Sunday of the Dread Judgment #

On this Sunday, the Church does not commemorate an event that has already taken place, but—perhaps the only time in the entire year—an event that is yet to come: the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the end of the present world, and the Dread Judgment upon all the living and the dead.

The Lord Himself pointed out to His apostles the significant signs that would indicate the nearness of the end times, shortly before His Passion and death on the Cross. He told them that, in addition to many bloody wars and epidemics, humanity would be destroyed by sheer terror in the face of violence and other calamities. “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:7–8).

He also foretold strange signs in the celestial bodies and, most importantly, the widespread and brutal persecution of the true confessors of faith in Christ and the keepers of His saving commandments: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many” (Matthew 24:11). At the same time, the Antichrist, who will rule over the world in those days, desiring to deceive even the elect, will cunningly lead people astray through the appearance of false piety.

It is important to note that despite the madness of hatred toward Christians and the drive to exterminate them—which, according to the words of the Savior, will encompass many lands and nations (for He said plainly, “ye shall be hated of all nations”)—this will not put an end to the preaching of His word: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).

The message of Christ must be heard by all humanity, so that no one may excuse themselves on the coming Judgment by claiming ignorance; each person will be given the opportunity to make a choice. Yet despite all the signs of the approaching end that have been revealed long ago, the day of the Lord’s coming will remain unexpected for most people living on earth. “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night,” writes the holy chief apostle Peter, “in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:9–10). The immediate harbinger of this will be the appearance of the precious Cross of the Lord in the heavens: “And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

The trumpet of the archangel, resounding throughout the entire earthly and subterranean world, will summon the dead to judgment and trial, and they shall come to life and rise together with their bodies, in which they had done either good or evil. Seated upon the throne as the King of the age to come and the righteous Judge, Christ will separate those being judged “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.”

Then shall the King say unto those on His right: “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying: “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” And the King shall answer and say unto them: “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

Then shall He say also unto them on the left: “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” Then shall they also answer Him, saying: “Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?” Then shall He answer them, saying: “Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal” (Matt. 25:31–46). Thus does the Gospel of Matthew describe the final Judgment upon mankind.

It is not difficult to see that the principal matter about which the Lord will ask us at the Judgment is love for our neighbors—both those near and far—all of whom, like ourselves, were created in the image of God. Without love, expressed in works of mercy, compassion, and brotherly aid, no one will be able to claim that they have loved God. “Let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. [… If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. […] If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” (1 John 4:8–9, 12, 20).

Many texts of the Holy Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testaments, as well as revelations given to the saints in later times, depict God’s Judgment through the images of a “river of fire,” a “lake of fire,” “Gehenna,” “Tartarus,” and “outer darkness,” prepared for those who refuse to repent and who have scorned the truth and the will of God—workers of iniquity and evil.

Having given the faithful instruction on humility before God and the blessed hope in His love for humanity over the past two weeks, the Church of Christ now strengthens us in watchfulness: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matt. 26:41). This is taught both by the Gospel parables of the Lord Himself—of the Watchful Servants, of the Ten Virgins, and others—and by the texts of the Church’s divine services: the canons and stichera, composed by holy hymnographers and theologians, filled with love for God and reverent fear. “Pierce my flesh with Thy fear” (Ps. 118:120), we pray together with the Psalmist David, that both our spirit and all the faculties of our soul, and even our very flesh, may remain ever vigilant in fulfilling the saving will of Him who, above all the world and all created things, is worthy of our devoted and active love.

Stichera at Vespers, at “Lord, I have cried,” Tone 6 #

When Thou shalt come and perform righteous judgment, O righteous Judge, seated upon the throne of Thy glory, and a river of fire shall flow before Thy tribunal, terrifying all by its course; when the heavenly hosts stand before Thee, and men, who are to be judged, are filled with dread according to their deeds—then spare us, O Christ, and make us worthy to be numbered among those who are saved, for in faith we pray unto Thee, O Merciful One.
The books shall be opened, and the deeds of men shall be revealed before Thy immutable judgment; then shall the valley resound with bitter wailing and dreadful gnashing of teeth, as all who have sinned behold those condemned to eternal torment by Thy righteous judgment, weeping in vain, O Compassionate One. Therefore, we pray Thee, O Blessed One: spare us who sing unto Thee, O Thou who alone art abundantly merciful.
The trumpets shall sound, and the graves shall be emptied, and all of trembling human nature shall rise again; those who have done good shall rejoice in gladness, hoping to receive their reward, while sinners shall tremble, crying out in torment as they are sent into punishment and separated from the elect. O Lord of glory, have mercy upon us, for Thou art good, and make us worthy to be numbered among those who have been well-pleasing unto Thee.

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