About the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the words:

“We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. And each of us will give an account of himself to God” (Rom. 14:10, 12). 1. I believed that yesterday I told you something great and significant: in essence, it was truly great and surpassed every word. Yet today's reading is as superior to it as it is to our words. Although I did not think that anything could surpass it, the reading to date turned out to be much stronger. What exactly was read today? “We will all appear at the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will confess to God” (Rom. 14:10–11). So, will each of us really give a word about himself, a word to God? Notice that he did not simply say: everyone will “bow down,” but: everyone “will confess,” that is, he will give an account of what he has done. So, imagining the Lord of all sitting on the throne, be attentive to yourself, O man, and do not cause discord and division in the church, turning away from grace; After all, Christ will demand both you and the entire human race to answer. Then, so that it does not seem that this was said only to intimidate us, he, taking advantage of what should have been said about this in the course of speech, further touches on the same subject: “Let us no longer judge one another, but rather judge how not to give your brother any opportunity for stumbling or temptation” (Rom. 14:13). This applies to one no more than to the other, and therefore can be applied to both: both to the perfect, who is tempted by pickiness in food, and to the imperfect, for whom too harsh reproaches serve as a stumbling block. Consider, then, what kind of punishment we are subject to if we seduce our neighbors without any good purpose. If here, where the whole mistake consisted in the untimeliness of reproaches, the apostle forbids them, so that the brother would not be tempted and stumble, then what will we deserve when we seduce our brother, having no intention of correcting him at all? If not saving is a crime, as the example of one who buried talent in the ground shows, then what will we not bring upon ourselves by tempting another? You will say: what should I do if he is tempted by himself, by his own weakness? It is this weakness of his that should encourage you to restrain yourself. If he were strong, he would not have needed such care. And now, the weaker he is, the more attention he requires. So, let us take care of our weak brother and support him in all cases. After all, we will give an answer not only for our sins, but also for everything in which we offend others. But if it is difficult to be responsible for our sins, then how can we be saved when responsibility for temptations is also added? Let us not think of justifying ourselves by saying that we are not alone, that there will be accomplices in our sins. This will only increase our punishment. The serpent was punished more severely than the wife, and the wife more severely than the husband. Jezebel suffered a more severe punishment than Ahab, who took away the vineyard. So, of course, you too, if you find yourself guilty of the death of others, will suffer a more severe punishment than those to whom you served as a temptation. It is not so harmful to sin oneself as to lead others into sin, which is why the apostle says: “not only do they practice them, but they also approve of those who do them” (Rom. 1:32). Therefore, seeing that others are sinning, we will not only not push them to sin, but we will try to extract them from the abyss of vice, so that for the death of others we ourselves will not be executed. However, let's return to what we were talking about. “All of us,” says the apostle, “will appear at the judgment seat of Christ” and give an account to God. What then will we do, having voluntarily wallowed in sins? Where will we find support? Where will we find consolation? How will we appease the terrible Judge? Where will we hide from shame when our own wickedness is exposed to us? (Another matter now): if now we wish to correct ourselves and do what is pleasing to God, then we can do all our sins wash, and escape the horrors of the coming judgment. And this is possible, of course, if we constantly remember about our departure from here, about the frailty of the body: “remember,” says the wise one, “your end, and you will never sin” (Sirach 7:39); then, let us imagine in our thoughts the terrible judgment of Christ, at which everything will be exposed and naked before His eyes - both words, deeds, and thoughts; we will, further, remind ourselves of the fiery river, about insoluble bonds, about impenetrable darkness, about the gnashing of teeth, about the poisonous worm, about that day, terrible for the sinner, bright and joyful for those perfected in deeds of righteousness. 