church, and therefore it was revealed to the seer that new martyrs would be added to the number of the first.

Later, the Apostle John sees in Heaven a huge number of people whom no one could count - from all tribes, tribes, peoples, and languages; They stood in white clothes with palm branches in their hands (Rev. 7:9-17). What this innumerable host of righteous people have in common is that “they came out of great tribulation.” For all people, the path to Paradise is one - through sorrow. Christ is the first Sufferer, who took upon Himself as the Lamb of God the sins of the world. Palm branches are a symbol of victory over the devil.

In a special vision, the seer describes virgins, i.e. people who have given up the pleasures of married life for the sake of wholehearted service to Christ. (Voluntary “eunuchs” for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven, see about this: Matt. 19:12; Rev. 14:1-5. In the Church, this feat was often accomplished in monasticism). The viewer sees the “name of the Father” written on the foreheads of virgins, which indicates their moral beauty, reflecting the perfection of the Creator. The “new song,” which they sing and which no one can repeat, is an expression of the spiritual heights that they achieved through the feat of fasting, prayer and chastity. This purity is unattainable for people of a worldly lifestyle.

The song of Moses, which the righteous sing in the next vision (Rev. 15:2-8), is reminiscent of the hymn of thanksgiving that the Israelites sang when, having crossed the Red Sea, they were saved from Egyptian slavery (Ex. 15 ch.). In a similar way, New Testament Israel is saved from the power and influence of the devil by moving into a life of grace through the sacrament of baptism. In subsequent visions, the seer describes the saints several more times. The “fine linen” (precious linen) in which they are clothed is a symbol of their righteousness. In the 19th chapter of the Apocalypse, the wedding song of the saved speaks of the approaching “marriage” between the Lamb and the saints, i.e. about the coming of the closest communication between God and the righteous (Rev. 19:1-9; 21:3-4). The book of Revelation ends with a description of the blessed life of the saved nations (Rev. 21:24-27; 22:12-14 and 17). These are the brightest and most joyful pages in the Bible, showing the triumphant Church in the Kingdom of glory.

Thus, as the destinies of the world are revealed in the Apocalypse, the Apostle John gradually directs the spiritual gaze of believers to the Kingdom of Heaven - to the final goal of earthly wandering. He speaks, as if under duress and reluctantly, about the gloomy events in a sinful world.

Opening of the seven seals.

Vision of the Four Horsemen (6th chapter).

Who are the four horsemen of the Apocalypse?

The vision of the seven seals is introductory to the subsequent revelations of the Apocalypse. The opening of the first four seals reveals four horsemen, who symbolize the four factors that characterize the entire history of mankind. The first two factors are the cause, the second two are the effect. The crowned rider on the white horse “came out to conquer.” He personifies those good principles, natural and grace-filled, that the Creator invested in man: the image of God, moral purity and innocence, the desire for goodness and perfection, the ability to believe and love, and the individual “talents” with which a person is born, as well as grace-filled gifts The Holy Spirit, which he receives in the Church. According to the Creator, these good principles were supposed to “win,” i.e. determine a happy future for humanity. But man already in Eden succumbed to the temptation of the tempter. The nature damaged by sin passed on to his descendants; Therefore, people are prone to sin from an early age. Repeated sins intensify their bad inclinations even more. Thus, a person, instead of growing and improving spiritually, falls under the destructive influence of his own passions, indulges in various sinful desires, and begins to envy and be at enmity. All crimes in the world (violence, wars and all kinds of disasters) arise from internal discord in a person.

The destructive effect of passions is symbolized by the red horse and rider, who took the world away from people. Giving in to his disorderly sinful desires, a person wastes the talents given to him by God and becomes poor physically and spiritually. In public life, hostility and war lead to the weakening and disintegration of society, to the loss of its spiritual and material resources. This internal and external impoverishment of humanity is symbolized by a black horse with a rider holding a measure (or scales) in his hand. Finally, the complete loss of God's gifts leads to spiritual death, and the final consequence of hostility and wars is people and the collapse of society. This sad fate of people is symbolized by a pale horse.

The Four Apocalyptic Horsemen depicts the history of mankind in very general terms. First - the blissful life in Eden of our first parents, called to “reign” over nature (white horse), then - their fall from grace (red horse), after which the life of their descendants was filled with various disasters and mutual destruction (crow and pale horses). Apocalyptic horses also symbolize the life of individual states with their periods of prosperity and decline. Here is the life path of every person - with its childish purity, naivety, great potential, which are overshadowed by stormy youth, when a person wastes his strength, health and ultimately dies. Here is the history of the Church: the spiritual fervor of Christians in apostolic times and the efforts of the Church to renew human society; the emergence of heresies and schisms in the Church itself, and the persecution of the Church by pagan society. The Church is weakening, going into the catacombs, and some local churches are disappearing altogether.

Thus, the vision of the four horsemen summarizes the factors that characterize the life of sinful humanity. Further chapters of the Apocalypse will develop this theme more deeply. But by opening the fifth seal, the seer also shows the bright side of human misfortunes. Christians, having suffered physically, won spiritually; Now they are in Paradise! (Rev. 6:9-11) Their exploit brings them eternal reward, and they reign with Christ, as described in chapter 20. The transition to a more detailed description of the disasters of the Church and the strengthening of the atheistic forces is marked by the opening of the seventh seal.

Seven pipes.

Imprinting the chosen ones.

The beginning of disasters and the defeat of nature (chap. 7-11).

Angelic trumpets foretell disasters for humanity, physical and spiritual. But before the disaster begins, the Apostle John sees an angel placing a seal on the foreheads of the sons of New Israel (Rev. 7:1-8). “Israel” here is the New Testament Church. The seal symbolizes chosenness and grace-filled protection. This vision is reminiscent of the sacrament of Confirmation, during which the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” is placed on the forehead of the newly baptized. It also resembles the sign of the cross, by which those protected “resist the enemy.” People who are not protected by the seal of grace suffer harm from the “locusts” that emerged from the abyss, i.e. from the power of the devil (Rev. 9:4). The prophet Ezekiel describes a similar sealing of the righteous citizens of ancient Jerusalem before its capture by the Chaldean hordes. Then, as now, the mysterious seal was placed with the purpose of preserving the righteous from the fate of the wicked (Ezek. 9:4). When listing the 12 tribes of Israel by name, the tribe of Dan was deliberately omitted. Some see this as an indication of the origin of the Antichrist from this tribe. The basis for this opinion are the mysterious words of the patriarch Jacob regarding the future of the descendants of Dan: “a serpent is in the way, an asp in the way,” (Gen. 49:17).

Thus, this vision serves as an introduction to the subsequent description of the persecution of the Church. Measuring the temple of God in chapter 11. has the same meaning as the sealing of the sons of Israel: the preservation of the children of the Church from evil. The Temple of God, like the Woman clothed in the sun, and the city of Jerusalem are different symbols of the Church of Christ. The main idea of ​​these visions is that the Church is holy and dear to God. God allows persecution for the sake of the moral improvement of believers, but protects them from enslavement to evil and from the same fate as those who fight against God.

Before the seventh seal is opened, there is silence “for about half an hour,” (Rev. 8:1). This is the silence before the storm that will rock the world during the Antichrist. (Isn’t the current process of disarmament as a result of the collapse of communism a break that is given to people to turn to God?). Before the onset of disasters, the Apostle John sees saints earnestly praying for mercy for people (Rev. 8:3-5).

Disasters in nature. Following this, the trumpets of each of the seven angels are sounded, after which various disasters begin. First, a third of the vegetation dies, then a third of fish and other sea creatures, followed by poisoning of rivers and water sources. The fall of hail and fire, a flaming mountain and a luminous star onto the earth seems to allegorically indicate the enormous extent of these disasters. Is this not a prediction of the global pollution and destruction of nature that is observed today? If so, then environmental catastrophe foreshadows the coming of the Antichrist. More and more desecrating the image of God within themselves, people cease to appreciate and love His beautiful world. With their waste they pollute lakes, rivers and seas; spilled oil affects vast coastal areas; destroy forests and jungles, exterminate many species of animals, fish and birds. Both the guilty and the innocent victims of their cruel greed get sick and die from the poisoning of nature. The words: “The name of the third star is wormwood... And many of the people died from the waters because they became bitter” are reminiscent of the Chernobyl disaster, because “Chernobyl” means wormwood. But what does it mean that a third of the sun and stars are defeated and eclipsed? (Rev. 8:12). Obviously, here we are talking about air pollution to such a state when sunlight and starlight, reaching the ground, seem less bright. (For example, due to air pollution, the sky in Los Angeles usually looks dirty brown in color, and at night almost no stars are visible above the city, except for the brightest ones.)

The story of the locusts (fifth trumpet, (Rev. 9:1-11)) emerging from the abyss speaks of the strengthening of demonic power among people. It is headed by “Apollyon,” which means “destroyer,” the devil. As people lose the grace of God through their unbelief and sins, the spiritual emptiness that forms in them is increasingly filled by demonic power, which torments them with doubts and various passions.

Apocalyptic wars. The trumpet of the sixth angel sets in motion a huge army beyond the Euphrates River, from which a third of the people perish (Rev. 9:13-21). In the biblical view, the Euphrates River marks the boundary beyond which peoples hostile to God are concentrated, threatening Jerusalem with war and extermination. For the Roman Empire, the Euphrates River served as a stronghold against the attacks of eastern peoples. The ninth chapter of the Apocalypse was written against the backdrop of the cruel and bloody Judeo-Roman war of 66-70 AD, still fresh in the memory of the Apostle John. This war had three phases (Rev. 8:13). The first phase of the war, in which Gasius Florus led the Roman forces, lasted five months, from May to September 66 (the five months of the locust, Rev. 9:5 and 10). The second phase of the war soon began, from October to November 66, in which the Syrian governor Cestius led four Roman legions, (four angels at the Euphrates River, Rev. 9:14). This phase of the war was especially devastating for the Jews. The third phase of the war, led by Flavian, lasted three and a half years - from April 67 to September 70, and ended with the destruction of Jerusalem, the burning of the temple and the scattering of captive Jews throughout the Roman Empire. This bloody Roman-Jewish war became a prototype of the terrible wars of recent times, which the Savior pointed out in His conversation on the Mount of Olives (Matt. 24:7).

In the attributes of the hellish locusts and the Euphrates horde one can recognize modern weapons of mass destruction - tanks, guns, bombers and nuclear missiles. Further chapters of the Apocalypse describe the ever-increasing wars of the end times (Rev. 11:7; 16:12-16; 17:14; 19:11-19 and 20:7-8). The words “the river Euphrates was dried up so that the way for kings would be ready from the rising of the sun” (Rev. 16:12) may indicate the “yellow peril.” It should be borne in mind that the description of apocalyptic wars has the features of actual wars, but ultimately refers to spiritual war, and proper names and numbers have an allegorical meaning. So the Apostle Paul explains: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). The name Armageddon is made up of two words: “Ar” (in Hebrew - plain) and “Megiddo” (an area in the north of the Holy Land, near Mount Carmel, where in ancient times Barak defeated the army of Sisera, and the prophet Elijah destroyed more than five hundred priests of Baal), ( Rev. 16:16 and 17:14; Judges 4:2-16; 1 Kings 18:40). In the light of these biblical events, Armageddon symbolizes the defeat of the godless forces by Christ. The names Gog and Magog in the 20th chapter. reminiscent of Ezekiel's prophecy about the invasion of Jerusalem by countless hordes led by Gog from the land of Magog (in the south of the Caspian Sea), (Ezek. 38-39; Rev. 20:7-8). Ezekiel dates this prophecy to Messianic times. In the Apocalypse, the siege of the “camp of saints and the beloved city” (i.e., the Church) by the hordes of Gog and Magog and the destruction of these hordes by heavenly fire must be understood in the sense of the complete defeat of the atheistic forces, human and demonic, by the Second Coming of Christ.

As for the physical disasters and punishments of sinners, often mentioned in the Apocalypse, the seer himself explains that God allows them for admonition, in order to lead sinners to repentance (Rev. 9:21). But the apostle notes with sorrow that people do not heed the call of God and continue to sin and serve demons. They, as if “having the bit between their teeth,” rush towards their own destruction.

Vision of two witnesses (11:2-12). Chapters 10 and 11 occupy an intermediate place between the visions of the 7 trumpets and the 7 signs. In the two witnesses of God, some holy fathers see the Old Testament righteous Enoch and Elijah (Or Moses and Elijah). It is known that Enoch and Elijah were taken alive to Heaven (Gen. 5:24; 2 Kings 2:11), and before the end of the world they will come to earth to expose the deceit of the Antichrist and call people to loyalty to God. The executions that these witnesses will bring on people are reminiscent of the miracles performed by the prophets Moses and Elijah (Exodus 7-12; 3 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 1:10). For the Apostle John, the prototypes of the two apocalyptic witnesses could be the apostles Peter and Paul, who shortly before suffered in Rome from Nero. Apparently, the two witnesses in the Apocalypse symbolize other witnesses of Christ, spreading the Gospel in a hostile pagan world and often sealing their preaching with martyrdom. The words “Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified” (Rev. 11:8) point to the city of Jerusalem, in which the Lord Jesus Christ, many prophets and the first Christians suffered. (Some suggest that at the time of the Antichrist, Jerusalem will become the capital of a world state. At the same time, they provide an economic justification for this opinion).

Seven signs (chap. 12-14).

The Church and the Kingdom of the Beast.

The further, the more clearly the viewer reveals to the readers the division of humanity into two opposing camps - the Church and the kingdom of the beast. In previous chapters, the Apostle John began to introduce readers to the Church, speaking of the sealed ones, the Jerusalem temple and the two witnesses, and in chapter 12 he shows the Church in all its heavenly glory. At the same time, he reveals her main enemy - the devil-dragon. The vision of the Woman clothed with the sun and the dragon makes it clear that the war between good and evil extends beyond the material world and extends to the world of angels. The apostle shows that in the world of disembodied spirits there is a conscious evil being who, with desperate persistence, wages war against angels and people devoted to God. This war of evil with good, permeating the entire existence of mankind, began in the angelic world before the creation of the material world. As we have already said, the seer describes this war in different parts of the Apocalypse not in its chronological sequence, but in different fragments, or phases.

The vision of the Woman reminds the reader of God's promise to Adam and Eve about the Messiah (the Seed of the Woman) who would wipe out the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). One might think that in chapter 12 the Wife refers to the Virgin Mary. However, from the further narrative, which talks about the other descendants of the Wife (Christians), it is clear that here by the Wife we ​​must mean the Church. The Sunshine of the Woman symbolizes the moral perfection of the saints and the grace-filled illumination of the Church with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The twelve stars symbolize the twelve tribes of the New Israel - i.e. a collection of Christian peoples. The Wife's pangs during childbirth symbolize the exploits, hardships and sufferings of the servants of the Church (prophets, apostles and their successors) suffered by them in spreading the Gospel in the world and in establishing Christian virtues among their spiritual children. (“My little children, for whom I am again in the throes of birth, until Christ is formed in you,” said the Apostle Paul to the Galatian Christians (Gal. 4:19)).

The Firstborn of the Woman, “who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron,” is the Lord Jesus Christ (Ps. 2:9; Rev. 12:5 and 19:15). He is the New Adam, who became the head of the Church. The “Rapture” of the Child obviously points to the ascension of Christ to Heaven, where He sat “at the right hand of the Father” and has since ruled the destinies of the world.

“The dragon with his tail drew a third of the stars from Heaven and threw them to the earth,” (Rev. 12:4). By these stars, interpreters understand the angels whom the proud Dennitsa-devil rebelled against God, as a result of which a war broke out in Heaven. (This was the first revolution in the universe!). The good angels were led by Archangel Michael. The angels who rebelled against God were defeated and could not stay in Heaven. Having fallen away from God, they became demons from good angels. Their underworld, called the abyss or hell, became a place of darkness and suffering. According to the opinion of the holy fathers, the war described here by the Apostle John took place in the angelic world even before the creation of the material world. It is presented here with the purpose of explaining to the reader that the dragon that will haunt the Church in further visions of the Apocalypse is the fallen Dennitsa - the original enemy of God.

So, having been defeated in Heaven, the dragon takes up arms against the Woman-Church with all his fury. His weapon is various temptations, which he directs at his Wife like a stormy river. But she saves herself from temptation by fleeing into the desert, that is, by voluntarily renouncing the blessings and comforts of life with which the dragon tries to captivate her. The two wings of the Woman are prayer and fasting, with which Christians are spiritualized and made inaccessible to the dragon crawling on the earth like a serpent (Gen. 3:14; Mark 9:29). (It should be remembered that many zealous Christians, already from the first centuries, moved to the desert in the literal sense, leaving noisy cities full of temptations. In remote caves, hermitages and laurels, they devoted all their time to prayer and contemplation of God and reached such spiritual heights that modern Christians have no idea. Monasticism flourished in the East in the 4th-7th centuries, when many monasteries were formed in the desert places of Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Asia Minor, numbering hundreds and thousands of monks and nuns. From the Middle East, monasticism spread to Athos, and from there - to Russia, where in pre-revolutionary times there were more than a thousand monasteries and hermitages).

Note. The expression “a time, times and half a time” - 1260 days or 42 months (Rev. 12:6-15) - corresponds to three and a half years and symbolically denotes the period of persecution. The public ministry of the Savior continued for three and a half years. The persecution of believers continued for approximately the same amount of time under King Antiochus Epiphanes and the emperors Nero and Domitian. At the same time, the numbers in the Apocalypse should be understood allegorically (see above).

The beast that came out of the sea and the beast that came out of the earth (Rev. 13-14 chapters)

Most of the holy fathers understand the Antichrist by the “beast from the sea”, and the false prophet by the “beast from the earth”. The sea symbolizes the unbelieving human mass, eternally worried and overwhelmed by passions. From the further narrative about the beast and from the parallel narrative of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 7-8 chapters). it should be concluded that the “beast” is the entire godless empire of the Antichrist. In appearance, the dragon-devil and the beast that came out of the sea, to which the dragon transferred its power, are similar to each other. Their external attributes speak of their dexterity, cruelty and moral ugliness. The heads and horns of the beast symbolize the godless states that make up the anti-Christian empire, as well as their rulers (“kings”). The report of a fatal wound to one of the beast’s heads and its healing is mysterious. In due time, events themselves will shed light on the meaning of these words. The historical basis for this allegory could be the belief of many of the contemporaries of the Apostle John that the murdered Nero came to life and that he would soon return with the Parthian troops (located across the Euphrates River (Rev. 9:14 and 16:12)) to take revenge on his enemies. There may be an indication here of the partial defeat of atheistic paganism by the Christian faith and the revival of paganism during the period of general apostasy from Christianity. Others see here an indication of the defeat of God-fighting Judaism in the 70s AD. “They are not Jews, but the synagogue of Satan,” the Lord said to John (Rev. 2:9; 3:9). (See more about this in our brochure “Christian Doctrine of the End of the World”).

Note. There are common features between the beast of the Apocalypse and the four beasts of the prophet Daniel, who personified the four ancient pagan empires (Dan. 7th chapter). The fourth beast referred to the Roman Empire, and the tenth horn of the last beast meant the Syrian king Antiochus Epiphanes - a prototype of the coming Antichrist, whom the Archangel Gabriel called “despicable,” (Dan. 11:21). The characteristics and actions of the apocalyptic beast also have much in common with the tenth horn of the prophet Daniel (Dan. 7:8-12; 20-25; 8:10-26; 11:21-45). The first two books of Maccabees provide a vivid illustration of the times before the end of the world.

The seer then describes a beast that came out of the earth, which he later refers to as a false prophet. The earth here symbolizes the complete lack of spirituality in the teachings of the false prophet: it is all saturated with materialism and pleasing the sin-loving flesh. The false prophet deceives people with false miracles and makes them worship the first beast. “He had two horns like a lamb, and spoke like a dragon” (Rev. 13:11), - i.e. he looked meek and peace-loving, but his speeches were full of flattery and lies.

Just as in the 11th chapter the two witnesses symbolize all the servants of Christ, so, obviously, the two beasts of the 13th chapter. symbolize the totality of all haters of Christianity. The beast from the sea is a symbol of civil atheistic power, and the beast from the earth is a combination of false teachers and all perverted church authorities. (In other words, the Antichrist will come from the civil environment, under the guise of a civil leader, preached and praised by those who betrayed religious beliefs by a false prophet or false prophets).

Just as during the earthly life of the Savior both of these authorities, civil and religious, in the person of Pilate and the Jewish high priests, united in condemning Christ to be crucified, so throughout the history of mankind these two authorities often unite in the fight against faith and to persecute believers. As has already been said, the Apocalypse describes not only the distant future, but also a constantly recurring one - for different peoples at one time. And the Antichrist is also his own for everyone, appearing in times of anarchy, when “he who holds back is taken.” Examples: the prophet Balaam and the Moabite king; Queen Jezebel and her priests; false prophets and princes before the destruction of Israel and later the Jews, “apostates from the holy covenant” and King Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. 8:23; 1 Macc. and 2 Macc. 9), adherents of the Mosaic law and Roman rulers in apostolic times. In New Testament times, heretical false teachers weakened the Church with their schisms and thereby contributed to the conquering successes of the Arabs and Turks, who flooded and ruined the Orthodox East; Russian freethinkers and populists prepared the ground for the revolution; modern false teachers are seducing unstable Christians into various sects and cults. All of them are false prophets who contribute to the success of the atheistic forces. Apocalypse clearly reveals the mutual support between the dragon-devil and both beasts. Here, each of them has his own selfish calculations: the devil craves self-worship, the Antichrist seeks power, and the false prophet seeks his own material gain. The Church, calling people to faith in God and to strengthening virtues, serves as a hindrance to them, and they jointly fight against it.

Mark of the Beast.

(Rev. 13:16-17; 14:9-11; 15:2; 19:20; 20:4). In the language of the Holy Scriptures, wearing a seal (or mark) means belonging to or subordinating to someone. We have already said that the seal (or the name of God) on the forehead of believers means their chosenness by God and, therefore, God’s protection over them (Rev. 3:12; 7:2-3; 9:4; 14:1; 22: 4). The activities of the false prophet, described in the 13th chapter of the Apocalypse, convince us that the kingdom of the beast will be of a religious and political nature. By creating a union of different states, it will simultaneously implant a new religion instead of the Christian faith. Therefore, to submit to the Antichrist (allegorically - to accept the mark of the beast on your forehead or right hand) will be tantamount to renouncing Christ, which will entail the deprivation of the Kingdom of Heaven. (The symbolism of the seal is drawn from the custom of antiquity, when warriors burned the names of their leaders on their hands or foreheads, and slaves - voluntarily or forcibly - accepted the seal of the name of their master. Pagans devoted to some deity often wore a tattoo of this deity on themselves) .

