Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus Christ "was taken up into
heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God" (Mark 16:19), thereby
glorifying human nature, restoring the likeness of God to humanity
and preparing an eternal place for His People.
Christ's Second Coming
In the Creed, we proclaim that Jesus Christ "will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead..." and "to save those who are
eagerly waiting for Him" (Hebrews 9:28). At His Second Coming, the
good and the evil alike will be raised from the dead and judged by
Christ:''...those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and
those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment''
(John 5:29).
HEAVEN AND HELL
While we believe in the existence of heaven and hell, we do not look
upon them as physical places. The Holy Fathers teach us that
- For those who love God, heaven is eternal existence in His loving presence. God is their ultimate desire and, consequently, their reward as well. Since, for most of us, our love for God is far from perfect, His love for us and the continual prayer of the Church refines and purifies our love, making us ever more able to find all our joy in Him.
- For those who hate God, hell is also eternal existence in His loving presence but, according to Saint Isaac of Syria, they "will be chastised with the scourge of love. How cruel and bitter this torment of love will be. The sorrow which takes hold of the heart which has sinned against love is more piercing than any other pain. For the evil, "eternity of hell" is not the deprivation of the love or presence of God but rather the torment of eternal existence in the presence of a Love which is unwanted, rejected and despised.
THE CRITERION UPON WHICH CHRIST WILL JUDGE US IS LOVE!
Our capacity to love others is based on our acceptance of God's love, for He is Love itself. Christ commanded us to love God above all else and to share God's love with others. Upon this we will be judged.
God's all consuming love, then acts in two ways. It is
- the eternal fulfillment and joy of the blessed
- the eternal suffering and condemnation of the wicked
THE SECOND COMING
Oh, what a day that will be when the Lord presents us with the reward of faith and devotion! What will be that glory, and how great will be the joy of being admitted to the sight of God! To be so honored as to receive the joy of eternal light and salvation in the presence of Christ the Lord, your God; To greet Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the patriarchs, apostles, prophets and martyrs...in the delight of the immortality that will be given! To receive there what eye has not seen nor ear heard, what has not entered into the heart of man!
--Saint Cyprian of Carthage
