We are taught in the Book of Mormon that God will judge us on the basis of our actions, our words, and our thoughts (see Mosiah 4:30; Alma 12:14; compare D&C 18:38; D&C 88:109; D&C 137:8—9; Isaiah 55:7; Matthew 12:36—37; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21; Acts 8:22). According to 2 Enoch (J) 71:10, one can sin before God by word and thought, while in 3 Enoch 45:1, we read that the deeds and thoughts of all mankind are written on the curtain that hangs before God. The veil is symbolic of Christ who stands between us and God and who made atonement for all of mankind. The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs indicate that we should love in deeds and thoughts, in the heart (see Testament of Gad 6:1, 3; 7:7; compare Testament of Joseph 4:6).
An interesting belief or theory of some saints and theologians of the Eastern Orthodox faith has to do with what they call the “Toll-Houses” or “Aerial Toll-Houses.” This belief is in regards to the soul's journey after its departure from the body at the time of death. It is not a dogma of their faith and there exists some controversy among some of their theologians who feel it is a Gnostic or false belief. As with most things that are of the esoteric nature Gnosticism has gained a bad reputation and has become the catch-all label in modern Christianity to categorize those teachings least understood or lost in antiquity.
Concerning “Toll-Houses,” Fr. Seraphim Rose’s book ‘The Soul After Death’ tells us that, "following a person's death the soul leaves the body and is escorted to God by angels. During this journey the soul passes through an aerial realm which is ruled by demons. The soul encounters these demons at various points referred to as "toll-houses" where the demons then attempt to accuse it of sin and, if possible, drag the soul into hell."
According to this teaching, every person during life has demons that attack him, and "shoot their arrows at them", as Church Fathers say, that "arrows" being thoughts that suggest committing sins. These demons write down every sin that they persuaded people to do, and even thoughts that people accepted and complied with, but did not, for whatever reason, actually actualize them. When a person repents for a sin, and confesses it in the Holy Mystery (Sacrament) of Confession, it is by God's Grace and Power erased from the demon's papers.
When the soul dies, on the third day it is carried by angels towards Heaven. On that way, they must go past 20 aerial toll-houses, which are huge groups of demons arranged according to specific kinds of sins. When a soul accompanied by angels gets to a toll-house, demons that tempted that soul during their life approach and accuse it of sins. The sins that are written on papers of demons have to be "paid for" by a person’s good deeds in life, such as prayer, fasting, asceticism, doing works of mercy, etc.
The demons often accuse the soul of sins that they tempted them with, but the person didn't comply with, of sins that were repented for, and in that case one of the angels, the one which was the person's guardian angel, speaks for the them, saying that those are lies, and that payment is not necessary, taking the soul to the next toll-house.
If a person has sins that they didn't repent for, and does not have enough good deeds to pay them off, the demons of that toll-house grab him, and take him to hell. Here the sins ones are “accused” of at each of the different “toll-houses:”
• On the first aerial toll-house, the soul is questioned about the sins of the tongue, such as- empty words, dirty talk, insulting people, ridicule, singing worldly songs, too much or loud laughter, and similar sins
• The second is the toll-house of lies- besides plain lying also- braking oaths, braking vows given to God, taking God's name in vain, hiding sins during confession, and similar
• The third is the toll-house of slander- judging, humiliating, embarrassing, mocking and laughing at people, and similar
• The fourth is the toll-house of gluttony- overeating, drunkenness, eating between meals, eating without prayer, not holding fasts, choosing tasty over plain food, eating when not hungry, and similar
• The fifth is the toll-house of laziness- where the soul is questioned about every day and hour spent in laziness, neglect of serving God, of prayer, and missing Church services, and also not earning money by honest and hard work, not working as much as you are paid, and all similar sins
• The sixth toll-house is the toll-house of theft- stealing, robbery, whether small, big, light, violent, public, hidden
• The seventh is the toll-house of covetousness- love of riches and goods, not giving to charity, and similar
• The eight is the toll-house of usury, and also loan-sharking, overpricing, and similar
• The ninth is the toll-house of injustice- being unjust, especially in judicial affairs, accepting or giving bribes, dishonest trading and business, using false measures, and similar
• The tenth is the toll-house of envy
• The eleventh is the toll-house of pride- vanity, self-will, boasting, not honoring parents and civil authorities, insubordination, disobedience, and similar
• The twelve is the toll-house of anger and rage
• The thirteenth is the toll-house of remembering evil- hatred, holding a grudge, and revenge
• The fourteenth is the toll-house of murder- not just plain murder, but also wounding, maiming, hitting, pushing- generally injuring people
• The fifteenth is the toll-house of magic- divination, conjuring demons, making poison, all superstitions, and similar
• The sixteenth is the toll-house of lust- fornication, unclean thoughts, lustful looks, unchaste touches
• The seventeenth is the toll-house of adultery
• The eighteenth is the toll-house of sodomy- bestiality, homosexuality, incest, masturbation, and all other unnatural sins
• The nineteenth is the toll-house of heresy- rejecting any part of Orthodox faith, wrongly interpreting it, apostasy, blasphemy, and all similar sins
• The last, twentieth toll-house is the toll-house of unmercifulness, failing to show mercy and charity to people, and being cruel in any way
We know that Satan and his demonic followers stand opposite God and righteousness and perdition means “destruction,” carrying the connotation of being eternally lost.
The name Satan depicts the devil’s role as an “adversary” in the Old Testament (Zech 3: 1-3), or as an “accuser” in the New Testament (Rev. 12: 9). John refers to him as the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10). Every Old Testament reference to Satan is in the context of an adversary bringing an accusation (see Job 2; Zech 3). The word devil means “slanderer” and is the English word used to translate two Greek words with different meanings:
(1) diabolos, “the accuser,” which is synonymous with the Old Testament Satan (Zech. 3:2).
(2) daimonion, a demonic being, or evil spirit (Matt. 9:32).
Also See:
The Keeper of the Gate
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