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

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

On the 14th of September, Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
the Universal Exaltation of the VENERABLE AND LIFE-CREATING
CROSS.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. First Tone

SAVE, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance; grant Thou
unto the faithful victory over adversaries. And by the power of Thy
Cross do Thou preserve Thy commonwealth.

Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone

THOU Who wast raised up on the Cross of Thine own will, O Christ our
God, do Thou bestow Thy compassion upon this, Thy new commonwealth
named after Thee. Gladden with Thy sovereign might our most Orthodox
hierarchs, and vouchsafe them victory over every false teaching; and as
Thy help in war may they possess the weapon of peace, the trophy
invincible.

Saint Helen, the mother of Saint Constantine the Great, when she was already advanced in years, undertook, in her great piety, the hardships of a journey to Jerusalem in search of the Cross, about the year 325 A.D. A temple of Aphrodite had been raised up by the pagan Roman Emperor Hadrian upon Golgotha, to DEFILE AND COVER WITH OBLIVION THE PLACE WHERE THE SAVING PASSION HAD BEEN SUFFERED. The Venerable Helen had the statue of Aphrodite destroyed, and the earth removed, revealing the Tomb of our Lord, and three crosses. Of these, it was believed that one must be that of Our Lord, the other two of the thieves crucified with Him; but Saint Helen was at a loss which one might be the Wood OF OUR SALVATION. At the inspiration of Saint Macarius, Archbishop of Jerusalem, a lady of Jerusalem, who was already at the point of death from a certain disease, was brought to touch the crosses, and as soon as she came near to the Cross of our Lord, she was made perfectly whole. Consequently, the Precious Holy Cross was lifted on high by Archbishop Macarius of Jerusalem; as he stood on the ambo, and when the people [ beheld it, they cried out, "Kyrie Eleison" ("Lord, have mercy").  It should be noted that after its discovery, a portion of the Venerable Holy Cross was taken to Constantinople as a blessing.  The rest was left in Jerusalem in the magnificent Church built by Saint Helen, until the year 614 A.D.  At that time, the Persians plundered Palestine and took the Holy Cross to their own county.  Later, in the year 628 A.D., Emperor Heraclius set out on a military campaign, retrieved the Cross, and after bringing it to Constantinople, himself escorted it back to Jerusalem with great ceremony.  Entering the city, Emperor Heraclius was carrying the Holy Cross on his back, but suddenly the aged Emperor was unable to take another step.  Patriarch Zacharias saw an Angel directing the Emperor to take off his Imperial robes and walk beneath the Cross along the way that Christ had walked, barefoot and humiliated as He had been.  He passed this vision on to the Emperor, who stripped himself of his raiment and, in poor clothing and barefoot, took up the Holy Cross, carried it to Golgotha and placed it in the Church of the Resurrection, to the joy and consolation of the whole Christian world. [Resorcess: The Great Horologion and The Prologue from Ochrid]

_________
"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

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

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

On the 11th of September Our Holy Orthodox Church Commemorates
our Holy Mother THEODORA.

From Alexandria, she was the wife of a young man. Urged on by a fortune teller, she committed adultery with another man. Her conscience immediately began to trouble her, and she cut off her hair and dressed in men’s garb, then went off to the men’s monastery of Octodecatos under the man’s name of Theodore. Her labours, fasts, vigils, meekness and tearful repentance were a source of wonder to all the brethren. Slandered by some harlot, who said that Theodora had lain with her, she would onto let the truth be known, regarding it as a punishment from God for her former sin. Driven out of the monastery, she spent seven years wandering in the forests and deserts, caring for the harlot’s child. She overcame all the enemy’s assaults, refusing to worship Satan, to take food from the hand of a soldier or to heed her husband’s demand that she return to him–for all that was simply devilish illusion, and when Theodora made the sign of the Cross, it all vanished away like smoke. After seven years, the Egoumenos (Abbot) of the monastery received her back, and she lived there in asceticism a further two years and then entered into rest in the Lord. Only then did hte monks learn that she was a woman; an Angel appeared to the Egoumenos and explained everything to him. Her husband came to the funeral, and remained til his death in the cell of his former wife. Saint Theodora had very great grace from God: she tamed wild beasts, healed sickness and brought water to a dry well. Thus God glorified this true penitent, who with heroic endurance spent nine years repenting of one sin. She entered into rest in the year 490 A.D.

SAINT PAPHNUTIUS THE CONFESSOR

A bishop in the Egyptian Thebaid, he suffered greatly for the Orthodox faith: heretics put out one of his eyes and broke his left leg. He took part in the First Ecumenical Synod, refuting the Arian heresy with great power. The Emperor Constantine valued him greatly, and often kissed him on the missing eye, lost for the truth of Orthodoxy. At the Synod, he stood in opposition to the Western [Latin] representatives, who proposed that priests be completely forbidden to marry. He was chaste throughout his whole life.

OUR HOLY FATHER EPHROSYNOS THE COOK

A simple man and man of God, he served as cook in a certain monastery in the 9th century. The spiritual father of this monastery dreamed one night that he was in Paradise, and there saw Ephrosynos, who chose for him three apples of Paradise. When he awoke, he saw these three lovely and fragrant apples on his pillow. He quickly found Ephrosynos and asked him: ‘Where were you last night, brother? Where you were, Father’, the blessed man of God replied. The spiritual father then revealed the whole affair to the monks, and all knew of the holiness and godliness of Ephrosynos. But he, fearing the praise of men, immediately fled from the monastery and hid himself in the desert, where he spent the rest of his life.

