Alone as he was, he reflected on his sins and mourned bitterly, because he remembered the terrible hour of Judgment.
Suddenly he sees the firmament of the sky being pulled away like a sheet. And the Lord Jesus Christ is presented in enormous dimensions. He stood in the ethers surrounded by all the heavenly hosts: angels, archangels, terrible and excellent ranks, lined up with every retreat.
The Lord blessed the general of a battalion and he approached bright, awesome, but also timid.
- Michael, Michael, lord of the covenant, receive with your order the fiery throne of my glory and go to the valley of Jehoshaphat. You will install him there as the first sign of my presence. Because the time is approaching when everyone will receive according to their works. Hurry up, the time has come. I will judge those who worshiped idols and denied Me their creator. Those who loved the stones and the wood I gave them for their needs. All of them will be crushed "like a potter's vessel". As well as my enemies the heretics who dared to separate me from my Father. Where they dared to demote the Paraclete Spirit to a building. Alas for them, what hell awaits them!
Now I will also appear to the Jews who crucified me and did not believe in my divinity. I was given all authority, honor, and power. I am a judge. Then when I was on the Cross they said: "Oh! the catalyzer of the temple...save yourself". Now, "I avenge, I repay." I will judge, I will control and I will severely punish the wicked and perverted generation because they did not repent. I gave them opportunities to repent, but they despised them. So I will take my revenge now.
I will do the same to the Sodomites, who defiled the earth and the air with their stench. I burned them then. And again I will burn them again because they hated the pleasure of the Holy Spirit and loved the pleasure of the devil.
I will also punish the adulterers, the ignorant and the blind, who look like female horses. They were not satisfied with their legal marriage but foolishly turned to immorality and Satan threw them bound into the abyss of fire. Didn't they hear that "it is awesome to put it into the hands of the living God"? Aren't they afraid of " my secret destroying them"? I called them to repent, but they did not.
I will also condemn the thieves who did a lot of bad things, even murders! And all those who committed many sins. I gave them opportunities to change but they didn't pay any attention. Where are their good works? I showed them the prodigal as a type and an underline - and many others - so that they would not be discouraged in their sins. But they disobeyed my orders and denied me. They turned away from Me and loved debauchery. They loathed Me and enslaved themselves to sin. So they go to the flame that they themselves lit.
But even those who died with a grudge, I will deliver them to a terrible rock. Because they did not desire my peace, but they stood in their lives angry, bitter, and angry.
The profiteers, the usurers, and those who work in avarice - which is second idolatry - I will annihilate them and I will take out all my wrath on them because they put their hope in gold and they ignored me as if I did not care for them.
And those pseudo -Christians, who claimed that there is no resurrection of the dead or that transmigration takes place, I will melt them in hell like wax. Then they will be convinced of the resurrection of the dead.
Magicians, poisoners, and those who generally deal with fortune-telling will be crushed.
Woe to those who get drunk, revel with guitars and drums, and sing, dance, blaspheme and imagine wickedly. I called them and they didn't listen to me, but they were making fun of me. Now the worm will eat their heart. I gave everyone mercy and repentance, but no one paid attention then.
I will also plunge into darkness those who despised the Holy Scriptures, which my Spirit wrote through the saints.
I will judge even those who deal with prejudices and superstitions and rest their hopes on knives, axes, scythes, and the like. Then they will learn that they should have hoped in God and not in his creations. They will be agitated and protest then, but they will no longer have any power, because "you take revenge, I will retaliate".
I will punish both the kings and the lords who were constantly embittering me with their injustices. They judged unjustly and proudly despised the people. And they were not paid. However, my authority does not accept bribes. According to their iniquity, I will destroy them. Then they will understand that I am the terrible one who takes away the powers of the lords. They will understand that I am more awesome than all the kings of the earth. Woe to them! What hell awaits them! Because they gnashed their teeth and shed innocent blood, the blood of their children and their daughters.
But to whose wrath shall I deliver the hirelings, where they were not genuine shepherds? where have they plowed up my vineyard and scattered my sheep? where they shepherded gold and silver - not souls - and asked for the priesthood out of self-interest? How much will their punishment be? How much are the ὀdirmos? I will pour out all my anger and rage on them and crush them. Perishable sheep and oxen they took care to acquire, but my own logical sheep they did not care for. I will punish their iniquities with a rod and their iniquities with a whip.
