WHAT IS TYRRANY AND WHO IS A TYRANT?

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

WHAT IS TYRANNY AND WHO IS A TYRANT?

A tyrant is an absolute sovereign with unlimited power and anyone who has made himself king or ruler by force. Originally it did not necessarily imply cruel or overbearing conduct. Later however the term was used as an evil king or queen or someone who was a dictator. It also means cruel, unreasonable or arbitrary use of power or control. Or a cruel and oppressive government or rule. “People who survive war and escape tyranny.” A tyranny is a cruel, harsh, and unjust government in which a person or a small group of people have absolute power over everyone else. Despotism, fascism, communism, police state. A despot is an absolute ruler and those under him are his slaves. [Greek Classic Dictionaries]

Over the centuries mankind has known many tyrants, despots, emperors, kings, queens, oligarchs, chairmen, presidents, ministers and governments, Millions of people have suffered by their cruelty and millions were tortured, imprisoned, exiled and murdered by them. Human history is filled with their unjust and evil rule. Has mankind learned anything over the centuries about what it means to be ruled by a tyrant or tyrannical government? Tragically, absolutely not! Even today there exist tyrants and dictators around the world.

There is, however, another kind of tyrant, the devil, or satan, an adversary. According to the testimony of the word of God., the origin of sin comes from the devil. “The one doing sin is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning” [1 John 3:8]. But “everyone who has been born of God does not sin, and he is not able to sin, because he has been born of God” [1 John 3:9]. The word “devil” means “slanderer.” Bringing together the evidence of Holy Scripture, we see that the devil is one of the rational spirits or Angels who deviated into the path of evil. Our Savior Jesus Christ said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is NO TRUTH IN HIM. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he IS A LIAR AND THE FATHER OF IT” [John 8:44].

We read in the Holy Scripture that Satan dared to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the desert. The evil spirits rush into the souls and even into the bodies of people; of this there is the testimony of many events in the Gospel and of the teachings of the Savior. Concerning the habitation of evil spirits in people, we know from the numerous healings by the Savior of the demon-possessed. Evil spirits spy, as it were on the carelessness of a person so as to attract him to evil [see Matthew 12:43-45].

Our Divine Creator God imparted to man three great gifts at his creation: FREEDOM, REASON, AND AGAPE (LOVE). These divine gifts are indispensable FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BLESSEDNESS OF MAN. But where there is FREEDOM there is the possibility FOR WAVERING IN ONE’S CHOICE: THUS, TEMPTATION IS POSSIBLE. The temptation for REASON is to GROW PROUD IN MIND; INSTEAD OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE WISDOM AND GOODNESS OF GOD, to seek the knowledge of good and evil outside of God; to desire oneself to be a “god.” The temptation for the feeling of AGAPE (LOVE) is: in place of love of God and one’s neighbor, to love oneself and everything that satisfies the lower desires and gives temporary enjoyment.

In God’s wisdom it was necessary for mankind to have a supernatural power and help which might perform on inward reversal within him and give to man the possibility to turn away from a gradually deepening descent and towards victory over sin and a gradual ASCENT to God. God’s Providence foresaw the future fall of man’s free will which had not become strong. Foreseeing the fall, He prearranged AN ARISING. Adam’s fall into sin was not an absolute perdition of mankind. The power which was to give REBIRTH, according to God’s Pre-eternal determination was THE DESCENT TO EARTH OF THE Son of God.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” [John 3:16]. God, in foreknowledge of the fall of man, foreordained THE SALVATION OF MEN, even “before the foundation of the world” [Ephesians  1:4]. The word of God calls the Savior THE LAMB OF GOD “FOREORDAINED BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD” [1 Peter 1:20]. {Source: The Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky]

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“Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!”
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George