As they witness his downfall, will not all nations voice their reproaches, contrasting his former glory with his ultimate ruin, intoxicated by the cup of the Lord? Woe to him who plunders the entire world but remains unsatisfied, who continues to strip others bare, ravaging them as if he were bound by the most burdensome shackles. Notice how he cunningly refers to his amassed wealth as thick mud. Will not the Medes and Persians rise swiftly, pouring destruction upon Babylon, first striking and then dismantling it? Will not Nebuchadnezzar himself become their spoils, his tyranny over the world being repaid by those nations that escaped his grasp and cruelty? This will be a consequence for the blood of man—specifically Judah—and for the injustices against the land and the city, which undoubtedly signifies Jerusalem, encompassing all its inhabitants.
Let us also contemplate the Seventy. All that has been asserted about Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar can be applied to this world and to the devil, who is truly proud and mighty, yet who, in his delusion of significance, accomplishes nothing, for every ambition and endeavor he undertakes leads only to destruction. The one who mirrors death and hell remains unfulfilled even in conquest: he takes pleasure in misleading every nation and in assembling all tribes unto himself. When they see him cast down into the abyss and banished to the nether regions, they will recall the fulfillment of parables and the obscure sayings from prophetic texts, relating them to him, and will cry in unison: Woe to the devil who has accumulated riches not his own! Woe to the partridge that gathers what she has not birthed! How long?—this phrase pertains either to the accusers or to those declaring the day of judgment. They will weigh his fetters with an overwhelming burden. This phrase is particularly eloquent: his pride and grandeur manifest in his lifted head and extended neck, yet the chains he bears will be heavy enough to crush what was once exalted. This fate descends upon him because those he once subdued will rise suddenly—either the angels sent to chastise him or the captives he deceived, who, in their repentance, will return to the standard of Christ and torment him, as it is stated in another passage: The men at peace with you have plotted against you; they will observe, scrutinizing the schemes plotted against you. These individuals will assail you, emerging from the depths of lethargy you cast upon them, ravaging your dominion and reinstating those whom you once held captive into Christ's army. You have laid waste to many nations and stripped the garments and jewels of Judah, which I bestowed upon them; thus, all the remaining nations that do not bow to your dominion will plunder you and expose your nakedness, for you have spilled much blood and perpetrated wickedness upon the land of Judah, the city of Jerusalem, and upon its inhabitants, who raised their voices against their Creator: Crucify Him, crucify Him; let His blood be upon us and our children.
This also can be interpreted concerning the Antichrist, who will be so filled with pride that he will sit in the temple of God, claiming to be God; he will gather to himself many, and—were it possible—deceive even the elect of God. He will assemble all tribes and subject all nations to his deceit. However, when they witness his defeat by the Spirit of Christ’s mouth, they will recognize the truth of the prophecies regarding him and will speak in agreement with the interpretations provided here. The declaration that all other nations will plunder him for the blood of men, the wickedness upon the earth, and the desolations of the city and its dwellers refers to those nations that have remained steadfast against the Antichrist. Through them, the wicked one will be stripped of his ill-gotten gains due to the unyielding evil he has sown across the earth, the ruin of the Church, and for the suffering endured by its members. At the end of the age, the destruction within the Church will be profound, and perniciousness will echo throughout, instigated by the looming threat of the Antichrist, and as the unrighteousness of many multiplies, love will grow cold to an alarming degree. The Lord, who discerns the hidden depths of the heart and the reality of existence, questions: Do you believe that the Son of Man will find faith on the earth at His coming?
According to the Apostle John, who writes: Just as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, now many antichrists have arisen, we learn that we are indeed in the last days. This "proud and majestic" figure may denote every heretic and distorted doctrine of man, claiming sophistication yet dismissing the humble faith of the Church. Those who bring nothing to fulfillment but revel in the ruin of others can be summed up in this discourse; they have amassed for themselves wealth not rightfully theirs, gathering what amounts to refuse and preparing the most grievous chains that lead them to demise, plundering nations and shedding innocent blood while committing evil within the Church itself.
However, those from among the Church—citizens of the Kingdom who resist the seductions of the wicked—will suddenly awaken, as if roused from a deep slumber, and will begin to dismantle their strongholds, plotting against them and reclaiming them as prey. Some interpret the phrase: Woe to those who amass wealth not their own as a warning to the wealthy who expand their possessions unjustly, assuming entitlement to what is not theirs, only to find themselves dispossessed. The Lord illustrates that earthly possessions are not the rightful inheritance of mankind when He states: If you have not been trustworthy in handling another's property, who will give you property of your own? And while it is possible that these interpreters relate this teaching to the rich, it remains uncertain whether they preserve the connective thread between the prophet's inquiry and its resolution.
THEOSIS