Thursday 30 June 2016
What is the falling away?
Homily 3 on Second Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 1:9-10
Ver.
3, 4.
Let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, he that opposes and exalts himself against all that is called God or that is worshipped; so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Here
he discourses concerning the Antichrist, and reveals great mysteries. What is
the falling away?He calls him Apostasy, as being about to destroy many, and make them fall away. So that if it were possible, He says, the very Elect should be offended. From Matthew 24:24 And he calls him
the man of sin.For he shall do numberless mischiefs, and shall cause others to do them. But he calls him
the son of perdition,because he is also to be destroyed. But who is he? Is it then Satan? By no means; but some man, that admits his fully working in him. For he is a man.
And exalts himself against all that is called God or is worshipped.For he will not introduce idolatry, but will be a kind of opponent to God; he will abolish all the gods, and will order men to worship him instead of God, and he will be seated in the temple of God, not that in Jerusalem only, but also in every Church.
Setting himself forth,he says; he does not say, saying it, but endeavoring to show it. For he will perform great works, and will show wonderful signs.
Source:
St. John Chrysostom
Wednesday 29 June 2016
What was(is) withholding or restraining the man of sin!?
Homily 4 on Second Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 2:6-9
And now ye know that which restrains, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawlessness does already work: only there is one that restrains now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of His mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of His coming: even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan.
One may naturally enquire, what is
that which withholds, and after that would know, why Paul expresses it so
obscurely. What then is it that withholds, that is, hinders him from being
revealed? Some indeed say, the grace of the Spirit, but others the Roman
empire, to whom I most of all accede. Wherefore? Because if he meant to say the
Spirit, he would not have spoken obscurely, but plainly, that even now the grace
of the Spirit, that is the gifts, withhold him. And otherwise he ought now to
have come, if he was about to come when the gifts ceased; for they have long
since ceased. But because he said this of the Roman empire, he naturally
glanced at it, and speaks covertly and darkly. For he did not wish to bring
upon himself superfluous enmities, and useless dangers. For if he had said that
after a little while the Roman empire would be dissolved, they would
immediately have even overwhelmed him, as a pestilent person, and all the
faithful, as living and warring to this end. And he did not say that it will be
quickly, although he is always saying it— but what?
that he may be revealed in his own season,he says,
For the mystery of lawlessness does already work.He speaks here of Nero, as if he were the type of Antichrist. For he too wished to be thought a god. And he has well said,
the mystery; that is, it works not openly, as the other, nor without shame. For if there was found a man before that time, he means, who was not much behind Antichrist in wickedness, what wonder, if there shall now be one? But he did not also wish to point him out plainly: and this not from cowardice, but instructing us not to bring upon ourselves unnecessary enmities, when there is nothing to call for it. So indeed he also says here.Only there is one that restrains now, until he be taken out of the way,that is, when the Roman empire is taken out of the way, then he shall come. And naturally. For as long as the fear of this empire lasts, no one will willingly exalt himself, but when that is dissolved, he will attack the anarchy, and endeavor to seize upon the government both of man and of God. For as the kingdoms before this were destroyed, for example, that of the Medes by the Babylonians, that of the Babylonians by the Persians, that of the Persians by the Macedonians, that of the Macedonians by the Romans: so will this also be by the Antichrist, and he by Christ, and it will no longer withhold. And these things Daniel delivered to us with great clearness.
Source:
St. John Chrysostom
The Two Resurrections
What is the First
Resurrection, and What the Second
After
that He adds
the words, Verily,
verily, I say
unto you, The
hour is coming,
and now is,
when the dead
shall hear the
voice of the
Son of God;
and they that
hear shall live.
For as the
Father has life
in Himself; so
has He given
to the Son
to have life
in Himself. John
5:25-26 As yet
He does not
speak of the
second resurrection, that
is, the resurrection
of the body,
which shall be
in the end,
but of the
first, which now
is. It is
for the sake of making
this distinction that
He says, The
hour is coming,
and now is.
Now this resurrection
regards not the
body, but the
soul. For souls, too,
have a death
of their own
in wickedness and
sins, whereby they
are the dead
of whom the
same lips say,
Suffer the dead
to bury their
dead, Matthew 8:22
— that is,
let those who
are dead in
soul bury them
that are dead
in body. It
is of these
dead, then— the
dead in ungodliness
and wickedness— that
He says, The
hour is coming,
and now is,
when the dead
shall hear the
voice of the
Son of God;
and they that
hear shall live.