It is possible that during the time of the Antichrist, advanced computer registration will be introduced, similar to modern bank cards. The improvement will consist in the fact that the computer code, invisible to the eye, will be printed not on a plastic card, as it is now, but directly on the human body. This code, read by an electronic or magnetic “eye,” will be transmitted to a central computer in which all information about that person, personal and financial, will be stored. Thus, establishing personal codes directly in public will replace the need for money, passports, visas, tickets, checks, credit cards and other personal documents. Thanks to individual coding, all monetary transactions - receiving salaries and paying debts - can be carried out directly on the computer. If there is no money, the robber will have nothing to take from the person. The state, in principle, will be able to control crime more easily, since the movements of people will be known to it thanks to a central computer. It seems that this personal coding system will be proposed in such a positive aspect. In practice, it will also be used for religious and political control over people, when “no one will be allowed to buy or sell except the one who has this mark” (Rev. 13:17).

Of course, the idea expressed here about stamping codes on people is an assumption. The point is not in electromagnetic signs, but in fidelity or betrayal of Christ! Throughout the history of Christianity, pressure on believers from anti-Christian authorities took a variety of forms: making a formal sacrifice to an idol, accepting Mohammedanism, joining a godless or anti-Christian organization. In the language of the Apocalypse, this is the acceptance of the “mark of the beast:” the acquisition of temporary advantages at the cost of renouncing Christ.

The number of the beast is 666.

(Rev. 13:18). The meaning of this number still remains a mystery. Obviously, it can be deciphered when the circumstances themselves contribute to this. Some interpreters see the number 666 as a decrease in the number 777, which in turn means threefold perfection, completeness. With this understanding of the symbolism of this number, the Antichrist, who strives to show his superiority over Christ in everything, will in fact turn out to be imperfect in everything. In ancient times, name calculation was based on the fact that the letters of the alphabets had a numerical value. For example, in Greek (and in Church Slavonic) A equaled 1, B = 2, G = 3, etc. A similar numerical value of letters exists in Latin and Hebrew. Each name could be arithmetically calculated by adding up the numerical value of the letters. For example, the name Jesus written in Greek is 888 (possibly denoting supreme perfection). There are a huge number of proper names, which the sum of their letters translated into numbers gives 666. For example, the name Nero Caesar, written in Hebrew letters. In this case, if the Antichrist’s own name were known, then calculating its numerical value would not require special wisdom. Maybe here we need to look for a solution to the riddle in principle, but it is not clear in which direction. The Beast of the Apocalypse is both the Antichrist and his state. Perhaps at the time of the Antichrist, initials will be introduced to denote a new worldwide movement? By the will of God, the personal name of the Antichrist is hidden from idle curiosity for the time being. When the time comes, those who should decipher it will decipher it.

The talking image of the beast.

It is difficult to understand the meaning of the words about the false prophet: “And it was given to him to put breath into the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should speak and act, so that everyone who would not worship the image of the beast would be killed” (Rev. 13:15). The reason for this allegory could have been the demand of Antiochus Epiphanes that the Jews bow to the statue of Jupiter, which he erected in the Temple of Jerusalem. Later, Emperor Domitian demanded that all inhabitants of the Roman Empire bow to his image. Domitian was the first emperor to demand divine veneration during his lifetime and to be called “our lord and god.” Sometimes, for a greater impression, priests were hidden behind the statues of the emperor, who spoke from there on his behalf. Christians who did not bow to the image of Domitian were ordered to be executed, and those who bowed to be given gifts. Maybe in the prophecy of the Apocalypse we are talking about some kind of device like a television that will transmit the image of the Antichrist and at the same time monitor how people react to it. In any case, in our time, movies and television are widely used to instill anti-Christian ideas, to accustom people to cruelty and vulgarity. Daily indiscriminate watching of TV kills the good and holy in a person. Isn't television the forerunner of the talking image of the beast?

Seven bowls.

Strengthening the atheistic power.

Judgment of sinners (chap. 15-17).

In this part of the Apocalypse, the seer describes the kingdom of the beast, which has reached its apogee of power and control over people's lives. Apostasy from the true faith covers almost all of humanity, and the Church reaches extreme exhaustion: “And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them” (Rev. 13:7). To encourage the believers who remained faithful to Christ, the Apostle John raises their gaze to the heavenly world and shows a great host of righteous people who, like the Israelites who escaped from Pharaoh under Moses, sing a song of victory (Exodus 14-15 ch.).

But just as the power of the pharaohs came to an end, the days of anti-Christian power are numbered. Next chapters (16-20 chapters). in bright strokes they depict God's judgment over those who fight against God. The defeat of nature in the 16th chapter. similar to the description in the 8th chapter, but here it reaches worldwide proportions and makes a terrifying impression. (As before, obviously, the destruction of nature is carried out by people themselves - wars and industrial waste). The increased heat from the sun that people are suffering from may be due to the destruction of ozone in the stratosphere and an increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. According to the Savior’s prediction, in the last year before the end of the world, living conditions would become so unbearable that “if God had not shortened those days, no flesh would have been saved” (Matt. 24:22).

The description of judgment and punishment in chapters 16-20 of the Apocalypse follows the order of increasing guilt of the enemies of God: first, the people who received the mark of the beast and the capital of the anti-Christian empire, “Babylon,” are punished, then the Antichrist and the false prophet, and finally the devil.

The story of the defeat of Babylon is given twice: first in general terms at the end of the 16th chapter, and in more detail in chapters 18-19. Babylon is depicted as a harlot sitting on a beast. The name Babylon is reminiscent of Chaldean Babylon, in which the atheistic power was concentrated in Old Testament times. (Chaldean troops destroyed ancient Jerusalem in 586 BC). Describing the luxury of a “harlot,” the Apostle John had in mind rich Rome with its port city. But many features of apocalyptic Babylon do not apply to ancient Rome and, obviously, refer to the capital of the Antichrist.

Equally mysterious is the angel's explanation at the end of chapter 17 about the “mystery of Babylon” in detail relating to the Antichrist and his kingdom. These details will probably be understood in the future when the time comes. Some allegories are taken from the description of Rome, which stood on seven hills, and its godless emperors. “Five kings (the heads of the beast) fell” - these are the first five Roman emperors - from Julius Caesar to Claudius. The sixth head is Nero, the seventh is Vespasian. “And the beast that was and is not, is the eighth, and (he is) from among the seven” - this is Domitian, the revived Nero in the popular imagination. He is the Antichrist of the first century. But, probably, the symbolism of the 17th chapter will receive a new explanation during the time of the last Antichrist.

John's revelation describes the events that will precede Jesus' second appearance on earth, the appearance of the messiah, and life after the Second Coming. It was the description of the events before the Second Coming, and in particular various cataclysms, that led to the modern use of the word APOCALYPSE to mean the end of the world.

Authorship, time and place of writing of the Apocalypse.

In the text the author calls himself John. There are two versions of authorship. The most popular of them (traditional) attributes the authorship of Revelation to John the Theologian. The following facts support the idea that the author was John the Theologian:

• Four times in the text the author calls himself John;
• From apostolic history it is known that John the Theologian was imprisoned on the island of Patmos;
• The similarity of some characteristic expressions with the Gospel of John.
• Patristic research confirms the authorship of John the Theologian.

Many modern researchers, however, dispute the traditional version, citing the following arguments:

• The difference between the language and style of the Apocalypse and the language and style of the Gospel written by John the Theologian;
• The difference between the problems of the Apocalypse and

The difference in language can be explained by the fact that, although John spoke Greek, but, being in captivity, far from the living spoken Greek language, naturally, being a natural Jew, he wrote under the influence of the Hebrew language.

It should be said that, while refuting the traditional authorship, these researchers do not offer any reasoned alternative opinion. The difficulty is that there were several Johns in the apostolic circle, and which of them the Revelation was written does not yet seem possible. When the author himself mentions in the text the fact that he received a vision on the island of Patmos, the author of the Apocalypse is sometimes called John of Patmos. The Roman presbyter Caius believed that the Revelation was created by the heretic Cerinthos.

As for the date of writing the Revelation of John the Theologian, the fact that Papias of Hierapolis was familiar with the text indicates that the Apocalypse was written no later than the 2nd century. Most modern researchers consider the time of writing to be 81–96. Revelation 11 talks about a certain “dimension” of the temple. This fact leads researchers to an earlier dating - 60 years. However, most believe that these lines are not factual, but symbolic in nature and date the writing to the end of the reign of Domitian (81 - 96). This version is supported by the fact that Revelation came to the author on the island of Patmos, and it was there that Domitian exiled people he disliked. Moreover, the end of Domitian’s reign is characterized as a difficult time of persecution of Christians; most likely, it was in such a situation that the Apocalypse was written. Saint John himself points out the purpose of writing Revelation - “to show what must soon happen.” The author shows and predicts the triumph of the Church and Faith. It was precisely at the moment of sorrow and difficult trials that such a work was needed as support and consolation in the struggle for the truth of the Christian faith.

When and how did the Apocalypse of John the Theologian enter the canon of the New Testament?

As we said earlier, the first mention of the Revelation of John the Theologian occurs in the second century. The Apocalypse is mentioned in the works of Tertullian, Irenaeus, Eusebius, Clement of Alexandria and others. However, the text of Revelation remained uncanonized for a long time. Cyril of Jerusalem and Saint Gregory the Theologian opposed the canonization of the Apocalypse of John. The Apocalypse was not included in the canon of the Bible, approved by the Council of Laodicea in 364. Only at the end of the 4th century, thanks to the authority of the opinion of Athanasius the Great, who insisted on the canonization of the Revelation of John, the Apocalypse entered the New Testament canon by the decision of the Council of Hippo in 383. This decision was confirmed and enshrined at the Council of Carthage in 419.

Ancient manuscripts of the Apocalypse.

Chester Beatty's Third Papyrus

The oldest version of the manuscript of the Revelation of John dates from the mid-third century. This is the so-called third papyrus Chester Beatty or papyrus P47. Third papyrus Chester Beatty contains 10 of the 32 leaves of the Revelation of John.

The text of the Revelation of John the Theologian is also contained in the Codex Sinaiticus. In total, about 300 manuscripts of the Apocalypse are known today. Not all of them contain the full version of Revelation. The Apocalypse is the least attested book of the Old Testament in manuscripts.

How is the Revelation of John the Evangelist used in worship?

Due to the fact that the Revelation of John was included into the canon relatively late, it was practically not used in the services of the Eastern Church. This is one of the reasons for the small number of manuscripts of the Apocalypse that have reached us, mentioned earlier in the article.

According to the Jerusalem Charter (Typicon), which establishes the order Orthodox divine services, the reading of Revelation is prescribed at the “great readings” at all-night vigils. IN Catholicism The Apocalypse is read during the Easter period at Sunday masses. Songs from revelation are also included in the "Liturgy of the Hours"

However, it should be noted that in real life the Apocalypse almost never not used at worship services.

Revelation of John the Theologian - interpretation

In the text of the Apocalypse, John the Theologian describes the revelation he received in visions. The visions describe the birth of the Antichrist, the Second Coming of Christ, the end of the world and the Last Judgment. The figurative side of the text is rich and varied. Images of the Apocalypse have become very popular in world culture. In the Revelation of John the Theologian, the number of the beast is mentioned - 666. Many images were borrowed by the author from Old Testament prophecies. Thus, the author emphasizes the continuity of the Old and New Testaments. The apocalypse ends with a prophecy about the victory of God over the Devil.

The Apocalypse of John the Theologian gave rise to a huge number of points of view and attempts at interpretation and explanation. So, for example, there is an attempt to explain Revelation from the point of view of astronomy in the book by N.A. Morozov “Revelation in a Thunderstorm and a Storm.” Attempts to interpret Revelation multiply in terrible times for humanity - in times of upheaval, disasters and wars.

The sequence of visions and their interpretation.

The mysterious nature of the Revelation of John the Theologian, on the one hand, complicates its understanding and interpretation, and, on the other hand, attracts inquisitive minds trying to decipher the mysterious visions.

Vision 1 (Chapter 1). The Son of Man with seven stars in his hands, located in the middle of the seven lamps.

Interpretation. The loud trumpet voice that John heard belonged to the Son of God. He calls himself Alpha and Omega in Greek. This naming emphasizes that the Son, like the Father, contains within himself all that exists. He stood in the middle of seven lamps, which represented the seven churches. The Revelation of John the Theologian is given to the seven churches that at that time constituted the Ephesian Metropolis. The number seven in those days had a special mystical meaning, meaning completeness. Thus, we can say that Revelation was given to all Churches.

The Son of Man was dressed in a robe and girded with a golden belt. The podir symbolizes high priestly dignity, and the golden belt symbolizes royal dignity. His white hair represents wisdom and old age, thereby indicating his unity with God the Father. The fiery flame in the eyes says that nothing is hidden from His sight. His legs made of chalcolivan show the union of the human and the divine in Him. Halkolivan is an alloy in which halk (presumably copper) signifies the human principle, and livan - the divine.

The Son of Man held seven stars in his hands. The seven stars symbolized the seven bishops of the seven churches that constituted the Metropolis of Ephesus at that time. The vision means that Jesus holds the Church and the shepherds in his hands. Christ appears in the form of a King, and a Priest, and a Judge - this is how he will be at the time of His Second Coming.

The appeared Son of Man commands John to write down everything that appears in visions, as it should be.

The Appearance of the Son of Man to John

Vision 2(Chapters 4 - 5). John's Ascension to the Heavenly Throne. Vision of Him sitting on a throne surrounded by 24 elders and 4 living creatures.

Interpretation. Entering the door of heaven, John sees God the Father on the throne. Its appearance is similar to precious stones - green (the personification of life), yellow-red (the personification of purity and holiness, as well as God's wrath towards sinners). The combination of colors indicates that God punishes sinners, but forgives and gives life to those who repent. The combination of these colors predicts the Last Judgment as destruction and renewal.

24 elders in white robes and golden crowns are representatives of humanity who pleased the Lord. These are probably 12 representatives of Old Testament history and 12 of Christ’s apostles. The white color of clothing represents purity and purity. Golden crowns symbolize victory over demons.

The “seven candlesticks” burn around the throne. These are the seven angels or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. The sea in front of the throne - quiet and clean - symbolizes the souls of the righteous living by the gifts of God's grace.

The four animals represent the four elements over which the Lord rules - earth, heaven, sea and underworld. According to another version, these are angelic forces.

Vision 3(Chapters 6 - 7). The opening of the seven seals from the sealed book by the Lamb slain.

Interpretation: The Lord, sitting on the throne, held in his hand a Book sealed with seven seals. This book symbolizes God's wisdom and God's providence. The seals represent man's inability to comprehend all the plans of the Lord. According to another understanding, the Book is prophecies that were partially fulfilled in the Gospel, and the rest will be fulfilled in the last days.

One of the Angels calls for someone to open the book, removing the seals. However, there is no one worthy “neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth” who could open the seals. One of the elders said that “The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, ... can open this book and open its seven seals.” These lines are about Jesus, who appeared in the form of a lamb with seven horns and eyes. Only he, who sacrificed himself for humanity, was worthy to know the wisdom of God. The seven eyes symbolize the seven spirits of God, as well as the omniscience of God. The Lamb stood next to God, where the son of God should have stood.

When the lamb picked up the book, 24 elders in white robes and 4 animals sang a hitherto unheard song, in which they glorified the coming of the new Kingdom of the Son of God, in which He reigned as the God-man.

Let's talk now about the seven seals and their meaning.

• Removing the first seal. The first seal is a white horse with a victorious rider holding a bow in his hands. The white horse symbolizes the activity of the holy apostles, who directed their forces (bow) against demons in the form of Gospel sermons.
• Removing the second seal. The second seal is a red horse with a rider who took peace from the earth. This seal represents the revolt of the infidels against the believers.
• Removing the third seal. The third seal is a black horse with a rider. This is the personification of unsteady faith and rejection of Christ. According to another version, the black horse symbolizes hunger.
• Opening of the fourth seal. The fourth seal is a pale horse with a rider named “death.” The seal personifies the manifestation of the wrath of God, including the prediction of future disasters.

The horsemen who appeared after the opening of the seals

• Opening of the fifth seal. Fifth seal - those killed for the Word of God are clothed in white robes. The souls of the injured righteous are under the altar of the Heavenly Temple. The prayer of the righteous sounds as a harbinger of retribution for everyone’s sins. The white robes worn by the righteous symbolize virtue and purity of faith.
• Opening of the sixth seal. The Sixth Seal is the day of wrath, natural disasters and horrors before the end of the world.
• Opening of the seventh seal. After the seventh seal was opened, complete silence reigned in heaven for half an hour.

Vision 4(Chapters 8 - 11). Seven Angels with Seven Trumpets.

Interpretation. After the opening of the seventh seal, a silence reigned in heaven, which was the calm before the storm. Soon seven angels appeared with seven trumpets. These angels are the punishers of the human race. The angels sounded their trumpets and brought down seven great disasters on humanity.

• The first angel - hail with fire falls on the Earth, as a result of which a third of the trees disappear, all the grass burns, including all the grain.
• The second angel, a mountain blazing with fire, was thrown into the sea; as a result of this disaster, a third of the sea turned to blood, a third of the ships and a third of the sea creatures perished.
• The third angel is a star falling from the sky. A third of the rivers and water sources are poisoned and many will die from drinking this water.
• The fourth angel - the third part of the sun, moon and stars went out (eclipsed). The day was shortened by a third, leading to crop failures and famine.
• The fifth angel is the fall of a star from the sky and the appearance of locusts. For five months the locusts tormented the people without the seal of God. This locust looks like a person, has woman's hair and lion's teeth. According to many interpretations of the Revelation of John, these locusts symbolize the sinfulness of human passions.
• The sixth angel is the appearance of four angels bound at the Euphrates River. Angels destroy a third of people. After which a mounted army appears, the horses of which have the heads of a lion and the tails of snakes. Four Angels are evil demons.
• The seventh angel, most likely Christ himself, descends from heaven to earth. A rainbow is above his head, and in his hands is an open book, which was recently sealed with seven seals. The angel stands with one foot on the earth, the other on the sea. The angel speaks of the end of time and the reign of eternity.

And I saw seven angels who stood before God; and seven trumpets were given to them.

Vision 5(Chapter 12). The red serpent pursues the wife clothed in the sun. The war between Michael and the beast in heaven.

Interpretation. By a woman clothed in the sun, some interpreters of the Apocalypse of John the Theologian understand the Most Holy Theotokos, but most see in this image the Church clothed in the radiance of the Word of God.

The moon under the wife's feet is a symbol of constancy. The crown of twelve stars on the wife’s head is a sign that she was originally gathered from the 12 tribes of Israel, and subsequently led by the 12 Apostles. The wife experiences the pangs of birth - that is, those difficulties in confirming God's will.

A great red serpent with seven heads and ten horns appears. It's the devil himself. Seven heads mean great ferocity, ten horns mean anger against the 10 commandments, and red color means bloodthirstiness. The crown on each of the heads indicates that before us is the ruler of a dark kingdom. According to some interpretations of the Apocalypse, the seven crowns symbolize the seven rulers who rebelled against the Church. The tail of the serpent swept away a third of all the stars from the sky - that is, it led sinners to spiritual fall.

The red serpent pursues the wife clothed in the sun.

The serpent wants to steal the child that is about to be born to the wife. A wife gives birth to a son, just as the Church daily gives birth to Christ for believers. The child goes to heaven with God, and the wife runs into the desert. In this prophecy, many see a description of the flight of Christians from Jerusalem, besieged by the Romans, into the Trans-Jordanian desert.

What follows is a description of the battle between Michael and his angels and the serpent. Under the image of this battle, many see the confrontation between Christianity and paganism. The serpent was defeated, but not destroyed. He stayed on the ground and pursued his wife. The wife was given two wings - the Old and New Testaments, with the help of which she is transported to the desert, which probably means the desert of the spirit. The serpent releases a river from his mouth, wanting to drown his wife. But the earth opened up and swallowed the river. The river here symbolizes the temptations that believers must resist. According to another version, these are terrible persecutions of the Christian Church, characteristic of the time of writing the Apocalypse of John the Theologian.

The angry serpent brought down his fury on the woman's seeds. This is a symbol of Christianity's endless struggle against sinfulness.

Vision 6(Chapter 13). A beast with seven heads and ten horns emerges from the sea. The appearance of a beast with lamb horns. Number of the beast.

Interpretation. The beast coming out of the sea is the Antichrist coming out of the sea of ​​life. It follows from this that the Antichrist is a product of the human race, he is a man. Therefore, one should not confuse the devil and the Antichrist; these are different concepts. The Antichrist, like the devil, has seven heads. Ten heads with crowns indicate that the Antichrist will have power on earth, which he will receive with the help of the devil. Humanity will try to rebel against the Antichrist, but then he will reign over the world. The power of the Antichrist will last 42 months.

Another beast described in the Revelation of John the Theologian is a beast with lamb horns. This is a symbolic representation of false prophetic activity. This beast emerges from the ground. The beast will show false miracles to humanity, using deception.

The beast with seven heads and ten horns and the beast with lamb horns.

Anyone who worships the Antichrist will have the name of the Antichrist written on their face or right hand. The name of the Antichrist and the “number of his name” give rise to many disputes and interpretations. His number is 666. His name is unknown, but in different eras interpreters attributed his name to various historical figures, trying to connect the name and number of the beast.

Vision 7(Chapter 14). Appearance of the Lamb on Mount Zion. Appearance of angels.

Interpretation. After a vision of the Antichrist's reign on earth, John looks up to heaven and sees a lamb standing on Mount Sinai surrounded by 144,000 of God's chosen ones from all nations. The name of God is written on their face. They are joined by a host of harp players playing a “new song” about redemption and renewal.

Next, John sees three angels soaring in the sky. The first Angel proclaimed to people the “eternal Gospel”, the second - heralds the fall of Babylon (this is a symbol of the kingdom of sin), the third - threatens those who serve the Antichrist with eternal torment.

Looking up at heaven, John sees the Son of God wearing a golden crown and holding a sickle in his hand. Angels announce the beginning of the harvest. The Son of God throws the sickle onto the ground and the harvest begins - it also symbolizes the end of the world. An angel reaps bunches of grapes. By bunches of grapes we mean the most dangerous enemies of the Church. Wine flowed from the grapes and rivers of grapes reached the horse's bridles.

Harvest

Vision 8 ( Chapters 15 - 19). Seven bowls of wrath.

Interpretation. After the harvest, John in his Revelation describes a vision of a sea of ​​glass mixed with fire. The glass sea represents the pure souls of those saved after the harvest. Fire can be understood as the grace of the Life-giving Spirit. John hears the “song of Moses” and the “song of the Lamb.”

After this, the gates of the heavenly temple opened and seven angels in white robes came out and received from 4 animals seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of the Lord. The angels are instructed by God to pour out the seven vials before the final judgment of the living and the dead.

The Seven Bowls of Wrath are reminiscent of the Plagues of Egypt, which were a prototype of the reprisal against the false Christian kingdom.