But also the priests who laugh or argue in my holy churches, what will I do with them? I will obey them in fire and tartar.
I came and I'm coming. Whoever has the power, let him deal with me. But woe to him who, being a sinner, will fall into my hands! Because everyone will appear before me "naked and naked". Where will the impudence of sinners dare to be exposed then? How will they reflect my face? Where will they put their shame? They will be ashamed before my unholy Powers.
However, I will also criticize those monks who neglected their duties and betrayed the promises they made before God, angels, and people. Some promised and others did. From the height of the clouds, I will knock them down into the abyss. Their own loss was not enough for them, but they caused a harmful scandal for others as well. It was better for them not to renounce the world than to have renounced it and lived in wantonness, mingled with prodigality. "I take vengeance, I repay" to those who did not want to repent. I will judge them like a just Judge !..
These words that the Lord thundered to the commander-in-chief Michael, filled the innumerable Powers of the angels with awe.
Then he ordered the Seven Ages of the creation of the world to be brought to him. Michael undertook the execution of this order as well. That is why he immediately went to the house of the covenant and brought them. They were like big books and he placed them in front of the Judge. Then he stood aside, reverently observing how the Lord leafs through the history of the ages.
He took the first Aeon, opened it, and said:
- Here he writes first of all: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God in three persons. From the Father was born the Son and creator of the ages. Because by the Word of the Father, the Son, the Ages were made, the incorporeal Powers were created, the heavens, the earth, the oceans, the sea, the rivers "and everything in them" were established.
Then after reading a little further, he said:
- Here he says: The image of the invisible God is the first man, Adam, with his wife, Eve. Adam was given a commandment from the Almighty God and creator of all things visible and invisible. It is a law that must be observed with all safety and precision, so that it remembers its creator, and does not forget that there is a God above it.
Again, he went a little further:
- Transgression, into which the image of God fell through fraud or rather carelessness and negligence. The man fell and was expelled from heaven by the righteous judgment and decision of God. The despicable offender cannot be in so many good things!
Read below:
- Cain turned on Abel and killed him, according to the will of the devil. He must burn in the fire of hell because he remained unrepentant. While Abel will live forever.
In the same way, he leafed through the six books of the Ages.
Finish the seventh and read:
- The beginning of the seventh century means the end of centuries. Wickedness, wickedness, and callousness begin to spread. The people of the seventh century are wicked, envious, liars, with hypocritical love, philanderers, and enslaved to the sins of Sodom.
He went a little further, read something, and immediately turned his sad gaze up, rested one hand on his knee, covered his face and eyes with the other, and remained in this position for a long time. After a while he whispered:
-Truly, this seventh Age surpassed all previous ones in injustice and wickedness.
Read below:
- The Greeks and their idols were overthrown with the wood, the spear, and the nails that penetrated my living Body.
He was silent for a few moments and again bent over the book.
-Twelve lords of the Great King, white as light, stirred up the sea, tamed beasts, drowned imaginary dragons, enlightened the blind, fed the hungry, and impoverished the rich. They fished out many dead souls, bringing them back to life. Their salary is great !...
And after a while:
- I, the Beloved, also chose athletic witnesses for my sake. Their friendship reached as high as the sky and their love as high as my throne! Their lust is like my heart and their adoration inflames me strongly. My glory and state are with them !...
After turning over several pages, he whispered with a smile of satisfaction:
- The man who piously held the helm of Heptalofi and became its king, was a slave of my love. He deserved the kingdom of heaven because he became a zealous imitator of his Lord.
Then, omitting much, he exclaimed:
- Beautiful and precious Nymph! How many beauties tried to infect you! But you did not betray Me, your Bridegroom !... Countless heresies threatened you, but the rock on which you are founded was not shaken, because "the gates of Hell will not prevail against it".
Below were written all the sins of people that death found not to have been washed away in repentance.
And there were so many, like the sand of the sea !... The Lord was reading them displeased and shaking his head, sighing.
The countless multitude of angels stood in awe of the fear of the just wrath of the Judge.
When the Lord reached the middle of his Age, he observed:
This end is full of the stench of sins, of human works, which are all false and stinking: Envy, murder, lies, enemies, grudges. That's enough! I'll stop it in the middle. End the reign of sin!
And speaking these angry words, the Lord gave the commander-in-chief Michael the signal for Judgment. At that moment he and his order took the splendid and indescribable throne and left. The battalion was so numerous that the earth could not hold it. As they left, they shouted:
-Holy, holy, holy, awesome and great, high, wonderful, and glorified is the Lord forever and ever.
Then Gabriel left with his battalion singing:
-"Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory"!
And from that terrible cry heaven and earth shook.
The third great commander-in-chief, Raphael, followed with his battalion, reciting the hymn:
"One saint, one Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. Amen".
Finally, the fourth line also started. Her lord was white and shining like snow, with a sweet face. Leaving, he too began to sing loudly:
-"The Lord God of gods spoke and called the earth from sunrise to sunset. From Zion the dignity of his beauty. God has apparently come, our God, and He will not be silent. A fire is advancing before him and a fierce storm around him."
And then the rest of the psalm. While his officials responded:
-"Arise, O God who judges the earth, for you will inherit all the nations".
The leader of this battalion was called Uriel.
In a little while, they brought before the Lord his glorified Cross, which shone like terrible lightning and spread an indescribable fragrance. He was accompanied with exceptional honors by two battalions of Powers and Forces. The sight was shockingly magnificent. The numerous forces chanted in unison.
Others said with great awe:
-"I will exalt you my God my King and I will bless your name forever".
Others said:
- "Exalt the Lord our God and worship at the footstool of his feet, for he is holy." Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah!
Then a divine order was given for the mighty prince Michael to come again to appear twice on the Lord's throne. At that moment an angel appeared holding a thundering trumpet. The Judge took it in his hands, blew the trumpet three times, and said three reasons. Then he handed it over to Michael:
- Go to Calvary where I stretched out my innocent hands and blow the trumpet three times there too.
As soon as Michael left, the Lord called the order of the Princes and said to their leader:
- I command you to take your divine order and to spread throughout the world, to transport the saints on clouds, from the east and the west, the north and the south. I will gather them all to receive my presence, as soon as the trumpet sounds.
After all this, the righteous Judge cast a glance at the earth and saw... Fog and darkness, lamentation and woe, and many cuts by the terrible tyranny of Satan. The dragon raged and roared. He destroyed everything by crushing them like grass. Because he saw the angels of God preparing the eternal fire for him.
As soon as the Lord saw all this, he called a fiery angel with an austere and terrible look, without pity - he was the chief of the angels who oversee the fire of hell - and said to him:
-Take with you my rod that binds and crushes. Take also countless angels from your order, the most terrible ones, who were appointed as punishers of the hellish. You will go to the imaginary sea, to find the traces of the gloomy lord. Seize him with strength and might and beat him mercilessly with the rod, so that he surrenders the order of evil spirits. And after you tie them all up with the power of my rod, at my command, you will send them to the most merciless and wild hells !...
And then, when everything was ready, there was a nod to the archangel who was holding the trumpet to blow loudly.
Immediately there was an abrupt deathly silence as if the universes calmed down.
With the first blowing of the trumpet, all the bodies of the dead were assembled.
With the second, the Spirit of the Lord restored the souls in the dead bodies.
Awe and horror seized the universes.
The heavens and the earth trembled.
And then the third and most terrible trumpet blast resounded, which shocked the whole world. The dead were resurrected from the tombs "in the blink of an eye". Awesome sight! They outnumbered the sand of the sea. At the same time, like heavy rain, the angelic orders came down from the heavens towards the throne of preparation, thundering:
-"Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of fear and terror".
All the people and the innumerable regiment of angels stood waiting. They trembled and were horrified before the awesome divine power that descended on earth. However, while everyone was looking up, suddenly there began to be earthquakes, thunder, and lightning in the valley of Judgment and in the air so everyone was terrified. Then the firmament of the sky was withdrawn like a book and the Holy Cross appeared to shine like the sun and scatter divine sparkles. He was held by angels in front of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Judge of the world, who was coming.
In a little while, a hymn is heard, a song never heard before: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; God is the Lord", judge, ruler, prince of peace.
As soon as this thunderous praise is over, the Judge appears on the clouds, sitting on a fiery throne. With the abundance of its pure brilliance, it set the sky and the earth on fire.
Suddenly, among the multitude of the resurrected dead, some began to shine like the sun! Immediately they were caught by the clouds in the air to meet their Lord. However, most of them remained below. No one took them to heaven !... they mourned bitterly that they too did not deserve to be caught up by the clouds and the sorrow and pain were medicine in their souls. They all fell on their knees before the Judge and rose again.
The terrible Judge had already sat on the "throne of preparation" and all the powers of the heavens gathered around him with fear and terror. Those who had been caught up from the clouds to answer him placed themselves on his right. The rest were led to the left of Citrus. Most of them were Jews, princes, high priests, priests, kings, and a great number of monks and laymen. They stood aghast, self-pitying, and mourning their loss. Their faces were impoverished and they were sighing deeply broken.
Everyone had a deep sense of mourning. And nowhere was there any consolation to be seen.
But those who stood on the right of Citrus were all radiant, bright as the sun, modest, glorified, white as light as if set on fire by divine lightning. They seemed - if one is not bold to say it - like their Lord and God.
Immediately the terrible Judge cast his gaze from one side and from the other. To the right, he looked pleased and smiled. But when he turned to the left, he became agitated, very angry, and immediately turned his face away.
Then with a loud and official voice, he says to His "right hand".
-" Behold the blessed of my father, you have inherited the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me water, I was a stranger, and you brought me together, naked and surrounded me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison and come to me.
They were surprised and asked:
-" Lord, when did we see you hungry and we fed you, or thirsty and we gave you water? when did we see you as a stranger and preach, or naked and surround you? When did we see you sick or in prison and come to you?".
-"I say to you, inasmuch as you worked among the least of these my brothers, I worked."
He then turns to those "by name" and tells them harshly:
-" Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. I was hungry and you didn't give me food, I was thirsty and you didn't give me water, I was a stranger and you didn't bring me together, naked and you didn't cover me, sick and in prison and you didn't visit me."
-"Lord", they also asked him in astonishment, "when did we see you sick in prison and did not minister to you ?".
- Verily I say to you", the Lord answered them, "if you did not work among the least of these, you did not work for me". Get out of my sight, the curse of the earth! To tartar! On the gnashing of teeth! There dies the lamentation and the endless longing.
As soon as the Judge made this decision, immediately a huge river of fire gushed out from the east and flowed swiftly towards the west. It was as wide as a great sea. The sinners on the left, seeing him, were horrified and began to tremble horribly from their despair. But the unworthy Judge ordered that all - the just and the unjust - pass through the burning river so that the fire would test them.
The "from the right" started first, and all passed and came out shining like pure gold. Their works did not burn but proved brighter and clearer with the test. Therefore they were filled with joy.
After these, the "ex euonymons" also came to pass through the fire, to test their works. But, because they were sinners, the flame began to burn them and kept them in the middle of the river. And their works were burned like straw, while their bodies were left to burn for years and centuries without end with the devil and the demons. No one managed to get out of that fiery river! All of them were captured by the fire because they were worthy of condemnation and punishment.
After the sinners were delivered to hell, the terrible Judge got up from his throne and started for the divine palace with all his saints. They surrounded him, always with great fear and terror, all the heavenly powers chanting:
- "Open the gates, our lords, and be ye eternal gates, and the King of glory shall enter in", the Lord and God of gods together with all his saints, who will enjoy an eternal inheritance.
Another battalion answered and said:
- "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" with those whose grace deserved to be called sons of God, "God the Lord" together with the sons of New Zion, "and he appeared to us".
And the archangels, who preceded the Lord, glorified him singing a heavenly organ in unison:
-"Behold, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us rejoice in God our Savior. Let us approach his face in confession and sing to him in psalms."
While another battalion protested melodically:
-"That God is great Lord and great King over all the earth. That in his hand are the ends of the earth and the heights of his mountains"!
These and many other harmonious parts were sung by the holy angels so that those who heard them were indescribably delighted.
Singing like this, the saints entered the heavenly chamber of the divine palace with the Lord Jesus Christ with hearts that leaped with joy. And immediately the gates of the nymph were closed.
Then the heavenly King called the leading angels. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, and the lords of the orders presented themselves first.
