Paradise(Gen 2:8, 15:3, Joel 2:3, Luke 23:42,43, 2 Cor 12:4) is a word of Persian origin and means garden. This is the name of the beautiful dwelling of the first man, described in the book. Genesis. Paradise, in which the first people lived, was material for the body, as a visible blissful dwelling, and for the soul - spiritual, as a state of grace-filled communion with God and spiritual contemplation of creatures. Paradise is also the name of that blessed dwelling of the celestials and the righteous, which they inherit after the Terrible Judgment of God.
Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev): Paradise… Bliss of the soul united with Christ
Paradise is not so much a place as a state of mind; just as hell is suffering resulting from the inability to love and non-participation in the Divine light, so paradise is the bliss of the soul, resulting from an excess of love and light, to which one who is united with Christ fully and completely partakes. This is not contradicted by the fact that paradise is described as a place with various "mansions" and "halls"; all descriptions of paradise are only attempts to express in human language that which is inexpressible and transcends the mind.
In the Bible, "paradise" ( paradeisos) is called the garden where God placed man; the same word in the ancient church tradition called the future bliss of people redeemed and saved by Christ. It is also called the "Kingdom of Heaven", "the life of the age to come", "the eighth day", "new heaven", "heavenly Jerusalem".
The Holy Apostle John the Theologian says: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth had already passed, and the sea was no more; And I, John, saw the holy city of Jerusalem, new, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, they will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death: neither weeping, nor crying, nor sickness will be anymore, for the former has passed. And He who sits on the throne said: Behold, I create all things new... I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; to the thirsty one for free from the source of living water... And he (the angel) lifted me up in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, which descended from heaven from God. He had the glory of God... I did not see a temple in him, for the Lord God Almighty is his temple, and the Lamb. And the city has no need of either the sun or the moon for its illumination; for the glory of God hath illumined him, and his lamp is the Lamb. The saved nations will walk in its light... And nothing unclean will enter into it, and no one given over to abomination and falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life” (Rev. 21:1-6, 10, 22-24, 27 ). This is the earliest description of paradise in Christian literature.
When reading the descriptions of paradise found in hagiographic and theological literature, it must be borne in mind that most of the writers of the Eastern Church speak of the paradise they saw, into which they were raptured by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Even among our contemporaries who have experienced clinical death, there are people who have been to paradise and told about their experience; in the lives of the saints we find many descriptions of paradise. The Monk Theodora, the Monk Euphrosyne of Suzdal, the Monk Simeon Divnogorets, Saint Andrew the Holy Fool and some other saints, like the Apostle Paul, were “caught up to the third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2) and contemplated the heavenly bliss.
Here is what St. Andrew (X century) says about paradise: “I saw myself in a beautiful and amazing paradise, and, admiring the spirit, I thought: “what is this? .. how did I find myself here? ..” I saw myself clothed in the most a light robe, as if woven from lightning; a crown was on my head, woven from great flowers, and I was girded with a royal belt. Rejoicing at this beauty, marveling with my mind and heart at the inexpressible beauty of God's paradise, I walked around it and rejoiced. There were many gardens with tall trees: they swayed with their peaks and amused the eyesight, a great fragrance emanated from their branches ... It is impossible to liken those trees to any earthly tree: God's hand, not a human one, planted them. There were countless birds in these gardens ... I saw a great river flowing in the middle (gardens) and filling them. There was a vineyard on the other side of the river... Quiet and fragrant winds breathed there from four sides; gardens swayed from their breath and made a marvelous noise with their leaves ... After that, we entered a wonderful flame, which did not scorch us, but only enlightened us. I began to be horrified, and again the angel who guided me turned to me and gave me his hand, saying: “We must ascend even higher.” With this word, we found ourselves above the third heaven, where I saw and heard a multitude of heavenly powers singing and glorifying God… (Climbing even higher), I saw my Lord, as once Isaiah the prophet, sitting on a high and exalted throne, surrounded by seraphim. He was clothed in a scarlet robe, His face shone with unspeakable light, and He lovingly turned His eyes to me. Seeing Him, I fell before Him on my face… What joy then from seeing His face seized me, it is impossible to express, so even now, remembering this vision, I am filled with inexpressible sweetness” The Monk Theodora saw in Paradise “beautiful villages and numerous monasteries prepared for those who love God,” and heard “the voice of joy and spiritual gladness.”
In all descriptions of paradise, it is emphasized that earthly words can only to a small extent depict heavenly beauty, since it is “ineffable” and surpasses human comprehension. It also speaks of “many mansions” of paradise (John 14:2), that is, of different degrees of blessedness. “Some (God) will honor with great honors, others with less,” says St. Basil the Great, “because “star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). And since there are “many mansions” with the Father, some will rest in a more excellent and higher state, and others in a lower one. 3 However, for each of his "abode" will be the highest available to him fullness of bliss - in accordance with how close he came to God in earthly life. All the saints in Paradise will see and know one another, but Christ will see and fill everyone, says St. Simeon the New Theologian. In the Kingdom of Heaven, “the righteous will shine like the sun” (Matt. 13:43), become like God (1 John 3:2) and know Him (1 Cor. 13:12). Compared to the beauty and luminosity of paradise, our earth is a “gloomy dungeon,” and the light of the sun, compared to the Trinitarian Light, is like a small candle. 4 Even those heights of contemplation of God, to which the Monk Simeon ascended during his lifetime, in comparison with the future bliss of people in paradise, is the same as the sky drawn with a pencil on paper, in comparison with the real sky.
According to the teachings of St. Simeon, all the images of paradise found in hagiographical literature - fields, forests, rivers, palaces, birds, flowers, etc. - are only symbols of that bliss that lies in the unceasing contemplation of Christ:
You are the Kingdom of Heaven
You are the meek land of all, Christ,
You are my green heaven.
You are my divine palace...
You are the food of all and the bread of life.
You are the moisture of renewal,
You are the life-giving cup
You are the source of living water,
You are the light of all Your saints...
And "many abodes"
Show us what I think
That there will be many degrees
Love and enlightenment
That each to the best of his ability
Achieve contemplation
And the measure is for everyone
It will be greatness, glory,
Peace, pleasure -
Although to varying degrees.
So many chambers
various abodes,
Precious garments...
Various crowns,
And stones and pearls
Fragrant flowers...
All this there is
Just one contemplation
You, Lord God!
