Apocalypse. Millennium. Chiliasm and Chillegorism

Section 4. An anthology of the ancient Chiliasm

The author’s note: Initially, I wanted to include in this section not only the anthology of Chiliasm but also a brief overview of the development of these doctrines over time. But due to the limited space, I decided to only give a summary of the most important points.

St. John the Evangelist, the Apostle, one of the 12 (c. 2 – c. 102)

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire (Rev 19:11—20:15).

St. Barnabas, the Apostle, one of the 70 (1st century)

[…] The Lord said: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” [Gen 1:28]. This was said at the beginning about us and addressed to the Son. Next, I will show you how He, at the end of time, wrought into us the second creation. The Lord says: “Lo, I will make the last like the first” [compare Is 43:18—19; 2 Cor 5:17; Rev 21:5]. The prophet also said something to the effect: “Enter into the land flowing with honey and milk and take possession of it” [Ex 33:1; Lev 20:24]. So, we have been restored, even as the Lord says once more through another prophet: “Behold, says he, I will take out of them,” that is, from those whom the Spirit of the Lord foresaw, “the hearts of stone and will put in them the hearts of flesh” [Ezek 11:19; 36:26]. For He had to appear in the flesh and dwell in us, since, my brothers, the abode of our hearts is a holy temple of the Lord. The Lord also says: “In what place shall I appear to the Lord my God and be glorified?” [Ps 42:2 (Ps 41:3 rus)] And then: “I will bring my confession to You in the church, among my brethren, and I will sing Your glory among the church of the saints” [Ps 22:22 (Ps 21:23 rus)]. So we are those whom the Lord has brought into the good land. But what is milk and honey? Just like the life of a baby is sustained first by honey and then by milk, so we, after being brought to life by faith in the promise and by the word of God, shall live and rule over the earth. In the beginning, the people were commanded to multiply and rule over beasts, birds, and fish. Who can now, at this time, rule over beasts, fish, or birds of air? And we must understand that ruling implies dominion when someone controls and commands. Now, however, we do not see such dominion – yet it is promised to us. When will it take place? When will we become so perfect so as to become heirs to the covenant of the Lord (The Epistle of Barnabas, chapter 6).

Also, about the Sabbath it says in the Ten Commandments, proclaimed by the Lord to Moses face to face on Mount Sinai: “Sanctify the Sabbath of the Lord with pure hands and with a clean heart” [Ex 20:8; Deut 5:12; Ps 24:3—4 (Ps 23:3—4 rus)]. And in another place He says: “If my sons keep the Sabbath, then I shall pour out My grace upon them” [compare Jer 17:24—25]. Scripture also mentions the Sabbath at the beginning of the creation: “And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it” [Gen 2:2].

Children, note well what it means that He “ended his work”. It means that the Lord will complete all things in six thousand years because for Him one day is like a thousand years. For He Himself testifies to that saying: “Here, the present day will be like a thousand years” [Ps 90:4 (Ps 89:5 rus); 2 Pet 3:8]. So, children, everything will be accomplished in six days, that is, in six thousand years. “He rested on the seventh day” [Gen 2:2]. It means that when His Son comes and destroys the times of the lawless one, and carries out his judgment over the wicked, changes the sun, the moon and the stars, then He will rest in perfect peace on the seventh day.

Moreover, it is written, “Sanctify it with clean hands and a clean heart” [Ps 24:4 (Ps 23:4 rus)]. So, we would be mistaken to think that someone could at this time sanctify this holy day of the Lord without a heart pure in every way. Therefore, to rest and to sanctify this day one must be able to do what’s right, having received the promise – when there is no more lawlessness, and everything is made new by the Lord. Then, having been consecrated ourselves, we will be able to consecrate that day also.

Finally, God says to the Jews: “Your new moons and sabbaths I won’t tolerate” [Is 1:13]. See what He says: “The Sabbaths that you practice now I cannot stand – only those that I have commanded and those that will come when, putting an end to everything, I will usher in the eighth day, or the beginning of the next world” Therefore, we celebrate the eighth day in joy – the day when Jesus rose from the dead and, having shown Himself to believers, ascended into heaven (The Epistle of Barnabas, chapter 15).

