How Does God Rule the World? Priest Daniel Sysoev by mission shop

Approved for distribution by the Publishing Board of the Russian Orthodox Church PB 13-314-2075 48 pp. Priest Daniel Sysoev. How Does God Rule the World? Daniel Sysoev Inc, New Jersey, 2018. ISBN: 978-5-4279-0075-4

This question is the subject of a tremendous number of myths and fancies, and frequently of outright heretical perceptions. If we turn to Holy Scripture we will see that God is the Ruler of all things. When He shows His merciful face, all nature flourishes, whereas when He turns away in wrath all things collapse and crumble. All the kingdoms of the world belong to the Lord God, and to each of them are assigned particular times and seasons. All this, as well as the crimes of the nations and the visitations of God, divine providence, the principle of justice, and the angels’ role in ruling the world, you will learn in this booklet.

Booklet 3 of 12 from a series of talks given by Priest Daniel Sysoev entitled “How to Inherit Eternal Life.”

Protected by USA Federal copyright law. Reproduction of this book in whole or in part is prohibited. Any attempt to violate the law will be prosecuted. © Daniel Sysoev Inc, 2018 © Yulia Sysoeva, 2018

CONTENT

HOW DOES GOD RULE THE WOR LD? Heretical Perceptions of the How the World is Ruled �� 4 How the World is Ruled According to Holy Scripture �� 6 How God Rules Countries and Nations �� 15 National Crimes are Punished by National Disasters �� 17 The Question of Justice in the World ��20 All Nations Must Seek God ��23 God’s Providence for the World for the Sake of His Chosen People �� 27 Guardian Angels of Nations ��29 The People of the Covenant and Other Peoples in World History ��33 Why do Pagan Nations Exist Today? ��40 The Involvement of Rebellious Angels in the World of Men ��42

HOW DOES GOD RULE THE WOR LD?

Heretical Perceptions of the How the World is Ruled

How

does God rule the world? This question is the subject of a tremendous number of myths and fables, and frequently of outright heretical perceptions. In the worldview of a great many people, including some Orthodox Christians, the concept of divine providence is wholly nonexistent. This naturally leads them to conclude that man, and not God, rules the world. This gives rise to conspiracy theories (centering on the Masons, the Americans, the Jews, or others), the essence of which is that the world is ruled by evil, not by good, and that divine providence is absent from the world. Secret societies cannot rule the world. They only disseminate their ideology through the media. There is also a widespread false perception that the world is ruled by fate, blind destiny, and not by Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s free beneficence. Another theory claims that there are two equally matched and 4

equally significant forces at work in the world: divine providence, which aids a person in good deeds, and the evil power of the devil. As these two wage war with one another they balance each other out, creating world history in the process. All these perceptions are radically at odds with Holy Scripture. Many people do not attempt to ground their musings in rationality, and this leads to failures in faith, failures in life, and an incorrect understanding of history. People do not know divine providence, and consequently they are incapable of learning from the past. For example, how are we to view the 1917 revolution in Russia? If a person does not see divine providence he will blame everything on a Masonic conspiracy (which did in fact exist). From this he will conclude that it was all the fault of certain mysterious conspirators, and that the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inhabitants had nothing to do with the events that took place. Today this is a very widespread view, the underlying implication of which is that God punishes no one, but is rather like a kind old grandfather who hands out rewards to everyone. But this is not the true God of the Bible. The Lord says that it is He Who destroyed Jerusalem for the apostasy of the Jewish nation, and that He will bring about the dread punishment of the Apoca5

lypse. God always acts according to His own justice, wisdom, and goodness. A similar heresy, promoted by Origen, was condemned in the sixth century. According to this heresy God the Father rules the whole world, God the Son rules all rational creatures (but not those that are irrational), and the Holy Spirit rules only Christians. This is a sort of qualification of authority within the Trinity. All government comes from the Father, through the Son, in the Holy Spirit. The Trinity one in essence and indivisible rules all worlds.

How the World is Ruled According to Holy Scripture

If we open the catechism of the Orthodox Church

we see these words: “Divine providence is the continual action of the omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness of God, by which God preserves the existence and energies of creation, guiding them toward virtuous objectives. It aids every good, while cutting off evil that arises from the removal of good, or else correcting it and causing it to have good consequences.” If we turn to Holy Scripture we will see that God is the Ruler of all things. Psalm 103 is devoted to God’s activ6

