At the time when we are reading this article, we are surrounded by many things and phenomena. And in many cases, we rarely find it difficult to answer what is the meaning of the existence of some simple object, such as: a nail in the wall, a light bulb in a lantern, for which some electrical appliance works in our house. No sane person will go to work without any meaning, leave at home, even the most useful electrical appliances, working without meaning - and this is because we know that working electrical appliances and other things without meaning, as a rule, do harm.
And what if, to ask the most important question: “why do we ourselves exist?”.
This is where the paradox happens... after some mental effort, more than half of humanity will answer something like this: "just to live happily, doing good." After such an answer, one can involuntarily come to the conclusion that a person, in the cycle of generations, resembles a drop in the endless cycle of water in nature; and what is the result?.. - When, even in this eternal movement of water there is a meaning. So: if we take into account the fact that man did not originate through evolution from some single-celled being - if we consider that he was created by someone, then we can assume that the One who created us had his own goal.
Here, dear reader, you have every right to disagree with the statement about the existence of the power and mind of the Almighty.
However, in this case, I would like to ask you: did everything work out well and smoothly when you built a house, assembled a car, and arranged other complex everyday affairs? Did everything go so smoothly and unmistakably when you knitted a dress for yourself, made a complex device? And if, with the effort of the mind, something was not always done and not everything turned out smoothly - how could it happen by itself in this case? so that she could gather herself? .. How much?
Finding the source of the meaning of life
Many of us are familiar with this classic question: “Which gods do you pray to?”. Humanity has always, to the extent of the inherent instinct, to look for a leader (leader), to the extent of its thinking - has created gods for itself. Often, these gods reflected the mentality of the peoples by which they were created: not devoid of lust, vengeful and bloodthirsty; and even the best of them, to varying degrees, were deficient in true ideals. And yet, if we assume that there is an intelligent force that created everything that surrounds us, then this is the God of creation and ideal order [this is evident from when we study the structure of atoms and their order, the order in the entire universe] . In order to somehow get closer to the truth in the chosen direction, to understand: what is our place and purpose in everything that surrounds us - first, let's look at three such seemingly contradictory religions of the world as: Islam, Judaism, Christianity .
Bible again? some may ask. Is it possible to pay attention to something more serious?
In this case, I would like to answer: what book, in the entire history of mankind, could most clearly indicate the essence and meaning of our life? Maybe we will find the answer in the writings of the Buddha? Shinto teachings?
So, Moslem or Islam: a belief that is something in between, between Judaism and world Christianity. Muslims condemn the Jews because they rejected Jesus as a prophet - and they also condemn Christians because they (Christians) made Jesus, as it were, equal to God.
The main book of Muslims - the Koran, was founded in the seventh century AD, based on the sermons of Muhammad, revered as a prophet. But such a book is absolutely nothing new. In these sacred writings for Muslims, a borrowed text from the Hebrew Scriptures of the Bible (the main role of which is occupied by the Pentateuch of Moses) is clearly traced.
Judaism: The history of Jewry is outwardly paradoxical in that the ancient writings of the Jews gave rise to both Christianity and Islam. But, the Jewish religious system essentially collapsed. The Jews were waiting for the Messiah-Rediver as early as the first century AD. To a greater extent, they relied on the predictions recorded through the prophet Daniel. But, that Christ Jesus, about whom we read in the New Testament of the Bible, did not please the Jews, since they expected that the Messiah was to become an earthly king. The people expected that He [Christ] would have to protect them from enemies for centuries, heal and feed them. But, the essence of their idea was utopian, because. the people as a whole were embittered and sinful - therefore, in such a situation it is impossible to build a happy and harmonious society. As a result, the temple of the Jews was destroyed - and the people, for almost two thousand years, were brutally suppressed. Today, most of the Jews, having a lot of additions and incredibly distorted interpretations in their teachings, are still waiting for the Messiah.
Christianity: today, the canonical writings of the Bible can be self-sufficient in order to explain the essence of God and His plans for the coming millennia. However, that human Christianity, which grew after the death of the apostles, and then divided into confessions, until the beginning of the 21st century, is not able to unite all sincere, God-seeking people. The direction that calls itself Christian, throughout almost the entire history, is rather a hotbed of divisions, sectarianism, and military conflicts. *** In history, there are many examples such as: forced baptism on pain of death, the Crusades, the Inquisition, armed inter-confessional conflicts.
And yet, sweeping away the vices of all these religious criminals, it would be worth paying attention to at least 39 books of the Bible written before the coming of Christ and uniting the three main religions of the world: Islam, Judaism and Christianity.
Why do we live today
There is a firmly established opinion that man was created with all divine qualities, perfect. In asserting this, these "interpreters" of Scripture refer to such words as: "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning: the sixth day. … God created man upright, and people set off in many thoughts” (Gen. 1:31, Eccl. 7:29). The main and “deadly skate” for anyone doubting the God-like perfection of the first man, they consider the words: “God created man in His own image, in the image of God created him; He created them male and female” (Gen. 1:27). Of course, beyond any doubt, if these true words of God were taken out of context, then one could believe in
that Adam was endowed with divine attributes on a perfect level. - And if, nevertheless, to be honest, and, looking into the book, to see not only ... the above words?
Let's friends, once again turn to what is written: “And God said: Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and ... [note! ]: Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth” (Gen. 1:26). Similarly, we can read in the book of Psalms: "When I look at Your heavens - the work of Your fingers, the moon and stars that You set, that [is] a man that You remember him, and the son of man that You visit his? Not much did You belittle him before the Angels: You crowned him with glory and honor; made him dominion over the works of your hands; He put everything under his feet: all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air and the fish of the sea, everything that passes through the paths of the sea.» (Ps.8:4-9).
- What is now from this, you can conclude?
As God rules in heaven [over cherubim, seraphim, angels, etc.] - so man was created "in the image and likeness" to rule "over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over cattle, and over all the earth."
Moreover, it should be noted that they were created on the sixth day along with the animals. And, the Almighty, did not bless this day, in which Adam was created - but blessed only the next, the seventh day (Gen.2:1-3.). What does it mean for you and me: to be blessed?.. And what do these words of the Apostle Paul mean: “The first man Adam became a living soul; and the last Adam is a life-giving spirit. The first man is from the earth, earthy; the second person is the Lord from heaven. What is the earthy, such are the earthy; and as is the heavenly, so are the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15:45,47,48)?..
Christ, to whom the aforementioned “interpreters” are so fond of referring, said: “every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Mat. 7:17,18). And here, I would like to ask them: what “fruits” did Adam bring? What was it, his divine perfection, so easily found himself under the "heel" of his wife? Moreover, in addition, he accused the Almighty of this, brazenly declaring: “The wife that You gave me, she gave me from a tree, and I ate”?
In fact, people were created right (that is, clean as a white sheet of paper) - but they embarked on many thoughts. However, man, created from "the dust of the earth" [with the instincts of the flesh: forcing them to fight for the object of reproduction and multiply, save (to provide for themselves and their offspring), have a leader in the herd and dominate others], not reliable for the Kingdom of God; precisely for this reason, he (like the Jews later, about whom the apostle Paul wrote in Heb. 4: 1-11.) soon lost the paradise earth. Certainly, the “first Adam” (who was created “very well”) could be compared to the temple of Solomon: no matter how majestic and costly this temple was, it was a temple of stones and wood (the dust of the earth) that could not provide worship in the perfect sense of the word, i.e. in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23,24.).
And, despite the fact that the temple was built by the order of the Most High, it was later said: “Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where will you build a house for me, and where is the place of my rest? For my hand has done all these things, and all these things happened, says the Lord. But this is whom I will look upon: the humble and contrite in spirit, and the one who trembles at my word” (Is.66:1,2).
And now, we are faced with an even more dangerous question that few dare to ask: what normal and reasonable person, leaving home for a long time, will leave a real, combat pistol under the supervision of his children? .. And which of you, dear reader, saw how, in readiness to launch, a nuclear weapon is left unattended on the street?.. But the Bible says: “And the Lord God ... made the tree of life grow in the midst of paradise, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ... And the Lord God commanded the man, saying: ... from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil do not eat from it, for on the day you eat from it, you will die by death ”(Gen. 2: 9, 16, 17). “And how would you like to understand it now?”
There are a lot of grief "interpreters" who claim: the Creator [who created the exact, great and most complex universe, who knows the movement of galaxies for millennia ahead], grew a tree that brings indescribable grief and death to all mankind, and ... with all this, did not assume [or did not want to assume] about the consequences of a tree left unattended in the middle of paradise. - How can such a statement be considered logical and reasonable?
And, since we have raised such delicate and dangerous questions, our task is to try to figure it out: why did it happen this way and what is the meaning of our existence in all this?
Some may object: “God did not make us robots, we have freedom of choice! Didn't God at the time of Moses offer to choose for himself: a blessing - and a curse (Deut. 30:15-19)?
