41. Позванный на суд человек

We see that when a person is called to trial, he only thinks about it, makes every effort, and consults with his friends so that at trial he will not be disgraced and condemned. Christian! You will be called to the court not of man, but of God. “For we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). All the more must you prepare and make every effort so that at that Judgment you will not be disgraced and condemned. It often happens that a person runs away from human judgment. No one can escape from that Judgment, since it will certainly happen, and it will be everything. This is true, just as it is true that yesterday was and today is. In human court, to find the truth, witnesses are required, who often justify the guilty. Not so at that Court. The Judge does not require witnesses, but He Himself knows everything. In human judgment, the guilty person is often helped by silver and gold, as happens in lawless courts. This is not the case at that Court, because that Judge does not require or accept gifts. In a human court, the guilty person is often defended by tall and strong persons and other assistants. At that Judgment they cannot do anything; they themselves will then hide and act like vile people. In human judgment they often look at faces. Often the rich are preferred to the wretched, the respectable to the vile, the noble to the noble. At that Court it is different, because that Judge does not look at faces, but at conscience and deeds. Then everyone will stand next to Him: slaves and masters, kings and their subjects, rich and poor. In human court, cunning often exonerates the guilty. At that Judgment she will become silent and numb. There will be no place for her, because the Judge, as Omniscient, knows everything. In the judgment of man man is judged before a few. At that Judgment he will be judged before the whole world, before Angels and people. In a human court, few know the vices of the person being judged. At that Judgment, the evil deeds, words and thoughts of the judged sinners will be exposed before the whole world. In human judgment, before a few, there is shame and disgrace to the judge. At that Judgment, the poor sinner will be ashamed and disgraced before the whole world. From human judgment, nothing more will follow to the guilty person than temporary death or some other temporary execution. By that Judgment, the condemned sinner will be given over not to temporary, but to eternal death. You see, Christian, some circumstances of the human court and that of Christ. You also see how a person prepares with all sorts of fear for human judgment, which in comparison with that Judgment is nothing. However, people prepare for this judgment with all diligence, so as not to be put to shame. A faulty Christian, clinging to the vanity of this world, never ceasing to fearlessly violate the law of God, sin as something small, or, what’s worse, considering it nothing! Spare your poor soul. Raise your mental eyes to that terrible worldwide disgrace, in which “for every idle word that people speak, they will give an answer” (Matthew 12:36). And prepare with every fear for that day from which everyone must go either into eternal punishment or into eternal life. In this important matter, imitate at least the sons of this age, who are called to the human judgment and are preparing for it with all care, so as not to be ashamed. You will appear before the Judgment Seat of God, and not a human one, where there will be no partiality. Think about it in advance and prepare yourself for the big day! It happens that people, having committed some crime and recognized their sin, until they are called to judgment, come to the Tsar or to some other authority, and humbly confess their sin, fall before the authorities, ask for forgiveness, and receive it. Christian! You know that you will be called to the Judgment of God, and for all your sins, committed in deed, word and thought, you will be tortured. Do you too, as the wise sons of this age do. Turn from your sins and come to Christ the Judge, the King of Heaven, Whom you have sinned, confess your sins before Him with humility, fall before Him, and condemn yourself before Him now, and you will not be condemned by Him then. Call to Him with the publican’s voice: “God! Be merciful to me, a sinner, and create... fruits worthy of repentance” (Luke 18:13, 3:8). Then all your sins and iniquities will be blotted out and will not be remembered, because He will judge not those who have not sinned, but those who have sinned and unrepentant. This is why repentance was preached, so that those who had sinned would repent and receive mercy from Him. Repent and make amends with sighs and tears for your sins written in your conscience, so that in God’s book they will be made atonement and will not appear at that Judgment. This is preparation for the Last Judgment! There is no other but him. Always be in true repentance. And you will prepare for that Judgment, at which you will certainly appear. And so, having begun a new Christian life, expect mercy from Him. A person who repents and lives in a new Christian life will no longer be harmed by his former lawless life. Only one thing is required of us: that we correct ourselves and change ourselves for the better. Always remember about that day and firmly hold that you, like others, will