A rebellion of the dead against God
A modern demoniac is a person of hatred, foaming at the mouth defending the truth, no matter which: «God's», state, political, or any other.
This Sunday, the Church reads the story of the Gadarene demoniacs. Everything related to the world of dark spirits evokes mystical fear and horror in a person. Ye, if we pay close attention to the teachings of the Holy Fathers, we will easily see that they viewed demonic possession as God’s allowance for the purpose of redeeming the souls of those possessed.
There is a far more terrifying form of possession, which manifests in the obsession of the mind and will. When a person voluntarily begins to serve the devil as the saints served God, when he becomes an instrument of Satan on earth, carrying out his plans and doing his will.
This is what is happening now in post-Christian civilization. It can be called the rebellion of the dead against God. When you look closely at the faces of those thugs who beat elderly women and men just because they try to retain the right to go to their church, you can see death in their eyes. But not the kind we have seen many times on the faces of our deceased relatives. No, this is a different death. There is the seal of darkness over the abyss, darkness in the void of an endless, lifeless desert. From there, It chills from there, and and hell rules over the soul buried alive.
Once, I pondered the expression "eyes are the mirror of the soul". I began to look more closely at certain public figures. It became clear how, at first barely noticeable, and then more and more, spiritual death was consuming their souls. It did not come immediately, gradually, but after a few years it was clear – there was nothing alive inside. A dead man speaks from the screen. Inside, evil not only devoured his soul but also made a nest there. To see this, you don't need to be insightful or have any special gift from God.
Try, as an experiment, to watch a video or photo of any LGBT parade, especially the faces of those who cynically demonstrate their Satanism, openly mocking sacred symbols. Look into their eyes, and you will see everything yourself. I sincerely pity these people. I have seen this seal on the faces of sadists who loved to torture defenseless animals, and even on the faces of those Orthodox who spoke about God and the need to protect the faith of the fathers… by killing other innocent people.
I have wondered why spiritual death has become an invisible epidemic among Christian peoples. Why does it so powerfully triumph over holiness, purity, and the natural, deeply rooted human longing for God and salvation? Perhaps these are the fruits sown on earth by previous generations. Now we are reaping them and continue to sow the same with even greater fury, aiming to ultimately kill off our children and grandchildren. This is the essence and purpose of the devil’s plan.
The foundation of all foundations and the main commandment upon which our salvation is built is the commandment of love. This basic truth is known to everyone. And of course, hatred and malice are what distance a person most from God and destroy their soul.
The entire twentieth century passed under the flag of hatred of Christians for each other. The First World War, the civil war, Stalin's genocide, the Second World War… And now the current war is the final «farewell» to Christ and the Gospel. The most terrible thing is that this «farewell» is preached not by the mouths of Satanists, but by those who should have taught the opposite. Against the war now are only Christ and the small flock that remained faithful to Him.
Memories of Archimandrite Spiridon (Kislyakov) (1875–1930),a righteous man who has yet to be glorified by our scholars in the ranks of the saints, came to mind. Because his righteousness does not suit their tastes. When Archimandrite Spyridon set out for war as a priestoing to war as a priest, he, of course, heard the parting word from his bishop that «the true war is sacred», how could it be otherwise. When Father Spyridon saw a German airplane with a large image of a cross flying overhead, the Savior’s words came to his mind: “By this sign, you will conquer!”
The Archimandrite remembered Christ's temptations in the desert, His victory over the devil, who tried to tempt the Savior with power over the world. He also recalled Christ's words about love and that one cannot compromise with this sinful world.
He suddenly clearly realized that one can be a Christian only by being «not of this world», that we should not serve any kings and kingdoms except the Heavenly King, for the sake of the Kingdom of God…
A few minutes later, he saw bombs beginning to fall from the long part of the black cross on the airplane. The cross, once a symbol of life and salvation, had become a source of death, bringing suffering and destruction to all living things.
Then, as if by a revelation from above, Father Spyridon realized that his bishop had deceived him. There is no such thing as a holy war. There is only a devilish lie that drives people to kill one another. Later, in his confession, Archimandrite Spyridon would write: “For the sake of Christ, I reject and curse all war.” But today, few have the courage to speak God’s truth aloud. One of them is the quiet and humble voice of Elder Simon (Bezkrovny), who said: “There is nothing in this world for which people should kill each other.”
There is a stunning painting by the French artist Henri-Camille Danger. It depicts Christ weeping among the corpses left on a battlefield, His head bowed, His hand covering His forehead and eyes. He cannot bear to look at what has happened: the earth is strewn with human bodies, the dead still clutching swords, spears, and cross-covered banners. The title of the painting is “Love One Another or The Transgression of the Commandment” (1872).
Christ, in this painting, asks us only one question. Not whether this war was just. He doesn’t speak of which side was right. He asks about the very purpose for which He came into this world. Why He was killed, suffered, descended into hell, and rose again. He did all of this so that we might learn love from Him — so that our lives would become the embodiment of the love that is the very essence of God. Everything else is of no importance.
A modern demoniac is a person of hatred, foaming at the mouth defending the truth, no matter which: «God's», state, political, or any other.
The main thing for him is hatred and malice. Because it is the essence and energy of the demonic world. If this force enters the soul, the person immediately becomes possessed. He will no longer understand the arguments of reason, he will not be interested in the words of the Gospel, or even any sanity of thought.
Indeed, what harm or danger is there from those old people who pray in our churches, whose children and grandchildren are fighting at the front, while they do what they can to support them? There is not and cannot be a single piece of real evidence behind all the lies and slander directed at our Mother Church. Everything can be verified objectively through facts. But for the possessed, that doesn't matter. There is simply hatred toward God, and it needs to be covered – like with a fig leaf – with some form of self-justification. Or even without it as hatred alone is enough.
This is one of the forms of possession that has become widespread today. From every corner, from every crack, propaganda of hatred pours out. The viruses of possession fly through the air and easily penetrate souls unprotected by grace, bringing eternal ruin to those who never understood why they came into this world or what the purpose of their short life is.
