Η Δευτέρα Παρουσία και η Ανάσταση του ανθρώπου The Second Coming and the Resurrection of Humanity

Η Ορθόδοξη Χριστιανική πίστη διδάσκει ότι η Δευτέρα Παρουσία του Ιησού Χριστού δεν είναι μια πράξη καταστροφής ή απλής κρίσης της ψυχής τη στιγμή του θανάτου, αλλά η ολοκλήρωση του σχεδίου του Θεού: η ένωση της ψυχής με το αναστημένο και μεταμορφωμένο σώμα, για αιώνια ζωή.

Orthodox Christian faith teaches that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is not an act of destruction or merely the judgment of the soul at the moment of death, but the fulfillment of God’s plan: the union of the soul with the risen and transformed body, for eternal life.

Μετά τον χωρισμό της ψυχής από το σώμα, η ψυχή παραμένει ζωντανή και συνειδητή. Σύμφωνα με την Αγία Γραφή, αισθάνεται, κατανοεί και συνεχίζει να ενεργεί με τις δυνάμεις της ψυχής.

After the separation of the soul from the body, the soul remains alive and conscious. According to Holy Scripture, it feels, understands, and continues to act through the energies of the soul.

Η λέξη «ύπνος», με την οποία συχνά περιγράφεται ο θάνατος, αναφέρεται στο σώμα και όχι στην ψυχή. Η ελπίδα της Εκκλησίας είναι η Ανάσταση και η αιώνια ζωή εν Χριστώ.

The word “sleep,” by which death is often described, refers to the body and not to the soul. The hope of the Church is the Resurrection and eternal life in Christ.

Η Δευτέρα Παρουσία θα γίνει όταν ο Χριστός έρθει «με δόξα» για να κρίνει ζώντες και νεκρούς, όπως ομολογεί το Σύμβολο της Πίστεως. Ο χρόνος αυτός παραμένει άγνωστος και δεν μπορεί να προβλεφθεί από τον άνθρωπο.

The Second Coming will take place when Christ comes “with glory” to judge the living and the dead, as confessed in the Creed. This time remains unknown and cannot be predicted by humanity.

Η Μεταμόρφωση, η Ανάσταση και η Δευτέρα Παρουσία αποκαλύπτουν ότι ο άνθρωπος έχει μοναδική και αιώνια ταυτότητα ενώπιον του Θεού.

The Transfiguration, the Resurrection, and the Second Coming reveal that every human person has a unique and eternal identity before God.

 What I am reading to you now are the words of the holy Elder Galaktia.

“Oh, oh, light, light, light! The Holy Trinity. Something entirely different. In this light, angels are chanting. Joy, gladness, celebration. It is as if you are in a garden full of flowers. The poor damned souls see the joys of the righteous and become even more distressed. Those who go to hell in the next life see the righteous. But the righteous do not see the damned, so that they will not be saddened. There is no pain there, no sorrow, no sighing. Imagine a mother entering Paradise and seeing that one of her children has been condemned. How could her joy remain complete? You may ask, why does God allow the righteous to see something that causes grief? They see us while we are still alive, yet they see us without sorrow. Why? Because the greater part of their existence is immersed in the glory of God. When they see us doing something wrong, they do not become sad or distressed. They turn it into prayer. That is how we should act as well, Christina. Do you understand? Suppose my child does something that does not agree with the law of God. I feel sorrow. I grieve only for a little while, at the beginning, just enough for my pride to be humbled, realizing that perhaps I was not the best teacher for my child. Then I turn the rest into prayer. And say to the Holy Angel: ‘My holy Angel, take care of my John. I cannot manage it myself.’ Saint Porphyrios used to say this. ‘Do not keep talking to your children,’ he would say, ‘especially from adolescence onward. Do not speak to them excessively. Speak to God about your child.’ And listen to what he said next: ‘When you speak to God about your John, our God will send an angel to enlighten John toward what is good.’ Do you hear how Orthodox pedagogy works? The father, the mother, the priest, the bishop—all working together with the angels. We should bring the angels into our own lives and into the lives of our children. And it is not only about our children and ourselves. We Cypriots have a tendency toward excessive attachment to our children. Do you know that there are people who pray through the night for Greece, for Cyprus, for Russia, and for the Orthodox countries, that they may resist the new age, which is demonic?