- I would like to answer those with the words known to the point of banality: “one who was born to crawl will not be able to fly.” Wise Solomon(See 1 Kings 4:30-34.) wrote about mankind: “... so that they see that they themselves are animals. Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same fate: as they die, so do these, and everyone has one breath, and a person has no advantage over cattle, because everything is vanity! Everything goes to one place: everything came from dust and everything will return to dust” (Eccl. 3:18-20). Created on the sixth day together with animals, in order to fully become “in the image and likeness” of the Almighty, people did not receive the main thing: a spiritual (perfect, undistorted) vision of themselves and what surrounds them - and this is given by the Holy Spirit . Of the approximately three million Jews who left Egypt with Moses, only two worthily reached the promised land - and this is only because they were led by the very Spirit of God (Numbers 14:24,30.). To all the rest it was said, “You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt with Pharaoh and all his servants and all his land; those great plagues that your eyes have seen, and those great signs and wonders; but until this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand, eyes to see, and ears to hear"(Deut. 29:2-4). A person created with earthly needs is an emotional person who often sees things in a limited, distorted, selfish form. So, for example, Adam's wife looked at the forbidden fruit that brings death: "And the wife saw that the tree is good for food, and that it is pleasing to the eyes and lustful ...". By this assumption, the Creator showed: from the slavery of one (to God), we will certainly fall into the slavery of our own flesh. Living in the unconscious illusions of our “God-likeness”, and sometimes in outright lies to ourselves, we try not to notice that we often remain on about our instincts (reproduction, hoarding, dominance, etc.), thereby remaining everything the same robots.
It is noteworthy that after the words of the Almighty: “be fruitful and multiply” - Adam and Eve, it seems, did not even try to do this; But today, the instinct of reproduction is one of the most powerful in living beings - what prevented them? .. Only after sinning and losing the opportunity to live forever, the Scripture says: “Adam knew Eve, his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” (Gen. 4:1). Thus, humanity completely, without confusion, inherited the curse pronounced on Adam (Gen. 3:17-19.).
Humanity has been suffering for centuries, and in suffering it has not yet come to anything; Even the Jews, who not only heard the words of the true prophets, but also saw obvious miracles, were once told: “My people do not understand. ... What else to beat you, continuing their perseverance? The whole head is in ulcers, and the whole heart is wasted. From the sole of his foot to the top of his head, he has no healthy place: ulcers, spots, festering wounds, uncleaned and unbound and not softened with oil ”(Is. 1:5,6).
What is the way out? some may ask.
- The way out is to invest in a carnal person, created together with animals on the sixth day, the possibility of spiritual (undistorted by instincts) perception of things and phenomena. God promised:
“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. Not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that My covenant they broke, though I remained in union with them, says the Lord. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My law in their inwardness, and I will write it on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. ... I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my commandments and keep and do my statutes” (Jer.31:31-33; Ezek.36:27).
It was with the advent of the "second Adam" - Christ, the "father of eternity", that humanity had this opportunity.
Suffering is an important part of our existence
After the sin of Adam, the Almighty announced a harsh sentence by which we live today - and there is great benefit in this. Here it would be worth taking a risk, engaging in a thankless task and imagining: what would happen if Adam somehow did not sin?
- Probably, today in every kindergarten, school, in every factory, there would be a portrait of the (still living) "parents of the peoples" who once abandoned the "apple". But here is the question: what would be left in our minds, our souls?.. Having in the genes inherent inclinations, similar to the first person, moreover, satiated with a good life, having imagined themselves (like the devil) - we would not harbor the thought today: “Oh, this stupid Adam, maybe he didn’t eat from this fruit in vain?.. What kind of history of mankind would we have today? Would we read today about Abraham, Lot, Moses, David, Daniel, Christ?..
What a pity it is - only in tears is born true kindness and compassion for others. In order for each of us to have the opportunity to truly become a person, it is important to have personal experience: suffering, feelings of the past, knowledge. Let us pay attention to these words: “Mourning is better than laughter; because the sadness of the face makes the heart better. ... He, in the days of His flesh, with a strong cry and with tears, brought prayers and supplications to the One who was able to save Him from death; and was heard for [His] reverence; although He is a Son, yet through suffering he learned obedience. … Therefore, He had to become like the brethren in everything, in order to be a merciful and faithful high priest before God…”(Eccl. 7:3. Heb. 5:7,8; 2:17.).
In a person who sees and hears life through the eyes of God, who suffers: every nerve cell begins to vibrate, ring - this is the only way he can feel this music of life, a complete picture of existence, the realization of true love. And when you personally feel His care and work on you, only then will you understand and appreciate it (Psalm 89:2-16.). When you, during trials and tribulations [perhaps during the end of the wicked world - see: Jer.30:7-24. Mic.7:5-20.], left alone with your shortcomings, you will see forgiveness, mercy and deliverance heavenly god Father - then you will understand the true value of yourself, and life, how insignificant it is in itself. But at the same time, you will understand the true value of that
life that will possibly be given to you for the eternal meaning of being with Him. Then, forgiven and cleansed of your mental illnesses and sufferings, you will be able to see the real and beautiful world, inaccessible to us today (Luke 7:47.).
*** The Almighty - He is omnipotent; having such power Heavenly Father could not have sacrificed his Son Christ. It would be possible to simply heal humanity without this great Sacrifice.
But why did he do it anyway? you might ask.
The essence of the answer, we can read in the story associated with the prophetic action in which Father Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac. Abraham, after it was said: “I swear by me, says the Lord, that since you have done this work, and have not spared your son, your only son ... in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you obeyed my voice” (Gen. 22:16-18 Galatians 3:14,16). Love... love... it is love shown in trials that is, in fact, the key to everything. Scripture says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. … We have known love in this, that He laid down His life for us: and we must lay down our lives for the brethren” (John 3:16. 1 John 3:16.).
So: what is the meaning of our life now?
This is an exam that opens up new horizons. This is a pass to eternity and the opportunity to be with the Almighty - the One before whom even the stars are short-lived. "Do not you know? Have you not heard that the eternal Lord God, who created the ends of the earth, is not weary or weary? His mind is unsearchable” (Is. 40:28).
Levin B.Kh.
THE MEANING OF LIFE IN BIBLICAL
The theme of the meaning of life, as you know, is philosophical, which means that it is, as it were, not concrete a priori. But the life of each person is an absolutely concrete thing. And its meaning simply must be concrete, and not speculative, philosophical concept. Therefore, first of all, let's define terms. The meaning of life is often confused with the purpose of life. And these are very different concepts. For example, the target of a bullet is where it will stop flying. And the meaning of her existence (for her) is the flight itself (while she is lying, she does not live yet, when she hits the target, she no longer lives). So, the goal of human life is death, and the meaning of life is life itself, every moment of it. If a person’s life is divided into stages, and at the end of each stage we set a goal (finish school, go to college, achieve some position, get married, have children ...), then we will understand why, when goals are achieved, we feel devastation after a brief moment of euphoria from achieving the goal (feeling of happiness) is the death of the meaning of life. And if you do not set another goal again, there is no meaning to life. Then it becomes obvious that the meaning of life should not be in achieving goals, but in the very process of "flying" towards them. The Bible says exactly about the meaning of human life - throughout his life, in every moment of it. But even with such a specific concept as the Bible, there is confusion. So what is the Bible? The Bible is a collection of books that are sacred to two religions: Judaism and Christianity. Usually they say the opposite, but the Christian part of the Bible was written 1300 years after the beginning of the Jewish writing, and for our topic this just matters. The Bible consists of the Jewish Holy Scripture (in Christianity called the Old Testament, or the Hebrew Bible) and the New Testament. Thus, when people talk about the Bible, they mean either only Old Testament or, most often, the Old and New Testaments together, but not the New Testament without the Old Testament, because the New Testament without the Old Testament is meaningless: after all, Jesus Christ is the son of God from the Old Testament; prophecies about Jesus - in the Old Testament; Jesus made a new covenant, but new compared to the old; and in general, without knowing the text of the Old Testament it is impossible to understand the text of the New Testament. We will talk about the Old Testament, since the meaning of human life was given there, and, as you might guess, right at the time of the creation of man. It is clear that as soon as God created man, he immediately gave the meaning of life to the created. And who else put meaning into what he created? And did people have to wait thousands of years for Jesus Christ to find the meaning of life? Or, to put it another way, do non-Christians live meaningless lives? So, in the Old Testament it is written that immediately after creation, man was placed in paradise. In the public mind, paradise is personified with doing nothing: rest, I don’t want to... And here is what is written in the Bible: “And the Lord God took the man and settled him in the Garden of Eden, to cultivate it and keep it"(Gen. 2, 15). To cultivate it and keep it! For no other task than this, God placed man in paradise (Garden of Eden - these are synonyms). And therefore, in addition to cultivating and maintaining his garden, God did not create man! It may seem that this goal is unworthy of the "crown of nature" - to swarm in the garden. Let, they say, the horses work ... To realize that this is not so, let's deal with such a concept as God. After all, it all depends on whose garden to swarm, for whom to work ... The main characteristic of God is that he is perfect, and therefore he does not have the concepts of "good" and "bad" (more precisely: these concepts are not applicable to him). In addition, God is everywhere at the same time (omnipresent), he is eternal, infinite, invisible (because it is impossible to depict him, and therefore, according to the second of the ten commandments, it is forbidden), he includes all the forces of nature. Scientifically speaking, these are fields of forces: gravity, electromagnetic, etc. (they are invisible, infinite, omnipresent, eternal - they will not be, and