St. Gregory of Nyssa spoke of the same thing: “Since in the present age life is spent by us in various and varied ways, there are many things in which we participate, for example, time, air, place, food, drink, clothing, the sun, a lamp and much more, serving the needs of life, and none of it is God. The expected bliss does not need any of this: all this in return for everything will be for us the nature of God, giving itself in proportion to every need of that life ... God for the worthy is both a place, and a dwelling, and clothing, and food, and drink, and light , and riches, and a kingdom ... He who is in all, He is in all (Col. 3:11) ”. After the general resurrection, Christ will fill with Himself every human soul and all creation, and nothing will remain outside of Christ, but everything will be transformed and radiant, changed and remelted. This is the never-ending "non-evening day" of the Kingdom of God, "eternal joy, eternal Liturgy with God and in God." Everything superfluous, temporary, all unnecessary details of life and being will disappear, and Christ will reign in the souls of the people redeemed by Him and in the transfigured Cosmos. This will be the final victory of Good over evil, Light over darkness, heaven over hell, Christ over Antichrist. This will be the final abolition of death. “Then the word that is written will come true: “Death is swallowed up in victory. Death! Where is your pity? Hell! Where is your victory?..” (Hos. 13:14) Thanks be to God, who gave us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Cor. 15:54-57).
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh: Heaven is in love
Adam lost paradise - that was his sin; Adam lost paradise - this is the horror of his suffering. And God does not condemn; He calls, He supports. In order for us to come to our senses, He puts us in conditions that clearly tell us that we are perishing, we need to be saved. And He remains our Savior, not our Judge. Christ several times in the Gospel says: I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world (Jn.Z.17; 12.47). Until the fullness of time comes, until the end comes, we are under the judgment of our conscience, we are under the judgment of the Divine word, we are under the judgment of the vision of Divine love embodied in Christ - yes. But God does not judge; He prays, He calls, He lives and dies. He descends into the very depths of human hell, so that only we can believe in love and come to our senses, not to forget that there is a paradise.
And heaven was in love; and Adam's sin was that he did not keep love. The question is not in obedience or in listening, but in the fact that God offered all of Himself, without a trace: His being, love, wisdom, knowledge - He gave everything in this union of love, which makes one being out of two (as Christ says about Himself and about the Father: I am in the Father and the Father is in Me [John 14:11], as fire can pierce iron, as heat penetrates to the marrow of bones). And in this love, in inseparable, inseparable union with God, we could be wise with His wisdom, love with all the scope and bottomless depth of His love, know with all Divine knowledge. But the man was warned: do not seek knowledge through eating the fruit from the tree of Good and Evil, - do not seek cold knowledge of the mind, external, alien to love; do not seek knowledge of the flesh, intoxicating and intoxicating, blinding... And this is precisely what man was tempted to do; he wanted to know what is good and what is evil. And he created good and evil, because evil consists in falling away from love. He wanted to know what it is to be and not to be, but he could know this only if he was established forever through love, rooted to the depths of his being in Divine love.
And the man fell; and with him the whole world was shaken; everything, everything was clouded and shaken. And the judgment to which we aspire, that Last Judgment, which will be at the end of time, is also only about love. The parable of the goats and the sheep (Mt. 25:31-46) speaks of precisely this: did you manage to love on earth with a generous, affectionate, courageous, kind love? Did you manage to feel sorry for the hungry, did you manage to feel sorry for the naked, the homeless, did you have the courage to visit a prisoner in prison, did you forget the person who is sick, in the hospital, alone? If you have this love, then you have a path to Divine love; but if there is no earthly love, how can you enter into Divine love? If what is given to you by nature, you cannot realize, how can you hope for the supernatural, for the miraculous, for God? ..
And this is the world we live in.
The story of paradise is in some respects, of course, an allegory, because it is a world that has perished, a world to which we have no access; we do not know what it is to be a sinless, innocent creature. And in the language of the fallen world, it is possible only with images, pictures, likenesses to indicate what was and what no one else will ever see or know ... We see how Adam lived - as a friend of God; we see that when Adam matured, reached some degree of wisdom and knowledge through his communion with God, God brought all creatures to him, and Adam gave each creature a name - not a nickname, but the name that expressed the very nature, the very mystery of this creatures.
God, as it were, warned Adam: look, look - you see through the creature, you understand it; because you share My knowledge with Me, since you can share it with your still incomplete maturity, the depths of creation are revealed before you ... And when Adam peered into the whole creation, he did not see himself in it, because, although he was taken from the earth, although he is his flesh and his spiritual being a part of this universe, material and spiritual, but in him there is also a spark from God, the breath of God, which the Lord breathed into him, making him an unprecedented creature - man.
Adam knew he was alone; and God brought a deep sleep upon him, separated a certain part from him, and Eve stood before him. St. John Chrysostom speaks of how in the beginning all possibilities were laid in a person, and how gradually, as he matured, both male and female properties, incompatible in one being, began to appear in him. And when he reached maturity, God separated them. And it was not in vain that Adam exclaimed: This is flesh of my flesh, this is bone of my bone! She will be called a wife, because she is, as it were, squeezed out of me ... (Gen. 2:23). Yes; but what did these words mean? They could mean that Adam, looking at Eve, saw that she was bone from his bones, flesh from his flesh, but that she had an originality, that she was a full-fledged being, completely significant, which is connected with the Living God in a unique way, as and he is uniquely connected with Him; or they could mean that he saw in her only a reflection of his own being. This is how we see each other almost constantly; even when love unites us, we so often do not see a person in himself, but see him in relation to ourselves; we look at his face, we peer into his eyes, we listen to his words - and we are looking for an echo of our own being ... It's scary to think that so often we look at each other - and see only our reflection. We do not see another person; it is only a reflection of our being, our existence...
Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin: Paradise - How to enter the Kingdom of Heaven?
Fragment lectures at the Polytechnic Museum as part of the Orthodox Youth Courses organized bySt. Danilov Stauropegial Monastery AndChurch of the Holy Martyr Tatiana at Moscow State University M.V. Lomonosov.
The Lord speaks clearly about who exactly will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. First of all, He says that a person who wants to enter this Kingdom must have faith in Him, true faith. The Lord Himself says: "Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, and whoever does not believe will be condemned." The Lord predicts the condemnation of people to torment. He does not want this, the Lord is merciful, but He, at the same time, says that people who do not meet a high spiritual and moral ideal will face weeping and gnashing of teeth. We don’t know what heaven will be like, we don’t know what hell will be like, but it is obvious that people who freely choose a life without God, a life that contradicts His commandments, will not be left without a formidable reward, primarily related to the internal state of mind of these people . I know that there is a hell, I knew people who left this world in the state of ready inhabitants of hell. Some of them, by the way, committed suicide, which I'm not surprised at. They could be told that this was not necessary, because eternal life awaits a person, but they did not want eternal life, they wanted eternal death. People who lost faith in other people and in God, having met God after death, would not have changed. I think that the Lord would offer them His mercy and love. But they will tell Him, "We don't need it." There are already many such people in our earthly world, and I do not think that they will be able to change after crossing the border that separates the earthly world from the world of eternity.
