Второе пришествие

Remember His [Christ’s] Second Coming, where we will all gather before Him, all, I say, righteous and sinners, and everyone will receive from Him according to their deeds: the righteous will go into eternal life, the sinners into eternal torment. Remember this and reason. All of us Christians await the Second Coming of Christ. There was the first thing, as the Gospel and our faith teach us. There will also be a Second Coming of Christ, as God’s Word announces to us. In the first coming Christ came to save us; and those who believe in Him and repent of their sins and do good deeds and please Him are saved. At the Second Coming he will come to judge for the sins of those who did not repent here. I trust that you know who Christ is. I will just remind you: Christ is our True God, as we always hear in the Church and as our faith teaches us. He, like God, knows completely who is doing, speaking, thinking, and writing what in the book of His judgment. He will judge everyone, and we will all gather for His judgment, righteous and sinners. Good deeds will come to the righteous; the evil deeds that they did openly and secretly will appear with the sinners. Then every sinner will see laid before him everything that he now did, thought and said that was bad, and thereby destroyed the law of God. Then he will hear with shame in front of the whole world: “Here is the man and his deeds!” God, in His love for mankind and mercy, now commands all sinners to repent, so that they will atone for their evil deeds with repentance, and so these evil deeds would not appear at the judgment of Christ, and those who committed them would not be condemned for them as criminals of the law of God and despisers of God. Sinners who, having gratefully accepted this love of God for mankind, come to their senses, and repent, and stop sinning, and try to please God with good deeds, receive mercy from God and accept forgiveness of all their evil deeds. Therefore, their evil deeds will no longer appear at the judgment of Christ as atoned for by repentance; and they will be accepted with the righteous into eternal life, where there will be unceasing joy and gladness. And those sinners who despise God’s love for mankind and do not repent, and do not stop sinning and doing evil deeds, and they try to hide and hide them, their evil deeds will certainly appear at the Last Judgment, and they will be convicted of them before the whole world by the righteous Judge Christ, and from Him they will hear such a reprimand: “This is what you did while living in the world! I came to save you and suffered and died for you, but you did not want to use that mercy of My to save yourself and follow Me and be with Me in My Kingdom, but you followed Satan, and fulfilled his will, and did his evil deeds, and so they were My opponents. Go away from Me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41). I wanted to save you, but you yourself chose destruction rather than My salvation. Taste the sorrow of eternal destruction, which you have chosen for yourself.” We, Christians, now should do nothing more than please our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Heavenly King, and to receive eternal salvation, perfected through His labors and illnesses, to worry and wait for His Second Coming from heaven. There was His first coming, and there will be a second. The first coming was preached by the prophets, saying: “Christ is coming into the world, Christ is coming into the world.” And Christ came into the world quietly and unexpectedly: he came down like rain on a fleece and like a drop dripping onto the ground (Ps. 71:6). About the Second Coming, church pastors and teachers say: “Christ will come into the world, Christ will come into the world, he will appear again unexpectedly, but fearfully and gloriously.” Just as citizens await the coming of their king and prepare to meet him, so we, Christians, must await the coming of our Heavenly King and prepare for a worthy meeting of Him. Moreover, we do not know the day and hour at which He will come, and He will come not to live, teach and suffer - that was already the case, but to judge and reward everyone according to his deeds. Let us try, Christians, to stay awake and be ready to meet our King, remembering His word of exhortation: watch, because you know neither the day nor the hour at which the Son of Man will come (Matthew 25:13). May we be deemed worthy to stand at His right hand at His coming. We await the coming to us of the King of Heaven, Jesus Christ. We see His first coming to us; We expect the second one, and we will see it. We see that His first coming was in humility, poverty, meekness and long-suffering; the second will be in terrible and Divine glory. In the first He came quietly, and descended like rain on a fleece 13 and like a drop falling on the ground (Ps. 71:6). In the second, it will shine like lightning, which shines in the east and appears in the west (see Mt 24:27). Then he will come not to suffer for us (this has already happened), but to judge us and reward everyone according to their deeds. We see in Holy Scripture what will happen then. We see that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night, and then the heavens will pass away with a noise, the elements, having flared up, will be destroyed, the earth and all the works on it will be burned up (2 Pet. 3:10). We see that then the sky will disappear, curled up like a scroll; and every mountain and island will move from their places. And the kings of the earth, and the nobles, and the rich, and the captains of thousands, and the mighty, and every slave and every free man, will hide in caves and in the ravines of the mountains and say to the mountains and stones: Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of His wrath has come, and who can stand (Rev. 6:14-17)? We see that then all who have died since the beginning of the world will rise from their graves, and those who have done good will come forth into the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil into the resurrection