THE HOLY MARTY IA

Denounced by an idolatrous priest, she suffered for the Lord in Persia in the time of Sapor II, in 363 A.D. According to tradition, the sun was darkened at the time of her death, and the whole air was filled with wonderful fragrance. She is glorified forever by the Lord.

THE HOLY MARTYRS DIODORE, DIDYMUS AND DIOMEDES

They were flogged for Christ’s sake in Laodicea, and gave their souls into the hands of their Lord.

HOMILY

"I am the Bread of Life" [John 6:35]

Who can give life, my brethren, save He Who created it? Who can in truth be the Bread of Life save our Creator? He created, He sustains, He feeds and He gives life. If wheat feeds the body, Christ feeds the soul. If our earthly body is sustained by bread, our soul is fed and given life by Christ. If our souls If our soul is fed by some other food than Christ, it rots and dies. ‘Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto Eternal Life" [John 6:27]. So says the Lord by way of introduction. First look into man’s hunger, then offer bread; indeed, first offer hunger and then bread for men are confused with regard to hunger. They are hungry for something, but do not know for what. Being filled with earthly bread, and even satiated, they still feel an insatiable hunger. Although they see that the whole earth, and all the bread there is, cannot satisfy this mysterious hunger, they hasten for earthly food; they strive for the earth and the earth alone. However, the REAL HUNGER OF MEN IS HUNGER FOR HEAVEN, FOR ETERNAL LIFE, FOR GOD. The Lord Jesus first underlines this hunger and then prepares a table for its satisfying. This Table is He Himself. "I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; HE THAT COMETH TO ME SHALL NEVER HUNGER." He will be filled, amde joyful, enlivened, coming to know both God and himself. Oh, my brethren, he will rise from the dead! Constant feeding on the bread that perishes, without immortal, divine food, kills the soul little by little and leaves it in the end completely dead. Of what? Of hunger. The body is of the earth, andis content with earthly food, but THE SOUL IS OF THE BREATH OF THE FOUNT OF LIFE HIMSELF, and SO SEEKS FOOD AND DRINK A ITS ONE Fount.

O Lord Jesus, Thou Bread of Eternal, of LIFE that is true and not subject to change. Thou most sweet Bread, nourish us with Thyself! To Thee be glory and praise for ever. Amen. [The Prologue from Ochrid]

___________
"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

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

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

On the 9th of September Our Holy Orthodox Church
Commemorates the Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God,
IOACHIM AND ANNA.

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Saints. Second Tone

As we celebrate the memory of Thy righteous Ancestors,
O Lord our God, through them we beseech Thee to save
our souls.

Kontakion Hymn. Fourth Tone

IOACHIM and ANNA were freed from the reproach of childlessness, and
Adam and Eve from the corruption of death, O immaculate one, by thy
Holy Nativity, which they people, redeemed from the guilt of offences,
celebrate by crying to thee: The barren woman giveth birth to the
THEOTOKOS, the nourisher of our life.

Saint IOACHIM (Joachim) was of the Tribe of Judah, and a descendant of King David. Anna was the daughter of Matthan the Priest, of the Tribe of Levi as was Aaron the High Priest. This Matthan had three daughters: MARY, ZOIA, and ANNA. Mary was married in Bethlehem and bore Salome; Zoia was also married in Bethlehem and bore Elizabeth, the mother of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner; and Anna was married in Nazareth to Ioachim, and in old age gave birth to Mary, the Most Holy Mother of God. Ioachim and Anna had been married for fifty years, and were barren. They lived devoutly and quietly, using only a third of their income for themselves and giving a third to the poor, and a third to the Temple, and they were well provided for. Once, when they were already old and were in Jerusalem to offer sacrifice to God, the High Priest, Issachar. upbraided Ioachim" ‘You are not worthy to offer sacrifice with those childless hands,’ Others who had children jostled Ioachim, thrusting back as unworthy. This caused great grief to the two aged souls, and they were home with very heavy hearts. Then the two of them gave themselves to prayer to God that He would work in them the Wonder (Miracle) that He had worked in Abraham and Sarah, and give them a child to comfort their old age. God sent them His Angel, who gave them tidings of the birth of ‘A DAUGHTER MOST BLESSED, BY WHOM ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL BE BLESSED, AND THROUGH WHOM WILL COME THE SALVATION OF THE WORLD.’ Anna conceived at once, and in the ninth month gave birth to the Holy Virgin. Saint Ioachim lived for 80 years and Anna for 79, and they both entered into the Kingdom of God. [Resource:  The Prologue from Ochrid]

____________
"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

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

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

Praising and Glorifying God through the Sacred Hymns
of the Church.

Canon 75 of the Sixth Ecu;menical Synod states: "Those
who chant should offer their psalmodies with great care to
God, Who looks into the hidden recesses of the heart, i.e.,
into the psalmody and prayer that is done mentally in the
heart rather than uttered in external cries."

Saint Basil the Great cautions us: "While your tongue sings,
let your mind search out the meaning of the words, so that
you might sing in spirit and sing also in understanding."

"And suddenly there was with the Angels a multitude of
the heavenly host praising God and saying:
‘Glory To God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill
toward men!" [Luke 2:13-14].

"But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God and the prisoners were listening to them" [Acts 16:25].

"Speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord"
[Ephesians 5:19].