Why must faith be true? When a person wants to communicate with God, he must understand Him as He is, he must address exactly the one to whom he addresses, without imagining God as something or someone that and whom He is not.
Now it is fashionable to say that God is one, but the paths to it are different, and what difference does it make how this or that religion or denomination or philosophical school imagines God ─ all the same, God is one. Yes, there is only one God. There are not many gods. But this one God, as Christians believe, is precisely the God who revealed Himself in Jesus Christ and in His Revelation, in the Holy Scriptures. And by referring instead to God, to someone else, to a being with different characteristics, or to a being that does not have a personality, or to a non-being in general, we do not turn to God. We turn, at best, to something or someone whom we have invented for ourselves, for example, to "god in the soul." And sometimes we can also refer to beings that are different from God and are not God. It can be angels, people, forces of nature, dark forces.
According to statistics, more than 80% believe in the existence of a heavenly afterlife. Ideas about this concept in different religions are the same. This is eternal bliss, joy, and the absence of earthly problems. Christianity, Judaism and Islam are unanimous in the view that before the fall, people lived in paradise.
Each religion has its own interpretation of how to achieve this happy fate. Consider how to get to Paradise, from the point of view of Orthodoxy.
What is Paradise
Paradise is called the Kingdom of God, or the Kingdom of Heaven. The idea of Paradise, as a place with coordinates in the N-dimensional space, into which the righteous person falls after death, has existed since the time of the Old Testament. Mankind has dreamed of him since the time of Adam.
With the advent of the Savior, the concept of Paradise expanded. The preacher of repentance, John the Baptist, says: “The Kingdom of Heaven has drawn near” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus Christ clarifies: “...and they will not say: behold, it is here, or: behold, there. For behold, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The Apostle Paul writes: “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
Man finds the kingdom of God within himself
On the basis of the words of the Savior, a person finds the Kingdom of God within himself, and he experiences the feeling of this joy already in earthly life. The Gospel tells about this, and holy people revered by the church testify.
Christ says:
“And he said to them, “Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power.” (Mark 9:1). The apostle Paul testifies that "he was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which a man cannot utter." (to the Corinthians, 12.4).
Saint Seraphim of Sarov said:
“... I was raptured into these abodes, but I don’t know – with the body or besides the body. God knows, it's unfathomable. And it’s impossible to tell you about the joy and sweetness of heaven that I tasted there ... Ah, if you knew what joy, what sweetness awaits the soul of the righteous in heaven, then you would decide in a temporary life to endure all sorts of sorrows, persecutions and slander from thanks…”
This joyful state of soul is experienced by a person because he is with the Lord, the fullness of the knowledge of Whom in earthly life a person cannot comprehend. “Now we see, as it were, through a dim glass, guessingly…” writes the Apostle Paul (First Corinthians, 13:12).
Who goes to Paradise
All the people of the Old Testament went to hell, which is located in the interior of the earth. After his resurrection, Christ descended into hell and dwelt “…in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights” (Matthew 12:40), preached there and led the righteous from there to Paradise. After that, the road to Paradise is open to everyone.
After the second coming, "... the earth and all the works on it will be burned" (Second Epistle of Peter: 3.10). God will create "...a new heaven and a new earth" (Revelation: 21:1) in which there is no hell. Between the righteous and the sinners there will be "...a great chasm established" (from Luke: 16:26), which they will not be able to cross.
“There is no hell as an objective sphere of being, this is a completely godless idea, more Manichaean than Christian. Therefore, no ontology of hell is absolutely impossible and unacceptable... Unthinkable as the sphere of objective being, hell exists in the subjective sphere and means the experience of a person and the path of a person...” (N.A. Berdyaev).
According to Rev. Seraphim of Sarov
"Heaven and hell begin on earth" .
A person feels belonging to this or that world until death.
“The blessed state of a person, during his stay on earth, serves as a guarantee of his eternal bliss in heavenly Eden ...” (pr. Ignaty Brianchaninov, Ascetic experiments).
All human souls will be embraced by the flame of Divine love. If the soul reciprocates, it rejoices; if it is filled with impurities, it suffers. “Eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, nor have they entered into the heart of man what God has prepared for those who love Him” (Corinthians: 2:9).
The fact that the love of God is poured out on everyone without exception, wrote St. Isaac Sirin in the book "Words of the Ascetic".
“I say that those who are tormented in Gehenna are stricken with the scourge of love! … It is inappropriate for anyone to think that sinners in Gehenna are deprived of God's love. Love is the offspring of the knowledge of truth, which (in which everyone agrees) is given to everyone in general. But love, by its power, acts in two ways: it torments sinners, as it happens here for a friend to endure from a friend, and rejoices with itself those who have done their duty.
What do you need to do to get to heaven
All people are destined for the Kingdom of Heaven. God “desires that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (First Epistle to Timothy: 2:4).
There are no specific instructions on how to get to Paradise. Conditions and recommendations are set out in the New Testament. The Orthodox Church calls for daily reading of its chapters. Over the years from constant reading, the mind will "bath" in the words of the Gospel, and a person's life will be evaluated every moment from the point of view of the Law of God.
There is no salvation outside the church
The saints unanimously affirm this. The Lord arranged the earthly church as a place of salvation. He armed it with mysteries, filled it with teaching. The Church is a clinic in which a person can be restored to the state in which he was before the fall. Orthodoxy is the only faith that preserves the apostolic traditions. The Apostle Paul commanded:
(Second epistle to the Thessalonians: 2.15)
"Therefore, brethren, stand firm and hold the traditions which you have been taught either by word or by our epistle."
The gospel is part of the church heritage. His correct understanding of salvation is set forth in the apostolic traditions kept in the church, which are rejected by other confessions.
But the main thing in the church is Christ. He is the helmsman, physician and savior, whose word is invariable - "I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" (Matthew: 16:18). Christ is one, He is not divided, and His church is one. The apostle indignantly says: "Is Christ divided?" (to Corinth. 1.13), "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (to Ephesians: 4.5).
Without God's help through the church, a person will drown in the abyss of passions and sins, as one drowns in the abyss of the sea without a ship and a helmsman.
Be like children
The type of people who go to Paradise was indicated by the Savior himself.
