Unseen Warfare Against the ChurchFrom the very beginning, the devil has wanted to destroy Christ Himself: both as a living being, and His teaching—and he is waging a war against the Church.
Part 22
Now we’re reading Revelation 12:7. A sign appeared in the heavens: a woman clothed in the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was with Child and cried out from the birth pangs.
St. John the Evangelist on Patmos, Tobias Verhaecht, 1598
Then another sign appeared: a dragon, red like fire, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his seven heads. With its tail, it dragged a third of the stars from the heavens. The dragon stood before the woman, waiting for her to give birth to then eat her Child. The woman gave birth to a male Child. This Child will shepherd all nations with a rod of iron. The Child was caught up and raised to the throne of God, and the woman fled into the desert, to a place that the Lord had prepared for her, to be nourished there for 1,260 days.
That’s the scene that was described. We can assume that the scenes described in Revelation aren’t necessarily recounted in chronological order, but each one is independent. It’s not obvious that all this will happen in chronological order according to how it’s recorded in Revelation. We don’t know for sure, but some interpreters believe it’s written chronologically.
The Apostle John sees a war in Heaven: And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him (Rev. 12:7-9).
Jehovah’s WitnessesAnyone who has had more than a passing encounter with Jehovah’s Witnesses would find it hard to disagree. Their arguments appear so tightly constructed as to be virtually unassailable. Even if one is left unconquered, the experience is frustrating. Is this a no-win situation?
Synaxis of the Archangel Michael and the Other Bodiless PowersFor centuries people have turned to the Archangel Michael and the Heavenly Host for help—and the Heavenly Powers have never forsaken those who needed help.
Why is he called the devil? Because he slanders (from the Greek verb “διαβάλλω”—“to take something with the help of another, to penetrate through something, to slander, to defame, to present something in a false way”) and misrepresents the word of God. He slandered God before the first-created ones, saying to them: “Why don’t you eat of all the fruits? Because God told you not to? Because He doesn’t want you to become like Him?”
And he’s called satan (from the Hebrew for “adversary,” “enemy”) because he was against Christ, against Jesus. This devil, satan, has deceived the entire cosmos. Of course this is a figurative expression. There were and are people who aren’t deceived by satan. But here the Apostle wants to show what influence and power the devil has in relation to mankind, bringing great difficulties into life. He fell to earth, and all his angels with him. When did this happen? We don’t know. Certainly, it happened before the Incarnation of God the Word, since Christ’s word has power: I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven (Lk. 10:18). But we can’t know exactly when.
The Fall of Satan, Gustave Doré All our interpretations are assumptions and guesses. No one can interpret the Revelation of St. John the Theologian reliably and authoritatively because it’s a prophetic text, and it will become clear when these events come to pass.
You may ask: “Then why was Revelation written if we can’t interpret it?” It wasn’t written to satisfy our curiosity so we can say: “Then this will happen, and this will happen at this time.” It’s written to show the warfare taking place in the spiritual realm, to show the serious war that the antichrist, the devil, wages against Christ. And also to leave us an eternal message: “Christ will prevail. Christ will reign in the world, and all those who love Christ and are united with Him will live and reign together with Christ.” A man should not be afraid or troubled on the spiritual path when he sees wars, problems, opposition, resistance to him personally and to the whole Church.
And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night (Rev. 12:10). Remember how in the life of St. Job the Much-Suffering the devil stands before God and slanders Job, saying: “Do You think that Job honors and loves You just because? You’ve given him so many good things, so many kinds of things. How could he not love You?” And he asked God for the power to tempt Job. God allowed him to do whatever he wanted with Job, but only not to touch his life. The devil began to attack Job, raining much evil down upon him. Blessed Job remained an adamant of patience and faith, and he was victorious. The devil was his accuser before God. He asks God for authority over the people of God, over our brethren. Since we have our weaknesses and sins, we give the devil power over us through them. He looks for opportunities to assert his rights over us, to then condemn, punish, and wear us down. He arranges various temptations and tribulations, and if he succeeds, he brings us to despondency and despair, provoking us to grumble.
And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Rev. 12:11). These brothers of ours—Christians, martyrs, saints—defeated the devil by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. We Christians are nourished, we live, move, and have our being in the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ.
Christ is the Lamb slain for the life of this world, and all people are children of the Church. They’re strengthened, live, conquer, exist, and are nourished by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. Nourished by Christ, living with Christ, they testify of Christ, because they didn’t love their own lives and even disregarded them to the point of death. They didn’t consider themselves worthy of special honor for their love of Christ; they disregarded themselves for the sake of this love. They put love of themselves and love of things in second place. They loved Christ first and only then all the rest. Therefore, they conquered the devil and remained steadfast, being nourished by the Blood of the Lamb and their testimony. This shows us what a Christian’s life is like, what our life is like.
Our life must be constantly united with Christ through the Holy Mysteries. As a result of this unity, we must become confessors, testifying to the word of God and proving its truth through our lives, so our deeds would confirm the word of God. If our life doesn’t confirm the word of God, then we’ll surely have problems, and others will have problems because they won’t be able to believe us.
And when do we live in a convincing manner? When we love Christ more than anything in this world, and then everything else. When we don’t love our own lives, when we disregard death, only then can we remain faithful to Christ to the end.
Our consistent inconsistency as people is a problem that persists today and always. We often fail to live according to the teachings of Christ, neglecting our unity with the Lord due to our unworthiness, carelessness, and indifference. This lack of commitment is evident in our words not aligning with our actions, with our love for Christ often taking a backseat. Unlike the martyrs and saints who prioritized Christ above all else, we may prioritize our own lives over our faith.
On the Holy Mountain, there was an ascetic living in a precarious location known as Karoulia. The sheer cliffs and deep sea below served as a reminder of the dangers of living a life of asceticism. Despite the challenges, some ascetics chose to live in caves on the cliffs, relying on chains to descend and ascend. The story of Fr. Stefan, a Serbian ascetic who lived in a desolate place on the cliffs, exemplifies the extreme dedication and faith required to live such a life.
Fr. Stefan’s decision to stay in such a remote and dangerous location until his death demonstrates a level of commitment that many may find difficult to comprehend. His unwavering faith and courage allowed him to overcome the challenges of living in such a harsh environment for nearly two decades. His story serves as a reminder of the importance of remaining faithful to one’s beliefs, even in the face of adversity.
The call to “be thou faithful unto death” emphasizes the need for unwavering dedication to one’s spiritual journey, even in the face of death. This level of commitment requires courage, discernment, and a fearless mindset that transcends the fear of death. As we navigate our own spiritual paths, we must strive to embody the same level of faith and dedication as the ascetics and saints who came before us. The bishop entrusted me with the chalice to commune the patients, accompanied by two nurses. What I witnessed there was indescribable! It was a scene of horror—lepers… How can I even begin to explain it?
After administering Communion, I had to consume whatever was left over, as is our practice every Sunday. Despite the close contact with so many people during Communion, we priests never fall ill. It is only by the grace of God that we remain healthy.
There are numerous accounts of martyrs and holy fathers who served and communed in leper colonies and during disease outbreaks without ever contracting any illness. This is a testament to the power of faith and fearlessness in the face of danger.
One guest at our monastery, who was prone to sickness, would experience side effects from medications simply by reading the instructions. This goes to show the power of thoughts and fear in affecting our well-being.
Elder Joseph the Hesychast fearlessly served tuberculosis patients, even wearing their clothes in an attempt to catch the disease. However, his courage and faith protected him from harm.
It is essential to cultivate courage and faith to face challenges without fear. Cowardice can lead to endless suffering and anxiety, ultimately deteriorating one’s physical and mental health.
In today’s world, excessive fear and cowardice can have detrimental effects on one’s well-being. It is important to trust in God and overcome fear to live a fulfilling and healthy life.
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