of condemnation (John 5:28-29). We see that then all nations will gather from all ends of the earth (Matthew 25:32) and stand before the King of Heaven, the righteous Judge. We see that then all the gathered people will be divided into two parts: some will stand on the right side of the Judge, others on the left. Then the ultimate and final separation will be from each other. We see that then the wife will be separated from her husband forever, the father and mother from their children, the kings from their subjects, the princes, nobles and masters from their slaves, the friends from their friends and the acquaintances from their acquaintances. We also see that then the wife will stand on the right side of the Judge, and the husband on the left, and the husband on the right, and the wife on the left; father and mother on the right, and their children on the left, and children on the right, and father and mother on the left; one brother on the right, and the other on the left. We see that then the same will happen to bosses and their subordinates; We see that the king will stand on the right, and his subjects on the left, and his subjects on the right, and the king on the left; princes, nobles and masters on the right, and their slaves and servants on the left, and slaves and servants on the right, and their masters, princes and nobles, on the left. We also see that the saints who are now imaginary and revered by people are on the left side, and imaginary sinners and despised by the world as the wicked will become on the right. The saints and righteous are on the right side; the sinners and the wicked will stand on the left side. Then everyone will know truth and untruth, virtue and sin, holy and unclean. For the trial will then be according to conscience, and not according to rank; by deeds, and not by persons, by internal, and not by appearance and appearance. For the judge will be God, who tests hearts and wombs and judges by the inside of the heart, and not by the outward appearance of deeds. Man looks at man's appearance, but God looks at man's heart. It often happens that a person is good before people, but evil before God; holy before people, but unclean before God; virtuous before people, but vicious before God. We see that those standing on the right side will shine like the lights of heaven: then the righteous will shine like the sun (Matthew 13:43). Those on the left side will turn black and appear in vile disgrace, since the sins that are hidden in them now will come out and create terrible disgrace in them. Then it will appear to the whole world what they did not only openly, but also secretly, and what thoughts and undertakings they had in their hearts. Then any ugliness of the soul that has stuck to it from sins will appear on the body of the sinner. So they will see their ugliness and the sinful abomination in which they lived in this world. We hear that then the righteous Judge will say to those on His right side: Come, you blessed of My Father, follow the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. And to those on the left he will say: Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25, 34 and 41). This is the lot of those who stand on the right and those who stand on the left! For a Christian, it will be sweet and joyful to hear: come, but it will be scary and sad to hear: go away from Me. But everyone, either this or that, will certainly hear the voice. The Last Judgment of Christ will end with the blessing of some and the curse of others. Then everyone, having heard the word spoken to them by the Judge, will go to their places, but different, they will go, but not the same. Some will go with joy, and gladness, and triumph into eternal life. Others cry, sob and despair - into eternal torment. And these will go into eternal torment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:46). Christians! This is the coming of our King Jesus Christ - let us prepare ourselves for a worthy meeting of Him. May our conversations be more often about that day. Let us also say to each other: “The King of Heaven is coming! The King of Heaven is coming to us! He comes to save the righteous and torment sinners. Will he come someday, at night or during the day, in the morning or in the evening, in what month, day and time?” His preachers know that they proclaim to us: “The King of Heaven is coming, the King of Heaven is coming, prepare to meet Him!” O dear evangelists, tell us when He will come to us? When will the righteous Sun appear to us? When will His lightning flash and illuminate the universe? When will His holy throne be set up for judgment and we will all see Him? He is coming soon, they answer us, he is coming soon and will not delay. the coming of the Lord is drawing near. Behold, the Judge stands at the door (James 5:8-9). But you do not know the day and hour at which He will come. Stay awake, because you do not know at what hour your Lord will come (Matthew 24:42). He who testifies to this says: Hey, I am coming quickly! Amen. Yes, come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22:20)! His [Jesus Christ] first coming was humble, the second was glorious. In the first he came to seek and save the lost (Matthew 18:11), in the second he will come to judge and reward everyone according to his deeds. In the first he came to call sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13), in the second he came to judge unrepentant sinners. In the first He showed us His mercy and love for mankind; in the second He will declare His truth. Christians, and especially in these last times... those living must expect the Second Coming of Christ every day and prepare themselves for it with worthy repentance. When the king of the earth wants to come to a city and the city knows about it, all citizens expect him and prepare themselves to meet and receive him. The Heavenly King, Jesus Christ, wants to come again, which He Himself, while living on earth, announced, and His servants, the holy apostles, preached to us, and the Holy Church expects this. So, Christians, as