“…Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven; so whoever humbles himself like this child, that one is greater in the kingdom of heaven.”
A person should be simple to faith, as a child is simple to the words of his parents. He believes without doubt. There is no guile in his soul, it is open to perception. Distrust is the slyness with which the entrance to Paradise is closed.
The will of the Father is set forth in the Law of God.
“Not everyone who says to me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven”
Change of mind
For a correct understanding of the Word of God, a change of consciousness is necessary, which in Greek means repentance. “…repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt. 3:2), calls John the Baptist. He warns that those who do not bear fruit worthy of repentance cannot escape future wrath. “...neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor malakia, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor predators - shall inherit the Kingdom of God” (First epistle to the Corinthians: 6, 9-10) .
Saint Peter of Damascus said: “When you see your sins, like the sand of the sea, know that you have laid the foundation for repentance.”
Humility
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Saint John Chrysostom says: “What does it mean: poor in spirit? Humble and brokenhearted."
Humility is the most important Christian virtue.
Christ, addressing his followers, says: "... learn from Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart" (Matthew 11:29).
“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble,” say the Apostles Peter and James in their epistles.
In the Old Testament, David writes: “A sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a contrite and humble heart God will not despise.” Through the prophet Isaiah, God indicates who is pleasing to Him: “Who will I look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at My word” (Is.66:2).
Without humility, the entrance to Paradise is closed to a person, from which Dennitsa, who has become Satan, is expelled for pride.
Chased for the truth
"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:10). Divine truth is stated in the Bible. Those who profess Christianity and are persecuted for it will inherit life with Christ. The word "truth" is identical with the word "truth", and Christ calls himself the truth: "I am the way and the truth and the life" (John 14:6).
Martyrs and confessors who suffered for Christ are crowned in Heaven.
Renunciation of the world
Following Christ presupposes renunciation of earthly attachments. If the goal of life is the Kingdom of Heaven, then other problems fade into the background.
This main sign of repentance is confirmed by parables and examples from the Gospel.
Christ to the young man who fulfilled the Law, but who is not able to renounce his possessions, says: “...Truly I say to you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 19:23).
Why in the kingdom of God there are many who are called but few who are chosen, Jesus explains:
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple.”
Giving parables about an unfinished tower and a king going to war against another king (Luke 14:28-32), Christ emphasizes:
"any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
“Another said: I will follow You, Lord! but first let me say goodbye to my family. But Jesus said to him: No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks back is reliable for the Kingdom of God.
The Monk John of the Ladder in his famous book points out that without renunciation there is no point in starting the path of salvation on the cross.
(Word 1, § 10)
“Those who embark on this feat, in order to lay a good foundation, must renounce everything, neglect everything, laugh at everything, reject everything.”
(First Epistle of John: 1:16)
“For everything that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not from the Father, but from this world.”
The heart must be pure from earthly attachments, for "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."
At the same time, there is no need to leave your job, family, and go into the wilderness, as the Apostles write about:
- “Everyone stay in the rank in which you are called. ... In what rank anyone is called, brethren, in that everyone and remain before God ”(1st to Corinth. 7,20-24).
- “... those who have wives should be as those who do not; and weeping as if not weeping; and those who rejoice, as those who do not rejoice; and those who buy, as not acquiring; and those who use this world as those who do not; for the image of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:29-31).
- “Or do we not have the power to eat and drink? Or do we not have the power to have a sister wife as a companion, like the other Apostles, and the brothers of the Lord, and Cephas? (1st Corinth 9:4-5).
Just as in solitude a person remains with earthly passions in his soul, so he who possesses everything earthly can have no affections of the heart.
The Holy Spirit is the Purpose of the Christian Life
The Monk Seraphim of Sarov said in conversations that the goal of the Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit. Without this important content, the entrance to the Kingdom will be closed to a person. This is the parable of the 10 virgins.
“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish, taking their lamps, took no oil with them. The wise, along with their lamps, took oil in their vessels. And as the bridegroom slowed down, everyone dozed off and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry: behold, the bridegroom is coming, go out to meet him. Then all the virgins got up and adjusted their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise answered: so that there is no shortage for us and for you, it is better to go to the sellers and buy for yourself. And when they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut; Then the other virgins also come and say: Lord! God! open to us. And he answered and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.”
Virgins are the image of a pure soul, oil is the image of the Holy Spirit, the bridegroom is the image of Christ. The apostle in the epistle states: If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His."(Eph. 8:9). For this reason, the bridegroom says to the virgins who do not have oil: "I do not know you."
Rev. Seraphim called the world a marketplace where one finds the Grace of the Holy Spirit. Goods are virtues that a person is able to perform.
Christ also speaks of this in the parable of the talents, which some added, while others buried in the ground. “... you should have given my silver to the merchants, and when I came, I would have received mine with a profit”
This parable is about the gifts that people receive from God: life, strength, health, mind, spiritual abilities, earthly riches, and other blessings. Those who use them as a commodity for the purchase of heavenly goods receive a paradise inheritance.
“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and do not steal, for where your treasure is, there your heart will also be” (Matt. 6:19-21) – says the Lord.
Do not judge and forgive
One of the ways to reach Paradise is the ability not to judge, but to forgive others. This gives the right to enter Paradise, bypassing other virtues. Such a person, who has fallen into the judgment of God, will hear from the Savior - he did not condemn anyone, and I will not judge him. Christ himself testifies to this:
"Judge not, lest you be judged, for by what judgment you judge, you will be judged."
“... if you forgive people their sins, then your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Make an effort
“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force take it by force.”
"...by your patience save your souls."
In Church Slavonic, “taken by force” sounds “forced”. Forcing oneself to do good, fighting sinful desires and thoughts, showing patience in the fight against passions and weaknesses - such is the narrow and thorny life path of a Christian.
"Enter through the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many go through it."
This narrow path is accompanied by struggle on an invisible battlefield. “...our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spirits of wickedness in high places” (Ephesians: 6:12) – says the Apostle. “... the devil fights with God, and the battlefield is the hearts of people” (F.M. Dostoevsky).
The Lord is near, ask - and it will be given to you
Despite the difficulties of the road to Paradise, Heavenly help will not be slow to come. With the help of God, all sins, passions and temptations are overcome. The Lord, testing a Christian on this path, fills with Grace the praying heart, which trusts in Him with faith and humility.
This is what the Lord says:
- "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7).
- “…and whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” Matt. 21.22).
- “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it” (John 14:14).
The Holy Apostles call for this:
- “…always in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, make your desires known to God, and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus” (Philippians: 4:6-7).