“The Teaching of the Lord to the Nations Through the 12 Apostles” (Didache), 1st century

Watch over your lives; your lamps must keep burning, and (let) your loins be girded. But be ready, for you do not know the hour in which your Lord will come. You must often get together exploring what is good for your souls, for the time in which you can practice your faith will not benefit you unless you are perfect by the last hour. For in the last days, false prophets and destroyers will multiply, sheep will turn into wolves, and love will turn into hatred. With the increase of lawlessness, people will start hating and persecuting each other, and then the deceiver of the world will appear like unto the Son of God and will show signs and wonders, and the earth will be given into his hands, and he will work iniquities that have never been seen before. Then the human race will be subjected to fiery trials, and many will be led astray and perish, but those who stand firm in their faith will be saved from his curse. And then the sign of the truth will appear: first, the sign of the opened sky, then the sign of the trumpet, and then the third one – the resurrection of the dead. But not all will rise (together) but as it says: “The Lord will come together with all the saints” [Zech 14:5; 1 Thess 3:13]. Then, the world will see the Lord coming down on the clouds (Didache, chapter 16).

St. Clement of Rome, the Apostle, one of the 70 (died c. 99)

So, do we consider it marvelous and wonderful that the Creator of all things should raise all those who have diligently served Him in hope and good faith when He will use even a bird to reveal His great promises to us? For somewhere it says: and you will raise me up, and I will praise you. Also: I fell asleep and slept but rose again because you are with me. In the same way, Job says: “You will restore this flesh of mine which suffers all this” [compare Job 42:18] (1 Corinthians, chapter 26).

So, having accepted the command, the Apostles, fully convinced through the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and strengthened in their faith by the word of God, went out to preach the coming Kingdom in the fullness of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians, chapter 42).

All the generations from Adam until now have passed, but those who have been perfected in love by the grace of God are in the place of the godly: they will be revealed with the coming of the Kingdom of Christ. For it is written: “Enter into the earthly tabernacle for a while until My anger and indignation have passed, and I will remember the day of goodness and will bring you out of your tombs” [Is 26:20; Ezek 37:12—13] (1 Corinthians, chapter 50).

And you know, brethren, that the sojourn of our flesh in this world is of short duration, and the promise of Christ is great and wondrous, namely, peace in the future Kingdom and eternal life (2 Corinthians, chapter 5).

Let us consider that it is better to deny the temporary earthly blessings because they are small, short-lived, and perishable, and embrace those other blessings as beautiful and imperishable. For in obeying the will of Christ we shall find peace; otherwise, no one will be able to deliver us from the eternal punishment, should we scorn His commandments. And Scripture says in the book of Ezekiel that “if Noah, and Job, and Daniel rose from the dead, they would not be able to save their children who are in captivity” [Ezek 14:20]. But if even these righteous men cannot save their children by their own righteousness, then what hope do we have for entering the Kingdom of God unless we keep our baptism pure and blameless? Or who will be our intercessor if no righteous and godly works are found in us? (2 Corinthians, chapter 6).

For as we are called in the flesh, so will we appear before the judgment seat in the flesh. Just as our Lord, the Savior, was once a Spirit but became flesh and called us in the flesh, so we shall receive our reward in this flesh. Let us love one another so that all may enter into the Kingdom of God (2 Corinthians, chapter 9).

For He who promised to reward each person according to his works is faithful. If we do what is right in the eyes of God, then we shall enter His Kingdom and receive the blessings according to the promise: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man” [1 Cor 2:9] (2 Corinthians, chapter 11).

So, let us in love and godliness expect the Kingdom of God at any moment because we do not know the day of His coming (2 Corinthians, chapter 12).

(31) […] Watch over your lives. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return, whether in the morning or in the evening, for the Lord will come at an hour when you think not. If ye open the door – “blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching. He shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” [Lk 12:37]. Be ye vigilant and pray so you won’t fall into slumber unto death, for all the former virtues will not help you at the hour of your departure if you have strayed away from the true faith.

(32) In the last days, false prophets and Word defilers will multiply, and sheep will turn into wolves, and love into hatred; for with the increase of iniquity the love of many will grow cold, and people will hate, persecute, and betray one another. And then the deceiver of the world will come, the enemy of truth, the champion of lies, whom our Lord Jesus will slay with the Spirit of His mouth, destroying the ungodly with his word. And many will fall into temptation, but those who endure to the end will be saved. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven followed by the trumpet sound by the archangel and the resurrection of the dead, and then the Lord will come down in the midst of clouds, sitting on His throne, with angelic hosts and all His saints – to condemn the deceiver of the world, the devil, and repay each one according to his deeds. Then the wicked will depart into eternal perdition, and the righteous will go to eternal life inheriting what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what never came to a person’s heart – what God prepared for those who love Him. They will rejoice in the Kingdom of God in Christ Jesus […] (Apostolic Decrees [through St. Clement, Bishop and Citizen of Rome], book 7).

