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of them; and I will destroy the insolence of the lawless, and the insolence of the proud I will bring low. And those who are left will be more precious than unrefined gold, and a man will be more precious than the stone from Ophir. For the heaven will be shaken and the earth will be shaken from its foundations because of the fury of the wrath of the Lord of Hosts, in the day when his wrath shall come.” And again: “The windows, he says, from heaven shall be opened, and the foundations of the earth will be shaken, the earth will be utterly shaken; the earth will be utterly perplexed; the earth will be made to bow down; the earth will be shaken to and fro; it will be shaken like a drunken man and one who has a hangover, the earth will fall like a fruit-watcher's hut, and it will not be able to rise; for lawlessness has prevailed upon it. And God will bring his hand upon the host of heaven on high in that day, and upon the kingdoms of the earth; and he will gather its assembly into a prison and will shut them up into a stronghold.” And Malachi, speaking in harmony with these things, said: “Behold, the Lord Almighty comes, and who will endure the day of his coming, or who will stand in his sight? For he comes in like a refiner’s fire and like fuller’s soap. And he will sit refining and purifying as silver and as gold.” And again: “Behold, he says, a day of the Lord comes burning like an oven, and it will burn them up, and all the foreigners and all that do lawless things shall be as stubble, and the day that comes shall set them on fire, says the Lord Almighty, and neither root nor branch shall be left.” But the man of desires: “I beheld, he says, until thrones were set, and the Ancient of Days sat; and his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was as pure wool; his throne was a flame of fire, his wheels were burning fire; a river of fire streamed forth from before him. Thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousands of ten thousands stood before him. The judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Then after a little: “I saw, he says, in a vision of the night, and behold, with the clouds of heaven, there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days, and was brought before him. And to him was given dominion and honor and the kingdom, and all peoples, tribes, and languages shall serve him. And his authority is an everlasting authority, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom shall not be destroyed. My spirit was terrified, I Daniel, in my state, and the visions of my head troubled me.” Then all the gates of the heavenly arches are thrown open, or rather, heaven itself is taken from the midst, like the curtain of a tent being rolled up from the middle, so that it may be transformed for the better. Then all things are full of ecstasy and shuddering and trembling. Then great fear seizes the angels themselves, not only angels, but also archangels and thrones and dominions and principalities and powers; “For the powers of the heavens,” he says, “shall be shaken,” because their fellow-servants are required to give an account of their life here. And do not be surprised.

13 For if, when one city is judged by these rulers, the rest, even those out of danger, shudder, when the whole world is judged by such a judge, who needs no witnesses, no refutations, but without all these things presents deeds and words and thoughts in the midst, and displays everything as in a picture to both those who have sinned and those who defend them, how is it not likely that every power be shaken? For even if no river of fire streamed forth, nor fearsome angels stood by, but only men were called, some being praised and admired, while others were sent away in dishonor, that they might not see the glory of God, and this alone were the punishment, would not the fall from so many good things bite the souls of the deprived more bitterly than any Gehenna? For how great an evil this is, it is not possible now to represent in speech, but then in the deeds themselves