- “...let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews: 4:16).
- “... let him ask God, who gives to everyone simply and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting” (James 1:5-6).
Signs of the Kingdom of God within
A sign that a person has found Paradise in the soul is love. Christ speaks of this: “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35).
The great ascetic and ascetic, St. Isaac Sirin. A merciful heart ignites with love for everything that surrounds it. About people, about enemies, about creatures, and even about the demons themselves. When it opens in the soul, then there is no limit to joy. Such a person is ready to be burned 10 times for the love of people.
Rev. Silouan of Athos points out that the sign of God's Grace in a person is not miracles, but humility and love for enemies.
The sign of Paradise in the soul is love.
The confirmation of the correctness of these words is found in the Gospel:
“But to you who hear, I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. Offer the other to the one who slaps you on the cheek, and do not prevent the one who takes your coat from you to take your shirt. To everyone who asks of you, give, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand back. And as you want people to do to you, do to them. And if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? ... But you love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. So be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."
A sign of the Kingdom of God within is the desire for loneliness and secrecy. People, having found such a treasure in their souls, retire in private prayer. They avoid contact with others. Against the background of this treasure, former pleasures depreciate.
“... like the Kingdom of Heaven is a treasure hidden in a field, which, having found, a person hid, and out of joy about it, he goes and sells everything that he has, and buys that field”
Rogue Rescue
The first little man who entered Paradise is not a Christian, but a robber who was crucified on the cross next to Jesus. He killed, robbed, and suffered a just condemnation. But the Lord says to him: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43).
The first man in Paradise is not a Christian, but a robber
Experiencing terrible torment, he humbled himself before his death, recognized the justice of his punishment, stood up for the innocent suffering Christ, and said: “Remember me, Lord, when you come into Your Kingdom!” (Luke 23:43). He confessed Jesus as God.
It is not easy to come to terms with failures, illnesses, to recognize the justice of your punishment. Especially on the verge of life and death. The two thieves on the cross are the image of all mankind. Some suffer, and are indignant: “For what?!”. Others humble themselves and thank God for everything.
Conclusion
Following the call of the Savior “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matt. 6:33), a person, observing his sins and infirmities, sees an incomprehensible task before him. How to gain childish faith, humble yourself and change your consciousness, renounce the world, turn the other cheek to the offender, and not condemn him?
The Kingdom of God is within you - Nikon (Vorobiev)
What is Ray? Is it possible to get to heaven? When do people go to heaven? Many people think and talk about this topic. But people don't know exactly what heaven is. Some take some very beautiful, cozy and calm place for paradise, admiring this place, they say about this place: “like in paradise”, returning from such a place, they say: “it’s like being in paradise”. Some do not believe at all that there are such worlds as hell or heaven, insist that hell and heaven exist only in the imagination of man. People's understanding can be different.
How are religions taught? What does science say about these worlds? First, let's think about what is paradise in the understanding of religious people? On this occasion, we can say that different religions have different ideas and traditions about the description of paradise. It is only clear that paradise is a very specific place in Heaven, and not just one place. There are about a hundred such worlds in our galaxy. Each Enlightened One (God) has such a world (Paradise, Heavenly Kingdom) in which all his followers live. There are people on earth who have psychic (supernatural) abilities. These abilities enable such people to communicate with living beings of other spaces. Such people tell different stories about heavenly places in Heaven, convey the will of Heaven to people. Some people can understand this, take it to heart. Such people are called wise men, teachers, elders, people from God.
Telling legends, predictions, legends, myths and parables and passing them from mouth to mouth, people spread the precepts of the sages. As a result of such a transfer, a stable concept of good and evil is formed in different religions and among different peoples. In the form of folklore, holy people tried to tell people which deeds are good and which are evil, for which deeds people go to heaven, and for which deeds go to hell. In the cultures of some peoples, there are classic novels that tell about various heavenly places. In particular, this applies to the countries of the East: India and China. In Christianity, there are also many stories that are collected in collections about the life of the saints.
Be that as it may, in both cultures, both Eastern and Western, the principle of karmic retribution is widespread, meaning that everyone is ultimately responsible for their own actions, depending on the commission of which, after the death of the body, the soul falls or into heaven or into hell. The universe will reward actions that are consistent with the principles: good deeds are rewarded with good, while evil deeds will receive due retribution. Believers of all religions tried to act righteously so that after death a person could go to heaven.
From Japan, a parable came to us about a warrior who wanted to know if there is a heaven and hell. Asking the old sage about the existence of heaven and hell, the warrior got excited when he did not like the sage's answer and showed his desire to use the sword. Then the wise man, pointing to such behavior, said to him: “Here the doors to hell open.” When the warrior understood everything that the teacher wanted to show him, he sheathed his sword and bowed respectfully. “The gates to paradise open here,” the teacher said to the warrior.
The parable of the traveler who set off on a journey to find paradise clearly tells people at what cost one can get to paradise. He went with a dog. Encountering a gate on the way, beyond which music, flowers, splashing fountains, he asked the gatekeeper who stood guard at the gate what kind of place it was. He replied that there, beyond the gates, is paradise, but you can’t go there with a dog. This man thought: “Since it’s impossible with a dog, then I won’t go there.” He went on, met another gate on the way, less attractive, but there was water and food for him and his dog. He entered and asked what kind of place this was. They answered him: “This is paradise, but only those who do not abandon their friends come here, and those who abandon their friends can stay in hell, mistaking hell for paradise.”
These two simple stories have a deeply embedded meaning about good deeds, about the good heart of a person. Doing a good deed, acting kindly with the people around you, with your friends, you can go to heaven. This is what religions teach.
Christianity conveyed to us its understanding of paradise. Christians know that Jesus has his own world in Heaven - Paradise, the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus clearly told people how to get there. All those who believe in Jesus know that Jesus, being crucified on the cross and enduring incredible suffering, fulfilled his mission on earth to the end. When a crucified thief is with Jesus, ask him, “Why, Lord, were you crucified? You haven't done anything wrong, have you?" To which Jesus replied: “Today you will be with me in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, the sins of this robber were forgiven by Jesus, and he was able to go to heaven only because he thought about God, who was executed for nothing. It is also considered a noble act - to think in any situation about the suffering of another, to be able to sympathize in any situation. And such an act is regarded as the road to paradise.
All religions talk about the existence of the Kingdom of Heaven - Paradise, and you can get there only by changing your heart, that is, you need to become a good person, even better than a good person, by self-improvement of your soul, changing your character.