FATHER NIKON-on our dead relatives

 We think that because we do not see the Saints, the Virgin Mary, the Angels, or our loved ones who have fallen asleep in the Lord, because we do not see them, we assume that they do not see us either.

A man asks, "How can I cope with the death of my dearest loved one?"

Death is not something that can truly be dealt with; it is something that surpasses every human capability.

Those who reach such spiritual heights as Elder Joseph the Hesychast, to whom the Virgin Mary said, "I will take you on my feast day," and who had not departed on the Feast of the Dormition, became troubled and wondered, "Why am I still here? Why am I still alive, since the Virgin Mary said she would take me? Why has she not taken me yet?" He was saddened because he had not died. We are saddened when we are about to die; he was saddened because he was still living.

For someone to reach such a state, there must first have been a Christian life, a life within the Church, with participation in the sacraments, with much prayer, with love, and with acts of charity.

When someone lives in this way, then he will not be distressed either by his own death or by the death of someone he loves. For the Christian knows that everything does not end here.

Unfortunately, we cannot understand this unless we live it ourselves. We think that because we do not see the Saints, the Virgin Mary, the Angels, and our loved ones who have departed, we assume that they do not see us. But they do see us.

This is a reality that those who live it and those who have lived it throughout these two thousand years know. Yes, they will grieve over the death of a loved one or over their own death, but only up to a certain point. Beyond that, they know that we shall meet again.

And this we know; we do not merely believe it.

We know it in countless ways, including because we have come into contact with people who departed years ago—people whom we may never have even met while they were alive—and yet they know us and communicate with us in many different ways.

This is a two-thousand-year history. Unless someone experiences it personally, they cannot accept it. It goes against reason. It is beyond reason, above reason. Yet upon this knowledge—not merely upon faith—that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, a God of the living and not of the dead.

This means that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and each one of our departed loved ones are alive, since God is the God of the living.

Many people have come into contact with the other dimension and know this.

There are many for whom someone from that other dimension came into this world where we now live, spoke with them, and communicated with them, and so they know.

Either we go there and return, or they come here and then return to where they came from. What remains is knowledge.

And Christians, for two thousand years now, have known that death does not truly exist. Death is not real in the ultimate sense. What changes is the form and manner of our living. Now we live in this way. When we close our eyes here, we will open them somewhere else and live differently.

When the Saints appear and speak to us, it is not our imagination. It is not merely our own thoughts, because they also appear to others and speak to them about things we have asked about, revealing them to others. Therefore, it is a real communication; it is not fantasy.

But if someone has not experienced these things, he cannot accept them, because we have become trapped in rational thinking—in the logic that two plus two equals four.

That logic was overturned by the mystery that one and one and one do not make three, but one God does.

We must experience these things and come to know them.

we have 2 Bulgarian women the one ...

 

He called me on the phone and said, “Please, we have some Bulgarian women whom we bring to work in our orchards. One of them speaks Greek very well, and she also brought her young niece, who was about nineteen or twenty years old. This young woman has prophetic abilities. She can tell you about your past. Various people go to her and give her money so she can tell them the future.”

I said to him, “Why do you want me involved with a witch?”

“No,” he said, “because she believes in the Virgin Mary. They are Orthodox Bulgarians, and they have icons.”

This is something magicians often do to deceive religious people. If they see icons, they think, “Since she has icons, she must be a good person.”

“And I want to bring her to you,” he said.

I replied, “If you bring her, come with your wife. Don’t come alone with two Bulgarian women into the Metropolis.”

I remember it was the period when I had just arrived at the Metropolis, and our present Archimandrite, Father Iakovos, was living with me. At that time, Iakovos was still wearing ordinary clothes. He was not even a reader yet; he had not yet become a deacon. This detail is important.

One afternoon, they came together: the wife of our acquaintance and the two Bulgarian women. One supposedly had the gift of magic and prophecy, while the other acted as translator.

At that time, I had a cross, like the engolpion I wear.

Inside that cross were relics of Saint Neophytos.

I still have the cross, but I keep it stored away.

Of course, I told her nothing about it. She began speaking. I asked her, “Do you really have a gift for foretelling the future? ”

“Yes,” she replied. “Would you like me to tell you something about yourself?”

I said jokingly, “Go ahead and tell me.”

She began telling me about my past:

“When you were young, you lost your father. Then you lost your brother. You suffered greatly. You have a problem in your legs,” which indeed appeared when I was about fifty years old. “Your hands have a slight tremor. It is hereditary.”