2. But there are people so filled with madness that they consider the inspired Scriptures to be false, and represent the judgment of God as an allegory. I have heard of some, given over to sin and mired in the abyss of passions, that they spread similar thoughts, claiming that God threatens punishments beyond the grave only in order to frighten people; that, of course, He will not actually do this, but, being humane, He will limit itself to minor punishment, and even then mainly in relation to those who completely reject Him. But listen, you depraved people of heart, working under the cunning of the devil, who rejoices over your destruction! After all, it is he, of course, who instills in us such fearlessness that, under the influence of fear, we do not rush to correct our lives and thereby avoid the severity of punishment; hoping that such carelessness in real life will lead us there to the very bottom of hell. So, tell me, you fools who make God a liar, who consider the words of the Holy Scriptures to be only empty threats and not the truth - what do you think: that rich man who despised Lazarus is not tormented (Luke 16:19-31)? Are foolish virgins not expelled from the bridal chamber? Those who refused to feed Christ will not go into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels? Whoever is dressed in unclean clothing will not be bound hand and foot and condemned to death? He who demands a hundred denarii will not be handed over to the torturers? Is it not true what is said about adulterers: “Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:48)? Or are these all just threats? Yes, you say. But tell me, unfortunate ones, on what basis do you dare to assert such things and pronounce such an unjust sentence on your own? But I can prove the opposite to you both with the words and deeds of Christ. If they do not believe the words of Scripture about future punishment, then at least everyone must believe what has already happened. After all, what has already happened, what has actually come true, is not empty, of course, threats and words. So, who under Noah brought a flood across the entire universe, causing such terrible destruction and death of our entire race? Who then brought down lightning and fire from heaven onto the land of Sodom? Who drowned all the Egyptian strength in the sea? Who killed six hundred thousand people in the desert? Who burned the host of Avirons with fire? Who commanded the earth to open its mouth and swallow up Korah, Dathan, and those with them? Who under David killed seventy thousand in an instant? Who killed 185 thousand in one night in the days of the prophet Isaiah? Should we also mention private punishments? About Cain, betrayed to constant torment, about the son of Charmias, who was stoned with all his family, about him who collected wood on the Sabbath and was subjected to the same execution, about the forty-two youths who were eaten by beasts under Elisha and for whom their young age did not serve as an excuse? And if you want to see similar examples in the times of grace, imagine what punishments the Jews suffered when their wives ate their own children, roasting them and using them in other ways; how they were struck by a terrible famine, and by the numerous and severe disasters of war to such an extent that all previous misfortunes seem insignificant when compared with these horrors. And what exactly Christ brought all this upon them, listen to how He himself predicts these misfortunes, sometimes in parables, sometimes clearly and definitely. For example, in the parable He says: “But my enemies who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and kill them before me” (Luke 19:27); The parables of the vineyard and marriage speak about the same thing. The same threats are expressed clearly and definitely when He says: “And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be carried away into captivity among all nations... And there will be signs in the sun and the moon and the stars, and on the earth there will be despondency of the nations and bewilderment; and the sea will make a noise and be troubled” (Luke 21:24–25). “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor will there be” (Matthew 24:21). Everyone also knows what kind of execution Ananias and Sapphira were subjected to for concealing several coins (Acts 5:1-11). And the daily misfortunes that we suffer for our sins, who doesn’t see them? Or will you say that they don’t exist? But don’t people die of hunger even today? Do they suffer from leprosy and other bodily diseases? Don't they live in hopeless poverty? Do not thousands endure intolerable and grave disasters? Now, would it be fair to punish some and not others? If God is not unjust, which is certain, then of course you will be punished for your sins. If you think that God will not punish you, since He loves mankind, then there was no need to punish them either. But here, for the sake of these pitiful words of yours, God is punishing many here too, so that you, who do not believe in verbal threats, will at least believe in actual executions. And since the long past scares us little, He admonishes the careless with modern events that take place in every generation. 3. Why, they will say, does God not punish everyone here? To give others the time predetermined by Him for repentance. Why isn’t it limited to everyone only by the punishments there? So that the number of those who do not believe in God’s providence does not increase. Why were some of the robbers caught while others escaped punishment? Where is God's love for mankind and justice here? If no one were punished at all, then one could resort to this argument. But when some are punished, others are not, even if they sinned more, then how can we understand that the same crimes do not have the same punishments? Wouldn't we have to admit that the punishment in this case is unfair? So why isn't everyone punished here? Listen to how Christ himself answers you to this. When some died from the fall of the tower, Christ, in response to the bewilderment that arose about their death, said: “Do you think that these Galileans were more sinful than all the Galileans, that they suffered so much? No, I tell you, but unless you repent, you will all perish in the same way” (Luke 13:2–3). By this He teaches us not to rely on the fact that, despite the multitude of our crimes, we remain unpunished when others endure it, because if we do not repent, we will certainly be punished. Why, you ask, should we, who sinned here for a short time, endure eternal punishment? Why is it that a person who commits one murder in one minute is condemned to work in the mines for life? You say: God shouldn’t do this? But how did He keep the paralytic for thirty-eight years in such a serious illness? And because he was punished for his sins with illness, listen to what (Christ) said to him: “Behold, you have recovered; Sin no more, lest anything worse happen to you” (John 5:14). However, the paralytic, you say, still received release from punishment; but it won't happen there. Indeed, there will be no end to the punishments there; listen to how Christ himself speaks about this: “where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched” (Mark 9:46). This is how it should be: if life is eternal, then punishment is eternal. Or do you not know how He threatened the Jews? Were these threats fulfilled, or were they just words? It is said: “there will not be left one stone upon another” (Luke 21:6); and indeed, was any stone left unturned? Christ said: “for then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will be” (Matthew 24:21). Didn't this also come true? Read the story of Joseph: your spirit will be lifted just by the story of the calamities that the Jews actually suffered. They say that these horrors have no example in history, that such a war has never broken out over a people. I remind you of them not to upset you, but to ensure your safety in the future; after all, by comforting you with vain hopes, I could subject you to the most painful punishments. And tell me: why don’t you deserve to be punished for your sins? Didn't God warn you about everything? Did He threaten you? Wasn't he intimidating? Didn’t I use thousands of means for your salvation? Didn’t he give you the bath of rebirth, and didn’t he forgive you all your previous sins? And after this rebirth, after the remission of sins, didn’t he give you, when you began to sin again, a new benefit - in repentance? Didn’t he make it easier for you to receive forgiveness for the sins you committed even after this? So, listen to what God has commanded. If you forgive your neighbor’s sins, then I, He says, will forgive you. Is this inconvenient? “Save the oppressed, defend the orphan, intercede for the widow. Then come and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:17–18). Is it difficult? “You speak in order to justify yourself” (Is. 43:26). What is the burden in this? “Atone for your sins...by showing mercy to the poor” (Dan. 4:24). What kind of work is that? The publican said: “Be merciful to me a sinner..., and he went away justified” (Luke 18:13–14). Is it difficult to imitate a publican? But even after all this, you don’t want to be convinced that there is both execution and torment. Perhaps you will say that the devil is not punished either? It is said: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). But if there is no Gehenna, then he is not punished. If the devil is punished, it is obvious that we who do his works will also be punished. And we transgress the will of God, although not in the same way as he. Why aren’t you afraid to speak boldly about God, claiming that God loves mankind and therefore will not punish? And if he punishes you, then, in your opinion, will it turn out that He is no longer philanthropic? Do you see what speeches the devil inspires in you? What then? Do you think the monks who settled in the mountains and performed many feats in the mountains and in the dens and abysses of the earth will remain uncrowned? After all, if the wicked are not punished and there is no reward, then why not say - and with the same reason - that the good are not crowned? You will say: no. It is fitting for God to have only one kingdom, and not Gehenna. Consequently, a fornicator, an adulterer, and one who has committed thousands of crimes will enjoy the same benefits as one who has distinguished himself by chastity, holiness and abstinence, in a word - one who has become like the angels in life? If there is no Gehenna, but there is still a resurrection, then the wicked will receive the same benefits as the righteous. But what madman would say this? Or better yet, which demon would dare say it? Even demons recognize Gehenna. That’s why they “cryed out: You came here before the time to torment us” (Matthew 8:29)! How are you not afraid, not horrified, to deny what even demons admit? How can you not understand which teacher is instilling such evil instructions in you? The one who deceived a person in the beginning, and with the offer of great hopes snatched away from him the blessings that were already in his hands, the same one now instructs him to speak and think so. This is why the devil convinces some to think that there is no Gehenna in order to cast them into Gehenna. On the contrary, God threatens Gehenna and has prepared it so that we, knowing about it, will live so as not to fall into Gehenna. If the devil, now that there is Gehenna, assures you that it does not exist, then if there were no