Many Fell, and Some Perished While Within the Service
Many Fell, and Some Perished While Within the Service
Do not think, my brother servant, that all who fell or all who perished were outside the Church or outside the service. For the Holy Bible and the history of the Church record for us many stories and events about persons who were lost, and some of them perished, while they were inside the Church and within the service.
Examples:
Let us take, for example, Demas, the assistant of the Apostle Paul
Or his fellow worker in the service, whom he mentioned in his epistles (Col. 4:14), and on one occasion he mentioned him before Luke the Evangelist (Philem. 24). This Demas, the colleague of Mark and Aristarchus—through whose hands, without doubt, many believed—ended his spiritual life in tragedy, which Saint Paul explains by saying: “Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10). It was said about him in some historical accounts that he apostatized and became a pagan!!
And not Demas alone, but there are others of whom the saint said: “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18). The Apostle explains the tragedy of these by saying: “Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame—who set their mind on earthly things” (Phil. 3:19). Are not all those a lesson for all servants to beware carefully and remember the Apostle’s saying: “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).
Falling is possible, even for servants who were giants…
Among them are some of the angels of the seven churches, to whom the Lord sent messages through Saint John the Apostle. The first of them is the pastor of the Church of Ephesus, to whom the Lord said: “I know your works, your labor, your patience… and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary” (Rev. 2:2–3). Yet he left his first love. And the Lord said to him: “Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent… or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent” (Rev. 2:5). How fearful are these words… But more dangerous and more difficult is what was said to the angel of the Church of Sardis: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead” (Rev. 3:1).
Yet he was a servant, and was called an angel, and was one of the seven stars which were in the right hand of the Lord (Rev. 1:20). And the Lord calls him to repentance and warns him (Rev. 3:3).
Likewise the angel of the Church of Laodicea, to whom the Lord said: “Because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I am about to vomit you out of My mouth” (Rev. 3:16).
Among the examples of those who were lost in service is Eli the priest and his sons.
He was a priest of the Lord and continued in his priesthood until he grew old and his eyes became dim. But because he did not discipline his sons, and when he rebuked them he did not do so firmly… therefore God cut him off and caused his two sons to die in one day (1 Sam. 2:31, 34). Indeed, the Lord said: “I have sworn to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever” (1 Sam. 3:14). Eli fell backward from his seat, his neck was broken, and he died. He had judged Israel forty years (1 Sam. 4:18). The old man perished with his sons, while they were in the service!
Another destruction was that of King Saul, the anointed of the Lord.
The Lord sent to him Samuel the prophet, who anointed him with the holy oil as king over His people. The Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he prophesied, so that the people said: “Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1 Sam. 10:11). But how did the life of this anointed of the Lord end?! He sinned against God, and the Spirit departed from him. It was said: “But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him” (1 Sam. 16:14). And Saul died perishing.
Also the scribes and the Pharisees are another example of servants perishing within the sphere of service…
They were the teachers of the people in their days and the strictest in keeping and knowing the Law. The Lord said of them: “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat…” (Matt. 23:2). Yet they perished in their service. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; they neither entered themselves, nor allowed those who were entering to go in. The Lord called them “blind guides” (Matt. 23:16) and said to them: “Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?” (Matt. 23:33). Yet they were servants, teachers, and leaders of service and teaching in their days!!
Likewise also were the priests in that generation.
Those whom Christ called “the wicked vinedressers,” and said to them: “The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it” (Matt. 21:43). These priests and their rulers were the ones who tried Christ and condemned Him!! They stood before Pilate accusing Him (Matt. 27:12) and crying out demanding His crucifixion (Luke 23:23). They resisted the Resurrection and gave money to the soldiers to say that His disciples stole the body (Matt. 28:13). They were also the ones who gave the thirty pieces of silver to Judas to betray his Master (Matt. 26:14–15). Those priests perished, though they were servants of the Lord—indeed messengers of the Lord of hosts, and from their mouths the law was to be sought (Mal. 2:7)!!
Another example is the elder son in the parable of the prodigal son:
The younger son represented those who went astray by going to a far country and separating from the Father’s house. But his elder brother represented those who went astray while in the service. This is evident from his saying to his father: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time” (Luke 15:29). Yet he was lost and fallen while within the sphere of service, despite those many years!
He did not love his returning brother but was angry at his honoring and refused to enter the house and share in the family’s joy. He was not respectful in his speech with his father. He accused his father of stinginess in saying, “You never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends” (Luke 15:29). He accused him of injustice in dealing with his sons and blamed his father for honoring the returning son. His will was never in agreement with the father’s will—yet he was serving him for many years!!