be called to that Judgment, the Judgment of God, and not human, and you will be called unexpectedly when the Archangel's trumpet sounds. This reflection will move you to true repentance and will keep you in humility and contrition of heart. Memory and reflection on that Judgment will not allow you to commit sin or take revenge on your neighbor, but will encourage you to diligent and earnest prayer. Remembering that Judgment, you will not look for cheerful days in the world, but you will more desire tears, crying and sighing. The fact that people have fun, and please the flesh and commit lawlessness, happens because of forgetfulness and lack of reflection about this Judgment. Remember the Judgment, and you will truly repent, be renewed every day and change for the better. And you won't be the same as before. Like fire, all stench, so the fear of its Judgment will drive out all rottenness and stench from the soul and cleanse it hour by hour. We see in the world that in response to an unjust trial there is an appeal or denunciation to the Tsar or some other authority, and those who judged themselves are called to trial and judged by unrighteous judges. So the injustices, violence, bitterness, insults that are done to poor people, and the unrighteous judgments of kings, princes, lords, shepherds and other authorities cry out to heaven, and their cries enter the ears of the Lord Almighty, the King of kings and the Lord of lords, and they ask Him for judgment. Poor people, not having anywhere to find someone who would hear their cry, turn away insults and violence, and wipe away their tears, - to heaven to God, the Father of the orphans and the Judge of widows, they sigh and cry out: “God! You are our Creator and Lord, You are our Protector and Helper. We are in the land of poverty and our tears do not find satisfaction. Hear and have mercy on us, the poor, and wipe away the tears of Your evil-suffering creation! The strong are strong, the noble are noble, gentlemen are gentlemen, the rich are rich, judges help judges. We will not find help for ourselves anywhere. We ask you! “A beggar has been provided for you; be a Helper to the orphan” 7 (Ps.9:35). The Lord sees the iniquity of the lawless authorities and judges, and their cry, like that of Sodom, comes to the Lord, and He hears the groans of His wretched people, and the Judge of all the earth judges. This is where we see the terrible executions sent to states and cities by the righteous judgment of God. We see terrible wars and bloodshed, we see pestilences. We see seducers, and destructive sons, and troublemakers of the Fatherland, who ascribe to themselves the names of high persons, and cause rebellion and harm to the Fatherland. We see terrible fires, and famine, and other executions. All this is sent by God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, for the unrighteous judgments, insults and violence inflicted on poor people, as the Righteous Judge and Judge of all the earth. But all judges and authorities will be called to the World Court. Then those who judged His people will stand before the Judge God and answer. The kings will stand up and keep their word. Princes and nobles will stand up and give their word. The gentlemen will stand up and give their word. All authorities, from the highest to the lowest, will rise up and give their word for unjust trials and unscrupulous and lawless acts with the people entrusted to them. Woe then will be the lawless authorities, who have done evil to the people of God through untruth and torment! God “will search your works and test your thoughts. For you, being servants of His kingdom, did not judge justly, did not keep the law, and did not walk according to the will of God. He will appear to you fearfully and soon, for the judgment on those in authority is most severe, for the little one is worthy... of mercy, but the mighty will be greatly punished" (Wis. 6:3-6). Authorities, gentlemen and judges! Your wrong deeds cry out to heaven and, as it were, they denounce you to God. God hears their cry and will call you to Himself for Judgment. Repent, beloved, while it is not yet calling you! He sees all your deeds and all your wrongdoings, “but is patient with us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). And if you don’t repent now, then you will repent then when He calls you to Himself for Judgment, but it will be too late and useless! Meditate on the above words of Solomon, and you will find out for yourself how terrible the Judgment of God will be for you. “Lord, God of hosts! Turn us and make Your face shine, and we will be saved!” (Ps. 79:4). It happens that when criminals and villains are brought to trial, they are brought in the shackles with which they are shackled. So poor sinners will be brought to the Judgment of God with their sins, which they are bound by, like bonds, and with them they will appear before the Righteous Judge and before the whole world. And what they did in a secret place, or thought evil in their hearts, then everything will become known to all Angels and people. Then with the fornicator and the adulterer there is fornication and adultery, with the thief and the predator all theft and theft, with the flatterer, the deceiver and the deceiver - flattery and lies, with the cunning, crafty and hypocrite all the cunning plans and hypocritical deeds, with the slanderer, the scolder and the slanderer all his defamatory and destructive words will appear at that Judgment. Also, with every guilty person his evil deeds will appear. With all power there will be negligence about those under power and its other iniquities. With the shepherd - negligence about the flock and his other sins. With the judge - unjust trials and his other iniquities. With the master - the insults and evil that he caused to his servants and peasants, and his other iniquities. In a word, with every sinner, all his deeds, words and ungodly thoughts, as rivals and accusers, will appear at that Terrible Trial, if he does not get rid of them here in this world through true repentance, contrition of heart and tears. Then it will be said about every sinner: Behold the man and his deeds! Here is a man who was called a Christian, but did not do Christian deeds; he was called a servant of God, but served the devil. Here is the man and his deeds! O poor sinner! Woe will befall you there if you don’t get rid of these fierce rivals and slanderers here in this world! Try, beloved, in advance, now, to get rid of them, so that they will not go with you into that age. Free your soul from them, so that they do not surround you and put you to shame. Leave them and they will leave you. Leave them alone and retreat, and they will leave you behind and retreat, and so you will be free from them. And for what you have done, repent and submit yourself before the merciful eyes of Jesus, so that His Blood, shed for you, will cleanse you from them. Then you will be truly pure and free! “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). “I am the image of Your indescribable glory, even though I bear the ulcers of sins: be gracious to Your creation, O Master, and cleanse with Your compassion, and grant me the longed-for Fatherland, making me a resident of paradise again!” He who is called to the court is tried by those sitting at the trial, denounced by witnesses, and reprimanded by the judges: you did this and that, you violated such and such a law and decree, and so on. So the poor sinner, who has not been cleansed of his sins by repentance and has been called to this Judgment, will be judged by God, convicted, and will see his sins set before him, and will hear a reprimand from the Righteous Judge: “You hated the instruction and cast My words back. If you saw a thief, you hurried along with him, and took part with the adulterer. Your lips multiplied slander, and your tongue weaved deceits... and for your mother’s son you created an obstacle” (Ps. 49:17-20). And again: “I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger, and they did not accept Me; I was naked, and they did not clothe Me; I was sick and in prison, and they did not visit Me” (Matthew 25:42–43). Then the word of God spoken in Holy Scripture to the sinner will come true: “I will reprove you and bring your sins before your face” (Ps. 49:21). The one standing and convicted in judgment is overcome by shame and fear. Thus, sinners at this Judgment will be overcome by immeasurable shame, fear, trembling and horror. They will be convicted by God Himself, Whom they did not want to honor, they will be convicted of the ingratitude they showed Him, they will be convicted before the whole world. A criminal convicted in court is excluded from the ranks of good citizens and is considered a villain, and not a son of the Fatherland. Likewise, Christians who are lawbreakers and have not repented will be excluded from good Christians at that Judgment, and, like goats from sheep, they will be considered unfaithful, not true, false, and not true Christians. A criminal is condemned in court to death or another penalty determined by law. So at that Judgment, sinners will be condemned to eternal execution. “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). A criminal sentenced to legal execution is separated from his family and friends at home and goes with inconsolable crying to his appointed execution. So the sinners, condemned to eternal execution at that Judgment, will be separated from God Himself, from His holy Angels and God’s chosen ones, will be excommunicated forever and will go with inconsolable crying, trembling, horror and endless despair into eternal torment. “And these will go away into everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). Poor sinner! Repent and cleanse your sins with contrition of heart and tears - so that you don’t suffer all this there. Have mercy, Lord, have mercy on Your creation! “Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your great mercy, and according to the multitude of Your compassions, cleanse my iniquity. Turn away Your face from my sins and cleanse all my iniquities” (Ps. 50:3, 11). “If you see iniquity, O Lord, Lord, who will stand” (Ps. 129:3). Turn away Your Face, O Master, from my sins and turn Your Face to Christ, my Lord, Jesus Christ, Your Only Begotten Son, Who for me, an unworthy and poor sinner, suffered and died, and Himself for my sins as a sacrifice and as a fragrant aroma to You, I brought it to my Heavenly Father and my Creator. And by His grace and love for mankind, pour out Your mercy on me, and blot out all my iniquities and sins with His Blood, shed for me! Amen. Translation by P. Yungerov – Editorial office of “The ABC of Faith” You might be interested in: