The unrighteous separate themselves from the understanding of justice. They remain lost in misconceptions, their thoughts drifting far away, and their spirits adrift, thus failing to recognize the paths of righteous judgment You have currently enacted; they also do not perceive the righteousness of past judgments, even though it is evident that what You did before was just, for Your judgments are always just. When the prophet declares that they should not comprehend righteousness, he refers either to those Israelites who fled during the Assyrian siege, lacking faith that there was any escape apart from their flight, or to those who, despite remaining, did not attain righteousness even after witnessing miracles. An exhortation on this earth serves as a teaching; thus, the exhortation directed at the Assyrians serves as a lesson for the entire world. May they be blinded to the glory of the Lord. The unrepentant, having witnessed the salvation the Lord enacted for the people of Judah, remain oblivious to His glory.
In the words of Isaiah: Let the wicked be taken away, so that he may not behold the glory of the Lord. If one engages with the Holy Scriptures with a sincere spiritual perspective and listens carefully, the message will be clear to all. The verses found in this sacred text evoke awe and fear, and anyone who contemplates them with discernment will tremble. The severe judgment upon the unrighteous is evident within them. It is stated, Let the wicked be removed, that he may not see the glory of the Lord. The unholy shall be taken to a place devoid of any praise. Meanwhile, creation itself cries out for God, continuously proclaiming His glory; even the silent creatures do not cease to glorify Him. The heavens declare the beauty of God, and the expanse displays the work of His hands (Psalm 18:1). The earth proclaims His splendor, and the sea reveals His wondrous power. Nothing exists that does not express praise to the Lord your God, including the smallest mosquito that reflects the glory of its Creator. Where can the wicked hide from witnessing the glory of the Lord? Where can he be turned away, to be estranged from the sight of God’s magnificence? Will he ascend to the heavens? They will reject him and not receive him. Will he wish to remain on the earth? It will not allow him. Will he plunge into the sea? It will cast him back out. Therefore, dear ones, I believe that from this world he will descend into an eternal darkness filled with dread, a place void of praise and devoid of any voice of worship, for it is far removed from God, and His glory does not permit itself to dwell there. Despair and moaning, sorrow and anguish, the unending gnawing worm, and the searing and insatiable fire will silence the wicked from all praise and glory. Their suffering will hinder them from seeing or speaking; the grinding of teeth will keep their mouths from forming sounds of adoration. The tongue that is caught in a continual cry of woe cannot sing praises, while eyes shrouded in darkness cannot perceive the light of glory. The one afflicted by a worm can think of nothing but their torment; the one scorched by Gehenna sees only the flames. Come, sinners, let us weep here so we do not weep there. Let us bear grief and suffering so that our anguish does not deepen there. All the righteous and holy have pleased God through their sorrow and tribulations, offering Him propitiation through their tears. For nine hundred and thirty years, Adam mourned his fall, which had severed him from God’s glory in paradise. The beauty of his hands was marred by tears shed from his eyes; the fiery streams of his lamentation led to painful sores upon him. Enoch, who pleased God and did not taste death, grieved for three hundred and twenty years as he gazed upon Abel’s grave, carrying sorrow within as he witnessed the decay of the first deceased, disfigured and corrupted, and he wept profusely. The righteous Noah lamented for the sinful generation, being aware that divine justice would engulf it with a flood. He preserved his virginity for five hundred years, and for this, God safeguarded him from the ruin that overtook humanity. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob endured lives filled with trials and tribulations, facing hardship until the end of their days. Who can adequately express the sufferings that befell Job? For seven years, he sat in the midst of his festering wounds, weeping as he beheld the worms consuming his flesh, with nothing left but bones. Who has endured his magnitude of suffering? Anyone who hears his story bears a weight of sorrow upon their spirit. David wet his bed with tears by night (Psalm 6:7), ate ashes as though they were bread, and dissolved his drink in weeping (Psalm 101:10). How many tears flowed from Jeremiah, this man of suffering, who spent every day consumed by mourning? His lament exceeded all limits, yet he prayed to God for water for his head and a fountain of tears to wash his eyes (Jeremiah 9:1). Ezekiel ate the scroll inscribed with lamentation, compassion, and grief (Ezek. 2:10), for he bore the iniquities of his people. He lay on both sides for three hundred and ninety days (as the Hebrew text indicates), burdened by their transgressions, enduring a home turned to a tomb, shackled by the immense sins of the people, and laying on each side for one hundred and ninety-five days (Ezek. 4:4-9). It is recorded about the Lord Himself, the Almighty, that when He descended from heaven to earth, He wept for Jerusalem. It is not written that our Lord laughed, but rather that He wept and shed tears. When He wept for Lazarus, His sorrow encompassed all the deceased, grieving as He witnessed how death ravaged and destroyed His image. The Blessed One mourned for His cherished creation, recognizing how it had lost its beauty, decayed in the tomb, and become loathsome. The soul is rendered dormant by sin; it requires mourning, weeping, tears, sorrow, and loud cries for the misfortune that has led it astray and wounded it. Weep, lament, and wail for the soul, as it has strayed from