The Terrible Judgement – Father Gavril Galev
Posted By Macedon on February 27, 2025

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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.
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