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" [Colossians 3:16].

Priest (intones) …singing the triumphal hymn, shouting , crying out,
and saying:
People: Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord of Sabaoth, heaven and earth are full of
Thy glory, Hosanna to the highest! Blessed is He Who comes in the name
of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!

Glorifying our Merciful God and Creator has been an integral part of our worship from Old Testament time with such personalities as King David and Prophet Moses, to that of the New Testament. and Christianity. Great Saints such Ierotheos, Ignatius, and Dionysius the Areopagite began composing melodies in the formation of the hymnology of the Church. Following the establishment of the New Capital, Constantinople, or, the city of Constantine, the Roman Emperor, this ecclesiastical music had taken a greater form and officially became known as the Byzantine music of the Church. Inspired and most talented men like Romanos the Melodos of the 5th century and Saint John Damascene of the 8th century enriched this music by composing the most beautiful melodies which are still in use in the Church today.

In the Old Testament the psalms became inseparable to the Hebrew tradition, life, worship and history. Just like the Psalms, the hymns of the Church had a greater purpose than the edification and inspiration of the faithful during worship. They also conveyed a specific significant message,
religious instruction, and information. The psalms are of many types, including; prophecies of the coming Messiah, prayers for the king, personal lamentations,, songs of praise, and hymns for special feasts.

Psalms continued their important role in the Christian Church. The psalms became for the Church, as for ancient Israel, a book of prayer and praise. All psalms find their fulfillment in Christ, the Son of God. Not only do the psalms predict specific events of Christ’s life, but in them He Himself intercedes for and with His people before the Father. The Psalms can also be seen as a dialogue between the Church, the body of Christ, and Christ her Head. Therefore, they make the most sense to us when they are prayed or chanted, not simply read.

The chanters and composers of this post-Byzantine era, with their years of experience and beautiful voices, represented the faithful in worship by chanting hymns composed in accordance with the Byzantine musical system. The Holy Fathers of the Church, through the Ecumenical Synods which took place over many centuries for the protection of the pure faith of Orthodox Christians use the ecclesiastical hymnology to convey the Orthodox Theology and Dogma of the Church to the believers. The hymns became a necessary tool and a useful instrument against the various heresies threatening the unity of the Church and the purity of the Faith. Religious illiteracy among the people was prevalent in the early Church, and there were hardly any resources to teach even the basic doctrine to the average Christian. Therefore the Church used both hagiography (holy icons) and hymnology to catechize its faithful. So through the ecclesiastical hymnology the Church (a) to worship, glorify and praise God (b) to educate them about the Faith (c) to strengthen their communion with Christ the Savior and God.

The triple invocation, "Holy, Holy, Holy," reveals the Three Divine Persons addressed, while the invocation "Lord Sabaoth" reveals the One Lordship and singly Deity shared by the Three Divine Persons. By the brief hymn we declare that, "God exists and is glorified without confusion in the Three [Persons], and the ONE DIVINITY IS EXTOLLED IN TRINITY."

In this hymn, for example, we also confess that God is the Creator of the world, since heaven and earth ARE FULL OF HIS GLORY. This form, along with other similar forms of confession, proclaims the existence of God through His Divine attributes: "Ever since the creation of the world, His invisible nature namely His Eternal power and deith, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made" [Revelation 1:20]. "Hosanna" means "save now." "Help, we pray." The verse, "Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord" [Psalm 117:26], was always interpreted in a Messianic sense. Therefore, when the crowds received the Lord during His Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem, they recognized Him AS THE EXPECTED KING AND MESSIAH. In the Eucharistic setting, Christ is revealed as the One Who was expected to come–the Coming One is here! He made His Triumphal Entrance and now He is sitting on the Throne of His Glory. "Sabaoth" is a plural form of a Hebrew word meaning "of hosts," of "powers." "Hosts" refers to the hosts of heaven, the Angels.

The mortals, elevated to heaven, sing along with the Angelic hosts. Heaven and earth are united, in their praise of the Triune God. As the people sing the "Triumphal Hymn."

Historically the Holy Fathers of the Church, through the Ecumenical Synods did not allow the use of musical instruments within the liturgical worship. They arrived at the conclusion that instrumental music has a worldly character and not at all an ecclesiastical one. It is for this reason that our music is only vocal in nature. The Church feels that the purpose of hymnology is to evoke an ecclesiastical spirit and to maintain an ecclesiastical atmosphere within the Divine worship services. Saint Gregory of Sinai, speaking of music in the Church, said, "Psalmody has been given to us that we may rise from the sensory to the intellectual and true." Sacred music is uplifting, and there is a decided transforming power in it. Saint John Chrysostomos expresses it best: "Nothing uplifts the soul so much and gives it wings and liberates it from the earth and releases it from the fetters of the body and makes it aspire after wisdom and deride all the cares of this life as the melody of unison and rhythm-possessing sacred songs."

Liturgical sacred music has a definite purpose and objective which is the worship and praise of our Merciful and Loving God. The early Christians continued the Hebrew tradition of chanting psalms, gradually adding new hymns which were Christian in content. The chanters who undertake to chant the hymns have a great responsibility before God and the faithful. They must be Orthodox Christians of good character, reverent, and humble. They must always realize that they are NOT performing and that it is NOT about themselves and their God-given talent or knowledge, but it is for His glory. They must believe that Our Lord Christ is present in every worship divine service and, therefore, they are there to serve the Lord Himself. Needless to say that there are some who think highly of themselves and capabilities and forget where they are and why they are there. Pride and ego take over and they seek the praise from their fellow Christians instead. Once they fall into the temptation of pride, the solemnity, the reverence, the sacredness of the moment is compromised; the value of their service is lost.