the world will disappear). Based on the characteristic "perfection", it can be understood that there cannot be two or more Gods, since only one can be perfect. For example, the perfect form of a material body is a ball. Everything that deviates from it, from perfection, simply will not be a ball. When God created the visible world, there was nothing visible yet, since there was only him, invisible. Thus, God created the visible world out of himself, simply because there was nothing else from which the world could be created. But God himself is perfect, but the world he created cannot be perfect, otherwise it will not be the world, but God himself. If the world created by God were perfect, in particular, paradise would be perfect, then why would a person work in it? What is perfect can only get worse. Therefore, God created man and settled him in his garden so that man would improve the garden, improve the world. But for this, of course, the person himself must improve, and for this, at least, he must keep the commandments. Then, under a far-fetched pretext, God settled man throughout the earth. For what? And all for the same: "And the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden, to cultivate the land from which it is taken" (Gen. 3, 23)! So, the perfection of the world is the meaning of human life, according to the Bible. Since it is impossible to get closer to perfection (which means becoming God), such a meaning of life is endless. boredom, depression is impossible, it is impossible to commit crimes, it is even impossible to work poorly (hence the Jewish successes in all areas of life)... And this meaning of life is also suitable for Christians, since God created all people (and not just Jews) through Adam, to whom he was given this is the meaning of life. But God revealed it to the Jews (through Moses), so that they would definitely pass it on to all the peoples of the world, which the Bible (including the New Testament) says dozens of times... This means that this meaning of life is inherent in all people, regardless of nationality and religion... No one, including Jesus Christ, can cancel, or change, or update God's plan ( except to clarify, explain, such as the commandment of love for one's neighbor). world. Or - the world is already so perfect that it does not need improvement, and one should think only about the personal soul? If we depart from religious canons, then, ultimately, God should be indifferent to the human soul itself - if a person improves the world, then everything is in order with his soul. And vice versa, if a person cares only about his soul, and the world does not improve, then such a person is useless to God, because he was created by God only to to cultivate the land. However, the Apostle James speaks of the same thing: “What good is it, my brethren, if someone says that he has faith, but does not have works? Can this faith save him?... So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead But someone will say: "You have faith, and I have works": show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith from my works ... But do you want to know, unfounded person, that is faith without works dead? Do you see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone?... For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (James 2:14, 17, 18, 20, 24 , 26). How do religions based on the Bible relate to the problem of the meaning of human life? Judaism sees the meaning of life exactly as it is given in Scripture, since for a Jew every word of God is sacred. And this word (Scripture) is read (aloud) in synagogues, where believing Jews are required to come to prayer three times a day. Christianity is more focused on the goal of life, and sees it, according to the New Testament, in its successful completion, in order to be able to resurrect for eternal life. For a Christian, the words of Jesus Christ are sacred, and not of Moses and others Old Testament prophets. And even then - not all, but only those with which the priests introduce them, since in Christianity there is no wide tradition of independent reading of the New Testament, not to mention the entire Bible. However, Judaism also postulates the goal - the perfection of the soul for gaining the afterlife; and Christianity also calls to keep the commandments (Old Testament), so as not to sin in this world, not to destroy the soul. It should be clarified that the improvement of the world is not some kind of feat, and not the coverage of this entire vast world with one's care. Any, even the smallest, effort is enough, for example, to wipe the dust of the house (so that it would be pleasant for those living in the house), to throw a pebble out of the way (so that the one following does not stumble), to give way in transport, even just to smile at the oncoming to a stranger... - all this improves the world, and at the same time one's own soul. One problem - you have to make efforts, and constantly. But - it's worth it. Yes, and there is no choice ... And not because it is written in the Bible. The meaning of life is fulfilled subconsciously - in the Bible it is simply formulated (by Moses and other prophets) on paper. Just like, for example, we do not consciously choose how we walk: up or head down. But it is necessary to know the laws of nature in order not to foolishly choose to consciously walk upside down. For this, this article was written. NOTES 1. On this topic, see the story:. 2. See article: 3. But, unfortunately, this is not taught in our (post-Soviet) schools. And they won't teach... First of all, the state, which has complete control over education, trains in schools only future workers for itself, and not people for people. Secondly, the need to improve the world is written only in the Old Testament, therefore, the recognition of the meaning of life, corresponding to Judaism, would devalue Christianity, and in no case will be allowed by the Church, separated from the states, but not from the heads of states. 4. Adherents of other religions are not mentioned here simply because the article is about the Bible, and this book is sacred (authoritative) only for two religions: Judaism and Christianity. 5. This clarification was not made by chance. Firstly, Moses is not just a real, historical (and not mythical) person, for which see the article:. Secondly, without Moses there would be no Bible, for which see the article:. 6. To make it clear that the Old Testament meaning of life concerns all people, and not just Jews, and this is not a speculative conclusion of the author of the article, below are all statements found in the Bible about this. In the Old Testament: "From Abraham will surely come a great and strong people, and in him all the peoples of the earth will be blessed" (Gen. 18, 18; the same: 12, 3; 22, 18; 26, 4); “If even a foreigner, who is not of Your people Israel, comes from a distant land for the sake of Your name, for they too will hear about Your great name and Your mighty hand and Your outstretched arm, and he will come and pray at this temple, hear from heaven, from your dwelling place, and do everything that a foreigner calls to you, so that all the peoples of the earth know your name, so that they fear you, as your people Israel, so that they know that this temple, which I am, is called by your name built" (1 Kings 8, 41 - 43); "All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the tribes of the Gentiles will bow down before You, for the Lord's kingdom is, and He is the Lord over the nations" (Ps. 21, 28 - 29); "Stop and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, exalted on earth. The Lord of hosts is with us, our intercessor is the God of Jacob" (Ps. 45, 11 - 12); "The princes of the peoples gathered to the people of the God of Abraham" (Ps. 46:10); "Thy salvation is in all nations... May the nations praise You, O God, may all nations praise You" (Ps. 66:3, 4, 6); "For the sake of your temple in Jerusalem, the kings will bring you gifts" (Ps. 67, 30); "Declare His glory among the nations, His wonders among all nations" (Ps. 95:3); "Give glory and honor to the Lord, you peoples of the nations" (Ps. 95, 7); "And the peoples will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth - your glory" (Ps. 101, 16); "Praise the Lord, all peoples; glorify Him, all peoples" (Ps. 116:1); "The mountain of the Lord's house will be set on the top of the mountains and will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will flow to it. And many nations will go and say, Come, 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 the law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:2); "To the root of Jesse, which will become like a banner for the nations, the Gentiles will turn" (Is. 11, 10); "But I will make you a light of the nations, so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth" (Isaiah 49:6); "Behold, you will call a people that you did not know, and the nations that did not know you will hasten to you for the sake of the Lord your God and for the sake of the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you" (Isaiah 55:5); "My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Isaiah 56:7); "And nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness that rises above you" (Isaiah 60:3). This is about Jerusalem; "At that time Jerusalem will be called the throne of the Lord; and all the nations for the sake of the name of the Lord will gather in Jerusalem" (Jer. 3, 17); "And the kingdom and dominion and the majesty of the kingdom under all the heavens shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers shall serve and obey Him" (Dan. 7:27); “In that day I will restore the fallen tabernacle of David, I will repair the cracks in it and restore what was broken, and I will build it up, as in the days of old, so that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations among whom My name will be proclaimed, says the Lord who does all these things” ( Amos 9, 11 - 12); "And many peoples will flee to the Lord in that day, and they will be my people" (Zech. 2:11); "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: it will come to pass in those days, ten people from all the multilingual peoples will take up the floor of Judea and will say: we will go with you, for we have heard that God is with you" (Zech. 8, 23); "For from the rising of the sun to the setting of the sun, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place they will bring incense to my name, a pure sacrifice; my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 1, 11). In the New Testament: "I tell you that many will come from the east and the west and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mat. 8, 11); "And he taught them, saying, Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations?" (Mark 11:17); "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24), but "I also have other sheep that are not of this fold, and those I must bring: and they will hear My voice, and there will be one flock and one Shepherd" (Jn. 10, 16); "Jesus says to her: Believe me, the time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You do not know what you bow down to; but we know what we bow down to, for salvation from the Jews"(John 4, 21 - 22). It is important not that Jesus Christ speaks about this, but that "salvation from the Jews" is written in the Gospel of John, known for its negative attitude towards the Jews (with a capital letter, as in Gospel); "God first promised through His prophets, in the holy writings, about His Son ... that in His name to subject all nations to the faith" (Rom. 1: 2, 3, 5); "Is God there is a god Jews only, and not Gentiles? Of course, even the Gentiles" (Rom. 3, 29). "For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow before Me, and every tongue will confess God" (Rom. 14, 11); "For this I will praise You , (Lord), among the Gentiles... Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and glorify Him, all the nations. Isaiah also says: there will be a root of Jesse, and he will rise up to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in Him" (Rom. 15: 8, 11-12); "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, foretold to Abraham: in you all nations will be blessed" (Gal. 3, 8).