God, and return it to Him. Lament for it more than a grieving mother whose death has stolen her child and cast him into the grave, who mourns the loss of her beloved. For sin severs the connection between man and God, and His goodness regrets the decay of His image, once full of divine beauty. It would pain you noticeably if you lost a single ox, despite having owned it for a short time; how much more, then, does God mourn when His image perishes? The soul holds far more value to God than all His created beings. But sin brings death upon it, and yet you, sinner, fail to recognize this. Mourn for yourself for the sake of God, for He grieves for you. Your soul lies dead through sin; revive it through tears. Rejoice with God, allowing Him to rejoice that your soul has been restored to life by your means. There exists a bird that nurtures its chicks, and when they die, it can bring them back to life. When this bird has chicks, it rejoices deeply, yet in its overwhelming affection, covering them with its wings, it may inadvertently suffocate them, leading to their death. Yet when it realizes they are truly deceased, lifeless, and still, it mourns for three whole days, refusing to eat or drink in its great grief, remaining close to them, as if trying to save them. Then it inflicts a wound with its beak, pours its blood upon them, and by God’s decree, its chicks are revived from death. If a bird can resurrect its young, then so too can you, sinner, resurrect your soul, which is feeble from sin. If God takes pity on the pelican and revitalizes its young, surely, He shows mercy upon your soul, which you neglect to bring back to life. If the Creator, witnessing the pelican in sorrow for its chicks, desires to sacrifice itself and shows compassion for them, how much more will He regret His image that sin has estranged? Thus, weep and mourn for your soul that is far from God. He is grieved for you in the way a mother weeps for her only child. He who mocks the dead displays hatred toward the parents of the deceased, while he who mourns and laments demonstrates love through his tears. Therefore, if one finds joy in themselves while deadened by sin, they despise God, who grieves for that very state. God mourns for the death of the soul, which is His image. Hence, anyone who delights in this condition and fails to empathize is akin to Satan. When one approaches a deceased person and sees the grief surrounding them, they too become sorrowful, shedding tears alongside the mourners. When a soul perishes due to sin, heaven itself laments, and the Divine Powers mourn alongside God. Therefore, anyone who rejoices in such a fate and does not lament for their soul is indeed lost, lacking awareness of their own soul’s existence. Weep, sinner, for your soul; shed tears over it, and restore it to life. Its resurrection lies within your sight, its rebellion concealed in your heart. Are you dead and yet do not mourn for your estranged soul? Begin your weeping for your own soul, and then weep for others. You grieve for the lifeless body from which your soul has departed, yet neglect to weep for the soul that is dead, estranged from God. Tears shed for lifeless flesh will not bring it back to life, but if you weep for the soul, it shall be revived and restored. Mourning, sorrow, and grief were not given to you for the sake of the flesh, but rather, God bestowed them upon you for the benefit of your soul, that you may restore it. Bring your tears as an offering to God, pouring them from your eyes; through your tears and His goodness, your dead soul will be revived. Behold, the Merciful One waits for you to shed tears before Him, with which He will cleanse and renew the marred image of your soul. You have slain your soul, and it is your duty to restore it from its sinful death. It was not another who condemned you; it was your own will that brought about your destruction. If someone else had killed you, they would bear the responsibility for your resurrection. However, since it was your own volition that led to your demise, it is that same will that must revive you. In the folly of hands, the structure collapses (Ecclesiastes 10:18), thus Ecclesiastes instructs you. Rebuild your desolate and fallen soul. When your house succumbs to ruin, no one else can rebuild it; if you do not restore your dwelling, it shall remain forever in decay. If your soul has fallen due to sin, elevate it through repentance; if you have allowed it to be diminished by vile unrighteousness, restore it through righteous deeds. If you vanquish sin, you may declare, as God does: I put to death and I bring to life (Deuteronomy 32:39). I slay sin, so that it does not govern my members, and I restore truth to life through good actions; I strike down wrongful unrighteousness, casting it out of the soul and cleansing it with truth and purity. The thoughts of the soul are scattered like dry bones in the world; gather them, reviving them with God’s assistance. Prophesy, as Ezekiel did, to your thoughts, which are as dry as bones; proclaim the word of God, the Creator of the dead; adorn those bones with flesh, and may an unwavering spirit and steadfast heart unite them in God; prophesy and summon the spirit to enter into the lifeless, and they shall arise. Breathe the spirit of life into them (Ezekiel 37:4-10) - divine instruction. Near the gates of hell, where the sin of murder dwells, lie the dry thoughts of the soul - scattered over earthly concerns. Call upon them, raise them, manifest the marvelous miracle, and in their resurrection, portray the revival that Ezekiel beheld. If there is joy in heaven for the sinner who repents, then surely there exists sorrow for the sinner who does not turn back, and God is deeply saddened if you refuse to repent. But return to Him, and you shall elicit joy among the angels who rejoice at your salvation. Your sinful soul is redeemed by the blood of the Son of God, for no worldly treasure could serve as sufficient payment for you: the earth, the sea, and all that dwell within them are but a trivial price in contrast to you.
THEOSIS