Αυτό θα γίνει

 

Η δεύτερη παρουσία του Χριστού

 Σύμφωνα με την Ορθόδοξη πίστη, κατά τη Δευτέρα Παρουσία ο Κύριος Ιησούς Χριστός θα έρθει με δόξα για να κρίνει ζωντανούς και νεκρούς. Θα γίνει η ανάσταση όλων των ανθρώπων, οι ψυχές θα ενωθούν ξανά με τα σώματά τους και όλοι θα σταθούν ενώπιον του Θεού.

Τότε θα φανερωθούν τα έργα, οι λόγοι και οι προθέσεις κάθε ανθρώπου. Οι δίκαιοι, όσοι αγωνίστηκαν με πίστη, μετάνοια και αγάπη, θα εισέλθουν στην αιώνια Βασιλεία του Θεού. Όσοι απέρριψαν τον Θεό και παρέμειναν αμετανόητοι θα βρεθούν μακριά από το φως και την κοινωνία Του.

Μετά την Τελική Κρίση θα υπάρξει «καινός ουρανός και καινή γη», και η Βασιλεία του Θεού δεν θα έχει τέλος. Η ακριβής ημέρα και ώρα της Δευτέρας Παρουσίας είναι άγνωστη στους ανθρώπους· γι’ αυτό η Εκκλησία καλεί τους πιστούς να βρίσκονται πάντοτε σε εγρήγορση, μετάνοια και προσευχή.

«Προσδοκῶ ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν καὶ ζωὴν τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Ἀμήν.»

learn what is coming

«Сито Божье началось, когда появился коронавирус.

Коронавирус был гонением на христианский мир.

Маски были кляпом. Если ты не носил маску, ты не мог войти в церковь. Это было гонение, господин Мицотакис и господин Иероним, и вы тоже способствовали этому гонению вместе со священниками и епископами, служа этим неверующим людям и врагам веры.

Это правда. Так нужно объяснять, чтобы не было недоразумений. Каждый день люди падают как мухи. Те, кто является врагами веры, радуются тому, что происходит.

Вот чего они добивались, и вот чего они достигли. Они не испытывают скорби из-за этого результата, из-за зла и смерти, которые происходят с людьми. Они потирают руки от удовлетворения.

Господин Мицотакис — современный тиран, который тиранизирует греков, православных христиан и народ. А люди всё ещё ничего не понимают и продолжают делать то же самое. Теперь мы ищем новых тиранов.

Выборы состоятся, и греки думают, что если они проголосуют за кого-то другого, они избегут того, что уже переживают. Но они будут страдать ещё хуже.

Я не занимаюсь политикой. Но Церковь — это свет, и пророчества исходят от Святого Духа. Сегодня люди спрашивают меня, кто спасёт эту страну.

Святой Паисий говорил о народе, людях и родине. Он сказал, что Грецией правит дьявол. И если бы Бог оставил политиков без вмешательства, мы были бы уничтожены.

Святой Паисий говорил конкретные вещи, и святой Порфирий, когда несколько дней плакал, был показан Богом то, что произойдёт.

Бог пошлёт человека, подобного Константину Великому, человека с великой верой в Бога. Бог пошлёт кого-то вроде Константина Великого, чтобы помочь не только Греции, но и всему человечеству.

Я видел странные вещи. Я видел женщину, которая недавно вошла в политику, делающую жесты и знаки руками, похожие на те, что делала Меркель.

Святого Порфирия спросили: «Старец, в какую эпоху мы живём?» Он ответил, что со времён Христа мир пришёл в жалкое состояние. Однако Бог не оставил мир.

Он сказал, что видел очень важного человека Божьего, который вдохновит и объединит людей к добру.

«И познаете истину, и истина сделает вас свободными».

Если святой Порфирий лгал, и если святой Паисий лгал, тогда я тоже лгу вам. Если только вам не нравятся ложь. В таком случае не верьте этим вещам.

Вместо этого верьте лжи Ципраса, Мицотакиса и других политиков.

Святой Порфирий хотел, чтобы мы голосовали за лучшего христианина, но святые не получают выгоды от выборов.

Теперь будет голосовать Бог. Святая Троица будет голосовать и уже проголосовала. Жребий брошен. Мы увидим, как мир перевернётся.

