“EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT…”

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

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

"EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT…"

And Jesus said:

"Then He will also say to those on the
left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed,
into the everlasting fire prepared for the
devil and his angels" [Matthew 25:41].

"And these will go away into
EVERLASTING PUNISHMENT, but
the righteous into eternal life"
[Matthew 25:46].

Depicting in the brightest and most joyful features the Eternal Life of the Righteous after the Universal Judgment, the word of God speaks with the same positiveness and certainly concerning the eternal torments of evil men (people). "Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, the Son of Man will say on the day of judgment; and these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal" [Matthew 25:41, 46]. This CONDITION OF TORMENT is presented in Sacred Scripture as A PLACE OF TORMENT, and is called GEHENNA. (This image of the fiery gehenna is taken from the Valley of Hinnom outside Jerusalem, where at one time executions were performed, and likewise every kind of unclean thing was dumped, as a result of which a fire was constantly burning there to guard against infection.) The Lord Christ said: "If thy hand offend thee, cut it off; it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell (gehenna), into the fire that never shall be quenched, where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched" [Mark 9:43-44, likewise 45-48]. "There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth", the Savior repeated many times concerning gehenna (Matthew 8:12) and other places). In the Apocalypse (Revelation) of Saint John the Theologian this place or condition is called "A LAKE OF FIRE" (Revelation 19:20). And in the holy Apostle Paul we read: "In the flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 1:8). The images of the "worm that dieth not" and the "fire that is not quenched" are evidently symbolical and indicate THE SEVERITY OF THE TORMENTS.

Saint John Damascos or Damascene remarks: "Sinners will be given over to everlasting fire, WHICH WILL NOT BE A MATERIAL FIRE SUCH AS WE ARE accustomed to, but A FIRE SUCH AS GOD MIGHT KNOW". "I know," writes Saint John Chrysostom, "that many are terrified only of gehenna; but I think THAT THE DEPRIVATION OF THAT GLORY (OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD) IS A TORMENT MORE CRUEL THAN GHENNA" (Homily 23 on Matthew). "This deprivation of good things," he reflects in a different place, "WILL CAUSE SUCH TORMENT, SUCH SORROW AND OPPRESSION, THAT EVEN IF NO PUNISHMENT AWAITED THOSE WHO SIN HERE, IT IN ITSELF (THIS DEPRIVATION) COULD TORMENT AND DISTURB OUR SOULS MORE POWERFULLY THAN THE TORMENTS OF GEHENNA…Many foolish people desire only to be delivered from gehenna; but I consider much more tormenting tha gehenna THE PUNISHMENT OF NOT BEING IN THAT GLORY. And I think that he who deprived of it should weep not so much over the torments of gehenna as over being deprived of the good things of heaven, for this alone is the cruelest of all punishments" (Homily I, to Theodore).

Protopresbyter George Metallinos states on the Second Sunday of Lent, "we commemorate the Second and incorruptible Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ". The expression "we commemorate" of the Book of Saints confirms that our Church, AS THE Body of Christ, RE-ENACTS IN ITS WORSHIP THE Second Coming of Christ as an "EVENT" and NOT just something that is historically expected. The reason is, THAT THROUGH THE Divine Eucharist, WE ARE TRANSPORTED TO THE CELESTIAL KINGDOM, TO META-HISTORY. It is in this orthodoxy perspective, that the subject of Paradise and Hell is approached in the Gospels (Matthew, chapter 5), mention is made of "Kingdom" and"eternal fire". In this excerpt, which is cited during the Divine Liturgy of this Sunday, the "Kingdom" is the DIVINE DESTINATION OF MANKIND. The "fire" is "prepared" FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS (DEMONS), NOT BECAUSE GOD DESIRED IT, BUT BECAUSE THEY ARE IMPENITENT. The "Kingdom" is "prepared" for those WHO REMAIN FAITHFUL TO THE WILL OF GOD. "KINGDOM" (THE UNCREATED GLORY) IS PARADISE. "FIRE" (ETERNAL) IS HELL (ETERNAL HELL). AT THE BEGINNING OF HISTORY, GOD INVITES MAN INTO PARADISE, INTO A COMMUNION WITH HIS UNCREATED GRACE. AT THE END OF HISTORY, MAN HAS TO FACE PARADISE AND HELL.

PARADISE AND HELL ARE NOT TWO DIFFERENT PLACES. (This version is an idolatrous (pagan) concept.) They signify two different situations (ways), which originate from the same uncreated source, and ware perceived by man as two, different experiences. Or, more precisely, they are THE SAME EXPERIENCE, EXCEPT THAT THEY ARE PERCEIVED DIFFERENTLY BY MAN, DEPENDING ON MAN’S INTERNAL STATE. THIS EXPERIENCE IS: THE SIGHT OF CHRIST INSIDE THE UNCREATED LIGHT OF HIS DIVINITY, OF HIS "GLORY". From the moment of His Second Coming, thorugh to all eternity, ALL PEOPLE WILL BE SEEING CHRIST IN HIS UNCREATED LIGHT. THAT IS WHEN "THOSE WHO WORKED GOOD DEEDS IN THEIR LIFETIME WILL GO TOWARDS THE RESURRECTION OF THEIR LIFE, WHILE THOSE WHO WORKED EVIL IN THEIR LIFETIME WILL GO TOWARDS THE RESURRECTION OF JUDGMENT" [John 5:29]. In the PRESENCE of Christ, mankind will be SEPARATED ("sheep" and "goats", to His right and His left). In other words, THEY WILL BE LOOKING UPON CHRIST AS PARADISE (THE "EXCEEDING GOOD, THE RADIANT") AND THOSE WHO WILL BE LOOKING UPON CHRIST AS HELL ("THE ALL-CONSUMING FIRE", Hebrews 12:29). PARADISE and HELL ARE THE SAME REALITY. This is what is depicted in the portrayal of the Second Coming. From Christ a river flows forth: IT IS RADIANT LIKE A GOLDEN LIGHT AT THE UPPER END OF IT, WHERE THE SAINTS ARE. AT ITS LOWER END, THE SAME RIVER IS FIERY, AND IT IS IN THAT PART OF THE RIVER THAT THE DEMONS AND THE UNREPENTED ("THE NEVER REPENTANT" ACCORDING TO A HYMN) ARE DEPICTED. This is why in Saint Luke 2:34 we read that Christ stands "AS THE FALL AND THE RESURRECTION OF MANY." CHRIST BECOMES THE RESURRECTION INTO ETERNAL LIFE, FOR THOSE WHO ACCEPTED HIM AND WHO FOLLOWED THE SUGGESTED MEANS OF HEALING THE HEART; AND TO THOSE WHO REJECTED HIM, HE BECOMES THEIR DEMISE AND THEIR HELL. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

{To be continued)
______________
"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 Goerge