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Melchizedek having become a high priest forever." And again: "Knowing that you have a better and an enduring possession." And again: "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken." And again: "For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come." And again: For the form of this world is passing away." And again: "But godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." And again: "Brothers, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind." And again: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body." And again: "Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." 5.218 And again: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." And again: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words." And again: "For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them." And again: "For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." And again: "A Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." 5.219 But also in the Acts, when he was speaking to Festus and Agrippa on the tribunal, he says these things: "Concerning which hope I am accused by the Jews, O king. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?" And again: "For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me. Therefore, having obtained help from God, to this day I stand, witnessing both to small and great, saying no other things than those which the prophets and Moses said would come: that the Christ would suffer, that He would be the first to rise from the dead, and would proclaim light to the people and to the Gentiles." And if we should wish to select all the Apostle's uses concerning this, we will find almost his fourteen Epistles throughout speaking of this, that from this state we are urged to run to the one to come, from which he also commands, saying: "Let us be diligent to enter that rest," having called it a "rest," as there is no other after it, but also an "unshakable kingdom," that he might say it has no successor. Paragraph 5.220 What need is there to speak also of this vessel of election, the great new trumpet sounding among the nations, gathering the nations and Israel into one Church? That his first election also came from the heavens when Jesus called him, and having learned this he was not disobedient to the heavenly vision. This one again, having been caught up, while still in the present state, beheld the orders of the angels up to the third heaven, he spied out the ministry of the invisible Powers, he entered into and was a spectator of the service of the Principalities and the Authorities and the Dominions and of all the Powers that are named, and cried out: "Are they not all ministering spirits for

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Μελχισεδὲκ ἀρχιερεὺς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα." Καὶ πάλιν· "Γινώσκοντες ἔχειν ὑμᾶς κρείττονα ὕπαρξιν καὶ μένουσαν." Καὶ πάλιν· "∆ιὸ βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον παραλαμβάνοντες." Καὶ πάλιν· "Οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν, ἀλλὰ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπιζητοῦμεν." Καὶ πάλιν· Παράγει γὰρ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια πρὸς πάντα ὠφέλιμός ἐστιν, ἐπαγγελίας ἔχουσα ζωῆς τῆς νῦν καὶ τῆς μελλούσης." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὔπω λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι· ἓν δέ, τὰ μὲν ὀπίσω ἐπιλανθανόμενος, τοῖς δὲ ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος, κατὰ σκοπὸν διώκω εἰς τὸ βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ· ὅσοι οὖν τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἡμῶν δὲ τὸ πολίτευμα ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὑπάρχει, ἐξ οὗ καὶ Σωτῆρα ἀπεκδεχόμεθα Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, ὃς μετασχηματίσει τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν εἰς τὸ γενέσθαι αὐτὸ σύμμορφον τῷ σώματι τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Προσδεχόμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἐλπίδα καὶ ἐπιφάνειαν τῆς δόξης τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χρι στοῦ." 5.218 Καὶ πάλιν· "Εἰ οὖν συνηγέρθητε τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖτε, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθήμενος, τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖτε, μὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς." Καὶ πάλιν· "Τοῦτο γὰρ ὑμῖν λέγομεν ἐν λόγῳ Κυρίου, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες, οἱ περιλειπόμενοι εἰς τὴν παρουσίαν τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς κοιμηθέντας· ὅτι αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος ἐν κελεύσματι, ἐν φωνῇ ἀρχαγγέλου καὶ ἐν σάλπιγγι Θεοῦ καταβήσεται ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ, καὶ οἱ νεκροὶ ἐν Χριστῷ ἀναστήσονται πρῶτον· ἔπειτα ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες, οἱ περιλειπόμενοι, ἅμα σὺν αὐτοῖς ἁρπαγησόμεθα ἐν νεφέλαις εἰς ἀπάντησιν τοῦ Κυρίου εἰς ἀέρα, καὶ οὕτω πάντοτε σὺν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα· ὥστε παρακαλεῖτε ἀλλήλους ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τούτοις." Καὶ πάλιν· "Οἱ γὰρ τοιαῦτα λέγοντες ἐμφανίζουσιν ὅτι πατρίδα ἐπιζητοῦσι· καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐκείνης ἐμνημόνευσαν, ἀφ' ἧς ἐξέβησαν, εἶχον ἂν καιρὸν ἀνακάμψαι· νῦν δὲ κρείττονος ὀρέγονται, τουτέστιν ἐπουρανίου· διὸ οὐκ ἐπαισχύνεται αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς Θεὸς ἐπικαλεῖσθαι αὐτῶν· ἡτοίμασε γὰρ αὐτοῖς πόλιν." Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἐξεδέχετο γὰρ τὴν τοὺς θεμελίους ἔχουσαν πόλιν, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός." Καὶ πάλιν· "Τῶν ἁγίων λειτουργὸς καὶ τῆς σκηνῆς τῆς ἀληθινῆς, ἣν ἔπηξεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ οὐκ ἄνθρωπος." 5.219 Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν, ὅτε τῷ Φήστῳ καὶ τῷ Ἀγρίππᾳ ἐπὶ βήματος διελέγετο, ταῦτά φησι· "Περὶ ἧς ἐλπίδος ἐγκαλοῦμαι ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων, βασιλεῦ· τί ἄπιστον κρίνεται παρ' ὑμῖν, εἰ ὁ Θεὸς νεκροὺς ἐγείρει;" Καὶ πάλιν· "Ἕνεκα τούτων Ἰουδαῖοι συλλαβόμενοί με ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ ἐπειρῶντο διαχειρίσασθαι. Ἐπικουρίας οὖν τυγχάνων τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄχρι τῆς ἡμέρας ταύτης ἕστηκα, μαρτυρόμενος μικρῷ τε καὶ μεγάλῳ, οὐδὲν ἐκτὸς λέγων ὧν τε οἱ προφῆται ἐλάλησαν μελλόντων γίνεσθαι καὶ Μωϋσῆς· εἰ παθητὸς ὁ Χριστός, εἰ πρῶτος ἐξ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν, φῶς μέλλει καταγγέλλειν τῷ τε λαῷ καὶ τοῖς ἔθνεσι." Καὶ εἰ θελήσομεν πάσας τὰς τοῦ Ἀποστόλου χρήσεις ἀναλέξασθαι περὶ τούτου, σχεδὸν τὰς δεκατέσσαρας αὐτοῦ Ἐπιστολὰς δι' ὅλου εὑρήσομεν περὶ τούτου λεγούσας, ὅτι ἐκ ταύτης τῆς καταστάσεως ἐπὶ τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπειγόμεθα δραμεῖν, ὅθεν καὶ παραγγέλλει λέγων· "Σπουδάσωμεν εἰσελθεῖν εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν κατάπαυσιν", "κατάπαυσιν" αὐτὴν εἰρηκώς, ὡς ἑτέρας μὴ οὔσης μετ' αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ καὶ "βασιλείαν ἀσάλευτον", ἵνα εἴπῃ διαδοχὴν μὴ ἔχουσαν. Παραγραφή 5.220 Τί δεῖ λέγειν καὶ περὶ τούτου τοῦ σκεύους τῆς ἐκλογῆς, τῆς ἠχούσης μεγάλης σάλπιγγος νέας ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι, τῆς συναγούσης τὰ ἔθνη καὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ εἰς μίαν Ἐκκλησίαν; Ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ πρώτη αὐτοῦ ἐκλογὴ ἐξ οὐρανῶν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ προσκαλεσαμένου ἐγένετο, καὶ μαθὼν οὐκ ἠπείθησε τῇ οὐρανίῳ ὀπτασίᾳ. Οὗτος πάλιν ἁρπαγείς, περιὼν ἐν τῇ νῦν καταστάσει, ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ τῶν ἀγγέλων τὰς τάξεις ἐθεάσατο, τῶν ἀοράτων ∆υνάμεων τὴν λειτουργίαν κατώπτευσε, τῶν Ἀρχῶν καὶ τῶν Ἐξουσιῶν καὶ Κυριοτήτων καὶ πασῶν τῶν ∆υνάμεων τῶν κατωνομασμένων ἐμβατεύσας καὶ κατοπτρισθεὶς τὴν διακονίαν ἐβόα· "Οὐχὶ πάντες εἰσὶ λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα εἰς