Those who perish while inside the service remind us of the daughter of Jairus who died in her father’s house (Luke 8:49–52).
She differs from the son of the widow of Nain, who was in a coffin on the way (Luke 7:12), and from Lazarus, who was in a tomb with a stone upon it (John 11:38).
Adam and Eve also fell while in Paradise.
Perhaps Judas Iscariot is the worst human example of those who perished while in the service.
He was one of the Twelve (Matt. 10:4), and the Lord Christ Himself chose him among the others. Indeed, He distinguished him by entrusting to him the money box and the spending on the poor. The proof is that when the Lord said to him rebukingly on Covenant Thursday, “What you do, do quickly,” some thought, “because Judas had the money box… that Jesus had said to him, ‘Buy those things we need for the feast,’ or that he should give something to the poor” (John 13:27, 29).
Perhaps Judas participated in the first training mission (Matt. 10) and received with the apostles certain gifts (Matt. 10:1). Despite all that, Judas perished.
Among the useful lessons in service also is the destruction of a well-known prophet—Balaam.
He was a man “whose eyes are opened… who hears the words of God and knows the knowledge of the Most High… who sees the vision of the Almighty… who falls down, with eyes wide open” (Num. 24:15–16).
He prophesied concerning the Lord Christ and said: “I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel and batter the brow of Moab” (Num. 24:17).
The Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and the Lord spoke to him more than once. It was said: “God met Balaam… and the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth” (Num. 23:4–5, 16). Balaam himself had said to Balak and his servants: “If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord… what the Lord says, that I must speak” (Num. 22:18; 24:13).
It was said: “The Spirit of God came upon him. Then he took up his oracle” (Num. 24:2–3).
Before speaking he would build seven altars and offer seven bulls and seven rams (Num. 23:1–2, 29–30). Yet despite the prophecies, the burnt offerings, the visions, and the coming of the Spirit of God upon him, Balaam perished and cast “a stumbling block before the children of Israel” (Rev. 2:14). Scripture spoke of “the error of Balaam” (Jude 11), and it was said that he “loved the wages of unrighteousness” (2 Pet. 2:15).
Perhaps among examples of falling—but not perishing—is Aaron the brother of Moses:
He was the high priest, anointed by Moses the prophet with the holy oil according to the Lord’s command (Ex. 40:13–16; Lev. 8:12). Yet this Aaron made for the children of Israel the golden calf which they worshiped… (Ex. 32:2–6). When Moses rebuked him after descending from the mountain, he answered: “You know the people, that they are set on evil…” (Ex. 32:22–23). Thus this great priest fell a great fall. He fell again when he and Miriam spoke against Moses the prophet (Num. 12:1), and the Lord rebuked them; Miriam the prophetess was struck with leprosy (Num. 12:4–10).
This Miriam was the one who led the women in praising the Lord after crossing the Red Sea, with the tambourine in her hand (Ex. 15:20), and sang that beautiful hymn: “Sing to the Lord, for He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea” (Ex. 15:21). Yet this great prophetess was struck with leprosy and was not restored until she was shut out of the camp seven days (Num. 12:13–15).
We move after this from the events of the Holy Bible to history:
Church history also tells us examples of those who perished while in the service, some of whom reached high peaks in service. Among them were certain heretics whom the Church anathematized, though they had been prominent servants within her:
For example: Arius, who was the greatest preacher in Alexandria. He perished because of his deviation in teaching, while he was a preacher serving and a presbyter in the great church of Alexandria. He persisted in his stubbornness and heresy, so the holy Council of Nicaea anathematized him.
Like Arius, we also speak of Nestorius and Macedonius, patriarchs of the great see of Constantinople. Each in his generation was at the peak of service in his church. Each fell into heresy and perished.
Macedonius was condemned by the Second Ecumenical Council convened in Constantinople in 381 A.D., and Nestorius was condemned by the Third Ecumenical Council convened in Ephesus in 431 A.D. They died anathematized and perished, though they had been at the head of a great church and at the summit of its service.
In nearly the same manner we speak of the destruction of Eutyches, who was a great spiritual father at the head of a monastery in Constantinople!
All his previous service in shepherding a great monastery was lost; the Church anathematized him, and his spiritual life was lost as well, for he too fell into heresy.
If this was the case with all those giants in service, then let every servant beware. Let him place before him the saying of Saint Paul the Apostle to his disciple Timothy: “Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Tim. 4:16).
But what are the reasons that cause many servants to fall, and perhaps to perish?
This is what I wish to speak to you about in the next article, if the grace of the Lord wills and we live.
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