St. Ignatius of Antioch, the God-Bearer (died 107)

Ignatius the God-Bearer, loved by God and Father of Jesus Christ, a saint in the church of Tralia in Asia which is chosen and worthy of God, enjoying the peace in the flesh and blood and the suffering of Jesus Christ who is our hope when we rise from the dead transformed into His image – sends his greetings in full in the manner of the Apostles and wishes you to rejoice greatly (Epistle to the Trallians, Prologue).

Therefore, do not listen to those who preach another Jesus Christ, different from the One who came from the line of David through Mary, was truly born, ate and drank, was condemned under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died in view of those in heaven, earth and under the earth, and then truly rose from the dead because His Father had raised Him, and who will in the similar fashion bring to life those who believe unto Jesus Christ, for without Him we have no life which is life indeed (Epistle to the Thrallians, chapter 9).

I praise our Lord Jesus Christ who made you so wise. For I have learned that you hold steadfastly to your faith as if nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ both in flesh and spirit, being strengthened in love by the blood of Christ and and full of faith in our Lord who has truly come from the house of David according to the flesh but is the Son of God through the will and power of God. He was indeed born of the Virgin, baptized by John, and crucified for us in the flesh by Pontius Pilate and Herod the Tetrarch to fulfill all the righteousness (we are the fruit of his most blessed suffering) in order to establish a sign for the saints and the faithful through the resurrection from the dead, both among Jews and Gentiles united in one body of the Church (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, chapter 1).

For I know and believe that He was and is in the flesh even after His resurrection. When he appeared to his followers with Peter, he said to them, “Touch me and see that I am not a bodiless spirit” They immediately touched Him and believed, being convinced by His flesh and spirit. Therefore, they despised even death and triumphed over it. Moreover, after His resurrection, He ate and drank with them as someone in the flesh, although he was spiritually united with the Father (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans, chapter 3).

St. Hermas, the Apostle, one of the 70 (1st—2nd century)

Again the shepherd showed me many trees, some of which blossomed and others were dry.

“Do you see these trees?”

“Yes, I do, my lord”, I answered. “Some of them are dry, and some are covered with leaves”.

“These green trees”, he said, “signify the righteous who will reach the age to come. For the coming age is like unto summer for the righteous and winter for sinners. So when the goodness of the Lord shines forth, then those who serve God will be revealed and all things will be seen. For as the fruit of every tree ripens in summer, and it becomes clear what it is, so the fruit of the righteous will be revealed and seen, and they will all be joyful in that age. Pagans and sinners are the dry trees that you saw; they will be found withered and barren in the age to come and will be burned like wood, and it will become obvious that during their lives on earth their deeds were evil. Sinners will burn because they have sinned and have not repented of their sins. And heathen will burn because they have not come to know their Creator God. Therefore, bring forth good fruit that it may ripen during that summer. Keep from the many cares of the world, and you will never sin. For those who have many cares sin a lot, troubled as they are by their worries. Such people do not serve God. How can a man who does not serve God ask and receive anything from God? Those who serve God will ask, and God will answer their petitions, but those who do not serve God will never receive anything from Him. He who has but one focus can serve the Lord because his spirit is not alienated from Him. He serves God out of a pure mind. So, if you do this, you will bear fruit in the coming age, as well as all those who obey this and bear fruit” (Shepherd, book 3, Likeness Four).

St. Polycarp of Smyrna (c. 70/80 – 155/167)

Therefore, having girded your loins, serve God in fear [Ps 2:11] and truth, leaving behind the vain rhetoric and delusions of many. Believe unto Him “that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory” [1 Pet 1:21] and allowed Him to sit at His right hand, to whom all things are subject whether in heaven or earth, and who is served by all the things that breathe, who will come as the Judge of the living and the dead and whose blood God will require of them who do not put their faith in Him. He who raised him from the dead will also raise us if we obey his will, walk in his commandments, and love what he loves, if we flee from all unrighteousness, covetousness, avarice, slander, falsehood, do not repay evil for evil, blame for blame [1 Pet 3:9], blow for blow, curse for curse, and if we remember what the Lord taught in saying: “Judge not, that ye be not judged [Mt 7:1]. Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven” [Lk 6:37; Mt 6:12, 14] (Philippians, chapter 2).