MISSION OF THE SAVIOR In the previous chapter, the Savior proclaimed His mission saying, “And now the Lord God and His Spirit have sent Me.” (Is. 48: 16). Now He talks about that unique mission, in which the Son Himself glorifies us in Him, casts away the shame of humiliation, setting us a heavenly bride and a queen, to sit beside Christ the King, who fulfills all our needs. 1. Humility and glorification of the Savior 1-7. 2. His redemptive work 8-13. 3. Setting the desolate an everlasting bride 13-21. 4. Setting the forsaken a queen 22-23. 5. God, the Redeemer of His Church 24-26. 1. HUMILITY AND GLORIFICATION OF THE SAVIOR In the previous chapter He is addressing “the house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel” (Is. 48: 1), but here He is addressing the nations, saying, “Listen O coastlands to Me, and take heed you peoples from afar.” (Is. 49: 1) Nations have been called “the coastland peoples” (Genesis 10: 5), as the islands of the Mediterranean Sea have been looked upon as lands remote and foreign to Israel. He called nations “from afar,” as they did not enter into fellowship with Israel. The Lord Christ addresses the nations to proclaim the following: a. He is called from the matrix: “From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name.” (Is. 49: 1) Some scholars believe that He speaks here in the name of Israel, the people God has chosen before they exist, as they were within the bodies of Abraham and Sarah. Others believe it to be Cyrus, whom God has chosen to realize His will, well before he even existed. But it is rather obvious that the talk here is concerning the Lord Christ, the incarnate Son of God. The Archangel Gabriel, as He gave the good news of His birth to the Virgin Mary, before she got conceived by the Holy Spirit, called Him “Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1: 21) That is why it is said: “From the matrix of My mother He has made mention of My name” (is. 49: 1). b. He has authority: “He made My mouth like a sharp sword” (Is. 49: 2). It is said of the Lord Christ, “Out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword.” (Revelation 1: 16) “He taught them as One having authority, and not as the scribes.” (Matthew 7: 29) He entered the battle against the devil, by His word, which is like “a two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4: 12) c. Concealing the mystery of Christ, His redeeming evangelic work, and His call for nations to faith, behind the shadow of the Mosaic Law and the prophecies, saying, “In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me.” (Is. 49: 2) He probably meant by that what happened in His infancy, when king Herod plotted to have Him killed, and the Father sent an angel to Joseph to order him to flee with the mother and child to Egypt. The Word has become flesh. The Son of God has become a Son of Man; that is why, in His humility, He walked our way as one of us, 7 protected in the shadow of His Father’s hand, although He was capable of wiping out Herod together with all His opponents. “He made Me a polished shaft. In His quiver He has hidden Me.” (Is. 49: 2) Being the Word of God, He is a polished arrow, concealed behind the shadows and symbols, until the fulfillment of time, to proclaim Himself through the cross as an arrow, shot against the devil and his hosts, “and having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2: 15) He is the arrow, the Killer of evil, and the Grantor of wounds of divine love for the believing souls that cry out saying, “I am wounded with love.” (Songs 2: 5 LXX) The Holy Bible teaches us “God is love” (I John 4: 8). He aimed His Only-Begotten Son “His chosen arrow” toward the chosen, inserting its triple head in the spirit of life. The arrowhead is the faith that binds the shooter of the arrow (Christ) to those shot by it; as though the soul is exalted up by divine lifts, to behold within her the sweet arrow of love wounding her. How nice is this wound, and how sweet is its pain; by it life pierces the soul1. St. Gregory of Nyssa Can anyone behold the numerous divine wounds of love, like those in the book of the Song of Songs, of her, who complains to be “love-wounds” (Songs 2: 5 LXX)? Who can behold the arrow that wounds numerous souls with the love of God, but He who says, “He made Me into a polished arrow.2” If somebody, at any time, gets inflamed by the genuine love for the Word of God; if somebody received the sweet wounds of that “polished arrow;” if somebody is wounded by the shaft of its knowledge-worthy of every love, to yearn to it day and night, unable to speak or think of anything else, to desire or hope for anything else - his soul can truly say, “I am love-wounded.” She accepts her wound from Him, of whom is said: “He made Me into a polished shaft. In His quiver he has hidden Me”” (Is. 49: 2) I wish God would inflict our souls with such wounds, would wound them with such arrows and shafts, would strike them with such healing wounds!3 Origen The words of God are arrows that cause love and not pain... that is how we should understand: “Your arrows pierces me deeply” (Psalm 32: 2)4. I wish the unhealthy would get wounded, because when they do, they become healthy. Let them, having dwelt in the Church-the body of Christ... say with the Church, “I am wounded sick.” (Song 2:5 LXX) St. Augustine5 d. By the cross, the Son obediently submitted to the Father; for our sake He became a slave, for the Father to be glorified in Him, and He, in His turn, to be likewise glorified in the weakness of the cross. 1 Comm. On Cant., Serm 4. 2 In John, book 1:36. 3 Comm. On Cant. 3;8. 4 On Pa. 38. 5 On Ps. 144. 8 “He said to Me, ‘You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ Then I said, ‘I have labored in vain. I have spent My strength for nothing. Yet surely My just reward is with the Lord, and My work with My God.’” (Is. 49: 3, 4) Some might ask: Who is His servant, Israel? He is the Lord Christ who came forth from the Jews, and, though, equal in essence to God, He accepted servitude by His own will (Philippians 2: 7); He came as a slave, to lift the slaves in Him, up to the adoption to God. By this He glorified the Father, and was likewise glorified through weakness, according to the apostle: “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore, God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ I Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2: 8-11) In the moments of passion, as the Lord appeared as though in weakness, He addressed the Father saying, “I have glorified You on earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” (John 17: 4, 5) If the cross is shame and weakness from outside, yet it is glory within. Origen says, [We do not hesitate to say that Christ’s goodness appears in a greater way and with divine splendor, in the light of the fact that “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross.” (Philippians 2: 6, 8)1] The cross is also a glory, as it reconciled mankind with the Father, and opened before us the gates of Paradise, to share with the Lord His glory, and to live with Him, praising Him together with the heavenly hosts. Some believe what is said here concerns the Church who is hidden in the Savior, being the new Israel, that glorifies God, through sharing in the crucifixion of her Christ, to enjoy the power and joy of His resurrection. That is why she is worthy of hearing the divine voice, “You are My servant O Israel, in whom I will be glorified;” while, in her passion she says, “I have labored to no purpose. I have spent my strength in vain and for nothing, yet what is due me is in the Lord’s hand, and my reward is with my God.” (Is. 49: 4). e. The success of the mission of the Lord Christ, to embrace the Gentiles into faith: The Lord appeared on the cross, as though in weakness, deserted by all. “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” (John 1: 11) “He was wounded in the house of His friends” (Zechariah 13: 6), to say, “I have labored to no purpose, I have spent My strength in vain and for nothing” (Is. 49: 4, 6). This is the outer appearance of the cross, yet its inner work is strongly proclaimed by the Father, addressing the Crucified: “It is too small a thing that You should be My servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel. I will also give You as a Light for the Gentiles, that You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Is. 49: 6) It is, as though He is saying to the Crucified Son, ‘The fruit of your redeeming work could not be confined to the boundaries of a certain people, but should extend to the 1 In John 1:37. 9 ends of the earth; so that You become Light for the Gentiles, and the mystery of divine salvation for all mankind.’ When the Simon took the infant Jesus up in his arms, he said, “For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of the peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel.” (Luke 2: 30, 31) And as Paul and Barnabas said: “For the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set You to be a Light to the Gentiles, that You should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13: 47) Origen says, [If He did not become a Servant, He would not have restored the tribes of Jacob, would not have changed the distracted heart of Israel, nor would have become Light for the Gentiles, for the salvation of the whole world1.] Our Christ came as Light to peoples and nations; “the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world” (John 1: 9); “called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2: 9); to walk in the light,” to become the sons of light and sons of the day” (1 Thessalonians 5: 5); and to become “the light of the world” (Matthew 5: 14); to realize the saying of the prophet Isaiah: “The sun shall no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give light to you; but the Lord will be to you an everlasting light, and your God your glory. Your sun shall no longer go down, nor shall your moon withdraw itself, for the Lord will be your everlasting light.” (Is. 60: 19, 20) The Savior - the Light of the nations - will cast His light on the soul, being His bride, “to show (her) the mysteries of wisdom.” (Job 11: 6) O my God and my Lord... the light of my soul! Keep on illuminating my steps! My God... You are my hope... without Your light - by which we behold everything - we cannot discover the maneuvers and tricks of the devil. You, the Word who said: “Let there be light,” and there was light, say these words again now, for my eyes to behold the true light, and to discern between it and the darkness; as, without you, how can I be able to do that?2 St. Augustine The Jews insulted and denied Him, crying out demanding His crucifixion, while the pagan nations received Him, submitted to Him by faith, and accepted His work. That is why, although the Master was called “the despised,” “abhorred by the nation,” and “the servant of rulers.” Yet, at the same time, it was said: To Him, “Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship.” (Is. 49: 7) 2. HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK We have a marvelous divine talk that reveals the mystery of our inexpressible salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. In Christ the Savior we gain the following: a. God’s response to us; It is high time for the Father to respond to us, through His beloved Son, who is crucified as a sacrifice of obedience to the Father, and object of His pleasure, granting us Himself as a Father, and His bosom as a place of everlasting comfort to dwell in. That is what He meant by saying, “In an acceptable time I have heard You.” 1 In John, Book 1:37. 2 .75-74 ، الحب الإلهي، ص 71 10 (Is. 49: 8) Yes, It is high time to hear that the Father has accepted us in the Son who is accepted Him from eternity. b. By Christ Jesus, our Savior, God Himself became a support and helper to us: “In the day of salvation I have helped you.” (Is. 49: 8) God took on Himself the leadership of the battle against the devil, having us hidden in Him to gain conquest and triumph; as said by the apostle, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” (2 Corinthians 2: 14) And as said by St. Augustine: [Let us rejoice, as this is the day in which the main corner stone became our Intercessor1.] We should discern between “the day of salvation” (Is. 49: 8) (i.e. the day of the Lord), and our own days. The day of the Lord is joyful, granting salvation, while our days, in which we live according to our desires, are destructive and perishing. St. Augustine says, [I call them days of my misery, days of my death, days according to Adam, full of labor and sweat, days according to the ancient corruption. The Psalmist cries out saying, “I sink in deep mire” (Psalm 69: 2); “You have made my days as handbreadths” (Psalm 39: 5); “in those days I call you” (Ps. 166:2) Yes, my days are different from those of my Lord2.] c. By the Crucified One we became kept in the Lord, who says, “I will preserve you.” (Is. 49: 8) In His farewell prayer, the Savior says, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that you should keep them from the evil one... Sanctify them by Your truth.” (John 17: 15) d. Enjoying the Crucified One as a Covenant with the Father: “I will give You as a Covenant for the people, to restore the earth, To cause them to inherit the desolate heritage.” (Is. 49: 8) God offered His New covenant, not inscribed on stone, but it is written by blood in the body of the incarnate Word. Through this covenant, the Church will not enjoy the Promised Land, flooding with milk and honey, but will inherit the land, namely the nations that were desolate like wilderness, to turn them into a divine paradise and heavenly kingdom. In His human body, He reconciled humanity with the Father, and set in the heart of every true believer, an unutterable inheritance. The features of this royal kingdom, the inner inheritance, or true evangelic Church life, are: a. Freedom; “That you may say to the prisoners, ‘Go forth,’ to those who are in darkness, ‘Show yourselves.’” (Is. 49: 9) He broke down the walls of Hades and granted us the freedom of the children of God, to live having “the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10: 19), to walk in the light, with no authority of darkness over us. 1 On Ps. 118. 2 On Ps. 166. 11 Our Savior granted us inner freedom, from servitude to the evil one, to lusts of the body, or to love of the world; Yet, what is far more important, is not to be slaves to the ego, but to be crucified together with our Christ, the Savior, to proclaim how far our heart became wide enough, to accommodate in it the infinite God together with all mankind, even those opposing us. Through this inner freedom, we willingly accept submission to God as His slaves, to live free with no authority of the enemy over our depths. Be a slave and free at the same time. Be a slave through submission to God, and free from servitude to any one, to any vain compliment, or to any lust1. Free yourself of the bonds of sin, as “Christ made us free” (Galatians 5: 1). Seek the liberty of the new world throughout your contemporary life. Do not enslave yourself to love of money, nor to any compliment from men2. Do not set laws for yourself. Do not get enslaved by laws of your own. Be free. A man of position is allowed to do whatever he likes3. Free yourself of the yoke of the world, by the liberty of the new life4. Be free from any destructive servitude; because unless you become free, you will not be working for Christ. The Kingdom of the free heavenly Jerusalem does not receive slaves. Sons of the free mother are themselves free (Rom. 8: 5), and are not enslaved to anyone or anything in the world5. Do not commit yourself to something beyond your capacity, so as not to enslave yourself to need to please others6. Fr. John, the Syrian Hermit b. Enjoyment of fertile divine pasture: “They shall feed along the roads, and their pastures shall be on all desolate heights.” (Is. 49: 9) What is this road other than the Savior who called Himself “the Way” (John 14: 6)? Through Him we get to fruitful heights, where we find all our needs, to suffer “neither hunger nor thirst, nor will the heat or the sun strike us,” where we enjoy springs of the Holy Spirit, as living water to quench our thirst and give us fruit (Is. 49: 10). c. Enjoyment of a paved road that leads us into the divine bosoms: “I will make each of my mountains a road, and My highways shall be elevated.” (Is. 49: 11) What are these mountains but the commandments of the Lord, that seem like un-climbable high mountains. Yet, by our union with Christ “the Way,” walking on these mountains would become natural, and the commandment would turn into pleasure and enjoyment, not into deprivation and severe orders. While making the difficult commandment easy, turning the high mountains into a 1 Letter to Hesychius, 25. 2 Ibid 26. 3 Ibid 27. 4 Ibid 29. 5 Ibid 30. 6 Ibid 22. 12 road along which we find pleasure to walk, He says, “My highways will be elevated,” namely, making the commandment easy does not mean our descending to lowly levels, and taking it easy with ourselves as far as bodily lusts and desires are concerned, but, on the contrary, He elevates our ways up to practice the exalted heavenly life with joy of heart, and pleasure in God. d. Opening the gates of the Church before all nations from east, west, north and south: “Surely these shall come from afar-Look! Those from the north and the west, and these from the land of Sinim”” (Is. 49: 12) By those who will come from afar, He means of the Far East, and by the region of Aswan, south of Egypt, to represent those coming from the south. e. Enjoyment of life of praise and joy, as a life lived by the soul (heavens), and practiced by the body (earth), and expressed through human energies (mountains). Thus, heavens would share with earth (and its mountains) in the praise for God: “Break out in singing, O mountains! For the Lord has comforted his people and will have mercy on His afflicted” (Is. 40: 13) The mystery of our joy is comforts of God, proclaimed by the Holy Spirit in our depths, through worthiness of the precious blood; The Crucified has set us up from our misery, and had compassion on us with His practical mercy. That joy applies to the Church as a whole, extending along the ages, and also in heaven. That is why Pope St. Athanasius the Apostolic says, [We are not alone in our joy, as in heaven, “the Church of the firstborns” (Hebrew 12: 23) rejoices with us... Behold, my friends, all creation keeps the feast with us, as the Psalmist says, “Let everything that have breath praise the Lord” (Psalm 150: 6), for the sake of destroying our enemies and for our salvation1.] Now, we see how God moved from speaking of Cyrus, as savior of the people of God from captivity, to what is greater and more lasting, to speaking of the Lord Christ. He is the Savior of all mankind, from everlasting captivity, who grants them the blessings of His redemption, through letting them enter into His kingdom, namely enjoying the new joyful church life in the Lord, as a paradisiac life presented to all peoples and nations. 3. SETTING THE DESOLATE AN EVERLASTING BRIDE The people of God did not expect to fall into captivity, and when Israel, the northern kingdom was captivated, the Kingdom of Judah assumed that that would never happen to it, as it embraces the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, the city of God. Yet Judah was captivated, and Jerusalem collapsed, together with the temple, that they desecrated with heathen worship, as stated by Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Then the captives thought that it would be only a matter of few months, then God would surely intervene and set them free; but months and years passed by, and the people assuming that God forgot them, got a feeling of isolation, and desolation, as expressed by the prophet: “Zion said: ‘The Lord has forsaken me, and my Lord has forgotten me.’” (Is. 49: 14) That feeling of isolation and desolation is a natural fruit suffered by most humans, if not all of them, at certain moments. Man in time of temptation feels himself lonely, with nobody to share his troubles or to feel his inner bitterness. 1 Pasch. Letters 6. 13 Psychiatrists say that this ailment, they call ‘feeling of loneliness,’ is almost common to all adolescents, as they think that even those closest to them are not able to appreciate their real inner world and hidden feelings. The cure for this ailment is an encounter with the Savior, who, alone, can enter into the depths of the soul, and proclaim by His cross a unique personal relationship, through which we enjoy an exalted divine love, and a union with God, that time and events could never destroy. By the cross, the Lord embraced humanity, as a holy heavenly bride, never to be forsaken by her heavenly Groom, instead of the feeling of loneliness. It is strange that the Savior Himself cried out on the cross saying, “Eloi, Eloi, (that is), My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?” (Mark 15: 34) He, as a representative of humanity, proclaims our situation as forsaken and desolate! By the cross, He seemed as though forsaken, to take away from us the feeling of forsaking and desolation, and to bring us back to the divine bosoms, a holy bride. Now, How does the Lord respond to Zion’s feeling of desolation? “Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb?” (Is. 49: 15) There is no doubt that motherhood is considered, of the highest levels of human love; the mother who carries her child as a fetus in her womb for months would never forget him or her after birth. And yet, some mothers have done that, and offered their children as human sacrifices, casting them in fire, as a kind of worship to the god Baal. In certain famines we heard of mothers who ate up their children, and we still hear nowadays of crimes committed by mothers against their children, and of parents killing the souls and personalities of their kids, through the dark family atmosphere, or by the familial tragedies as separation and divorce! Some fathers and mothers do not have any compassion on the new generations, nor taking them into account in their lives; but, in selfishness, they act at the expense of their kids’ lives and their spiritual, psychological, social, and even material peace. A mother may forget the baby at her breast, but God will never forget us! God’s care and love, demonstrated through His goodness, He finds nothing better to compare to, than a mother’s heart full of love and compassion. As he wants to liken God’s love to human emotions, he found no other love among His creation better than this to compare with. Abbot Sheramon1 He does not just care for us, but loves us with no limits, a flaring unquenchable holy love, and a truly unbreakable strong love. The prophet responds to those who got depressed and moaned: “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me,” by saying, “can a mother forget the baby at her breast, and have no compassion on the child she has borne?” If it is not possible for a mother to forget her baby, it is much more so with God, who can never forget humanity. He does not mean to compare God’s love to mother’s love for her baby, as God’s love is definitely greater; that is why he says, “Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you.” (Is. 49: 15) See how God’s love surpasses mothers’ love? 1 Cassian: Conf. 13:17. 14 The Lord of prophets and the Master of all confirms that His love is stronger than that of a father toward his children... Listen to what He says, “What man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him” (Matthew 7: 9-11)? Like the difference between good and evil, so God’s love is far stronger than feelings of parents toward their children1. St. John Chrysostom There are other examples, as the love of the lover to his beloved, but God’s love is not equal to this kind of love. (Ps. 103:11) “See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands.” (Is. 49: 16) According to ancient customs of the East, man used to engrave the name of his beloved on the palms of his hands, a sign that he would never forget her even to death, and that all what he does with his hands are for her sake. The Lord engraved the name of His beloved Church on His palms with the nails of the cross, for the wounds to remain a sign of everlasting love! He even engraved the name of every single member of her on His palm, as a sign of His personal love for each of us by name. “Your walls are continually before Me.” (Is. 49: 16) As though He is saying, I know that your walls were destroyed, but I shall never forget them; and shall rebuild them, yet at the right time. I shall restore your strength and: “Your sons shall make haste. Your destroyers and those who laid you waste shall go away from you.” (Is. 49: 17) Who are those sons hastening to Zion but the receivers of faith who come to the Church of the New Testament, to enjoy its walls, not built by man? And who are the destroyers, other than those deniers of faith, who should be cast away? “Lift up your eyes and look around and see. All these gather together and come to you. ‘As I live,’ says the Lord, ‘you shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament, and bind them on you as a bride does.” (Is. 49: 18) What a magnificent portrait of the Church of the New Testament, for in place of the city whose walls were destroyed, whose inhabitants were driven away as captives, and into it entered the destroyers, God will establish the Church of the New Testament. She will not be established, just as a fortified city to which its children hasten, and from which the destroyers are driven out, but to become a heavenly bride who wears a unique ornament - that is the gathering together in it of its children, as children of God, who have the freedom of inner glory. As it was the case in the East, where children were considered as their mother’s beauty, of whom she is proud, as her glory and bridal gown, so also the Church will be proud of her children, glorified in them, as a bridal precious girdle with which she is adorned. She will be a fruitful bride, a mother with many spiritual children, whom the earth would not be wide enough to accommodate. The enemy is not expected to stand still, but will try to enter to destroy her children, having previously destroyed the faith of some of them, saying to her: “This place is too small for us; give us more space to live in.” (Is. 49: 20). But she beholding 1 On Providence. ترجمة مدام عایدة حنا بسطا . 6 15 the amazing hand of God that works in her, despite the persistent opposition of the enemy, says in her heart, “Who has begotten these for me, since I have lost my children and am desolate, a captive and wandering to and fro? And who has brought these up? There I was left alone; But these, where were they?” (Is. 49: 21) It is God’s exalted grace, that “out of the eater brought something to eat, and out of the strong brought something sweet”! It is His rich grace that sets in us fruits with no limit, as a free divine gift for His believers who walk by the Spirit. 4. SETTING THE FORSAKEN A QUEEN After living as a forsaken humble slave in the land of captivity, Zion now returns to her homeland as a queen carried on shoulders, before whom kings will bow down, and lick the dust at her feet. That is the work of God in the life of a soul previously humiliated by sin; setting her a queen, who sits on the right hand of the king, and whom every one yearns to serve. “I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, and set up My standard for the peoples.”(Is. 49: 22) What is lifting the hand, but the coming of the Lord Christ to the world to stretch His hands on the cross, to embrace the Gentiles, according to His words: “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” (John 12: 32) As to the standard set by Him, it is the “Banner of love” (Song 2: 4), namely the proclamation of redemption on the cross. By that work of salvation, the Church of Christ is glorified, as to her it is said: “They shall bring your sons in their arms, and your daughter shall be carried on their shoulders. Kings shall be your foster fathers, and their queens your nursing mothers. They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth; they will lick up the dust of your feet” (Is. 49: 22, 23) This has been realized: Kings and queens became believers, working in the Church of the Lord, like Constantine the Great and Helen, who served the Church as a spiritual queen, above all. 5. GOD, THE REDEEMER OF HIS CHURCH These promises seemed fanciful to the contemporaries of Isaiah, and later on to the captives, that is why God confirmed that He, Himself, will realize that salvation, being the only One capable of devastating the mighty devil, and of restoring from him those he captivated. ” Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the captives of the righteous be delivered? But thus says the Lord: Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible be delivered. For I will contend with him who contends with you, and I will save your children. I will feed those who oppress you with their own flesh, and they shall be drunk with their own blood as with sweet wine. All flesh shall know, that I, the Lord, am your Savior, and your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Is. 49: 24 - 26) Thus it is fitting for us to trust in God, our Savior, and should not be disturbed before the fierceness and violence of the devil, because the Savior is capable of setting us free from his captivity, to restore us to His Church. Leading the battle by Himself, He will make the enemy eat his own flesh, and be drunk by his own blood, that is to say, his work 16 will get back over his head, to taste its bitterness, until he becomes unconscious as if drunk.
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