As soon as she started getting things right, I thought to myself, “You have made a mistake. A bishop should not allow a witch to tell him these things.”

She also told me something about the future that many people would have liked to hear.

It did not impress me in the slightest.

I said to her, “Stop. I will find out whether you are enlightened by God and His angels or by demons.”

“No,” she replied, “it comes from God and the angels.”

I said, “If it comes from God and the angels, now we will see the difference.”

I raised the cross slightly and quietly said, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” I did not even make the sign of the cross over her. I only moved it slightly.

Then I asked, “Tell me, what do you see inside here? ”

She moved her hand like this. At that moment, I understood. I thought, “She has raised her antenna.”

She moved her hand and suddenly let out a terrible scream.

“Light! Light! Light is coming out of there! I cannot bear it! I have to leave! I am burning!”

I said, “Tell me what this light is.”

“I can’t! ”

She stood up to leave, and the others tried to restrain her. They said, “Sit down.”

I said to her, “If it is from the angels and from Christ, then in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, tell me what it is.”

“I can’t,” she replied. “I am burning.”

While saying “I am burning,” she got up and headed for the door. At that moment, Father Iakovos was coming in carrying lemonade.

You can imagine what happened. She panicked, and the glasses nearly spilled.

She was burning so intensely because of the relics of Saint Neophytos that she rushed outside into the garden of the metropolis, shouting, “I am burning! I am burning! What is that man carrying that makes me burn like this?”

Our friend from Solea remained there with his wife and the other Bulgarian woman. The poor Bulgarian woman who had brought her niece ran after her.

I said to them, “Do you understand now that this is not from God? If it were from God, then the light she sees would have enlightened her.”

There’s no reincarnation

Ελληνικά 🇬🇷

Η Μεταμόρφωση του Χριστού στο Όρος Θαβώρ φανερώνει την αλήθεια της προσωπικής ύπαρξης του ανθρώπου ενώπιον του Θεού. Ο Μωυσής και ο Προφήτης Ηλίας εμφανίζονται ζωντανοί και συνομιλούν με τον Χριστό· δεν εμφανίζονται ως άλλες υπάρξεις ή σε νέα ανθρώπινα σώματα.

Η παρουσία τους μαρτυρεί τη συνέχεια του προσώπου μετά τον θάνατο και την κοινωνία με τον Θεό. Γι’ αυτό η Ορθόδοξη παράδοση βλέπει τη Μεταμόρφωση ως μαρτυρία της Ανάστασης και της αιώνιας ζωής, όχι της μετενσάρκωσης.

English 🇬🇧

The Transfiguration of Christ on Mount Tabor reveals the truth of the human person’s existence before God. Moses and the Prophet Elijah appear alive and speak with Christ; they do not appear as different beings or in new human bodies.

Their presence bears witness to the continuity of the person after death and communion with God. Therefore, Orthodox tradition sees the Transfiguration as a testimony of the Resurrection and eternal life, not of reincarnation.

Identity: Moses and Elijah appear as their distinct, historical selves centuries after leaving Earth.

• Why the Transfiguration Rejects Reincarnation

   LRetained Identity:

  Moses and Elijah appear as their own distinct historical persons, centuries after their earthly lives. They are not shown as different beings or as people living new earthly lives.

  Continuity of the Person:
  Their personal identity, relationship with God, and unique history remain intact after physical death. The event reveals the continuation of the person beyond this life.

  No New Human Birth:
  They do not return to the world through another birth or enter a different body. They appear in communion with Christ, showing the reality of life with God.

  Orthodox Theological Meaning

  Eternal Life:
  The Transfiguration reveals that human existence continues beyond death and that the person remains known before God.

  Deification (Theosis):
  The radiant glory of Christ reveals humanity’s ultimate calling: transformation and union with God’s divine grace.

  Resurrection Testimony:
  The light of Mount Tabor points to the victory over death through the Resurrection, not a cycle of repeated lives.

  
  

  Γιατί η Μεταμόρφωση απορρίπτει τη μετενσάρκωση

  Διατήρηση της ταυτότητας:
  Ο Μωυσής και ο Ηλίας εμφανίζονται ως τα ίδια ιστορικά πρόσωπα, αιώνες μετά την επίγεια ζωή τους. Δεν παρουσιάζονται ως άλλες υπάρξεις ή σε νέες ανθρώπινες ζωές.