In the past, everyone who wanted to improve in religion had to take the veil as a monk or nun and leave the human world. Living in poverty, poverty, wandering, begging - this was the path of Buddhists, Christians and other religious people who improved in the past, walking along the path to God. And all of them, of course, knew that after death they would appear before God in paradise and God would accept them in his heavenly kingdom. It was the road to the paradise of all saints. The ideas of cultivators from various religions were such that in order to get to heaven, one must renounce everything earthly, not pursue anything, not desire anything, discard all the desires of ordinary people.
Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone can part with vital interests, not everyone can discard all those things that they are so used to in their lives. And God helps only those people who live according to the commandments left to people by God, and always in difficult moments of life will take you in his arms and endure through those torments that you yourself are not able to endure. At such moments, a person really feels that he has been to paradise. This is available in the records of scientific studies of near-death experiences.
But how, from a scientific point of view, to explain the desire of a person to go to heaven. Let's analyze: the human body is a microcosm. The entire human body, and not just this body in our human space, consists of molecules, atoms, protons, quarks, neutrinos. Everything is material: our thoughts, our state of mind - everything that surrounds us is matter, which also consists of atoms, protons, quarks and neutrinos.
Morality is a state of mind, it is also material and consists of particles smaller and lighter than selfishness or heartlessness. Our body will be light if it consists of smaller particles - such a body rises up, rises above the dirty world of people. He will rise to a pure world in Heaven. Isn't such a place Paradise? Morality is what a person needs to go to heaven. This is proved by our modern science.
How to get to heaven? - The sage will always answer your question correctly "Everything is in your hands!"
Natalya Rytova. Epoch Times
Today we will discuss one of the topics loved by all, not so much popular as exactly beloved, because everyone wants to go to Paradise, even hypothetically existing in the imagination of the living.
Can a believer, but a criminal, or, more precisely, one who “covers” with Christ, kills, fornicates, sins, or an unbeliever, but a good person, get there? Let's try to figure out how this is possible from an earthly point of view.
But first, what is Paradise. We'll take Christianity.
“Paradise - in religion and philosophy: the state (place) of eternal perfect life (existence, being) in bliss and harmony with God and nature (universe), not subject to death.
Paradise is a posthumous place of reward for the righteous, a perfect state of bliss and the legendary ancestral home of mankind. The traditional location of paradise is heaven, although there is an idea of an Earthly Paradise (Eden). opposed to hell."
How do you personally imagine Paradise? Think, close your eyes. Most likely - clouds, a wonderful white castle ... or a light green lawn, trees with fruits, eternal summer, the sea is nearby, butterflies fly ... or a golden kingdom with gates, cherubs, paths, thrones, altars right under the sky.
We represent and can represent Paradise only through the limited understanding and consciousness of an earthly person, we draw what we considered pleasant, good, beautiful in this world, and therefore we draw That Light from these associations. But all that we can imagine is pleasant for the body, for the physical shell, does it matter to the soul whether the body sleeps on pillows or on a thin mattress?
However, of course, when a person is not in poverty, not in deprivation of everything - and the soul is calmer. But by and large - as the saying goes, "For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, but damages his soul" (New Testament).
There are a lot of rich people in the world who have everything for the happiness of the body, but is their soul happy? Money and earthly goods do not guarantee peace of mind, just as a lawn with apples on trees will not give anything if there is no peace for the soul. However, when a person imagines Paradise like this, he first of all wants to convey the peace of the soul as best he can.
And about the essence - Paradise is not a place, it is a state of mind (like hell). Perhaps there is a certain place (so to speak, in a parallel spiritual world) where the soul is in transit awaiting judgment or hovering somewhere, also in hell - after all, the Bible says about the sea of the dead and the lake of fire. But whether people will ever live in a physical body on Earth (after the Judgment, for example) is unknown.
Of course, at the moment, Paradise for many is comfort, peace of mind and body. And the peace of the soul is identical to salvation ...
It is the receipt of salvation for believers - an indicator of getting into Paradise, saved - got into Paradise, got into Paradise - that means saved. This means that the question in the context of our article “why people go to Paradise” can be put differently: “how to be saved, for what you can get saved.”
So, we found out that Paradise is not a place, but a state. And it is not at all in endless delights, fireworks, euphoria, it can be in the certainty of its salvation. And the fact that a person dies, as believers say, is not as scary as the fact that he can die unsaved ... At the same time, salvation is a process, and not a momentary result without change, salvation can be “earned” all your life and lost in an instant, and you can get a couple of minutes before death ...
As the Bible tells us, in the New Testament, salvation is possible through faith, that is, a person accepts by faith that Christ is the Son of God, accepts his sacrifice and receives salvation. However, more work is needed. This does not mean that you can accept Christ and go to kill, steal, fornicate. This means that we must save salvation. But you can also repent five minutes before death, thereby receiving salvation, this became possible thanks to the coming of Christ, and before the New Testament, people went to hell (or to the lake of the dead) and languished there in anticipation of liberation. A vivid example is the criminal who hung with Christ on a nearby cross during the crucifixion at Golgotha, he repented and Christ told him that he would now be with him in Paradise.
But there is such a moment in relation to believers - everything is not easy for them, and priests holding high ranks have said more than once, as well as a number of denominations share this opinion - that the Court for believers and non-believers will be different. Why? Because the Requirements are different based on the level of knowledge and capabilities.
Believers, even some of those who were in sects, heard about God, read the Bible, and if the sectarians then went against all principles, although they had the opportunity to “sober up”, they were led by blind teachers - even they knew about God, His commandments. Another question is that they remained under the seal of the delirium of their teachers. But after all, they read the same Bible that believers of reasonable denominations, Orthodox, also read, and still “crushed” it for themselves, they saw everything in the light of the blindness of the teaching.
But there are other options: for example, in the paragraph above, we mentioned “sheep” that will obey the will of teachers, but there are these same teachers, there are deceivers, and even criminals who kill and preach at the same time. To varying degrees, criminals. They keep a crowd of such "sheep" in power, having various benefits from this - material, psychological, and other. Realizing their black goals through broken people, up to the implementation of drug trafficking. But they know the Bible by heart, spread quotes right and left, skillfully manipulate people. They sometimes know Christianity better than many, but they do not accept it, they do not believe in any Christ... can they be saved? It would be stupid to say that they can, agree?
Sectarians from the crowd, subordinated by the will of the teachers, can be saved, not all, but if they, out of ignorance, ignorance, naivety, trusted the leaders, sincerely believing that they are the last messengers of God. However, who really thought, and who deserves what fate, God will judge.