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αὐτῶν· καὶ ἀπολῶ ὕβριν ἀνόμων καὶ ὕβριν ὑπερηφάνων ταπεινώσω καὶ ἔσονται οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι ἔντιμοι μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ χρυσίον τὸ ἄπυρον καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἔντιμος ἔσται μᾶλλον ἢ ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐκ Σουφίρ. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς σαλευθήσεται καὶ ἡ γῆ σεισθήσεται ἐκ τῶν θεμελίων αὐτῆς διὰ θυμὸν ὀργῆς Κυρίου Σαβαὼθ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ἂν ἐπέλθῃ ὁ θυμὸς αὐτοῦ.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Θυρίδες, φησίν, ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀνοιχθήσονται καὶ σεισθήσεται τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς, ταραχῇ ταραχθήσεται ἡ γῆ· ἀπορίᾳ ἀπορηθήσεται ἡ γῆ· κλινομένη κλιθήσεται ἡ γῆ· σάλῳ σαλευθήσεται ἡ γῆ· ὡς ὁ μεθύων καὶ ὡς ὁ κραιπαλῶν σεισθήσεται, ὡς ὀπωροφυλακίον ἡ γῆ πεσεῖται, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύνηται ἀναστῆναι· κατίσχυσεν γὰρ ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἡ ἀνομία. Καὶ ἐπάξει ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐν τῷ ὕψει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς βασιλείας τῆς γῆς· καὶ συνάξει συναγωγὴν αὐτῆς εἰς δεσμωτήριον καὶ ἀποκλείσει εἰς ὀχύρωμα.» Καὶ ὁ Μαλαχίας συνῳδὰ τούτοις φθεγγόμενος ἔλεγεν· «Ἰδοὺ ἔρχεται Κύριος παντοκράτωρ, καὶ τίς ὑπομενεῖ ἡμέραν εἰσόδου αὐτοῦ, ἢ τίς ὑποστήσεται ἐν τῇ ὀπτασίᾳ αὐτοῦ; ∆ιότι αὐτὸς εἰσπορεύεται ὡς πῦρ χωνευτηρίου καὶ ὡς πόα πλυνόντων καὶ καθιεῖται χωνεύων καὶ καθαρίζων ὡς τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ ὡς τὸ χρύσιον.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἰδού, φησίν, ἡμέρα ἔρχεται Κυρίου καιομένη ὡς κλίβανος καὶ καταφλέξει αὐτοὺς καὶ ἔσονται πάντες οἱ ἀλλογενεῖς καὶ πάντες οἱ ποιοῦντες τὰ ἄνομα ὡς καλάμη, καὶ ἀνάψει αὐτοὺς ἡ ἡμέρα ἡ ἐρχομένη, λέγει Κύριος παντοκράτωρ καὶ οὐ μὴ ὑπολειφθῇ ῥίζα οὐδὲ κλῆμα.» Ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ τῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν· «Ἐθεώρουν, φησίν, ἕως οὗ θρόνοι ἐτέθησαν, καὶ ὁ παλαιὸς τῶν ἡμερῶν ἐκάθητο· καὶ τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ λευκὸν ὡσεὶ χιὼν καὶ ἡ θρὶξ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ ὡσεὶ ἔριον καθαρόν· ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ φλὸξ πυρός, οἱ τροχοὶ αὐτοῦ πῦρ φλέγον· ποταμὸς πυρὸς εἷλκεν ἐκπορευόμενος ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ καὶ μυρίαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Κριτήριον ἐκάθισεν καὶ βίβλοι ἀνεῴχθησαν.» Εἶτα μετὰ μικρόν· «Ἐθεώρουν, φησίν, ἐν ὁράματι τῆς νυκτὸς καὶ ἰδοὺ μετὰ τῶν νεφελῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενος ἦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ παλαιοῦ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἔφθασεν καὶ ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ προσηνέχθη αὐτῷ, καὶ αὐτῷ ἐδόθη ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ ἡ τιμὴ καὶ ἡ βασιλεία καὶ πάντες λαοί, φυλαί, γλῶσσαι αὐτῷ δουλεύσουσιν καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτοῦ ἐξουσία αἰώνιος ἥτις οὐ παρελεύσεται καὶ ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ οὐ διαφθαρήσεται· Ἔφριξεν τὸ πνεῦμά μου, ἐγὼ ∆ανιήλ, ἐν τῇ ἕξει μου, καὶ αἱ ὁράσεις τῆς κεφαλῆς μου συνετάρασσόν με.» Τότε ἀναπετάννυνται πᾶσαι τῶν οὐρανίων ἁψίδων αἱ πύλαι, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ μέσου λαμβάνεται ὁ οὐρανός, καθάπερ τινὸς σκηνῆς παραπέτασμα συστελλόμενον ἐκ τοῦ μέσου, ὥστε μετασχηματισθῆναι ἐπὶ τὸ βέλτιον. Τότε πάντα ἐκστάσεως γέμει καὶ φρίκης καὶ τρόμου. Τότε καὶ αὐτοὺς πολὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἀγγέλους ὁ φόβος, οὐκ ἀγγέλους δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους καὶ θρόνους καὶ κυριότητας καὶ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας· «Σεισθήσονται γάρ, φησίν, αἱ δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν», διὰ τὸ τοὺς ὁμοδούλους ἀπαιτεῖσθαι τὰς εὐθύνας τῆς ἐνθάδε ζωῆς. Καὶ μὴ θαυμάσῃς.

13 Εἰ γὰρ πόλεως μιᾶς κρινομένης ἐπὶ τούτων τῶν ἀρχόντων πεφρίκασιν αἱ λοιπαὶ καὶ αἱ κινδύνων ἐκτός, τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης δικαζομένης ὑπὸ τοιούτου κριτοῦ, οὐ μαρτύρων δεομένου, οὐκ ἐλέγχων, ἀλλὰ χωρὶς τούτων ἁπάντων καὶ πράξεις καὶ ῥήματα καὶ ἐνθυμήματα παριστῶντος εἰς μέσον καὶ πάντα ὥσπερ ἐν εἰκόνι τινὶ τοῖς τε ἡμαρτηκόσιν αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἀμύνουσιν ἐπιδεικνύντος, πῶς οὐκ εἰκὸς ἅπασαν κλονεῖσθαι δύναμιν. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μὴ ποταμὸς εἵλκετο πυρός, μηδὲ ἄγγελοι παρειστήκεισαν φοβεροί, μόνον δὲ καλούμενοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ μὲν ἐπῃνοῦντο καὶ ἐθαυμάζοντο, οἱ δὲ παρεπέμποντο ἀτιμῶς, ἵνα μὴ ἴδωσιν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ τοῦτο μόνον ἡ κόλασις ἦν, ἆρα οὐκ ἂν πάσης γεέννης πικρότερον ἡ ἐκ τῶν τοσούτων ἔκπτωσις ἀγαθῶν τὰς τῶν ἀπεστερημένων ἔδακνεν ψυχάς; Τοῦτο γὰρ ὅσον κακόν, νῦν μὲν οὐ δυνατὸν παραστῆσαι τῷ λόγῳ, τότε δὲ ἐπὶ τῶν πραγμάτων