Sylvester's post on history. Brief biography of Sylvester (XVI century - XVI century)
The expression "Kingdom of God" means "God's government." In order to correctly understand the meaning of this term in any biblical context, one must have a good idea in what sense the Jews used it during the earthly life of Jesus Christ and what it generally represented to the Jews within the framework of their traditional thinking and religious canons. Therefore, at the beginning of this article, we offer some basic information regarding both of these expressions: the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God, and an explanation of their use among the Jews in gospel times.
The meaning of the concepts "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven".
How the Jews used the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" (Heavenly government) during the earthly life of Jesus Christ.
How Jesus Christ used the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" (Heavenly government).
General recommendations when translating the concepts of "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven". The expression "Kingdom of God" has one basic meaning, however, in different phrases, depending on the context, the semantic nuance changes. In the section "Various phrases with the concept of" Kingdom of God "(God's rule)" these semantic shades are classified as follows:
1. The relationship between man and God, established as God rules the life of man
a. Man's introduction to the number of those whose lives are governed by God
b. A person's stay among the same as he, the chosen ones of God
v. The hierarchy of those who serve God as their King
d. Human actions to better serve God as King
e. What awaits people in the coming Kingdom of God
a. Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom
b. Other mentions of sayings regarding the kingdom
v. The Man Proclaiming God's Rule
d. The Mystery of God's Government
4. The nature of God's government
a. God's government is compared to something well known in everyday life
b. Description of the nature of God's reign in the Apostolic Epistles The article concludes with a note on the independent use of the word “kingdom”.
The meaning of the concepts "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" The concepts of "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" have the same meaning. This becomes evident in a comparative analysis of the Gospel texts. Evangelist Matthew prefers the expression “Kingdom of Heaven” and only occasionally uses “Kingdom of God”. At the same time, in a similar context, the Evangelists Mark and Luke use almost exclusively the expression "Kingdom of God." For instance:
Mt. 4:17 "From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say: repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Mark 1:15 "(Jesus came to Galilee) ... saying that the time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe in the gospel."
Mt. 5: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Luke 6:20 "... blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the kingdom of God." The use of the words "God" and "Heaven" in the Gospel texts as alternative variants is explained by the linguistic and cultural differences between Jews and Hellenes. In the Old Testament, the Jews addressed the Almighty, calling Him God (Heb. Fmemyudhelamedaleph, Elo g'im) or a proper name (Heb.
Hebrewhevavheyud, y'ahwe). Over time, they stopped using the name Yahweh, considering it too sacred to be mentioned by people. Instead, the words "God", "Lord", "Heaven" (see Luke 15:18), "Holy", "Name", "Blessed" (Mark 14:61), "Power" (see Mark 14 : 62) and others.
And in order to convey in Hebrew the meaning of the concept of “God's rule”, they began to use the idiomatic expression “Kingdom of Heaven” (Hebrew fmemyudmemshin tavvavkaflamedmem, malk'ut sham'aim), trying at the same time to avoid phrases like “Kingdom of God” or “Kingdom of Yahweh ". On the other hand, it was not customary for the Greeks to use the word "Heaven" as a synonym for the name of God, because the pagans Greeks believed in many gods, and not in the One God, Yahweh. Therefore, those Christian authors who wrote to a Hellenic audience were forced to convey the meaning of the word "Heaven" used by the Jews by the word "God." For the same reason, they had to abandon the term "Kingdom of Heaven", which in this audience would not have been correctly understood.
Thus, both expressions - "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are alternative ways of conveying the same concept. These are synonyms. Jews preferred the latter term, non-Jews preferred the former. Many translators point out that in their linguistic tradition the word “Heaven” is also not perceived as a synonym for the word “God”. In this case, it is not necessary to preserve the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" in the text of the Evangelist Matthew. It can be translated using the word "God", trying to convey the meaning as adequately as possible.
How the Jews used the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" during the earthly life of Jesus Christ For the Jews, the idea of God's government, conveyed by the expression "Kingdom of Heaven", was especially important.
To understand what meaning they put into this expression, it makes sense to turn to the Old Testament and other ancient Jewish texts.
a. Old Testament The Old Testament contains two main ideas of God and His government: 1. God always rules the world as King (Psalm 96: 1). This applies to the past, the present, and the future. God acts as King when he does something for the good of His people (Ex 15:18). As King, He protects His people and satisfies their needs. 2. In the future, the kingdom of goodness and justice should come. Sometimes this idea is associated with the idea of a King who is to come, the Messiah, the Son of David. See Acts 7:22 for the kingdom of the saints; Micah 4: 7, where it is stated that the Lord will reign and Jer 23: 5, predicting that the descendant of David will reign and will "execute judgment and righteousness on earth." Since both of these concepts are clearly developed in the Old Testament, there is no need to introduce a special concept of "Kingdom of Heaven". Sometimes the expression "Kingdom of Yahweh" is used, but it has nothing to do with the ideas mentioned above, and denotes a very definite historical concept - the Kingdom of Judah (1 Chronicles 28: 5; 2 Chronicles 13: 8).
b. Religious sects Of the Judean Desert and the Essenes During the earthly life of Jesus Christ, there were separate religious groups who interpreted the Old Testament in their own way. Their focus was the Judean Desert. They argued that the Lord would destroy all sinners in the great war, and then He Himself would reign in the world and truly become its “King”. They considered themselves to be true believers and sometimes the word "kingdom" defined the circle of their like-minded people. They talked about the "kingdom of saints", about the "kingdom of light", about the "kingdom of righteousness." They also united unbelievers and sinners into the concept of "kingdom." Only in this case did they talk about the "kingdom of darkness" about the "kingdom of sin." Here, as in the case of the classical Jewish interpretation of the Old Testament, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the Essenes did not use the expressions "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kingdom of God", preferring any similar phrases.
v. The literary heritage of the rabbis and the Pharisees In this literature, the expression "Kingdom of Heaven" (Hebrew malk'ut sham'ayim) is found. Please note that there is no direct indication of God's coming rulership of the world, whether in heaven or in the afterlife. They conveyed this idea in the term "future age" (see Mt 12:32 and Luke 18:30 for examples of the use of this expression in the Gospels). The expression "Kingdom of Heaven" was extremely rarely used to designate the kingdom or age of the Messiah. In this sense, the expression "kingdom of the house of David" was used more often. In this literature, the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" means, as a rule, certain interactions between God and believers. When a person recognizes the Lord God of Israel as his God, He becomes a King for him. For the Jews, recognizing Yahweh as the true God meant “accepting the Kingdom of Heaven” - in other words, surrendering oneself to the will of Yahweh, so that He would rule over you as King.
The way the rabbis used the expression “Kingdom of Heaven” is well illustrated by an ancient Jewish parable: “And they told the following parable: What does it look like? One man came to a foreign country and said to the people who inhabited it: "I will rule over you." Then the locals asked him:
"Have you given us any boon that we might want to call you to rule over us?" What did the alien do? He built a wall that encloses their city and protects it from enemies, he opened water springs for them and defeated all their opponents on the battlefield. And then again he said to the people: "I will rule over you." And they answered: “Yes! Yes!" That's how the Lord is. He brought Israel out of Egypt, opened the sea before him, sent him manna from heaven, brought him to prosperity, defeated Amalek for him and then said: "I will rule over you." And the children of Israel answered: “Yes! Yes!" and accepted in their hearts the Heavenly rule (malk'ut sham'ayim) with joy. (Rabbi Ishmael's Mechilta on Ex.20: 2). , Horowitz edition, page 219) Here are some more examples of the rabbi's use of the concept of "Kingdom (Heavenly)": (Gamaliel's grandson [Acts 5:34] says): "I do not want to change the Heavenly government even one iota for a minute." , 2: 5). (God says): “Since you have recognized My rule over you, accept My commandments also” (Mechilta on Ex. 20: 3). Meaning the future: "until the rule of the house of David comes" (Jerusalem Talmud, Nazir 56, 1, ??? Berachot 6). “The time has come for the establishment of heavenly rule” (Song of Songs Rabbah on 2:12 - compare Luke 19:11). Words denoting the movement of time, such as "to advance", "to come", and expressions like "to be honored", "to inherit" in rabbinic literature are never directly combined with the term "Heavenly government". In these cases, expressions such as "the age to come" and "the kingdom of the house of David" are always introduced. This is reflected in how differently the rabbis and Jesus Christ approached the use of the concept of “Heavenly government”. Jesus, taking their terminology, boldly introduced it into new combinations.
d. Other Hebrew Writings Some of the Hebrew written records from the time between the Old and New Testaments are traditionally attributed to some famous authors. They sometimes contain the expression “ God's Kingdom”, Although the formula“ Heavenly government ”(Kingdom of God) accepted by the rabbis is not used in these sources.
An example of such a reference to God's Kingdom is the Assumption of Moses 10: 1: "And then His Kingdom will spread to all His creatures and there will be no more Satan." Here it comes about the end of the world and the establishment of the messianic kingdom, when God will finally and undividedly reign over all people.
e. General cultural and historical background So, by the time of the coming of Jesus Christ, there were traditionally several concepts of "kingdom" associated with God. 1. God is the King of the world, and everything in the world is under His control. 2. In the future, God will create a just society and Himself will rule the world through the Messiah and those who believe in Him. 3. God will rule the world Himself and He Himself will take care of every believer. 4. True believers will mystically form a special community - the mystical "kingdom" (However, note: in this case, the expressions "Kingdom of God" or "Kingdom of Heaven" are not used.) According to the sources known to date, the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" (Heavenly government ) was used mainly to refer to the establishment of a personal relationship between God and the believer (paragraph 3 above). It was not just some kind of auxiliary concept to designate the coming kingdom, which will be established after the end of the world (and which, therefore, can refer to all this time in general). Many Bible readers mistakenly believed that this expression refers only to the last kingdom, losing sight of how Jesus Christ interpreted God's participation in the government of this world.
