Within the framework of “The Church and the Law” series of interviews, Iravaban.net talked about the eternal life with Priest Ter Shavars Simonyan the Pastor of Dilijan city of Tavush Diocese.
– What is death, not from a physiological point of view?
– We explain the word death like this: body without soul. The soul leaves the body. As Solomon the Wise says in the Holy Book: there is a time to live and there is a time to die. When the time comes, the body returns to the earth and the soul returns to God. It means that the soul separates from the body. This is death in the spiritual sense.
– What is the soul, and does the soul die?
– The soul cannot die. The soul is immortal because it bears the image and likeness of God. The soul can be in peace and tranquility in eternal life or it can be in eternal torment. It is the soul that keeps a person alive. Man consists of body, soul and mind. When you take the soul out of a person, the person becomes a corpse, just a breathless body.
– Where is the soul?
– At this moment, hell is destroyed and the human soul does not go to hell, nor does it go to heaven, because the resurrection must take place. Jesus says the time will come when all the graves will be opened and all the people in the graves will be resurrected. Our soul and body will join together again. The Lord will come to judge, after that it will be decided whether a person will live or die an eternal death. The soul returns to God. The soul will either live or suffer.
– It is said that there is life after death. Does eternal life exist?
– Man was created to live forever, but because of sin, man was deprived of immortality and became mortal. When God took man out of paradise, he gave him a thousand years of life. In other words, man was supposed to live on earth for a thousand years, but even the firstborn, Adam, did not complete a thousand years, he lived only 930 years. When we look at the history of mankind after Adam, the years of man are gradually reduced due to sin and the Holy Book says that today the life span of man is at least 70 years. And it will become even younger if sin increases in our life and the Holy Book says that the wages of sin is death. When God removed the man out of heaven, he closed the doors of heaven and the angel with a sword in his hand, stopped man from entering, but because God had a purpose, he had a plan for the salvation of man, he came out of heaven, Jesus himself came out of heaven, became flesh like us, took on a body, He lived like a man so that he could bring us back to eternal life.
– Does everyone deserve eternal life?
– The invitation has been sent to everyone. Every person, until the last second of his life, has the opportunity to restore his eternal life. For example, there were robbers crucified on the right and left sides of Jesus and their life was a sinful life, but one sincere repentance and asking Jesus: Lord, remember me when you come with your kingdom. Jesus says: today you will be with me in heaven. So, until the last second, a person has a chance to be saved. And God’s attitude towards us today is patience, because he says: I do not want the death of any sinner, but his resurrection and living.
– Father Shavarsh, does the modern man, the man of the 21st century strive and live with the awareness that there is eternal life?
– Apostle Paul says: whatever a person has, he will lose everything and only three things will remain for a person: faith, hope, love, and the greatest of these is love. This is the only thing that is the property of man and will belong to him both in this world and in the world to come. In all times, no matter how unbelieving a person is, there is a sign in him. It comes to mind: Well, one day I will die, what will happen to me, there is no person who does not think about it, only an animal cannot think about it, but along with that thinking, the world convinces itself that it is not essential, you choose this. Jesus says: many are called, but few will be saved.
– How would you explain the popular saying “God takes the best”?
– First, let’s start with the fact that God did not create death. God created man immortal. Death is the consequence of human action. God does not want anyone’s death. Never. How would God want anyone to suffer? In the Holy Book, God says that there is no greater pain than the pain of a parent who has lost a child. God himself, as a parent, sacrificed his child for our salvation. So how would anyone like to die? If we look at this popular saying, I always give an example: when we come to pick the fruit of the tree, we never pick rotten fruit. We pick the best fruit for us to taste. Now, what will the rotten man do in heaven? How should a rotten, sin-burdened person enter heaven? God allows such people to live until the last moment with the hope that this person will be converted. If one does not believe in Jesus Christ, one cannot have eternal life.
– What is the meaning of life?
– The whole meaning of life is love. If a person loves, he sees the beautiful, the good, the valuable, the eternal in everything. When a person does not search, he cannot see anything. No matter how much you give him, he is not satisfied. Cannot care. When you love, you also know how to live with someone else’s care, share someone else’s pain. If you do not love, you become a self-centered, and selfish person. You first of all, think about yourself and see nothing.
– What is purgatory?
– There is no purgatory in the doctrine of our church. This life is purgatory for us. After death, there is no possibility to atone for sins, to be unworldly, this life is for you to cross the path of unworldliness for your ancestors, both future and present. Too often we have become Sunday Christians and cultural Christians. You do not have to be a Christian only in the church, you have to be a Christian everywhere, and you have to be a Christian even when bathing, so that people see you and understand that Christ lives in this person.
– Should we be afraid of death?
– To be afraid of death? Why should we be afraid of death? Who is afraid of death, who has collected, accumulated, has not had time to enjoy. Death is a way to see God. You should be afraid of losing, because you can lose eternal life. We should fear from spiritual death.
– What is justice?
– Justice is an eternal value that cannot be abandoned.
– What is morality?
– Without God, just a way of life.
What is faith?
– Faith is trust, first in God, then in every person.
Details in the video.
Hasmik Sargsyan