• The first angel poured out the cup - and an epidemic of disgusting plagues began.
• The second Angel poured the cup into the sea - and the water became like the blood of a dead man. Every living thing died in the sea.
• The third Angel poured the cup into the rivers and springs of water - and all the water turned into blood.
• The fourth Angel poured the cup into the sun - and the sun burned the people. By this solar heat, interpreters of the Revelation of John the Theologian understand the heat of temptations and temptations.
• The fifth Angel poured the cup onto the throne of the beast - and his kingdom became dark. The followers of the Antichrist bit their tongues from suffering, but did not repent.
• The sixth Angel poured the bowl into the Euphrates - and the water in the river dried up. The Euphrates River has always been the natural defense of the Roman Empire from the attacks of the peoples of the East. The drying up of the Euphrates symbolizes the emergence of a path for the soldiers of the Lord.
• With the pouring out of the last bowl the kingdom of the beast will be completely defeated. John describes the fall of Babylon - the great Harlot

Angels pour out the seven bowls of the Lord's wrath

Vision 9. The Last Judgment (Chapter 20)

In this chapter, John describes a vision related to the history of the Church. He talks about the general resurrection and the Last Judgment.

Vision 10(Chapters 21-22). New Jerusalem.

John was shown the greatness of the new Jerusalem - the Kingdom of Christ, which will reign after the victory over the devil. There will be no sea in the new kingdom - for the sea is a symbol of impermanence. In the new world there will be no hunger, no disease, no tears.

Only those who win the confrontation with demons will enter the new Kingdom; others will be condemned to eternal torment.

The church appeared before John in the form of a beautiful city descending from the heavens of Jerusalem. There is no visible temple in the city, since the city itself is a temple. The heavenly city does not need consecration also because God lives in it.

and he showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, which came down from heaven from God.

The Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian is the logical conclusion of the New Testament cycle. From the historical books of the New Testament, believers can gain knowledge about the founding and development of the Church. From the books of the law - a guide for life in Christ. The Apocalypse prophesies about the future of the Church and the world.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE APOCALYPSE AND THE INTEREST IN IT

The Apocalypse, or translated from Greek the Revelation of St. John the Theologian, is the only prophetic book of the New Testament. It is the natural completion of the entire circle of New Testament holy books. In legal, historical and educational books, a Christian obtains knowledge about the foundation and historical growth of the life of the Church of Christ and guidance for his personal life; in the Apocalypse, the believing mind and heart are given mysterious prophetic instructions about the future fate of the Church and the whole world. The Apocalypse is a mysterious book, very difficult to correctly understand and interpret, as a result of which the church charter does not allow readings from it during Divine services. But at the same time, it is precisely this mysterious character of this book that attracts the attention of both believing Christians and simply inquisitive thinkers, who throughout the entire New Testament history of mankind have been trying to unravel the meaning and significance of the mysterious visions described in it. There is a huge literature about the Apocalypse, among which there are many nonsense works concerning the origin and content of this mysterious book. As one of such works of recent times, it is necessary to point out the book by N.A. Morozov “Revelation in a Thunderstorm and Storm”. Based on the preconceived idea that the visions described in the Apocalypse depict with the accuracy of an astronomer-observer the state of the starry sky at any particular moment in time, N.A. Morozov makes an astronomical calculation and comes to the conclusion that this was the starry sky on September 30, 395. Replacing the faces, actions and pictures of the Apocalypse with planets, stars and constellations, N.A. Morozov widely uses the vague outlines of clouds, replacing with them the missing names of stars, planets and constellations to depict the complete picture of the sky in accordance with the data of the Apocalypse. If the clouds do not help, despite all the softness and pliability of this material in skillful hands, then N.A. Morozov reworks the text of the Apocalypse in the sense he needs. N.A. Morozov justifies his free handling of the text of the sacred book either by the clerical error and ignorance of the copyists of the Apocalypse, “who did not understand the astronomical meaning of the picture,” or even by the consideration that the writer of the Apocalypse himself, “thanks to a preconceived idea,” made exaggerations in the description of the picture starry sky. Using the same “scientific” method, N.A. Morozov determines that the writer of the Apocalypse was St. John Chrysostom (b. 347, d. 407), Archbishop of Constantinople. N.A. Morozov does not pay any attention to the complete historical inconsistency of his conclusions. (Prot. Nik. Alexandrov.) In our time - the period of the First World War and the Russian Revolution, and then the even more terrible Second World War, when humanity experienced so many terrible shocks and disasters - attempts to interpret the Apocalypse in relation to the events being experienced have multiplied even more. more or less successful. At the same time, one thing is important and necessary to remember: when interpreting the Apocalypse, as in general with any interpretation of this or that book of Holy Scripture, it is necessary to use the data of other sacred books that are part of our Bible, and the interpretive works of St. Fathers and teachers of the Church. Of the special patristic works on the interpretation of the Apocalypse, the “Interpretation of the Apocalypse” by St. Andrew, Archbishop of Caesarea, which represents the sum of the entire understanding of the Apocalypse in the pre-Nicene period (before the 1st Ecumenical Council). The Apology for the Apocalypse of St. is also very valuable. Hippolytus of Rome (c. 230). In modern times, so many interpretative works on the Apocalypse have appeared that their number had already reached 90 by the end of the 19th century. Of the Russian works, the most valuable are: 1) A. Zhdanova - “The Revelation of the Lord about the Seven Asian Churches” (an experience in explaining the first three chapters of the Apocalypse) ; 2) Bishop Peter - “Explanation of the Apocalypse of St. Apostle John the Theologian”; 3) N. A. Nikolsky - “The Apocalypse and the false prophecy it exposes”; 4) N. Vinogradova – “On the final destinies of the world and man” and 5) M. Barsova – “Collection of articles on the interpretative and edifying reading of the Apocalypse.”

ABOUT THE WRITER OF THE APOCALYPSE

The writer of the Apocalypse himself calls himself “John” (1:1, 4, 9). According to the general belief of the Church, it was St. The Apostle John, the beloved disciple of Christ, received the distinctive nickname “Theologian” for the height of his teaching about God the Word, to whose inspired pen belongs the 4th canonical Gospel and 3 conciliar epistles. This belief of the Church is justified both by the data indicated in the Apocalypse itself and by various internal and external signs. 1) The writer of the Apocalypse calls himself “John” at the very beginning, saying that he was given the “Revelation of Jesus Christ” (1:1). Further greeting the seven churches of Asia Minor, he again calls himself “John” (1:4). He goes on to say about himself, again calling himself “John,” that he was “on the island called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ” (1:9). From Apostolic history it is known that it was St. John the Theologian was imprisoned on Fr. Patmos. And finally, ending the Apocalypse, the writer again calls himself “John” (22:8). In verse 2 of chapter 1, he calls himself a witness of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 John 1-3). The opinion that the Apocalypse was written by some “presbyter John” is completely untenable. The very identity of this “Presbyter John” as a person separate from the Apostle John is rather doubtful. The only evidence that gives reason to talk about “presbyter John” is a passage from the work of Papias, preserved by the historian Eusebius. It is extremely vague and gives room only to guesses and assumptions that contradict one another. The opinion that attributed the writing of the Apocalypse to John-Mark, that is, to the Evangelist Mark, is not based on anything. Even more absurd is the opinion of the Roman presbyter Caius (III century) that the Apocalypse was written by the heretic Cerinthos. 2) The second proof that the Apocalypse belongs to the Apostle John the Theologian is its similarity with the Gospel and the Epistles of John, not only in spirit, but also in style, and especially in some characteristic expressions. So, for example, apostolic preaching is called here “testimony” (Apoc. 1:2-9; 20:4 cf. John 1:7, 3:11, 21:24; 1 John 5:9-11). The Lord Jesus Christ is called “the Word” (Rev. 19:13 cf. John 1:1-14 and 1 John 1:1) and “Lamb” (Rev. 5:6 and 17:14 cf. John 1: 36). The prophetic words of Zechariah: “And they will see Him who has broken the blood” (12:10) both in the Gospel and in the Apocalypse are given equally according to the translation of the 70 (Apoc. 1:7 and John 19:37). Some found that the language of the Apocalypse differs from the language of other writings of St. Apostle John. This difference is easily explained both by the difference in content and by the circumstances of the origin of the writings of St. Apostle. St. John, although he spoke Greek, but, being in captivity, far from the living spoken Greek language, naturally put the stamp of the strong influence of the Hebrew language on the Apocalypse, as a natural Jew. For an unprejudiced reader of the Apocalypse, there is no doubt that its entire content bears the stamp of the great spirit of the Apostle of love and contemplation. 3) All ancient and later patristic testimonies recognize the author of the Apocalypse as St. John the Theologian. His disciple St. Papias of Hierapolis calls “Elder John” the writer of the Apocalypse, by which name St. himself calls himself. The Apostle in his epistles (1 John 1 and 3 John 1). The testimony of St. Justin Martyr, who even before his conversion to Christianity lived for a long time in Ephesus, the city where the great Apostle lived and rested for a long time. Many St. the fathers cite passages from the Apocalypse, as from a divinely inspired book belonging to St. John the Theologian. These are: St. Irenaeus of Lyons, disciple of St. Polycarp of Smyrna, disciple of St. John the Evangelist, St. Hippolytus, Pope, disciple of Irenaeus, who even wrote an apology for the Apocalypse. Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian and Origen also recognize St. Apostle John, writer of the Apocalypse. The Monk Ephraim the Syrian, Epiphanius, Basil the Great, Hilary, Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Didymus, Ambrose, Augustine, and Jerome are equally convinced of this. Rule 33 of the Council of Carthage, attributing the Apocalypse to St. John the Theologian, places it among other canonical books. The absence of the Apocalypse in Pescito's translation is explained solely by the fact that this translation was made for liturgical reading, and the Apocalypse was not read during the divine service. In canon 60 of the Council of Laodicea, the Apocalypse is not mentioned, since the mysterious content of the book did not allow anyone to recommend a book that could give rise to false interpretations.

TIME AND PLACE OF WRITING THE APOCALYPSE

We do not have exact data about the time of writing of the Apocalypse. An ancient tradition indicates the end of the 1st century for this. Yes, St. Irenaeus writes: “The Apocalypse appeared shortly before this and almost in our time, at the end of the reign of Domitian” (“Against Heresies” 5:30). The church historian Eusebius reports that contemporary pagan writers also mention the exile of St. Apostle John to Patmos for his testimony about the Divine Word and refer this event to the 15th year of the reign of Domitian (95-96 AD). The same is stated by Clement of Alexandria, Origen and Blessed Jerome. The church writers of the first three centuries also agree in indicating the place where the Apocalypse was written, which they recognize as the island of Patmos, mentioned by the Apostle himself as the place where he received revelations (1:9-10). But after the discovery of the Syriac translation of the Apocalypse of the 6th century ("Pokoke"), where in the inscription Nero is named instead of Domitian, many began to attribute the writing of the Apocalypse to the time of Nero (to the 60s A.D.). St. Hippolytus of Rome also attributes the exile to St. John on Fr. Patmos to Nero. They also find that it is impossible to attribute the time of writing the Apocalypse to the reign of Domitian because, judging by verses 1-2 of the 11th chapter of the Apocalypse, the Jerusalem temple was not yet destroyed, since in these verses they see a prediction about the future destruction of the temple, which under Domitian it was already accomplished. References to Roman emperors, which some see in the 10th art. Chapter 17, comes closest to the successors of Nero. They also find that the number of the beast (13:18) can be found in the name of Nero: “Nero Caesar” - 666. The very language of the Apocalypse, full of Hebraisms, also, according to some, indicates its earlier date in comparison with the 4th Gospel and the Epistles St. John's origin. Nero's full name was: "Claudius Nero Domitius", as a result of which it was possible to confuse him with the emperor who reigned later. Domitian. According to this opinion, the Apocalypse was written two years before the destruction of Jerusalem, that is, in 68 AD. But it is objected to that the state of Christian life, as it appears in the Apocalypse, speaks for a later date. Each of the seven churches in Asia Minor to which St. John, already has its own history and one way or another determined direction of religious life: Christianity in them is no longer in the first stage of purity and truth - false Christianity is trying to take a place in them along with the true one. All this suggests that the activities of St. The Apostle Paul, who preached for a long time in Ephesus, was a thing of the long past. This point of view, based on the testimony of St. Irenaeus and Eusebius, dates the time of writing the Apocalypse to 95-96. according to R. X. It is very difficult to accept the opinion of St. Epiphanius, who says that St. John returned from Patmos under the emperor Claudius (4154). Under Claudius there was no general persecution of Christians in the provinces, but only the expulsion of Jews from Rome, among whom there could have been Christians. It is also incredible that the Apocalypse was written at an even later time, under the Emperor Trajan (98-108), when St. John died. Regarding the place where the Apocalypse was written, there is also an opinion that it was written in Ephesus, after the Apostle returned there from exile, although the first opinion is much more natural that the message to the churches of Asia Minor contained in the Apocalypse was sent precisely from Patmos. It is also difficult to imagine that St. The apostle would not have fulfilled the command to write everything he saw immediately (1:10-11).

THE MAIN SUBJECT AND PURPOSE OF WRITING THE APOCALYPSE

Beginning the Apocalypse, St. John himself points out the main subject and purpose of his writing - “to show what must soon be” (1:1). Thus, the main subject of the Apocalypse is a mysterious image of the future fate of the Church of Christ and the whole world. From the very beginning of its existence, the Church of Christ had to enter into a difficult struggle against the errors of Judaism and paganism in order to bring triumph to the Divine Truth brought to earth by the incarnate Son of God, and through this to grant man bliss and eternal life. The purpose of the Apocalypse is to depict this struggle of the Church and Her triumph over all enemies; to clearly show the death of the enemies of the Church and the glorification of Her faithful children. This was especially important and necessary for believers in those times when the terrible bloody persecution of Christians began, in order to give them comfort and encouragement in the sorrows and ordeals that befell them. This visual picture of the battle between the dark kingdom of Satan and the Church and the final victory of the Church over the “ancient serpent” (12:9) is needed for believers of all times, all with the same purpose of consoling and strengthening them in the struggle for the truth of Christ’s faith, which they constantly have to wage with the servants of the dark forces of hell, seeking in their blind malice to destroy the Church.

THE CHURCH'S VIEW ON THE CONTENT OF THE APOCALYPSE

All the ancient Fathers of the Church, who interpreted the sacred books of the New Testament, unanimously view the Apocalypse as a prophetic picture of the last times of the world and the events that are about to take place before the Second Coming of Christ to earth and at the opening of the Kingdom of Glory, prepared for all true believers Christians. Despite the darkness under which the mysterious meaning of this book is hidden and as a result of which many unbelievers tried in every possible way to discredit it, the deeply enlightened fathers and God-wise teachers of the Church have always treated it with great reverence. Yes, St. Dionysius of Alexandria writes: “The darkness of this book does not prevent me from being amazed at it. And if I do not understand everything in it, it is only because of my inability. I cannot be a judge of the truths contained in it, and measure them by the poverty of my mind; guided more by faith, than by reason, I find them only beyond my understanding." Blessed Jerome speaks in the same way about the Apocalypse: “There are as many mysteries in it as there are words. But what am I saying? Any praise of this book will be beneath its dignity.” Many believe that Caius, the presbyter of Rome, does not consider the Apocalypse to be the creation of the heretic Cerinthos, as some infer from his words, for Caius is not talking about a book called “Revelation,” but about “revelations.” Eusebius himself, who quotes these words from Caius, does not say a word about Cerinthus being the author of the book of the Apocalypse. Blessed Jerome and other fathers, who knew this place in the work of Kai and recognized the authenticity of the Apocalypse, would not have left it without objection if they considered the words of Kai to relate to the Apocalypse of St. John the Theologian. But the Apocalypse was not and is not read during the Divine Service: it must be assumed that in ancient times the reading of the Holy Scriptures during the Divine Service was always accompanied by its interpretation, and the Apocalypse is too difficult to interpret. This also explains its absence in the Syriac translation of Peshito, which was intended specifically for liturgical use. As proven by researchers, the Apocalypse was originally on the Peshito list and was removed from there after the time of Ephraim the Syrian, for St. Ephraim the Syrian cites the Apocalypse in his writings as the canonical book of the New Testament and widely uses it in his inspired teachings.

RULES FOR INTERPRETING THE APOCALYPSE

As the book of God's destinies about the world and the Church, the Apocalypse has always attracted the attention of Christians, and especially at a time when external persecution and internal temptations began to confuse believers with particular force, threatening all sorts of dangers on all sides. During such periods, believers naturally turned to this book for consolation and encouragement and tried to unravel from it the meaning and significance of the events taking place. Meanwhile, the imagery and mystery of this book makes it very difficult to understand, and therefore for careless interpreters there is always the risk of being carried away beyond the boundaries of truth and giving rise to unrealistic hopes and beliefs. So, for example, a literalistic understanding of the images in this book gave rise and now continues to give rise to the false teaching about the so-called “chiliasm” - the thousand-year reign of Christ on earth. The horrors of persecution experienced by Christians in the first century and interpreted in the light of the Apocalypse gave reason for some to believe in the onset of the “last times” and the imminent Second Coming of Christ, even then, in the first century. Over the past 19 centuries, many interpretations of the Apocalypse of the most diverse nature have appeared. All these interpreters can be divided into four categories. Some of them attribute all the visions and symbols of the Apocalypse to the “end times” - the end of the world, the appearance of the Antichrist and the Second Coming of Christ, others - give the Apocalypse a purely historical meaning, attributing all the visions to the historical events of the first century - to the times of persecution brought against the Church by pagans emperors. Still others try to find the fulfillment of apocalyptic predictions in historical events of later times. In their opinion, for example, the Pope is the Antichrist, and all apocalyptic disasters are announced specifically for the Roman Church, etc. Still others, finally, see in the Apocalypse only an allegory, believing that the visions described in it have not so much a prophetic as a moral meaning , the allegory is introduced only to enhance the impression in order to capture the imagination of readers. The more correct interpretation must be that which unites all these directions, and one should not lose sight of the fact that, as the ancient interpreters and Fathers of the Church clearly taught about this, the content of the Apocalypse is ultimately directed towards the final destinies of the world. There can be no doubt, however, that throughout past Christian history many of the predictions of St. John the Seer about the future destinies of the Church and the world, but great caution is needed in applying apocalyptic content to historical events, and this should not be overused. One interpreter’s remark is fair that the content of the Apocalypse will only gradually become clear as events occur and the prophecies predicted in it are fulfilled. The correct understanding of the Apocalypse, of course, is most hindered by people’s departure from faith and true Christian life, which always leads to dulling, or even complete loss of spiritual vision, necessary for a correct understanding and spiritual assessment of the events taking place in the world. This complete devotion of modern man to sinful passions, depriving him of purity of heart, and therefore of spiritual vision (Matthew 5:8), is the reason that some modern interpreters of the Apocalypse want to see in it only an allegory and even teach the Second Coming of Christ to be understood allegorically . Historical events and persons of the time we are now experiencing, which, in all fairness, many already call apocalyptic, convince us that to see only an allegory in the book of the Apocalypse truly means to be spiritually blind, so everything that is happening in the world now resembles terrible images and visions Apocalypse.

The Apocalypse contains only twenty-two chapters. According to its content, it can be divided into the following sections:

1) Introductory picture of the Son of Man appearing to John, commanding John to write to the seven churches of Asia Minor - chapter 1.

2) Instructions to the seven churches of Asia Minor: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamon, Thyatira, Sardis. Philadelphian and Laodicean - chapters 2 and 3.

3) Vision of God Seated on the Throne and the Lamb - chapters 4 and 5.

4) Opening by the Lamb of the seven seals of the mysterious book - chapters 6 and 7.

5) The voices of the seven angelic trumpets, which announced various disasters to those living on earth at the opening of the seventh seal - chapters 8, 9, 10 and 11.

6) The Church of Christ under the image of a woman clothed with the sun, who was in birth pain - chapter 12.

7) The Beast Antichrist and his accomplice the false prophet – chapter 13.

8) Preparatory events before the general resurrection and the Last Judgment - chapters 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19. a) Song of praise of 144,000 righteous people and angels announcing the destinies of the world - chapter 14; b) Seven angels having the seven last plagues - chapter 15. c) Seven angels pouring out the seven bowls of the wrath of God - chapter 16. d) The judgment of the great harlot who sat on many waters and sat on a scarlet beast - chapter 17. e) The fall of Babylon - the great harlot - chapter 18. f) The warfare of the Word of God with the beast and his army and the destruction of the latter - chapter 19.

9) General Resurrection and the Last Judgment - chapter 20.

10) Opening of a new heaven and a new earth; the new Jerusalem and the bliss of its inhabitants - chapters 21 and 22 to the 5th verse.

11) Conclusion: certification of the truth of everything said and a testament to keep the commandments of God. Teaching the Blessing - Chapter 22:6-21.

EXEGETICAL ANALYSIS OF THE APOCALYPSE

Chapter first. THE PURPOSE OF THE APOCALYPSE AND THE METHOD OF GIVING IT TO JOHN

“The Apocalypse of Jesus Christ, which God has given Him to show by His servant, which it is fitting to be soon” - these words clearly define the nature and purpose of the Apocalypse as a Prophetic book. In this way, the Apocalypse differs significantly from the rest of the books of the New Testament, the content of which is primarily religious and moral. The importance of the Apocalypse is visible here from the fact that its writing was the result of a direct revelation and direct order given by St. To the Apostle by the Head of the Church Himself - the Lord Jesus Christ. The expression “soon” indicates that the prophecies of the Apocalypse began to be fulfilled immediately after its writing, and also that in the eyes of God “a thousand years are like one day” (Peter 2:3-8). The expression of the Apocalypse about the revelation of Jesus Christ, that “it was given to Him from God,” must be understood as referring to Christ according to humanity, for He Himself, during His earthly life, spoke of Himself as not omniscient (Mark 13:32) and receiving revelations from the Father (John 5:20).

“Blessed is he that is honourable, and heareth the words of prophecy, and keepeth that which is written therein: for the time is near” (v. 3). The book of the Apocalypse, therefore, has not only prophetic, but also moral significance. The meaning of these words is this: blessed is he who, by reading this book, will prepare himself for eternity with his life and deeds of piety, for the transition to eternity is close for each of us.

“John to the seventh churches which are in Asia” - the number seven is usually taken to express completeness. St. John addresses here only the seven churches with which he, as one who lived in Ephesus, had especially close and frequent relations, but in the person of these seven he also addresses the entire Christian Church as a whole. “From the seven spirits who are before His throne” - by these “seven spirits” it is most natural to understand the seven main Angels, which are spoken of in Tov. 12:15. St. Andrew of Caesarea, however, understands by them the angels who govern the seven churches. Many interpreters understand by this expression the Holy Spirit Himself, manifesting Himself in seven main gifts: the spirit of the fear of God, the spirit of knowledge, the spirit of power, the spirit of light, the spirit of understanding, the spirit of wisdom, the spirit of the Lord, or the gift of piety and inspiration to the highest degree (See Isaiah 11:1-3). The Lord Jesus Christ is called here “the faithful witness” in the sense that He testified before people His Divinity and the truth of His teaching by His death on the cross (in Greek “martis”). “He made us kings and priests to God and His Father” - not in the proper sense, of course, but in the sense in which God promised this to the chosen people through the prophets (Exodus 19:6), that is, he made us, true believers, better , the most holy people, which for other peoples is the same as a priest and a king in relation to other people.

