On the Future Judgment

-St. Basil the Great

When you, O man, are tempted to rush into any sin, then call to mind that fearful and unbearable tribunal of Christ, where the Judge shall sit upon a high and exalted throne, and all creation shall stand before Him trembling at His glorious appearing; and we shall all stand to be examined for what we have done.

Then, to the one who has committed many iniquities in life, fearful and terrible angels shall draw near, looking upon him with eyes of flame, breathing fire because of their righteous indignation, their faces darkened like the night because of their hatred of evil and their loathing of mankind.

Finally, picture in your mind the deepest abyss, impenetrable darkness, fire that gives no light yet possesses within that darkness the power to burn, though deprived of all brightness. Imagine further a race of venomous worms that devour the flesh, worms that gnaw forever and are never sated, causing unbearable torment by their gnawing. And above all these, imagine the most terrible torment of all: eternal shame and disgrace.

Let this fear spur you on; let it be, as it were, a bridle that reins back your soul from evil desires.

Whoever continually meditates day and night upon the hour when every creature shall stand before the Judge to give account of its deeds, and constantly prepares his defense before that incorruptible tribunal, such a one either sins not at all, or sins very little. For sin comes from the removal of the fear of God, but those who clearly keep before their eyes the punishment to come are prevented by constant fear from falling into wicked deeds or even thoughts.

The valiant athletes of God who have fought courageously throughout their lives against invisible foes, when they have escaped all their attacks, are tested one last time at the end of life by the prince of this world. His purpose is that, if he finds them wounded from the battle or bearing any mark or trace of sin, he may claim them as his own. But if they are found unwounded and bearing no token of defeat, then as unconquerable and free they receive rest from Christ.

This the Lord Himself confirms, saying in the hour of His passion: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me” (John 14:30). But since He “committed no sin,” He says that the evil one “has no claim on Me.” For a man, however, it is enough if he can say with boldness: “The ruler of this world is coming, and he will find in me only a very little.”

Consider, therefore, O man, those fearful punishments appointed by God for sinners: when the stars shall be darkened, the sun shall lose its light, and the moon shall shine no more (Matt 24:29); when lightning flashes and thunder crashes fearfully; when the very air above our heads shall be darkened, that those who are delivered to wrath may be tormented by inconsolable anguish on every side (Wis 5:18, 21).

All creation, serving its Creator, shall be turned against the unrighteous for their torment, yet made gentle toward those who have hoped in Him for the sake of their good deeds. For just as there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7), so there is indignation and sorrow over those who through sin depart from their Creator.

Then the fire prepared for the devil and his angels shall be divided at the word of the Lord. For fire has two properties—burning and illumination—so that the fierceness and torment of the fire shall remain for those worthy of burning, while the brightness and radiance shall become the possession of those who rejoice; thus the fire of punishment shall give no light, and the light of rest shall not burn.

Do not doubt this, O man. At the recompense for what we have done in this life, the very nature of fire shall be divided: its light appointed for the enjoyment of the righteous, its burning power for the punishment of sinners. More terrible even than darkness and eternal fire is that shame in which sinners shall abide forever, ever having before their eyes the traces of sins of the flesh—traces that, like an indelible dye, shall remain forever imprinted upon the memory of the soul.

Few have been able to approach the true light, to lay bare their hidden deeds, and after their revelation to depart with unashamed face. Truly, the turning away and removal of God is heavier and more unbearable than all the expected torments of hell; it is like the loss of light to the eyes even though no other pain is present.

Suppose someone were to gather together in words all the prosperity men have ever known from the beginning of the world—yet even then he would find that it cannot compare with the least part of the blessings of the life to come. All good things here below are as far removed in worth from even the smallest of those future blessings as a shadow or a dream is from reality. Or, to use a more fitting comparison: as far as the soul in every respect surpasses the body, by so much is the difference between the two lives.

Many, taking the words of Holy Scripture—“one will be beaten with many blows, another with few” (Luke 12:47–48)—conclude that the punishment of sinners will have an end. But these words speak not of the duration or termination of time, but of the difference in torments.

For when the Lord says that the wicked “will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:46); when at other times He commands the wicked to “depart into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”; when He calls it “the Gehenna of fire” and adds, “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:44); when again through the Prophet He says of many that “their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched” (cf. Isa 66:24)—when such words and many like them are found in many places of Holy Scripture, then it is surely one of the devil’s wiles that some men, as though forgetting the greater part of the Lord’s sayings, invent for themselves an end to punishment so that they may sin with greater boldness.

If eternal punishment will ever have an end, then eternal life must also come to an end. But since we refuse even to think such a thing about eternal life, how can we possibly attribute it to eternal punishment? For the same word “eternal” is applied to both: “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:46).

Likewise the words “he will be beaten with many blows, and he will be beaten with few” indicate not an end but a difference in punishments.

Since God is a righteous Judge who renders to each—whether good or evil—according to his deeds, it follows that one man will be worthy of the unquenchable fire, either milder or more fiercely burning; another of the undying worm, causing lesser or greater torment according to his deserts; another worthy of Gehenna with its varied punishments; another of the outer darkness, where one abides in weeping only, while another, because of more grievous sins, abides also with gnashing of teeth.

Even the “outer darkness” clearly shows that there is an inner darkness; and from the words in Proverbs, “in the depths of hell” (Prov 9:18), it is evident that some are in hell but not in its depths, that they may suffer lighter torment.

Yet I do not think I am inventing false terrors for you, as some mothers do with infants who cry inconsolably and without cause, frightening them with made-up tales to quiet them. No! These are no fables, but most true words long ago proclaimed by the voice of God.

Believe that there will one day be a detailed examination of all we have done in this life.

You offended your brother—expect the same in return.
You robbed the poor, struck the needy, shamed with reproach, slandered, lied, plotted against others’ marriages, broke oaths, moved your fathers’ landmarks, trampled upon the inheritance of orphans, oppressed widows, preferred present pleasure to promised blessings—expect the measure you measured to be measured back to you. “For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap” (Gal 6:7). But if you have done any good, expect recompense for that also.

Picture therefore in your mind, O man, that final day. You will not remain forever in this life. Picture the anguish, the distress, the hour of death, the decree of God compelling you, the swift angels, your soul cruelly torn away and bitterly tormented by a guilty conscience, turning back with longing toward the things of this world; picture the inescapable necessity of that far journey.

Imagine in your thought the end of this common life, when the Son of God shall come in His glory—for He shall come, and “will not keep silence” (Ps 49/50:3)—when He comes to judge the living and the dead and render to each according to his deeds; when that trumpet shall sound its great and fearful blast and awaken those who have slept from the beginning of time: “And they will come forth—those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment” (cf. John 5:29).

Recall also the vision of Daniel, how it sets the judgment before our eyes:
“I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated…
A river of fire was flowing,
Coming out from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened” (Dan 7:9–10),

books that openly reveal to the hearing of all—both angels and men—good deeds and evil, manifest and secret, deeds, words, thoughts, all together.

At that moment, what will become of those who have lived wickedly? Where will the soul hide when it suddenly appears before so many beholders, filled with shame? In what body will it endure those countless and unbearable punishments—where the fire is never quenched, the worm gnaws without ceasing, the depths of hell are dark and dreadful, the weeping is bitter, the lamentation boundless, the wailing and gnashing of teeth unending, the torments without end?

From all these there is no deliverance after death—no possibility, no means of escape from those grievous sufferings.

Now, while we still may, let us rouse ourselves from such a fall. Let us not despair of ourselves when we cease from evil. This is the way of salvation—if only we ourselves will it.

The Good Shepherd seeks you, leaving the ninety-nine that did not stray. If you give yourself to Him, the Lover of mankind will not delay; He will not leave you, but will joyfully carry you upon His shoulders, rejoicing that He has found His lost sheep.

Already your Father stands waiting for your return from wandering. Only turn back—and while you are still afar off, He will run, fall upon your neck, and embrace you with love, you who have been cleansed by repentance.

And if anyone who thinks he stands firm reproaches you for returning so quickly, the good Father Himself will defend you, saying:
“It is fitting to rejoice and be glad, for this My son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.”

To God be glory for ever and ever. Amen.