How Jesus Christ used the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven"
For Jesus Christ, the concept of "Heavenly government" meant the relationship of God to man. Establishing a relationship between God and man begins with the fact that man obeys God and recognizes that God works through Jesus - the Messiah. Those who recognized the Messiah form a spiritual community through which and for which God continues to do good until the second coming of the Messiah, when God will finally destroy all evil and sin. In other words, Heavenly rulership means what God accomplishes through the Messiah. It should be noted that Jesus had to preach this teaching as something unusual. In it, He explained to His followers what exactly Heavenly government means and how it affects them personally. What Jesus taught was new to the interpretation of the expression "Heavenly government." The translator must remember this and not translate this term as if those to whom He spoke already knew its meaning. On the contrary, they grasped its meaning gradually, as they penetrated into the teaching of Christ. Take, for example, the words of Jesus in Matthew 4:17:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." In fact, Jesus here says that God is ready to reveal the Messiah to the world, but he does it indirectly, “allegorically,” and only a few of His listeners, those who were internally ready to receive the “good news”, could understand Him. But even they did not fully understand Jesus' words. Therefore, it would be wrong to translate this phrase as: "Repent, for God is ready to reveal His Messiah." It is possible that the audience understood it in this way, but it is possible that they did not. The only thing that is certain is that God is beginning or is ready to begin to rule people in a new way. And in order to understand exactly how this will happen, you need to continue listening to the teachings of Jesus Christ, explaining what He spoke about in parables.
General recommendations when translating the concepts of "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven" 1. The concept of "Kingdom of God" or "God's rule" ut sham'aim - "Heavenly government"), refers to the process of God's government of the world. In particular, it implies the personal influence of God on those who believe in Him.
2. “God's government” is not equivalent to “heaven”. It also does not imply any specific earthly state. This concept cannot be considered simply as one of the synonyms for the word "church". It refers to the relationship between God and His people. In the coming days, God's people must fully experience this presence of God. Therefore, it is precisely this hope for the future that should be emphasized. However, the coming of Christ has already laid the foundation for God's rule and opened the way for people to establish such a relationship with God. Thus, the concept of “God's government” refers to both the past and the present and the future.
3. “God's government” does not mean that God puts pressure on people or completely subordinates them to His will, on the contrary, He cares about those who serve Him of their own free will. This can affect the choice of an equivalent when translating that expression into the target language. Try to avoid words that imply pressure control.
4. In those languages where they are, you can use abstract concepts such as "government", "kingdom", "leadership". In many African languages, there are numerous synonyms for "government" or "leadership". All of them can be suitable for translation. Alternatively, you can use a verb expression, for example: “how God governs (and how he cares for) his people / people. We provide other versions of the translation of individual verses on the following pages.
5. The concepts "Kingdom of Heaven" and "Kingdom of God" can be translated by the same expression, since they are similar in meaning.
6. Although, depending on the context, different phrases and grammatical forms may be used in translation, there is no point in changing this concept every time so that it would not be possible to understand that it is, in principle, one and the same expression. Please note that this is not a word that has multiple meanings and needs to be translated differently depending on the context.
Jesus Christ always put the same meaning in these words, revealing only more and more new aspects of it. Therefore, it is desirable to use similar expressions and grammatical forms in different contexts.
Various phrases with the concept of "Kingdom of Heaven" (God's Rule) found in the New Testament In the New Testament, there are many different phrases that mean `` Kingdom of God '' or `` God's rule ''. All of them can be subdivided into the following categories:
2. The onset of God's reign
3. A sermon announcing God's rule
4. The nature of God's government
To this we can add that the word "kingdom" is sometimes used independently, regardless of the concepts of "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven." Let us now consider each of these categories separately.
1. The relationship between man and God, established as God rules the life of man
In many verses, the concept of "God's government" implies, first of all, the establishment of a special relationship between God and a man who entrusts himself to His will and undertakes to fulfill the commandments of God.
a. Man's Involvement in the Number of Those Whose Lives God Controls All the verses discussed in this section outline how man enters into this relationship. Most often in the Gospels the expression "enter the Kingdom of God" is used for this. The study of Matthew 19: 16-17 and 23-30 helps to analyze its meaning. Mt 19:23: "Truly I say to you, it is difficult for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven." Pay attention to the context: this is a commentary on the story of a rich young man who asked, “Good Teacher! what good can I do to have eternal life? " (Mt 19:16). In Matthew 19:17, Jesus Christ uses practically the same expression, moreover, in the original it sounds like "enter into life." In verses 16-17 and 23-30, the following expressions are found, which convey the same idea in different ways: to have eternal life 19:16 to enter eternal life 19:17 to enter the kingdom of God 19:23 to be saved 19:25 to inherit eternal life 19:29 All these expressions refer to a person who enters into a special relationship with God, through which he participates in the life that comes from God. However, this does not mean that all these expressions are absolutely identical in meaning - they focus on different nuances these relationships, although they imply the same concept. So the expression "to enter the Kingdom of Heaven" means the process of establishing personal relationships between a person and God, to whom he completely subordinates himself.
The phrases “to enter the Kingdom of Heaven” or “to enter the Kingdom of God” are most often used in the Gospels in relation to the present, that is, to the moment of establishing a relationship with God as with the King of the world (which will not end even after death). It is extremely rare that these expressions are used only in relation to the future tense, when the believer will enter into the fullness of his relationship with God after his death. Examples of the use of these expressions to denote the process of surrendering oneself to the will of God, so that He would lead a person in this world.
Mt. 19:23 "Truly I tell you that it is difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God." Translation options: Truly I tell you that it is difficult for a rich man to come to the recognition of God as his King. " surrender yourself to the will of God. " become one of those who belong to the people of God. Note: If the institution of the head of a social structure exists in the local culture, there may be an idiom in the target language used to denote the government of this administrative person.
Mt 12:34 "You are not far from the Kingdom of God." Translation options: You are close to recognizing God as your King. " surrender yourself to the will of God.
Mt. 10:15 "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter into it."
Translation options: If a person does not obey the will of God like a child (under His care), then he will never be able to recognize God as his King. " become one of those who "belong to the people of God" over whom He rules. " receive grace / blessing to live with God.
Note: This verse (Mark 10:15) mentions God's government twice. The first mention implies the act of a person's personal will to believe in God and become obedient to Him. This expression was adopted by the Jews. The second mention ("will enter into it") implies not only the establishment of a special relationship between a person and God, but also a special blessing that this person receives as a result of his acquisition. In most cases, the very context in which the expression "Kingdom of God" is used speaks of this blessing, which is enjoyed by the elect of God in this age and in the future, in heaven. Only in exceptional cases "to enter the Kingdom of God" means exclusively the future, when the Kingdom of the Messiah or the Kingdom of Heaven comes. As a rule, this concept applies to both the present and the future.
Cases of using the expression "enter the Kingdom of Heaven" in relation to both the present and the future: Matt 5:20; 18: 3; 19: 23-24; 21:31; Mark 10:15, 23-25; Luke 18:17, 24-25 John 3: 5. Mt 7:21 Mk 9:47 Acts 14:22 2 Peter 1:11. The expression "inherit the kingdom (of God)" is used several times by the Apostle Paul and once found in the Evangelist Matthew:
1 Corinthians 6: 9 "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" Usually the word "inherit" means "to receive something that belongs to your father after his death." However, when this word is used to refer to something that comes from God, no death is implied. In this case, it means "to receive something that God has promised to give to everyone, subject to their observance of certain conditions."
Translation options: Or do you not know that those who do evil “those who do not follow the way of God will not have“ will not receive ”will not recognize the benefits that God gives to His people. "To those who have given themselves over to His will." to those who recognize Him as King. Other examples of the use of the expression “inherit the kingdom of God”: Mt 25:34; 1 Cor. 6:10; 15:50; Gal 5:21 Eph 5: 5. See also: James 2: 5. The expressions “give the kingdom” and “receive the kingdom” seem to imply the receiving of blessings by those who surrender themselves to the will of God.
Luke 12:32 "... for your Father was well pleased to give you the kingdom." Translation options: Your Father wants / wants to give you those (good) gifts that He has prepared for those who recognize Him as King. " who gives himself up to His will.
Hebrews 12:28 "So we, having received an unshakable kingdom, will keep grace, by which we will serve as pleasing to God." Translation options: Let us thank God that He has prepared a place for us among those who have surrendered themselves to His will "who acknowledge Him as King for nothing will shake / conquer His Kingdom." His kingdom will not be shaken. " His kingdom / rule will be eternal, ”and nothing can prevail against Him. Other examples of expressions that mean the communion of a person with the number of those who have given themselves up to the will of God:
Mt. 6:33 "Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all this will be added to you." Translation options: First of all, wish with all your heart, “strive with all your might for God to become your King,“ God began to rule your life, and do what He pleases, and He will give you everything you need. See also Luke 12:31.
Mt 6:19 "[Christ speaks to Peter]: And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven ..". The expression “to give someone the key (s)” was used by the Jews to mean “to empower someone” (see Isa.22: 22, when Eliakim, the servant, is given “the key of the house of David,” meaning that henceforth Eliakim receives power above this place). See also: Rev 1:18; 3: 7). In this case, it is not explained what kind of authority Jesus gives Peter, perhaps it means that he (and the other apostles), as God's representative, must henceforth be responsible for the people of God. The "keys" symbolize the power that the Lord gives to Peter - the power to proclaim the will of God to people. Translation options: I will give you the key (s) to give you power over the “power to govern / direct” the power to proclaim the will of God to those / those / those who recognize God as their King.
Mt 23:13 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, for you are closing the Kingdom Heavenly people; for do not enter yourself, and you do not admit those who want to enter. " Translation options: You prevent people from surrendering themselves to the will of God. " You block the way for people and they can no longer “recognize God as their King.
You yourself do not want to acknowledge Him as King, and do not allow others to come to Him.
Luke 9:62 "... no one who has laid his hand on the plow and looks back is not trustworthy for the Kingdom of God." Translation options: No one who puts his hand on the plow and looks around “No one who walks forward and continues to look back is not worthy to be among those who have entrusted themselves to the will of God.
Luke 6:16 "... from that time on, the Kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone enters into it by effort." ... and everyone pushes the way into it by force. " ... and crowds of people who wish are trying to squeeze inside. " ... and everyone strives to enter it. " Translation options:… all people “… many people passionately” with all their hearts “try their best to surrender themselves to the will of God. “Strive to join the number of those“ whose lives are governed by God. See also the note regarding Matt 11:12 in section 2 below.
John 3: 3-5 “Jesus answered him: truly, truly, I say to you: unless someone is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God. Nicodemus says to him: How can a man be born when he is old?
can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered: truly, truly, I say to you: unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. "
Commentators disagree on the interpretation of this passage. Their disagreement concerns the phrases “see the kingdom of God” in verse 3 and “enter the kingdom of God” in verse 5. Are they referring to the same concept or two different ones. Some believe that both of these expressions mean the same thing, that Jesus just after Nicodemus uses the verb "enter", only slightly paraphrasing what He already said. Others believe that the development of thought can be traced here: in the first case, Jesus sharpens Nicodemus's attention to the Kingdom of God as such, making him want to see it, and then, when Nicodemus became interested and began to question, Jesus told him what needs to be done to enter into such a relationship with God.
Col 1:13 "He who delivered us from the power of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son."
Translation options: ... thanks to Him we became the chosen ones “we found ourselves under the protection of His beloved Son, our King.
1 Thess 2:12 "... worthy of God who has called you into His kingdom and glory." Translation options:
… Worthy of God, who has called you to accept Him as your King “to deliver yourself into His hands and to share His glory with Him”. and sit with Him in His glory.
2 Thess 1: 5 "As proof that there will be a righteous judgment of God, so that you may be worthy of the Kingdom of God, for which you suffer." The exact interpretation of this verse is still debated, but most commentators agree on the interpretation of the word "worthy" as "deemed worthy" rather than "deserved." Translation options: All this proves, ”The fact that you are suffering now shows that God's judgment righteous. In the end, He will announce that you can join those for whom He is the King. "You can become one of those who will know Him" as the true King. " you are one of those people “who can know Him as King. And this is because He / God is that King “you followed God as King” you obeyed God as King “you as God's people and you suffered for Him.
2 Tim 4:18 "And the Lord will deliver me from every evil deed, and keep me for His heavenly kingdom." Translation options: The Lord will deliver me from all evil that could happen to me and will keep me “and protect me until I reach the place where He reigns as King.
b. A person's stay among the same as he, the chosen ones of God.
Mark 10:14 "... let the children come to Me and do not hinder them, for such is the Kingdom of God." that is, the Kingdom of God belongs to people, like children. But the word "belongs", which is often used in the translation of this verse, does not at all mean that these people rule this Kingdom or have power over it, on the contrary, they have recognized Him as their King and therefore enjoy all the benefits that those who give themselves to the will of God. Translation options: (since)
only people like these children are subjects of the Kingdom of God. "Are the people of God and acknowledge Him as King." acknowledge God as their King. are blessed to live with God. "
they enjoy the blessings that God sends to those "who accept Him as their King. How do God's chosen ones resemble children? Commentators differ on this. Some argue that children tend to believe and accept gifts without question. Others believe that the point is not at all that children are not spoiled and are fully endowed with all the virtues inherent in a person from birth (after all, not all children, in fact, possess them), but rather that children are precisely because they are small, easily become the object of management and guidance from adults.
Mt. 5: 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Translation options: Those who appear before God empty-handed, "Those who have nothing, standing before God," Those who realize that they have nothing "to give to God," Those who are aware, that they (very) need God, do the right thing / do well because they become subjects of the Kingdom of God. " they are the elect of God, "who acknowledge Him as their King." they accept God as King. " they are blessed to live with God. " they receive the benefits that God gives to those “who accept Him as their King.] Similar verses: Matt 5:10; 19:14; Luke 6:20; 18:16. The expression "sons of the kingdom" means "belonging to the people of God who gave themselves up to the will of God," "subjects of the kingdom of God."
Mt 13:38 “The field is the world; the good seed is the sons of the Kingdom, and the tares are the sons of the evil one. "
Translation options: ... good seed, these are the people who accepted God as their King. "Surrendered themselves to God as their King" say: "May the will of God be fulfilled on us."
Mt 8:12 “(many will come from the East and West and will lie down with Abraham in the Kingdom of Heaven); and the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness ... ". In this verse, the words of Jesus Christ sound ironic.
Here, “sons of the kingdom” refers to the people of Israel, who arrogantly believed that they were under the special protection of God, while in fact they, in fact, rejected His Kingdom, refusing to obey His commands, and especially, not accepting His Messiah. Other verses that refer to the fact that those who have turned away from God are deprived of the grace befitting God's chosen ones, which the Lord transfers to others: Mt 13:41; 21:43. See also: Luke 13:28. In the Revelation of John the Theologian, the word “kingdom” is sometimes used to denote people who have entrusted themselves to the will of God, who have recognized God as their King.
Rev 1: 6 "(to Christ) ... who made us kings and priests to His God and Father, glory!"
Translation options: ... who made us one people whom He Himself rules “who recognizes Him as their King and (also) serves God, His Father, as befits priests ...
Another verse of Revelation, Rev. 5:10, is extremely close to this verse. Revelation 1:19 expresses the same idea. Here the idea of participation in the kingdom ”(participation in those who entrusted themselves to the will of God, to those who recognize God as their King) is connected with the idea of being“ in Christ ”(that is, union with Jesus Christ), suffering with Him:
Rev 1: 9 "I am John, your brother and a partaker of sorrow both in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ ..".
v. In some places, the hierarchy of those who serve God as their King is mentioned. Luke 7:28 “For I say to you, of those born of wives, there is not a single prophet greater than John the Baptist; but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than him. " Translation options: ... the most insignificant among people who have surrendered themselves to the will of God. “Who acknowledge God as their King. Other verses that mention the hierarchy that exists in the Kingdom of God: Matt 5:19; 11:11; 18: 1, 4.
d. Some verses describe human actions to better serve God as King.
Mt 19:12 "... and there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven."
"Skopets" is used here figuratively and means one who renounces sexual life in any of its forms. Translation options: there are those who refuse to marry a woman "to seek a wife for themselves because they want to better serve God." to give oneself wholly to the service of God as King. Other verses that mention similar actions "in the name of the Kingdom of God":
Luke 18:29; Col 4:11.
e. What awaits people in the coming Kingdom of God. When Christ establishes the final kingdom in His second coming, many blessings will be given to those who enter it. The way in which this will manifest itself is described in several places, and often with the help of metaphors.
Mt. 8:11 "... many will come from the east and west and lie with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven." Translation options: ... when God clearly reigns in the world, "will reveal Himself as King, many will come from the east and west" from all over the world and will be reunited "and will sit next to (with our ancestors) Alternative version: When God will reveal His Kingdom and our ancestors Abraham , Isaac and Jacob will sit down (lie down) for a festive meal, many will come from all over the earth to sit with them and share this meal. A similar verse is Luke 13:29. The analysis of Mt 8:12 is in section 1b.
Other verses where there are references to eating or drinking in the future Kingdom: Matt 26:29; Mark 14:25; Luke 14:15; 22:16, 30. They "will shine like the sun" in the Kingdom of their Father (Matt 13:43). Here the meaning, obviously, boils down to the fact that when God the Father finally reigns in the world, they will take a special place of honor in His Kingdom.
2 the advent of God's reign
Most often, when referring to the coming of the era of God's reign, it is said that God will send His Messiah into the world to reign in it and establish a new sovereign government.
Mt 3: 2 "... repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!" Translation options: ... God is ready to establish His Kingdom (new and sovereign) "to reveal Himself as a King" to come and save His people "to come (as a King) and protect His people" to establish His rule throughout the world Also: Matthew 4:17; 10: 7; Mk 1:15; Luke 10: 9, 11.
Luke 21:31 "So, and when you see it come true, know that the Kingdom of God is near."
Translation options: ... know that the day is near when everyone will see / recognize that God is King "that God rules (each of us)" God will clearly reign in the world. Some verses say that the Kingdom of God has reached you, that is, you have already reached it.
Mt. 12:28 “If by the Spirit of God I cast out demons, then of course the Kingdom of God has reached you”.
Translation options:… this testifies God is already reigning “God has already become King among you. Also: Luke 11:20. Commentators disagree about the expression “the kingdom of God is within you” in Luke (17:21).
Luke 17: 20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God will come, he answered them: The Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way. And they will not say: here, it is here, or: here, there. For, behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. " The expression “within you” implies that the Kingdom of God is something that exists in the human soul. However, in other places, Jesus teaches that it is not the Kingdom of God that enters into man, but that man enters the Kingdom of God. The preposition used in the Greek original can be translated as "in the middle" and as "inside, in the center" (if there is a plural noun after it). Therefore, the words of Jesus Christ can be understood in such a way that they do not need to look somewhere for the Kingdom of Heaven, because the Kingdom is already among them (notes on the meaning of the term “Kingdom of God” in Luke 17:22, see below). Matthew 11:12 deals with the expansion of the Kingdom of God, that is, God's rule. (Although commentators disagree on the interpretation of this verse, this seems to be the most accurate interpretation.)
Mt 11:12 "From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven is taken by force, and those who use force will delight it." The Greek verb translated as "taken by force" in the asset can also mean:
a. "Punch your way" or
b. “To make attempts to break through” ... they make their way into the Kingdom of God with an effort. … You cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven without intense searching and moral work on yourself. The Greek verb is used in the active form "punch your way" despite resistance. This is in good agreement with everything that is discussed in this chapter up to verse 15. It is about spreading the Kingdom, not about fighting its enemies. In addition, the active form of the verb corresponds to what is said in Luke 16:16 (... from that time on, the Kingdom of God is preached, and everyone enters into it by effort). Thus, most likely in Matthew 11:12 it is about the spread of God's rule among people from the day John the Baptist began his preaching. Translation options Mt 11:12: From the time of John the Baptist to the present day, the Kingdom of Heaven is struggling to make its way "God establishes His Kingdom by using effort and His chosen ones strain their strength for this with joy." people make an effort to accept it - “and this is a manifestation of their freedom of will. Other verses, where the coming Kingdom of God is mentioned in combination with the verb, on which the meaning of the whole phrase depends:“ come ”Mt 6:10, Luke 11: 2 Yes come Your kingdom... Translation options: Reign over all people. "May all people accept You as King." You are the King. Come and rule us.