Gehenna, what need would there be to testify about it to the demons, who are trying most of all so that we do not suspect anything of the kind, so that, not fearing it, we become more careless and fall with them into the fire of Gehenna? But why, you ask, did they testify about Gehenna then? Because they could not resist the necessity that forced them to do so. Taking all this into account, may those who think in such a way stop deceiving themselves and others with their speeches! The prophet says: “Our God is coming, and not in silence: before Him is a consuming fire, and around Him is a strong storm.” “Fire goes before Him and burns His enemies around” (Ps. 49:3, 97:3). And who are the enemies of God if not fornicators, adulterers, homosexuals, lusters, idolaters, covetous people, drunkards, oathbreakers, murmurers, angry, vindictive, proud, arrogant, disobedient to parents, unmerciful? On the terrible day of the general resurrection, the Judge will command them all: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). 4. If we are now punished for everything that has been calculated, will not those who ridicule the terrible and awe-inspiring threats of Christ and lead to the carelessness of many who are ready to take care of their salvation, and who turn out to be worse than even the pagans - the Ninevites, be much more severely responsible for their words at the Last Judgment? Those, although they did not know the truth at all, but as soon as they heard that their city would be destroyed, they not only did not react with disbelief to the prophet’s preaching, but groaned, put on rags and humbled themselves, and did not leave all this until they appeased God and turned away His anger. And you, a Christian, after so many lessons, both in words and in deeds, disparage what Christ said? Look, your fate will be the opposite of the fate of the Ninevites. Those who were afraid of words were not actually punished; and you, who despise verbal threats, will suffer execution in reality. Don't you see what Christ did here on earth? He did not honor the two thieves with the same lot, but He brought one into the kingdom, and sent the other to Gehenna. But what can we say about the robber and murderer! Christ did not spare the apostle, who became a traitor, but, foreseeing that he would hang himself, hang himself and sit down, as it is said: “When he fell, his belly was split open” (Acts 1:18), - foreseeing all this, he nevertheless allowed him to endure, in order to assure you through the present in the whole future. So, people, do not deceive yourself by trusting the devil: after all, these are his suggestions. If judges, masters, teachers, if both educated peoples and barbarians reward the good and punish the evil, then is it possible for God to act differently and equalize the good with the wicked? How far will vice go then? If now the wicked, awaiting punishment, surrounded by fear from everywhere, both from judges and from laws, despite all this do not lag behind bad deeds, then when will they cease to be evil if they know that after they go into eternity they will be freed from all fear, and not only will they not fall into Gehenna, but will also receive the kingdom? Tell me, will it be humane to level the path for vice, to reward evil, to bestow the same honor on the chaste and the dissolute, the faithful and the wicked, the merciful and the inhuman? If God did not care at all about us whether we sin or strive for good, then perhaps there would be some basis for saying that there are no punishments. And if He is so concerned that we do not sin, and takes such measures so that we keep the commandments, then it is obvious that He punishes those who sin and crowns those who do good. And note at the same time, what an absurdity. On the one hand, they complain about God that He is often long-suffering, and looks indifferently at the fact that many evildoers, carnivores, and oppressors go unpunished, and on the other hand, they bitterly and strongly grumble that God threatens them with punishment. But if the latter upsets them, then they should approve and praise the former? Oh madness! Oh, absurd and shameless reasoning! Oh, sin-loving soul devoted to vice! After all, the love of pleasure gives birth to all these teachings. And if those who reasoned in this way loved virtue, they would soon be convinced of Gehenna, and would no longer doubt. You ask, where and in what place will Gehenna be? But what do you care about that? You need to know that it exists, and not where and in what place it is hiding. Some, applying to Gehenna what is told about some war in ancient times, empty talk that it is located in the Valley of Jehoshaphat. Indeed, there was such a case that God, punishing his opponents with his righteous judgment, completely destroyed them - precisely in the Valley of Jehoshaphat - so that the inhabitants of Jerusalem had enough of the weapons of those destroyed for fuel for seven years (Joel 3:2; Ezek. 39:9). And this is where they now want to place Gehenna. But Scripture doesn't say that. Do you still want to know: in what place will Gehenna be? In my opinion, somewhere beyond this whole world. Just as royal dungeons and mines are in distant places, so Gehenna will be somewhere outside this universe. But we will not inquire about where it is, but how to avoid it. And because God does not punish everyone here, we should not disbelieve future punishments. He is philanthropic and