I recall a story about a certain monastery which faithfully followed the spiritual discipline to the letter. However, neither the geronda (abbot) nor the monks were very happy with their chanting and felt that they did not do justice to the divine services in glorifying God. One evening a travelling monk from another monastery knocked on the gates of the monastery and sought the gironda’s blessing to stay at the monastery overnight. He of course received the blessing to stay. It was now time for the divine evening service of Vespers to take place and the geronda asked if he would chant for it and the monk agreed. His voice was most pleasing and even angelic. Sometime during the night the Lord appeared to Geronda and scolded him for not conducting the evening service. But, Lord, said Geronda, not only did we conduct the Vespers but we have a visiting monk with the most beautiful voice to chant for it. Geronda realized immediately then that God is not impressed with a beautiful singing voice but by the humble, contrite and sincere heart of him who offers praises to Him. [Resource: The Heavenly Banquet]

_____________
"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

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

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

THE DIVINE CREATOR GRANTED MAN THE GIFT OF FREE WILL

Our Merciful and Loving Creator imparted to man three Great Gifts at his creation: FREEDOM, REASON, AND LOVE. These gifts are INDISPENSABLE FOR THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND BLESSEDNESS OF MAN.

Saint John Kronstadt writes: "Why did God allow the fall of man, his beloved subject? To this question one must reply thus: If man is not to be allowed to fall, HE CANNOT BE GRANTED FREE WILL, WHICH IS AN INSEPARABLE FEATURE OF THE IMAGE OF GOD; but he would have to be subject to the law of necessity, like the SOULLESS CREATION–the sky, the sun, stars, the circle of the earth, and all the elements–OR LIKE THE IRRATIONAL ANIMALS. But then there would have been no king over the creatures of the earth, no rational hymn-singer of God’s GOODNESS, WISDOM, CREATIVE ALMIGHTINESS, AND PROVIDENCE. Then man would have had no way to show his faithfulness and devotion to the Creator, his self-sacrificing love. Then there would have been no exploits in battle, no merits, and no incorruptible crowns for victory; there would have been NO ETERNAL BLESSEDNESS, which is the reward for faithfulness and devotion to God, and on eternal repose after the labors and struggles of our earthly pilgrimage" [Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

After man’s fall into sin, God DID NOT REJECT MAN THE SINNER. He took away from him NEITHER HIS IMAGE, WHICH DISTINGUISHED HIM FROM THE ANIMAL WORLD, NOR THE FREEDOM OF HIS WILL, NOR HIS REASON, by which man was capable OF UNDERSTANDING SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES, NOT HIS OTHER CAPABILITIES. God acted toward him as does a physician and educator.

Saint John Damascene writes, "Of all the things that happen, the cause is said to be either God, or necessity, or fate, or nature, or chance, or accident. But God’s function has to do with essence and Providence; necessity deals with the movement of things that ever keep to the same course: fate with the necessary accomplishment of the things it brings to pass [for if fate itself implies necessity]: nature with birth, growth, destruction, plants and animals; chance with what is rare and unexpected…
"We ought to understand that while God knows all things beforehand, yet He DOES NOT PREDETERMINE ALL THINGS. For He knows beforehand those things that are in our power, but He does NOT predetermine them. For it is NOT His Will that there should be wickedness nor does He choose to compel virtue. So that predetermination is the work of the Divine command based on FOREKNOWLEDGE. But on the other hand God predetermines those things which are not within our power in accordance with His prescience. For already God in His prescience has prefigured all things in accordance with His goodness and justice."

Saint John Chrysostom writes: "All indeed depends on God, but not in such a way that our free will (τό αυτεξούσιον] be hindered…it is both up to us and up to Him. For we must first choose the things that are good, and when we have chosen, then He brings in His own part. He does not anticipate our acts of will, lest our free will should suffer indignity; but when we have chosen, then He brings great assistance."

The Almighty God is good and respects our freedom while cooperating with our good intent, working in every way possible to bring us to salvation. Likewise, because God is good He has foreordained from the beginning of time to extend salvation to both Jews and Gentiles.

Our Holy Orthodox Church teaches that humans have free will and must choose to work with God’s grace in order to be saved. This is known as the teaching of synergy, which means cooperating or working together. Saint John Cassian, a 4th century Church Father and pupil of Saint John Chrysostom articulated the view and all the Eastern Holy Fathers embraced it. He taught that "Divine Grace is necessary to enable a sinner to return unto God and live, yet man must first, of himself, desire and attempt to choose and obey God, and that "Divine grace is indispensable for salvation, but it does not necessarily need to precede a free human choice, because despite the weakness of human volition, the will can take the initiative toward God."

Some Orthodox Christians use the parable of a drowning man to plainly illustrate the teaching of synergy. God from the ship throws a rope to a drowning man, pulls him up, saving him, and the man, if he wants to be saved, must hold on tightly to the rope; explaining both that salvation is a gift from God and man cannot save himself, and that man must co-work (syn-ergo) with God in the process of salvation.

Here are some other Orthodox Christian view on free will:

1. God grants freedom of choice: God is the personification of agape (love), and without
freedom of choice, agape would be meaningless.

2. God does not anticipate human acts: God does not
anticipate human acts of will so that human free will
is not hindered.

3. God offers a gift: God offers a gift that humans can choose
to accept or reject.

4. Humans can choose to abide in virtue and follow God, or to stray
from virtue and follow the devil.

5. Humans are created in God’s image and likeness. "Then God said, Let Us
make man in Our IMAGE, according to Our likeness" [Genesis 1:26].

The Holy Fathers of the Church distinguish between IMAGE and LIKENESS. The IMAGE names those Godlike characteristics with which we began, such as RATIONALITY, FREE CHOICE, PERCEPTION AND THE CAPACITY TO DEVELOP AN EXCELLENT CHARACTER. These characteristics form the foundation of our human existence. By choosing to use them wisely, we can then acquire the Divine LIKENESS, namely perception of and COMMUNION WITH GOD, actualization of all the virtues, and Eternal Life. Though the two concepts ARE INSEPARABLE, the IMAGE is static and the LIKENESS is dynamic: we can become more and more like God (theosis, deification) over time.

The Protestant belief and concept of PREDESTINATION is considered by the Orthodox Church wrong and heretical. According to this concept "God, being OMNISCIENT, or All-Knowing and OMNIPOTENT, or All-Powerful, HAS ALREADY DETERMINED THE FATE OF THE UNIVERSE, INCLUDING THE FATE OF IMMORTAL SOULS. The term ELECTION is often used synonymously with predestination to refer to God’s process of choosing whichS souls will and will not be saved. According to this CALVINIST doctrine of predestination, SALVATION IS PREDETERMINED BY GOD’S ETERNAL WILL. This places limitations on FREE WILL and for some renders it meaningless due to the implication THAT NO MATTER WHAT ANY INDIVIDUAL DOES, THEIR FATE IS ALREADY SEALED."

CALVINISTS believe that, at the beginning of time, God SELECTED A LIMITED NUMBER OF SOULS TO GRANT SALVATION AND THERE’S NOTHING INDIVIDUAL PERSON CAN DO DURING THEIR MORTAL LIFE TO ALTER THEIR ETERNAL FATE. EITHER YOU WERE CHOSEN OR YOU WERE NOT CHOSEN, AND THAT’S ALL THERE IS TO IT.

One can clearly see how Protestantism has abandoned the authentic teachings of the Church and the numerous theological errors and heresies that it has produced over the centuries.

For those who may think the word HERESY is too strong or offensive, let us define the word. Heresy is "FOLLOWING ONE’S OWN CHOICE OR OPINION INSTEAD OF DIVINE TRUTH PRESERVED BY THE CHURCH, AS AS TO CAUSE DIVISION AMONG CHRISTIANS. HERESY IS A SYSTEM OF THOUGHT WHICH CONTRADICTS TRUE DOCTRINE. IT IS FALSE TEACHING, WHICH ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS MUST REJECT. [Matthew 7:15; 2 Peter 2:1]. Heresy must never be overlooked or tolerated by anyone because it is dangerous and evil.

__________
"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

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

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

UNITED IN ONE FAITH

"Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you?
Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I
thank God that I baptized none of you except
Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that
I had baptized in my own name" [1 Corinthians 1:13].

Orthodox Christian theology views the unity of faith as the only possible unity for Christians and the Christian Church. Orthodox theology also holds that the Christian Faith and the Church are inseparable. "Is Christ divided" Or is the Church? The answer to all questions in this passage 1 Corinthians 1:13, is NO! One can leave the Church, but NOT DIVIDE IT! Factionalism, however, brings great harm to the Church, for it seeks to give the Apostle a place which only Christ should occupy. Many looked upon the Apostles as teachers of philosophy rather than preachers of the Cross. The factions do not accept true wisdom, which is bestowed by the Holy Spirit, and they misrepresent the Apostles as rivals to each other rather than fellow workers with Christ. Our Holy Orthodox Church views divisions or schisms in the Church’s history as a denial of its nature, separation from Christ’s body and a departure from the Temple of the Holy Spirit.

The UNITY OF THE CHURCH follows of necessity from the unity of God; for the Church is NOT a multitude of persons in their separate individuality (Protestantism), but A UNITY OF THE GRACE OF GOD; living in a multitude of rational creatures, submitting themselves willingly to grace. Grace, indeed, is also given to those who resist it, and to those who do not make use of it (who hide their talent in the earth), but these are not in the Church. In fact, the unity of the Church is not imaginary or allegorical, but A TRUE AND SUBSTANTIAL UNITY, SUCH AS IS THE UNITY OF MANY MEMBERS IN A LIVING BODY.

The CHURCH IS ONE, notwithstanding her division as it appears to a man who is still alive on earth. It is only in relation to man that it is possible to recognize a division of the Church into visible and invisible; her unity is, in reality, true and absolute. Those who are alive on earth, those who have finished their course, those who, like the Angels, were not created for a life on earth, those in future generations who have not yet begun their earthly course, are all united together in one Church, in one and the same grace of God; for the creation of God which has not yet been manifested is manifest in Him; and God hears the prayers and knows the faith of those whom He has not yet called out of non-existence into existence. Indeed the Church, the Body of Christ, is manifesting forth and fulfilling herself in time, without changing her essential unity or inward life of grace. And therefore, when we speak of "the Church visible and invisible," we speak only in relation to man.

