Abraham would have been glad to see this, Abraham knew about this day: he knew the prophecies and revelations about Christ. And he saw the day of Christ, saw what was happening in Jerusalem and in all Palestine during the days of the Lord's earthly life, and he saw and rejoiced. And if so, it means that His spirit continued to live uninterruptedly, He did not die an eternal death, He was, so to speak, aware of all the events of life. And this is very important for us to know. If so, if Abraham lived such a deeply conscious life, how can we deny that all the righteous, and perhaps all the unrighteous continue to live after death, continue to be aware of the events of earthly life, the life of the human race?

This is also confirmed by the indubitable facts of the appearance of the dead to the living, facts that are very frequent and absolutely reliable. Our dead, our loved ones, appearing to us, talk to us about our life, they guide our life, sometimes they rebuke us, keep us from the wrong path of life, sometimes they point out how our vices should be corrected; If so, it means that they know everything that concerns our life, it means that their souls are immortal, they continue to live an intense, intense life.

They are alive, and the spirit of righteous people already lives in the light. The joy in which the righteous live, their blessedness is darkened by what they see and know about our earthly life: all the terrible wars between Christian nations, the inhuman crimes and unrighteousness that they see in our deeds. We torture them, especially close relatives; they are tormented, tormented by our dark deeds, our sins.

Let us cease to torment them, let us cease to insult the Lord God, Who gave eternal life to all the friends of Christ. Let us fear the second death, eternal death, and let us not fear the first death: the first death is terrible only for the wicked, for blasphemers, for grievous sinners.

Let us live such a life that death will not be frightening. Amen.

"Lay down your life for your friends" (John 15:13)

June 4, 1948

"Therefore the Father loves Me, that I lay down My life, that I might receive it again. No one takes it away from Me, but I Myself give it away. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to receive it again" (John 10:17-18).

What amazing, what unheard words by the world: He Himself gave His life for the salvation of the world. He said that no one took His life, but He Himself gave His life. You may be perplexed: did not the chief priests, Pharisees, and scribes take His life, when they obtained from Pilate the condemnation of Him to crucifixion, and He says: "I Myself gave His life, no one took it from Me"?

Remember what He said in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Judas the traitor came, when they wanted to arrest Him, when the flaming Peter drew his sword, struck the servant of the high priest, and cut off his ear; remember what He said then: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53). He could do it: He Himself had divine authority. He could smite His enemies, slay them terribly. But He didn't. He, like a sheep led to the slaughter, gave Himself into the hands of His enemies. He Himself, of His own free will, gave His life for the salvation of the human race.

"I have power to give it up, and I have power to take it up again." For it came to pass: He took His life again when He rose on the third day. Do not these amazing words have something to do with us, Christians? Did Christ Himself voluntarily give His life, did He alone have the power to receive it? No, He gave this great power to us, people.

You know that there were many thousands of martyrs of Christ who, in imitation of Him, gave their lives for His holy name, voluntarily went to suffering, to such tortures as only the devilish brain of the enemies of Christ could invent. They could save their lives, and yet they gave it. Only renounce Christ, offer sacrifice to idols, and you will receive everything; and they gave their lives. And so, did they not accept it later, like the Lord Jesus Himself? They have received, they have received: they all glorify God at the Throne of the Most High, they all rejoice in joy ineffable and eternal. They, after they had given their lives, accepted it forever and ever, accepted it forever. You see: these words can also refer to us, people, to us, Christians.

But, you will say, the days when they shed their blood for Christ are long gone. And now how can we give our lives for Christ?