Mark 9: 1 "... there are some of those standing here who will not taste death, as they will already see the Kingdom of God come in power." At the time Jesus said this, the event that He had in mind had not yet happened. But He foretold that the time would come when the Kingdom would come in power and some of the listeners who stood before Him would see it. Translation options: There are people among those standing here who will not die until they see the coming of God's Kingdom / reign that will come “which will manifest itself in power Rev 12:10” ... now salvation has come and the power and kingdom of our God and the power of His Christ, because the slanderer of our brothers was cast down, who slandered them before our God day and night. Now the salvation of God has come! Now God manifests His power as a King! Now His Messiah has shown His power! ”. Poems related to the future:
Luke 17:20 "Being asked by the Pharisees, when the Kingdom of God will come, he answered them: the Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way." Translation options: When the Pharisees asked (Jesus) when God would clearly establish His Kingdom / reign, “people will see God reigning, He answered them:“ What about the time when God will reveal His Kingdom? ” God will come as a King, there is no need to wait for any specific events to mark this. Learn to see through his coming in the everyday reality around you. "
Luke 22:18 "For I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the grape until the kingdom of God comes." Translation options: ... from now on, I will not drink wine until God explicitly establishes His Kingdom / rule. " The kingdom / rule of God will not be revealed. " People will not see God coming as King. “To be revealed” Luke 9:11 “... for He was near Jerusalem, and they thought that the Kingdom of God was about to be revealed”. Translation options: ... they believed that now "at this very time the Kingdom of God will be revealed to them clearly." everyone will see the Kingdom of God. " God will appear to them as King. "To see" Luke 9:27 "... there are some of those standing here who will not taste death, as they will already see the Kingdom of God." Translation options: ... who will not die until they see the Kingdom of God. " God coming as King. "Wait, seek" Mk 15:43 "Joseph came from Arimathea, ... who himself was waiting for the Kingdom of God." Also: Luke 23:51. Translation options: ... awaiting the time when God comes as King. " The Kingdom of God will be revealed clearly. “The manifestation of the kingdom” 2 Tim 4: 1 “So I charge you before God and the Lord (our) Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead for the manifestation of His and His kingdom. ... because He will reign and will reign as King. "
3. Kingdom Preaching / Rule Among the People
a. Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom Matthew 4:23 "And Jesus walked throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every sickness among the people." The Gospel of the Kingdom is the authoritative testimony that God is now authoritatively establishing His government in a new way.
Translation options: ... proclaiming "communicating the good news to people that God is now beginning to rule in a new way" establishes His Kingdom / rule Also: Mt 9:35; 24:14; Luke 4:43 8: 1; 16:16; Acts 8:12. See also the article GOSPEL.
b. Other references to Kingdom-related statements. preach the Kingdom (of God) -Lk 9: 2; Acts 20:25 28:31. talk about the Kingdom of God - Luke 9:11; Acts 1: 3. to preach the Kingdom of God - Luke 9:60. certifying (GNB trying to convince them) about the Kingdom of God - Acts 19: 8. to expound the doctrine of the Kingdom of God - Acts 28:23. listen to the word about the Kingdom - Mt 13:19.
Perhaps they are meant for someone as a gift.)
d. The Mystery of the Kingdom / Reign of God Before the coming of Christ, it was hidden from people how God was going to establish His Kingdom / government. During His earthly life, Christ revealed this secret to His disciples, leaving in the dark those who did not accept Him.
Mt. 13:11 "... it is given to you to know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them." Translation options: As for you, God allowed you to find out / revealed to you the secret plans about His coming as King .. ".
mysteries of the Kingdom / reign of God. " [how he will establish His government / Kingdom ... Also: Luke 8:10 and similar to him Mk 4:11.
4. The nature of God's government
a. In the Bible, the Kingdom / rule of God is often compared to something well known in everyday life. Jesus begins many of His parables with the words: "The Kingdom of God / Heavenly is like ...".
It is important to note here that the kingdom of God is compared with everything that makes up the content of the parable, and not just with the first thing mentioned in it. For example, in Matthew 25: 1 it is not like the ten virgins themselves, but the wedding feast described in this parable.
Mt. 25: 1 "... the Kingdom of Heaven will be like ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went in to meet the bridegroom ...".
Translation Options: How God Will Reign (His People) "How God Establishes His Kingdom / Rule" The way God will reign over the world can be compared to this:
(Once there was a wedding feast in one place) ". With wedding feast... Ten girls took their lamps ... Other examples: Mt 13:24, 31, 33, 44-45, 47; 18:23; 20: 1; 22: 2; Mk 4:26, 30; Luke 13:18, 20.
b. Two verses from the Apostolic Epistles describe the nature of the Kingdom / rule of God.
Rom 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Translation options: When God controls a person's life, this does not mean that this person must follow certain rules regarding what should not be eaten or drunk. No, it means that he lives righteously / is justified before God, in peace with Him, and the Spirit of God fills him with joy.
1 Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God is not in word, but in power."
Translation options: When God controls a person's life, this does not mean that He begins to implant beautiful, even very convincing words into his consciousness - but that in this context it is close to "thoughts." [this is expressed not in words, not in good thoughts, but exclusively in deeds based on unshakable faith.] this means that God by His power acts through such a person. " in his deeds the will of God is visible. " God, through him, manifests His power.
The word “kingdom” as a separate term Where the word “kingdom” is used as a separate term, it often means “the power to rule”, “sovereignty”.
Mt 16:28 "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who stand here who will not taste death, as they will already see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom." GNB ... until they see the Son of Man coming as King. "
Luke 22:29 "I will bequeath to you, as My Father has bequeathed to Me, the Kingdom ...". GNB ... and I, like My Father, who gave Me the right to rule, now give you this right. "
1 Cor 15:24 "And then the end, when He hands over the Kingdom to God and the Father ..". Translation options: ...
when He surrenders His kingdom “His royal authority to God the Father. Other verses, where the word "Kingdom" is used in the meaning of "royal power", "royal dignity": Matthew 6:13; 20:21; Luke 1:33 19:12, 15; 23:42; John 18:36; Acts 1: 6 Heb 1: 8; Rev 11:15.
Dalman G. The Words of Jesus, Considered in the Light of Post-Bibical Jewish Writings and the Aramaic Language, translated by D. M. Kay. Edinburg: T. and T. Clark, 1909, p. 91-147. (Originally in German: Die Worte Jesu ... Leipzig: Hinrichs6 1898, pages 75-119). [This is one of the best studies of the linguistic background of the expression "Kingdom of Heaven." However, since it was written before they were discovered manuscript of the Dead Seas, then sometimes the Hebrew sources cited in it are considered as if in isolation from the spoken language.] France R. T. The Church and the Kingdom of God: some hermeneutical issues Biblical Hermeneutics and the Church. Exter, England: Paternoster Press, 1984, and Nashville: Nelson. Perrin N. Jesus and the Language and of the Kingdom. Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1976.
[This is a theological and hermeneutical study that considers the "Kingdom of God" as a kind of "symbol." The author is clearly under the impression of the controversy going on this word. However, he does not stop at a detailed analysis of the rabbis' use of the term.] Philipose J. Off the Beaten Track: Some Problems of Translation TBT. Vol. 28, 3 July 1977, p. 312-326.
(Pages 323-324 are devoted to the analysis of Matthew 11:12).
Articles devoted exclusively to the analysis of the terms "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of Heaven":
Kassuhlke R. An Attempt at a Dynamic Eguivalent Translation of Basileia tou theou TBT. Vol. 25, April 1974.
[This article discusses the basic principles of translation used to translate the Good News Bible, Die Gute Nachricht into German, providing an example of an equivalent translation that takes into account the dynamics of language.] Mak C. "The Kingdom" NOT., Pages 215-223.
Newnan B. M. Jr. Translating "the Kingdom of God" and "the Kingdom of Heaven" in the New Testament TBT. Vol. 25, October 1974.
Newman B. M. Jr. The Kingdom of God / Heaven in the Gospel of Matthew TBT. Vol. 27, October 1976.
Newman B. M. Jr. Translating "The Kingdom of God" outside the Gospels TBT. Vol. 19, April 1978.
"The kingdom of God is within you." How to understand these gospel words
Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them: the Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way and they will not say: "Here it is," or "Here, there." For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. OK. 17: 20-21
When the Holy Spirit descends into a soul purified by repentance, the Kingdom of God is established in it, which, according to the Lord, “Within you are” (Luke 17:21).
As John Chrysostom writes:
"Find the door to the inner chamber of your soul, and you will see that this is the door to the Kingdom of Heaven."
The Kingdom of God is characterized by a special, bright, blissful, joyful state of the human soul, does not depend on the external conditions of life or the state of the body, and is a gift of God's grace.
About the experience of the saints who are in the Holy Spirit, St. Macarius the Great says:
“Sometimes they are cheered up, as if at a royal evening, and rejoice with joy and joy unspeakable. At other times they are like a bride, resting in divine rest in communion with her Bridegroom. Sometimes, like disembodied angels, while still in the body, they feel the same lightness and inspiration. Sometimes they are, as it were, intoxicated with drinking, rejoiced and reassured by the Spirit in the intoxication of Divine spiritual secrets.
But sometimes they seem to cry and mourn about the human race and, praying for the whole Adam, shed tears and cry, inflamed with spiritual love for humanity. Sometimes the Spirit kindles them with such joy and love that, if it were possible, they would accommodate every person in their hearts, not distinguishing evil from good.
Sometimes in the humility of spirit they humiliate themselves so much before every person that they consider themselves the very last and least of all.
Sometimes the soul rests in a kind of great silence, silence and peace, dwelling in one spiritual pleasure, in inexpressible rest and prosperity. Sometimes grace manages to understand something, in inexpressible wisdom, in the guidance of the untested Spirit, which is impossible to tell with the tongue and mouth. "
The contemporary ascetic, Elder Silouan from Old Athos, speaks of the same state of the soul abiding in the Holy Spirit:
“When the Holy Spirit fills the whole person with the sweetness of His love, then the world is completely forgotten and the whole soul contemplates God in inexpressible joy; but when the soul again remembers the world, then from the love of God and pity for man it cries and prays for the whole world. Having indulged in crying and prayer for peace, engendered by love, the soul, from the sweetness of the Holy Spirit, can again forget the world and again rests in God; remembering the world, again in great sadness prays tearfully, wishing everyone salvation. "
These are the sensations of a soul being in the Holy Spirit. These sensations are the peculiarity that distinguishes the presence of the soul in God and in His Kingdom.
The disclosure of the Kingdom of God in the soul begins even here on earth.
Venerable Macarius the Great puts it this way:
“The soul still receives the Kingdom of Christ in itself, is at rest and is illuminated with eternal light. The resurrection of dead souls is still happening today, and the resurrection of bodies will be on that day. "
Simeon the New Theologian writes about the same:
“The roots of the Kingdom of Heaven are here on earth. Therefore, if here, in real life, Christ does not enter the soul and reign in it, then it will not heal and there is no hope of salvation for her: the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven is concluded for her. "
It is obvious that the depth of repentance and humility is an indispensable condition for the rapture of the Kingdom of Heaven, according to the Lord's words: “He who exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted ”(Matthew 23:12).