“Behold, he is coming from the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and those who are like Him will give birth, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn for Him” - here the Second Glorious Coming of Christ is depicted in full agreement with the depiction of this coming in the Gospels (cf. Matt. 24:30 and 25:31; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27 cf. John 19:37). After the greeting in this verse to St. The Apostle immediately speaks of the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment in order to identify the main theme of his book, in order to prepare readers for the perception of the great and terrible revelations he received about this (v. 7). To confirm the immutability and inevitability of the Second Coming and the Last Judgment of God, St. The Apostle says on his own behalf: “Hey, Amen,” and then testifies to the truth of this by pointing to the One who is Alpha and Omega, the Firstfruits and the End of all things: the Lord Jesus Christ is the only beginningless and endless culprit of all that exists, He is eternal, He is the end and goal toward which all things tend (v. 8).

As for the method of giving revelations to him, St. John names first of all the place where he was deemed worthy to receive them. This is the island of Patmos - one of the Sporades islands in the Aegean Sea, deserted and rocky, with a circumference of 56 miles, between the island of Ikaria and the Miletus Cape, sparsely populated due to lack of water, unhealthy climate and infertile land. Now it is called "Palmosa". In a cave on one mountain they now show the place where John received revelations. There is a small Greek monastery there called "Apocalypse" (v. 9). The same verse also speaks about the time of receiving St. John of the Apocalypse. This was when St. John was imprisoned on Fr. Patmos, in his own words, “for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ,” that is, for the zealous apostolic preaching about Jesus Christ. The most severe persecution of Christians in the 1st century was under Emperor Nero. Tradition says that St. John was first thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, from which he emerged unharmed with renewed and strengthened strength. The expression “in sorrow,” in the sense of the original Greek expression, here means “suffering,” which comes from persecution and torment, the same as “martyrdom.” In the next, 10th verse of St. John also designates the very day on which he received revelations. It was a “weekly day”, in Greek “kyriaki imera” - “day of the Lord”. This was the first day of the week, which the Jews called “mia savaton,” that is, “the first day of Saturday,” but Christians called it “the day of the Lord” in honor of the risen Lord. The very existence of such a name already indicates that Christians celebrated this day instead of the Old Testament Saturday. Having designated the place and time, St. John also indicates his state in which he was granted apocalyptic visions. “I was in the spirit on Sunday,” he says. In the language of the prophets, “to be in the spirit” means to be in such a spiritual state when a person sees, hears and feels not with his bodily organs, but with his entire inner being. This is not a dream, for this state also occurs during wakefulness. In such an extraordinary state of his spirit, St. John heard a loud voice, as if blowing a trumpet, which said: “I am Alpha and Omega. The First and the Last; write what you see in a book and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea" (vv. 10-11). Next, four visions are described, according to which many usually divide the content of the Apocalypse into 4 main parts: the 1st vision is set out in chapters 1: 1-4; 2nd vision - in chapters 4-11; The 3rd vision is in chapters 12-14 and the 4th vision is in chapters 15-22. The first vision is the appearance of St. John of Someone "Like the Son of Man." The loud voice, like a trumpet, that John heard behind him belonged to Him. He called himself not in Hebrew, but in Greek: Alpha and Omega, First and Last. To the Jews in the Old Testament He revealed Himself under the name "Jehovah", which means: "From the beginning Existing", or "Existing", and here He signifies Himself by the initial and last letters of the Greek alphabet, indicating that He contains in Himself, like the Father , everything that exists in all phenomena of existence from beginning to end. It is characteristic that He declares Himself here as if under a new and, moreover, Greek name, “Alpha and Omega,” as if wanting to show that He is the Messiah for all the peoples who then spoke the Greek language everywhere and used Greek writing. The Revelation is given to the seven churches that make up the Metropolitanate of Ephesus, which was then ruled by St. John the Theologian, as being constantly in Ephesus, but, of course, it was given to the whole Church in the person of these seven churches. The number seven, in addition, has a mysterious meaning, meaning completeness, and therefore can be placed here as an emblem of the universal Church, to which the Apocalypse is addressed as a whole. Verses 12-16 describe the appearance of the man who appeared to John, “like the Son of Man.” He stood in the middle of seven lamps, symbolizing the seven churches, and was clothed in the “podir” - the long robe of the Jewish high priests, and, like kings, was girded across the chest with a golden belt. These features indicate the high priestly and royal dignity of the One who appeared (vv. 12-13). His head and hair were white, like white wool, like snow, and His eyes were like a flame of fire. White hair is usually a sign of old age. This sign testifies that the appeared Son of Man is one with the Father, that He is one with the “Ancient of Days,” whom St. beheld in a mysterious vision. Prophet Daniel (7:13) that He is the same Eternal God as God the Father. His eyes were like a flame of fire, which means His Divine zeal for the salvation of the human race, that before His gaze there is nothing hidden or dark, and that He burns with anger at all iniquity (v. 14). His feet were like halkolivan, as if heated in a furnace. "Halkolivan" is a precious metal alloy with a fiery red or golden yellow luster. According to some interpretations, halq is copper and symbolizes the human nature in Jesus Christ, and Lebanon, like fragrant incense, symbolizes the Divine nature. “And His voice is like the sound of many waters,” that is, His voice is like the voice of a terrible judge, striking with trembling the troubled souls of judged people (v. 15). “He held in His right hand seven stars” - according to the following explanation (v. 20) of Himself who appeared to John, these seven stars designated the seven heads of the churches, or bishops, called here “Angels of the churches.” This instills in us that the Lord Jesus Christ holds the church shepherds in His right hand. “And out of His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides” - this symbolizes the all-pervading power of the word coming from the mouth of God (cf. Heb. 4:12). “And His face was like the sun, shining in its power” - this is an image of that ineffable glory of God with which the Lord shone in His time and on Tabor (v. 16). All these features present to us a holistic image of the Terrible Judge, High Priest and King, as the Lord Jesus Christ will once appear on earth at His Second Coming, in order to judge the living and the dead. In great fear, John fell at His feet as if dead. From this we can conclude that the beloved disciple, who once reclined on the breasts of Jesus, did not recognize a single familiar feature in the One who appeared, and this is not surprising, for if the disciples did not easily recognize their Lord after the resurrection in His glorified body on earth, then it is even more difficult to recognize Him in radiant heavenly glory. The Lord Himself had to reassure the Apostle, placing His right hand on him with the words: “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and alive, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever, Amen: and the Imam is the key of hell and death” ( vv. 17-18) - from these words of St. John had to understand that the One who appeared was none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, and that His appearance for the Apostle could not be fatal, but, on the contrary, life-giving. To have the keys to something meant for the Jews to gain power over something. Thus, the “keys of hell and death” mean power over physical and mental death. In conclusion, the One who appeared commands John to write what he sees and what should be, explaining that the seven stars are Angels, or the leaders of the seven churches, and the seven lamps represent these very churches.

Chapter two. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ASIA MINOR CHURCHES: EPHESIS, SMYRNA, PERGAM AND THYATIRA

The second, as well as the next, third chapter, sets out the revelations received by St. John about each of the seven churches of Asia Minor, and the corresponding instructions to them. These revelations contain praises of their Christian life and faith, rebukes of their shortcomings, exhortations and consolations, threats and promises. The content of these revelations and instructions are closely related to the state of church life in the churches of Asia Minor at the end of the first century, but at the same time they apply to the entire Church in general throughout its existence on earth. Some even see here an indication of seven periods in the life of the entire Christian Church from the apostolic time to the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ.

First of all, the Lord commands us to write to the Angel of the Ephesian Church. The Ephesian Church is praised for its first deeds - for its labors, patience and resistance to false teachers, but at the same time it is condemned for abandoning its first love and hears a terrible threat that its lamp will be removed from its place if it does not repent. However, the good thing about the Ephesians is that they hate “the works of the Nicolaitans.” The Lord promises to reward those who overcome temptations and passions with eating the fruits of the tree of life. Ephesus is the oldest trading city on the shores of the Aegean Sea, famous for its wealth and huge population. St. preached there for more than two years. The Apostle Paul, who finally appointed his beloved disciple Timothy bishop of Ephesus, St. lived there for a long time and died. Apostle John the Theologian. Subsequently, the Third Ecumenical Council was held in Ephesus, which confessed the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. The threat to remove the lampstand over the Ephesian church came true. From the great center of the world, Ephesus soon turned into nothingness: all that remained of the former magnificent city was a pile of ruins and a small Muslim village. The great lamp of primitive Christianity went out completely. The Nicolaitans mentioned here were heretics, representing a branch of the Gnostics and distinguished by debauchery. They are also denounced in their conciliar epistles by St. Apostles Peter and Jude (2 Pet. 2:1; Jude 4). This heresy was started by the Antiochian proselyte Nicholas, who was one of the seven first deacons of Jerusalem (Acts 6:5), who fell away from the true faith. The reward for the winners among the Ephesian Christians is the eating of the heavenly tree of life. By this we must generally understand the benefits of the future blessed life of the righteous, the prototype of which was the tree of life in the primeval paradise where our first parents lived (vv. 1-7).

The Smyrna church, which consisted of poor people but spiritually rich, is predicted to suffer tribulation and persecution from the Jews, whom the Lord calls “the synagogue of Satan.” The prediction of sorrows is accompanied by a command to endure these sorrows, which will last “until ten days,” to the end, and a promise of deliverance is given “from the second death.” Smyrna is also one of the most ancient cities of Asia Minor, enlightened and glorious in pagan antiquity. Smyrna was no less remarkable in the history of the first times of Christianity, as a city that was very early illuminated by the light of Christianity and that, amid persecution, retained the pledge of faith and piety. The Church of Smyrna, according to legend, was founded by St. Apostle John the Theologian, and the latter’s disciple St. Polycarp, who was its bishop, glorified her with his martyrdom. According to the church historian Eusebius, almost immediately after the apocalyptic prediction, a fierce persecution of Christians arose in Asia Minor, during which St. suffered. Polycarp of Smyrna. According to some interpretations, “ten days” means the short duration of the persecution; according to others, on the contrary, for a certain long period, for the Lord commands the Smyrians to stock up on “faithfulness until death,” that is, for some long period. Some mean by this the persecution that took place under Domitian and lasted ten years. Others see this as a prediction of all ten persecutions that Christians suffered from pagan emperors during the first three centuries. By the “second death,” which is expected to occur for unbelievers after physical death, is meant their condemnation to eternal torment (see Rev. 21:8). The one who overcomes, that is, the one who has endured all persecution, is promised a “crown of life” or an inheritance of eternal blessings. Smyrna to this day remains a significant city and has the dignity of an Orthodox Christian metropolis (vv. 8-11).

The Pergamon Church boasts of the Lord for containing His Name and not rejecting faith in Him, although it was planted in the midst of a city extremely corrupted by paganism, which means the figurative expression: “you live where the throne of Satan is,” and was subjected to severe persecution, during which "Antipas, the faithful witness of the Lord, was put to death." Although many tried to understand the name “Antipas” symbolically, it is known from the martyrologies that have come down to us that Antipas was the bishop of Pergamum and for his zealous confession of the faith of Christ he was burned in the entrails of a red-hot copper bull. But then the Lord also points to negative phenomena in the life of the Pergamum Church, namely to the fact that the Nicolaitans appeared there too, legalizing the eating of things sacrificed to idols and all sorts of adulterous lewdness, to which the Israelis were driven at one time by Balaam. Pergamum is located north of Smyrna, and in ancient times it competed with Smyrna and Ephesus, it had a temple to the pagan deity Aesculapius, the patron saint of doctors. Its priests practiced medicine and put up strong resistance to the preachers of Christianity. Pergamon, called Bergamo, and the Christian church in it have survived to the present day, although in great poverty, since nothing remains of its former splendor except the huge ruins of the once beautiful temple in honor of St. John the Theologian, built by Emperor Theodosius. “To him who overcomes I will give food from the hidden manna, and I gave him a white stone, and on the stone a new name is written, which no one knows, except take it” - the image is taken from the Old Testament manna, which was a prototype of “the Bread of heaven that came down from heaven,” that is, the Lord Himself Jesus Christ. By this manna we must understand living communication in the future blissful life with the Lord. The metaphorical expression about the “white stone” has its basis in the custom of antiquity, according to which winners at public games and competitions were given white stone tablets, which they then presented to receive the awards awarded to them. It was the custom of Roman judges to collect votes with white and black stones. White meant approval, black meant condemnation. In the mouth of the Seer, the white stone symbolically denotes the purity and innocence of Christians, for which they receive a reward in the next century. Giving names to new members of the kingdom is characteristic of kings and rulers. And the Heavenly King will give all the chosen sons of His Kingdom new names, which will signify their internal properties and their purpose and service in the Kingdom of Glory. But since no one “message is from man even in man, even the spirit of man living in him” (1 Cor. 2:11), then the new name given to man by the Omniscient Master will be known only to the one receiving this name (vv. 12-17).

The Thyatira Church is praised for its faith, love and patience, but at the same time it is reproached for allowing in its depths a certain false prophetess Jezebel to commit lawlessness and corrupt people. The Lord predicts great sorrow for her and those who commit adultery with her if they do not repent, and death for her children; good and faithful Christians of the Thyatira church must only keep their faith and keep the commandments of God to the end. The Lord promises to give the winner strong power over the pagans and the morning star. Thyatira is a small town in Lydia, which has not marked itself in history, but is known in the history of Christianity for the fact that Lydia came from it, which was enlightened by the light of the Christian faith by St. Apostle Paul during his 2nd evangelistic journey to Philippi (Acts 16:14, 15, 40). Probably, this contributed to the rapid establishment of Christianity in Thyatira, and, as can be seen from the words “your last deeds are greater than your first,” all the previously mentioned good Christian qualities of the inhabitants of Thyatira developed and strengthened more and more over time. The name Jezebel is used here, apparently, in the same figurative sense as the name of Balaam above. It is known that Jezebel, the daughter of the king of Sidon, having entered into marriage with Ahab, the king of Israel, attracted him to the worship of all the abominations of Sidon and Tyre and was the reason for the fall of the Israelites into idolatry. It can be assumed that the name of “Jezebel” here refers to the same fornicating and idolatrous trend of the Nicolaitans. “The depths of Satan” are called here the teachings of the Nicolaitans, as the forerunners of the Gnostics, who called their false teaching “the depths of God.” Paganism fell as a result of the fight against Christianity. In this sense, the Lord promises the conqueror “power over the pagans.” “And I will give him the morning star” - there is a double interpretation of these words. The prophet Isaiah calls Satan, who fell from heaven, “the morning star” (Daystar) (Is. 14:12). Then these words signify the dominion of the Christian believer over Satan (see Luke 10:18-19). On the other hand, St. The Apostle Peter in his 2nd epistle (1:19) calls the Lord Jesus Christ the “morning star” that shines in human hearts. In this sense, the true Christian is promised the enlightenment of his soul by the light of Christ and participation in the future heavenly glory (vv. 18-29).

Chapter three. INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ASIA MINOR CHURCHES: SARDIA, PHILADELPHIA AND LAODICEA

The Lord commands the Angel of the Sardinian Church to write something more reproachful than comforting: this Church contains only the name of a living faith, but in fact it is spiritually dead. The Lord threatens the Sardinian Christians with sudden disaster if they do not repent. There are, however, very few among them “who did not defile their garments.” The Lord promises to clothe the winners (over the passions) in white robes, their names will not be blotted out from the book of life and will be confessed by the Lord before His Heavenly Father.

Sardis in ancient times was a large and rich city, the capital of the Lydian region, and now it is the poor Turkish village of Sardis. There are few Christians there, and they do not have their own temple. Under Julian the Apostate, the spiritual deadness of this city was clearly revealed: it quickly returned to idolatry, for which the punishment of God befell it: it was destroyed to the ground. Under the “defiled clothes”, spiritual defilements are metaphorically depicted here, and therefore those who have not defiled their clothes are those whose minds have remained uninvolved in heretical false teachings, and whose life is not stained by passions and vices. By “white robes” we mean the wedding garments in which the guests will be clothed at the wedding feast of the royal son, under whose image the Lord presented in the parable the future bliss of the righteous in His Heavenly Kingdom (Matthew 22:11-12). These are clothes that will be like the clothes of the Savior during the Transfiguration, becoming white as light (Matt. 17:2). God's determinations about the destinies of people are symbolically depicted under the image of a book in which the Lord, as an omniscient and omnirighteous Judge, writes down all the deeds of people. This symbolic image is often used in the Holy Scriptures (Ps. 68:29, Ps. 139:16, Isaiah 4:3; Dan. 7:10, Malach. 3:16; Exod. 32:32-33; Luke 10: 20; Phil. 4:3). In accordance with this idea, the one who lives worthy of the highest purpose is, as it were, written into the book of life, and the one who lives unworthily is, as it were, erased from this book, thereby depriving himself of the right to eternal life. Therefore, a promise to one who overcomes sin not to blot out his name from the book of life is equivalent to a promise not to deprive him of the heavenly blessings prepared for the righteous in the future life. “And I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels” - this is the same thing that the Lord promised during His life on earth to His true followers (Matthew 10:32), that is, I recognize and proclaim him My faithful disciple (v. 1-6). The Lord commands the Angel of the Philadelphian Church to write many comforting and praiseworthy things. Despite its weakness (probably meaning small number), this Church did not renounce the name of Jesus in the face of the satanic gathering of Jewish persecutors. For this, the Lord will make sure that they come and bow before her, and in the difficult time of temptation for the entire universe, she will find protection and protection from the Lord Himself. Therefore, the task of the Philadelphians is to keep only what they have, so that no one takes their crown. The Lord promises to make the winner a pillar in the temple and write on him the Name of God and the name of the city of God - the new Jerusalem, and the new name of Jesus. Philadelphia is the second large city in Lydia, named after its founder Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamon. This city, one of all the cities in Asia Minor, did not surrender to the Turks for a long time. It is remarkable that even today Christianity is in the most flourishing state in Philadelphia, surpassing all other cities of Asia Minor: a large Christian population has survived here, with its own bishop and 25 churches. Residents are distinguished by great hospitality and kindness. The Turks call Philadelphia “Allah-Sher,” that is, “God’s city,” and this name involuntarily recalls the promise of the Lord: “I will write on him who overcomes the name of My God and the name of the city of My God” (v. 12). “Thus says the true Holy One, you have the key of David” - the Son of God calls Himself having the key of David in the sense of having supreme power in the house of David, for the key is a symbol of power. The House of David, or the Kingdom of David, means the same as the Kingdom of God, of which it was a prototype in the Old Testament. It further says that if the Lord deigns someone to open the doors of this Kingdom, then no one can prevent him from doing so, and vice versa. This is a figurative indication of the firm faith of the Philadelphians, which the Judaizing false teachers could not break. The latter will come and bow before the feet of the Philadelphians, that is, apparently, they will recognize themselves as defeated. By the “time of temptation,” during which the Lord promises to preserve the Philadelphians faithful to Him, some understand the terrible persecution of Christians by the pagan Roman emperors, which covered “the whole universe,” as the Roman Empire was then called (cf. Luke 2:1); others suggest that by Philadelphia one must understand one of the Christian Churches or the entire Christian Church in general in the last times before the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. In this latter sense, the broadcast is especially clear: “Behold, I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, lest anyone take your crown.” Then the danger of losing faith from many temptations will increase, but the reward for fidelity will be, so to speak, at hand, and therefore one must be especially vigilant so that, through frivolity, one does not lose the possibility of salvation, as, for example, Lot’s wife lost it. Being placed as a “pillar” in the Church of Christ, insurmountable by the gates of hell, figuratively represented in the form of a house, shows the inviolable belonging of the winner in temptations to the Church of Christ, that is, the most secure position in the Kingdom of Heaven. A high reward for such a person will also be to have a triple name written on it: the name of a child of God, as inseparably belonging to God, the name of a citizen of the new or heavenly Jerusalem, and the name of a Christian, as a true member of the Body of Christ. The New Jerusalem is undoubtedly a heavenly, triumphant Church, which is called “descending from heaven” because the very origin of the Church from the Son of God, who came down from heaven, is heavenly, it gives heavenly gifts to people and raises them to heaven (vv. 7-13 ).

The Angel of Laodicea, the last, seventh Church, is commanded to write a lot of accusations. The Lord does not speak a single word of approval about her. He reproaches her for being neither cold nor hot, and therefore threatens to spew her out of His mouth, like warm water that induces nausea, despite the Laodiceans’ self-important confidence in their moral perfections, the Lord calls them unhappy, pitiful, poor, blind and naked, urging them to take care of covering their nakedness and healing their blindness. At the same time, He calls for repentance, saying that He stands with love at the door of the heart of every repentant and is ready to come to him with His mercies and forgiveness. The Lord promises to seat the winner over his pride and, in general, over his moral ailments, with Him on His throne. Laodicea, now called by the Turks "Eski-Gissar", that is, the Old Fortress, is located in Phrygia, near the Lyka River and near the city of Colossae. In ancient times it was famous for its trade, soil fertility and cattle breeding; its population was very numerous and rich, as evidenced by excavations, during which many precious pieces of sculpting art, fragments of luxurious marble decorations, cornices, pedestals, etc. are found. It can be assumed that wealth made the Laodiceans so lukewarm in relation to the Christian faith , for which their city was subjected to God's punishment - complete destruction and devastation by the Turks. “Thus says... The firstfruits of the creation of God” - the Lord is named so, of course, not in the sense that He is the first creation of God, but in the fact that “all things came into being, and without Him nothing came into existence that was made” (John 1:3), and also in the fact that He is the author of the restoration of fallen humanity (Gal. 6:15 and Colossians 3:10). “...Oh, if only you were cold or hot” - a cold person who has not known faith is more likely to believe and become an ardent believer than a Christian who has grown cold and has become indifferent to faith. Even an obvious sinner is better than a lukewarm Pharisee, satisfied with his moral state. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ condemned the Pharisees, preferring to them repentant tax collectors and harlots. Obvious and open sinners can more easily come to the consciousness of their sinfulness and sincere repentance than people with a lukewarm conscience who are not aware of their moral ailments. “Gold refined by fire, a white robe and eye ointment (collurium),” which the Lord advises the Laodiceans to buy from Him, means the love and favor of God acquired by repentance, good deeds, pure and blameless behavior and the highest heavenly wisdom, giving spiritual vision. It can also be assumed that the Laodiceans really relied excessively on their wealth, trying to combine service to God and Mammon. Some believe that here we are talking about shepherds who strive to enrich themselves with earthly riches and imagine that through wealth they are called to dominate the inheritance of God, impressing with their wealth. The Lord advises such to buy from Him, that is, not only to ask and not receive for nothing, but to buy, that is, to acquire from Christ Himself at the cost of labor and repentance, “gold refined by fire,” that is, true spiritual wealth, grace-filled, which for the shepherd consists , by the way, and in the teaching word, dissolved with salt, “white clothes,” that is, the gift of charity to others, and “colluria,” or the virtue of non-covetousness, which opens the eyes to the vanity and vanity of all the riches of this perishable world. “To the one who overcomes” a promise is given to seat him on the throne of God, by which is meant the highest dignity of the heir to the Kingdom of Heaven, co-reign with Christ Himself, the Conqueror of the devil.