Святой Иаков, проходя через монастырь святого Иоанна Русского по пути на медицинское обследование, сказал, что будет великая война, и люди должны молиться Богу, чтобы этого не произошло, потому что войны приносят великие страдания.

Ответ был, что это должно случиться. Если этого не произойдёт — горе вам.

Бог допустит хаос, чтобы несколько оставшихся овечек могли быть спасены.

Греки — как брошенный сын, не только Европой, но и Америкой и Россией. Все нас пинают. Греция и греки становятся мишенью ударов со всех сторон.

Так что вы увидите, что вас всех ждёт.

Спасибо большое.»

God's sieve began when the coronavirus appeared.

The coronavirus was a persecution of the Christian world.

Masks were a muzzle. If you did not wear one, you could not enter churches. It was persecution, Mr. Mitsotakis, and Mr. Ieronymos, and you also contributed to this persecution, along with priests and bishops, serving these unbelieving people and enemies of the faith.

This is the truth. That is how things should be explained so there are no misunderstandings. Every day people are falling like flies. Those who are enemies of the faith rejoice at what is happening.

This is what they sought, and this is what they achieved. They feel no sorrow for this outcome, for the evil and death that is happening to people. They rub their hands with satisfaction.

Mr. Mitsotakis is a modern tyrant who tyrannizes the Greeks, the Orthodox Christians, and the people. And the people still understand nothing and continue doing the same things. Now we are looking for new tyrants.

Elections will take place, and Greeks believe that if they vote for someone else, they will escape what they are already experiencing. They will suffer even worse things.

I am not doing politics. But the Church is light, and prophecies flow from the Holy Spirit. Today people ask me who will save this country.

Saint Paisios spoke about the nation, the people, and the homeland. He said that Greece is governed by the devil. And if God were to leave politicians alone, we would be destroyed.

Saint Paisios said specific things, and Saint Porphyrios, when he wept for several days, was shown by God what would happen.

God will send a man like Constantine the Great, a man with great faith in God. God will send someone like Constantine the Great to help not only Greece but all humanity.

I saw strange things. I saw a woman who recently entered politics making gestures and hand signs, similar to those Merkel used to make.

Saint Porphyrios was asked, "Elder, in what era are we living now?" He replied that since the time of Christ, the world had reached a miserable condition. Yet God did not abandon the world.

He said that he saw a very important man of God who would inspire and unite people toward good.

"You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."

If Saint Porphyrios lied, and if Saint Paisios lied, then I am also lying to you. Unless you enjoy lies. In that case, do not believe these things.

Instead, believe the lies of Tsipras, Mitsotakis, and the other politicians.

Saint Porphyrios wanted us to vote for the best Christian, but the saints will not benefit from elections.

Now God will vote. The Holy Trinity will vote and has already voted. The die has been cast. We will see the world turned upside down.

Saint Iakovos, while passing through Saint John the Russian's monastery on his way for medical examinations, was told that a great war would come and that people should pray to God that it would not happen, because wars bring great suffering.

The reply was that it must happen. If it does not happen, woe to you.

God will allow chaos so that the few little sheep who remain may be saved.

The Greeks are like an abandoned son, not only by Europe, but also by America and Russia. Everyone kicks us around. Greece and the Greeks are treated as the target of everyone's blows.

So you will see what awaits all of you.

Thank you very much.

«Η σωτηρία είναι πορεία εν Χριστώ, όχι απλώς γνώση κειμένων.»

 # Η Αγία Γραφή και η Ιερά Παράδοση στην Ορθόδοξη Πίστη

# The Holy Scriptures and Holy Tradition in the Orthodox Faith

# Священное Писание и Священное Предание в Православной Вере

## Ελληνικά

Η Ορθόδοξη Εκκλησία διδάσκει ότι η πίστη δεν στηρίζεται μόνο στην Αγία Γραφή, αλλά και στην Ιερά Παράδοση, η οποία μεταδίδεται μέσα από τους Αγίους Πατέρες, τις Οικουμενικές Συνόδους, τη λατρεία και τη ζωντανή εμπειρία της Εκκλησίας.

Η Αγία Γραφή είναι ο θεόπνευστος λόγος του Θεού και αποτελεί το θεμέλιο της χριστιανικής πίστης. Ωστόσο, η Εκκλησία πάντοτε ερμήνευε την Αγία Γραφή μέσα από την Παράδοση που παρέλαβε από τους Αποστόλους.