ity and providence in the modern world. Bless the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou hast been magnified exceedingly. Confession and majesty hast Thou put on, Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, Who stretchest out the heaven as it were a curtain; Who supporteth His chambers in the waters, Who appointeth the clouds for His ascent, Who walketh upon the wings of the winds, Who maketh His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire, Who establisheth the earth in the sureness thereof; it shall not be turned back for ever and ever. The abyss like a garment is His mantle; upon the mountains shall the waters stand. At Thy rebuke they will flee, at the voice of Thy thunder shall they be afraid. The mountains rise up and the plains sink down, unto the place where Thou hast established them. Thou appointedst a bound that they shall not pass, neither return to cover the earth. He sendeth forth springs in the valleys; between the mountains will the waters run. They shall give drink to all the beasts of the field; the wild asses will wait to quench their thirst. Beside them will the birds of the heaven lodge, from the midst of the rocks will they give voice. He watereth the mountains from His chambers; the earth shall be satisfied with the fruit of Thy works. He causeth the grass to grow for 7

the cattle, and green herb for the service of men, to bring forth bread out of the earth; and wine maketh glad the heart of man. To make his face cheerful with oil; and bread strengtheneth manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart. The trees of the plain shall be satisfied, the cedars of Lebanon, which Thou hast planted. There will the sparrows make their nests; the house of the heron is chief among them. The high mountains are a refuge for the harts, and so is the rock for the hares. He hath made the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his going down. Thou appointedst the darkness, and there was the night, wherein all the beasts of the forest will go abroad. Young lions roaring after their prey, and seeking their food from God. The sun ariseth, and they are gathered together, and they lay them down in their dens. But man shall go forth unto his work, and to his labour until the evening. How magnified are Thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all; the earth is filled with Thy creation. So is this great and spacious sea, therein are things creeping innumerable, small living creatures with the great. There go the ships; there this dragon, whom Thou hast made to play therein. All things wait on Thee, to give them their food in due season; when Thou givest it them, they will gather it. When Thou openest Thy hand, all things shall be filled with goodness; 8

when Thou turnest away Thy face, they shall be troubled. Thou wilt take their spirit, and they shall cease; and unto their dust shall they return. Thou wilt send forth Thy Spirit, and they shall be created; and Thou shalt renew the face of the earth. Let the glory of the Lord be unto the ages; the Lord will rejoice in His works. Who looketh on the earth and maketh it tremble, Who toucheth the mountains and they smoke. I will sing unto the Lord throughout my life, I will chant to my God for as long as I have my being. May my words be sweet unto Him, and I will rejoice in the Lord. O that sinners would cease from the earth, and they that work iniquity, that they should be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. [Alleluia!] (Ps. 103:1–35). This psalm pertains not only to God’s creation, but also directly to divine providence. God not only created the sun, but commands it each time to rise and to set. At His command night falls and day breaks. The Lord hand-feeds the birds of the heavens and the beasts, and it is He Who plots the ocean tides. Scientists believe that all this is governed by the laws of nature, but the Bible makes no mention of any such laws of the world’s existence. Holy Scripture says that God rules the whole world by His own mighty will. When He shows His merciful face, all nature blossoms, 9

whereas when He turns away in wrath all things collapse and crumble. He touches a mountain and a volcanic eruption commences; He commands the rains to begin and to end. All earthly events come from Him, from His mighty authority. Not long ago, on December 26, 2004, in Southeast Asia, there was a terrible tsunami in which over 300,000 people perished. After it passed, strange rumors began to spread that this was the earth avenging itself on mankind for mistreating it. This is complete nonsense and a base lie: nature cannot avenge itself; it has no free will; it is soulless and wholly subject to God. God is the ruler of the elements. He commands the earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crust, and it begins to shake. He commands the waves, and they sweep away the people whom He indicates. Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s governance of the material world is absolute; He rules as He pleases. And God continues to rule to this day. Life and death are in the hands of God. He says, I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand (Deut. 32:39). Quite frequently this is omitted from the perceptions of men, many of whom live their lives thinking that everything around them happens on its own, when in actuality nothing does. Behind all things is the great and mighty hand of the Creator. 10

Praise ye the Lord, for a psalm is a good thing; let praise be sweet unto our God. This is fitting praise indeed. The Lord buildeth up Jerusalem, He shall gather together the dispersed of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth their fractures together. He numbereth the multitude of the stars and calleth them all by name. Great is our Lord, and great is His strength, and of His understanding there is no measure. The Lord lifteth up the meek, but humbleth sinners to the earth. Begin your song to the Lord with thanksgiving, chant unto God with the harp, to Him that covereth heaven with clouds, Who prepareth rain for the earth, Who maketh grass to grow on the mountains, and green herb for the service of man, Who giveth to the beasts their food, and to the younglings of the ravens which call upon Him. He shall not delight in the strength of a horse, nor in the legs of man is He well pleased. The Lord is well pleased in them that fear Him, and in them that hope in His mercy (Ps. 146:1â&#x20AC;&#x201C;11). God maintains the existence of the world around us, from atoms all the way up to galaxies. He rules all things, upholds all things, sees all things, and goes toward the goal that He has set. One of the names of God mentioned by Dionysius the Areopagite is â&#x20AC;&#x153;He Who Is the Creator of Being.â&#x20AC;? In 11

