And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: The words of him who has the sharp two-edged sword. I know where you dwell, where Satan's throne is; you hold fast my name and you did not deny my faith even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan...
Fr. Peter Heers' commentary on this passage (from Lesson 1, Series 2 on Revelation, 8/16/2022):
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Listen to a reading of this passage by Elder Athanasios at the Orthodox Wisdom podcast:
When we talk about theosis, being God-like, becoming one with Christ, it means that we enter the life of God which is the very desire of the Creator before all ages. That is why there is a vast difference between Christianity and the average religion. Unfortunately, today most of us live Christianity as a religion and not as a kingdom, and this presents a number of problematic consequences,...
"In all respects, the organism of the Church is the most complex known to man. Why? Because it is a unique theanthropic organism in which all divine and human mysteries and all divine and human powers constitute one body. Only the omniscient, omnipotent Theanthropos, the Lord Christ, could unite and assemble all this into one Body, His own, of which He is the eternal...
There once appeared in one of New York City’s newspapers a small article entitled “Child-killer.” This article stated that in a little hotel on West 84th Street there occurred a frightening event, a horrible crime—a mother beat to death her two-year old son. The brief details recounted in the article only magnify the horror of this cruel act. And what were the details? This time, even the...
From the second chapter of St. Paul's Second Epistle to the Thessalonians it is clear that the teaching about the Antichrist enters into the content of the earliest apostolic evangelization. After giving a description of the Antichrist in the third and fourth verses of that chapter, the holy Apostle writes further to the Thessalonians. "Do you not remember that when I was still with you, I told you...
"The impiety, corruption, senselessness and lack of conscience of people, both lay-people and clergymen, men and women, rich and poor, generals and soldiers, the rulers and the ruled over has reached a high point and is speedily progressing in leaps and bounds till it reaches the greatest precipice.
What is countering this pitiful progression of spiritual impiety? It is: the infinite compassion...
"Because I saw that it was necessary for me to answer you, I write you the following: Tell the couple about which you wrote, where the husband does not want children whereas the wife wants them, that God's will must be done and not the devil's. God allowed marriage for the birth of children and blessed it. Whereas the man-killing devil, when he is not able to murder, puts brother against brother and...
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In this episode Fr. Peter examines the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem and the persons and scenes which accompany it, with special attention to the temptation of turning the Church earthward and embracing a "social gospel," Christ without the...
Orthodox Ethos is a collective effort of nearly a dozen Orthodox Christians, ordained and lay. Our purpose is to present and support the Orthodox truth, way and life, which is Christ Himself.