They that hear,
that is, they
who obey, believe,
and persevere to
the end. Here
no difference is
made between the
good and the
bad. For it
is good for
all men to
hear His voice
and live, by
passing to the life of
godliness from the
death of ungodliness.
Of this death
the Apostle Paul
says, Therefore all
are dead, and
He died for
all, that they
which live should
not henceforth live
unto themselves, but
unto Him which
died for them
and rose again.
2 Corinthians 5:14-15
Thus all, without
one exception, were
dead in sins,
whether original or
voluntary sins, sins
of ignorance, or
sins committed against
knowledge; and for
all the dead
there died the
one only person
who lived, that
is, who had no sin
whatever, in order
that they who
live by the
remission of their
sins should live,
not to themselves,
but to Him
who died for
all, for our
sins, and rose again for
our justification, that
we, believing in
Him who justifies
the ungodly, and
being justified from
ungodliness or quickened
from death, may
be able to
attain to the
first resurrection which
now is. For
in this first
resurrection none have
a part save
those who shall
be eternally blessed;
but in the
second, of which
He goes on
to speak, all,
as we shall
learn, have a
part, both the
blessed and the
wretched. The one
is the resurrection
of mercy, the
other of judgment.
And therefore it is written
in the psalm,
I will sing
of mercy and of judgment:
unto You, O
Lord, will I
sing.
And
of this judgment
He went on
to say, And
has given Him authority
to execute judgment
also, because He
is the Son
of man. Here
He shows that
He will come
to judge in
that flesh in
which He had
come to be
judged. For it
is to show
this He says,
because He is
the Son of
man. And then
follow the words
for our purpose:
Marvel not at
this: for the
hour is coming,
in the which
all that are
in the graves
shall hear His
voice, and shall
come forth; they
that have done
good, unto the resurrection
of life; and
they that have
done evil, unto
the resurrection of
judgment. John 5:28-29
This judgment He
uses here in
the same sense
as a little
before, when He
says, He that
hears my word,
and believes in
Him that sent
me, has everlasting
life, and shall
not come into judgment, but
is passed from
death to life; i.e., by
having a part
in the first
resurrection, by which
a transition from
death to life
is made in this present
time, he shall
not come into
damnation, which He
mentions by the
name of judgment,
as also in
the place where
He says, but
they that have
done evil unto
the resurrection of
judgment, i.e., of
damnation. He, therefore,
who would not
be damned in
the second resurrection,
let him rise
in the first.
For the hour
is coming, and
now is, when
the dead shall
hear the voice
of the Son
of God; and
they that hear
shall live, i.e.,
shall not come
into damnation, which
is called the
second death; into
which death, after
the second or
bodily resurrection, they
shall be hurled
who do not
rise in the
first or spiritual
resurrection. For the
hour is coming
(but here He
does not say,
and now is,
because it shall
come in the
end of the
world in the
last and greatest
judgment of God)
when all that
are in the
graves shall hear
His voice and
shall come forth.
He does not
say, as in
the first resurrection,
And they that
Hear shall live.
For all shall
not live, at
least with such
life as ought
alone to be
called life because
it alone is
blessed. For some
kind of life
they must have
in order to
hear, and come
forth from the
graves in their
rising bodies. And
why all shall
not live He
teaches in the
words that follow:
They that have
done good, to
the resurrection of
life,— these are they who
shall live; but
they that have
done evil, to
the resurrection of
judgment,— these are
they who shall
not live, for
they shall die
in the second
death. They have
done evil because
their life has
been evil; and
their life has
been evil because
it has not
been renewed in
the first or
spiritual resurrection which
now is, or
because they have
not persevered to
the end in
their renewed life.
As, then, there
are two regenerations, of
which I have
already made mention—the
one according to
faith, and which
takes place in
the present life
by means of
baptism; the other
according to the
flesh, and which
shall be accomplished
in its incorruption
and immortality by
means of the
great and final
judgment,— so are
there also two
resurrections,— the one
the first and
spiritual resurrection, which
has place in
this life, and
preserves us from
coming into the
second death; the
other the second,
which does not
occur now, but
in the end
of the world,
and which is
of the body,
not of the
soul, and which
by the last
judgment shall dismiss
some into the
second death, others
into that life
which has no
death.
Source:
The City of God (Book XX)
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