long-suffering, and therefore threatens, and does not suddenly plunge into Gehenna. “For I do not want the death of the dying, says the Lord God; but turn and live” (Ezek. 18:32). And if there is no death for the sinner, then this is said in vain. 5. I know that for you there is nothing more unpleasant than such words; but for me they are the most pleasant. Oh, if only you would talk about Gehenna at lunch and dinner and in the bathhouse! Then we would not complain about real disasters and would not enjoy earthly blessings. And what kind of misfortunes could upset us then? Poverty? Disease? Captivity? Is it a physical illness? All this is worthy of laughter in comparison with the future punishment. Will you point out to me those who are always hungry, those who are blind from infancy, those who beg for every piece of bread? And experiencing something like this means nothing in comparison with future torment. So, let us constantly turn to Gehenna with both mind and tongue. The memory of her will not allow us to fall into Gehenna. Or don’t you hear what Paul says: “those who will be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thess. 1:9)? Or don’t you hear what Nero was like, whom Paul calls the mystery of Antichrist. “For the mystery of iniquity is already at work” (2 Thess. 2:7), he says. So what? Will Nero really not tolerate anything, the Antichrist will not tolerate anything, the devil will not tolerate anything? And therefore the Antichrist and the devil will always exist, because, left without punishment, they will not leave their malice? No, you say; everyone knows that there is punishment and Gehenna; but only the infidels will fall into Gehenna. Why, tell me? Because, you answer, the faithful have come to know their Master? So what? When life is unclean, they will suffer even greater punishment for it compared to the infidels. “Those who sinned without the law are outside the law and will perish; and those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law” (Rom. 2:12). And again: “That servant who knew the will of his master, and was not ready, and did not do according to his will, will be beaten many times” (Luke 12:47). But if this is said without any thought, and we do not have to give an account in life, then the devil will not be punished, because he knows God better than many people. After all, demons also know God, tremble at Him and recognize Him (James 2:19) as the Judge. So, if we are not required to account for our life and evil deeds, will the demons also escape punishment? No no; Do not deceive yourselves, beloved! If there is no Gehenna, then how will the apostles judge the twelve tribes of Israel? As Paul says: “Do you not know that we will judge angels, much less the works of this life” (1 Cor. 6:3)? Why did Christ say: “The Ninevites will rise up in judgment with this generation and condemn it” (Matthew 12:41); and again: “It will be more joyful for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment” (Matthew 10:15)? How can you, man, joke, what shouldn’t you joke? Are you deceiving yourself and deceiving your soul? Why do you rebel against God’s love for mankind? This is why God created Gehenna and threatens it, so that out of fear of it we would try to be better and not fall into it. Therefore, whoever forbids talking about Gehenna achieves nothing other than quietly preparing for himself, deceiving himself, death in Gehenna. Do not tie the hands that strive in virtue, do not increase negligence in people who are immersed in sleep. If we could assure people that there is no Gehenna, would they ever give up vice? And where will the truth be? I’m not talking about sinners and righteous people, but exclusively about sinners. Why is one punished here, but the other is not punished, for the same, or even the gravest sin? If there is no Gehenna, nothing can be said to such a complaint. Therefore, I ask you all to leave such a ridiculous, downright satanic thought, and thereby stop the mouths of those who object to it. In the smallest deeds, both bad and good, there will be a strict test. And for an immodest look we will be punished, and we will give an account for idle speech, and for laughter, and for slander, and for evil thoughts, and for drunkenness; and equally in good deeds - for a cup of ice water, for a kind word, for one breath we will receive a reward. It is said: “And on the foreheads of people who mourn, who sigh over all abominations, ... make a sign” (Ezek. 9:4). How dare you say that God, who tests our lives with such severity, in vain and in vain threatened Gehenna? I ask you, I beg you, do not ruin yourself and those who trust you with such vain hopes. If you don’t believe our words, ask the Jews, the Greeks, all the heretics, and they will all answer with their mouths that there will be judgment and retribution. And whoever is not satisfied with human testimony, let him ask the demons themselves - and hear how they cry: that “You came here before the time to torment us” (Matthew 8:29)! Imagine all this and convince yourself not to chatter empty words, so as not to experience Gehenna through experience, but on the contrary, having become calm with thoughts about Gehenna, you will be able not only to avoid future torment, but even to receive future benefits through the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Creations attributed to St. John Chrysostom and classified in the Minya edition as Spuria. You might be interested in: