The Terrible Judgement – Father Gavril Galev
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In the Creed, we confess that Christ will come again. He came once as a servant, as an ordinary man, and the second time He will come as the King of Glory, as the Judge.
God created us in His divine image and likeness and granted each of us the freedom to decide how we will live, what the quality of our life will be, and how we will direct our lives. Especially for us Orthodox Christians, He has given the fullness of the gift of the Holy Spirit, providing the most favourable conditions for our spiritual growth and advancement – but with that also comes the greatest responsibility.
The quality of our life depends on our decisions and actions, and according to them, the Lord will judge us. Where we will stand on Judgment Day – on His left or right side – whether we will enter the eternal communion with God, prepared for us since the beginning of creation, or be cast into the eternal torment prepared for the demons, depends greatly on us. The way we have lived, the deeds we have done, will determine our eternal destiny.
Nothing on earth is eternal; everything is temporary. Every person will face death, and as Scripture says, the earth will be burned, and there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and our life will take on a new quality (becoming a fully spiritual existence). God did not create anything to perish, especially us, whom He made in His image and likeness – He created us for eternal life. This is the truth: God created man for eternal life and eternal joy, which comes from communion with Him and His full-of-grace energies.
After the fall, death became a necessity. God does not want evil to rule or exist forever. Therefore, every person will experience death, and after death comes judgment. This is inevitable and should always be in our minds. This is why the very wise St. Basil the Great said that remembering death is the greatest philosophy, the greatest wisdom in this world. The problem arises when we forget about death, consider ourselves immortal, and become blinded and consumed by earthly pleasures – deceptions that lead us downward rather than upward on the spiritual path toward perfection in Christ. Instead of growing spiritually, we descend, becoming like irrational beasts (livestock) – or worse, even like demons.
The coming judgment will be a judgment of truth. On earth, we might hide some of our actions, deceive others, or manipulate, but in heaven, the God-Man Himself, the Truth, will judge us. Therefore, we must be mindful of how we live. The way we treat our neighbours, especially the weak, the neglected, and even our enemies, will determine our judgment. Love is the criterion by which we will be judged. The question will be: Did we have love, or did we lack it?
In this Gospel event, the image of a shepherd and his care for his flock is used. Just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (since goats are stubborn, disobedient, and harmful to their surroundings, while sheep are meek and peaceful), in the same way, there will be a separation in the Kingdom of Heaven. After death, there will be no mixing between the good and the evil. Those who did good deeds will stand on Christ’s right side, while the wicked will be cast away into eternal darkness, separated from Christ’s love. Then we will hear either:
“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world,”
or:
“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his (fallen) angels.”
The Lord identifies Himself with every person, especially with the weakest, the most disreputable, the powerless, and the suffering in this world. How we treat them is, in fact, how we treat God. Christ says:
“I was hungry, I was thirsty, I was a stranger, I was naked, I was sick…”
And those who have helped these suffering ones have, in reality, done good unto Christ Himself. By doing so, they have ensured their place at the right hand of God. Fulfilling God’s commandments and living virtuously brings us closer to God, filling us with love, joy, grace, and divine communion. This is participation in God’s nature in His Heavenly Kingdom.
Yet again, those who do not do good deeds have no part in Christ and will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. We have countless opportunities in life to help the sick, the weak, the poor, yet if we do nothing, that too is a sin. Many may say, “I have no sin; I have not done anything bad,” but have they done any good? Neglecting to do good is also a sin. It is natural for our nature to do good deeds, to be kind as our Heavenly Father is kind. But due to our self-love, self-indulgence and selfishness we often fail to act. Worse still, when we harm others – be it through words, actions, or even thoughts – we show that our hearts are filled with malice, anger, hatred, contempt, and high opinion of ourselves. These sins become a second nature to us, and logically, on the Final Judgment, such people will stand where the evil demon stands. This is why the Lord says to them:
“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his (fallen) angels.”
We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that we will suddenly change overnight while continuing to live irresponsibly and with bad habits. Remember the parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus. When the rich man asked for his wicked brothers to be warned, the Lord answered:
“They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.”
God requires us to concretely perform good deeds. There will be no miraculous transformation, as if with a magic wand, so that we immediately transfigure from bad to good. There will be no change without making an effort.
The Lord gives us the opportunity – which is through His grace that we essentially receive at baptism, and later through repentance and a virtuous life in obedience to God’s commandments, especially in regard to love. This can be achieved through natural means by way of our own choosing, whether we wish to move towards God and do good, or whether we will be lazy and malicious and thereby deprive ourselves of it.
Notice that in the Holy Gospel the same question is asked by the righteous and the wicked, as if it hidden from their eyes so they cannot see; “Lord, when did we (or, did we not) do this?”
Those who have done good deeds their deeds are concealed from them by God’s grace so that they do not lose the reward which is gained by their deeds. They see themselves as humble and unworthy, knowing that every good thing comes from God through His grace and do not attribute it to themselves. They do not seek praise or recognition – it is simply their natural way of life, empowered by God.
By doing good to others, we ultimately do good to ourselves. No good deed is ever hidden from God. It may go unnoticed temporarily, but God remembers it eternally.
Father Gavril Galev
Abbot of the Monastery “St. Clement of Ohrid”,
Kinglake, Melbourne, Australia
23 / 02 / 2025