The twelve luminaries of the world, the apostles, followed. The Lord gave them shining glory and twelve fire-shaped thrones to sit near their teacher Christ with majestic honors. Their faces radiated an indescribable eternal light and their clothes were bright and transparent like amber. Even the lords of the angels admired them. Finally, he gave them twelve wonderful crystal crowns decorated with precious stones, which shone blindingly, as they were held above their heads by glorious angels.
Then the 70 apostles were brought before the Lord. They also received similar honors and glories, except that the crowns of the 12 were more wonderful.
And now came the turn of the witnesses. They took the place and the glory of the great angelic army, which fell from heaven with Lucifer. That is, they became the martyr angels and lords of the heavenly orders. They immediately brought them many wreaths and placed them on their sanctified heads. As much as the sun shines, so did they shine. Thus the holy martyrs, deified, rejoiced, and rejoiced beyond expression.
Then entered the divine dance of hierarchs, priests, deacons, and other clergy. They too were crowned with eternal and amaranth wreaths, in proportion to their zeal, patience, and pastoral activity. Crown to crown was different in glory, from star to star. Thus, many priests and deacons were more glorious and brilliant than many high priests.
They even gave them from a temple, to offer at the mental altar a holy and perfect sacrifice, pleasing to God.
Then came the holy dance of the monks. Their face exuded a secret fragrance and like suns, they scattered divine glimmers. The Lord adorned them with six wings and they became by the power of the Holy Spirit like the horrible Cherubim and Seraphim. Then they began to thunder:
-"Holy, holy, holy Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory". Their glory was great, unimaginable and their crown varied and bright. According to their struggles and sweat, they also enjoyed the honors.
The dance of the prophets followed. The King gave them the song of hymns, the psalter of David, drums and dances, immaterial sparkling light, immeasurable joy, and the praise of the Holy Spirit.
Then the Despot of the divine nymph asked them to sing something. And they sang such a melodious hymn that they all squealed for joy.
After the saints received these gifts from the innocent hands of the Saviour, they were still waiting for those, "which no eye has seen, and therefore has not heard, and it has not entered the heart of man".
Then entered the whole dance of people, who were saved in the world: Poor and noble, kings and private, slaves and free. They all stood before the Lord and he distinguished from among them the merciful and the pure and gave them the food of the paradise of Eden, heavenly and bright palaces, luxurious crowns, sanctification and rejoicing, thrones and scepters and angels to serve them.
"poor in spirit" for the love of Christ. Now they rose too high. A brilliant crown was given to them by the hand of the Lord and they inherited the kingdom of heaven.
Then "those mourning" their sins received the great consolation of the Holy Trinity.
Then "the meek" and innocent, who inherited the heavenly land, where the Spirit of God distills sweetness and fragrance. And they tasted inexpressible indulgence and pleasure seeing that the blessed land was bestowed upon them. Their crowns are rosy-shaped scattered mica.
The "hungry and thirsty for justice" followed. They were given the wages of justice so that they would be satisfied. And their good intention was fulfilled by seeing the King Christ being exalted and glorified by the holy angels.
Then "those who are persecuted are in need of justice". They were blessed with divine glory and a much-admired life.
An immeasurable throne was even erected for them so that they may sit in the kingdom of heaven. Their crowns were of sulfurous and immaterial gold that shone so brightly that the dances of the angels rejoiced in their glory.
Then came the dance of "the disgraced" for Christ, the great God, and savior of our souls.
They raised them to golden thrones and enjoyed the praise of God.
After they came to a great multitude of idolaters, who did not know the law of Christ but naturally obeyed it by obeying their conscience. Many shone like suns from their purity and purity. And the Lord granted them paradise and bright wreaths woven with rods and lilies. However, because they had been deprived of holy baptism, they were blind. They did not see the glory of God at all. Because holy baptism is the light and eye of the soul. Therefore, whoever does not receive it, even if he works infinitely well, certainly inherits the heavenly comfort and tastes something of its fragrance and sweetness, but sees nothing.
Then, even among them, the righteous Nifon sees an order of saints who were the children of Christians. They all looked to be about thirty years old. The Bridegroom looked at them with a cheerful look and said:
- The robe of your baptism is unsullied, but works nowhere! So what should I do with you?
