General Resurrection is followed by

Enjoying What is Not Seen

 

 

 “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Co 2:9). Thus the bible has advised us in the saying “while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Co 4:18).

So, what are these that are not seen? And what is

it that no eyes have seen that we are promised to

enjoy on eternal life?

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Among things that are not seen: Eternity:

We hear about eternity, and we read about it in

God's promises, but we did not see it, for everything

in front of us has and end, and our life on Earth has

an end. Therefore, he who continually looks at

eternity and to life after death, works for the interest

of this life, and always keeps getting ready for it with

repentance, good deeds and spreading goodness

everywhere and to everyone. And he who thinks of

eternity continually does not look into the present

world, and does not care about it, being sure that the

whole world will eventually end and its desire with it…

He also does not concentrate all his wishes on

materials and does not desire them…

He lives in the world, but the world doesn't live in

him. And he might possess objectives but objectives

do not possess him, but he only uses them in good…

World and objectives are among the things that

can be seen, for his reason they are temporary se he

should not make them a reason for loosing his

spiritual life. For the Lord Jesus said: “what profit is it

to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his

own soul?” (Mt 16:26). And for this reason we should

not grieve over anything we lose from the world and

objectives, as it will not accompany us in eternity.

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Also among things that are not seen: Angles and

Spirits of the virtuous ones:

Angles are spirits, and they are around us seeing

us and rescuing us from many dangers. And although

they are all around us, we do not see them with our

material eyes. But we will surely see them in the

happy eternity. We also will see the spirits of the

virtuous ones who preceded us went to heaven.

And now, in spirit we believe in angles’ existence

and we see them through faith. And we feel ashamed

to commit sins in their presence in spite of the fact

that they are invisible…

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Also among things that are not seen: The Spirit:

The spirit is not seen but the body is seen.

Therefore, the spiritual person lives working for the

interest of his spirit its spiritual nutrition. And as the

body has its own material nutrition, the spirit feeds

on the life of virtue and righteousness, God's love and

making good deeds, with prayers and praising, and

with Gods words in their depth and spirituality. And

the one who cares for his eternity, is keen on his

spiritual growth and spiritual practices that are

beneficial for him. For his care for his soul and its

eternal destiny, makes him exert all his efforts to do

whatever that bonds his soul to God and his

commandments so that his soul becomes consecrated

for Him.

And at the same time he lets his soul lead his

body, and never convey to its instincts, but with all

care and preciseness get ride of lust of the flesh,

straying of senses and the lust of the eyes and the

pride of life. So that all these tangibles have no

authority upon him…

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􀃄 All the earthly life enjoyments are of

tangible things, but the enjoyments of eternal

life are of what no eye has seen and not has

entered the heart of a man.

􀃄 And so ascetic fathers have looked into all the

joys of this life and found out that they are passing

away and perishing and do not worth their interest,

so they rose over their level and desire of them and

died from the world and became ascetic over every

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earthly enjoyment looking after what they will enjoy

after resurrection.

􀃄 And in that meaning, St. Augustine says: “I sat

on top of the world when I felt inside myself that I do

not desire anything and do not fear anything”.

􀃄 And the greatest example in elevating over

tangibles, and earthly life itself is that example of

martyrs who proceeded to death in joy not looking to

the world and all it has and rejecting all the

temptation that they were offered. This is because

they had their eyes and hearts focused on what is not

seen in life after death.

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Among the things that are not seen too: Moral:

With that I mean the examples, values and bases,

right, good and virtue… And faith because it is “the

substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things

not seen” so he who lives in faith, lives seeing the

unseen.

And when he looks to heaven, he does not look to

that air cover surrounding us in which planes fly. And

he does not look to the universe in which exists the

sun and the far constellations but to what is far above

that… To heaven in which here are the angels and

God’s Throne and in which everything goes according

God’s will so no sin and no disobedience. And to the

heaven in which the spirits of virtuous ones are

waiting for the Resurrection Day and the start of

eternal life…

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􀃄 And those who look at what is not seen, they

go with their hearts and thoughts towards God,

may His power be glorified; God who no one has

seen in His Divinity…

We did not see God because our eyes are unable

to see Him.

But we have seen His power and wonders and His

grace work on us and on others. We saw His hand

that is unseen as it interferes in our problems and

solve them. And we see His generosity that opens the

windows of heaven and pour out for us and fills up

every living from His satisfaction… And we see how

God applies right and crushes wrong and how He

applies justice for the oppressed…

As for the real enjoyment in living with God in

eternity is what we have not seen yet but we are

waiting for it in faith… The faith in what no eye has

seen and what has not entered the heart of a man.

As for how we will enjoy living with God in

eternity and what is the nature of this living.

Concerning this matter it is better that I be silent.

Eternity will announce this for us which probably the

language fails to describe…!

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So long that eternity is so beautiful that it is

indescribable, we should get prepared for it…

We should get ready for it before we reach it. We

get ready for it by not getting attached with tangibles

and get busy with them. Truly, the heart that

elevates above the tangibles is fortified and is not

breakable. It is above the level of the world, material

and the body…

So he whose heart is fully attached to the love of

tangibles and lust of worldly matters, when he leaves

his body and ascends to heaven, would he find it

strange for him?! Or would he feel frustrated for he

will not find what he desires of worldly enjoyments?

Or would he be bored of heaven, that if he reaches it,

and sees that this world is the best?!

Therefore, my brothers and sons, we should start

practicing now loving the heavenly matters and loving

the unseen matters. And we should lay up for

ourselves treasures in heaven, so that when we reach

there we find them…