the Orthodox divine services God is also called the â&#x20AC;&#x153;He That Brings Into Being,â&#x20AC;? since He designs His creatures, brings them into being, and afterward governs them, since no creature can exist of itself, but rather it exists only because it is a participant in Yahweh, God Who Is. The eternally existent God brings all that is in the world into being. God acts everywhere in His wisdom, might, and goodness. Natural disasters are not from the devil, but from God. The prophet Isaiah says this explicitly: Thus saith the Lord to His anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: and I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside Me: I girded thee, though thou 12

hast not known Me: that they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside Me. I am the Lord, and there is none else. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil:* I the Lord do all these things. Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it. Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands? Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth? Thus saith the Lord, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and concerning the work of My hands command ye Me. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even My hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build My city, and he shall * In the Russian translation, “misfortunes” or “afflictions.” — Trans.

let go My captives, not for price nor reward, saith the Lord of hosts (Is. 45:1–13). The prophecy was written, though Cyrus— the king of Persia—had not yet seen the light of day, and would be born only 125 years later. The Lord says that He has girded him aforetime, though he does not even know God, being a pagan. It is God Who governs all things, and the hosts of heaven (the angels) act in accordance with God’s laws. God says that He produces light and darkness, and that He brings peace and creates misfortunes. God always acts according to His own justice, wisdom, and goodness. With God the concept of goodness is not what we think it to be. God does not consider the highest good to be for a person to live out his life on earth in corpulence and self-indulgence. For God, what matters most is for a person to achieve eternal life, to meet Him. God created man for another, eternal world, and not for this temporal one. The whole material world is directly and continually governed by God. The Creator places our breath into us: at His command our heart beats, He Himself molds us with His hands, cultivates us, and leads us in His ways. God holds both the body and the soul of every man in His hands, as the apostle Paul said: For in Him we 14

live, and move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Divine providence exists for all men. God Almighty says that without His will there shall not an hair of your head perish (Lk. 21:18), and again that the very hairs of your head are all numbered (Mt. 10:30). The might of God encompasses every man from all sides.

How God Rules Countries and Nations

Quite frequently people say that since the devil

is the prince of this world, world history is under his control. They cite the Gospel passage in which Satan is allegedly the master of the world and promises it to Christ: Again the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me (Mt. 4:8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;9). People forget who is speaking, however, for the devil is a slanderer, the father of lies: When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it (Jn. 8:44). For this reason Christ also reacted to his statement by saying, Get thee hence, Satan (Mt. 4:10). All the kingdoms of the world belong to the Lord God, of which the book of the proph15

et Daniel says this: This matter is by the decree of the Watchers, and the demand by the word of the Holy Ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will, and setteth up over it the basest of men (Dan. 4:14). And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and He doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him, What doest thou? At the same time my reason returned unto me; and for the glory of my kingdom, mine honour and brightness returned unto me; and my counsellors and my lords sought unto me; and I was established in my kingdom, and excellent majesty was added unto me. Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all Whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase (Dan. 4:32â&#x20AC;&#x201C;34). He goes on to say that times and seasons are determined for every kingdom and world. God has at His disposal all the kingdoms of the world. God divided the nations as a curse upon mankind (at the building of the Tower of Babel), that this might serve to limit evil among them. Today the time is coming (or rather has al16

ready come) for Christian globalization to begin. This event took place on the day of Pentecost: the Church began speaking in different tongues, and a new nation appeared, gathered by the Orthodox Church from all the nations of the world. When the time of the nations ended, the time of the Church began. The Lord rules all worlds and all the kingdoms of the earth. He rules those who know Him and those who do not, those who acknowledge Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s government and those who do not. God goes on with His work regardless. God appoints rulers that they might limit the spread of evil and, as Basil the Great says, that men might not devour one another. Government is needed specifically to maintain order and justice. Through the prophet Hosea the Lord says, I gave thee a king in Mine anger, and took him away in My wrath (Hos. 13:11).

National Crimes are Punished by National Disasters

Contrary to popular opinion, government in so-

ciety has not always existed, but appeared only after the Great Flood. Prior to this each person did whatever he wished, and the result was that God destroyed all men in the flood. For example, 17

certain traditions say that in the pre-flood era there were special farms for breeding people to be used as food. The same thing existed after the flood as well—among the Aztecs, for example, whose ruler Montezuma is known to have raised people to be used as food. For this the Lord sent the Spaniards against them, led by Corte s. Cannibalism is the result of paganism, when pagan demons incite men to offer sacrifices. Worshipping the demons as idols leads to cannibalism. It has been noted that revolutions are preceded by terrible debauchery being practiced in society. Why exactly are revolution and debauchery interlinked? Debauchery deprives a person of the ability to establish a family: the individual’s personhood begins to disintegrate, and this disintegration is projected upon other people. For this reason the Lord punishes these misdeeds. Many think that the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah only affected five cities, but this is a mistake. The Lord’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah lead to the occurrence of the Great Jordan and Ethiopian Rift. This rift in the earth’s crust is eight thousand kilometers long. It begins in the Taurus Mountains (Turkey) and ends in the kimberlite mines of the South African Republic. This rift changed the face of 18