Then they also answered him with courage:
- Lord, you deprived us of your earthly goods, at least do not deprive us of the heavenly ones.
The Bridegroom smiled and gave them the heavenly goods. They also took the wreaths of purity, of acacia and all the immaterial armies admired them.
It was a miracle to hear the holy angels who, delighted as they saw the orders of all the saints, sang sweet hymns.
Apart from all this, the Bridegroom sees a divine Nymph coming before the Bridegroom. Around her were spreading heavenly fragrances and divine smells. On her beautiful head, she wore an incomparable royal crown, which radiated. The angels gazed at her in amazement and the saints dazzled. The grace of the Holy Spirit held that heavenly diadem on the immaculate peak.
Entering the divine bride, she was followed by an innumerable crowd of virgins who praised the greatness of God with hymns and songs.
When she arrived near the Bride, the great queen prostrated herself three times together with all the holy virgins. Then the "beautiful caller" saw her and was delighted. He bowed his head and honored her as his pure Mother. She approached with great reverence and grace and embraced his immortal and sleepless eyes, as well as his visceral hands.
After the divine kiss, the Lord gave the virgins sparkling dresses and shining wreaths. And then all the mental powers came praising, blessing, and glorifying her.
Then the Bridegroom rose from his throne, and having his Mother on his right and his great and much-admired prophet and Forerunner on his left, he came out of the bridegroom and went to the divine chamber, where are the goods "which no eye has seen and therefore he did not hear, and it did not rise in the heart of man", prepared for those who loved God. All the saints followed. As soon as they saw the goods, they were overwhelmed with indescribable joy and began to circulate celebrating in the astonishing chamber.
But the servant of the God of Clouds was not able to describe them to me. Even though I pressed him many times, he didn't tell me the slightest thing.
- I cannot, my child, he said, sighing, to describe with my tongue or to compare with any earthly thing those things. It was beyond all thought and imagination, beyond all things seen and unseen.
So when the Lord distributed to his saints all the immeasurable and inaudible goods, he ordered the Cherubim to surround the eternal chamber, as the wall surrounds a city. He then commanded the Seraphim to surround the Cherubim, the Thrones the Seraphim, the Dominions of the Thrones, the Principalities of the Principalities, the Powers of the Principalities, and finally the Powers of the heavens the Powers. As the wall surrounds a city, so the battalions surrounded each other.
To the right of the chamber of the centuries, Michael stood with all his majesty with his order. On the left, Gabriel with his. Uriel settled in the west and Raphael in the east.
All this was done by the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, the great God, and Savior of all the saints. These four factions were very large. And together with the battalions of the godless powers, they encircled the chamber of God with much splendor.
When all this had already been accomplished, then this man of God Jesus also submitted to "the one who submitted all things to him" and handed over to him all the power and sovereignty and the state that he had received from Him. While He entered the divine and inaccessible chamber heir of the Father, King, and High Priest together with all the co-heirs of the saints.
At the end of all the mysteries that Saint Niphon saw, he also saw the most terrible revelation: The Father of the only begotten Son himself, the Generator, the unreachable and incomprehensible light, suddenly rose shining above that vast chamber, above those pure powers, above all circles and their ranks. It illuminated the purest chamber as the sun illuminates the world. Thus shone the Father of the victims. And just as the sponge soaks up and holds back the wine, so the saints were flooded by the ineffable divinity of the Father and reigned uninterruptedly with him throughout the ages.
From then on there was neither night nor day for them. There was only God and Father, Son and Spirit, light and substance, life and light, indulgence and pleasure.
Then there was a deep silence. In the eyes of the righteous, clear and unrestrained light was given to see: In the first chamber that surrounded the chamber, a message was transmitted as a continuous and endless inheritance. His pleasure was incomparable and excellent. Immediately the divine and awesome order began inexpressible praise. The hearts of the saints leaped with joy and delight.
From the first order, the wonderful praise hymn was transmitted to the second order of Seraphim. Then he too began to sing an elaborate and incomprehensible hymn. Like seven-sweet honey, his praise sounded in the ears of the saints and they rejoiced immensely with all their senses: Their eyes saw the unattainable light. Their sense of smell smelled the fragrance of divinity. Their ears heard the divine hymn of the godless powers. Their mouths tasted the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ new in the kingdom of heaven. Their hands felt the eternal goods and their feet danced in the chamber. Thus, with all their senses, they satiated the indescribable joy.