There is an opinion that the seven churches mean seven periods in the life of the entire Church of Christ from its foundation to the end of the world: 1) The Church of Ephesus designates the first period - the Apostolic Church, which worked and did not faint, fought against the first heresies - the "Nicolaitans", but soon abandoned the good custom charity – “community of property” (“first love”); 2) The Smyrna Church denotes the second period - the period of persecution of the Church, of which there were only ten; 3) The Pergamon Church denotes the third period - the era of the Ecumenical Councils and the fight against heresies with the sword of the word of God; 4) Thyatira Church - 4th period, or the period of the heyday of Christianity among the new peoples of Europe; 5) Sardinian Church - the era of humanism and materialism of the 16th-18th centuries; 6) The Philadelphia Church - the penultimate period of the life of Christ's Church - our modern era, when the Church really has “little strength” in modern humanity, and persecution will begin again when patience is needed; 7) The Laodicean church is the last, most terrible era before the end of the world, characterized by indifference to faith and external well-being.

Chapter Four. SECOND VISION: THE VISION OF GOD SITTING ON THE THRONE AND THE LAMB

The fourth chapter contains the beginning of a new - second vision. An image of a new majestic spectacle that opened before the eyes of St. John, begins by commanding him to go up to the open door of heaven to see “what must be done from now on.” Opening the door means revealing the hidden secrets of the Spirit. With the words “come up here,” the listener is commanded to completely renounce earthly thoughts and turn to heavenly ones. “And abiye was in dus,” that is, again in a state of admiration, St. John saw, this time, God the Father Himself sitting on the throne. Its appearance was similar to the precious stones "iaspis" ("green stone, like emerald") and "sardinovi" (sardis, or serdonik, yellow-fiery color). The first of these colors is green, according to the interpretation of St. Andrew of Caesarea, meant that the Divine nature is ever-flowering, life-giving and food-giving, and the second - yellow-red-fiery - purity and holiness, eternally abiding in God, and His terrible anger towards those who violate His will. The combination of these two colors indicates that God punishes sinners, but at the same time is always ready to forgive those who sincerely repent. The appearance of the One sitting on the throne was surrounded by an “arc” (rainbow), like emerald, a green stone, which meant, like the rainbow that appeared after the flood, God’s eternal mercy to humanity. The very sitting on the throne meant the opening of the Judgment of God, which was about to open in the last times. This is not yet the last Last Judgment, but a preliminary judgment, similar to those judgments of God that were carried out repeatedly in the history of mankind over sinned people (the Flood, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the destruction of Jerusalem and many others). The precious stones jasper and carnelian, as well as the rainbow around the throne, which is a symbol of the cessation of God’s wrath and the renewal of the world, mean that God’s judgment on the world, that is, its fiery destruction, will end with its renewal. This is especially indicated by the property of jasper to heal ulcers and wounds received from the sword (vv. 1-3).

Around the throne, on 24 other thrones, sat 24 elders, dressed in white robes, with golden crowns on their heads. There are many different opinions and assumptions about who should be understood by these elders. One thing is certain, that these are representatives of humanity who have pleased the Lord. Many believe, based on the promise given to St. To the Apostles: “You also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28), that by these 24 elders we must mean 12 representatives of the Old Testament humanity - St. Patriarchs and Prophets, and 12 representatives of New Testament humanity, which can rightfully be revered as the 12 Apostles of Christ. White robes are a symbol of purity and eternal celebration, and golden crowns are a sign of victory over demons. From the throne “lightning and thunder and voice came forth” - this indicates how terrible and terrible God is for unrepentant sinners, unworthy of his mercy and forgiveness. “And the seven fiery candlesticks burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God” - by these “seven spirits” we must understand either the seven main Angels, as St. explains. Irina, or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, listed by St. the prophet Isaiah (11:2). “And before the throne the sea was glass, like crystal” - a crystal sea, as motionless and quiet, in contrast to the stormy sea seen later by St. John (13:1), should mean, according to many interpreters, “a multitude of holy powers of heaven, pure and immortal” (St. Andrew of Caesarea), these are the souls of people who were not disturbed by the storms of the worldly sea, but, like a crystal, reflecting the seven rainbow colors, imbued with the seven gifts of grace of the Holy Spirit. “And in the middle of the throne and around the throne there were four living creatures full of hair in front and behind” - some think that these animals mean the four elements and God’s control and preservation of them, or God’s dominion over the heavenly, earthly, sea and underworld. But, as is clear from the further description of the species of these animals, these are, without a doubt, the same angelic forces that in the mysterious vision of St. The prophet Ezekiel (1:28) on the river Chebar was supported by a mysterious chariot, on which the Lord God sat as a king. These four animals served as emblems of the four Evangelists. Their many eyes mean Divine omniscience, knowledge of everything past, present and future. These are the highest and closest angelic beings to God, constantly praising God.

Chapter five. CONTINUATION OF THE SECOND VISION: THE SEALED BOOK AND THE LAMB AS WELL AS SABLED

The Lord Almighty, whom St. saw. John, sitting on the throne, held in His right hand a Book written on the outside and inside and sealed with seven seals. Books in ancient times consisted of pieces of parchment rolled into a tube or wound onto a round stick. A cord was threaded inside such a scroll, which was tied from the outside and attached with a seal. Sometimes the book consisted of a piece of parchment, which was folded into a fan shape and was tied over the top with a cord, stamped with seals on each fold or fold of the book. In this case, opening one seal made it possible to open and read only one part of the book. Writing was usually done only on one, the inner side of the parchment, but in rare cases they wrote on both sides. According to the explanation of St. Andrew of Caesarea and others under the book seen by St. John, one should understand the “wise memory of God,” in which everything is inscribed, as well as the depth of Divine destinies. Consequently, all the mysterious definitions of God’s wise providence regarding the salvation of people were inscribed in this book. The seven seals mean either the perfect and unknown affirmation of the book, or the economy of the probing depths of the Divine Spirit, which none of the created beings can resolve. The book also refers to prophecies, about which Christ Himself said that they were partially fulfilled in the Gospel (Luke 24:44), but that the rest will be fulfilled in the last days. One of the powerful Angels cried out in a loud voice for someone to open this book, opening its seven seals, but no one was found worthy “neither in heaven, nor on earth, nor under the earth” who would dare to do this. This means that none of the created beings has access to knowledge of the secrets of God. This inaccessibility is further strengthened by the expression “lower to see,” that is, even “to look into it” (vv. 1-3). The seer grieved a lot about this, but was consoled by one of the elders, who said: “Do not cry: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has won and can open this book and open its seven seals.” "Lion" here means "strong", "hero". This points to the prophecy of Patriarch Jacob about the “Lion of the tribe of Judah,” which meant the Messiah – Christ (Gen. 49:9-10). Looking, the Seer of Mysteries saw “a Lamb, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes.” This Lamb, who bore the marks of having been sacrificed, is, of course, “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29), that is, our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone turned out to be worthy to open the book of God’s destinies, for He, as having sacrificed Himself for the sins of people, Himself appeared to be the executor of God’s decrees regarding the salvation of the human race. His further opening of the seven seals of the book signifies the very fulfillment of the Divine definitions by the Only Begotten Son of God as the Savior of mankind. The seven horns are symbols of His strength (Ps. 74:11), and the seven eyes mean, as is immediately explained, “the seven spirits of God sent into all the earth,” that is, the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, resting in Christ as the Anointed of God , what St. spoke about. Prophet Isaiah (11:2) and St. Prophet Zechariah (4 chapters). The seven eyes symbolize at the same time the omniscience of God. The Lamb stood “in the middle of the throne,” that is, where the Son of God should have been - at the right hand of God the Father (vv. 4-6). The Lamb took the book from the hand of the One sitting on the throne, and immediately the four animals - Seraphim, and 24 elders, falling on their faces, offered Him Divine worship. The harp that they had in their hands signifies the harmonious and euphonious Divine praise, the sonorous singing of their souls; golden bowls, as is immediately explained, filled with incense, the prayers of saints. And they sang to the Son of God, the Redeemer of mankind, a truly “new song,” not heard since the creation of the world, which was predicted by the psalmist King David (Ps. 97:1). This song glorifies the new Kingdom of the Son of God, in which He reigned as the God-man, having purchased this Kingdom at the high price of His Blood. The redemption of humanity, although it actually related only to humanity, it was so amazing, so majestic, touching and sacred that it aroused the liveliest participation in the entire heavenly assembly, so that everyone together, both Angels and people, glorified God for this work "and worshiping Him who lives forever and ever" (vv. 7-14).

Chapter six. THE OPENING OF THE SEALS OF THE MYSTERIOUS BOOK BY THE LAMB: THE FIRST – SIXTH SEALS

The sixth chapter tells about the opening of the first six seals of the mysterious book by the Lamb one by one and about what signs this was accompanied by. By the very opening of the seals one should understand the fulfillment of Divine decrees by the Son of God, who gave Himself up as a Lamb to the slaughter. According to the explanation of St. Andrew of Caesarea, the opening of the first seal is the embassy of St. The apostles, who, like a bow, directed the Gospel sermon against the demons, brought the wounded to Christ with saving arrows and received a crown for defeating the ruler of darkness with the truth - this is what is symbolized by the “white horse” and “he who sits on it” with a bow in his hands ( Art. 1-2). The opening of the second seal and the appearance of a red horse, sitting on which “it was given to take peace from the earth,” signifies the incitement of the infidels against the believers, when the peace was broken by the Gospel preaching in fulfillment of the words of Christ: “I did not come to bring peace, but a sword” (Matthew 10 :34), and when the blood of confessors and martyrs for Christ abundantly filled the earth. The “red horse” is a sign of either the shedding of blood, or the heartfelt jealousy of those who suffered for Christ (vv. 3-4). The opening of the third seal and the subsequent appearance of a black horse with a rider who had “the measure in his hand” signifies the falling away from Christ of those who do not have firm faith in Him. The black color of the horse symbolizes “crying for those who have fallen from faith in Christ due to the severity of their torment.” “A measure of wheat for a dinar” means those who labored legally and carefully preserved the Divine image given to them; “three measures of barley” are those who, like cattle, due to lack of courage, submitted to the persecutors out of fear, but then repented and washed the desecrated image with tears; “Do not harm oil or wine” means that one should not, out of fear, reject Christ’s healing, leave without it the wounded and those who have “fallen” into thieves, but bring them “wine of consolation” and “oil of compassion.” Many understand by a black horse the disasters of famine (vv. 5-6).

The opening of the fourth seal and the appearance of a pale horse with a rider whose name is death means the manifestation of the wrath of God in vengeance for sinners - these are various disasters of the last times predicted by Christ the Savior (Matt. 24:6-7) (vv. 7-8).

The opening of the fifth seal is the prayer of the holy martyrs at the throne of God for the acceleration of the end of the world and the onset of the Last Judgment. St. John sees "under the altar the souls of those who were beaten for the word of God and for the testimony that they had. And he cried out with a great voice, saying: How long, O Lord, Holy and True, do not judge and avenge our blood from those living on the earth." The souls of the righteous who suffered for Christ, as can be seen from this, are under the altar of the heavenly temple, just as on earth, since the times of the martyrs, it has become a custom to place particles of the relics of St. in the foundation of Christian churches and altars. martyrs. The prayer of the righteous is explained, of course, not by the desire for their personal revenge, but by the acceleration of the triumph of God’s truth on earth and that reward to each according to his deeds, which should happen at the Last Judgment and make them partakers of eternal bliss, as those who gave their lives for Christ and His Divine teaching . They were given white vestments - a symbol of their virtue - and they were told to endure “still a little time” until their colleagues and brothers who would be killed like them would complete the number, so that together they would all receive a worthy reward from God (v. 9 -eleven).

The opening of the sixth seal symbolizes the natural disasters and horrors that will occur on earth in the last period of its existence immediately before the end of the world, the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. These will be the same signs that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself predicted shortly before His suffering on the cross (Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25-26): “The great coward was, and the sun was dark like sackcloth, and the moon was Like blood, the stars of heaven fell to the earth." These signs will cause mortal fear and horror in people of all conditions who will then live on earth, starting from kings, nobles and commanders and ending with slaves. Everyone will tremble at the coming of the day of His great wrath and will pray to the mountains and stones: “Cover us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” The murderers of Christ experienced similar horrors during the destruction of Jerusalem. Such horrors will befall all of humanity on an even greater scale before the end of the world.

Chapter seven. APPEARANCE AFTER THE OPENING OF THE SIXTH SEAL: 144,000 SEALED ON EARTH AND CLOTHED IN WHITE ROBES IN HEAVEN

Following this, St. The Seer sees four Angels “standing at the four corners of the earth,” “to whom it is given to harm the earth and the sea.” They appeared, obviously, as the executors of God’s punishment over the universe. One of the tasks set by him: “holding back the winds.” As St. explains Andrew of Caesarea, this “clearly testifies to the destruction of the subordination of creation and the inevitability of evil, because everything that grows on earth vegetates and is fed by the winds; with their assistance they also float on the sea.” But then “another Angel” appeared, who had the “seal of the living God” in order to put this seal on the foreheads of God’s servants and thereby deliver them from the coming executions of God. This is something similar to what was once discovered by St. to the prophet Ezekiel about a man clothed in a subir, that is, in a long linen robe, and who puts a seal “on the faces of those who groan” (Ezek. 9:4), so as not to destroy the righteous with the unrighteous (for even the Angels do not know the hidden virtues of the Saints). This Angel commanded the first four not to do any harm “neither the earth, nor the sea, nor the trees” until he put seals on the foreheads of God’s servants. We don’t know what this seal consists of, and there’s no need to look for it. Perhaps this will be the sign of the Honorable Cross of the Lord, by which it will be easy to distinguish believers from unbelievers and apostates; perhaps this will be the seal of martyrdom for Christ. This imprinting will begin with the Israelis, who, before the end of the world, will turn to Christ, as St. Apostle Paul (Rom. 9:27, also chapters 10 and 11). In each of the 12 tribes there will be 12,000 sealed, and a total of 144,000. Among these tribes, the tribe of Dan is not mentioned, because, according to legend, the Antichrist will come from it. Instead of the tribe of Dan, the priestly tribe of Levi is mentioned, which was not previously among the 12 tribes. Such a limited number is exhibited, perhaps, in order to show how few the saved sons of Israel are in comparison with the innumerable multitude of those who loved the Lord Jesus Christ from all the other nations of the earth who were pagans (vv. 1-8).

Following this, St. John is presented with another wondrous sight: “Many people, which no one can destroy, from every tongue and tribe and people and nations, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes and fins in their hands. And they cried out with a great voice, saying: salvation our God and the Lamb sitting on the throne" - according to St. Andrew of Caesarea, “these are those” about whom David says: “I will count them, and they will multiply more than the sand” (Ps. 139:18), - who previously suffered as martyrs for Christ and from every tribe and nation having in recent times with the courage to accept suffering. By shedding their blood for Christ, some of them made them white, while others made the garments of their deeds whiter. They hold palm branches in their hands - signs of victory over the devil. Their destiny is eternal rejoicing before the throne of God. One of the heavenly elders explained to St. John that these are “these who came out of great tribulation, and washed (washed) their garments, and made their garments white in the blood of the Lamb.” All these signs clearly point to them as martyrs for Christ, and the expression that they “came out of the great tribulation” leads some interpreters to assume that these are Christians who will be beaten by the Antichrist in the last period of the world. For Christ the Savior Himself announced this tribulation, saying: “Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will be” (Matthew 24:21). This will be the addition to the number of martyrs mentioned in (Apoc. 6:11). The highest reward that they will receive is that they will remain before the throne of God, serving God “day and night,” which figuratively indicates the continuity of this service, for, as St. Andrew, “there will be no night there, but one day, illuminated not by the sensual sun, but by the spirit-bearing Sun of Truth.” The features of the bliss of these righteous people are expressed in the words: “They will not hunger for that, they will not thirst, the sun will not fall on them, below all heat,” that is, they will no longer endure any disasters. The “Lamb” himself will “shepherd them,” that is, guide them, they will be honored with an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit (“animal sources of water”), “and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes” (vv. 9-17).

Chapter eight. THE OPENING OF THE SEVENTH SEAL AND THE VOICE OF THE TRUMPET OF ANGELS: FIRST – FOURTH

When the Lamb opened the last, seventh seal, “there was silence in heaven for half an hour” - this also happens in the physical world: the onset of a storm is often preceded by deep silence. This silence in heaven meant the concentration of reverent attention of the Angels and men standing before the throne of God, in anticipation of the terrible signs of the wrath of God before the end of this age and the appearance of the Kingdom of Christ. Seven Angels appeared, to whom seven trumpets were given, and another Angel stood before the altar with a golden censer. “And much incense was given to him, so that he might give to the prayers of the saints all on the altar of gold that is before the throne.” Before the first seven Angels, as punishers of the lost human race, begin their work, the saints, with the Angel of Prayer at their head, appear before God for the people. St. Andrew of Caesarea says that the Saints will beg God so that “due to the disasters that strike at the world’s end, the torment of the wicked and lawless people in the next century will be weakened and that He will reward those who have labored with His coming.” At the same time, the saints will again and again pray to God, as they prayed when the fifth seal was opened (Apoc. 6:9-11), that God would show His justice over the lawless and persecutors of the Christian faith and stop the ferocity of the tormentors. The subsequent executions described were undoubtedly the result of this prayer. The Lord shows here that He does not ignore the prayers of His faithful servants. And this is how powerful this prayer turned out to be: “And the incense smoke came out with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the Angel before God. And the Angel took the censer, and filled it with fire on the altars, and laid it on the ground. And there was a voice and thunder and brilliance and cowardice, and the seventh angel, who had seven trumpets, was prepared to sound them." All this signifies the horrors that will occur at the end of the world.

Following this, the trumpet sounds of all seven Angels follow one after another, which are accompanied each time by great disasters - plagues for the earth and its inhabitants (vv. 1-6).

“And when the first angel sounded the trumpet, there came hail and fire, mixed with blood, and fell to the ground: and the third part of the tree was burned, and every green grass was burned” - the punishments of God follow gradually, which indicates the mercy and long-suffering of God, calling sinners to repentance. First, God's punishment strikes a third of the trees and all the grass. They burn on the roots of bread and other herbs necessary for the nutrition of people and livestock. By “hail falling on the ground” and destructive “fire mixed with blood,” many interpreters understood a war of extermination. Is this not aerial bombardment with its destructive and incendiary bombs (v. 7)?

“And the second angel sounded, and like a great mountain with fire it was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea was bloody, and the third part of the creatures that were in the sea, having souls, died, and the third part of the ships perished” - it can be assumed that at the bottom of one a volcano will open from the oceans, the fiery lava of which will fill a third of the water basins of the earth, bringing death to all living things. Others believe that this refers to terrible bloody sea battles with the help of newly invented killing weapons (vv. 8-9).

“And the third angel sounded, and a great star fell from heaven, burning like a light, and fell on the third part of the rivers, and on the springs of water. And the name of the star was Apsinthos (which means wormwood): and the third part of the waters became like wormwood: and many people died from the waters, for they are bitter" - some think that this meteor will fall to the ground and poison the water sources on earth, which will become poisonous. Or maybe this is also one of the newly invented methods of a future terrible war (vv. 10-11).

“And the fourth angel sounded, and a third part of the sun was cut off, and a third part of the moon, and a third part of the stars, and a third part of them was darkened, and a third part of the day did not shine, and the same night” - it is now impossible for us to understand this; one thing is clear, that this will have to be accompanied by various disasters for people - crop failures, famine, etc. “The third part” indicates the moderation of all disasters. “Woe, woe, woe to those who live on earth” - this voice of the Angel indicates the philanthropy and compassion of the Divine Angels, who regret the unrepentant people subjected to such disasters. By Angels with trumpets, some understand Christian preachers calling for admonition and repentance.

Chapter Nine. VOICES OF THE FIFTH AND SIXTH TRUMPET OF ANGELS: LOCUSTS AND HORSE ARMY

At the sound of the trumpet of the fifth Angel, a star fell from the sky, and “the key to the well of the deep was given to it. She opened the well of the deep, and smoke came out of the well, like smoke from a great furnace: and the sun and the air were darkened from the smoke from the well. And from the smoke locusts came out onto the earth..." These locusts, like scorpions, were ordered to torment people who did not have the seal of God on themselves for "five months." St. Andrew of Caesarea understands by this star an Angel sent to punish people, by the “pit of the abyss” - Gehenna, “pruzi”, or locusts, these, in his opinion, are worms, about which the prophet said: “Their worm will not die” ( Isaiah 66:24); the darkening of the sun and air indicates the spiritual blindness of people, “five months” means the short duration of this execution, since “unless these days had ceased, all flesh would not have been saved” (Matthew 24:22); One can also see here a correspondence to the five external senses, through which sin enters the human soul. And that these locusts “do not harm the grass of the earth, but only men,” this is because all creation will be freed from corruption, for our sakes to which it now slaves." Description of this monstrous locust, which from the head resembles a man, wears crowns of fake gold , female hair, has lion teeth, a body covered with iron scales, like armor, wings that make noise and crackling, as if from many chariots rushing to war, and, finally, a tail armed with a sting, like a scorpion - all this leads some interpreters to believe that these locusts are nothing more than an allegorical depiction of human passions. Each of these passions, having reached a certain limit, has all the signs of this monstrous locust (see interpretation by F. Yakovlev). "Five months" indicate on the short duration of vicious pleasures compared to the eternity of torment that will then follow.Describing the approach of the day of the Lord, the Holy Prophet Joel also describes the appearance of destroyers before him, partly reminiscent of these locusts. Modern interpreters, not without some justice, find similarities between these locusts and airplane bombers. The horrors to which people will then be subjected will be such that they will seek death, but will not find it; “They will desire to die, and death will flee from them.” This indicates the torment of suffering that befalls people. Under the king of these locusts, who bears the name of the angel of the abyss - “Abbadon”, or in Greek “Apollyon”, interpreters understand the devil (vv. 1-12).

When the trumpet of the sixth Angel sounded, he was ordered to release the four Angels bound at the Euphrates River to defeat the third part of the people. But so that this defeat does not happen suddenly and in one go. Angels are destined to act at a certain hour, day, month and summer. Following this, a large cavalry army appeared. The horsemen wore armor of fire, hyacinth (violet or dark crimson in color) and brimstone (flaming sulphur); Their horses had lion heads, emitting fire, smoke and brimstone from their jaws; the tails of the horses were like snakes that bit. St. Andrew understands these four Angels as “evil demons” who are freed from bonds to punish people. By “horses” he means misogynistic and bestial people; under the “horsemen” – those who control them, under the “fiery armor” – the devouring activity of crafty spirits, whose murderousness and brutality is described under the guise of “lion heads”. “The fire coming out of their mouths with smoke and brimstone,” by which a third of the people will be destroyed, means either sins that burn the fruits of the heart through the poisonousness of suggestions, teachings and temptations, or, by God’s permission, the devastation of cities and bloodshed by barbarians. Their “tails” are like snakes with heads, for the end of demonic sowings is poisonous sin and spiritual death. Other interpreters understand this image as an allegorical representation of a terrible bloody war, monstrous, merciless. The Second World War we recently experienced was truly rare in its horrors and mercilessness. That’s why some see tanks spewing fire under this terrible cavalry army. It is also very characteristic to note that the people who survived these horrors, “not repenting from the works of their hands... and not repenting from their murders, nor from their sorceries, nor from their fornication, nor from their thefts” - this will be the case before the end of the world general bitterness and petrified insensibility. This is already observed now.

