GOD’S JUDGMENT

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

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

GOD’S JUDGMENT

"But we know that the judgment of God is
according to truth…Who will render to
each one according to his deeds" (Romans 2:2-6).

"As they (the Disciples) were watching, Jesus’ was taken up and a cloud
took Him out of their sight. While they were gazing into the sky as He
was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood by them, They said.
Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing into the sky?’ This Jesus who was
taken up from you into the sky WILL COME BACK IN THE SAME WAY AS
YOU SAW HIM GOING INTO HEAVEN" (Acts 1:9-11).

"…And He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead…"
(The Creed)

The return of our Savior Jesus Christ at the end of the ages will be the Day of Judgment, the Day of the Lord foretold in the Old Testament and predicted by Christ Himself. (Daniel 7; Matthew 24). The exact time of the end is not foretold, not even by Jesus Christ, so we would always be prepared by our ceaseless vigil and good deeds.

The Almighty God takes no "pleasure in the death of the wicked" [Ezekiel 18:22]. God "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the Truth" !1 Timothy 2:4). Our Lord, God, and Savior does everything in His Divine power to make it possible for all people to be saved and enter into His Heavenly Kingdom. Jesus even sacrificed His life on the Cross to accomplish the salvation of all of mankind. Everything now is up to humanity. If there are people who ignore or refuse the gift of life in communion with the Creator, our Savior, will not compel anyone to do so by force, but will honor and respect the gift of free will He has given us. However, every hour, every day, every year leads us with a sure and quick pace toward that "last day" (John 6:39). "Before the Great and Glorious Day of the Lord" (Acts 2:20). "The day of judgment" (Matthew 10:15). "The day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed" (Romans 2:5).

Saint John Chrysostom taught the Christians to have a vigilant attitude and to live in anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ and the Day of Judgment. In the prophetic word, "To me, God every knee shall bow, every tongue shall sweat" (Isaiah 45:23), he writes: "Each one of us, therefore, will give an account of himself to God. Be vigilant. He did not say simply that each one will bow down before the Lord, but that he will also have to give an account of his deeds. For this reason, Christian, be always awake; ready to ready for battle, be alert; prepared to do spiritual battle as you see the Lord of all sitting upon the tribunal (of judgment)".

The Second Coming will be preceded by "the Sign of the Son ofMan" (Matthew 24:30), that is, the Cross, "held by the holy Angels and shining like lightning." Preceding the Sign will be "the Archangel Michael blowing the trumpet and awakening those who have fallen asleep from the time of Adam to the end of the age." According to the holy Apostle Paul, "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the Archangel’s call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first" (1 Thessalonians 4:16). My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, are we preparing for the TERRIBLE DAY, when the Lord God-Man will bring about the FINAL AND ULTIMATE DECISION IN THE HISTORY OF THE WHOLE WORLD, ON ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH. Saint Theophylactos summarizes, "after our departure from this world THERE IS NO TIME FOR REPENTANCE AND THE PRACTICE OF VIRTUE". This is why is so extremely important and necessary that we prepare from now, because only the present life is A LIFE OF STRUGGLE AND REPENTANCE: THE FUTURE LIFE IS A LIFE OF RECOMPENSE. We must, therefore, from now, because THE END WILL COME SUDDENLY ON A DAY WHEN WE ARE NOT EXPECTING IT AND AT AN HOUR THAT WE DO NOT KNOW. Let us confess and repent of our sins to receive forgiveness and pardon from our sweet and loving Christ. With repentance and contrition and tears we may light brightly our candles of virtues and thus illumined, we may meet Christ the Bridegroom at His Glorious and Magnificent Second Coming (Parousia), prepared finally to enter with Him into the Heavenly Kingdom.

All of mankind (even the ungodly) knows God’s Righteousness through creation and conscience. While those who surrender to the vices and live unrighteously, will know, they are "deserving of death" at the Final Judgment. Furthermore, not only will the unrighteous experience God’s Righteous Judgment, so will the self-righteous. Characterized by a condemning spirit, the self-righteous judge the immoral behavior for his or her vices. The person, however, who has the discernment to know what is righteous, is responsible for being righteous–and to be merciful.

As Orthodox Christians we must not take the outcome of God’s Final Judgment for granted. I am confident that every Orthodox Christian is familiar with the following petition offered by the priest at the Divine Liturgy: "For a good defense BEFORE THE FINAL JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST, let us pray to the Lord: Kyrie eleison." In his Epistle to the Romans 2:2-16, Saint Paul describes God’s Righteous Judgment, revealing how we can prepare ourselves for it, God’s Judgment will be: (a) "According to truth." Nothing is hidden from God. He sees everything and knows the truth about each of us. (b) "According to impenitent hearts." An unrepentant or hard heart despises God’s Goodness, accumulating the anger of God at the Judgment. A repentant heart, on the other hand, is grateful for God’s mercy and abides in Christ, living a lifetime of repentance. (c) "According to our deeds." These "deeds" are works of compassion and love, but our intent is never to attempt to bribe God and gain favor with Him. "Doing good" is a means of glorifying the Almighty God, not for one’s personal glory. It is seeking first the Kingdom of God (Matthew 6:33). Good intention alone, or faith without works, will not save. Everything that we do must be done in truth and love. God cannot be deceived by us! The good Christian acts always from a pure and repentant heart.

We believe, as Orthodox Christians, that we must always work together, to cooperate, with God and His grace. When we sincerely do this, living a virtuous life will become a natural experience for us. Whereas evil deeds are contrary to God’s Commandments and of course against our conscience. Therefore, it is common sense that anyone who rejects God and His grace bring condemnation. We also believe that God’s judgment of us is based on our exercise of FREE WILL. And although sin distorts and impairs our powers, it does not destroy God’s image in us or our free will.

Repenting and living a righteous and virtuous life cannot be postponed for a future day, since we have no way of knowing when our death will come. We ought to act immediately to correct our life, to conform to the commandments of God, and prepare ourselves for our departure from this life. God has given us all the time we need to obediently submit to His will. When we offer the Lord’s Prayer, we say, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven." Do we truly understand what we are saying and do we truly believe it? Are we willing to do His will? In some cases people recite these Divine words like parrots, superficially, and without any conviction. To be a righteous and a godly person, we must first, be honest and truthful. We cannot claim to be Christians and yet not think, feel, and act as Christians. Otherwise we are NOT Christians but imposters! Pretending! That attitude is most detrimental to the salvation of our souls and brings about our own damnation. However, what a joy it is for the believer who left here prepared for eternity!

_______

"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George