Those who could understand where they were, what they were doing, albeit at the behest of their teachers, those who did not have an excessive share of naivety, but had blinding laziness and stupidity - there will be more demand from them. If a person, even at the behest of the chief, did lawlessness, he himself and his mentors will answer.
In general, I have associations related to the Revelation of John the Theologian (the last book of the New Testament) about quotes about when bowls of anger were poured on people and they did not repent - this is just for those who incorrectly confess the Word and distorted it for themselves, celebrating in the days of sorrow living on the blood of saints, trampling on the sacrifice of God, etc. And despite all the warnings and punishments, the people did not repent.
But even believers of the “correct” denominations, directions are a fickle, changing value, and people are imperfect, therefore today they can be believers, and tomorrow criminals, and vice versa, they can, even despite excellent teachers, show everything in their own way, but still if they they act in many ways, even if they understand how they want, what the mentors advise - they are in a much better position than those who follow the false prophets.
And among these believers, the question will also arise as to who will be saved and who will not.
It is better not to know than to know… Literally: “It would have been better for them not to know the way of righteousness, than, having known it, to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them,” 2 Peter 2:21
Those who once adhered to the true faith, but then departed, are more in demand from them than from those who never approached the faith.
That is why it is said about two judgments - for believers and for unbelievers. Unbelievers, if they can sometimes be saved like a smut from the fire, by grace, if they were at odds with their conscience, then those who were true believers, and then departed, are not a fact, although the latter may have much more knowledge about God.
The New Testament says that no one can come to the Father except through the Son, and much is said about the fact that one can be saved only through accepting the sacrifice of Christ. From which the logical conclusion is that those who did not accept Christ will not be able to be saved or enter Paradise.
But it's cruel, don't you think? After all, there are very good people who, even though they were not believers, were better than many so-called believers, kinder, wiser, more decent. Are they going to hell? And is this the mercy of God? Such a cardinal version of salvation was also given to me in Christian denominations, they insisted that everyone who did not accept Christ would go to hell, which personally revolted me.
I don't believe this is justice. So people are mortal, like this earth, how do they know who God will save, who not?
In Revelation I.B. there are phrases about the fact that unbelievers will be judged by deeds - evil and good ... but they will be saved like a brand from the fire.
Of course, the general criteria for receiving salvation are the fulfillment of the main commandments.
“These are the Commandments that the Lord God of Hosts gave to the people through His chosen one and the prophet Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 20, 2-17):
- I am the Lord your God... Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
- Do not make for yourself an idol or any image of what is in heaven above, and what is on the earth below, and what is in the water below the earth.
- Do not pronounce the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave without punishment the one who pronounces His name in vain.
- Work six days, and do all your work; and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.
- Honor your father and your mother, that your days on earth may be long.
- Dont kill.
- Don't commit adultery.
- Don't steal.
- Do not bear false witness against your neighbor.
- Do not covet your neighbor's house; do not covet your neighbor's wife; neither his servant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is with your neighbor.”
These commandments are still from the Old Testament, but with the advent of Christ, the covenant became new, and it became possible to be saved thanks to faith, while no one canceled the commandments.
Christ himself spoke of his coming as follows:
"Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets - I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill."
It’s just that Christ, I think, wanted to convey that before deeds and the fulfillment of the commandments (and there were such “believers” as the Pharisees and scribes who kept the law to the letter, but disdained to pray next to publicans and thought a lot about themselves), it was faith, and living faith, and not life according to the letter of the law, when instead of saving the dying, everyone goes to prayer, because God said that he should be above all.
And Christ showed that it is possible to save a sheep that has strayed from the flock, even on the Sabbath, and be more compassionate and kind than just follow the observance of the commandments.
In the New Testament, Christ proclaimed two main commandments: love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, and the second one like it - love your neighbor as yourself. "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
In this context, some dogmas of Orthodoxy also seem too Old Testament to me, for example, the rules that you can only pray for the deceased, if he has not been baptized, at home, you cannot light a candle for him. There are also shops at the temples, where the female saleswomen know exactly who will go where, and that if they are not baptized, then they will go to hell ...
Thank God, adequate more. There are many more priests who allow a candle to be lit for the unbaptized who have died, and who say that we are not commanded to know who will go where.
Yet one of the conditions for salvation in Orthodoxy is baptism. But the reasoning of the people who occasionally attend church is banal: if you are baptized, you will be saved even if you are a criminal, and if you are not baptized, but a good person, you will not be saved.
But these are the arguments of the profane, people who are more familiar with faith are sure that God will decide where everyone belongs.
In my cursory human view, you can get to Paradise by fulfilling the commandments (at least the main ones), while not according to the letter of the law, but sincerely, being kind, helping others, your neighbor, doing good deeds, speaking in the parameters of faith - then if you don’t set religion is higher than faith, conscience, not to abide in false teachings.
In fact, the list is not so big, and not as complicated as many people imagine. You can't be a normal believer - it's better not to become one, it's better to do good deeds at the level of mere mortals. And if you become a believer, then be it to the end ...
Of course, we have no clear and unambiguous evidence that Heaven, like Hell, exists, but also no similar evidence that they do not exist. And, having tried to live in such a way that after death one could go to Paradise, a person certainly will not lose anything.
According to Christian beliefs, after death, a person continues to live, but in a different capacity. His spirit, leaving the physical shell, begins its journey to God. What is ordeal, where does the soul go after death, should it fly away and what happens to it after separation from the body? After death, the spirit of the deceased is tested by trials. In Christian culture, they are called "ordeal". There are twenty of them in total, each more difficult than the previous one, depending on the sins committed by a person during his lifetime. After that, the spirit of the deceased goes to Heaven or falls into the Underworld.
Is there life after death
The two topics that will always be discussed are life and death. Since the creation of the world, philosophers, literary figures, physicians, prophets have been arguing about what happens to the soul when it leaves the human body. What will happen after death and is there life at all after the spirit leaves the physical shell? It so happened that a person will always reflect on these burning topics in order to know the truth - turn to the Christian religion or other teachings.
What happens to a person when he dies
Having passed his life path, a person dies. On the physiological side, this is the process of stopping all systems and processes of the body: brain activity, respiration, digestion. There is a decomposition of proteins and other substrates of life. Approaching death also affects the emotional state of a person. There is a change in the emotional background: loss of interest in everything, isolation, fencing off from contacts with the outside world, talk about imminent death, hallucinations (the past and the present are mixed).
What happens to the soul after death
The question of where the soul goes after death is always interpreted in different ways. However, the clergy are unanimous in one thing: after a complete cardiac arrest, a person continues to live in a new status. Christians believe that the spirit of the dead, who lived a righteous life, is carried by angels to Paradise, the sinner is destined to go to Hell. The deceased needs prayers that will save him from eternal torment, help the spirit pass the tests and go to Paradise. The prayers of loved ones, not tears, can work wonders.