"The Church was not simply another organization in Roman society. The Lord Jesus Christ had given the promise of the Holy Spirit to "GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH" [John 16:13]. With the fulfillment of that promise beginning with Pentecost, the Church bore more than mere institutional status. She IS NOT AN ORGANIZATION WITH MYSTERY, but A MYSTERY WITH ORGANIZATION. Saint Paul called the Church "A DWELLING PLACE OF GOD IN THE SPIRIT" [Ephesians 2:22]. The Church IS A DYNAMIC ORGANISM, THE LIVING BODY OF JESUS CHRIST. She makes an indelible impact in the world, and those who live in her life and faith are PERSONALLY TRANSFORMED.
But the New Testament also reveals that the Church had her share of problems. Everything was NOT perfect. Some individuals within the Church even sought to lead her off the path the Holy Apostles established, and they had to be dealt with along with the errors they invented. Even whole local communities lapsed on occasion and were called to repentance, Discipline was administered for the sake of purity in the Church. But there was growth and maturation, even as the Church WAS ATTACKED FROM WITHIN AND WITHOUT."

SCHISM, from the Greek word σχίζω, schizo, meaning, tearing, splitting, dividihg, separating. A schismatic is a person who creates or incites schism in an organization or who is a member of a splinter group. It is therefore a dreadful and painful experience for all concerned. The Church was never meant to be either torn or split and every effort was to be made to avoid schism within the Church. However, in 1054 a schism took place between the Eastern and Western Church. A cardinal sent by the Pope, slapped a document on the altar of the Cathedral Church of Agia Sophia in Constantinople during the Sunday Divine Liturgy, excommunicating the Patriarch of Constantinople from the Church. The ultimate consequence of the Pope’s action was that the whole Roman Catholic Church ended up divided from the New Testament faith of Orthodox Christianity. The schism has never been healed although efforts have been made in recent times to reconcile by the two Churches lifting the anathema as they did in 1965. Also, by improving open communication through dialogue. Although it was reported by the late Metropolitan Maximus Agiorgousis, who was one of the Orthodox theologians participating in the dialogues with the Roman Catholics, that it was decided by both the Orthodox as well as the Roman Catholic theologians, after 50 years of dialogue that there were no longer any heresies to address or rectify. But how can this be when the Roman Catholic Church has not admitted to its heresies and, therefore, has not made any changes in their theology or dogma? What happened with the Orthodox theologians and their fidelity to the Orthodox Church and to the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the dogmas and holy canons?

Heresies are also the culprit for schism and division among Christians. Currently there are so many heresies among the heterodox that make it practically impossible to reconcile and strive for unity, unless there is genuine repentance, that they would be willing to denounce their heretical beliefs and practices, and to embrace the Eternal Truth of Christ and His Holy Church. Furthermore in the First Canon of Saint Basil the Great he defines it this way: "Schisms is the name applied to those who on account of ecclesiastical causes and remediable questions have developed a quarrel amongst themselves." And, "all those who not only fell away from the Church but also STUCK TO CERTAIN HERETICAL OPINIONS." The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer as early as the beginning of the second century states: "Do not err, my brethren! If any man follows him that makes a schism in the Church, he shall not inherit the Kingdom of God."

Hieromartyr Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons, the disciples of the Apostles’ disciple, says: "Christ will judge those who create a schism, who have no love of God and look after their own interests more than the unity of the Church, and either for reasons of little importance or random causes, SPLIT AND TEAR THE GREAT AND GLORIOUS BODY OF CHRIST." Schism must not ever be trivialized or treated lightly by anyone who truly understands the ramifications that it produces. Schism not only tears up the Church from within but it hurts, divides, and confuses the Orthodox faithful who have no voice in the matter but are innocent and caught in the crossfire. A schism is brought about also by Church power struggles, rivalry among the hierarchy, bizarre intrigues, and politics. There is also interference from militant and antichristian elements from without, whose aim is to divide and destroy the Christian Church from within.

To look at the various schisms within the Church over the centuries is horrific and painful. There are the Monophysites ("Oriental Orthodox Churches i.e., Coptics, Armenians, Indians, Ethiopians), the great schism of 1054 with the Western Church, Protestant Reformation of the 16th century and the fragmentation of its adherents to an astonishing number of 45,000 denominations worldwide. Does no one see what is happening to the Christian Church and be alarmed by this tragedy? Have our Church leaders forgotten the words of Saint Paul to the Corinthians? "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT YOU ALL SPEAK THE SAME THING, AND THAT THERE IS NO DIVISIONS AMONG YOU,BUT THAT OU BE PERFECTLY JOINED TOGETHER IN THE SAME MIND AND IN THE SAME JUDGMENT…NOW I SAY THIS, THAT EACH OF YOU SAYS, ‘i AM OF PAUL,’ OR ‘I AM OF APOLLOS,’ OR ‘I AM OF CEPHAS,’ OR ‘I AM OF CHRIST.’ IS CHRIST DIVIDED? [1 Corinthians 1:10-13]. NO! CHRIST IS NOT DIVIDED AND NEITHER IS THE CHURCH.

LET US ALL PRAY TOGETHER FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH, AND FOR ALL CHRISTIANS TO BE UNITED IN CHRIST WHO IS THE ONLY HEAD OF THE CHURCH, OUR LORD, GOD AND SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

___________
"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

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

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

THE WORLD OF DARK AND EVIL SPIRITS

The origin of evil. But from when did moral evil arise? God created the world PURE, PERFECT, FREE FROM EVIL. EVIL entered the world as a consequence of THE FALL, which occurred, according to the word of God, originally in the world of fleshless spirits, and then in the human race, and was reflected in the whole of living nature.

According to the ;testimony of the word of God, the ORIGIN OF SIN, COMES FROM THE DEVIL. "He that committeth sin is of the devil, for the devil sinneth from the beginning" [1 John 3:8]. "Whoever has been born of God, does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" [1 John 3:9]. The word "devil" means "slanderer." Bringing together the evidence of Holy Scripture, we see that the devil isone of the RATIONAL SPIRITS or angels who DEVIATED INTO THE PATH OF EVIL. Possessing, like all rational creatures, the freedom which was given him for becoming perfect in the good, he "abode not in the truth" and FELL AWAY FROM GOD. Saint John Damascene writes, "Every rational being is free. The Angelic nature, then, insofar as it is rational and intelligent, is free; while, insofar as it is created, it is changeable and has the power TO PERSEVERE AND PROGRESS IN GOOD OR TO TURN TO EVIL." The Savior said of him: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth , because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it" [John 8:44).  He drew the other angels after himself into the fall.  In the epistles of the Holy Apostle Jude and the Holy Apostle Peter, we read of the angels "which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation" [Jude, v. 6; 2 Peter 2:4].

What was the cause of the fall in the Angelic world? From this same Divine Revelation we can conclude that the reason was PRIDE: THE BEGINNING OF SIN IS PRIDE, says the son of Sirach (Sirach 10:13). The Apostle Paul, warning the Apostle Timothy against making bishops of those who are newly converted, adds: "Lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil" [ 1 Timothy 3:6].

The evil spirits are mentioned in only a few passages in the Old Testament Revelation. These places are the following: We read of the "serpent," the tempter of the first people, in the third chapter of the Book of Genesis. The activities of "Satan" in the life of the righteous Job are related in the first chapter of the Book of Job. In First Kings it is said concerning Saul that "an evil spirit troubled him" after "the Spirit of the Lord departed from him" (I Kings 16:14-I Samuel]. In the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon it is said that "through the devil’s envy DEATH ENTERED THE WORLD" [Wisdom 2:24].

An incomparably more complete representation of the activity of Satan and his angels is contained in the New Testament Revelation. From it we know that Satan and the evil spirits are constantly attracting people to evil. Satan dated to tempt the Lord Jesus Christ Himself in the desert. The evil spirits rush into the souls and even into the bodies of men; of this there is the testimony of many events in the Gospel and of the teachings of the Savior. Concerning the habitation of evil spirits in men, we know from the numerous healings by the Savior of the demon possessed. Evil spirits spy, as it were, ON THE CARELESSNESS OF MAN SO AS TO ATTRACT HIM TO EVIL: "When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came. And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation" [Matthew 12:43-45]. This same happens here. Unless is full-hearted repentance and the Holy Spirit dwells in a person, the expelled demon will return with many others and reoccupy its abode. Withe regard to the healing of the bent woman, the Savior said to the ruler of the synagogue: "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bond, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed form this bond on the Sabbath days?" (Lukw 12:16).

Likewise, the Holy Scripture calls evil spirits, "unclean spirits," "spirits of evil," "devils," "demons," "angels of the devil," "angels of Satan." Their chief, the devil, is also the "tempter," "Satan," "Beelzebub," "Belial," the "prince of devils," and other names like "Lucifer" (the morning star). Taking the form of a serpent, the devil was the tempter and the cause of the fall into sin of the first people, as is related int eh third chapter of the Book of Genesis. In the Apocalypse (Revelation) he is called "the great dragon, that old serpent" {Revelation 12:9).

The devil and his angels are deprived of remaining in the heavenly dwellings of lights. "I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven," said the Lord to His Disciples (Luke 10:18). Being cast down from the world above, the devil and his servants act in the world under the heaven, among men on earth, and they have taken into their possession, as it were, Hell and the underworld. The Apostle calls them, PRINCIPALITIES, POWERS, THE REULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD" [Ephesians 6:12]. The devil is "the prince of the power of the air" {Ephesians 2:2). and His servants, the fallen angels, are the "spirits of wickedness under the heaven" [Ephesians 6:12].

Man’s Fall into Sin

Why was man’s fall into sin possible? The Creator imparted to man THREE GREAT GIFTS AT HIS CREATION: FREEDOM, REASON, AND LOVE. These gifts are indispensable for the spiritual growth and blessedness of man. But where there is freedom there is the possibility of wavering in one’s choice: thus, TEMPTATION IS POSSIBLE. The temptation for REASON IS TO GROW PROUD IN MIND, INSTEAD OF ACKNOWLEDGING THE WISDOM AND GOODNES OF GOD, TO SEEK THE KNOWLEDGE OFGOOD AND EVIL OUTSIDE OF GOD TO DESIRE ONESELF TO BE A "god." The temptation for the feeling of LOVE is: IN PLACE OF LOVE FOR GOD AND ONE’S NEIGHBOR, TO LOVE ONESELF AND EVERYTHING THAT SATISFIES THE LOWER DESIRES AND GIVES TEMPORARY ENJOYMENT. This possibility of temptations and fall stood BEFORE MANKIND, AND THE FIRST MAN DID NOT STAND FIRM AGAINST IT.

