Up to Rilski Monastir

The Rila Monastery, a couple hours south of Sofia, Bulgaria, is the heart of the Bulgarian Orthodox church.  It was founded in the middle of the 9th Century by St. John of Rila, an eremite monk ("eremite" means one who lives alone -- we get our word "hermit" from it) whose call from God focused on prayer, holiness, and spreading the gospel.  Though he lived alone for years at a time, his reputation for purity and prayer drew people to come to him.  This is how he shared Christ with them.  Before his death he had unintentionally attracted so many followers that a small monastery was founded, dedicated to his principles of holy living, intercessory prayer, and evangelism.

It is clear that in the intervening 1150 years, most of John's vision has been lost.  Though his testimony and instructions for prayer focus primarily on spreading the gospel through intercessory prayer and evangelistic service, this rich guide is neglected or openly scorned.  Today, the monks and leaders of Rila Monastery do not, in my estimation, share God's Word; instead, they hide it. They discourage members of the Orthodox church from reading Scripture, and they do not read it themselves.  They read only the prayer books and the liturgies of the church.  As you may have seen from some of the pix I previously posted on facebook, many of the doctrines depicted in the frescoes painted inside and outside the monastery chapel are not only extra-biblical, but patently anti-biblical.  Some blatant and horrifying examples are below.

The journey up the mountain to this spot was gorgeous, and the buildings and compound of the monastery are stunningly beautiful.  This is, however, a place we need to pray for, asking God to return His Word to a monastery that has neglected and suppressed it for centuries.

It makes me wonder how much like them we are.

Think about it.

The main chapel of the Rilski Monastir compound.

Looking into heaven, the New Jerusalem -- see the twelve gates -- with souls exiting purgatory waiting to get in.
Jesus (left) is depicted as a wimpy dude without a robe, while Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are robed and seated on clouds.
Meanwhile, giganto-Peter (i.e., the Orthodox church) stands outside, holding people back:  see how his left hand is turned back.

On the outside of the chapel, a series of frescoes depicts the "20 levels of purgatory" the monks teach.
This is the 20th and deepest level, reserved for those who leave the Bulgarian Orthodox church.

Really?  They have the nerve to depict Jehovah God with an image?