Bishop Michael of Tauride writes about the paths to the Kingdom of Heaven:
“The blessed life of heaven opens up for us as the soul is free to enlighten. To make our soul and body pure and holy, to elevate the nature around us to its most perfect forms, to enlighten the entire sphere of the concrete life given to us, to give life to our neighbors with the breath that we ourselves received from above, to convey to them that joy, that grace that has opened up in us, to give their life to them so that it would be reborn and bloom in them - in short, to imitate Christ, the apostles, saints and martyrs - this is the surest and proper way to the Kingdom “not of this world”.
The believer in that Kingdom enters into the innermost communion with the people around him, although often unknown to them. Not besides them, he seeks that heaven to which he is called, but in them and through them. He goes to that world through active communication with the neighbors of this world, be it in the sphere of thought, deed, or invisible prayer and love.
What may appear to be the Christian's solitude is only an appearance. He is closer to his neighbors than the neighbors themselves are among themselves and to themselves. He does not dream, but really lives. Through his neighbors, in their own depths, he sees the enlightened wonderful world of that Kingdom eternal beauty, life and harmony, which always embraces them, but into which they cannot enter in any way, if they irresistibly slide on the brilliant surface of this world into a series of grandiose external perspectives unfolding in front of them, forgetting that "the Kingdom of God is within you."
To this it should be added that Elder Alexy M. forbade his spiritual children to strive during their lifetime for sweet spiritual experiences or to think about inheriting heavenly bliss after death.
He bequeathed during his life on earth to strive only for the full imitation of Christ in His humility and meekness, in the fullness of self-forgetfulness in serving others (“let it be your servant” - Matthew 20: 26-27) and for participation in Christ's sorrows when they are sent to the Christian by the Lord (Col. 1:24).
Schema monk Zosima from the Trinity-Sergius Lavra said the same:
"He who desires the Kingdom of Heaven desires the riches of God, and not yet loves God Himself."
As Archimandrite (later Patriarch) Sergius writes:
“A person entering the Kingdom of God enters there not to be blissful (if bliss is necessary and can be separated from virtue), but in order to be holy. The highest good and virtue are identical concepts.
The essence eternal life, and hence its goal is moral perfection. The bliss and holiness of the righteous, from the Christian point of view, are therefore concepts that are inseparable from one another. Thus, the whole work of salvation is presented in the following form: a person here, on earth, works, works on himself, builds up the Kingdom of God in himself, and through this now he begins, little by little, to become a partaker of eternal life, as far as he has the strength and ability for this. participles.
After the evil inclination is finally driven out, in the age to come, man will finally see God face to face, will enjoy eternal life in all its infinite fullness.
The moral renewal of a person is thus significantly associated with eternal salvation: the latter is not some special action, not the receipt of something new, but only the perfect revelation, the implementation of those principles that were laid down and developed by a person in real life. "
As St. Macarius the Great:
“The otherworldly eternal life is only apparent. A Christian still here, on earth, must consider himself a citizen of heaven, while still here, on earth, he must begin eternal life, in order, as far as possible, to predestine eternal bliss here ...
Therefore, if you ask about the being of eternal life from the outside state of mind of a person who lives by it, then its essence, the source of its inherent eternal bliss will be in holiness. Therefore, man will be eternally blissful because he (man) will be holy in communion with the All-Holy God. "
So, the soul can and must here join eternal life. To do this, we need to feel a taste for it and zealously seek it in the ways available to us, remembering that “the Kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
As one saint said:
“It’s madness to think that you can enter heaven before entering yourself, in order to know yourself, and not to understand your insignificance and not to honor the whole immeasurability of God's good deeds and not to stop begging for help and mercy.”
The concepts of "Kingdom of God", "Kingdom of Christ" and "Kingdom of Heaven" are essentially identical with the concept of eternal life.
This can be seen from the following words of Archimandrite (later Patriarch) Sergius:
“Eternal life as a state of the human soul does not depend on the conditions of space and time, is not confined only to the afterlife, but depends exclusively on the moral development of a person and, therefore, can begin for the elect in this life as well.
Receiving eternal life does not mean moving from one area of being to another, but means acquiring a certain spiritual disposition. Thus, eternal life does not work out, but is constantly growing in a person. "
Therefore, it is possible to pray to God: “May my heart be a good land for You, receiving a good seed, and let Your grace fill me with the dew of eternal life” (Ephraim the Syrian).
It should be noted here that the concept of "eternity" should by no means be identified with the concept of "infinity". We cannot have an idea of the future afterlife: its concept for us, as philosophers say, is transcendental, that is, inaccessible to reason. With the limitations of our vocabulary, we replace this concept with "eternity".
Fr. Alexander Elchaninov:
“Why is the Church silent about the afterlife? A person lives, thinks and feels in the conventional forms of space and time. Outside of these forms, we can neither think nor speak. The otherworldly lives in other forms. If we talk about him, we will speak in carnal language. This is where the chaste silence of the Church comes from. "
Therefore, it should be borne in mind that all terminology referring to the other world and to the Kingdom of Heaven should be understood not literally, but allegorically-conditionally: this refers to such terms as "eternity", "thrones", "eternal fire", etc. .d.
From the definition of the concept of "eternity" we give the opinion of Schema-Archimandrite Sophrony.
“Eternity is a single unextended, incomprehensible completeness act of Divine being, which, being transcendental, non-extendedly embraces all the dimensions of the created world.
Eternity is essentially the One God.
Eternity is not something abstract or separately existing, but God Himself in His being.
When a person, by the grace of God, receives the gift of grace, then, as a participant in the Divine life, he becomes not only immortal in the sense of the endless continuation of his life, but also beginningless, for that sphere of Divine existence, where he was raised, has neither beginning nor end ...
Here we do not mean the pre-existence of the soul, but the communion of our created nature with beginningless Divine life by virtue of the Deification of the creature by a grace-filled action. "
So, living in a body on earth, Christians have the opportunity already here to partake of life in eternity. Here is how N writes about it:
“In our earthly life, all of us Christians are urged to constantly switch from the flow of time (vanity and worldly concerns) to the flow of eternity (life in God and with God). Sailing simultaneously in two streams, we must feel more sharply all the danger of the first and all the necessity and salvation of the second. Life in the stream of eternity is not only overcoming time with its variability, instability and vexation of the spirit, but also the fullness of spiritual being. "
It should be noted that our psychological sense of time is completely unrelated to the mathematical precision of the movement of the hour hand.
As Archbishop John writes:
“The fact that we do not belong to time, but to eternity, is clearly seen from how our consciousness of time changes, expands or contracts. Time sometimes "flies" like an angel across the sky; sometimes, like a demon, falls into the abyss; sometimes it crawls like a relaxed one, or lies by the font, not seeing either the Lord or even the person who would bring him into life ”(see John 5: 2-9).
Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) Sermons Volume III
THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS INSIDE US
I know that you all believe in eternal life, I know that you are striving to gain access to the Kingdom of Heaven, but I am not sure that you correctly understand what eternal life is and what the Kingdom of Heaven is.
I know that there are many people who completely misunderstand the Kingdom of Heaven. Their idea is very close to the primitive image of Muslims: they think that the Kingdom of Heaven is a joyful life in luxurious paradise gardens, where beautiful young women will delight them with their singing, dancing and music, where they will enjoy luxurious meals.
And the holy Apostle Paul said: “The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
As you can see, it is not at all what Muslims and people who understand little, even from among Christians, imagine - not food and drink, not enjoying luxurious meals, but something completely different - righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
When the Lord Jesus Christ was once asked about the Kingdom of Heaven, He said: “The Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way, and they will not say:“ Here it is, ”or“ here, there ”. For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you ”(Luke 17: 20-21).
Have you ever heard, read, delved into these amazing words? Do you know that the Kingdom of Heaven is within you?
About eternal life, which is the same as the Kingdom of Heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ in His High Priestly Prayer says: “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the One True God, and Jesus Christ sent by You” (John 17: 3 ).
Again, not at all what Muslims imagine, again something very deep; again, words of great importance.
God is close to us when we have constant fellowship with Him in prayer and deeds of love. There were many, many righteous people in the world, there is no way to talk about everyone, let me remind you of the righteous people closest to us in the Russian land: Seraphim of Sarov, Sergius of Radonezh, Anthony and Theodosia of the Caves.
Well, can we really be surprised that the Kingdom of Heaven began in the hearts of these great righteous people already during their lifetime?
The Kingdom of Heaven is where God lives, and God the Great and True lived, clearly lived in the hearts of these great righteous, for their whole life was dedicated to God, the knowledge of God, love of God, communion with Him.
So what is strange if we believe, according to the word of Christ, that the Kingdom of Heaven began in the hearts of these great righteous people already during their earthly life? Their earthly life was completely unlike the life of vain worldly people.
All their lives they dedicated to God, all their lives they were in close communion with Him. Is it marvelous, therefore, if we say that the Holy Spirit entered their hearts, and they were temples of God, and the Holy Spirit dwelt in them?
Is this how people of this world live in their vast, overwhelming majority? No, no, not at all: they do not think about God, they do not strive for eternal life and do not believe in it; they do not need before the Kingdom of Heaven, for all their thoughts, their aspirations, all their desires are directed towards only one Kingdom of the earth.
They do not need eternal life, they only need to arrange as best they can earthly life, and all their aspirations, all thoughts are directed only towards this.
And those who have set themselves the goal of their life to prepare themselves for eternal life, the acquisition of higher virtues, which open for them the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, these are the little flock of Christ, according to His holy word.
But it is not only in the hearts of great saints that the Kingdom of God is revealed during their lifetime. And in the hearts of ordinary Christians who follow Christ and love Him, the Kingdom of God begins now.
Remember the very important word of the Apostle John the Theologian about the Holy Spirit: “And that He dwells in us, we know by the Spirit that He gave us” (1 John 3:24).
With every fervent prayer, with every good deed, we feel the quiet breath of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. We become peaceful, quiet, meek, silent, we stop condemning and disclosing other people's sins, and by this graceful change in our spirit we learn that the Holy Spirit dwells in us.