Saint Diadochos of Photiki states: "Evil does not exist by nature, nor is any naturally evil, for God made nothing that was not good. When in the desire of his heart someone conceives and gives form to what in reality has no existence, then what he desires begins to exist. We should therefore turn out attention away from the inclinations to evil and concentrate it on the REMEMBRANCE OF GOD, FOR GOOD, WHICH EXISTS BY NATURE, IS MORE POWERFUL THAN OUR INCLINATION TO EVIL. The one has existence while the other DOES NOT, except WHEN WE GIVE IT EXISTENCE THROUGH OUR ACTIONS."

Having said all the above we, as contemporary citizens of the world, witness the real influence of the evil one in it. We see the expansion of the "so- called contemporary paganism," and neopaganism across Europe, North Africa and the Near East. Modern pagans can also include atheists. Contemporary paganism has been associated with New Age movement. There is Luciferian Witchcraft, Wicca, etc. are well known. Satanism has generated a stronger presence in contemporary society. All of the pagan cults continue to war against Christianity and compete for a greater input and influence on the direction that humanity should take. The human race, unfortunately, is invested very heavily on hedonism, and materialism, and therefore it is more interested in this earthly and temporary life rather than the heavenly life, the Kingdom of God. The contemporary person is ones again falling in the same trap as before. In Adam’s replies to God, we see from the beginninghis desire to flee from God’s sight and an attempt to hide his guilt; we see the untruth in his saying that he had hidden from God only because he was naked; and then the attempt at self-justification and the desire to transfer his guilt to another, his wife. Blessed Augustine says: "Here was pride, because man desired to be more under his own authority than under God."

With the entrance of sin, man lost the Grace in which he had been created. Because his nature had become corrupted by sin, Grace was now foreign to it. Saint John Damascene writes: "And so, man succumbed to the assault of the demon, the author of evil, he failed to keep the Creator’s Commandment and weas stripped of Grace and deprived of that familiarity which he had enjoyed with God." Saint Symeon the New Theologian writes: "When with his whole soul he (Adam) believed the serpent and not God, then Divine Grace which had rested on him, stepped away from him, so that he became the enemy of God by reason of the unbelief which he had shown to His words." When man lost the Grace of God, he experienced SPIRITUAL DEATH, AND THIS SPIRITUAL DEATH MADE HIM SUBJECT TO PHYSICAL DEATH. Saint Gregory Palamas writes: "It was indeed Adam’s SOUL THAT DIED BY BECOMING THROUGH HIS TRANSGRESSION SEPERATED FROM GOD; FOR BODILY HE CONTINUED TO LIVE AFTER THAT TIME, EVEN FOR 930 YEARS. The death, however, that befell teh soul because of the transgression not only crippled the soul and made man accursed; it also RENDERED THE BODY ITSELF SUBJECT TO FATIGUE, SUFFERING, AND CORRUPTIBILITY, AND FINALLY HANDED IT OVER TO DEATH." (Philokalia vol. 4, p. 296).

Elsewhere Saint Gregory Palamas expounded further on what is meant by the DEATH OF THE SOUL: "Physical death is when the soul leaves the body and is separated from it. THE DEATH OF THE SOUL IS WHEN GOD LEAVES THE SOUL AND IS SEPARATED FROM IT, ALTHOUGH IN ANOTHER WAY, THE SOUL REMAINS IMMORTAL. Once separated from God IT BECOMES MORE UGLY AND USELESS THAN A DEAD BODY, BUT UNLIKE SUCH A BODY IT DOES NOT DISINTEGRATES AFTER DEATH SINCE IT IS NOT COMPOSITE."

However, this natural bridle of suffering and death does not uproot the very source of evil. It only restrains the development of evil. It was most necessary for mankind to have A SUPERNATURAL POWER AND HELP which might perform AN INWARD REVERSAL WITHIN HIM AND GIVE TO MAN THE POSSIBILITIY TO TURN AWAY FROM A GRADUALLY DEEPENING DESCENT AND TOWARDS VICTORY OVER SIN AND A GRADUAL ASCENT TO GOD. God’s Providence foresaw the future fall of man’s free will which had not become strong. FORESEEING THE FALL, HE PREARRANGED AN ARISING. ADAM’S FALL INTO SIN WAS NOT AN ABSOLUTE PERDITION FOR MANKIND. THE POWER, WHICH WAS TO GIVE REBIRTH, ACCORDING TO GOD’S PRE-ETERNAL DETERMINATION, WAS THE DESCENT TO EARTH OF THE SON OF GOD. [Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

Our Lord Jesus Christ did not totally destroy the influence of Satan all at once, but destroyed his power to enslave man through fear of death, and gave us the means to turn the evil one’s snares to nothing, As Apostle James says: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (4:7). We cannot consider ourselves to be free from attacks of the evil one. We have been given the spiritual weapons to defeat him: OUR PRAYER, FASTING, MORAL STRUGGLES AND, ABOVE ALL, HOLY COMMUNION. Let us remember that salvation consists in our UNION WITH GOD, EFFECTED BY CHRIST THROUGH HSI HOLY CHURCH, IN WHICH THE POWER F THE EVIL ONE IS BEING STEADILY AND PROGRESSIVELY DESTROYED BY THE LIFE OF MUTUAL LOVE AND MORAL STRUGGLE WHICH IS FULFILLED IN AND BY THE CHURCH AND THE GRACE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. OUR DEFENCE AGAINST SATAN IS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST WHO IN HIS PRAYER SAID: "…AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE,"

__________
"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



"

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).