My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only Lord, God and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
The most complete picture of this Last Judgment by our Savior Jesus Christ is given in the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew 25:31-46 ["When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy Angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations: and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats and He shall set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."]
The Last Judgment According to the Orthodox Church
- Saint Theophylact comments: "Since the First Coming of the Lord was not with glory but with dishonor and indignity, He says, "When He shall come in His glory." For at the Second Coming He will come with glory, escorted by Holy Angels. First He will divide the Saints from the sinners, delivering them from tribulations, and set them on His right, and then speak to them. He calls the saints "sheep" on account of their gentleness, and because they yield fruit and useful things for us, as do sheep, providing wool, which is divine and spiritual protection, and milk, which is the sustenance that is needed. The goats are the sinners, for they walk along the precipices and are unruly and fruitless."2:4;
In accordance with this picture we may draw conclusions regarding the characteristics of the Judgment. It will be UNIVERSAL, that is, EXTENDING TO ALL MEN (PEOPLE), good and evil, and according to other indications given in the word of God, even to the fallen angels themselves (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 5:6]; SOLEMN AND OPEN, for the JUDGE will appear in all His glory with all His Holy Angels before the face of the whole world; STRICT AND TERRIBLE, performed in all the justice of God–it will be a DAY OF WRATH AND REVELATION OF THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT OF GOD" [Romans 2:5], FINAL AND DEFINITIVE, DETERMINING FOR ALL ETERNITY THE FATE OF EACH ONE WHO IS JUDGED. The result of the Judgment will be ETERNAL REWARD–BLESSEDNESS for the Righteous and TORMENT for the EVIL WHO ARE CONDEMNED.
The Lord Jesus said: "But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, THEY WILL GIVE ACCOUNT OF IT IN THE DAY OF JUDGMENT" [Matthew 12:36]. Christ pronounces A SEVERE JUDGMENT against the blasphemers of the Spirit. As the tree is revealed by its fruit, a human being is known BY HIS/HER WORKS. He will do according to the kind of person he or she is. The blasphemers are "A BROOD OF VIPERS" because of their EVIL WORKS AND MALICE. Their heritage is of no value to them; they bear no fruit appropriate to a chosen people. It is the Crucified One Who will call men to account at the end of the ages. He has won this right as a man through the perfection of His human life. "For the Father…has given Him the AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT BECAUSE HE IS THE SON OF MAN" [John 5:27]. Our Lord Christ will judge all people because "the Father has not granted the Son power only to give life, but ALSO "TO EXECUTE JUDGMENT." that is, to chastise and punish. "Marvel not at this for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; THEY THAT HAVE DONE GOOD, UNTO THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE, AND THEY THAT HAVE DONE EVIL, UNTO THE RESURRECTION OF CONDEMNATION" [5:29).
Who can deny that there is a Final (Last) Judgment Day after all this? I believe it is very clear not only in the HolyScripture but throughout the Sacred Tradition of our Christian Faith. The Last Judgment is the day when Christ will return in His glory and judge all people for their lives on earth. People will be judged based on their words and deeds. The judgment will reveal a person's true self. Because the time of the Last Judgment is not known, people must always be prepared through a life of virtue and love and constant vigilance.
The Orthodox Church teaches that there are two judgments: the first, or PARTICULAR JUDGMENT. is that experienced by each individual at the time of his/her death. at which time God will decide where one is to spend the time until the Second Coming of Christ. This judgment is generally believed to occur ON THE FORTIETH DAY AFTER DEATH. The second, General or Final Judgment will occur after the Second Coming.
Our Holy Orthodox Church teaches that salvation IS BESTOWED BY GOD AS A FREE GIFT OF DIVINE GRACE, which cannot be earned, and by which forgiveness of sins is available to all. However, the deeds committed by each person are believed to affect how he/she will be judged, following the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. How forgiveness is to be balanced against conduct is not well-defined in Holy Scripture, judgment in the matter being solely Christ's alone.
Similarly ,although Orthodoxy teaches that sole salvation is obtained only through Christ and His Holy Church, the fate of those outside the Church at the Last Judgment is left to the MERCY OF GOD and is NOT declared.li
"The writings of the holy Christian ascetics indicate that the higher one's moral awareness is raised, the more acute become the feeling of moral responsibility, the fear of offending God, and the awareness of the unavoidability of punishment for deviating from the commandment of God. But to just the same degree does hope in God's mercy grow. To hope in it and ask for it from the Lord is for each of us a duty and a consolation."
Therefore, it is evident that no one can avoid God's Dreadful Judgment. It is foolish to simply live a care-free life believing that just because one is a Christian salvation is already accomplished without repentance, without conforming to Christ's commandments, without works of love, without living a righteous life and without knowing that we are all accountable for every thought, every deed, and every transgression that is committed by us in our daily life. All good Christians believe that our Lord Jesus Christ saved mankind through His Great Sacrifice on the Cross, Death and Resurrection, but by accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we accept the new life which He has given us, a life of holiness, chastity, and virtue. A Christian cannot go on committing sins and living a wicked life and still believe that he or she is not accountable to Christ and that no matter what he or she does, is already saved. That is an insult to our Savior and His Sacrifice! All of us sin every minute and every hour of the day in thought, in word, and in deed and therefore we need to constantly and sincerely repent for we are all unworthy of every good thing that comes from above.
"And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the BOOK OF LIFE. And the dead WERE JUDGED ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS, BY THE THINGS WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE BOOKS" [Revelation 20:12). "Standing before God" at His Throne at the Final Judgment, "the dead" are confronted with "THEIR WORKS". "The Books" of judgment [Daniel 7:10] CONTAIN A RECORD OF MEN’S OWN DEEDS; THEIR OWN WORKS WILL JUDGE THEM [Psalm 62:12; Jeremiah 17:10]. This judgment of believers’ own works is a common New Testament theme. In contrast, "The Book of Life" contains the names of all WHO ARE SAVED BY GRACE. Gods’ MERCY is far greater than human works, good or bad. The Orthodox Divine Liturgy thus PETITIONS GOD FOR A "GOOD ACCOUNT BEFORE THE DREAD SEAT JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST." (Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, New Testament, The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact)
__________
"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
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 