Website Review
orthodoxprophets.blogspot.com
I do not recommend this blog.
Prophets do not arise outside the Church.
Heterodox believe that God calls His prophets out of the general population, as it appears to them that this is how the Old Testament Prophets were chosen. But not so. Even the Old Testament Prophets were not merely "believers" in the God of Abraham, but were also members in and of the Jewish Temple.
Remember that we define "prophecy" as the word of God. It can be past, present or future. Moses, for examples, prophesied of the past – telling us of the beginning of creation.
Just as the Old Testament prophets were within the boundaries of the Jewish Temple, New Testament prophets arise only from within the boundaries of the Church, which is the Church established by Christ while He was on earth, and is "begotten" of the Jewish Temple. Remember that Christ was born a Jew; he referred to the Jews as His people. Later, when the Jews rejected Him, he called the Gentiles. Prophets who were born Gentiles became members of the Church before they became prophets.
Misunderstanding about this is rooted in an inability to discern the boundaries of the Church. There are other wrong ideas stemming from the same root, such as the idea that the Bible just rained out of the sky one day onto everyone, and that everyone has the right to interpret it in his own way, regardless of what the authors really mean. The inability to discern the boundaries of the Church is found everywhere in heterodoxy; it can also be found in the lowest levels of world Orthodoxy; it is not found in Royal Path Orthodoxy.
When this delusion is found in Orthodox.
Heterodox who believe they are prophets –when this is not just an overactive imagination or wishful thinking– can actually be some kind of [false] prophet, such as the charismatics who "get words" or psychics with crystal balls, tarot cards, or a "familiar spirit". They confess that their "gift" was received outside the Orthodox Church and, in fact, insist the Church has nothing to do with it. This is demonic deception. A demon pretends to be the "holy spirit", or a type of "spirit guide", or "angel", or even the person's own "mental powers".
Sometimes an Orthodox person can come to believe he is a prophet. This is also demonic deception. The deceived one believes he was given a gift from God, within the Church, usually as a reward for his ascetic labors and prolonged prayers. In Orthodoxy this delusion is called "prelest" or "plani," and the root cause is pride, as described in The Ladder, by St. John Climacus. But this is a separate case from the unbaptized charismatic or psychic.
We must come into the Church with nothing.
A Baptismal candidate who believes he has charismatic gifts from God, or psychic abilities, should not be baptized into the Church. This is partly because it is easier to cure this malady before baptism rather than after. The Baptismal candidate needs to do a "self-emptying" and a willful submitting, – similar to Christ, our baptism is an image of His crucifixion and resurrection. If the baptismal candidate is holding something back, such as a secret "friendship with the holy spirit", then he cheats himself out of a complete conversion. When the Church tells him that his "friendship with the holy spirit" is demonic, he does not believe the Church. How can he be healed if he can not believe the Church? How can he submit himself to a Church he does not completely trust?
What if somebody is baptized while still holding onto charismatic gifts? Is it too late for him? No. But it takes more humility than most can muster. My observation is usually either that the person leaves the Church, or he goes "underground" with his charismatic gift and keeps it hidden. They are just so sure they are right, and separating fact from fiction is too confusing, and seems suicidal to them.
Are all charismatic gifts demonic? Yes. Can't there even be one good charismatic incident where it is not demonic? No. Are all supernatural occurrences demonic? Be on the safe side, assume so. Let the Church judge what is supernatural [lying signs and wonders] and what are true miracles of God. There was one exception – an occurrence outside the Church that is deemed by the Church to be of God, and this is a good study, because it shows how you how to look deeper and gain discernment.
There was good reason why back in the old days the Church forbade the younger in the Faith to teach. The younger in the Faith do not yet have understanding which is developed after Baptism. This is a convert pitfall that Fr. Seraphim Rose labeled: knowing better, trusting oneself. The prescribed cure is humility.
Real Orthodox prophets are not self-revealed and known only to a few pious faithful during their lifetimes.
The best way to learn about Orthodox prophets is in reading lives of saints. The life of St. John of Kronstadt comes first to my mind as he is a modern prophet. Avoid reading anything from the new Mt. Athos, any "elder" born after 1875. Instead read the Optina Elder series.
Related posts:
0 comments:
Post a Comment