This beginning of the Kingdom of God within us is like a faint dawn of the day, but as the commandments of Christ are fulfilled, this dawn becomes brighter and brighter.
The sun has already shone in the hearts of the great saints in all its strength, and we have only dawn ... But this is the same Kingdom of God within us.
But do not think that this, like the dawn of the day, the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven will by itself develop further in your hearts. No, I tell you, a small flock! Understand the great words of the Lord Jesus Christ: “The kingdom By God's power is taken, and those who use effort delight him. "
The great power of love, tension in good deeds we must unswervingly help the dawn of the sun of righteousness in our hearts.
We need a lot of work to cleanse our hearts from all sinful impurity, from passions and lusts. And only then will the Kingdom of God open more and more clearly within us.
If such a daily work of cleansing our hearts is the main, most important task of our life, if we only devote a little time to the daily needs of the body, then death itself will not be a terrible thing for us, but a deeply joyful event, for it will be a direct transition into life. eternal.
Then, at the sound of the trumpet of the archangel and the terrible lightning that flashes from east to west, we will rise up with great joy, "for our deliverance is at hand." This joy will give us all the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, if we go through the narrow gates, along the narrow path of fulfilling His commandments and suffering for Him.
Amen.
May 30, 1954
Week of the blind
St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov)
Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come, he answered them: The Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way, and they will not say: here, it is here, or: here, there. For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you
When will the kingdom of God come?- The question, of course, was not made from the sincerity of the heart, not with a good purpose; it is made lightly, out of curiosity to find out what the answer will be. The wicked and wicked Pharisees hoped that the Lord would provide them with an occasion to conveniently accuse the Lord. Having formed for themselves the concept of the Messiah as a magnificent king and a loud conqueror, seeing the Messiah in the form of a wretched wanderer who does not have where to tilt his head, the Pharisees proposed a question, covering up their ridicule, and expressed in it their fleshly wisdom, alien and hostile to the mind of God.
The Lord gave an answer that befits all, without exception, fleshly people attached to the world, spending a sinful life in the midst of continuous everyday worries and material enjoyment. The God-man answered the Pharisees: The Kingdom of God will not come with observance, that is, the Kingdom of God will not come in a noticeable way for sensual eyes, below the rekut: behold, or onde. Behold the Kingdom of God is within you... This means: we must leave the carnal and sinful life, then through repentance and living according to gospel commandments to cleanse and decorate the spiritual temple; upon completion of which the Holy Spirit overshadows him, performs the final cleansing and decoration. God descends into such a temple and establishes in it His spiritual, invisible, but at the same time fully perceived and cognizable kingdom. He who has taken the Kingdom of God within himself can have a clear understanding of the second coming of the God-man, he can recognize and avoid the Antichrist or oppose him. Whoever has not received the Kingdom of God within himself will not recognize the Antichrist; he will certainly, in an incomprehensible way for himself, become his follower; he does not recognize the approaching end of the world and the impending terrible second coming of Christ; it will find him unprepared.
Ascetic preaching.
Venerable Isaac the Sirin
One of the saints wrote: "He who does not consider himself a sinner, the Lord's prayer will not be accepted." If you say that some of the fathers wrote about what spiritual purity is, what health is, what dispassion is, what contemplation is, then they did not write in order for us to covet this with the expectation ahead of time; for it is written that the kingdom of God will not come with observance expectations. And in whom this intention turned out, they acquired pride and fall for themselves. And we will bring the region of the heart into a structure by works of repentance and a life acceptable to God; But the Lord will come of itself, if the place in the heart is pure and undefiled. What are we looking for in compliance, I mean God's lofty gifts, it is not approved by the Church of God; and those who received it acquired pride and fall for themselves. And this is not a sign that a person loves God, but a mental illness. And how can we covet God's lofty gifts when Paul boasts of his sorrows and honors fellowship in the sufferings of Christ with God's lofty gift.
Step 55
Blzh. Theophylact Bulgarian
Art. 20-25 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God will come, he answered them: The Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way, and they will not say: here it is, or: here, there. For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you. He also said to his disciples: the days will come when you will wish to see at least one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see; and they will say to you: behold, here, or: behold, there, do not walk and do not chase, for, like lightning that flashed from one end of heaven, shines to the other end of heaven, so will the Son of Man be in His day. But first he must suffer much and be rejected by this generation.
The Lord often referred to the Kingdom of God in His teaching. But the Pharisees, hearing about it, laughed at the Lord and therefore began to ask when it would come, in the form of a mockery of Him, as of an eccentric preaching about an extraordinary and strange subject. For none of the former teachers and prophets mentioned him (the Kingdom of God). Or, perhaps, having in mind their intention to kill Him for a little while, they approach Him with a question to tease Him and mock Him, as if to say so: You are talking about the Kingdom, when will this Kingdom of Yours come? For in the morning you will be betrayed by us to death, you will be lifted up to the cross and you will receive many other dishonor. What is Christ? He does not answer the insane for their reckless thoughts and insanity (Proverbs 26: 4), but leaves them wandering about the similarity of the Kingdom, and does not reveal to them what Kingdom He speaks of (for they would not accept), nor the fact that this kingdom is not like the kingdom of the world, but is the kingdom of the reward (John 18:36). Having kept silent about this, since they were unworthy to hear about this due to their arbitrary deafness, the Lord says about the time of the coming of the Kingdom that it is unknown and is not subject to observation; for the Kingdom of God does not have a definite time, but it is inherent in the one who wishes at all times. For the Kingdom of God, without a doubt, constitutes life and construction of itself in the image of the Angels. Then, they say, truly God reigns when there is nothing worldly in our souls, but when we in everything behave above the world. And we have such a way of life within ourselves, that is, whenever we want. For faith does not require a long time or travel, but faith, and in the wake of faith - a godly life, are close to us. The apostle said about this: "The word is near to you, in your mouth and in your heart, that is, the word of faith that we preach."(Rom. 10: 8). For in order to believe and, having believed, to walk worthy of the title, it is within us. So the Pharisees scoffed at the Lord because He was preaching a Kingdom that no one else preached. But the Lord declares that they do not understand such an object that is within them and which it is very convenient for the wishing to reach. Now, when I am among you, you can undoubtedly receive the Kingdom of God if you believe in Me and decide to live according to My commandments. "He also said to the disciples: the days will come" etc. That is, the Kingdom of God is inherent in you as long as I am with you. It is inherent in you not only because you believed in Me and followed Me, but also because you now live with complete carelessness, since I care and think about you. But when I am not with you, days will come that you will be surrendered to dangers, you will be led to the rulers and kings. Then you, as the Kingdom of God, will wish for the present safe life that you lead with Me, and repeatedly wish to receive at least one of My days, that is, the days of My stay with you, as the safest days. Although they (the Lord's disciples), even while they were with Him, led their lives not without toil and dangers, but endured flight with the fleeing and insult with the offended, but if their previous adventures were compared with future dangers, it turns out that they were then very safe. Therefore, even with such a way of life, that is, with little dangers and labors, the Kingdom of God was within the apostles; while after the Resurrection they were, as it were, captives and exiles. With these words, the Lord prepares the hearts of the apostles for labors and patience, and first tells them not to be offended (John 16: 1). “And they will tell you,” he says, “here, here, or: here, there — don't go and don't chase.” Do not listen - he says - anyone's convictions that I came here or there. For My second coming, the most brilliant and glorious, will not be limited to some place, and just as lightning does not hide, but appears from one end of the earth on the other edge, so My second coming will be bright and clear and will not be hidden for anyone. So, don't give up on the temptations of false Christs. Before I appeared in a manger and for thirty years was in humiliation, but then it will not be so: I will come in all glory, accompanied by angelic hosts and in an instant. Then, since he predicted terrible disasters for them, comforting them and convincing them to endure them courageously, he exposes Himself as an example for them. Do not be surprised, - he says, - if such difficulties happen to you that make you wish for the return of My present stay with you. For I myself, who have to appear like lightning, must first suffer a lot and be rejected, and then come in this glory. Let this be for you a conviction for virtue and an encouragement for patience, that is, look at Me and hope that you will also receive glory for enduring dangers and for rejection, just like Me.
A.P. Lopukhin
Art. 20-21 Being asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God will come, he answered them: the Kingdom of God will not come in a perceptible way, and they will not say: behold, it is here, or: behold, there. For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you
When the Pharisees asked when, according to Christ, the Kingdom of God will come, that is, what Christ can say about the signs and conditions for the coming of this Kingdom, the Lord replies that it will not come "In a noticeable way”(Μετὰ παρατηρήσεως), that is, so that his coming could be identified by conspicuous signs. By this, the Lord denotes the spiritual character of the Kingdom founded by Him, the coming of which therefore does not lend itself to human observation and, therefore, cannot be attributed to a specific moment (cf. verse 20, πότε - “ when»).
"And they won't say ..." Those. it is impossible to prove the coming of this Kingdom by individual phenomena ...
"Inside you are", that is, between you, in your circle it already exists (ἐντὸς ὑμῶν ἐστιν), but you, the Lord adds mentally, do not even notice it. In saying this, the Lord could have in mind the miracles performed by Him and especially the casting out of demons, which testified, as He said before, that the Kingdom of God had already reached the Jews (see Matthew 12:28). Some interpreters (from the ancients - St. John Chrysostom and St. Theophylact) gave this dictum a different meaning. In their opinion, Christ spoke here that the Kingdom of God is "In your souls"... But the fact that Christ's speech is addressed to the Pharisees, in whose souls the Lord least of all could find signs of the onset and results of this new order of life, which He designated by the name of the Kingdom of God, strongly speaks against such an interpretation.
Suppose you have the opportunity to visit Palestine. You went, looked at everything carefully, perhaps touched it. And in memory of the trip, what souvenir would you bring? In my opinion, mustard seed would be the best such souvenir.
Jesus says: “ And he said: To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we depict him? It is like a mustard seed, which, when sown into the ground, is the least of all seeds on the earth; And when it is sown, it springs up and becomes larger than all the cereals, and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can hide under its shade "(Mark 4: 30-32).
What is the nature of this Kingdom of Heaven? "The kingdom of God is within you"(Luke 17: 20-21) . We do not quite understand this idea. How can this Kingdom of God be within us? After all, the phrase "inside us" indicates to us the direction, but not the place. "Inside" is the direction of movement. And Christ speaks about the location of the Kingdom of God. Therefore, some may think that Jesus means that the Kingdom of God is “within” us. Is it possible to interpret the words of Christ in this way? Is “inside and inside” the same thing or not?