Christian doctrine says that a person will live forever. Where does the soul go after the death of a person? His spirit goes to the kingdom of heaven to meet with the Father. This path is very complex and depends on how a person lived his worldly life. Many clergy perceive the departure not as a tragedy, but as a long-awaited meeting with God.
Third day after death
The first two days the spirits of the dead fly over the earth. This is the period when they are close to their body, with their home, wandering around the places dear to them, saying goodbye to their relatives, ending their earthly existence. At this time, not only angels are nearby, but also demons. They are trying to win her over to their side. On the third day, the ordeal of the soul after death begins. This is the time to worship the Lord. Family and friends should pray. Prayers are made in honor of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
On day 9
Where does a person go after death on the 9th day? After the 3rd day, the Angel accompanies the spirit to the gates of Paradise so that he can see all the beauty of the heavenly abode. The immortal souls stay there for six days. They temporarily forget the sadness of leaving their body. Enjoying the sight of beauty, the soul, if it has sins, must repent. If this does not happen, then she will be in hell. On the 9th day, the angels again present the soul to the Lord.
At this time, the church and loved ones perform a prayer service for the deceased with a request for mercy. Commemorations are held in honor of 9 angelic ranks, who are defenders during the Last Judgment and servants of the Almighty. For the deceased, the “burden” is no longer so heavy, but very important, because the Lord determines the future path of the spirit according to it. Relatives remember only good things about the deceased, they behave very calmly and quietly.
There are certain traditions that help the spirit of the departed. They symbolize eternal life. At this time, relatives:
- They perform a prayer service in the church for the repose of the spirit.
- At home, kutya is cooked from wheat seeds. It is mixed with sweet: honey or sugar. Seeds are reincarnation. Honey or sugar is a sweet life in another world, helping to avoid a difficult afterlife.
On day 40
The number "40" is very often found on the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Jesus Christ ascended to the Father on the fortieth day. For the Orthodox Church, this became the basis for organizing a commemoration of the deceased on the fortieth day after his death. The Catholic Church does this on the thirtieth day. However, the meaning of all events is the same: the soul of the deceased ascended the holy Mount Sinai, achieved bliss.
After the angels re-presented the spirit before the Lord on the 9th day, he goes to Hell, where he sees the souls of sinners. The spirit stays in the Underworld until the 40th day, and the third time it appears before God. This is the period when the fate of a person is determined by his earthly affairs. In the posthumous fate, it is important that the soul repent of everything it has done and prepare for the future right life. Commemorations atone for the sins of the deceased. For the subsequent resurrection of the dead, it is important how the spirit passes through purgatory.
half a year
Where does the soul go after death six months later? The Almighty made a decision about the future fate of the spirit of a deceased person, it is already impossible to change something. You can't yell and cry. This will only harm the soul, bring severe torment. However, relatives can help and alleviate the fate of prayer, commemoration. It is necessary to pray, calming the soul, showing it the right path. Six months later, the spirit comes to the relatives for the penultimate time.
Anniversary
It is important to remember the anniversary of death. The prayers performed up to this time helped determine where the soul would go after death. A year after death, relatives and friends perform a prayer service in the temple. You can simply heartily remember the deceased if there is no opportunity to visit the church. On this day, souls come to their relatives for the last time to say goodbye, then a new body awaits them. For a believer, a righteous person, the anniversary gives a start to a new, eternal life. The annual cycle is a liturgical cycle, after which all holidays are allowed.
Where does the soul go after death?
There are several versions of where people live after death. Astrologers believe that the immortal soul enters space, where it settles on other planets. According to another version, it soars in the upper atmosphere. The emotions that the spirit experiences affect whether it will go to the highest level (Paradise) or the lowest (Hell). In the Buddhist religion it is said that having found eternal peace, the human spirit moves to another body.
Mediums and psychics claim that the soul is connected with the other world. It often happens that after her death she remains close to loved ones. Spirits that have not finished their business appear in the form of ghosts, astral bodies, phantoms. Some protect relatives, others want to punish their offenders. They contact the living with the help of knocks, sounds, the movement of things, the short-term appearance of themselves in visible form.
In the Vedas, the sacred scriptures of the Earth, it is said that, after leaving the body, souls pass through tunnels. Many people who have been in a state of clinical death describe them as channels on their own body. There are 9 of them in total: ears, eyes, mouth, nostrils (separately left and right), anus, genitals, crown, navel. It was believed that if the spirit came out of the left nostril, then it gets to the moon, from the right - to the sun, through the navel - to other planets, through the mouth - to the earth, through the genitals - to the lower layers of being.
Souls of dead people
As soon as the souls of dead people leave their physical shells, they do not immediately realize that they are in a subtle body. At first, the spirit of the deceased soars in the air, and only when he sees his body, he realizes that he has separated from him. The qualities of a deceased person during life determine his emotions after death. Thoughts and feelings, character traits do not change, but become open to the Almighty.
The soul of a child
It is believed that a child who dies before the age of 14 immediately enters the First Heaven. The child has not yet reached the age of desires, is not responsible for actions. The child remembers his past incarnations. The First Heaven is the place of waiting for the rebirth of the soul. A deceased child is waiting for a relative who has gone to the other world or a person who, during his lifetime, loved children very much. He meets the child immediately after the hour of death and escorts him to the place of waiting.
In the First Heaven, a child has everything he wants, his life resembles a beautiful game, he learns goodness, receives visual lessons on how evil deeds affect a person. All emotions and knowledge remain in the memory of the baby even after rebirth. It is believed that people who live nobly in ordinary life are indebted to these lessons learned and experiences in the First Heaven.
Soul of the suicidal
Any teaching and belief asserts that a person does not have the right to take his own life. The actions of any suicide are dictated by Satan. The soul of a suicide after death strives for Paradise, the gates of which are closed to it. The spirit is forced to return, but it cannot find its body. The ordeals last until the time of natural death. Then the Lord decides according to his soul. Previously, people who committed suicide were not buried in the cemetery, the objects of suicide were destroyed.
Souls of animals
The Bible says that everything has a soul, but "taken from dust, to dust they shall return." Confessors sometimes agree that some pets are able to transform, but it is impossible to say exactly where the soul of an animal goes after death. It is given and taken away by the Lord himself, the soul of the animal is not eternal. However, the Jews believe that it is equal to the human, so there are different prohibitions on eating meat.
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