Does it continue to live after physical death? human personality? The Bible is very contradictory in answering this complex and ever-present question.
What the Bible Says Against the Existence of the Personality After the Death of the Body
Based on an excerpt from a book by archaeologist A. A. Oparin, author of books on creationist biblical archeology and sacred history Christianity. "And the stones will cry out"
Questions asked by life
Visiting some cathedral, church or monastery, people, sometimes without even realizing it, buy candles and place them for the repose of the souls of their dead loved ones and relatives. Often people give a list of the names of their deceased loved ones to church ministers so that the priest from the pulpit commemorates them before God. Many, visiting cemeteries, tell about their experiences, joys at the graves of loved ones, believing that the souls of relatives will surely hear them. Every now and then you hear stories about how their dead relatives come to the living in a dream and give them some advice, or talk about their life in other worlds. Once on TV, a famous opera singer told that he communicates with God through his dead mother, which even after death supports him in the same way as she did during her lifetime. Others go to special séances to meet and communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. We read the stories of people who were once in a state of clinical death, in which they recall the journey of their soul, their meeting with God. Many today are fond of reading books, of which there are a great many, about the journey of souls, reincarnations. Often these books are written by people who have nothing to do with Eastern religions. A few years ago, a correspondent of the Arguments and Facts newspaper asked a priest about what happens to the soul of a person who had just died, to which he replied that at first the soul, accompanied by angels, travels the earth, comes to its family, and then goes to God, who determines her fate - she is destined to stay in heaven or hell (which supposedly happens on the 9th day after death), and on the 40th day the soul ascends from the earth.
In misfortunes, people are consoled by the fact that now our loved ones are in paradise, where they are not threatened with troubles and sorrows. It has become traditional to celebrate the commemoration of the soul on the 9th and 40th days.
Many are afraid of hell, where, according to the teachings of many religions, the souls of sinners are forever destined to suffer in an unquenchable flame. Often it is this fear that is not completely realized that attracts even an unbeliever to church, especially on holidays, to perform certain rites, make donations to the temple, give alms, stand in the service. With similar actions, we are trying to protect the souls of our deceased loved ones from eternal torment. Sometimes scrupulously observing the rites of burial, commemoration on the 9th and 40th days after death, on holidays putting candles for the repose of the soul in the church, people do not know that God Himself in His Word - the Bible speaks about the soul, about whether there is life after death, while relying on the opinions, ideas and knowledge of other people. But how much more important it is to know the opinion of God than the opinions of other people, albeit very wise and perhaps having a high spiritual dignity, but, nevertheless, just people like you and me.
What does God say on the pages of the Bible about the immortality of the soul?
Biblical Answer
1. First, let's look at how the Bible explains what the soul is.
The soul is life.
“And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul” (Genesis 2:1).
“And they beat everything that was breathing that was in it with a sword, betraying a curse; there was not a single soul left…” (Joshua 11:11).
“For I will not litigate forever, nor will I be completely angry; otherwise the spirit fails before Me, and every breath that I have created” (Isaiah 57:16).
As we can see, in these texts the soul is presented as a symbol of life, as a symbol of a living human organism.
The soul is a separate person, a person.
“Say to the children of Israel: If a man or woman commits any sin against a person, and through this he commits a crime against the Lord, and that soul will be guilty ...” (Numbers 5:6).
“…in the days of Noah, while the ark was being built, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by the water” (1 Peter 3:20).
“So those who gladly received his word were baptized, and that day about three thousand souls were added” (Acts 2:41).
“There were all of us in the ship two hundred and seventy-six souls” (Acts 27:37).
From these texts we see that the soul is equivalent to the concept Human.
Soul - as a symbol of feelings, thinking, mood.
“When David had finished speaking with Saul, the soul of Jonathan clung to his soul, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul” (1 Samuel 18:1).
“When she came ... to the mountain ... And Gehazi came up to take her away; but the man of God said, “Leave her; her soul is grieved…” (2 Kings 4:27).
“My soul melts with sorrow: strengthen me according to your word” (Ps. 119:28).
“My soul remembers this well, and falls down in me” (Lamentations 3:20).
The soul in the Bible is called not only people, but also animals.
“And God created great fish, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind…” (Gen. 1:21).
The word "nefesh", translated into Russian as "soul", literally means the word "breathe". In the books of the New Testament, originally written in Greek, the word "nefesh" corresponds to the word "psyche", which is also literally translated into Russian as the verb "breathe". It is in this understanding that the concept of "soul" is mentioned in the Bible, in other words, as a symbol of life. In no place in the Bible can we find a mention that the human soul is immortal and continues to live after death. According to the Bible, only God has immortality. We often hear that angels are immortal - yes, if God gives them eternal life. But God has the right to take away this life, and in this case the angels can lose their immortality. The Bible clearly states that at the end of time God will destroy forever Satan, the ancestor of sin, and everyone knows that he was originally created as the angel Lucifer.
“…one mighty King of kings and Lord of lords, the only one having immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light…” (1 Tim. 6:15-16).
2. Unity of spirit, soul and body:
“And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you in all its fullness, and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved in its entirety without blemish…” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
3. The Bible about the state of man after death:
“The living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and there is no longer any retribution for them, because the memory of them is forgotten; And their love, and their hatred, and their jealousy, have already vanished, and they have no more part for ever in anything that is done under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).
“Whatever your hand can do, do it according to your strength; for in the grave where you are going there is no work, no meditation, no knowledge, no wisdom” (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
“But a man dies and falls apart; gone, and where is he? ... So a person lies down and does not get up; until the end of heaven, he will not wake up, and will not rise from his sleep ... Whether his children are honored, he does not know; whether they are humiliated, he does not notice” (Job 14:10, 12, 21).
“His spirit goes out, and he returns to his own land; in that day all his thoughts perish” (Ps. 146:4).
As you can see, contrary to the teachings of many churches that talk about life after death and the immortality of the soul, about the joy of souls in heaven, about their suffering in hell, about their worries about loved ones left on earth, the Lord completely rejects all this from the pages of the Bible. With the death of a person, as we saw in the Holy Scriptures, all his thoughts, affections, love, hatred disappear. What is death, and what happens to a person when he dies? This is how Christ Himself explained to His disciples what death is: “Having said this, he then says to them: “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going to wake him up.” His disciples said, “Lord! If he falls asleep, he will recover. Jesus spoke of his death; but they thought that He was talking about an ordinary dream. Then Jesus told them directly: "Lazarus is dead..." (John 11:11-14).
The Bible tells us that after the fall, the Lord deprived a person of eternal life, immortality: “And the Lord God said: “Behold, Adam became like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, no matter how he stretched out his hand, and also took from the tree of life, and did not eat, and did not begin to live forever ... And he drove out Adam, and placed in the east near the garden of Eden a cherub ... to guard the way to the tree of life ”(Gen. 3:22-24).
Resurrection will occur only at the Second Coming of Christ, and not of a disembodied soul, but of the whole person, in the flesh: “But I know that my Redeemer lives, and on the last day He will raise up from the dust this decaying skin of mine; And I will see God in my flesh. I will see Him myself; my eyes, not the eyes of another, will see Him…” (Job 19:25-27).
“And many of those sleeping in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, others to everlasting reproach and shame” (Dan. 12:2).
“So a man lies down and does not get up; until the end of heaven he will not awake, neither will he wake up from his sleep” (Job 14:12).
“... all who are in the tombs will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who have done good will come out to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29).
“Your dead will live, dead bodies will rise! Rise up and rejoice, cast down in the dust: … for … the earth will vomit up the dead” (Isaiah 26:19).
“But those who have been made worthy to reach ... the resurrection ... can no longer die ... for they ... are the sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection. And that the dead will be raised, and Moses showed at the bush ... ”(Luke 20: 5-37).
So, let's make generalizations about what the soul and death are in the light of the Bible.:
1. Soul (breath) is a symbol of life, a living person, human thoughts, feelings, desires.
2. There is a unity of spirit, soul and body. The body dies, and the soul dies with it, in other words, the feelings, desires, memory, and intellect of a person die along with the body. After death, nothing remains of a person (!).
3. Death is a dream that will be interrupted at the Second Coming of Christ, when the dead righteous will be resurrected and receive from God the gift of eternal life.
4. People will be resurrected in the flesh, it will be they themselves, their memory, thoughts, feelings, etc. will return.
5. Man lost the gift of eternal life after the fall.
6. Only God has immortality.
7. At the Second Coming of Christ, everyone will receive retribution - both the righteous and sinners.
Thus, God on the pages of the Bible refutes the false teaching of many churches about the immortality of the soul. How did this false teaching crept into Christianity?
Retreat history
As evidenced by Holy Bible, Jews for hundreds of years adhered to the biblical understanding of the death of the soul and body. “The doctrine of the immortality of the soul is omitted from the Mosaic Law… although… It would seem that a principle so essential to religion could be told by revelation to the chosen people of Palestine in the clearest terms and that it could be safely entrusted to the hereditary priestly race of Aaron.”
However, the situation began to change after the Babylonian captivity and the approval of the canon (the list of Old Testament books) under Ezra, after the last Old Testament prophet Malachi (about 400 BC). Then “in Jerusalem, little by little, two famous sects were formed - the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The first of them, consisting of the wealthiest and most prominent members of society, strictly adhered to the literal meaning of the Mosaic law and, out of a sense of piety, rejected the immortality of the soul as such a doctrine that has no support in content. sacred books considered by them to be the only foundation of faith. And the Pharisees added to the authority of Holy Scripture the authority of traditions, and under the name of traditions they adopted some speculative positions borrowed from the philosophy or religion of the Eastern peoples ... since the Pharisees, thanks to the severity of their morals, managed to win over the majority of the Jewish people to their side, the immortality of the soul prevailing belief of the synagogue". So, the concept of the immortality of the soul came to the Old Testament church from philosophy and religion. pagan peoples those around her. But thanks to the appearance and activity of Christ and the apostles, the young New Testament Christian church rejected this pagan teaching, which has no basis in the Old Testament. However, as the preaching of the Gospel spread, many Greeks came to the church, through whom the devil begins to act, who promised to the first people Adam and Eve in Eden: "... no, you will not die ... but ... you will be like gods, knowing good and evil" ( Gen. 3:4-5). Since then, the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul by the enemy of the human race has continued to be propagated with incredible tenacity. The concept of the immortality of the soul was strongly developed in Greek philosophy, whose followers wanted to teach people not to be afraid of death, which they called "a fatal blow that ends our life and saves us from worldly misfortunes." “They came to the conclusion that, since none of the properties of matter can be applied to the activity of the mind, then, therefore, the human soul is the same substance that is different from the body, pure, uncomplicated and spiritual, that it cannot subject to decay and available to a much higher degree of virtue and happiness after she is freed from her bodily prison ... philosophers who followed in the footsteps of Plato drew a very unfounded conclusion: they began to assert not only that the human soul is immortal in the future, but and the fact that it existed forever, and began to look at it as a part of that infinite and self-existing spirit that fills and supports the universe. The Greeks, brought up on this philosophy, having adopted Christianity, introduced into it the concept of an immortal soul. And if in the first 100-200 years this caused many protests, then by the 4th century A.D. Chr. this doctrine finally entered the church. This was also facilitated by the fact that, except for the Greeks, all peoples - from the population of Africa to the Slavs - believed in the immortality of the soul as one of the integral elements of paganism. Each nation had its own concepts about the realm of the dead, hell: among the Egyptians - Duat, among the Babylonians - “Country without return”, among the Greeks - the kingdom of Hades; paradise: among the Hittites - Cummii, among the Scandinavians - Valhalla, etc. In the myths of the peoples of the world, the concepts of hell and paradise are described in such a way that it is difficult to distinguish them from Christian ones. The doctrine of hell was finally established in 533 A.D. Chr. at a church council in Byzantium under the leadership of Emperor Justinian the First. Later, the Catholic Church develops the doctrine of purgatory, which we have already written about. One could write a lot about the pagan roots of the dogma about the immortality of the soul in different peoples, but we will focus on the Russians. Besides, I think it is of greater interest than, say, the Angles or the Franks.
Ancient Rus' adopted Christianity from Byzantium, and with it the position of the immortality of the soul, already established in the Christian religion. This concept not only did not raise questions, but, on the contrary, was accepted with joy as quite familiar to pagan Rus'. Soon this doctrine acquired the features inherent in Russian customs. Here is what the largest researcher of the Slavs, archaeologist Academician B. A. Rybakov, writes about Russian paganism in his book “Paganism of the Ancient Slavs”: “One of these burials was observed on the Volga among the medieval Slavs in 922 by the Arab diplomat Ibn Fadlan. He left a very detailed description of this… ritual and recorded a dialogue between an Arabic translator and one of the Russian merchants, revealing the ideological justification for burning the dead… The Russian turned to the Arab translator: “You, oh Arabs, are stupid! Indeed, you take the person most beloved to you and the most respected by you and throw him into the ground, and eat his ashes and gnats and worms ... And we burn him in the twinkling of an eye, so that he enters paradise immediately and immediately. Paradise of the Russians, the abode of the souls of the dead… somewhere high, high… Paradise (kriy, vyriy) is a wonderful garden located somewhere in a distant sunny country… Once in a paradise-vyrii, the souls of the dead can, invisibly for people, fly from there to their friends and enemies and to remind about yourself. “Well-known… rituals associated with the cult of ancestors and commemoration of the dead on the rainbow. They solemnly prepare for the reception of the souls of their ancestors: they heat a bath for them (this was noted by the sources of the 12th century), they wash the hut, prepare ritual dishes and remember the dead ... For the souls of the ancestors, they set aside part of the ritual food. "On the other hand ... the idea of the souls of the dead, which can circle over loved ones, over the burial place (until the fortieth day after death)."
As you can see, the commemoration of the dead on the fortieth day, leaving food on the graves for their souls, stories about meetings with the souls of deceased loved ones - all this came to us from paganism and has nothing to do with the Bible. We also know that when performing the rite of burial of the dead, “a chaplet with the image of Christ, the Mother of God and John the Baptist with the inscription “Holy God” is placed on the forehead of the deceased as a sign that the deceased as a Christian ... died with the hope ... to receive a crown in heaven ... on his hands he is entitled to a cross or some kind of icon ... ". In addition, a prayer to the Mother of God is placed in the coffin. This rite, although considered purely Christian, also came from paganism, from Egypt. The body thus prepared was carefully bandaged crosswise with incredibly long bandages of royal linen. On them, as well as on hoods and shrouds made of ceramic thread, magical inscriptions and amulets were placed to prevent the body from following the soul. "Magical papyrus scrolls were placed on the forehead of the deceased".
The doctrine of the immortality of the soul opened wide doors to spiritualism, magic, sorcery, which, at first glance, have nothing to do with church apostasy. How many people were deceived by demons who appeared to them under the guise of their dead loved ones! How many false miracles have been and are being performed with the help of this! From the teaching of Christ to spiritualism, many churches have been led away from the gospel truth about the soul and death. Today, they often try to substantiate the biblical basis for the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul, referring to the case described in the Bible when King Saul, who had departed from God, comes at night to the sorceress: “And Saul inquired of the Lord; but the Lord did not answer him ... then Saul said to his servants: Find me a sorceress woman, and I will go to her and ask her. And his servants answered him: here in Endor there is ... a sorceress ”(see 1 Book of Kings 28 chapter). Saul went secretly to the sorceress and asked him to bring out the shadow of Samuel to ask him what would happen to him, to Saul. And then a spiritualistic session is described: a spirit similar to Samuel appeared and predicted the death of Saul and his sons. If this text is taken out of the general context of the Bible, then indeed, it seems that the soul of Samuel appeared to Saul. What does the Bible say about this, and how to understand the case? Revelation 21:8 records that God will destroy "...sorcerers and idolaters...in the lake burning with fire and brimstone...". Sorcerers, that is, sorcerers, wizards, magicians who have nothing to do with God and cannot have anything in common, and who are representatives of the power of Satan.
“Blessed are those who keep His commandments, so that… they may enter the city… And outside there are dogs and sorcerers…” (Rev. 22:14-15).
Who appeared to Saul disguised as Samuel? The answer follows from the whole context of the Bible - a demon, an agent of Satan. The same thing happens at modern spiritualistic sessions, when people, contrary to the will of God, so clearly expressed in His Word, voluntarily go to someone else's territory - the territory of the devil, and receive consolation at the thought that they are talking with their dead relatives or with God, Who on these there are no sessions and cannot be.
And one more place in the Bible is used by supporters of the false doctrine of the immortality of the soul, hell and heaven: a parable recorded in the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31. Read it, dear readers. We will explain that the parable genre itself is an allegory, and not a historical real narrative, for example, it presents heaven and hell in such a way that people from both sides can communicate and make a request not to God, but to Abraham. The parable also mentions the request of the tormented rich man to Lazarus, so that he would “cool his tongue” for him. According to the teachings of a number of denominations, souls tormented in hell, as you know, do not have physical body and hence the language. Why did Christ tell a parable with this particular situation? Maybe He wanted to emphasize that heaven and hell exist, and immortal souls tormented in hell? But, as has already been emphasized, incorporeal souls cannot burn and suffer. Jesus told this parable to show, as it is clear from the whole context of the chapter, that after the death of a person, his fate can no longer be changed, and that no miracle will force a person to accept the Savior into his life if he does not have faith.
Archeology of the Dead Cities
As history and archeology show us, at the dawn of mankind, the peoples of the earth followed the biblical doctrine of death and the soul. And only with time the doctrine of the immortality of the soul, together with paganism, triumphed among the peoples of the world. From a huge amount of data, we will cite on this issue evidence of excavations in Mesopotamia and in Russia.
“Broken burials appear as early as the Mousterian time and are common throughout the Stone and Bronze Ages ... The crouching of the skeletons (skeletons. - A.O.) in ancient burials has long been associated with the position of the embryo in the mother's womb ... I think this is correct ... The idea of turning a dead person into an unborn embryo is obviously connected with the idea that a deceased person can be born a second time ... ".
“Here you can guess the idea of a dream, a sleeping (deceased) person, temporarily motionless and lifeless. But, judging by the numerous ... things that accompany the deceased (food, weapons, jewelry), the person himself should wake up and in the same guise in which he “fell asleep”.
“It is interesting to note the position of the body. If in the graves of El Obeid the dead were laid on their backs, and in the tombs of the royal cemetery on their side, in a sleeping position with legs slightly bent at the knees, here the skeletons were literally twisted: the head hung over the chest, the legs were bent so that the hips formed a straight line with the body angle, in some cases the knees were pulled straight up to the face, and the heels touched the sacrum: we have an embryonic position in front of us, and as a person came out of the womb of his mother, so let him go to the world from which he came. This posture of the deceased is associated with a solemn ritual dictated by religion.
Retreat Consequences
The false doctrine of the immortality of the soul has caused:
1. The appearance of the doctrine of hell and paradise, where, respectively, the souls of the dead are eternally tormented or eternally rejoicing.
The dogma of heaven and hell deprives the meaning of the Second Coming of Christ and the Last Judgment, because each of the people after death receives a reward and his fate is already determined (hell or paradise). Here it is appropriate to clarify that in the Bible Eden is called paradise, in which Adam and Eve lived before their fall, therefore, paradise is a lost sinless world, but which God will return to the saved at the Second Coming of Christ. Once again, we emphasize that nowhere in the Bible does it say that the souls of the dead are in paradise. Hell in the Bible is called a grave, as well as constrained difficult circumstances in people's lives: "... and death and hell gave up the dead ..." (Rev. 20:13).
"... The chains of hell have wrapped around me..." - David says in difficult circumstances (2 Kings 22:6). But nowhere is it said that hell is the eternal torment of the souls of dead sinners.
2. The concepts of the immortality of sin in the world and the immortality of the sinner.
Regardless of how you live, you will never die, but will be immortal, again contrary to the Word of God, which states that "the wages of sin is death." This position seems to say: well, why change your life and give up your favorite sins, anyway you will not die.
3. Salvation for money.
In the West in catholic church the dogma of purgatory was adopted, where the souls of those who have hope for paradise are located, but are not yet ready for it, and only after undergoing a certain amount of torment can they get there. Relatives of the deceased can contribute to a faster transition of the soul to heaven by donating some money. Pay, and your dead loved ones will immediately find themselves in paradise.
4. Fundamentals of spiritualism.
Today, many churches are trying to declare that they have nothing to do with spiritualism, but it was they who, having accepted the position of the immortality of the soul, contributed to its prosperity. As a result, people, thinking that at these sessions they will meet with the souls of their loved ones, actually meet with Satan and his demons and communicate with them. If people who expose themselves to such a terrible deception knew that the soul dies with the body, they would never expose themselves to such a risk and enter the territory of the enemy of Jesus Christ.
5. Perversions of the character of God.
By misinterpreting the concepts of hell and heaven, many churches defame the character of God, presenting him as cruel and bloodthirsty. Can it be that God, who is love, as the Bible says, will allow someone, even a very sinful one, to burn forever, and, moreover, those who will be in paradise will see the torment of their loved ones? Would you like to get into a paradise from which you can watch the eternal torment of your mother or children? Or even just knowing that somewhere now your loved ones are suffering unbearably, and their suffering will last forever? Hardly! And would you trust a God who is ready to torment people forever? Fortunately, our Lord is all-merciful and philanthropic! But how long will the suffering of people in the fire last, and is there an example of this in history? Yes, there is such an example: the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah: “As Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities ... having undergone the execution of eternal fire, they are set as an example ...” (The Epistle of the Apostle Jude 1: 7). "Eternal fire", which is mentioned here, what does it mean? Is it really eternal? But today it is well known to everyone that in the place of these cities a Dead Sea, and the excavations that archaeologists tried to carry out under water with the help of divers helped to find charred bricks that burned houses. Cities were destroyed very quickly, once and for all. But do they burn together with the inhabitants today? No! Why, then, is fire called eternal? Translated from Hebrew, the word “eternal” means “eternal, that is, while the process is going on,” in other words, cities were destroyed by eternal fire, that is, once and for all! They are destroyed forever, they will never be, but this does not mean that they are still burning today. How long will the punishment of the wicked last, who the Bible indicates will be destroyed by eternal fire? Very quickly, and also once and for all, they will never be, so the punishment is called eternal. “For behold, the day will come, burning like an oven; then all the arrogant and wicked will be like stubble, and the coming day will burn them up…so that it will leave them neither root nor branch” (Malachi 4:1). How long does it take for straw to burn out completely? Very few. In the same way, people will be quickly destroyed, like dry straw. That's what the Bible says, contrary to what people say.
Babylonian wine
Among the numerous Babylonian wines that Satan offers to people today, the wine of the “immortality of the soul” brand is the strongest and most attractive, affecting the delicate strings of the human soul. People drink this wine if:
1. Participate in seances.
2. They come into contact with the souls of deceased relatives who allegedly came to them.
3. They pray for the dead, light candles for the repose of their souls, commemorate them in the church.
4. Recognize the existence of hell, purgatory and heaven.
5. Celebrate the 9th and 40th days as the days of determining the fate and seeing off the souls of the dead.
6. They perform pagan rituals, burying loved ones with an icon and a halo, in the hope that this will provide them with a “pass” to paradise.
(End of excerpt from Oparin's book)
What the Bible Says for the Existence of the Personality After the Death of the Body
Alexey Anatolyevich, as well as members of the so-called group. "Jehovah's Witnesses" is very convincing, however, we cannot brush aside the words in the Bible of a completely opposite sense. Let's start with the story of the summoning of Samuel's spirit by the disgraced King Saul:
… And Samuel said to Saul, Why do you trouble me to come out? And Saul answered, It is very hard for me; The Philistines are fighting against me, but God has departed from me and no longer answers me either through the prophets or in a dream; so I called you to teach me what to do. And Samuel said, Why then do you ask me, when the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? The Lord will do what He spoke through me; The Lord will take the kingdom from your hands and give it to your neighbor David. (1 Samuel 28:15-17)
How, then, did King Saul evoke the dead personality of Samuel, which simply disappeared along with the death of the body, and why did Yahweh God strictly forbid divination? Supporters of the undying soul believe that it was not God at all through the mouth of the resurrected priest Samuel, but the demon spoke prophecies regarding the future of Saul. It is highly doubtful that anyone before Christianity interpreted this passage in such a rather extravagant way.
Bliss. Theodoret (interpretation on 1 Kings, question 63) regards the incident with the summoning of the spirit of Samuel as "God's miracle":
"... 1 Samuel 28:11. The formidable, convicting appearance of Samuel suggested to the woman that before her was none other than the irreconcilable enemy of the prophet - the Jewish king Saul.
…1 Samuel 28:12-14. Contrary to the expectations of the sorceress herself, it was not an illusory, but a real miracle: God clothed Samuel's disembodied soul with the semblance of a body in order to once again express to the apostate his indispensable will for him and his house.(quoted from "Lopukhin's Explanatory Bible")
The ordeal of a sinful soul is described even more expressively in the book of the prophet Jonah:
... And the Lord commanded the great whale to swallow Jonah; and Jonah was in the whale's belly three days and three nights. And Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the whale and said: I called to the Lord in my affliction, and He heard me; from the belly of hell I cried out, and you heard my voice. You plunged me into the depths, into the heart of the sea, and the streams surrounded me, all Your waters and Your waves passed over me. And I said: I am cast off from Thy eyes, but I will again see Thy holy temple. The waters have embraced me to my soul; the abyss has shut me in; My head was wrapped in seaweed. I descended to the base of the mountains, the earth with its locks forever barred me; but You, O Lord my God, will bring my soul out of hell. (Jonah 2:1-7)
The book of the prophet Jonah was so revered and popular in the religious circles of Israel, and was especially authoritative among the first Christians (followers of the "Nazarite heresy"), that it formed the basis of the myth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his descent into the kingdom of the dead to preach the Good News there, her mentions as a prototype of this gospel plot the author Gospel of Matthew:
... as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights (Matt. 12:40)
The psalm of David, identified by Christians with the "resurrection of Christ", is commented in the Acts of the Apostles as follows:
... But being a prophet and knowing that God promised him with an oath from the fruit of his loins to raise up Christ in the flesh and seat him on his throne, He first said about the resurrection of Christ that His soul was not left in hell, and His flesh did not see corruption. (Acts 2:30-31)
Thus, the Bible gives completely contradictory interpretations about the state of the human personality after the death of the physical body, which provides food for the believer of any denomination or direction - both sextant and traditional. The vast majority of Christians choose "life after death." Attitudes towards death changed with the advent of Christianity. In Christianity, the understanding of the meaning of life, death and immortality comes from the Old Testament position: " The day of death is better than the day of birth" and the New Testament commandment of Christ "... I have the keys to hell and paradise"On the one hand, death is an eternal punishment that each of us is forced to bear for a sin once committed. But on the other hand, death is the liberation of a person from the shackles of a mortal body, from the vale of earthly sorrows, releasing his eternal soul. "Let us tremble not before death, but before sin; it was not death that gave birth to sin, but sin produced death, and death became the healing of sin."(36, 739). According to Christian doctrine, a person becomes immortal - the path to immortality is opened by the atoning sacrifice of Christ through the cross and resurrection.
Archbishop Innokenty of Taurida and Kherson writes: those who were at the death of the righteous people saw that they did not die, but, as it were, fell asleep and went somewhere away from us in peace. On the contrary, the death of sinners is painful. The righteous have faith and hope, the sinners have fear and despair.”. According to the figurative expression of one of the hierarchs: " A dying man is a setting luminary, the dawn of which is already shining over another world.".
After death, the soul leaves the body without interrupting its existence for a second, and continues to live the fullness of life that it began to live on earth. But without a body. But with all the thoughts and feelings, with all the virtues and vices, advantages and disadvantages that were characteristic of her on earth. The life of the soul beyond the grave is a natural continuation and consequence of its life on earth”, writes Archbishop Anthony of Geneva. “If a person was a true Christian during his life (he kept the commandments, attended Church, prayed), then the soul will feel the presence of God and find peace. If the person was a great sinner, then his soul will yearn for God, it will be tormented by desires to which it is accustomed the flesh, since it will be impossible to satisfy them, will suffer from the proximity of evil spirits".
The soul, leaving the body, is able to reason, perceive, realize, but it is devoid of a shell and therefore cannot perform actions, it will no longer be able to change something, acquire what it did not have while in the body. " Beyond the grave there is no repentance. The soul lives there and develops in the direction it started on earth”, writes Anthony Zhenevsky.
Archimandrite Cyprian writes: In addition to the torment and the power of hell, something else confuses us in death: this is the obscurity of that life of ours. With the moment of bodily death there will be no break for the soul: the soul, as it lived until the last minute of earthly life, will continue to live until the Last Judgment. (...) There is no death in Orthodoxy, for death is only a narrow boundary between life here and death in the next century, death is only a temporary separation of soul and body. There is no death for anyone, for Christ is risen for all. There is eternity, eternal rest and everlasting memory with God and in God".
According to the Catholic doctrine, the souls of some sinners go to Purgatory on their way to heaven, because they did not receive absolution for sins during their lifetime (did not fulfill penance). The period of stay in purgatory can be shortened by the prayers of loved ones, as well as good deeds committed in memory of the deceased. Ideas about purgatory began to take shape from the 1st century AD. e, and the doctrine of purgatory was developed in detail in the writings of Thomas Aquinas. The dogma of purgatory was adopted at the Council of Florence in 1439 and confirmed in 1562 by the Council of Trent.
Just to answer complex issue you should turn to Jesus. After all, only He managed to answer very tricky questions so easily and accessible that the greatest minds of that time were surprised.
Light and salt
Here is an example of the meaning God has laid out for His children.
13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its potency, how will you make it salty? She is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out to be trampled by people.
14 You are the light of the world. A city on top of a mountain cannot hide.
15 And when they light a candle, they do not put it under a vessel, but on a candlestick, and it gives light to all in the house.
16 So let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
(Matt.5:13-16)
I will not comment on the examples Jesus uses. I invite you to reflect on such simple and capacious images of the Savior on your own. It is surprising that Jesus used the well-known salt and an ordinary candle for comparison.
I note that the above passage is enough to direct the heart to the true path and find out what is the meaning of life.
And for comparison, I will give a few places that will show another meaning in life.
13 Now listen to you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and we will live there one year, and we will trade and make a profit”;
14 you who do not know what will happen tomorrow: for what is your life? vapor that appears for a short time and then disappears.
(James 4:13,14)12 They are like dumb animals, led by nature, born to capture and exterminate slandering what they do not understand, they will be destroyed in their corruption.
17 These are waterless springs, clouds and haze driven by a storm: the gloom of eternal darkness is prepared for them.
(2 Pet. 2:12 and 17)
See the difference?
There is a meaning of life, which in the eyes of God is sinful. Such people live like steam that disappears, like pigs fattened on a barbecue.
A person decides for himself which way to follow, what meaning to choose for his life. What is worth becoming: the chosen one in the hands of God or the vapor that will dissipate?
You will not even believe how many places in the Bible there are that will tell us about the meaning of life. These places are hidden from most hearts and accessible only to a small number of people. Why?
Kliklin to reveal the verses of Matthew 6:19-34
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal,
20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal,
21 for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 The lamp for the body is the eye. So if your eye is clear, then your whole body will be bright;
23 But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. So if the light that is in you is darkness, then what is the darkness?
24 No one can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one and love the other; or he will be zealous for one, and neglect the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
25 Therefore I say to you, worry not for your soul what you should eat or drink, nor for your body what you should wear. Is not the soul more than food, and the body more than clothes?
26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow, nor reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you much better than them?
27 And which of you, by taking care, can add one cubit to his stature?
28 And why are you concerned about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field, how they grow: neither toil nor spin;
29 but I tell you that even Solomon in all his glory did not dress like one of them;
30 But if the grass of the field, which is today, and tomorrow will be thrown into the oven, God so clothes, how much more than you, you of little faith!
31 So worry not, and say, What shall we eat? or what to drink? Or what to wear?
32 because all these things are sought by the Gentiles, and because your Father in heaven knows that you have need of all this.
33 Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34 So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow [itself] will take care of its own: enough for [every] day of its care.
(Mat. 6:19-34)
With what we can fill our vessels, we will discuss in the next chapter.
Water and vessel
First of all, I am interested in, but is there an answer to any of my questions in the Bible?
The more I ask this question, the more convinced I am that there is an answer. No matter how ordinary it may sound, but "YES", the Bible has all the necessary answers to vital questions for a person. And once again, answering the question of this post, I propose to turn to the Bible and find out what the Word will tell you.
I will refer to my research on the topic, but perhaps you already have your own answer. Comment on the post, let's discuss!
Well, now to the Old Testament. I'll start right away with the conclusion.
13 Let us listen to the essence of everything: fear God and keep his commandments, for in this is everything for man;
(Eccl. 12:13)
Despite the complexity of the Old Testament and a lot of incomprehensible and not always interesting history, there are places that hit right at the heart of our issue.
My opinion is that the author of this passage, the wisest king - Solomon. And to agree with his conclusion, I had to read the entire book of Ecclesiastes. And behind it, God turned my attention to the book of Proverbs. Truly wise books that shed light not only on our question, but also on many other questions.
The following passage is also from the Old Testament:
15 Woe to those who think to hide themselves in the depths to hide their plans from the Lord, who do their work in darkness and say, “Who will see us? and who will recognize us?
16 What recklessness! Is it possible to consider a potter as clay? Will the product say about the one who made it: “he did not make me”? and will the work say of its artist, "He does not understand"?
(Is.29:15,16)
Isaiah is a prophet and in his appeals to the people of Israel, he conveys the words of God. We have read about condemnation, but notice what comparison God has shared with us. The Apostle Paul expands on the image:
20 And who are you, man, that you argue with God? Will the product say to the one who made it: “Why did you make me like this?”
21 Does not the potter have power over the clay, to make from the same mixture one vessel for honorable [use], and another for low?
(Rom.9:20,21)
It turns out that if I made a chair out of wood, then I have the right to paint it green or yellow. It is clear that I will not ask about this my product. And I will need a chair in order to sit, and not for another.
I do not want to say that a person has no choice, there is!
I'm trying to show that man was created for a specific purpose, there is a purpose in our life! For God, we are like an expensive vessel that we fill on our own. For example:
7 Likewise, you husbands, treat your wives wisely, as with the weakest vessel, showing honor to them, as joint heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered. (1 Peter 3:7)
Now it remains to deal with the question of how to fill the vessel. If you look at a person as a vessel, then our hobbies, hobbies or affections are comparable to liquid?
For example, a woman goes to yoga on Tuesdays and Thursdays, spends time and effort, but then gets the result and good mood. Yoga filled her vessel. The man is passionate about football. Training and victories in games are also time, effort and result. Football is soul food for him. There are also negative examples, such as alcoholism, drugs or theft. I believe that if we do not fight, they can seize our vessel.
Agree that we always want to fill the void inside ourselves, and when it becomes smaller, we feel comfortable. Time passes and we feel like hunger - the desire to be fulfilled, successful. Like food, our hearts will always be full and hungry. This is human nature and there is nothing wrong with it. But when the moment comes and we are thirsty again, we can, for example, say how it is:
8 Vanity of vanities, said the Ecclesiastes, all is vanity!
(Eccl. 12:8)
13 Jesus answered and said to her, Everyone water drinker this, thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks the water that I will give him will never be thirsty; but the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water springing up into eternal life.
(John 4:13,14)
When our vessel, the body becomes unusable, serve its time and the ashes return to the ashes, only the jewels that we have saved all our lives, the most expensive and important, will remain. The vessel should be filled with the Glory of God.
The meaning of our life is to become a source of eternal water, which will exist even if the vessel is broken.
The Bible is very clear about the meaning of life for us!
David: Unlike those whose lot was earthly life David sought His satisfaction in the future. He said, “And I will truly look upon Your face; awakening, I will be satisfied with your image” (Psalm 16:15). According to David, full satisfaction should come the day he wakes up (in the next life) seeing the form of God (fellowship with Him) and having Him ...
What does the Bible say about how to find the meaning of life?
THE MEANING OF LIFE ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE
Solomon: After reflecting in the book of Ecclesiastes on the futility of life in this world, he gives the following concluding remarks: “Let us hear the essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because in this is everything for man; For God will bring every work into judgment, and every hidden thing, whether it be good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Solomon says that life is about glorifying God with our thoughts and lives, and therefore keeping His commandments, because one day we will stand before His judgment.
David: Unlike those whose lot was earthly life, David sought His satisfaction in the future. He said, “But I will truly look upon Your face; awakening, I will be satisfied with your image” (Psalm 16:15). According to the words...
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The line ""The meaning of the life of each person (the purpose of existence) is to ensure the existence of all mankind" was unjustifiably removed. as original research. “A Wikipedia article is considered original research if
introduced new theory or a way to solve a problem; new ideas are introduced; new definitions of terms are introduced; a neologism is introduced (a new or unusual term)."
Yes - these are original studies and the plausibility of these original studies has not been confirmed by anyone, but they are not on Wikipedia either, however, the very existence of these studies is an indisputable fact, which is present on Wikipedia in the form of one line of text describing their existence, but not the studies themselves , and these studies themselves are already placed outside Wikipedia, which cannot adversely affect the reputation of information on Wikipedia, and this line only replenishes the stock of this knowledge. So the line...
Question: What does the Bible say about how to find the meaning of life?
Answer: The Bible is very clear about the meaning of life for us!
THE MEANING OF LIFE ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE OF THE BIBLE
Solomon: After reflecting in the book of Ecclesiastes on the futility of life in this world, he gives the following concluding remarks: “Let us hear the essence of everything: fear God and keep His commandments, because in this is everything for man; For God will bring every work into judgment, and every hidden thing, whether it be good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14). Solomon says that life is about glorifying God with our thoughts and lives, and therefore keeping His commandments, because one day we will stand before His judgment.
David: Unlike those whose lot was earthly life, David sought His satisfaction in the future. He said, “And I will truly look upon Your face; awakening, I will be satisfied with your image” (Psalm 16:15). According to David's words, full satisfaction must come the day he...
“So that they seek God, if they feel Him and if they find…”
I dare say that the vast majority of our contemporaries do not have a clear answer to the question, what is the meaning of life in general, and their life in particular. Some will answer that in one's life it is necessary to benefit humanity, for example, to plant a tree, raise children, build a house. But they will not find a convincing answer to the question why they need it. And how it will help in eternity (assuming that the soul is immortal, as both the Bible and the Koran state). Others will frankly say that they see the meaning of life precisely in enjoying it.
Why, in our society, such an important question does not have a clear and unambiguous answer?
In my opinion, the reason is that at the end
In the 1970s, as a kind of result of many years of efforts by ideologists and builders of communism, a "new historical community" was indeed formed in the USSR - the Soviet people. This fact was...
What is a sense of life?
What is a sense of life? A question that interested millions of people, perhaps it is of interest to you too. The article will reveal the meaning of life.
Nothing plunges a person into despair more than the thought that life has no purpose. If a person is clearly aware of the meaning of life, then he cannot be broken.
The neurologist Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, wrote: “I would venture to say that there is nothing in the world that can help you survive even in the worst conditions so effectively as the realization that there is meaning in life.”
However, there are other opinions about this. Many adhere to the idea that everyone decides for himself what the meaning of life is. And those who believe in the theory of evolution teach that life has no particular purpose.
The most intelligent way to know the meaning and purpose of life is to turn to the Source of life, Jehovah God. Let's see what it says about this
his Word. Read
What…
The Bible is not a textbook on anthropology, geology or, say, paleontology. The Bible is a book about the relationship between man and God. And, moreover, ancient man; and, moreover, recorded by an ancient man ...
The Old Testament is the history of civilization, and the New Testament is a guide to life.
The gospel is a mirror that shows a person who he really is. Everything else flatters a person (deceives for the sake of his passions). The presence of Christ convicts a person. Therefore, each person either accepts Christ or kills Him in himself...
Perhaps it is worth saying a few more words about the interpretation of the Bible.
The Bible is collected into a codex in a sequence that is roughly historical. (Because not all authors adhered to the chronology - they had completely different ...
Yes! There is an instruction for the meaning of life!
Everything in this world has its purpose, the meaning of existence: every insect, blade of grass and drop of water. Does a person really live just to live? Even every invention of human hands has its own meaning: a spoon - to eat, a chair - to sit on it ...
Take, for example, a cell phone - today almost everyone has one. But imagine that you come to another country and give it to a person who has never seen such a miracle of technology. If you just leave the phone without explaining how to use it correctly, then two scenarios are possible:
1. The phone will be used for other purposes - they will amuse children, hammer nails, or simply throw it out as unnecessary.
2. A person will read the instructions for the device, understand what it is intended for and will call and talk on the phone.
Where is the meaning of life here?
I don’t know about you, but I described above ...
What the Bible Says
Home page | Does God really exist | What the Bible Says | Church of Christ: who are these people | Feature articles | Poetry | Humor
What the Bible says...
Throughout Russia and elsewhere in the world there is a renewed interest in the Bible. Every student of the Bible desires to find answers to vital questions. The Bible teaches us to be always ready to give an answer to anyone who asks if there is a basis for the hope that lives within us (1 Peter 3:15), it teaches us to try everything and only keep good (Thessalonians 5:21). This brochure will provide answers to the most frequently asked questions. We hope that it will help you to better understand the Bible and lead to a deeper and more complete, and most importantly, correct understanding of the Bible.
What should one turn to to establish the correct religious understanding and influence? The only source to look for true answers to religious questions is the Word of God –…
Do not turn the care of the flesh into lust.
(Rom. 13.14)
It seems that none of the aspects of a Christian's life is so deeply poisoned by the customs, views and opinions of the godless worldview and the old paganism as married life.
Young people entering into marriage draw knowledge about this side of life either from the environment, often corrupted, or from immoral "guides" compiled by atheists, or they approach it blindly, without receiving the necessary instructions from their parents or educators because for the false in this case modesty of the latter.
I don’t even know if there is any pastoral, specialized literature that deeply illuminates married life, this important aspect of the relationship of spouses. Let us look for indications of this from the Fathers of the Church and in the practice of the life of ancient Christians. For this, let us fast forward to the dawn of the Christian era and see what were the attitudes, views and customs regarding marriage among those who were established by the apostles themselves or their closest ones ...
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS
WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE WORD OF GOD
The question before us is: Why is Holy Scripture called the word "Bible"? The word "Bible" comes from the Greek word "byblos" or "biblion", which means: a book. That is why book depositories are called libraries. The word "biblion", that is, the Bible, is found in the New Testament on Greek, namely - in the Gospel of Luke 4, 16 - 17: “And he came to Nazareth, where he was brought up, and entered, according to his custom, on the Sabbath day into the synagogue, and stood up to read. He was given the book of the prophet Isaiah; and He, having opened the book, found the place where it was written… The Greek Gospel says: “And He, having opened the “biblion” (Bible)… But why did the Greeks call the book the word “byblos”, “biblion”? Because in ancient times books were written on "papyrus", also called "biblus". Wherever the word "book" appears in the Gospel, the word "byblos" or "biblion" appears in the Greek Gospel. That's where the Russian came from...
