My beloved brothers and sisters in Our Risen Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS RISEN! TRULY HE IS RISEN!
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the Holy Angels
with Him, then He will sit on the Throne of His Glory. All the nations
will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from
another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He
will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left."
[Matthew 25:31-33]
The above passage reveals an account of the Universal Judgment. Since the Cross is now near for Him, Jesus raises up the hearer to the sight of the Glory of the Son of Man, His JUDGMENT SEAT (THRONE), and the whole world before Him. He shows the Heavens opened and "all the holy Angels" present to witness His Judgment. For if the first coming of the Son of Man was IN HUMILITY, to serve and to die, THE SECOND COMING WILL BE IN "GLORY," AS A KING TO JUDGE "ALL THE NATIONS."
The standard of JUDGMENT is uncalculated mercy toward the needy. The works produced by faith are emphasized, for A SAVING FAITH PRODUCES RIGHTEOUS WORKS. It is possible to fool ourselves about whether we truly believe, but WHAT WE DO REFLECTS OUR TRUE INNER STATE THAT WE WILL NEED NO OTHER EVIDENCE BEFORE GOD’S COURT. The needy are the intimate "brethren" of Christ. "The least of these" (v. 45) may refer primarily to Christian missionaries or to needy Christians and by extension, ALL WHO SUFFER. Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ identifies Himself with the poor and the outcast and invites to brotherhood all who are kindled with agape for others [1 John 4:20). These are crowned with grace.
The spiritual gaze of mankind which believes in Christ, beginning with the time of the Ascension from earth to heaven of the Son of God, has been directed to the greatest future event of world history: HIS SECOND COMING TO EARTH.
Testimony to the reality of this expected Coming was given quite definitely many times by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, together with a whole series of details regarding it (Matthew 16:27 and chap. 24; Mark 8:38; Luke 12:40 and 17:24; John 14:3). The Angels declared it at the Lord's Ascension (Acts 1:11). The Holy Apostles often mention it: the Apostle Jude (vv. 14-15); the Apostle John (1 John 2:28); the Apostle Peter (1 Peter 4:13); and the Apostle Paul many times (1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 5:2-6) and other places.
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself described to His Disciples the manner of His Coming in the following characteristics:
IT WILL BE SUDDEN AND OBVIOUS TO EVERYONE: "For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the Coming of the Son of Man be" [Matthew 24:27].
His
First of all, there "SHALL APPEAR THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN IN HEAVEN; AND THEN SHALL ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH MOURN" (Matthew 24:30). This, according to the Universal interpretation of the Holy Fathers of the Church, WILL BE THE SIGN OF THE LIFE-GIVING CROSS OF OUR LORD.
The Lord will come surrounded by innumerable choirs of Angels, IN ALL HIS GLORY: "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30), "with the holy Angels" (Mark 8:38). "HE SHALL SIT ON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY" (Matthew 25:31). Thus, the SECOND COMING WILL BE DIFFERENT FROM THE FIRST WHEN THE LORD "HUMBLED HIMSELF, AND BECAME OBEDIENT UNTO DEATH, EVEN THE DEATH OF THE CROSS" (Philippians 2:8).
He will come to "JUDGE THE WORLD IN RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Acts 17:31) and to "REWARD EVERY MAN (PERSON) ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS" (Matthew 16:27). In this the purpose of His Second Coming into the world IS TO BE DISTINGUISHED IN ESSENCE FROM THE PURPOSE OF HIS FIRST COMING, WHEN HE CAME NOT TO "JUDGE THE WORLD, BUT THAT THE WORLD THROUGH HIM MIGHT BE SAVED (John 3:17); He came "TO GIVE HIS LIFE (AS) A RANSOM FOR MANY" (Matthew 20:28).
In the Great Day of the Coming of the Son of Man there will be accomplished THE UNIVERSAL RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD IN A TRANSFIGURED APPEARANCE. Concerning the resurrection of the dead the Lord Christ says: "The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear His (the Son of God’s) 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 damnation" [John 5:28-29)
The resurrection of the dead will be UNIVERSAL AND SIMULTANEOUS, BOTH OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND OF SINNERS. ALL THE DEAD "shall come forth: they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (John 5:29).
Saint Nicholas Cavasilas writes: "The resurrection IS THE RESTORATION OF OUR HUMAN NATURE. Such things God gives freely, for just as He forms us without us willing it, so He forms us ANEW THOUGH WE HAVE CONTRIBUTED NOTHING TO IT. On the other hand, the Kingdom and vision of God and Union with Christ are privileges which depend on willingness. They are possible only for those who have been willing to receive them and have loved them and longed for them. For such it is fitting that they should enjoy the presence of the things for which they longed; for the unwilling it is impossible… One need not therefore marvel that while all will live in immortality, IT IS NOT ALL WHO WILL LIVE IN BLESSEDNESS. All equally enjoy God’s Providence for our nature, but it is ONLY THOSE WHO ARE DEVOUT TOWARDS GOD WHO ENJOY THE GIFTS WHICH ADORN THEIR WILLINGNESS" (The Life of Christ, pp. 81-82) — 3rd Edition.
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine, Glorious and Redeeming Resurrection,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 