Chapter ten. ABOUT THE ANGEL CLOTHED IN A CLOUD AND A RAINBOW, FORENGING THE DEATH

This phenomenon has the appearance of an introductory legend. It stops the continuation of prophetic allegories, but does not interrupt them. - Before the last, seventh trumpet sound of St. John saw a majestic Angel descending from heaven, surrounded by a cloud, with a rainbow above his head, with a face shining like the sun; his fiery feet became one on the sea, the other on the earth; in his hand was an open book. Some think that this Angel is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself or the Holy Spirit, but St. John called him "Angel", and St. Andrew of Caesarea believes that this is precisely an Angel, perhaps one of the Seraphim, adorned with the glory of the Lord. His standing on the sea and on land means dominion over the elements of the earthly world, according to the interpretation of St. Andrew - “Fear and punishment inflicted by the Angel on the wicked, robbers on land and sea.” The book he held in his hand, according to the interpretation of St. Andrew, contained “the names and deeds of those of the most crafty ones who rob or otherwise commit outrages on earth and kill at sea,” according to other interpretations, it generally contained prophecies about the future destinies of the world and humanity. The angel exclaimed in a loud voice: “Seven thunders spoke their voices” - but when St. John wished to write down these thunderous words, but he was forbidden to do so. St. Andrew of Caesarea believes that these are “seven thunders” or “seven voices” of one threatening Angel, or seven other Angels foretelling the future. What they said “is now unknown, but will later be explained by experience itself and the course of things.” The final knowledge and explanation of what they proclaimed belongs to the last times. Some believe that these are seven periods in the history of mankind: 1) The triumph of Christianity over paganism, 2) The Great Migration of Nations and the collapse of the Roman Empire, in the place of which new Christian states emerged, 3) The emergence of Mohammedanism and the collapse of the Byzantine Empire, 4) The Age of the Crusades campaigns, 5) The fall of piety in Byzantium, conquered by Islam, and in Ancient Rome, where the spirit of papism prevailed, which resulted in apostasy from the Church in the form of the Reformation, 6) Revolutions and the establishment of social anarchy everywhere, from which the “son of perdition” must emerge - Antichrist and 7) restoration of the Roman, that is, worldwide, empire with the Antichrist at its head and the end of the world. There was no need to depict all these events forward, for they unfold in time (10:1-4). But after that, the Angel, raising his hand, swore to those living forever and ever that “there will be no more time,” that is, the usual circulation of the elemental world will cease, and there will be no time measured by the sun, but eternity will come. It is important here that the Angel swore by “he who lives forever and ever,” that is, by God Himself. Consequently, the sectarians are wrong if they believe that any oath is generally unacceptable (vv. 5-6). “But in the days of the voice of the seventh Angel, when the trumpet is to sound, then the mystery of God will end, as the servants the prophets preached His gospel,” that is, the last, seventh era of the existence of the world will soon come, when the seventh Angel will sound, and then the “mystery of God” predicted by the prophets will be fulfilled , that is, the end of the world will come, and everything that must happen in connection with it (v. 7).

Following this, St. John, at the command of a voice from heaven, approached the Angel, and the Angel gave him to swallow the little book that he held open in his hand. “And it was in my mouth as sweet as honey: and when I had eaten it, there was bitterness in my belly.” This indicates that St. John accepted the prophetic gift, just as the Old Testament prophets, for example St. the prophet Ezekiel, who was also commanded to eat a book scroll before he was sent by the Lord to preach to the House of Israel (Ezek. 2:8-10; 3:1-4). Sweetness and bitterness, according to St. Andrew, mean the following: “Sweet for you, he says, is the knowledge of the future, but at the same time it is bitter for the belly, that is, the heart - the receptacle of verbal food, because of compassion for those who must endure the punishments sent down by Divine determination.” Another meaning of this is: “Since the St. Evangelist did not experience bad deeds by devouring a book containing the deeds of the wicked, it is shown to him that at the beginning of sin there is sweetness, and after completion there is bitterness, due to vengeance and retribution.” The compassionate heart of the Apostle could not help but feel all the bitterness of sorrow that awaited sinful humanity. In conclusion, St. John is commanded to prophesy (vv. 8-11).

Chapter Eleven. PROPHECIES ABOUT THE TEMPLE, ABOUT ENOCH AND ELIJAH, THE VOICE OF THE TRUMPET OF THE SEVENTH ANGEL

After this, the Apostle was given “a reed like a rod, and it was said: Arise and measure the temple of God and the altar, and those who worship in it, but exclude the outer court of the temple and do not measure it, for it was given to the pagans: they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” ". According to the interpretation of St. Andrew, “the temple of the Living God is the Church in which we make verbal sacrifices. The outer court is a society of unbelievers and Jews unworthy of the angelic dimension (that is, determining the degree of their moral perfection and corresponding bliss) for their wickedness.” The trampling of the holy city of Jerusalem or the Universal Church for 42 months means that at the coming of the Antichrist the faithful will be persecuted for three and a half years. Some interpreters suggest that this dimension of the temple means the soon-to-be-imminent destruction of the Old Testament Temple of Jerusalem, in the place of which the New Testament Christian Church will be erected, just as a similar dimension of the temple with a reed in the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (chapters 40-45) signified the restoration of the destroyed temple. Others believe that the inner courtyard, which was measured by the Apostle, signifies the “Church of the firstborn in heaven (Heb. 12:23)”, the heavenly sanctuary, and the outer courtyard, left without measurement, is the Church of Christ on earth, which must endure persecution first from the pagans, and then in the last times - from the Antichrist. The disastrous state of the earthly Church is limited, however, to a period of 42 months. Some interpreters saw the fulfillment of the prediction of 42 months in the persecution of Diocletian, which was distinguished by the greatest cruelty and lasted from February 23, 305 to July 25, 308, that is, just about three and a half years. The persecution will affect only the outer court, that is, the external side of the life of Christians, whose property will be taken away and they will be subjected to torture; the inner sanctuary of their souls will remain inviolable (vv. 1-2).

During this same time, or 1260 days, “two witnesses of God,” under whom all the saints, will preach repentance to people and turn them away from the deception of the Antichrist. The fathers and teachers of the Church, almost unanimously, understood that the Old Testament righteous Enoch and Elijah were taken to heaven alive. During their preaching activities, possessing power and authority over the elements to punish and admonish the wicked, they themselves will be invulnerable. And only at the end of their mission, after three and a half years, “the beast coming out of the abyss,” that is, the Antichrist, will be allowed by God to kill the preachers, and their corpses will be thrown on the streets of the great city, “which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where our Lord was crucified,” that is, apparently, the city of Jerusalem, where the Antichrist will establish his kingdom, posing as the Messiah predicted by the prophets. Seduced by the false miracles of the Antichrist, who, with the assistance of the devil, will be the most glorious of all sorcerers and seducers, they will not allow the bodies of St. prophets and will rejoice at their deaths. “Because these two prophets tormented those living on the earth,” awakening their conscience. The gloating of the wicked will not last. Three and a half days later, St. the prophets will be revived by God and raptured into heaven. In this case, a great earthquake will occur, a tenth of the city will be destroyed and seven thousand people will die, and the rest, overcome with fear, will give glory to the God of heaven. Thus, the work of the Antichrist will be dealt a decisive blow (vv. 3-13).

Following this, the seventh Angel sounded his trumpet, and joyful exclamations were heard in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, and he will reign forever and ever,” and the twenty-four elders, falling on their faces, worshiped God, giving Him thanks and praise for the beginning of His righteous judgment over the human race. “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple; and there came lightning, and voices, and thunder, and an earthquake, and great hail” - through this, according to the interpretation of St. Andrew, indicates the revelation of the blessings prepared for the Saints, which, according to the Apostle, “are all hidden in Christ, in whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:3, 9). They will be revealed when terrible voices, lightning, thunder and hail are sent against the lawless and wicked, bringing the torment of Gehenna by changing the present in an earthquake.”

Chapter twelve. THIRD VISION: THE STRUGGLE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD WITH THE HOSTILE FORCES OF THE ANTICHRIST. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST UNDER THE IMAGE OF A WIFE IN BIRTH DISEASES

“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman was clothed with the sun, and the moon was under her feet, and on her head was a crown of twelve stars.” Some interpreters saw in this mysterious woman the Most Holy Theotokos, but such outstanding interpreters of the Apocalypse as St. Hippolytus, St. Methodius and St. Andrew of Caesarea, they find that this is “the Church clothed in the Word of the Father, shining more than the sun.” This solar brilliance also means that she has true knowledge of God, His laws and contains His revelations. The moon under her feet is a sign that she is above all changeable things. St. Methodius “allegorically considers faith to be the moon, a bath for those who are cleansed from corruption, since the moist nature depends on the moon.” On its head is a crown of 12 stars as a sign that, having originally been gathered from the 12 tribes of Israel, it was subsequently led by 12 Apostles, who constituted its luminous glory. “And in the womb, the sick and suffering cry out to give birth” - this is what shows that it is wrong to see the Most Holy Theotokos in this wife, for the birth of the Son of God from Her was painless. These birth pangs signify the difficulties that the Church of Christ had to overcome when establishing it in the world (martyrdom, the spread of heresies). At the same time, this means, according to the explanation of St. Andrew, that “the Church pains for each of those reborn by water and spirit,” until, as the Divine Apostle said, “Christ is imagined in them.” “The Church hurts,” says St. Methodius, “regenerating the spiritual into the spiritual and transforming them in appearance and manner in the likeness of Christ” (vv. 1-2).

“And another sign appeared in heaven, and behold, a great serpent, black (red), having seven heads and ten horns: and on his heads was a seventh crown” - in this image of the serpent one cannot help but see the “ancient serpent”, called “the devil and Satan” ", which is discussed below (v. 9). The red-purple color means his bloodthirsty ferocity, the seven heads indicate his extreme cunning and cunning (as opposed to the “seven spirits” of God or the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit); 10 horns - his evil power and strength, directed against the 10 commandments of the Law of God; the crowns on his heads signify the royal power of the devil in his dark kingdom. When applied to the history of the Church, some see in these 7 crowns seven kings who rebelled against the Church, and in 10 horns - 10 persecutions of the Church (v. 3).

“And its trunk (in Russian: tail) tore away a third of the stars of heaven, and I laid it in the ground” - by these stars, which the devil carried away with him to the fall, interpreters understand fallen angels or demons. They also mean the leaders of churches and teachers, seduced by satanic power... “And the serpent stood before the woman who wanted to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he would bear her child” - “the devil always arms himself against the Church, strenuously trying to make those regenerated his food” (St. Andrey) (v. 4).

“And give birth to a son, a man, who shall have all tongues fall with a rod of iron” is an image of Jesus Christ, for, as St. Andrew, “in the persons of those who are baptized, the Church continually gives birth to Christ,” as according to the Apostle, “he is portrayed in them even to the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). And St. Hippolytus also says that “the Church will not cease to give birth from the heart to the Word, which is persecuted in the world by the infidels” - the Church always gives birth to people Christ, Whom from the very beginning, in the person of Herod, Satan sought to devour (v. 5).

“And her child was caught up to God and to His throne” - so the Lord Jesus Christ was caught up into heaven on the day of His glorious Ascension and sat down on the throne of His Father, at His right hand; so all the saints, in whom Christ is imagined, admire themselves to God, so as not to be overcome by temptations that exceed their strength; so all Christians of the last times will be caught up “to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Sol. 4:17) (v. 5).

“And the woman fled into the desert, where there was a place prepared for her by God, and there she had food for one thousand two hundred and sixty days” - under this flight of the wife into the desert, many see the flight of Christians from Jerusalem besieged by the Romans during the great Jewish war of 66-70. to the city of Pella and the Trans-Jordanian desert. This war actually lasted three and a half years. Under this desert one can see both the desert where the first Christians escaped from persecutors, and the desert in which the venerable ascetics were saved from the wiles of the devil (v. 6).

“And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels made war with the serpent, and the serpent was braced and his angels... and it was not possible... and the great serpent, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, was put in, flattering the entire universe.. . to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him" - according to the interpretation of St. Andrew, these words can be attributed to the first devil’s overthrow from the rank of Angels for pride and envy, as well as his defeat by the Lord’s cross, when, says the Lord, “the prince of this world was condemned” and expelled from his former dominion (John 12:31 ). Under the image of this battle they also see the victory of Christianity over paganism, since the devil and his demons with all their might excited and armed the pagans to fight against the Church of Christ. The Christians themselves took an active part in this victory over the devil, who “conquered him with the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony: and did not love their souls even to death,” which were the saints. martyrs. Defeated in two battles - with Michael the Archangel and his heavenly armies in heaven and with the martyrs of Christ on earth - Satan still retained some semblance of power on earth, crawling across it like a serpent. Living out his last days on earth, Satan is plotting his final and decisive battle with God and believing Christians with the help of the Antichrist and his accomplice, the false prophet (vv. 7-12).

“And when the serpent saw that he was cast down to the earth, chasing a woman... and the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that he soared into the desert to his place where he was nourished... the devil will not cease to persecute the Church, but the Church, having two eagle wings - the Old and New Testaments - will hide from the devil in the desert, by which we can understand both the spiritual and sensual desert, into which true ascetic Christians hid and are hiding (vv. 13-14).

And let the serpent send out water from his mouth after his wife, like a river, so that he may drown her in the river. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth, and devoured the river that brought the serpent out of its mouth” - by this “water” St. Andrew understands “a multitude of either evil demons, or various temptations,” and by the earth that swallowed this water , - “the humility of the saints, who, speaking from the heart” “I am earth and ashes (Gen. 18:27)”, thereby dissolve all the devil’s networks, for, as the Angel revealed to the Divine Anthony, nothing stops and crushes the power the devil, as humility. Some understand by this the terrible persecution of the Church from pagan emperors, and the rivers of Christian blood that flowed at that time. Like a river spilling over the earth and being absorbed by it, all the evil efforts of Satan collapsed and disappeared without a trace when Christianity triumphed over paganism under Emperor Constantine the Great (Art. 16).

“And the serpent was angry with the woman, and went to make war on her remaining seed, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” - this is the continuous and centuries-old struggle that the devil led against all the true sons of the Church after the establishment of Christianity on earth and which he will lead everything in an increasing degree until the end of the world, until his efforts are exhausted and end in the face of the Antichrist (v. 17).

Chapter thirteen. THE BEAST-ANTICHRIST AND HIS ACCEPTANCE-FALSE PROPHET

By this “beast emerging from the sea,” almost all interpreters understand the Antichrist emerging from the “sea of ​​life,” that is, from the midst of the human race, which is agitated like the sea. From here it is clear that the Antichrist will not be some kind of spirit or demon, but a pernicious fiend of the human race, not the incarnate devil, as some thought, but a man. Some understood this “beast” to be a God-fighting state, which was the Roman Empire in the days of early Christianity, and in recent times will be the worldwide kingdom of the Antichrist. St. draws gloomy features. The Seer is the image of this last enemy of the Church of Christ. This is an animal that looks like a leopard, with legs like a bear and the mouth of a lion. Thus, the personality of the Antichrist will combine the properties and qualities of the most ferocious animals. He has seven heads, just like the devil-dragon himself, and these heads are dotted with blasphemous names to visually depict his inner wickedness and contempt for everything holy. His ten horns are crowned with diadems as a sign that he will use his God-fighting power with the power of a king on earth. He will receive this power with the help of the dragon, or the devil, who will give him his throne (vv. 1-2).

The seer noticed that one of the heads of the beast seemed to be mortally wounded, but this mortal wound was healed, and this surprised the entire land that was watching the beast, and forced the frightened people to submit, both to the dragon that gave power to the beast, and to the beast itself. They all bowed down to him, saying, “Who is like this beast, and who can fight with him?” All this means that it will not be easy for the Antichrist to gain power over all of humanity, that at first he will have to wage cruel wars and even experience a strong defeat, but then his amazing victories and reign over the world will follow. The reigning Antichrist will be given a mouth that speaks proudly and blasphemously, and the power to act for forty-two months. Thus, his power will not last long, since otherwise, according to the word of the Savior, no flesh would be saved (Matthew 24:22). In (v. 6-10) the mode of action of the Antichrist is indicated: he will be distinguished by blasphemy, violence against people who do not submit to him, and “it will be given to him to wage war with the saints and defeat them,” that is, by force to force them to submit to themselves, of course, purely externally, for only those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s book of life will worship the Antichrist. The saints will defend themselves from the Antichrist by patience and faith alone, and the Seer of Mysteries consoles them with the assurance that “he who kills with the sword must himself be killed with the sword,” that is, that righteous retribution awaits the Antichrist (vv. 1-10).

Further in (vv. 11-17) the Seer speaks about the accomplice of the Antichrist - the false prophet and his activities. This is also a “beast” (in Greek “Firion”, which means a beast in which its brutal nature is especially clearly manifested, as, for example, in wild animals: hyena, jackal, tiger), but it is depicted not emerging from the sea, as first, but “from the earth.” This means that all his feelings and thoughts will be of a completely earthly, sensual nature. He has “two horns like a lamb,” according to St. Andrew, in order “to cover up the murderousness of the hidden wolf with the skin of a sheep, and because at first he will try to have an image of piety. St. Irenaeus says that this is “the armor bearer of the Antichrist and the false prophet. He was given the power of signs and wonders, so that, preceding the Antichrist, he could prepare his destructive path. The healing of an animal ulcer, we say, is either an apparent unification for a short time of a divided kingdom, or a transient restoration by the Antichrist of the rule of Satan, destroyed by the cross of the Lord, or an imaginary resurrection of someone who died close to him. He will speak like a serpent, for he will do and say what is characteristic of the leader of evil - the devil." Imitating the Lord Jesus Christ, he will also use two forces to establish the power of the Antichrist: the power of words and the power of miracles. But he will speak "like dragon", that is, blasphemous, and the fruit of his speeches will be godlessness and extreme wickedness. For the sake of seducing people, he will create “great signs”, so that he can bring down fire from heaven, and what is especially noteworthy, “he will be given the power to put spirit into the image beast, that is, the Antichrist, so that the image of the beast speaks and acts." But these will not be true miracles, which only God works, but "false miracles" (2 Thess. 2:9). They will consist of dexterity, deception of the senses and in the use of natural but secret forces of nature, with the help of the devil, within the limits of the power of his devilish powers. All who worshiped the Antichrist will receive “a mark on their right hand or on their forehead,” just as in ancient times slaves once wore burnt marks on their foreheads , and the warriors are in their arms. The dominion of the Antichrist will be so despotic that “no one will be able to buy or sell except those who have the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” Extreme mystery is associated with the name of the Antichrist and the “number of his name.” The Apocalypse speaks about this this way: “Here is wisdom. He who has intelligence, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man; his number is six hundred and sixty-six.” Much effort has been made, since ancient times, in order to unravel the meaning and meaning of these words, but they did not lead to anything positive. Most often, attempts were made to find the name of the Antichrist from the addition of letters of different numerical values. For example, according to the guess of St. Irenea, the animal number 666 is formed from the addition of the digital value of the letters, the name "Lateinos" or "Teitan". Some found an animal number in the name of Julian the Apostate; later - in the title of the Pope - “Vicarius Fili Dei” (“Vicar of the Son of God”), in the name of Napoleon, etc. Our schismatics tried to derive the number 666 from the name of Patriarch Nikon. Discussing the name of the Antichrist, St. Andrew says: “If there had been a need to know his name, the Seer of Mysteries would have revealed it, but the grace of God did not deign that this destructive name should be written in the Divine Book.” If you examine the words, then, according to St. Hippolytus, you can find many names, both proper and common nouns, corresponding to this number (v. 18).

Chapter fourteen. PREPARATORY EVENTS BEFORE THE GENERAL RESURRECTION AND THE DASTY JUDGMENT; SONG OF PRAISE OF 144,000 RIGHTEOUS AND ANGELS ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE DESTINY OF THE WORLD

Having depicted the highest stage of the triumph of the devil through his servant - the Antichrist on earth, St. John turns his gaze to heaven and sees: “Behold the Lamb standing on Mount Zion, and with Him an hundred and fourty and four thousand, having the name of His Father written on their foreheads.” These are they "who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these are they who follow the Lamb wherever He goes." This vision depicts the Church, the pure bride of Christ, at a time when the empire of the beast is flourishing. The number 144,000 here apparently has the same meaning as in the 7th chapter. Art. 2-8. These are God's chosen ones from all the nations of the earth, represented figuratively in the form of the 12 tribes of Israel. The fact that the name of the Father of the Lamb is written on their foreheads signifies the distinctive qualities of their inner disposition - their moral character and way of life, their complete dedication to serving God. They are joined by a host of people playing the harp, “like a new song.” This is a song about God’s new creation, a song about the redemption and renewal of humanity through the blood of the Lamb of God. Only the redeemed part of humanity sings this song, and therefore “no one could learn this song except these one hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed from the earth” (vv. 1-5). Some interpreters by “virgins” here do not mean virgins in the literal sense of the word, but those who were saved from the mire of paganism and idolatry, since in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament idolatry is often called fornication.

Following this, St. The seer had a second vision: three Angels soaring in the sky. One proclaimed to people the “eternal Gospel” and seemed to say: “Fear God and do not be afraid of the Antichrist, who cannot destroy your body and soul, and resist him with boldness, for judgment and retribution are near, and he has power only for a short time "(St. Andrew of Caesarea). Some understand this “Angel” as preachers of the Gospel in general. Another Angel announced the fall of Babylon, which is usually understood as the kingdom of evil and sin in the world. Some interpreters understood this “Babylon” as ancient pagan Rome, which made all nations drunk with the “wine of fornication,” or idolatry. Others see under this symbol a false Christian Empire, and under the “wine of fornication” a false teaching of religion (cf. Jeremiah 51:7). The Third Angel threatened with eternal torment all those who serve the beast and worship him and his image, and will receive his mark on their forehead or hand. By “the wine of God’s wrath” we must understand the grave judgments of God, which drive people into a frenzy and, like drunken people, disturb the spirit. In Palestine, wine is never consumed whole, not dissolved in water. Therefore, the wrath of God, in its strong effect, is likened here to undissolved wine. The wicked will suffer eternal torment, but the Saints will be saved by their patience. At the same time, St. The apostle heard a voice from heaven saying: “Write: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. To her, says the Spirit, they will rest from their labors, and their deeds will follow them.” “The heavenly voice,” St. Andrew explains, “does not please everyone, but only those who, having killed themselves for the world, die in the Lord , carry the deadness of Jesus in their body and have compassion with Christ. For these, the departure from the body, truly, is peace from labor." Here we also find even more evidence of the importance of good deeds for salvation, denied by Protestants (vv. 6-13).

