When the Holy Fire rises. The shocking truth about the Holy Fire in Jerusalem

The Descent of the Holy Fire is a miraculous and still inexplicable phenomenon by scientists, which occurs annually on the eve of Easter. The flame that appears by itself, which was first seen by the Apostle Peter over two thousand years ago, today is a visible evidence of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Where and how is the Holy Fire lit? When will the descent of the Holy Fire take place in 2018? What should humanity prepare for in the event that the fire does not go away?

Where and when does the Holy Fire descend?

The Holy Fire is a harbinger of the Holy Resurrection of Christ. According to tradition, it takes place on Easter Eve in the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem, built in 335 AD. In 2018, the Holy Fire will descend on Saturday, April 7th. He appears by himself, through the prayer of the Greek Patriarch near the memorial plate of the Savior.

As for the time when the Holy Fire descends, it traditionally occurs at noon, within the range of 12:55 - 15:00 hours of the day. However, no one knows when the fire will appear. At one time he comes down after ten minutes, and at another - after the patriarch’s 2-hour prayer.

Centuries-old ritual traditions

The ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire, which has existed for more than a thousand years, is strictly regulated and prescribed down to the smallest detail.

Traditionally, the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem is filled with pilgrims from different parts of the world. They are the first to know whether the Sacred Fire has been lit and the first to have the opportunity to touch the flame, which does not burn.

The temple itself can accommodate no more than 8 thousand people, but there can be up to 70 thousand people willing to witness the miracle. For the rest, the territory adjacent to the temple is allocated. Each of the parishioners holds in their hands a bunch of 33 candles, which represent the earthly age of Jesus Christ.

The Patriarch of the Jerusalem Orthodox Church goes to the chapel of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ - Edicule in one cassock. Before this, this room is carefully checked by Israeli policemen to see if there are matches, lighters or other objects that could cause a fire.

While waiting for the descent of the Holy Fire in the temple:

• all light sources are extinguished,
• There is deathly silence.

At this time, pilgrims should pray and sincerely repent of their sins before the Lord.

When the Patriarch leaves the chapel, the first thing he does is lights the candles of representatives of each religious denomination. After this, the fire spreads among a crowd of thousands of pilgrims. It is often difficult for the police to restrain all those who want to get a piece of the flame faster than others, because according to legend, all worldly sins are forgiven first.

Some interesting facts about the Holy Fire:

1. The descent of fire is symbolized by flashes in the form of blue fireballs near the dome of the temple.
2. The fire does not burn either the body or the hair of a person for some time.
3. The Holy Flame was never the cause of the fire.
4. The wax of candles that were lit from the Holy Fire cannot be removed from clothing.
5. The miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire still remains a mystery.

How and where can you see the descent of the Holy Fire?

You can witness the descent of the Holy Fire not only while in the Jerusalem temple. Such an amazing and inexplicable phenomenon is actively covered by media from all over the world.

In Russia in 2017, a live broadcast of the descent of the Holy Fire was carried out by the NTV channel. It is still unknown who will cover the upcoming event this year, but in any case, how the Holy Fire appears can be observed online via the Internet.

Video recordings of such an unusual and rare phenomenon in past years, as well as photographs of eyewitnesses from the scene of the event, can be easily found on the Internet. Also, fragments of a video about the miraculous appearance of the Holy Light, as the Holy Fire is also called, will be shown on the same day on the evening news of all television channels without exception.

Spreading the Holy Fire around the world

Immediately after representatives of all churches and denominations have lit their lamps from the Holy Fire, they go to their countries in order to transfer a piece of the flame to all cities and villages of the state.

The fire is transported on a charter flight in a special capsule. Trying to make it by ten in the evening, when evening services begin in the main churches of the capital, representatives of confessions try to deliver the sacred flame to the place of service as quickly as possible.

They say that if the fire did not go down, it would be a terrible omen for all mankind. The Apocalypse and the Last Judgment will begin from which no one can hide. Then the Church of the Holy Sepulcher will be destroyed, and people living on Earth will die. Despite the fact that the Holy Fire appears from year to year, there is always the possibility that one day it will not descend...

When the Holy Fire descends in Jerusalem in 2018 directly depends on the date of Orthodox Easter. In 2018, Easter will be on April 8, which means thousands of believers around the world will expect the descent of the Holy Fire on the 7th. They say that if the fire does not go down in a certain year, it will be a symbol of the imminent end of the world. So, I would like to hope that this year in Jerusalem, in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, fire will definitely appear.

If we return to history, it should be noted that the first evidence of the occurrence of this fire precisely on the territory of the city of Jerusalem, the holy land, appeared back in the fourth century. This has always happened since then in one place - in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. According to legend, it was in this cave that the body of Jesus Christ was located after the crucifixion and until the moment of his resurrection. So, that’s exactly what happened, on Holy Saturday, believers await the descent of the Holy Fire. If you were unable to get into the temple itself, it is difficult to do so, because there are more and more people wishing to do so every year, then you can watch the process of the descent of the fire online on the Internet or on television.

About the ceremony

The Descent of the Holy Fire is a whole ceremony that includes many rules and rituals. The ceremony begins about a day before Easter. This ceremony is called litany. At lunch, the patriarchs make a religious procession to the chapel, which is located in the very center of the temple. During the procession, a lamp is carried. It doesn’t burn yet and that’s where the fire appears later. Around the lamp there are 33 candles, which are a symbol of the years of Jesus Christ’s life on earth until the moment of the crucifixion.

The patriarch enters the chapel alone. He is wearing a minimum of clothing, and representatives of the Israeli police check and search the patriarch to ensure that he does not have any items with him that could cause fire. Moreover, in the temple itself, on the eve of Holy Saturday, all lamps, candles and other sources of fire are extinguished.

The lamp is placed by the patriarch directly in the center of the coffin bed. There is also cotton wool around the perimeter, and tape along the edges. After this, the police once again inspect the chapel, and then the main clergyman, who is already inside and searched, is sealed. Nobody knows where exactly the fire comes from. This secret has been preserved for more than a millennium. You can make it for the holiday table on Easter.

About obligatory rituals

The obligatory ritual that must be observed for the fire to appear is the presence of young people in the temple who ask the Mother of God and the Lord to grant fire. Eyewitnesses who were in the temple when the fire went down all unanimously say that flashes of bright light appear from nowhere right above the Holy Sepulcher.

It is impossible to determine exactly the time when the Holy Fire 2018 descends in Jerusalem and appears. But we know for sure that this always happens.

The Holy Fire descends once a year in Jerusalem on Orthodox Easter. The descent takes place on Holy Saturday (April 15, 2017) in Kuvuklia, in the chapel inside the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. For two thousand years now, Christians who celebrate their main holiday - the Resurrection of Christ (Easter) in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, have witnessed the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire.

Conversations about inexplicable things in the courtyard of this Temple, where all roads lead, are commonplace. It is on its territory that the main Christian shrines are concentrated - the place of execution, burial and resurrection of the Savior.

According to legend, the annual mysterious ignition of fire in the Holy Land is a sign of God’s mercy, which notifies the Lord’s care and gives believers hope that God will prolong the existence of the world for another year. In different years, the wait lasts from five minutes to several hours.

The prayer of tens of thousands of Christians for the descent of the Holy Fire will take place on the pre-Easter Holy Saturday in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. The Holy Fire is considered a symbol of God's blessing to the human race. It is carried by pilgrims throughout the Orthodox world. The fire will be delivered to Russia by a delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation, which in 2017 included the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

Descent of the Holy Fire in 2017 date time where to watch

The descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will be broadcast on television. The NTV channel will show this great miracle live on Russian TV. In accordance with the TV program, the live broadcast of the descent of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem will begin on NTV at 13:15 Moscow time.

The convergence of the Holy Fire will be broadcast on Ukrainian television by Inter TV channel, the broadcast will begin at 12:45 (local time).

Descent of the Holy Fire 2017 live broadcast watch online

When will the Holy Fire 2017 arrive in Russia?

The delegation of the St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation will deliver the holy fire to Russia in special lamps, made according to the “Olympic” model, on a special flight from Jerusalem to Moscow. Everyone will be able to receive a particle of the Holy Fire right at the Vnukovo-1 airport, where the plane from the Holy Land will land presumably at 22.00 Moscow time. The Holy Fire will be brought to many cities in Russia, as well as to Russian parishes abroad.

During Bright Week (the first week after Easter), the Holy Fire can be received at the foundation’s office in Moscow at Pokrovka building 42, building 5 (from 9.00 to 18.00). Those interested must have their own lamps.

The Descent of the Holy Fire - how it happens

In our time, the descent of the Holy Fire occurs on Holy Saturday, usually between 13 and 15 hours Jerusalem time.

Approximately one day before the start of Orthodox Easter, a church ceremony begins. To see the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, people have been gathering at the Holy Sepulcher since Good Friday; many stay here immediately after the procession of the Cross, which takes place in memory of the events of that day. By ten o'clock on Holy Saturday, all candles and lamps in the entire huge architectural complex of the Temple are extinguished. A lamp filled with oil, but without fire, is placed in the middle of the bed of the Life-Giving Sepulcher. Pieces of cotton wool are laid out throughout the bed, and tape is laid along the edges.

The Church of the Holy Sepulcher was built on the site where the Tomb of Jesus Christ was. This is where the Holy Fire appears. In a crowd of pilgrims, it is difficult to calculate the distance from Golgotha ​​to the last bedchamber of Christ, but it is 33 steps, which is equal to the years of Jesus’ earthly life.

Moreover, each believer has 33 candles. Those who did not take care of them in advance are forced to buy them directly in the temple from the monks at three times the price.

In turn, the guards check the chapel, lock the door and put a seal, which means there is no source of fire inside.

Meanwhile, young Arab Christians sitting on each other's shoulders loudly stir up emotions in the crowd. According to legend, in the year when Arab youth were forbidden to misbehave in the temple, the fire lingered for several days. So, young Arabs can now do whatever they want in the temple.

According to tradition, two clergymen enter the chapel. The hierarchs remain in very simple clothes without belts. This is due to the fact that when the Holy Land belonged to the Ottoman Empire, the Turkish guards could not believe in the miracle of Fire; they carefully checked the belts so that matches would not be hidden there. Now the inspection function has been inherited by Israeli policemen, who, moreover, take care that representatives of two competing faiths do not start to sort things out.

Shortly before the patriarch, the sacristan (assistant to the sacristan - the manager of church property) brings a large lamp into the cave, in which the main fire and 33 candles should burn - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

Only after this the patriarch enters the Edicule and kneels in prayer.

After the patriarch enters the Edicule, the entrance is sealed, and the wait for the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire begins.

The carrying out of the Easter fire symbolizes the exit from the Tomb of the “True Light,” that is, the risen Jesus Christ. After the service, light appears inside the Edicule (Chapel over the Holy Sepulcher), and bells ring in the temple. Burning bunches of candles appear from the windows of the Edicule, served by the Greek Patriarch and the Armenian Archimandrite. The walkers light the fire from their candles, after which the fire quickly spreads throughout the temple.

Pilgrims leave notes with best wishes. When the fire subsides, it leaves no burns in the first few seconds.

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Holy Fire- one of the strongest symbols of faith and confirmation of its truth among Orthodox Christians. Once again, he descended from heaven last Saturday in Jerusalem in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (erected in the 4th century by order of the Roman Emperor Constantine and his mother Queen Helena on the spot where Christ’s earthly journey was completed) on the eve of the Great Feast of Orthodox Easter.

The Descent of the Holy Fire is proof of the truth of the Orthodox Faith.

The Holy Fire descends only on Orthodox Easter and only through the prayers of the Orthodox Patriarch. There was an experience of achieving the convergence of fire in 1101 and in 1578, when the Turks controlled Jerusalem. All attempts did not lead to results.

The Lord revealed His will to people: the fire did not descend into Kulukvia, in which the Armenian patriarch was intensely praying at that time, but descended on one of the outer columns of the temple, at which the Jerusalem patriarch prayed together with the believers - the column cracked in this place, and this crack can be see now.

After such a phenomenon, the Latins and Armenians were forced to come to an agreement with the Orthodox and recognized that God has the will to give the Holy Fire only into the hands of a minister of the Orthodox Church. It is known that for the fire to appear, there is one more condition - local Orthodox Arabs must appear in the Holy Sepulcher Church with songs and dances, offering prayers to the Mother of God and Christ in Arabic.

Holy Fire: miracle or man-made reality?

Scientists and atheists have been trying to explain the power and nature of the Holy Fire for a long time, but so far the attempts have not been crowned with success. Believers accept fire as God's highest grace, without questioning its divine nature in the slightest. Skeptics and atheists carefully try to explain this phenomenon from a scientific point of view, and I think this is also normal.

Let's try to understand the mystery and nature of the descent of the Holy Fire.

How to prepare for receiving the Holy Fire

It is not the first millennium that the Holy Fire descends in one place, only in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem and only on the eve of Orthodox Easter, subject to several other conditions.

The first mentions of this phenomenon date back to the 4th century, they are found among church historians.

A vivid description, full of the depth of experienced feelings, is given in his book “I Saw the Holy Fire” by Archimandrite Savva Achilleos, who was the chief novice at the Holy Sepulcher for more than 50 years. Here is a fragment of a book about how the Holy Fire descends:

“….the patriarch bowed low to approach the Life-Giving Tomb. And suddenly, in the midst of the dead silence, I heard some kind of tremulous, subtle rustling. It was like a subtle breath of wind. And immediately after that I saw a blue light that filled the entire internal space of the Life-Giving Tomb.

Oh, what an unforgettable sight it was! I saw how this light was spinning, like a strong whirlwind or storm. And in this Blessed light I clearly saw the face of the Patriarch. Large tears flowed down his cheeks...

... the blue light again came into a state of movement. Then it suddenly became white... Soon the light acquired a rounded shape and stood motionless in the form of a halo above the Patriarch’s head. I saw how His Beatitude the Patriarch took bundles of 33 candles into his hands, raised them high above him and began to pray to God to send the Holy Fire, slowly extending his hands to the sky. He barely had time to raise them to the level of his head when suddenly all four bundles lit up in his hands, as if they were brought closer to a blazing furnace. At that same second, the halo of light above his head disappeared. From the joy that overwhelmed me, tears flowed from my eyes...”

Information taken from the site https://www.rusvera.mrezha.ru/633/9.htm

Holy Fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, preparation for the descent

The ceremony of preparation for the descent of the Fire begins almost a day before the start of Orthodox Easter. These days, not only Orthodox believers, but also other Christians, Muslims, and atheist tourists rush to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which can accommodate 10 thousand people. Representatives of the Jewish police are also present here, vigilantly monitoring not only order, but also ensuring that no one brings fire or devices that cause it into the temple.

Then an unlit lamp with oil is placed on the center of the bed of the Holy Sepulcher, and a bunch of candles in the amount of 33 pieces is also placed here - the number of years of the life of Jesus Christ. Pieces of cotton wool are placed around the perimeter of the bed, and tape is attached to the edges. Everything is done under the strict supervision of the Jewish police and Muslim representatives.

It is important that the phenomenon of the descent of Fire is ensured by the obligatory presence in the temple three groups of participants:

1. Patriarch of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem or, with his blessing, one of the bishops of the Jerusalem Patriarchate.
2. Hegumen and monks of the Lavra of St. Savva the Sanctified .
3. Local Orthodox Arabs, most often represented by Arab Orthodox youth, making themselves known by noisily unconventional singing of prayers in Arabic .

The festive procession is closed by the Orthodox Patriarch, accompanied by the Armenian Patriarch and clergy, who go around the holiest places of the temple, going around the Kuvuklia (chapel over the Holy Sepulcher) three times.

Then the Patriarch undresses from his vestments, demonstrating the absence of matches and other things that could cause fire, and enters the Edicule.

After which the chapel is closed, the entrance is sealed by a local Muslim key keeper.

From this moment those present are waiting for the Patriarch to emerge with Fire in his hands. Interestingly, the waiting time for convergence is different every year: from several minutes to several hours.

The moment of expectation is one of the most powerful in faith: believers know that if the Fire is not sent from above, the temple will be destroyed. Therefore, parishioners take communion and pray earnestly, asking to be granted the Holy Fire. Prayers and rituals continue until the appearance of the Holy Fire.

How the Holy Fire descends

This is roughly how the atmosphere of waiting for the Holy Fire is described by people present in the temple at different times. The phenomenon of convergence is accompanied by the appearance in the temple of small bright flashes, discharges, flashes here and there...

When filming with a slow-motion camera, the lights are especially clearly visible near the icon located above the Edicule, in the area of ​​the Temple dome, near the windows.

A moment later, the entire temple is illuminated by glare, lightning, and then... the doors of the chapel swing open, the Patriarch appears in his hands with that very Fire sent down from Heaven. At these moments, candles in the hands of individual people spontaneously ignite.

An incredible atmosphere of joy, delight and happiness fills the entire space; it truly becomes an energetically unique place!

At first, Fire has amazing properties - it doesn’t burn at all, people literally wash themselves with it, scoop it up with their palms, and pour it on themselves. There are no cases of clothing, hair or other items catching fire. The fire temperature is only 40ºС. There are cases and witnesses of healing of illnesses and diseases.

They say that droplets of wax falling from candles, called the Holy Dew, will remain on human clothes forever, even after washing.