  Συνέχεια του προσώπου:
  Η προσωπικότητα, η σχέση τους με τον Θεό και η μοναδική τους ιστορία παραμένουν μετά τον θάνατο. Η Μεταμόρφωση φανερώνει τη συνέχεια του ανθρώπου ενώπιον του Θεού.

  Όχι νέα γέννηση:
  Δεν επιστρέφουν στον κόσμο μέσα από άλλη γέννηση ή σε διαφορετικό σώμα. Εμφανίζονται σε κοινωνία με τον Χριστό, δείχνοντας την πραγματικότητα της αιώνιας ζωής.

  Ορθόδοξη θεολογική σημασία

  Αιώνια ζωή:
  Η Μεταμόρφωση φανερώνει ότι ο άνθρωπος συνεχίζει να υπάρχει μετά τον θάνατο και παραμένει γνωστός ενώπιον του Θεού.

  Θέωση:
  Το φως του Χριστού στο Θαβώρ αποκαλύπτει τον τελικό προορισμό του ανθρώπου: τη μεταμόρφωση και την ένωση με τη θεία χάρη.

  Μαρτυρία της Ανάστασης:
  Το φως του Θαβώρ δείχνει τη νίκη πάνω στον θάνατο μέσω της Ανάστασης και όχι έναν κύκλο επαναγεννήσεων.
  
  Continuity of Soul: Their specific personalities and histories remained fully intact after physical death.
• No New Body: They did not return to Earth born into new, completely different human lives.

Orthodox Theological Meaning

• Eternal Life: The event serves as proof of individual survival and consciousness after death.
• Deification: It reveals humanity's ultimate calling to be transformed and united with God's divine glory.
• Resurrection Testimony: The light previews the ultimate victory over death through physical resurrection, not a cycle of rebirths.

If you would like to explore this topic further, I can provide more details. Let me know if you want to look into early Church writings on the soul, the specific biblical text of this event, or how Orthodox theology defines deification (theosis).

AI 

 

On the Christian

The wealth of the Christian is the comfort he receives from sorrow and the joy he finds through faith.
— Saint Isaac the Syrian

There are three ranks of Christians:

1. The servants, who do not do evil because they fear hell.
2. The hired servants, who do good for the reward and enjoyment of Paradise.
3. The sons, who do good out of love for the Lord.

— Saint Basil the Great

What is the special characteristic of a Christian? To remain watchful every day and every hour, and to be ready to become perfect, so as to please God, knowing that the Lord comes at an hour he does not know.
(Luke 12:40)

— Saint Basil the Great

Nothing characterizes a Christian more than being a peacemaker, because our Lord promised us a reward for this.

— Saint Basil the Great

The athlete is revealed by the stadium, the governor by winter, the general by battle, the courageous person by adversity, and the Christian by temptation.

— Saint Basil the Great

The martyr of Christ does not look at the unpleasant trials, but at the crowns. He does not examine the temporary dangers, but the eternal rewards.

— Saint Basil the Great

Whatever someone may be, he cannot truly be a Christian as long as he is not within the Church of Christ.

— Saint Cyprian

The spiritual life of the Christian is directed toward three things: the commandments, the doctrines, and faith. The commandments separate the mind from the passions; the doctrines introduce it into the knowledge of creation; and faith leads it to the vision of the Holy Trinity.

— Saint Maximus the Confessor

There are three ranks of people who follow Christ:

The first are those who follow Him only with their thoughts. They admire the spiritual struggle from afar but never decide to take up the weapons and fight.

The second are those who enter the battle but want to fight according to their own will, not according to the will of God.

The third are those who understand that the greatest good of the soul is to imitate Christ and surrender themselves to Him, allowing Him to guide them.

The first rank is cold and slow.
The second is lukewarm and idle.
The third is warm and diligent.

— Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite

Every Christian ought above all:

1. To love God.
2. To love his brother and his fellow human being.
3. To avoid hatred, resentment, and quarrels, and quickly reconcile.
4. To avoid sinful curiosity and desires.
5. Not to swear oaths falsely or carelessly.
6. Not to seek revenge or return evil for evil.
7. To avoid disputes and prefer peace and spiritual judgment.
8. Not to judge others.
9. To forgive others, so that God may forgive us.
10. To give alms, pray, and fast not for human praise, but for God.
11. To seek heavenly treasures rather than earthly possessions.
12. To be humble and not proud.
13. To endure trials with patience.
14. To remain spiritually awake, prepared for death and God’s judgment.
15. To repent continually from the depths of the soul.
16. To strive in good works, seeking entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven.

— Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite

“Let us strive to live as true Christians — with faith, love, repentance, humility, and obedience to the will of God.” ✝️

Mother Galaktia writes extensively about these subjects in her book.

 I will now read to you from Mother Galaktia.

"Elder, Mother Galaktia often emphasized that certain sins would bring great suffering upon humanity."

Yes, she spoke about these things often. Like Elder Ephraim of Arizona, whom she regarded as a great saint, she taught that sins against nature, whether committed within or outside marriage, as well as abortion and occult practices, would bring great hardships upon the world.

Modern theological thinking, however, attempts to justify the autonomy of sexual desire and separate it from the purpose God established for it. It refers to acts against nature simply as matters of personal choice.

Imagine how confused society has become.

As Saint Porphyrios told us, in our own time, some theologians and clergy would embrace these practices, using clever arguments to claim that God has no place in what happens in the bedroom.

But because this represents a distortion of the Church's mission and of the path of salvation, God Himself will intervene.

These are very serious sins.

Mother Galaktia taught the same things.

I remember married friends who visited her telling me that she had the spiritual gift of recognizing those who had fallen into sins against nature. They said she could perceive the spiritual corruption associated with such sins.

On the other hand, those who lived faithfully within holy marriage and avoided adultery, fornication, and such practices were, according to her, spiritually fragrant.

She would kiss their hands and tell them, "You are pure. You shine."

She also possessed the gift of discerning these matters, much like Saint Ephraim of Katounakia.

Mother Galaktia strongly opposed abortion.

Using her own simple expression, she would say, "Do not use those killing devices to destroy your children," referring to intrauterine devices.

She was also opposed to deliberately avoiding children.

She did not approve of refusing parenthood.

"Are there really clergy who promote sins against nature and even abortions?"

Sadly, yes.

Abortion is presented here as a particularly grave sin, a deliberate act committed against a defenseless unborn child.

Father Georgios Metallinos also spoke strongly about this subject.

Saint Porphyrios once told us, with great sorrow, that an elderly clergyman, widely known in the media and especially influential among young people, would eventually turn his own passions into theology.

Instead of calling people to repentance, he would reinterpret immoral passions through psychological explanations and personal theories.

I love him and pray for his salvation.

May Christ even take years from my own life and grant them to him, so that he may recognize what is beneficial for his soul and sincerely repent.

There are, however, many faithful clergy who do not agree with these modern theological approaches.

The problem is that many are afraid to speak because of ridicule, criticism, or pressure, even from within Church leadership.

Some bishops, the speaker claims, silently tolerate abortion under exceptional circumstances.

If exceptions are invented in matters of sexual morality, then people will eventually attempt to justify even the most serious sins.

Faithful clergy often fear being labeled as fanatics, moralists, extremists, or homophobic.

Nevertheless, some courageous pastors continue to teach according to the Church's tradition with wisdom and love.

Saint Eumenios had the same position.

If he had taught differently, he would not be the saint we honor today.

There is a difference between sacrificial love for every sinner and uncompromising opposition to sin itself.

Near the end of his life, Saint Eumenios reportedly refused to receive a Romanian monk who wished to visit him concerning homosexuality.

The speaker says the saint perceived that the man was unrepentant and wanted to use the saint's reputation to suggest that holy people approved of such behavior in the name of love.

He even declined the refreshments the visitor had brought.

On another occasion, the speaker says, Saint Eumenios asked a young man to leave the sanctuary because he had engaged in acts the saint considered sinful within his marriage.

According to the speaker, such acts are forbidden even within marriage.

Therefore, we must love the person while hating the sin.

Love the person.

Hate the sin.

Both love and opposition to sin should be sincere and complete.

Mother Galaktia writes extensively about these subjects in her book.

She teaches that acts against nature are grave sins.

The speaker further claims that such acts committed within marriage can have harmful effects on children and urges parents to avoid them.

He concludes by saying that God blessed the natural union between husband and wife, not what he describes as immoral or unnatural acts.

He apologizes for speaking forcefully but explains that serious subjects require a strong voice.

Where correction is needed, he believes correction should be given.

Where love is needed, love should be shown.

He finishes with this message:

We hate the sin.

We love every human being, regardless of who they are.

Stay away from these sins, my brothers and sisters.