Looking up at the sky, St. The Apostle saw the Son of God sitting on a cloud wearing a golden crown and holding a sickle in his hand. The angels told Him that the harvest was ready and the grapes were already ripe. Then “He who sat on the cloud cast His sickle into the earth, and the earth was reaped.” By this “harvest” we must understand the end of the world (cf. Matt. 13:39). At the same time, the Angel cast his sickle to the ground and cut off the grapes “and threw them into the great winepress of the wrath of God.” By “the winepress of God’s wrath” we mean the place of punishment prepared for the devil and his angels. Because of the multitude of those who are tormented in it, it is called “great.” By “grapes” we mean the enemies of the Church, whose iniquities have increased to the extreme (“the berries have ripened on them”), so that the measure of their crimes has overflowed (vv. 14-20).

“And the winepress was worn out outside the city, and blood came out from the winepress even to the horse’s bridles, from a thousand and six hundred furlongs” - in Russian: “and the berries were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed from the winepress even to the horse’s bridles, on one thousand six hundred furlongs." This alludes to the city of Jerusalem, outside of which - on the Mount of Olives there were many winepresses in which olives and grapes were pressed (cf. Joel 3:13). The abundance of the grape harvest was determined by the fact that wine flowed onto the ground in such abundance that it reached up to horse bridles Used here St. The hyperbolic expression of the seer shows that the defeat of the enemies of God will be the most terrible, so that their blood will flow as if in rivers. 1600 stages is a definite number, taken instead of an indefinite one, and generally means a vast battlefield (v. 20).

Chapter fifteen. FOURTH VISION: SEVEN ANGELS HAVING THE SEVEN LAST PLAZES

This chapter begins the last, fourth vision, which embraces the last eight chapters of the Apocalypse (chap. 15-22). St. John saw “as if a sea of ​​glass mixed with fire; and those who had conquered the beast and his image, and his mark, and the number of his name, stood on this sea of ​​glass,” and to the accompaniment of the harp glorified the Lord “with the song of Moses the servant of God and song of the Lamb." "Glass Sea", according to St. Andrew of Caesarea, means the multitude of those being saved, the purity of the future rest and the lordship of the Saints, with the virtuous rays of which they will “be illuminated like the sun” (Matthew 13:43). And that there is fire mixed there, this can be understood from what the Apostle wrote: “Everyone’s work will be tempted by fire” (1 Cor. 3:13). It does not harm the pure and undefiled at all, because, according to the Psalm saying (Psalm 28:7), it has two properties: one – scorching sinners, the other, as Basil the Great understood, enlightening the righteous. It is also plausible if by fire we mean the Divine knowledge and grace of the Life-giving Spirit, for in the fire God revealed himself to Moses, and in the form of tongues of fire the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles. The fact that the righteous sing the “song of Moses” and the “song of the Lamb” obviously points to “those justified before grace under the law” and to “those who lived righteously after the coming of Christ.” The song of Moses is also sung as a song of victory: “those who are triumphant in the last most important victory over the enemy, it is fitting to recall the first successes of their struggle, which in the history of the chosen people of God was the victory of Moses over Pharaoh. It is his song that the Christian victors now sing.” This song sounds very solemn: “We sing to the Lord, gloriously we will be glorified” - and in this case it is quite appropriate (vv. 2-4).

“Gusli” means the harmony of virtues in the well-ordered spiritual life of the righteous, or the agreement that they observe between the word of truth and the deed of righteousness. The righteous in their song glorify God for the revelation of His judgments: “For Thy justification has appeared.”

After this, “the temple of the tabernacle of testimony was opened in heaven,” in the image of which God commanded Moses in the Old Testament to build the earthly tabernacle, and “the seven angels went out from the temple, who had the seven plagues.” The Seer of Mysteries says that they were clothed in clean and light linen clothes, as a sign of the purity and lordship of their virtue, and girded around their chests with gold belts as a sign of power, the purity of their being, honesty and unlimited service (St. Andrew of Caesarea). From one of the four “living creatures,” that is, the senior Angels, they received “seven golden phials,” or seven golden bowls, “full of the wrath of God who lives forever and ever.” These “animals” are Cherubim or Seraphim, the supreme zealots of the glory of God, filled with the deepest knowledge of the destinies of God, both past and future, as indicated by the very appearance of these blessed creatures, filled with eyes in front and behind. They will receive God’s command to authorize the other seven Angels to pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth before the end of the world and the final judgment of the living and the dead. “And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power” - through this smoke, says St. Andrew, “we learn that the wrath of God is terrible, terrible and painful, which, having filled the temple, on the day of judgment visits those worthy of it and, first of all, those who submitted to the Antichrist and committed acts of apostasy.” This is confirmed by what follows, for he says: “And no one can come into the temple until the seven plagues of the seven angels will end” - “first the plagues must end,” that is, the punishment of sinners, “and then the Saints will be given dwelling in the highest city” ( St. Andrew) (vv. 5-8).

Chapter sixteen. SEVEN ANGELS POOURING OUT THE SEVEN BOWLERS OF GOD'S WRATH ON THE EARTH

This chapter depicts the judgment of God over the enemies of the Church under the emblem of seven vials, or seven bowls of the wrath of God, poured out by seven Angels. The emblem of these plagues is taken from the plagues that afflicted ancient Egypt, the defeat of which was a prototype of the defeat of the false Christian kingdom, which above (11:8) is called Egypt, and then Babylon.

When the first Angel poured out the cup, “cruel and disgusting festering wounds appeared on the people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image.” This emblem was apparently taken from the sixth plague that struck Egypt. According to the explanation of some, here we must understand a bodily epidemic. According to the interpretation of St. Andrew of Caesarea, purulent wounds are “sorrow occurring in the hearts of apostates, tormenting them like heart suppuration, for those punished by God will not receive any relief from the Antichrist they idolize.”

When the second Angel poured out his cup into the sea, the water in the sea became like the blood of a dead man, and everything alive died in the sea. This refers to bloody international and civil wars (vv. 1-3).

When the third Angel poured out his cup into the rivers and springs of water, the water in them turned to blood. “And I heard,” says the Seer of Mysteries, “the angel of the waters, who said: You are righteous, O Lord, who art and was, and holy, because you have judged thus; because they shed the blood of saints and prophets. You gave them blood to drink : They deserve it." “From here it is clear,” says St. Andrew, “that Angels are placed above the elements.” Here we are also talking about the terrible bloodshed that will occur before the end of the world during the time of the Antichrist (vv. 4-7).

When the fourth Angel poured out his cup on the sun, the sun was given the power to burn people with intense heat, so that they, not understanding this execution, blasphemed God in despair. St. Andrew says that this execution can be understood either literally, or by this heat we must understand “the heat of temptation, so that people, through the trial of sorrows, will hate their culprit - sin.” Distraught people, however, in their bitterness will no longer be capable of repentance (vv. 8-9).

The fifth angel poured out his cup on the throne of the beast: and his kingdom became dark, and they bit their tongues from suffering and blasphemed the God of Heaven from their sufferings and their wounds, and did not repent of their deeds. This is reminiscent of the ninth plague of Egypt (Ex. 10:21). By this execution we must understand a significant decrease in the greatness and power of the Antichrist, the brilliance of which had hitherto amazed people, and at the same time the stubborn unrepentance of the admirers of the Antichrist (vv. 10-11).

The sixth angel poured out his cup into the great river Euphrates: and the water in it dried up, so that the way for the kings would be ready from the rising of the sun. Here the Euphrates is presented as a stronghold that prevented the kings with their troops from going to carry out the judgments of God over the kingdom of the Antichrist. This emblem is taken from the position of the Ancient Roman Empire, for which the Euphrates served as a stronghold against attacks by eastern peoples. Thereupon out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet came three unclean spirits like frogs; these are demonic spirits performing signs; they go out to the kings of the earth throughout the universe to gather them for battle on that great day of God Almighty. By these “demonic spirits” we mean false teachers, talkative, obsessive, gluttonous, shameless and inflated, who will attract people to themselves with false miracles. The Great Day of God Almighty is the time when God will manifest His glory in punishing the enemies of the Church. “Behold, I come like a thief”... Here we are talking about the suddenness of the Second Coming of Christ (cf. Matt. 24:43-44). “And he gathered them to the place called in Hebrew Armageddon” - this word means “cutting” or “killing.” “In that place, we believe,” says St. Andrew, “the nations gathered and led by the devil will be slain, for he takes comfort in human blood.” The name is taken from the valley of Mageddo, where King Josiah fell in battle with Pharaoh Necho (2 Chron. 35:22). The outpouring of the seventh bowl will finally defeat the kingdom of the beast. As a result of a terrible earthquake, “the great city fell into three parts and the pagan cities fell.” Under this "great city" St. Andrew understands the capital of the Antichrist kingdom, which will be Jerusalem. “And every island fled, and the mountains were not found” - “from Divine Scripture,” explains St. Andrew, “we have been taught to understand by ‘islands’ the holy churches, and by ‘mountains’ the rulers in them. And that they will flee when everything that was foretold comes, we heard about this from the Lord, who said: “those in the east will flee to the west, and those who are in the west - to the east. Then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, lower will be" (Matthew 24:21). If we take these words in the literal sense, then this will be a picture of the terrible destruction that in our time, when atomic and hydrogen bombs, it’s not hard to imagine. Further in v. 21 it is said that hail fell from the sky on people “the size of a talent”... “and men blasphemed God with the plague of hail, for great was his plague.” Not bombs Should we mean by this murderous hail? And in our time we often observe such hardening of hearts when people are not admonished by anything, but only blaspheme God (19-21).

Chapter seventeen. THE JUDGMENT OF THE GREAT HARLOTS SITTING ON MANY WATERS

One of the seven Angels suggested to St. John to show him the judgment of the great harlot who sat on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed fornication, and with the wine of fornication, with which those who dwell on the earth were drunk. The angel led St. John in the spirit into the wilderness, and he saw “a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, which had seven heads and ten horns.” Some took this harlot for ancient Rome, as located on seven hills. The seven heads of the beast that carried it were considered the seven most wicked of all the kings who, from Domitian to Diocletian, persecuted the Church. St. Andrew, citing this opinion, further says: “We, guided and in accordance with the sequence of what is happening, think that the earthly kingdom in general is called a harlot, as if represented in one body, or a city that has to reign even until the coming of the Antichrist.” Some interpreters see in this harlot a church unfaithful to Christ, who worshiped the Antichrist, or an apostate society - that part of Christian humanity that will enter into close communication with the sinful world, will serve it and rely entirely on its brute strength - the power of the beast-antichrist, why is this wife and she was shown to the Seer of Mysteries sitting on a scarlet beast. “And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet”... all these are symbols of her royal power and dominion; “having a cup of gold in your hand is full of abomination and the filth of its fornication” - “the cup shows the sweetness of evil deeds before tasting them, and their gold is their preciousness” (St. Andrew). Members of this Church, unfaithful to Christ, or apostate society, will be carnal people, devoted to sensuality. As one commentator says, “full of outward piety and at the same time not alien to feelings of crude ambition and vain love of glory, members of the infidel church will love luxury and comfort, and will begin to arrange magnificent ceremonies for the powerful of the world (17:2; 18:3, 9 ), to achieve holy goals through sinful means, they will preach exclusively with sword and gold" (17:4) (N. Vinogradov). “And on her forehead is written the name: mystery, Babylon the great, mother of fornicators and abominations of the earth” - “the mark on her forehead shows the shamelessness of unrighteousness, the fullness of sins and heartfelt confusion; she is a mother, for in the lower cities she leads spiritual fornication, thereby giving birth to those who are abominable before God lawlessness" (St. Andrew). A more general interpretation is inclined to see in this harlot, bearing the name of Babylon, the entire basely sensual and anti-Christian culture of humanity in recent times, which awaits a terrible worldwide catastrophe at the end of the world and the Second Coming of Christ. The fall of this “Babylon” is presented in the Apocalypse as the first act of victory in the world struggle of the Church of Christ with the sinful kingdom of the devil (vv. 1-5). “And I saw a woman drunk with the blood of the saints” - here we mean all the martyrs for Christ who suffered throughout world history, especially during the time of the Antichrist (v. 6). Next, the Angel showed St. John the harlot, gives him an explanation of the whole vision. “The beast, which I saw, is, and is, and has the power to rise from the abyss, and will go to destruction” - St. Andrew says that this beast “Satan, who was killed by the Cross of Christ, will again, it is said, come to life at his death and through false signs and wonders will act through the Antichrist to reject Christ. Therefore, he was and acted before the cross, and he is not, because of the saving passion weakened and deprived of the power that he had over the nations through idolatry." At the end of the world, Satan “will come again, in the manner indicated by us, coming out of the abyss or from where he was condemned and where the demons cast out by Christ asked Him not to send them, but to pigs; or he will come out of real life, which is called “the abyss” allegorically for the reason sinful depths of life, overwhelmed and agitated by the winds of passions. From here, Satan, the Antichrist, who has within himself, will come out to destroy people, so that he will soon receive destruction in the next century" (vv. 7-8).

“There are seven chapters, the mountains are seven, where the woman sits on them, and the kings are seven” - St. Andrew of Caesarea in these seven chapters and seven mountains sees seven kingdoms that were distinguished by their special global significance and power. These are: 1) Assyrian, 2) Median, 3) Babylonian, 4) Persian, 5) Macedonian, 6) Roman in its two periods - the period of the republic and the period of the empire, or the Ancient Roman period and the New Roman period from Emperor Constantine. “By the name of the “five kings” who fell, St. Hippolytus understands five past centuries, the sixth is the one in which the Apostle had a vision, and the seventh, which has not yet come, but which will not last long (vv. 9-10). “And here, which was and is not, and the 8th is”... this beast is the Antichrist; he is called the “eighth” because “after the seven kingdoms he will rise to deceive and devastate the earth”; “from the seven” he, as if he appeared from one of these kingdoms. “And the ten horns, even as you saw, are ten kings, whose kingdoms have not yet received, but the region that the kings will receive for one hour with the beast” - here all sorts of fortune-telling and assumptions cannot lead to anything . Some wanted to see in all these kings, as in the beast, Roman emperors, but all this is undoubtedly a stretch. We are talking here about the last times, of course. All these kings, like-minded with the beast, that is, the Antichrist, will wage war with the Lamb, that is, with Christ, and will be overcome (vv. 11-14).

It is noteworthy that the adulterous wife, bearing the name of Babylon, about whom St. Seer in the 18th century. directly says that this is “a great city reigning over the kings of the earth,” and that the “waters” on which it sits, “the essence of people and peoples, tribes and languages,” will be punished and destroyed by the very beast Antichrist, whose ten horns “They will hate her and destroy her and strip her naked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire” (vv. 15-18).

Chapter Eighteen. THE FALL OF BABYLON – THE GREAT HARLOT

This chapter extremely vividly and figuratively depicts the death of Babylon - the great harlot, which was accompanied, on the one hand, by the crying of the kings of the earth who committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth who sold her all sorts of precious goods, and on the other, joy in heaven over what was just. judgment of God. Some modern interpreters believe that this Babylon will really be some kind of huge city, a world center, the capital of the kingdom of the Antichrist, which will be distinguished by its wealth and at the same time extreme depravity of morals, which has always distinguished large and rich cities. The last verses of this chapter (21-23) indicate the suddenness of God's punishment that will befall this city. Its death will happen as quickly as a millstone sinks into the sea, and this death will be so amazing that not the slightest trace will remain of the city, as figuratively indicated in the words: “and the voices of those playing the harp and singing and playing the pipes and trumpets trumpets will no longer be heard in you,” etc. In the last, 24th verse, it is also indicated as the reason for the death of Babylon that “the blood of prophets and saints and all those killed on earth was found in it.”

Chapter nineteen. THE WAR OF THE WORD OF GOD WITH THE BEAST AND HIS ARMY AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE LAST

The first 10 verses of this chapter also extremely figuratively describe the rejoicing in heaven among numerous hosts of saints over the destruction of the hostile kingdom of Antichrist and the advent of the kingdom of Christ. The latter is depicted under the guise of the “marriage of the Lamb” and the participation of the righteous in the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (cf. Matt. 22:1-14; also Luke 14:16-24). The seer heard in heaven “a loud voice as if of a large people, which said: “Alleluia: salvation and glory, and honor and strength to our Lord” ... and the twenty and four elders and the four living creatures fell, and worshiped God who sat on the throne, saying : Amen, alleluia" - "Alleluia", according to the explanation of St. Andrew of Caesarea, “means Divine glorification”; "Amen" - truly, let it be. This says that the angelic forces, together with equal angelic people, are sung to God “three times”, because of the Trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the One God, who noted the blood of His servants from the hand of Babylon, blessed its inhabitants with punishment and stopped sin. "Alleluia" from the Hebrew "Hallemu Yag" literally means: "praise God." “And her smoke ascended forever and ever” - this means that the punishment that befell Babylon the harlot will continue forever. “We rejoice and be glad and give glory to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb has come” - the subject of rejoicing is that the time is coming to celebrate the marriage of the Lamb. By “marriage” or “wedding feast” we generally mean the state of spiritual joy of the Church. By the bridegroom of the Church we mean the Lamb - the Lord Jesus Christ, the Head of His mystical Body; by the bride and wife of the Lamb we mean the Church (see Eph. 5:25). Marriage itself means the close union of the Lord Jesus Christ with His Church, sealed by fidelity, confirmed on both sides by covenant, as if by a mutual agreement (cf. Hosea 2:18-20). The wedding feast means enjoying the fullness of God’s grace, which, by the power of Christ’s redemptive merits, will be abundantly given to all true members of the Church of Christ, delighting and cheering them with indescribable blessings. “And His wife prepared food for herself, and it was given to her, she was clothed in fine linen, clean and bright” - “that the Church is dressed in fine linen, this means her lightness in virtues, subtlety in understanding and her height in meditation and contemplation, for from these they consist Divine justifications" (St. Andrew of Caesarea). “The Blessed Calling at the Supper of the Marriage of the Lamb” - “The Supper of Christ,” as St. explains. Andrew, “there is the triumph of those who are saved and their concordant joy, which the blessed will receive when they enter the eternal palace with the Holy Bridegroom of pure souls: “For the one who promised is not false.” Just as there are many blessings of the future age, surpassing all thought, so varied are the names by which they are called. They are sometimes called the Kingdom of Heaven because of its glory and honesty, sometimes - paradise because of the abundance of the table of pleasures, sometimes the bosom of Abraham because of the peace of the departed in it, and sometimes - a palace and a marriage, not only because of endless joy, but also for the sake of pure, true and ineffable union God with His servants - a connection that is so superior to bodily communication with each other, as light is distinguished from darkness and myrrh from the stench. Jesus; Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" - the meaning of these words is: do not bow down to me, for I am only your fellow servant. The same Holy Spirit who speaks and acts through the Apostles, in particular through St. John, preaching the testimony of Jesus , speaks through the Angels, as through the same messengers of God: “Your dignity is the same as mine,” as if the Angel were saying: “You, endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit, testify to the words and deeds of Jesus Christ; and I, having received a revelation of future events from the same Holy Spirit, communicate it to you and the Church. In other words, the Spirit of the testimony of Christ is the Spirit of prophecy, that is, of the same dignity." St. Andrew of Caesarea notes here the humility of the angels, "who do not appropriate to themselves, like evil demons, Divine glory, but attribute it to the Master" (v. 1- 10).

The next part of the chapter (vv. 11-12) depicts the appearance of the Divine Bridegroom Himself - the Word of God - His battle with the beast and His army and the final victory over him. St. John saw an open sky, from where the Lord Jesus Christ descended in the form of a rider on a white horse, followed by the heavenly armies also on white horses. "White horse", according to St. Andrew, “means the lordship of the saints, sitting on whom He will judge the nations, emitting from His ardent and fiery eyes, that is, from His all-seeing power, a fiery flame, the righteous, however, not scorching, but enlightening, and sinners, on the contrary, devouring, but not enlightening." He appears as a King with many diadems on his head, which means that He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and over all the kingdoms of the world. “His name is written, no one knows except He Himself” - the unknown of the name indicates the incomprehensibility of His Divine Being. Further, in v. 13, this name is called: the Word of God. This name is truly incomprehensible to people, for it refers to the essence and origin of the Divine nature of Jesus Christ, which no mortal can comprehend. That is why in the Old Testament Scripture it is called wonderful (Judges 13:18; Isa. 9:6; Proverbs 30:4). “And clothed in a robe of scarlet blood” - “The robe of God the Word,” says St. Andrew, “His most pure and incorruptible flesh was stained with His blood during free suffering.” “And the hosts of heaven follow Him on white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and pure” - “these are heavenly powers, distinguished by the subtlety of nature, the height of understanding and the lightness of virtues and honored by the indissolubility of a strong and close union with Christ” (St. Andrew). “From His mouth came a sharp weapon, so that He might pierce the tongues: and He will shepherd Him with a rod of iron: and He will crush the wine of the wrath and wrath of God Almighty” - this is the sword of Christ, in this case not so much as a teacher (cf. 1:16) , but rather as a King who executes His judgments as a weapon to punish the wicked (Isa. 11:4). They will be shepherded with a rod of iron - this expression is taken from (Ps. 2:9; Isa. 63:4-5), and explained in (Apoc. 2:27; 12:5). “And to have on His robe and quilt His name is written: King by king and Lord by lord” - this name, testifying to the Divine dignity of its wearer, was written on the thigh, that is, on the royal cloak, near that part of the body at which, according to the custom of the Eastern nations, a sword hung on his belt (vv. 11-16).

Further St. The seer saw an Angel standing in the sun, who, calling on everyone to rejoice in the punishment of sinners and the suppression of sin, cried out: “Come and gather together for the great supper of God... that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of mighty men” - this is the Angel’s appeal to birds of prey symbolically means that the defeat of the enemies of God is the most terrible, as in a bloody battle, when the bodies of the killed, due to their multitude, remain unburied, and birds devour them. “And there was a beast and with him a lying prophet, who performed signs before him, in the image of deception, who received the mark of the beast, and worshiped his icon; they were both thrown alive into the lake of fire, burning with a bogey” - this is the result of the battle that took place. “Perhaps,” says St. Andrew, “that they will not undergo general death, but those killed in the twinkling of an eye will be condemned to a second death in the lake of fire. How will those about whom the Apostle said that they, being alive, suddenly, in the twinkling of an eye, be changed (1 Cor. 15:52), so, on the contrary, these two opponents of God will go not to judgment, but to condemnation. Based on the words of the Apostle that “the Antichrist will be killed by the spirit of the Divine mouth” (2 Thess. 2:8), and on the legend some teacher that there will be living ones even after the killing of the Antichrist, some interpret this, but we affirm that the living are those blessed by David and that these two, after God has stopped their power, in incorruptible bodies will be cast into the fire of Gehenna, which will constitute death for them and killing by the Divine command of Christ." Just as the blessed life begins in this life, so the hell of those who are hardened and tormented by an evil conscience begins in this life, continues and intensifies to the highest degree in the future life. "And the rest slew him with the weapon of him that sat on the horse, which proceeded from his mouth: and all the birds were filled with their flesh." “There are two deaths,” explains St. Andrew, “one is the separation of the soul from the body, the other is being cast into Gehenna. Applying this to those who are militant along with the Antichrist, it is not without reason that we assume that by the sword or by the command of God the first death will be inflicted on them - physical, and will be followed by a second; and this is correct. If this is not so, then they, together with those who deceived them, will be participants in the second death - eternal torment" (vv. 17-21).