In a little while, that divine hymn was transmitted from the second battalion to the third and from the third to the fourth, as the last causing with the sweetest of honey its members indulgence and pleasure in the hearts of the saints. And it was wonderful that one hymn was not sung continuously by the battalions, but there was indescribable variety and originality in the hymn they sang.
When the seven circles of the orders completed their pure doxology, then the orders of the archangels also began the threefold hymn: Michael sang and Gabriel protested. And again Raphael praised and Uriel complimented. He heard unheard harmonies. The four pillars of fire, the archangels, stood out and their hymn was fiery and thunderous.
Motivated by that infinite sorrow, then all the saints in the heavenly chamber began to sing the glories of God.
Thus a hymn resounded inside, a hymn outside, a hymn everywhere. Flames of flame, which set hearts on fire with blissful pleasure for endless ages.
When the trismacarian Nifon had seen all this and was in great ecstasy and theory, he heard the voice of God saying to him:
- Nifon, Nifon, your prophetic apparition was beautiful. But all that you saw and heard, write it down in every detail because that's how it will happen. I revealed them to you because you are a faithful friend, my beloved child, and heir of my kingdom. Be assured now, therefore, that I deserved you to become an eyewitness of the horrible mysteries for my great charity towards all those who humbly worship my kingdom and power. Because I delight to "oversee my gentle and quiet and trembling reasons".
After saying this, the Lord released him from the terrible and much-admired apparition, which had absorbed him for two weeks.
When he came to himself, he sat terrified and mourned and fell asleep. His tears flowed like a river and he said:
-Woe to me the prodigal! What awaits my poor soul! Alas for my mercy! In what state will I, the sinner, find myself there! What will he say to the Judge? What reason shall I give for my sins? Ah, the profane and wretched! I don't have a sigh or tears. But I don't feel remorse either. Alms at all! Pray nothing! Zero love! Acacia and meekness stand very far from me! Alas! What should I do, the pitiful and defiled? Whence shall I be raptured, that my soul may be saved? I polluted my robe, I soiled my baptism, I drowned my soul in the mud. I darkened my mind, burdened my life "in crippling and drunkenness". Ah! the sinner I don't know what to do! My eyes see the horrors. My face is ashamed. My ears are drenched in demonic songs. My sense of smell asks for fragrances. My mouth is burping from the gluttony. Woe to the sufferer! My hands indulge in sin. My body longs to wallow in the whirlwind of immorality and hunts for soft beds and good food...
ὬὬὬ, the illegitimate and darkened and rascal! I don't know where to go. Who will take me out of that bitter fire? Who will save me from the outer darkness of the horrible Tartarus? Who will deliver me from gnashing of teeth? Woe, woe to me, the chamber, the outlaw! It would have been better if I hadn't been born !... Ah, what glory the black man is going to be deprived of! What honor, what crowns, how much joy, how much pride I will lose, because I have worked myself up in sin! Poor soul! So where is your comfort? Woe to you, profane and sad! Where will your position be that day? Have you done any good to please God? You will enter the furnace. But how will you endure the smell and the smell? Ὤ, miserable soul, who always wanted to wallow in rot, who constantly served the stomach!
Lawless and corrupt, what shame will you experience in the eyes of Jesus! With which eyes will you gaze upon His sweet face? Tell me, tell me! You saw those wonderful spectacles, which the Lord will one day bring to pass. Fall, then, soul, have your works worthy of that glory? How will you enter there, since you received the divine baptism? Woe to you then, my defiled soul! You are about to inherit eternal fire and where will sin and its father be then to save you?
But my Lord, Lord,
save me from the fire
From the gnashing of teeth,
From Tartarus...
With these words, the blessed praying person controlled himself. In the following days, you saw him walking, dragging his steps with bitter sighs, lamentations, and tears. He reflected on the wonders he saw, and did everything he could to conquer them. Often - when he contemplated his vision more deeply and more clearly - he became outside himself. He was burning with the presence of the Holy Spirit and exclaiming:
- Oh, the joy, the glory, the splendor awaits the saints in the heavens! How afraid I am of losing them!
He sighed deeply and added:
- Lord, help and save my darkened soul.
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