the entire ancient world, plunging many states into chaos. This was God’s retribution upon the entire ancient world. The epicenter of this visitation was in Sodom and Gomorrah, because they were the core of the evil and so were burned up entirely. Previously a similar catastrophe had befallen the Tower of Babel. Many traditions state that God’s descent from heaven was preceded by a terrific hurricane, due to which the people were obliged to flee far from Babylon. Similar cataclysms likewise took place during the Hebrew exodus from Egypt. In 1776 there was a terrible earthquake in Lisbon (the Templar headquarters at that time), in which the earth swallowed up half the inhabitants alive. The principle is very simple: national crimes are punished by national disasters. What city suffered most of all during the Great Patriotic War? Leningrad, in which a million inhabitants perished, because it was the center of the Russian revolution of 1917, because in 1917 in Saint Petersburg, a city of 1.5 million inhabitants, there were only fifty—fifty!—Orthodox churches (Moscow had seven hundred churches for its 1.2 million inhabitants). Thus we see that the city that lacked sufficient churches for its parishioners spawned godlessness, and 19

godlessness incurred the retribution of God. God frequently punishes through other people. All wars begin because God permits them to happen. For example, on the feast day of All Saints of Russia God sent Hitler against the USSR. By this means He wrought His vengeance for the suffering of the martyrs.

The Question of Justice in the World

The book of the prophet Habbakuk is devoted to

this very question: The burden which Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and Thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto Thee of violence, and Thou wilt not save! Why dost Thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? for spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention. Therefore the law is slacked, and judgment doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about the righteous; therefore wrong judgment proceedeth. Behold ye among the heathen, and regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you. For, lo, I raise up the Chaldeans, that bitter and hasty nation, which shall march through the breadth of the land, to possess the dwelling20

places that are not theirâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s. They are terrible and dreadful: their judgment and their dignity shall proceed of themselves. Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat. They shall come all for violence: their faces shall sup up as the east wind, and they shall gather the captivity as the sand. And they shall scoff at the kings, and the princes shall be a scorn unto them: they shall deride every strong hold; for they shall heap dust, and take it. Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, Thou hast established them for correction. Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest Thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he? And makest men as the fishes of the sea, as the creeping things, that have no ruler over them? They take up all of them with the angle, they catch them in their net, and gather them 21

in their drag: therefore they rejoice and are glad. Therefore they sacrifice unto their net, and burn incense unto their drag; because by them their portion is fat, and their meat plenteous. Shall they therefore empty their net, and not spare continually to slay the nations? (Hab. 1:1–17). Habakkuk asks why there is such injustice and evil in Israel, yet God in no way holds it in check. In answer the Lord tells him to take a closer look: the Chaldeans will be sent against Israel in punishment. This is how God works, taking one evildoer and sending him in punishment against another. Though misdeeds are repugnant to Him, in order to destroy evil God places them at odds with each other. But the prophet sees this as no solution, since the second evil (the Chaldeans) remained evil. I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will watch to see what He will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved. And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.* For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait * In the Russian, “that he that readeth it may read it easily.” —Trans.

for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith (Hab. 2:1– 4). God says that men will have the free will to do evil, but that the righteous will live by his faith. God gives men a new way out of the vicious cycle of punishment–crime, crime–punishment: justification through faith in God, Who saves us Himself. This salvation begins at a specific time, which also marks the beginning of the end: this is the time of the first coming of Christ. The redemption of Jesus Christ is the time of God Who Saves. There are nations that God may punish, and then there are nations that He may reward— for their righteousness and piety. This is one of the greatest revelations of the Old Testament, which in the New Testament became a reality.

All Nations Must Seek God

There are various peoples, various descendants

of Noah, to which God has given various gifts. To Shem He gave a religious gift; hence the descendants of Shem (the Hebrews, the Cappadocians, and the Syrians) excelled in religious wisdom. To the descendants of Japheth He gave the spreading of religion throughout the world, 23

Priest Daniel Sysoev

HOW DOES GOD RULE THE WORLD? Translator and Editor in Chief Priest Nathan Williams Layout and design Kyrill Zubchenko Except where otherwise noted, scriptural quotes are taken from the King James Version of the Bible. Quotes from the book of Psalms are taken from The Psalter According to the Seventy, published by Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Brookline MA; all rights reserved. mission-shop.com danielsysoev.com mission379@gmail.com +1(609)605-70-76