In the context of the words about prayer, let’s say something about the present, in particular about the state of the “Orthodox” churches – we have already testified in detail about this in the previous parts of the “Introduction…,” and now we will once again remind and call to repentance those who are still able to hear the voice of Truth at least a little.
And now, my dear ones, be attentive: everything that the Lord critically says about the Temple and everything in it, about piety, worship, sacrifices, business, trade… – all this criticism concerns the Old Testament state of humanity. Everything that was in the Old Testament – the Temple, worship, the Law, holidays… – had one goal: REPENTANCE, CATECHISM (preparation for Baptism by the Holy Spirit) – hearing the word of God (“Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that you may learn them, and keep, and do them…” (see Deuteronomy 5:1 and further, Exodus 20), “Now these are the judgments which you shall set before them…” (see Exodus 21:1 and further)) and fervent fulfillment (attempting to fulfill) of God’s will, God’s commandments, to become a righteous person, humble (to receive the Messiah through the Holy Spirit, which is what the Humble Virgin Mary did). Instead, the Jews turned the Temple into a den of robbers, into a pagan temple with magical actions-rituals, and replaced God’s commandments with the traditions and interpretations of the elders. Thus, everything that was established in the Old Testament (the Law, the Temple and everything in it, all worship and rites, holidays, Sabbaths, new moons…) had one goal – to serve catechism, repentance of the people (to prepare for the New Testament, for baptism by the Holy Spirit), everything was created, implemented for catechism, repentance (so that people would become righteous, humble – and God gives Grace to the humble), and for the Jews, all these auxiliary means became an end in themselves (the main thing is to fulfill the Law, simply to fulfill it, and not to change oneself by fulfilling the Law) or a pagan cult (especially the Temple and worship) with magical actions, prayers-incantations, muttering psalms, which, as they believed, acted automatically, and the purpose of their performance (not to change oneself, to repent, but) – to change God, to appease Him, to win Him over to their side and other nonsense (for which the prophets of God rebuked this foolish, hard-hearted, godless “people of God,” and called them to repentance, which John the Baptist and all the prophets before him did before the very appearance of the Messiah).
Therefore, when it comes to temples and temple piety, worship, holidays… – it is not about the New Testament (the unique union with God), where there are no longer temples, priests-clergy-priests, sacrifices (blood and bloodless), needs, prayers… – all this is “skubala,” as the Apostle Paul aptly called the Old Testament in the New Testament (see more in part II)! The Old and New Testaments are two completely different, incompatible worlds, two completely dissimilar realities (the Old Testament eye has not seen, and the ear has not heard, and it has not entered into the mind what (Who) the New Testament is!). What is high in the Old Testament is an abomination, “skubala,” an impossibility in the New Testament! For example, let’s take two constitutions – of the Old and New Testaments (justice, equal retribution (eye for an eye), prohibition to do evil (“do not”: do not kill, do not steal, do not…) – and love, mercy). Let’s take for comparison the points, laws of the constitutions (of the two Testaments), which speak about the attitude towards enemies. Psalm 109 of the prophet David: “…Set a wicked man over him, and let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is judged, let him be found guilty, and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few, and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. Let his children continually be vagabonds, and beg; let them seek their bread also from their desolate places. Let the creditor seize all that he has, and let strangers plunder his labor. Let there be none to extend mercy to him, nor let there be any to favor his fatherless children. Let his posterity be cut off, and in the generation following let their name be blotted out. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. Let them be before the Lord continually, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth, because he did not remember to show mercy…” (in the New Testament, the Covenant of Love, union with God-Love in Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit “because he did not remember to show mercy” does not exist; love (mercy) is unconditional, a selfless gift of Grace (for nothing)). And listen to what the constitution of the New Testament (“love for enemies” of the Lord Jesus Christ) proclaims: “You have heard that it was said: You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you: Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you… Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful!” (see Matthew 5:43-48, Luke 6:27-36). “Good,” says the lawyer, “I will love my enemies, I will forgive everything, but what about the enemies of God?”. As the psalmist says: “…Oh, that You would slay the wicked, O God! … Your enemies take Your name in vain; do I not hate those, O Lord, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies…” (see Psalm 139). The Old Testament righteous did not even suspect that God is Love, that God has no enemies, and for God, there are no enemies, that “God so loved the world (every person: … and the Satanist, and the heretic, and the pagan, and the atheist, and the maniac, and… – every person!), that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!”. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends! You (all people in general and each person in particular) are My friends!” (see John 15:13-14). Christians have a commandment from the Lord to act in everything as the Lord Jesus Christ did – to love enemies (their own and God’s) and to lay down their lives for them!!! Christ (God) did not allow defending Him with a sword (killing someone for the Lord (Luke 10:53-56)), hating His enemies (the killers of Christ), seeking revenge, etc. David, for example, cruelly destroyed the inhabitants of one pagan city by driving over them with chariots (see 2 Samuel 12:29-31). And when the Israelites spared the inhabitants of one city, having the command to destroy them all (to commit genocide), they suffered as criminals, as violators of God’s will (see Deuteronomy 20:16-17; Numbers 31; 1 Samuel 15; Joshua 6-12). That is, killing the enemy of God (a pagan, idolater, Satanist) was a commendable act, a virtue, and in the New Testament – it is a mortal sin (“Christians do not kill and do not bless killing” – see more in part III; “Shall we strike with the sword, Lord?”, “Shall we turn Samaria and all the Samaritans who have something against the Lord into radioactive ashes?”… – “The Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them, to divinize them, to fill them with the Holy Spirit”)!