Chapter twenty. GENERAL RESURRECTION AND THE DASTY JUDGMENT

Following the defeat of the Antichrist, St. John saw an angel descending from heaven, who had the key of the abyss and a large chain in his hand. This angel “is the serpent, the ancient serpent, like the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and shut him into the abyss, and imprison him... until the thousand years are finished: and to this day it is fitting for him to be set aside for a little time.” - as St. interprets Andrew of Caesarea, by this “thousand years” we must understand all the time from the incarnation of Christ to the coming of the Antichrist. With the coming of the Incarnate Son of God to earth, and especially since the moment of His redemption of humanity by His death on the Cross, Satan was bound, paganism was overthrown, and the thousand-year Kingdom of Christ began on earth. This thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth means the victory of Christianity over paganism and the establishment of the Church of Christ on earth. The number 1000 - definite - is taken here instead of indefinite, meaning generally a long period of time before the Second Coming of Christ. “And I saw thrones, and those sitting on them, and judgment was given to them,” and so on - this picture symbolically depicts the coming kingdom of the Christian faith, after the overthrow of paganism. Those who received judgment and sat on thrones are all Christians who have achieved salvation, for all of them have been given the promise of the kingdom and glory of Christ (1 Thessaloniki 2:12). In this face of St. The Seer especially singles out “those who were beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the Word of God,” that is, the holy martyrs. “And videkh,” we say to the saint. John, “the souls of the hewn” - from here it is clearly seen that these saints, participating in the 1000-year Kingdom of Christ, reign with Christ and “execute judgment” not on earth, but in heaven, for here we are talking only about their souls, not yet united with bodies. From these words it is clear that the Saints take part in the governance of the Church of Christ on earth, and therefore it is natural and correct to turn to them with prayers, asking them for intercession before Christ, with whom they co-reign. “And she came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years” - the revival here is, of course, moral and spiritual. The Holy Seer of Mysteries calls this the “first resurrection” (v. 5), and he speaks further about the second, bodily resurrection. This co-kingship of the Saints with Christ will continue until the final victory over the dark forces of wickedness under the Antichrist, when the resurrection of bodies occurs and the final Last Judgment occurs. Then the souls of the saints will be united with their bodies and will reign with Christ forever. “The rest of the dead did not live until a thousand years passed away; behold the first resurrection” - this expression “not living” expresses the gloomy and painful state after the physical death of the souls of ungodly sinners. It will continue “until the end of a thousand years” - as in many other places of Holy Scripture, this particle “dondezh” (in Greek “eos”) does not mean the continuation of the action to a certain limit, but, on the contrary, a complete negation of it (e.g. Matthew 1:25). These words therefore mean the denial of a blessed life forever for the dead wicked. “Blessed and holy are those who have the first share in the resurrection, but the second death has no share in them” - this is how the saint explains this. Andrew of Caesarea: “From Divine Scripture we know that there are two lives and two mortifications, that is, deaths: the first life is for the transgression of the commandments, temporary and carnal, the second is for keeping the Divine commandments, the eternal life promised to the Saints. Accordingly, there are two kind of death: one is carnal and temporary, and the other is sent in the future as punishment for sins, eternal, that is, fiery Gehenna. Therefore, the meaning of these words is as follows: there is nothing to fear the second death, that is, fiery Gehenna, for those who are still here on earth lived in Christ Jesus and was blessed by Him and with ardent faith in Him appeared before Him after the first, that is, physical death (vv. 1-6).

These first 6 verses of the 20th chapter of the Apocalypse gave rise to the false teaching about the “thousand-year Kingdom of Christ on earth,” which received the name “chiliasm.” The essence of this teaching is this: long before the end of the world, Christ the Savior will come to earth again, defeat the Antichrist, resurrect only the righteous and establish a new kingdom on earth, in which the righteous, as a reward for their exploits and sufferings, will reign with Him for a thousand years , enjoying all the benefits of temporary life. Then will follow the second, general resurrection of the dead, general judgment and general eternal retribution. This teaching was known in two forms. Some said that Christ would restore Jerusalem in all its glory, reintroduce the ritual law of Moses with all sacrifices, and that the bliss of the righteous would consist in all kinds of sensual pleasures. This is what the heretic Cerinthus and other Judaizing heretics taught in the first century: the Ebionites, Montanists, and in the fourth century Apollinaris. Others, on the contrary, argued that this bliss would consist of purely spiritual pleasures. In this latter form, thoughts about chiliasm were first expressed by Papias of Hierapolis; They then meet at St. the martyr Justin, Irenaeus, Hippolytus, Methodius and Lactantius; in later times it was renewed, with some peculiarities, by the Anabaptists, the followers of Swedenborg, the Illuminati mystics and the Adventists. It must, however, be seen that neither in the first nor in the second form the doctrine of chiliasm can be accepted by an Orthodox Christian, and here’s why:

1) According to the teachings of the Chiliasts, there will be a two-fold resurrection of the dead: the first a thousand years before the end of the world, when only the righteous will rise, the second - just before the end of the world, when sinners will also rise. Meanwhile, Christ the Savior clearly taught only about one general resurrection of the dead, when both the righteous and sinners will be resurrected and everyone will receive the final reward (John 6:39, 40; Matt. 13:37-43).

2) The Word of God speaks only of two comings of Christ into the world: the first, in humiliation, when He came to redeem us, and the second, in glory, when He appears to judge the living and the dead. Chiliasm introduces one more thing - the third coming of Christ a thousand years before the end of the world, which the Word of God does not know.

3) The Word of God teaches only about two kingdoms of Christ: the Kingdom of grace, which will continue until the end of the world (1 Cor. 15:23-26), and the Kingdom of glory, which will begin after the Last Judgment and will have no end (Luke 1: 33; 2 Peter 1:11); Chiliasm allows for some kind of middle, third Kingdom of Christ, which will last only 1000 years.

4) The teaching about the sensual Kingdom of Christ is clearly contrary to the Word of God, according to which the Kingdom of God is not “meat and drink” (Rom. 14:17), on the resurrection of the dead they do not marry and do not encroach (Matthew 22:30); the ritual law of Moses had only a transformative meaning and was forever abolished by the most perfect New Testament law (Acts 15:23-30; Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:6; Heb. 10:1).

5) Some ancient teachers of the Church, like Justin, Irenaeus and Methodius, held chiliasm only as a private opinion. At the same time, others resolutely rebelled against him, such as: Caius, Presbyter of Rome, St. Dionysius of Alexandria, Origen, Eusebius of Caesarea, St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Epiphanius, blessed Jerome, blessed Augustine. Since the time when the Church, at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381, condemned the teaching of the heretic Apollinaris about the millennium of Christ and, for this purpose, introduced into the creed the words “His Kingdom will have no end,” holding on to chiliasm, even as a private opinion, has become inadmissible.

You must also know that the Apocalypse is a deeply mysterious book, and therefore to understand and interpret literally the prophecies contained in it, especially if this literal understanding clearly contradicts other places of Holy Scripture, is completely contrary to the rules of sacred hermeneutics. In such cases, it is correct to look for the allegorical, allegorical meaning of puzzling passages.

“And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the tongues of those who are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, gathering them together to battle, their number like the sand of the sea” - by “Satan’s release from his prison” we mean the appearance before the end of the world of the Antichrist. The liberated Satan will try, in the person of the Antichrist, to deceive all the nations of the earth and will raise Gog and Magog to war against the Christian Church. “Some people think,” says St. Andrew of Caesarea, “that Gog and Magog are the midnight and most distant Scythian peoples, or, as we call them, the Huns, the most warlike and numerous of all earthly peoples. Only by the Divine right hand are they held back until the liberation of the devil from taking possession of the entire universe. Others, translating from Hebrew , they say that Gog denotes the gatherer or assembly, and Magog - the exalted or exaltation. So, these names denote either the assembly of peoples, or their exaltation. "We must assume that these names are used in a metaphorical sense to designate those fierce hordes that will arm themselves before the end of the world against the Church of Christ under the leadership of the Antichrist. “And he ascended into the breadth of the earth, and went through the holy camps and the beloved city” - this means that the enemies of Christ will spread throughout the entire earth and the persecution of Christianity will begin everywhere. “And fire came down from God from heaven, and I was eaten” - in the same terms he depicted the defeat of the ferocious hordes of Gog and St. prophet Ezekiel (38:18-22; 39:1-6). This is an image of the wrath of God, which will be poured out on the enemies of God at the Second Coming of Christ. “And the devil, who flatters them, will be cast into the lake of fire and bogey, where the beast and the lying prophet are: and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” - such will be the eternal fate of the devil and his servants, the Antichrist and the false prophet: they will be doomed to endless hellish torment (vv. 7-20).

This final victory over the devil will be followed by the general resurrection of the dead and the Last Judgment.

“And I saw the throne great and white, and Him who sat on it” - this is a picture of God’s general judgment over the human race. The whiteness of the throne on which the Supreme Judge of the universe sits means the holiness and truth of this Judge... “From his face (that is, from the face of the Lord Judge) heaven and earth fled, and no place was found for him” - this depicts the great and terrible revolutions in universe, which will take place before the final Last Judgment (cf. 2 Peter 3:10). “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and the books were broken down, and another book was opened, even the living: and the dead received judgment from them that were written in the books, according to their deeds” - the unfolded books symbolically denote the omniscience of God, who knows all things of people. There is only one book of life, as a sign of the small number of God’s chosen ones who will inherit salvation. “Open books,” says St. Andrew, “mean the deeds and conscience of everyone. One of them, he says, is the “book of life” in which the names of the Saints are written” - “And the sea gave its dead, and death and hell gave its dead: and judgment was accepted according to its deeds” - the idea here is that all people, without any exception, will be resurrected and appear at the Judgment of God. “And death and hell were quickly cast into the lake of fire: and behold, there is the second death. hell, nor death: for them, death and hell will cease to exist forever. By the “lake of fire” and the “second death” we mean the eternal damnation of sinners whose names were not written in the Lord’s book of life (vv. 11-15).

Chapter twenty one. DISCOVERY OF NEW HEAVEN AND NEW EARTH – NEW JERUSALEM

Following this, St. John was shown the spiritual beauty and greatness of the new Jerusalem, that is, the Kingdom of Christ, which will open in all its glory at the Second Coming of Christ after the victory over the devil.

“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: first, for heaven and earth had passed away, and there was no sea” - this does not speak of the non-existence of creation, but of a change for the better, as the Apostle testifies: “creation itself will be freed from the work of decay into the freedom of the glory of children of God (Rom. 8:21). And the Divine Songsinger says: “I have taken off like a garment, and they will be changed” (Psalm 101:27). Renewing the obsolete does not mean blotting out and destroying, but eliminating obsolescence and wrinkles (St. Andrew of Caesarea) ". This newness of heaven and earth will consist in their transformation by fire and in the newness of forms and qualities, but not in a change in the essence itself. The sea as a fickle and turbulent element will disappear. "And I John saw the holy city of Jerusalem, a new one descending from God from heaven, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband" - under the image of this "New Jerusalem" the triumphant Church of Christ is represented here, adorned, as it were, the bride of the Lord, with the purity and virtues of the Saints. "This city," says St. Andrew, "having Christ as its cornerstone, is made up of the Saints , about which it is written: “stones of holy stone are cast upon their lands” (Zech. 9:16). “And I heard a great voice from heaven, saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and will dwell with them: and these His people shall be, and God Himself will be with them, their God. And God will take away every tear from their eyes. And there shall be no death for any: there will be no crying, no crying, no sickness for anyone: like the first mimoidosha" - the Old Testament tabernacle was only a prototype of God’s dwelling with people, which will begin in the future eternal blissful life and will be a source of bliss for people freed from all the sorrows of the present earthly life (v. .1-4). “And He who sat on the throne said: I am creating all things anew... And I said: It is finished,” that is, I am creating a new life, completely different from the previous one; everything that was promised was fulfilled. “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end,” that is, everything that I promise is already, as it were, fulfilled, for before my eyes the future and the present constitute one and the same inseparable moment. “I will give to the thirsty the living tuna of the fountain of water,” that is, the grace of the Holy Spirit, figuratively represented in the Holy Scriptures under the image of living water (cf. John 4:10-14, 7:37-39). “He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be my Son,” that is, he who overcomes the battle against invisible demons will receive all these benefits and become the son of God. “But the fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and those who commit fornication, and those who perform enchantments, idolaters and all those who lie, some of them are in the lake that burns with fire and the bogeyman, which is the second death” - sinners who are fearful and do not have the courage to fight the devil , given over to passions and vices, will be condemned to the “second death,” that is, to eternal hellish torment (v. 1-8).

After this, one of the seven Angels, “having the seven phials, filled with the seven last plagues,” came to John, “saying: Come, I will show you the wife of the Lamb.” The “Bride” and “wife of the Lamb” is called here, as can be seen from what follows, the Church of Christ. “He calls it correctly,” says St. Andrew, “the bride of the Lamb as a wife,” for when Christ was slain as a Lamb, he then took her to Himself with His blood. Just as a wife was created for Adam during his sleep by taking a rib, so the Church, formed by the outpouring of blood from the ribs of Christ during His free resting on the cross in the sleep of death, was united with the one who was wounded for our sake." "And he guides me by the spirit," says St. John, “upon a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, descending from heaven from God, having the glory of God” - the bride of the Lamb, or the Holy Church, appeared before the spiritual gaze of the Holy Seer of Mysteries in the form of a beautiful great city, Jerusalem descending from heaven. The rest of the chapter is devoted to a detailed description of this wondrous city. Shining with precious stones, this city had 12 gates with the names of the 12 tribes of Israel and 12 foundations with the names of the 12 Apostles. A characteristic feature of the city is that “it shone like a stone dear, like crystal-shaped jasper stone." - “The luminary of the Church,” says St. Andrew, “is Christ, called “jasper,” as always growing, blooming, life-giving and pure.” A high wall surrounds the city as a sign that he cannot no one unworthy can enter there; This thought is expressed by the fact that the 12 gates are guarded by the Angels of God. The gates bear the names of the 12 tribes of Israel, for just as on earth these tribes formed the society of the chosen people of God, so their names are also adopted by the chosen ones of heaven - the new Israel. On the 12 wall foundations are written the names of the 12 Apostles of the Lamb, of course, as a sign that the Apostles are the foundations on which the Church is established, as the founders of the Christian faith among all the peoples of the earth. Here one cannot help but see a refutation of the false dogma of the Latins, that the Church of Christ was founded on one Apostle Peter (vv. 9-14).

The city is measured by an Angel before the eyes of St. The Seer, with the help of a golden cane. "Golden cane," says St. Andrew, “shows the honesty of the measuring Angel, whom he saw in human form, as well as the honesty of the city being measured, by the “wall” of which we mean Christ.” The city has the appearance of a regular quadrangle, and the uniformity of its height, longitude and latitude, 12,000 stadia each, indicates the shape of a cube, which signifies its hardness and strength. The height of the city wall is 144 cubits. All these digital expressions are used, presumably, to denote the perfection, solidity and amazing symmetry of the integral building of the Church of God. The city wall is built from jasper, symbolizing the Divine glory (see v. 11) and the always blooming and unfading life of the Saints. The city itself was made of pure gold, like pure glass, as a sign of the honesty and lordship of its inhabitants. The foundations of the city wall are decorated with all kinds of precious stones; in fact, each of the 12 bases was a solid gemstone. As St. Andrew, of these 12 expensive stones, eight were worn on the amice of the ancient high priest, and the other four were to show the agreement of the New Testament with the Old and the advantage of those who shone in it. And it is true, for the Apostles, signified by precious stones, were adorned with every virtue. According to the interpretation of St. Andrew, the meaning of these 12 stones is as follows: The first foundation - Jaspis - a greenish stone, means the Supreme Apostle Peter, who bore the death of Christ in his body and showed a blooming and unfading love for Him; the second - sapphire - from which azure is also made, denotes blessed Paul, raptured even to the third heaven; the third - chalcedon - apparently the same as the anerax, which was in the high priest's amice, means blessed Andrew the Apostle, like a coal, kindled by the Spirit; fourth - emerald - having a green color, feeding on oil and receiving shine and beauty from it, means St. Evangelist John, with the Divine oil that softens the regret and despondency that occurs in us from sins and with the precious gift of Theology, which gives us never-failing faith; fifth - sardonyx, a stone the color of a shiny human nail, signifies Jacob, who, before others, suffered bodily mortification for Christ; sixth - sardium - orange in color and shiny this stone, healing for tumors and ulcers from iron, denotes the beauty of the virtues of blessed Philip, enlightened by the fire of the Divine Spirit and healing the spiritual ulcers of the seduced; seventh - chrysolith - shining like gold, perhaps signifying Bartholomew, shining with valuable virtues and Divine preaching; the eighth - virill - having the color of sea and air, denotes Thomas, who made a long journey to save the Indians; ninth - topazium - a black stone, which, as they say, exudes a milky juice, healing for those suffering from eye diseases, denotes Blessed Matthew, who heals the blind at heart with the Gospel and gives milk to newborns in the faith; tenth - chrysopras - surpassing in brilliance gold itself, denotes blessed Thaddeus, who to Abgar, the king of Edessa, preached the Kingdom of Christ signified by gold and the death in it, signified by pras; the first ten - jacinth - azure or sky-shaped hyacinth, plausibly designates Simon as a zealot of Christ's gifts, having heavenly wisdom; the second ten - amefist - a scarlet-colored stone, denotes Matthias, who was awarded the Divine fire during the division of languages ​​and for his fiery desire to please the Chosen One, replacing the place of the fallen (v. 15-20).

The twelve gates of the city were made of 12 solid pearls. "Twelve gates," says St. Andrey, obviously the essence of the 12 disciples of Christ, through whom we learned the door and the path of life. They are also 12 beads, as having received enlightenment and shine from the only valuable beads - Christ. The city street is pure gold, like transparent glass. All these details express the same idea that in the heavenly Church of God everything is holy, pure, beautiful and stable, everything is majestic, spiritual and precious (v. 21).

The following describes the internal life of the inhabitants of this wonderful heavenly city. Firstly, there is no visible temple in it, for “the Lord God Almighty is his temple, and the Lamb” - the Lord God will be given direct worship there, and therefore there will be no need for either a material temple or any rituals and sacred rites ; secondly, this heavenly city will not need any lighting, “for the glory of God enlighten it, and the Lamb is its lamp.” The common internal feature that distinguishes this heavenly Church from the earthly one is that while in the earthly Church good coexists with evil and the tares grow along with the wheat, in the heavenly Church only the good, pure and holy will be gathered from all the peoples of the earth. However, all the evil, nasty and unclean things that have accumulated throughout the history of the world will be separated from here and merged, as it were, into one stinking reservoir, the uncleanness of which will in no way touch this wondrous abode of only blessed beings” (vv. 22-27).

Chapter twenty two. FINAL FEATURES OF THE IMAGE OF THE NEW JERUSALEM. CERTIFICATION OF THE TRUTH OF ALL THAT WAS SAID, COVENANT TO KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS OF GOD AND EXPECT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST, WHICH WILL BE SOON

The continuity of blessedness of the members of the heavenly Church is depicted in a number of symbols. The first symbol is “a clear, crystal-clear river of the water of life. This river, continuously flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb, symbolically depicts the grace of the Life-giving Spirit, which fills the hundreds of the Holy City, that is, the entire multitude of its inhabitants, “increased” according to the Psalmist, “more than sand" (Ps. 139:18). This is the grace and mercy of God, which will always be poured out inexhaustibly on the inhabitants of the heavenly city, filling their hearts with inexpressible bliss (cf. Isaiah 35:9-10). The second symbol - this is the “tree of life”, in the likeness of the one that once existed in the earthly paradise, before the fall of our ancestors. “The tree of life in heavenly Jerusalem will have special, excellent qualities: it will bear fruit twelve times a year, and its leaves will serve for healing peoples St. Andrew believes that “the tree of life signifies Christ, understood in the Spirit and about the Holy Spirit: for in Him is the Spirit, and He is worshiped in the Spirit and is the giver of the Spirit. Through Him, the twelve fruits of the Apostolic Face give us the unfading fruit of God-mind. The leaves of the tree of life, that is, Christ, signify the subtlest and highest and most luminous understanding of Divine destinies, and its fruits are the most perfect knowledge revealed in the next century. These leaves will be for healing, that is, the purification of the ignorance of peoples inferior to others in the performance of virtues. Because “and another is the glory of the sun, and another is the glory of the moon, and another is the glory of the stars” (1 Cor. 15:41), and “many are the mansions of the Father” (John 14:2), in order to honor one less by the nature of his deeds, and the other - greater lordship." “And all anathema shall not be given to anyone” - every curse will forever be lifted from the inhabitants of this heavenly city, “and the throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will serve Him, and they will see His face, and His name on their foreheads” - those worthy become the inhabitants of this city, they will see God face to face, “not in fortune-telling, but, as the great Dionysius testifies, in the very form in which he was seen by the holy Apostles on Mount Holy. Instead of the golden shield worn by the ancient high priest (Ex. 28: 36), will have the mark of the name of God, and not only on their foreheads, but also in their hearts, that is, firm, immutable and bold love for Him. For the mark on the forehead means the adornment of boldness" (St. Andrew). “And the night will not be there and will not require light from a lamp, nor the light of the sun, for the Lord God enlightens me, and they will reign forever and ever” - all these features indicate the continuous and most complete communication of the members of the heavenly Church with their Master, united even with seeing Him. This will be for them a source of inexhaustible bliss (cf. Ezek. 47:12) (vv. 1-5).

In the final verses of the Apocalypse (vv. 6-21) St. The Apostle John certifies the truth and accuracy of everything that has been said and speaks of the nearness of the fulfillment of everything that was shown to him, as well as the nearness of the Second Coming of Christ and with it retribution for everyone according to his deeds. “Behold, I am coming soon” - these words, according to the explanation of St. Andrew, show either the short duration of the present life in comparison with the future, or the suddenness or speed of each person’s death, since death from here is the end for everyone. And since he does not know “at what hour the thief comes,” we are commanded to “keep awake and have our loins girded and our lamps burning” (Luke 12:35). We must remember that for our God there is no time, that “one day is like a thousand years before Him, and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8). He is coming quickly because He is coming surely—nothing will stop His coming, just as nothing will stop or destroy His immutable decrees and promises. Man counts days, months and years, but the Lord does not count time, but the truths and untruths of men, and by the measure of His chosen ones determines the measure of the approach of that great and enlightened day when “there will be no more time,” and the non-evening day of His Kingdom begins. The Spirit and the bride, that is, the Church of Christ, call everyone to come and draw the water of life freely, in order to be worthy of becoming citizens of heavenly Jerusalem. Finishes St. John of the Apocalypse appeases those who fulfill God’s commandments and sternly warns them not to distort the words of prophecy, under the threat of imposing the plagues “written in this book.” In conclusion, St. John expresses the wish for the speedy coming of Christ in the words: “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus,” and teaches the usual Apostolic blessing, from which it is clear that the Apocalypse was originally intended as a message to the churches of Asia Minor (v. 1:11).

It's over and thank God