those who are aware of this coming of Him, must prepare to meet and receive Him and expect Him every day, because He will come unexpectedly, and even more so because He will not come as the first time He came - in humility and poverty, but will come in terrible glory. He will not come to live on earth, teach and suffer (this has already happened), but to judge and reward everyone according to their deeds. If an Angel came to us from heaven and told us: “Behold, in these days will be the coming of Christ,” how everyone would tremble and turn to true repentance! They would beware of everyone’s sin and would appease God with sighs and tears, and so on. But who knows how long the coming of Christ will continue? Maybe these days it will be. For no one knows God’s advice or definition. After all, it is said: be prepared, for at an hour you do not think the Son of Man will come (Matthew 24:44). Just as the prophets preached about the first coming of Christ, saying: “Christ will come, Christ will come into the world,” and Christ came when the time appointed for Him had come, so the church teachers preach about the Second Coming and say: “Christ will come to judge the living and the dead; will come to judge and appear unexpectedly, like lightning.” What fear and despair will sinners be in then, who now do not think about that terrible day and do not prepare for it with true repentance! So, beloved, let us think every day and prepare ourselves for the meeting of our Lord, for the day of the Lord is already near and will suddenly shine like lightning. I know what the Apostle wrote to the Thessalonians, saying: do not be in a hurry to be shaken in mind and be troubled either by the spirit, or by the word, or by the message, as if sent by us, as if the day of Christ is already coming (2 Thess. 2:2). But since that time, one thousand seven hundred and eighty years or more have already passed, as stated above. Therefore, after so many years have passed, we need to expect it soon and confess with the Apostle James: the coming of the Lord is drawing near; Here is the Judge standing at the door (James 5:8-9), and even more so when we already see that due to the increase of lawlessness, the love of many has grown cold (Matthew 24:12), and piety is trampled under foot, and wickedness is increasing more and more; the word of God is despised, and everyone is given almost nothing to vanity, and few people seek the salvation of the soul with a sincere heart. So, what can we expect in such circumstances if not that we will suddenly hear a cry: behold, the Bridegroom is coming, come out to meet Him (Matthew 25:6)? So, beware, beloved, of speaking in your heart and doing what is written about the evil servant: if that slave, being angry, says in his heart: my master will not come soon, and begins to beat his comrades and eat and drink with drunkards, then the master of that servant will come on a day on which he does not expect, and at an hour in which he does not think, and will cut him up, and subject him to the same fate as the hypocrites; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 24:48-51) - so that you will not suffer in the same way. And remove yourself from the scoffers described by Saint Peter, who say, “Where is the promise of His coming?” For ever since the fathers began to die, from the beginning of creation, everything remains the same... The Lord is not slack in fulfilling his promise, as some count slackness (2 Pet. 3, 4, 9). For when the wicked say, “Peace and safety,” then destruction will suddenly befall them (1 Thess. 5:3). But, according to the admonition of the Lord, let your loins be girded and your lamps burn. And we will be like people waiting for their master to return from marriage, so that when he comes and knocks, we will immediately open the door for him. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, finds awake (Luke 12:35-37). Let us write on our hearts the word of our Lord: be prepared, for at an hour you do not think, the Son of Man will come, Who says: Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to everyone according to his deeds (Rev. 22:12). The word of God is true and cannot lie. The Lord is coming, he is coming to judge, he is coming soon and will come when people do not expect, and His retribution is with Him, to reward everyone according to his deeds. And the more time increases from His first coming, the closer the second coming is to us; and the more we live, the closer we come to His universal Judgment; and today we are already closer to this day and hour than we were yesterday and the day before. Let us write this in our memory and prepare ourselves with true repentance. Let us hold fast the confession of hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Let us be attentive to each other, encouraging each other to love and good deeds. Let us not forsake meeting ourselves together, as is the custom of some; but let us exhort one another, and all the more as you see the Day of Judgment approaching (Heb. 10:23-25). So, let us repent, beloved, so that that terrible day may bring us sinners consolation, and not fear, horror, and despair. God now commands people everywhere to repent, for He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:30-31). From here the following consolation will follow: Christ the Lord will judge the universe, therefore God commands all people to repent, so that they can avoid that terrible saying of condemnation: Depart from Me, you cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels (Mor. 25:41). Let us turn, beloved, with all our hearts to God. Let us repent, and He will forgive us our sins, and we will avoid condemnation, and the Judgment of Christ will give us not fear and trembling, but consolation and eternal salvation. For Christ the Lord will not judge those who have sinned, but those who have sinned and unrepented, and will have mercy and save those who have sinned and repented. For this is why He came into the world, in order to save those who had sinned and repented—which is what I wish for myself and you.