Judging others
The habit of speaking ill of others is a great evil and temptation for us. The Lord strictly forbids judging:
"Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye" (Mat. 7:1-5).
We know that spiritual rebirth does not come by itself. It demands strict examination of one’s deeds, thoughts and feelings. It is built on an active improvement of one’s self. A person honestly striving to live as a Christian cannot but notice at times the beginnings of unkind thoughts and sinful desires within himself, which seem as if to originate on their own. By overcoming these internal
Did Christ descend to Hell?
Christ is risen!
The huge problem here is in defining hell. In the scripture and throughout church history, the English word hell has been used to translate and describe all sorts of things. As you probably
know, there are at least four different biblical words/concepts that are translated commonly as hell.
(Hebrew) the abyss/sheol/grave/pit/etc. All of these refer to the condition of being dead (both for the righteous and unrighteous)--with no hint of afterlife. "The dead cannot praise Thee" (Psalm 115: 17, et. al.).
(Greek 1) hades/hell Which in Greek thinking is the place of the dead (both for the righteous and unrighteous)--with a clear sense of afterlife: hell is where the dead dwell.
(Greek 2) Tatarus/deepest hell Which in Greek thinking is the place of the most notoriously unrighteous dead. St. Peter uses it to refer to where the demons are bound. It is a region of hell.
(Greek 3 used only in N.T. by Jesus) Gehenna/fire/torment. Gehenna was the name of the dump outside Jerusalem: where the fire always burns and the worm never dies. It is used as a reference to being in torment.
An explanation of Holy Week
Great Lent and Holy Week are two separate fasts, and two separate celebrations. Great Lent ends on Friday of the fifth week (the day before Lazarus Saturday). Holy Week begins immediately thereafter. Let's explore the meaning of each of the solemn days of Passion Week.
Lazarus Saturday: Lazarus Saturday is the day which begins Holy Week. It commemorates the raising of our Lord's friend Lazarus, who had been in the tomb four days. This act confirmed the universal resurrection from the dead that all of us will experience at our Lord's Second Coming. This miracle led many to faith, but it also led to the chief priest's and Pharisees' decision to kill Jesus (John 11:47-57).
Palm Sunday (The Entrance of our Lord into Jerusalem): Our Lord enters Jerusalem and is proclaimed king - but in an
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"Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"