Other translations say that the Kingdom of God "is among us." We see this in a translation made, for example, by the Russian Bible Society. “There are among us” - this translation more accurately conveys the meaning of the Greek text.
Paying attention to the context, we see that this translation does not contradict the general context. In the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the 22nd and 23rd texts it says the following: “He also said to his disciples: the days will come when you will want to see at least one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see; and they will say to you: behold, here, or: behold, there - do not go and do not chase ... "... Pay attention to the repetition of the phrase: "Right here, or over there ...". These words are used to refer to the Kingdom of God. After all, before that the phrase was already used "Here and there ..." in Lk. Chapter 17 verse 21. At first he uses these words to describe the Kingdom of God, but in the next sentence Luke uses the same words to describe the fact that they will not see the Son of Man. What conclusion can be drawn?
The kingdom of God is where the King of kings and Lord of lords are. The Kingdom of God is where the Son of Man is. Luke says the Kingdom of God is among you even though you see and don't notice. This happens because I, as a king, as a Lord, am among you - here. Physically you will not see Me, but He left us a promise: "Behold, I am with you all the days until the end of the age." The Kingdom of God thus represents a group of people, the King, the Lord of which is the Son of Man - the Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 21: 41-46 reads the following: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that bears its fruits; and the one who falls on this stone will be broken, and on whom it falls, he will crush him. And hearing His parables, the chief priests and Pharisees understood that He was talking about them, and tried to seize Him, but they were afraid of the people, because He was considered a Prophet. "
Pay attention to the following words: "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you ...". Do you have it? From the context, we see that the Pharisees and the high priests understood that He was talking about them. That is, we see that the Kingdom of God will be taken from the leaders and will be transferred to another people. Here the Kingdom of God is presented as a society of people. These people live on earth. And they are called to bear good fruit. That is, to live in accordance with the will of the King who rules this kingdom. We see from history that this is exactly what happened. The government was taken away from the high priests and given to others.
Thus, the people of God representing God on earth are a group of people who obey the King's voice. These are the ones who live according to the laws of the Kingdom, according to the laws of God. The people of this Kingdom teach others the laws of God.
So, what is the Kingdom of God, according to Jesus Christ? The Kingdom of God is a community, God's people living on earth, keeping His commandments and preaching this Kingdom to other people. Not only in a narrow circle of people, but throughout the territory, around the world.
The size of a mustard seed is one and a half millimeters. Sometimes it is a little more or a little less. But compared to other grains, it is very small.
The Lord takes and sows grain in the hearts of people. In this parable, man is the Lord and King of all.
Here is an excerpt from Leo Tolstoy's "Lipunyushka":
“An old man lived with an old woman. They had no children. The old man went to the field to plow, and the old woman stayed at home to bake pancakes. The old woman baked pancakes and says:“If we had a son, he would take the pancakes to his father; and now with whom will I send? " Suddenly a little son got out of the cotton and said: "Hello, mother! ..". And the old woman says: "Where did you come from, son, and what is your name?" And my son says: “You, mother, pulled back the cotton and put it in the column, and I got out there. And call me Lipunyushka. Let me, mother, I'll take the pancakes to Father ... ".
Where did the boy come from in this story? He got out. Thus, only in fairy tales can children appear.
And the Kingdom of God on earth could not have arisen by itself. The Kingdom of God did not happen by chance, because the Lord is the founder of this kingdom, the builder. He took the initiative into his own hands. Despite the fact that we, in the person of our first parents, departed from Him, sinned against Him, He did not leave us to perish. He came and began His sermon in the following words: "Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand!" He took and planted this seed. He came and did a great work, a great work of salvation. Here on earth, for all of us. This is where the Kingdom begins - the Kingdom of God. Labor is God's action.
What else has been said about the mustard seed? The man took it and sowed it in his field. This is how it sounds in Matthew. Luke says that “It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden; and grew and became big tree and the birds of the air took refuge in its branches "(Luke 13:19).
Mustard seed is not a wild plant. The seed is planted in an area that is constantly cultivated and is constantly looked after. This site belongs to God. It doesn't matter if the action takes place in God's garden or in God's field. Here He can look after the sown seed and see that it grows well.
The second point is that the grain is planted in a special soil. Cooked. We can recall the parable of the sower. He goes and throws a seed. But the seeds fall on different soil. One falls on the road, the other falls on rocky places, the other in thorns. And only a quarter of the seeds fall on good soil.
Here is a picture of the prepared land. We have already worked on this land. Moreover, they continue to work on this land when the seed grows and is in the process of growing. God not only became the ancestor and creator. He not only worked to get the seed to appear on the earth and germinate. He placed it in His garden. He placed it in a special place where the seed can fully grow. He does this in order to continue to look after him and take care of him.
"Although it is the smallest of all seeds, when it grows, it is the largest of all grains and becomes a tree."(Matthew 13:22, RBO) . Is the mustard seed really the smallest? Do you know of any other seeds that are possibly smaller than this seed?
It can be a poppy seed or a cypress seed. The mustard seed is the smallest seed that is planted Palestinian farmers.
In Jewish literature, the Talmud, mustard seed often denotes something small.
The seed grows. Matthew says: "Becomes a tree." Mark has: "Takes up big branches." Luke: "Became a big tree." In the fertile soil of Jordan, black mustard grows in height from 1 m 80 cm to 4 m 50 cm. It grows to this size in one season. If you compare the growth rate with barley or wheat, the mustard seed grows much faster. Thus, Christ shows not only the idea of the growth of a seed, but also the idea of the speed with which that seed grows.
In Matt. 13:32 it says: "The birds of the air come and take refuge in its branches." What does this phrase mean?
In Palestine, goldfinches and linnet very often sit on the branches, enjoy peace on the mustard tree and eat its fruits. This picture is common and understandable for the area.
What can this mean in a spiritual context, in the spiritual understanding of this detail? Where in the Bible can we see such images? When do birds nest and feed on a tree, and what does this mean?
In Ezek. 31: 1-6 says: “In the eleventh year, in the third [month], on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came to me:“ Son of man! Say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his people: To whom do you equal yourself in your majesty? Behold, Assur was a cedar in Lebanon, with beautiful branches and shady foliage, and tall; its top was among thick branches. The waters raised him, the abyss lifted him, her rivers surrounded his nursery, and she sent her channels to all the trees of the field. Because of this, its height exceeded all the trees of the field, and there were many branches on it, and its branches multiplied, and its branches grew long from the multitude of waters when it expanded. All kinds of birds of the air made nests on its branches, all kinds of beasts of the field brought out their children under its branches, and all kinds of people lived under its shade. numerous peoples».
Numerous peoples cannot live under one tree. The second phrase in these verses explains the first. These birds, which nest in the branches, are numerous different peoples. And the same was said about the Jews.
In Ezek. 17: 23-24 says: “On the high mountain of Israel I will plant it, and put out branches, and bear fruit, and become a magnificent cedar, and all kinds of birds will dwell under it, all kinds of birds will dwell in the shade of its branches. And all the trees of the field will know that I, the Lord, tall tree I lower, I raise a low tree, I dry up a green tree, and dry wood I make it bloom: I, the Lord, have said, and I will do it. "
And it is precisely this place, in accordance with the general biblical context of the meaning of birds in the branches of a tree, in Judaism it was understood that pagan peoples would come under the shadow of Israel and receive blessings in serving the Lord. Join the Kingdom of God.
Thus, in this parable, we find that Jesus Christ adds another important point. Namely: Representatives of many different numerous nations will enter the Kingdom of God.
So let's recap. How does the kingdom of God begin? It starts with God's action. The Lord takes and plants the seed. He performs a saving act and creates this kingdom.
Planting where? In your field or in your garden. He places it in a protected, prepared place where he will continue to take care of him. Further we learn that the Lord wants to show us extraordinary growth from a small seed to a large branchy tree. Then Christ wants to show us the speed of growth of this mustard seed. This says that the Kingdom of God in the context of the preaching of the gospel will spread very, very quickly. He also wants to show that many different nations will enter this Kingdom.
This parable is by nature a prophecy. Has this prophecy been fulfilled? Many ideologists, philosophers, many religious and political leaders believed that it was the teaching of each of them that would grow, spread and become more than others. But only Jesus Christ could do it.
Who is the most on earth today in religious world? Christian. It is a fact. The kingdom grew out of a small little seed and became larger than all others. This prophecy began to be fulfilled even in the days of the apostles. In Acts. 1: 8 speaks of the directions in which this kingdom of God grew: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth. "
Where does it start from? From Jerusalem. Jesus said that salvation is "from the Jews." Further spreads where? All over Judea. And then? It spreads throughout Samaria and even to the ends of the earth.
Recorded here is the program by which the gospel message is spread. The message of the Kingdom of God.
In Acts. 6: 7 says the following: “And the word of God grew, and the number of disciplesgreatly multipliedin Jerusalem; and very many of the priests submitted to the faith "... From the words of the disciples, we see that the word of God grew and was greatly multiplied and spread. “The word of God grew and expanded” (Acts 12:24). In Acts. 13 The Holy Spirit sends on a missionary journey across European territory.
In Acts. 19: 18-20 says: “Many of those who believed came, confessing and opening their deeds. And of those who were engaged in sorcery, quite a few, having collected their books, burned them in front of everyone, and added up their prices, and they turned out to be fifty thousand drachmas. With such power the word of the Lord grew and excelled ".
This parable has come true in human history. The Kingdom of God, which Jesus Christ proclaimed from a small number, quickly spread over vast territories, and continues to grow and spread today.
What is driving this growth? What does it take for the Kingdom of God to grow, without stopping, spread and turn into a big and huge tree?
Need work. Christ took and planted a seed in His garden, in His field. Efforts are needed and action is needed. It takes hard work.
In MK. 6: 30-31 describes the diligence of the disciples: “ And the Apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him everything, and what they had done and what they had taught. He said to them: go you alone to a deserted place and rest a little, - for there were many coming and going, so that they had no time to eat. "
Their work was so diligent and intense that they even had no time to eat. They worked day and night tirelessly. For the Kingdom of Heaven to grow and spread, you need to work hard.
Are we personally working to grow the Mustard Seed? What sacrifices are we willing to make so that the prophecy of Jesus Christ continues to be fulfilled? What is the mustard tree in our garden?