And subsequently, lamps throughout Jerusalem are lit from the Holy Fire, although there are cases in areas near the temple of their spontaneous combustion. Fire is delivered by air to Cyprus and Greece, and so on all over the world, including Russia. In areas of the city close to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, candles and lamps in churches light up on their own.

There were fears that the Fire would not go down this year due to the fact that archaeologists in the fall of 2016, for scientific purposes, opened the tomb with the Holy Sepulcher, in which, according to legend, the body of Jesus Christ rested after the crucifixion. The fears were in vain.

Video about the descent of Fire in Jerusalem.

Scientific explanation of the Holy Fire

How does science explain the nature of Holy Fire? No way! There is no scientifically proven evidence of this phenomenon. Just as there are no scientific interpretations of all things that happen according to the will of God. We must accept the fact of Fire as a divine essence.

Attempts to somehow explain the nature of this phenomenon are rather revealing in nature, as is usually the case, the desire to convict the Church of insincerity, deception, and concealment of the truth.

But in fact, why does the Fire descend only among Orthodox Christians? Well, there is only one God, are there only different faiths? And why does the day of celebrating Orthodox Easter fall on different dates on the calendar every year, and why does the fire descend at the right time? By the way, in the past, its convergence was observed at night with the onset of Holy Saturday before Easter, now it happens during the day, closer to noon.

The Holy Fire is a myth

What arguments do skeptics give when exposing the miracle of the descent of the Holy Fire, thereby trying to dispel the myths about the divine nature of fire in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre:

• Fire at the right moment is obtained from essential oils, pre-sprayed into the atmosphere of the temple and capable of self-ignition.
• The candles that are given out in the temple shop are impregnated with a special composition that saturates the atmosphere of the temple, causing those very flashes and spontaneous combustion of the candles.

But other candles were also lit, which passionate skeptics brought with them to the temple.

• Some substances, for example, white phosphorus, have spontaneous combustion. Concentrated sulfuric acid, when combined with manganese, ignites spontaneously, but the flame does not burn. The fire does not burn for some time when ethers burn. But only the first moments.

Divine fire does not burn after a while.

• Here's another recipe for self-ignition:

“... they hang lamps in the altar and arrange a trick so that the fire reaches them through the oil of balsam tree and devices made from it, and its property is that fire arises when combined with jasmine oil. Fire has a bright light and a brilliant radiance.”

• The phenomenon of fire can be explained as the result of the interaction of streams of charged particles passing through the upper atmosphere through the Earth's magnetic field.

But why here and at this time? Unconvincing!

• Perhaps the answer lies in geophysics? The land of Jerusalem is very old, in addition, the temple is located in a unique place, on ancient tectonic plates.

Perhaps this fact contributes to the phenomenon.

• Or maybe the believers themselves, gathered at the Temple of the Lord, with their energy of excitement, the special state of the nervous system in anticipation of a miracle, are able to generate energy flows, which are already abundant in places of pilgrimage.
• The Catholic Church does not recognize the miraculous nature of fire.
• In 2008, Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem’s interview with Russian journalists caused a lot of noise, in which he brought the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire closer to an ordinary church ceremony, without placing any emphasis on the miracle of the descent.

Scientific experiment confirming the divine essence of Fire

Professor Pavel Florensky in 2008 carried out measurements and recorded three flash-discharges, akin to those that happen during a thunderstorm, and thereby confirmed the special atmosphere during the appearance of Fire, that is, simply its Divine origin.

Literally a year ago, in 2016, Russian physicist, employee of the Kurchatov Institute RRC Andrei Volkov managed to bring equipment with him to the temple for the ceremony of the descent of the Holy Fire and take measurements of the electromagnetic field inside the room. Here's what the physicist himself says:

– During six hours of observing the electromagnetic background in the temple, it was at the moment of the descent of the Holy Fire that the device recorded a doubling of the radiation intensity.

– Now it is clear that the Holy Fire was not created by people. This is not a deception, not a hoax: its material “traces” can be measured.

In fact, this inexplicable burst of energy can be called a message from God?

– Many believers think so. This is the materialization of a Divine miracle. You can't find another word.

I think there are other attempts to explain the mystery of the phenomenon of the descent of the Holy Fire. But whether God’s plan can be squeezed into mathematical formulas is a question.

Conclusion

After analyzing the facts listed above, everyone will decide for themselves: a miraculous sacrament or a man-made process with the participation of people is the Holy Fire. The truth of faith does not need proof! For others, miracles do not exist and everything that happens around us must be subject to the laws of science.