I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ who will come in glory to judge the living and the dead. (7th article of the Symbol of Faith)

 

Who says these words? Every Christian does. Well, if every Christian says these words, then, without a doubt, so do I, and each and every one of you. Therefore, brothers and sisters, do you sincerely believe that Jesus Christ, the Righteous Judge of all those born on this earth, will come to judge the living and the dead, who will all be resurrected and receive either eternal blessedness or eternal damnation? Are you ready to meet the Judge of all and to give an answer at the terrible judgment seat of Christ for your every word and deed? Do you have any good deeds? Why do I keep asking? From the lives and deeds of Christians it is evident that they have long forgotten about the Righteous Judge, about the terrible judgment, about eternal life, and that with each passing day they rush toward eternal perdition, which they cannot even imagine. They hurry to receive their consolation here on earth, in order to be deprived of it in eternity, in heaven. They are more concerned with how to kill precious time, how to spend time in a pleasant way; but no one is concerned with how to spend time for the benefit of the soul, no one is concerned about preparing their outside work. Making it fit for themselves in the field (Prov 24:27).

Those who desire eternal joys partake little of earthly ones (St Gennadius, “On the Christian Faith and Life”), says St Gennadius, Patriarch of Constantinople, and yet our earthly joys are almost uninterrupted. Many of us live as if we don’t have to die and give an account of our lives. What does this mean? Doesn’t this happen because such people think that all they have to do is to repent just before they die and they will receive a full pardon? Of course, God does not turn away those who come to him even at the eleventh hour, that is, if they turn to him with all their hearts. However, if your heart was far away from God for the longest part of your life, do you think that you will be able to move it toward God, to arouse in you a feeling of repentance before you die? Oh, brothers! It will be exactly then that your heart will be set against you, for your perdition. Many times have I seen how difficult it is for some to listen to an exhortation to repentance, and how those who never thought about correcting themselves, and were not able to repent during their lives, how they are lost during confession before their departure from this life. No, brothers! A Christian ending is a reward for true Christians. Repent as much as you can during your lifetime, and then you will meet a peaceful death with sincere repentance.

Therefore, prepare yourselves for the judgment, for the terrible judgment, for the righteous judgment, for the one and final judgment, after which there will be either eternal blessedness or unending torment. Do not be surprised that I speak so emphatically. Truth is royal, it has the right to speak thusly. Moreover, we have the utmost need to speak emphatically about the preption for the judgment. When we are clearly confronted with the eternal perdition of souls due to carelessness and negligence, then we must act decisively, and then even more decisively than at other times when we must speak the truth. When people see that a man faces a clear risk of death by fire, or by drowning in water, then in such cases do they not act with all determination? Yes, because in the case of indecision on the part of those who want to save the man who is perishing, he could die at any moment. In the same way we must, with great determination and fear of the coming judgment, save many from the fire: because we ourselves are not far from the eternal fire, and perhaps many people are but one step away from it. Brother! Think, maybe this night your soul will be required of you (Luke 12:20), and you will be in hell, in torments … all in flames. Thus, be prepared for the judgment, start preparing today. Work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day: the night is coming when no one can work (John 9:4). We have worked for vanity long enough. It is time to look upon our poor soul with testing eyes.

Go to Church, weep over your sins, await together with Her, with great fear, the day of judgment. The Church continually thinks about the judgment: morning, day, and night; every day, early and late, the Church reminds Her children of this great day, which will decide the fate of the entire human race; and yet Her children are busy with thoughts of how pleasant it is for them to turn their heads for a few minutes, to cheer their hearts with the joys of earthly passions. The Lord, the Truth, the Life thunders with His voice about how His Judgment will be accomplished without fail, and commands us to watch and pray always in spirit (Mark 13:33; Luke 21:36), in order that we may avoid the terrible fate of the condemned; the Apostles assure us that the Judge is standing at the door (Jas 5:9) … and we act as if we don’t even want to hear any of this. Others think and even say: what a terrible judgment! The Lord is merciful, He will have compassion; we are sinners more due to our weaknesses, not because we are evil or callous…. And they do not think about how only the merciful shall obtain mercy (Matt 5:7). For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy (Jas 2:13). Where are your deeds of mercy, when it is evident that you care only about yourselves?

Brethren! God forbid that any of us go to where the rich man, who made merry every day, went. If we find ourselves there, then it will be too late to ask for drops of water to sooth our tongue; it will be too late to send anyone to our relatives, in order that they might not end there also (Luke 16:19–31).

Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming (Matt 25:13). Amen.