Θέματα όπως οι δοκιμασίες της ψυχής μετά τον θάνατο και τα λεγόμενα «τελώνια» δεν περιγράφονται αναλυτικά στην Αγία Γραφή. Υπάρχουν όμως αναφορές σε κείμενα Αγίων και Πατέρων της Εκκλησίας. Για το θέμα αυτό υπάρχουν διαφορετικές θεολογικές προσεγγίσεις μέσα στην Ορθόδοξη παράδοση.

Η σωτηρία δεν έρχεται απλώς με την ανάγνωση ενός βιβλίου. Είναι καρπός πίστης στον Χριστό, μετάνοιας, προσευχής, συμμετοχής στα Μυστήρια και ζωής μέσα στην Εκκλησία.

## English

The Orthodox Church teaches that the Christian faith is based not only on Holy Scripture but also on Holy Tradition, which is preserved through the Holy Fathers, the Ecumenical Councils, worship, and the living experience of the Church.

Holy Scripture is the inspired Word of God and the foundation of Christian faith. However, the Church has always interpreted Scripture within the Tradition received from the Apostles.

Subjects such as the soul's trials after death and the so-called "toll houses" are not described in detail in Scripture. Nevertheless, references to such themes can be found in the writings of various Saints and Church Fathers. Different theological interpretations exist within the Orthodox tradition.

Salvation does not come simply from reading a book. It is the fruit of faith in Christ, repentance, prayer, participation in the Sacraments, and life within the Church.

## Русский

Православная Церковь учит, что христианская вера основывается не только на Священном Писании, но и на Священном Предании, которое сохраняется через Святых Отцов, Вселенские Соборы, богослужение и живой опыт Церкви.

Священное Писание является богодухновенным Словом Божиим и основанием христианской веры. Однако Церковь всегда толковала Писание в свете Предания, полученного от Апостолов.

Такие вопросы, как посмертные испытания души и так называемые «мытарства», подробно не описаны в Священном Писании. Тем не менее упоминания об этом встречаются в трудах святых и отцов Церкви. В православной традиции существуют различные богословские подходы к этому вопросу.

Спасение приходит не только через чтение книги. Оно является плодом веры во Христа, покаяния, молитвы, участия в Таинствах и жизни в Церкви.

«Η σωτηρία είναι πορεία εν Χριστώ, όχι απλώς γνώση κειμένων.»

“Salvation is a journey in Christ, not merely knowledge of texts.”

«Спасение — это путь со Христом, а не только знание текстов.»

What do the prophecies of the Church say about Constantinople?

What do the prophecies of the Church say about Constantinople? What do the saints say about Hagia Sophia? Is the Queen of Cities a city lost forever or a city handed over for a time? And if history is not over, what does the Church’s tradition say about the Divine Liturgy that was interrupted and the priest who disappeared with the chalice?

Today, we will speak only about what exists within Orthodox tradition, patristic teaching, ecclesiastical memory, and apocalyptic literature.

The Church has a basic prophetic principle regarding holy cities: they may be handed over for a time, but they are not destroyed forever. Saint Andrew of Caesarea, interpreting the Book of Revelation, writes that holy cities are delivered to nations for a period, not for annihilation. In other words, holy cities may be given to other peoples for a time, but not for their complete disappearance.

This is the foundation of the Church’s expectation regarding Constantinople. Constantinople is not merely a historical city. It is the seat of a patriarchate, a center of Orthodoxy, and a city dedicated to the Mother of God. Church tradition states that Emperor Constantine dedicated the city to the Virgin Mary, and for this reason, the Church never regarded it as lost but rather as entrusted to others for a period.

Saint Germanus of Constantinople calls it a God-protected city. When a place is considered protected by God, its fall is not understood as an end but

as a trial.

The saints explain why holy cities fall. Saint Nicodemus the Hagiorite writes that when sin increases among the people, divine protection is withdrawn. This withdrawal is not eternal. It is corrective and educational.

Thus, the Church views the fall of Constantinople not as a final loss, but as a period of silence. Just as Jerusalem was destroyed and remained for centuries without a temple, yet was not lost, so too there exists the expectation that what has been dedicated to God does not remain forever in foreign hands, because divine grace is not canceled by history.

This is especially true of Hagia Sophia. Hagia Sophia is not simply a church building. It is a place of theology, a place of councils, and a place where countless liturgies were celebrated.

Saint Symeon of Thessalonica says that a place where the Divine Liturgy has been celebrated remains sanctified until the end of time. Hagia Sophia hosted daily liturgies for centuries. Such a place does not lose its holiness.

Then we come to the year of the fall. Church memory preserves a moving tradition. It says that at the moment Constantinople fell, a Divine Liturgy was being celebrated inside Hagia Sophia. The priest had reached the Eucharistic prayer. The chalice was upon the Holy Table. The people were praying when the conquerors entered.

According to tradition, the priest took the chalice, entered the sanctuary, and disappeared. The mystery was not desecrated. The liturgy was not completed. It was interrupted.

The Church does not say that it ended. It says that it was interrupted. And what is interrupted can continue.

Saint Germanus of Constantinople writes that the Divine Liturgy is a work of the heavenly kingdom. If it belongs to the heavenly kingdom, it cannot be destroyed by an earthly fall. It may become silent, but it does not cease.

For this reason, the Church’s consciousness connects the hope for the city with the liturgy that awaits completion. The Divine Liturgy of Hagia Sophia was never finished. It is waiting.

When will it continue? The Church gives no dates and makes no political predictions. Instead, it offers a spiritual answer. When worship is once again permitted there, when Hagia Sophia serves as a church again, tradition says that the liturgy will continue from the point at which it was interrupted.

The priest with the chalice became a symbol. A symbol that grace never departed from. A symbol that the mystery was not desecrated. A symbol that worship is still waiting.

Thus, in Orthodox consciousness, Constantinople is not a lost city. It is a sanctified city, a city in silence, a city waiting, and a city where one Divine Liturgy was never completed.

I will conclude with the words of Christ: “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

Empires pass. Cities change. Churches may remain silent for a time. But what has been dedicated to God does not come to an end.

For this reason, the Church remembers the Queen of Cities, Hagia Sophia, the hope associated with them, the interrupted liturgy, and the priest who disappeared with the chalice—not as a matter of the past, but as a matter of hope.

That was our topic for today. I hope you enjoyed it. Next Friday, we will upload the next video. May God bless you all, and have a blessed Lent.

WELL DONE TO THE GIRL

What is your zodiac sign, Irene?

I do not believe in zodiac signs at all.

That’s okay.

I don’t believe in them.

They are anti-Christian.

No, they are not. These are magical things. As Orthodox Christians, we have a duty to say that this is a trap and a deception. These are occult practices. The Church is against them.

Why?

Because the Gospel does not agree with them. God does not approve of them. How could I say something that goes against the law of Christ, against the name of Christ, and the Virgin Mary?

Of course, we all make mistakes. That is why we have spiritual fathers and confession. It is wonderful to confess and receive Holy Communion. There is nothing like it. Nowadays, everyone runs to psychologists and psychiatrists.

Because God helps greatly. He enlightens a person, and then you see things differently—truthfully, in a genuinely Christian way, with truth. When you have confessed and received Communion, your prayers are heard.

Many Christians get involved with Muslims.

That is a betrayal of the soul.

Why do you say that?

Because Christ says so.

Have you ended relationships in the past because they were not Christians?

No, they were all Christians.

What if someone were Catholic?

No. Catholicism is a heresy, my dear. There is only one Gospel of Christ. Catholicism is a heresy. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a heresy. Orthodoxy is the true faith, the living faith.

Some talk to us about zodiac signs. Others are proud. Forgive me, Pavlos. And then there are Buddhas, statues, and all sorts of things. These are idols. They are dolls. They are false gods.

There is only one God—Christ.

Whether they like it or not, I condemn those things. My faith is unwavering, absolute, clear, and eternal in Christ, in the Holy Trinity, in Orthodoxy, in the Virgin Mary, and in the Holy Archangels.

Even if I had been born into a Muslim family, I would still be a Christian.

I am Catholic, and when I visit Greece, I normally receive Communion in the Orthodox Church

.

Why? Am I going to judge you? We are the same.

We are not the same.

We are all brothers and sisters.

We are not the same. You receive communion with a wafer, while the Body and Blood of Christ are bread and wine.

And I will say this about Muslims: many Muslims have beheaded Christians to force them to change their faith, and the Christians said no.

Have we ever cut off anyone’s head to make them become Christian?

Never.

A young model from Russia, Svetlana, recounts a near-death experience

A young model from Russia, Svetlana, recounts a near-death experience and explains why she believes she ended up in hell despite never having harmed anyone.

My dream had always been to become a model. Since I was young, we used to take photos similar to those seen in Playboy. After some time, I received a good offer to work abroad, and I started preparing to leave. Suddenly, I developed a high fever and severe pain. An ambulance came and took me to the hospital. There, the doctors told me I had appendicitis, but during surgery, they discovered I also had peritonitis. They put me under anesthesia, but my heart could not endure it, and I died during the operation.

I found myself in a dark tunnel. It was like a huge well, and I was falling downward at tremendous speed. At first, I was overwhelmed with shock and terror because I understood that I had died.

In that world, a person understands everything. It is as if your eyes are opened, and all the stereotypes you acquired since birth are removed. There, you understand exactly who you are.

My whole life passed before my eyes. I asked myself, “Is that all? Was that my entire life?” I was only twenty-four years old. When you are young, you believe your whole life is still ahead of you and that nothing is over yet. I still had many plans, and suddenly everything was cut short without my consent and without my wanting it.

I knew I was going to hell. I saw that fire. I cannot explain it with words. It is impossible. There are no words on earth that can describe what I felt—the terror, the darkness, and the fear a person experiences when the soul leaves this world and enters the next. That alone may be the greatest punishment; there is nothing worse.

On earth, even the worst person still has hope because there is always tomorrow. A person can still repent and follow God's commandments. We all have tomorrow. It is not true that all suffering is on earth. Earth contains both hell and paradise.

Anyone who had seen hell would give everything to return to earth. They would give away all their possessions and all their happiness just for the chance to come back.

As I tried to justify myself before God, asking why this was happening to me, I could find no excuse. I realized that everything we do on earth—our goals and our actions—is often driven by selfishness. We live within our own self-centeredness.

I understood that I had lived my entire life only for myself. Up to that point, my life had been empty. I had nothing to say in my defense before God because I had not lived for Him at all. I had not kept His commandments. I had not thought about Him. Although I had never harmed anyone, I had done nothing for the God who created me.

Then, in the midst of that terror, I heard words telling me that a person has value in this life only when living close to God. Immediately, I cried out, “My God, please save me, and you will see that I will be different. I will change my whole life.”

I understood that if I passed through the gates of Hades, I would never return. I kept crying, “God, help me. I will live differently. Help me.”

Then I found myself in the intensive care unit. When the doctors came to take me to the morgue, they noticed that I was breathing. They were astonished to see that someone they believed dead had come back to life.

When I realized I had escaped hell, my happiness was indescribable. I was afraid to close my eyes in case I returned to that darkness. I kept repeating, “I was in hell. I was in hell.”

I had many questions, but two were the most important. The first was why I, a good girl who had never harmed anyone, ended up in hell. The second was how a person could avoid going there.

Later, I began reading the Bible and the Gospel, and I found my answer. The Lord Jesus Christ came to earth and died to save me so that I would not go to hell.

My friends and acquaintances called me and said, “Svetlana, don’t take it so seriously. Continue your life. Pursue your career. You are beautiful and talented. You can achieve anything. Why are you burying yourself every day?”

Eventually, I decided to return to modeling. However, I planned only to take modest photographs rather than provocative ones.

The moment I made that decision, I felt unbearable pain in my abdomen. An ambulance came, and it was the same people who had taken me before. The same doctors examined me, and I realized this might be my end.

The most frightening part was that the pain was so intense that I believed I could not have endured it for even another minute. I could not drink water. After surgery, when the tubes were removed, there was a bottle of water beside me. As soon as I drank it, I asked myself, “What could be better in this life than being free of pain, being able to drink water, and having God beside you?”

When I left the hospital, I went to church the very next day. Before, I had been the star of my own life. From that moment on, I wanted God to be the light within my soul.

I believe God brought me back from hell and gave me life again so that I could tell everyone what I experienced—women and men alike. Do not go to hell. Turn to God. Get to know Him and dedicate your life to Jesus Christ so that He may become the Lord of your life.

TRUE EVENT-ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΓΕΓΟΝΟΣ

One night, on Easter Monday in the year 1964, after midnight and just before going to sleep, I went out into the little garden behind our house and stood there for a while, gazing at the dark sky filled with stars. Once, a blessed elder had told me that around these hours the heavens open.

I would have stood there until dawn, as though I had no body nor any bond with the earth. But I thought someone inside the house might wake up and worry about me being missing. So I went back inside and lay down.

Sleep had hardly overtaken me. I do not know whether I was awake or asleep, and I saw before me a man with a strange appearance.

He was yellow all over like a dead man, yet his eyes were open, and he looked at me in terror. His face was like a mask, like a mummy, with his skin shiny, dark-yellow, and stuck upon the skull with all its hollows visible. He breathed shortly, as though out of breath.

In one hand he held some strange object, which I could not understand what it was, and then with the other he clutched his chest as if he were in pain. That creature made me shudder. I looked at him, and he looked at me without speaking, as though waiting for me to recognize him. And truly, although he looked so strange, it was as if a voice spoke in my mind:

“It is so-and-so.”

As soon as I heard the voice, I recognized who he was.

Then he opened his mouth and sighed. But his voice sounded as if it came from very far away, as though from the depths of a well.

I could see that he was in great agony. His hands, his feet, his eyes — everything showed that he was suffering terribly. In my despair, I moved toward him to help him, but he motioned with his hand for me to stop, not to come near. He began groaning in such a way that I froze. Then he said to me:

“I did not come on my own, but they sent me. Here I tremble constantly. I am in great confusion. I want to die, but I cannot. Ah, everything you used to say, Fotis, proved true. Do you remember, a few days before I died, when you came to my house and spoke about religion? Two of my unbelieving friends were there too, just like me. While you were speaking, they were smiling mockingly. After you left, they said to me: ‘It’s a pity that Fotis has such a mind and yet believes in the nonsense that old women believe.’

Another day, I told you, as I had many times before: ‘Come on, Fotis, gather money; otherwise you’ll die on a straw mat. Look at how much money I have, and still I want more.’ Then you told me: ‘Do you have some contract with Death guaranteeing that you will live as many years as you wish to enjoy your old age?’

And I said to you, 'Nonsense. I am now seventy-five; I will live past one hundred. I have secured my children’s future. My son earns money. I married my daughter to a rich man from Abyssinia. My wife and I have everything we need. Not like you, listening to what the priests say: “A Christian ending to our life.” What will you gain from a Christian ending — money? Better to have a full pocket and not care about anything. I’ll even give you charity. Why did your compassionate God make poor people anyway? So that I may toss them crumbs? Ah, you feed lazy people just so you can enter paradise! Ha ha! I am a priest’s son, you know, and I understand all these tricks very well. Let small-minded people believe them—not someone like you, Fotis, who has such intelligence and is wasting it. At this rate, you’ll die before me. You’ll destroy yourself and your family. But I tell you and sign it as a doctor that I will live to be one hundred and ten years old.’

As he was saying these things, he twisted back and forth as though he were roasting upon a grill, letting out terrible groans from his mouth.

‘Ah! Ah! Oh!’

He calmed down a little and continued:

‘Those were the things I used to say. But a few days later, I died. I died and lost the wager. What terror, what horror I went through! One moment I was sinking down, the next I was being thrown upward, crying out, "Mercy! Mercy!” But no one heard me. A current tossed me around as though I were a dead rat. What I have suffered until now and what I still suffer! What agony this is! Everything you said proved true. You won the wager.

Back in the world where you still live, I was considered the clever one. I was a doctor and had learned to speak so that everyone listened to me. I mocked religion. I spoke only of tangible things. But now I see that the things I once called fairy tales and fantasies are the truly tangible things. Tangible is the agony in which I now exist. Ah! This must be the worm that does not sleep. This must be the gnashing of teeth.’

At those words, he vanished from before my eyes, and I could only hear his groans fading slowly away.

Sleep took me for a little while, but suddenly I felt an icy hand pushing me. I opened my eyes and saw him again before me. This time, he looked even more dreadful and smaller. He had become like a little child with a large old man’s head shaking from side to side.

He opened his mouth and said:

‘In a little while, dawn will come, and those who sent me will come to take me away.’

I asked him:

‘Who sent you?’

He muttered some confused words that I could not understand. Then he said:

"Where I am, there are many others—those who mocked you for your faith. And now they understand that cleverness goes no farther than the graveyard.

There are also some whom you treated kindly, yet they slandered you, and the more you forgave them, the worse they became. For an evil man, instead of rejoicing at kindness, he becomes bitter because kindness makes him feel defeated. Those people are in an even worse state than I am. They cannot leave their dark prison to come and find you as I did. They suffer terribly because they are scourged by the whip of love, as a saint once said.

How different the world is from the way we see it — completely upside down from our clever understanding. Now we understand that our cleverness was foolishness, our words were wicked trifles, and our joys were falsehood and deception.

You who have your hearts in Christ and for whom His word is truth—the only truth—you won the great wager placed between believers and unbelievers. The wager, which I, the miserable one, lost, and now I tremble and sigh and find no rest.

Truly, in Hades, there is no repentance anymore.

Woe to those who walk as we once walked while we were upon the earth. Our flesh had become drunk, and we mocked those who believed in God and in the life to come. And the crowds applauded us.

We called you fools. We ridiculed you. And the more kindly you accepted our mockery, the more our wickedness grew.

Even now, I see how grieved you become by the behavior of evil people, yet how patiently you endure the poisonous arrows we shoot from our mouths, calling you hypocrites, deceivers, and misleaders of the people.

If those miserable people were here where I am now and saw things as they truly are, they would tremble at what they are doing today.

I want to appear before them and tell them to change their path, but I do not have permission, just as the rich man who begged Patriarch Abraham to send poor Lazarus did not receive permission either.

And this is so that those who sin may become fully worthy of condemnation, and those who walk the path of God may become worthy of salvation.

‘He that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still; and he that is holy, let him be holy still.’

As Scripture says.

After these words, I lost sight of him before me.

You will see him

 

Many people have encountered the other dimension and know this.

We think that because we do not see the Saints, the Virgin Mary, the Angels, or our loved ones who have passed away, they do not see us either.

A man asks how he can cope with the death of his beloved innocent child.

Death cannot truly be “dealt with.” It is something beyond every human ability.

Those who reach such spiritual heights, like Elder Joseph the Hesychast, to whom the Virgin Mary said, “I will take you on the day of my feast,” did not fear death. When the Feast of the Dormition came, and he was still alive, he became distressed and wondered, “Why am I still here? Why am I still alive, since the Virgin Mary said she would take me?”

We become distressed when we are about to die. He was distressed because he was still living.

For someone to reach such spiritual heights, a Christian life must come first—a life within the Church, with the sacraments, with deep prayer, with love, and with charity.

When a person lives this way, they will not grieve excessively either for their own death or for the death of someone they love. A Christian knows that everything does not end here.

Unfortunately, this is something we cannot truly understand unless we experience it ourselves.

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

This is a reality experienced by countless people throughout these two thousand years. They know that although they will grieve for the death of a loved one or for their own death, the grief only goes so far. Beyond that, they know they will meet again.

And this is something they know, not merely believe.

They know it in countless ways, including through encounters with people who passed away years earlier—sometimes even people they had never met—and yet those departed know them and communicate with them in many ways.

This is a story spanning two thousand years. Unless someone experiences it personally, they cannot easily accept it. It goes against ordinary logic. It is beyond logic and above logic.

Yet this knowledge rests on the understanding that God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — the God of the living, not of the dead.

This means that Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all our loved ones are alive because God is the God of the living.

Many people have encountered the other dimension and know this.

Many have experienced people from that other reality coming into this one, speaking with us, communicating with us, and giving us certainty.

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

For two thousand years, Christians have known that death does not truly exist. What changes is only the form and manner of life.

Now we live in this way. When we close our eyes here, we open them somewhere else and continue living differently.

When Saints appear and speak to us, it is not imagination. It is not merely personal emotion, because they appear to others too and speak to others about things we ourselves have asked for. Therefore, it is real communication, not fantasy.

But unless someone experiences these things personally, they cannot fully accept them because we are trapped within rational thinking—within the logic that two plus two equals four.

That logic is overturned by the mystery of one and one and one being not three gods, but one God.

We must live these things to truly know them.