Let us, like Christ, like the apostles, do everything on our part so that the joy of knowledge God's love found many more.
Evgeny Babakov
Illustration
Comments (5):
Edward
The Kingdom of God is within you - there is nothing to add to this, inside, not among you, not among you, all the rest of the verbiage about the wicked and the mind of the wretched and lazy. Look within yourself. More precisely, it is not possible to say. Stop for a moment, freeze outside and turn back. look inside yourself and you will see how fussy little little ideas and restless questions asks, freeze, do not answer and you will see the kingdom of God inside!
Yuri Tymoshenko
The Kingdom of God - in other words, is the Kingdom of Truth. The Kingdom of God within you is the seed of Truth sown by Jesus in the hearts of those who listen to His Word. This grain, even being small, like a mustard seed, is capable of bearing rich fruits and doing a lot of useful things for a person and those around him. “17 For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17).
Ludmila
Yes, of course, but still Jesus came and showed a completely different God, sharply different from the Old Testament, although the 10 Commandments said the same as Jesus. But in fact, all the confessors of the ancient covenant time presented the laws of God as not easy to carry. Maybe that's why sin was widespread? Although now it has not become less and maybe even more. Yet Jesus showed a different character of God. You can say another god. For which he was crucified. as then and now the New Testament god has difficulty perceiving. Loving with suffering. Ready to help. He discovered the laws of being. he who does not divide into sheep and goats. Come to me, all who are toiling and burdened with what. Problems, sins. Not fair. diseases. etc. and I will help you. Than I will reveal to you not obbyatno.that. A bunch of examples in the life of Jesus. He showed all the capabilities of a person. He said that I do it and you can do it. Tell grief this good advice. Just believe me .. And this was covered from humanity. So let's follow Jesus and not the churches. In which the Pharisees and Sadducees sit and close the word of God .. Jesus did not open the church, he opened God. His character is his love for man. To humanity as a whole. Is not it.?
On business
The kingdom of God is where God rules. What does God achieve by his management? Maximum social utility. Therefore, in whom there is more kingdom of God, there is more social utility. How is social utility achieved? Not just by obedience to God (this is a half measure), but by understanding what is social utility of His will and how it concerns you. Social utility can be neither fanatical nor admitting the value of dogma.
Maxim Balaklitsky
Lyudmila, thanks for the comment. Let's take a look at your main arguments.
To begin with, I do not understand why you, calling
let's follow Jesus and not the churches.
Write the word "god" with a small letter. If there is no God (and such a spelling in the Russian-speaking environment is practiced by atheists), then what is the point in our conversation? If you trust the Bible, then it speaks of God as a person, and the capital letter will come in handy here.
Jesus came and showed a completely different God, sharply different from the Old Testament.
If this is even so (although I personally doubt it), then how to explain it? There are two gods? Or is God the same, and Jesus showed His other sides and character traits? If others, why?
But in fact, all the confessors of the ancient covenant time presented the laws of God as not easy to carry.
Is that all? Well it depends on whose interests the fulfillment of this or that commandment protects. For example, the commandment against rape (Deut. 22: 23-29) protects the interests of a potential victim of assault or seduction. For the rapist and the libertine, these are unbearable restrictions. But I suspect that you would like to live in a society where potential rapists carry these unbearable commandments, not daring to attack you. And so in all cases: the Law of God restricts the selfishness of the strong, protecting the rights of the weak. As long as we consider ourselves strong, the Law seems to be a hindrance. As soon as our interests are threatened, we begin to be convinced of the strictest adherence to the rules that protect our interests. It works with both humans and God. His interests are also constantly violated by people.
What commandments did Jesus revoke? By His death He abolished Jerusalem Temple to open the Temple of Heaven to us (Hebrews 8-9). Even the ritual, ceremonial commandments today we need to study in order to understand what Jesus is doing today for our salvation as our High Priest of the Heavenly Temple. And the rest of the commandments of the Law of Moses - moral, social, political, hygienic, ecological, etc. - are even more important and relevant, because they limit human egoism, tyranny and stupidity.
Then and now the New Testament god is difficult to perceive. Loving with suffering. Ready to help.
Quite the opposite: Judaism is the national religion, and Christianity is the world's most widespread and fastest growing.
He discovered the laws of being.
Doesn't the biblical book of Genesis reveal these laws? And the book of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy? What about the rest of the Bible?
not dividing into sheep and goats.
Did God of the Hebrew Scriptures discriminate against people?
Isaiah 2
1 The word that was in a vision to Isaiah, the son of Amos, about Judea and Jerusalem.
2 And in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be set at the head of the mountains and will rise above the hills, and all nations will flow to it.
3 And many nations will go and say: Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob, and He will teach us His ways and we will walk in His paths; for out of Zion will go forth the law, and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem.
4 And he will judge the nations, and he will convict many nations; And they will hammer their swords into plowshares, and their spears into sickles: the people will not raise the sword against the people, and they will no longer learn to fight.Isa. 56: 6 And the sons of strangers, who joined the Lord to serve Him and love the name of the Lord, to be His servants, to all who keep the Sabbath from defiling it and hold fast to my covenant,
7 I will bring them to my holy mountain and make them happy in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [will] be favorable on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all nations.
8 The Lord God, who is gathering the scattered Israelites, says: To those gathered from him I will still gather others.What does Jesus say about the sheep and the goats?
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the holy Angels with Him, then he will sit on the throne of His glory,
32 and all nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;
33 And he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left.
46 And these shall go away into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life.Whom did Jesus call the Son of man? Myself. It is He who promises us to divide people into sheep and goats and give these two groups a completely opposite fate.
come to me, all who are, who are toiling and who are burdened, with what. Problems, sins. Not fair. diseases. etc. and I will help you.
Where, when, to whom, and in what language did Jesus say this? To the Jews listening to Him, it was in Galilee, He spoke in His own Aramaic language. There were never any pagans among His followers. All non-Jews learned about Him from other Jews and were prepared to listen to His teachings either by visiting the synagogue (the Capernaum centurion), or by communicating with the Jews (Syrophenician woman).
Isa.65: 2 Every day I have stretched out My hands to a rebellious people who walked in an unkind way according to their thoughts -
3 to the people who constantly insult me in person, offer sacrifices in the groves and burn incense on shards,
4 sits in coffins and sleeps in caves; he eats pork meat, and has a vile brew in his vessels;
5 which says: "stop, do not come near me, because I am holy to you." They are smoke for my smell, a fire that burns every day.
6 This is what is written before me: I will not keep silent, but I will repay, I will repay into their bosom
7 Your iniquities, says the Lord, and together the iniquities of your fathers, who burned incense on the mountains, and reviled me in the hills; And I will measure into their bosom their former deeds.To whom, when and in what language did the Israelite God speak with these words? His prophet here speaks Hebrew to the Jerusalemites, foreshadowing the Babylonian captivity and the destruction of the Temple.
To hear biblical god, one must enter into fellowship with His people. There is no other way. And the news is the same.
I will tell you a lot of examples in the life of Jesus.
This is a quote from the words not of Jesus, but of the Jewish prophet Jeremiah:
Jer.33: 3 call to Me - and I will answer you, I will show you the great and inaccessible, which you do not know.
He showed all the capabilities of a person. He said that I do it and you can do it. Tell grief this good advice. Just believe me ..
Do Moses and the prophets say little about faith? Are there few examples of answers to prayers, healings, etc. in their books? Opening the New Testament:
Heb. 11:32 And what else can I say? There is not enough time for me to tell about Gideon, about Barak, about Samson and Jephtha, about David, Samuel and (other) prophets,
33 who conquered kingdoms by faith, did righteousness, received promises, blocked the mouth of lions,
34 extinguished the power of the fire, avoided the edge of the sword, strengthened from weakness, were strong in war, drove away the regiments of strangers;
35 wives received their dead resurrected; others were tortured, not accepting liberation in order to receive a better resurrection;
36 Others have experienced reproach and beatings, as well as bondage and prison,
37 were stoned, sawn through, tortured, died by the sword, wandered in mantles and goat skins, enduring shortcomings, sorrows, bitterness;
38 those, whom the whole world was not worthy, wandered through the deserts and mountains, through caves and ravines of the earth.Faith is in the heart Hebrew Bible- this is stated by the New Testament author.
Now about the mountain jumping into the sea? Have you moved a lot of mountains? Do you know those who moved? That's right, there have never been such movements. Read the entire passage:
Matthew 21
21 Jesus answered and said to them: Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done with the fig tree, but if you say to this mountain also: rise up and be plunged into the sea, it will be;
22 And whatever you ask in prayer in faith, you will receive.
23 And when He came into the temple and taught, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him and said, By what authority do you do this? and who gave you such power?Jesus Tells His Disciples this- Temple Mount Zion. The preaching of the apostles after the death and resurrection of Jesus was supposed to "sink" the Temple - to undermine its theological significance for Judeo-Christians, to prepare them for the final destruction of the Temple by the Romans in 70 AD. Only this mountain was moved by Jesus' disciples. And no others.
But this was also covered from humanity.
If it was hidden, it was only for those unwilling to delve into the Bible. The 9th chapter of the prophet Daniel clearly states that after the Babylonian captivity, the Temple will be rebuilt, then the Messiah will come, and the earthly Temple will be destroyed soon after the sacrificial death of the Messiah. Destroyed now forever.
So let's follow Jesus and not the churches. In which the Pharisees and Sadducees sit and close the word of God .. Jesus did not open the church, he opened God. His character is his love for man. To humanity as a whole. Is not it.?
What exactly do you mean? And how to learn about Jesus and His teaching, if not from some church? No, well, there is still a way - to go to the synagogue and study the Scriptures that Jesus Himself advised to study - Moses and the prophets, saying that they write about Him:
John 5:39 Search the Scriptures, for you think through them to have eternal life; but they testify about me.
But both in the church and in the synagogue it will be necessary to still try to distinguish what Jesus really said and did from human opinions about Him.
How did Jesus not open churches? Who?
Matthew 16:17 Then Jesus answered him: Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you, but my Father who art in heaven;
18 And I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it;And the (Jewish and Christian) "Pharisees" and "Sadducees", as I said, perform an irreplaceable function: they copy, preserve, distribute, observe, study and teach the Word of God. The teaching is not perfect. But there is no substitute for these people and their work.
