PEOPLE CALLED TO COURT - St. Tikhon of Zadonsk [for Judgment Sunday]

 

St. Tikhon of Voronezh, Wonderworker of Zadonsk

PEOPLE CALLED TO COURT

    You see people who are being called to court. Note what they are doing. They make themselves ready, think, compare, consult and seek advice from people skilled in the ways of the courtroom. They often spare no expense, so that they may not be ashamed at their trial and be condemned. You see, O beloved Christian, how the sons of this age act: what the shame and fear of temporal punishment do to them, how it touches their hearts, to what care, effort, and labour it motivates them!

    Let this occasion move you to remember the judgement of Christ that will take place.  Christ will call all of us to His judgement: He hath appointed a day, in which He shall judge the world in righteousness; [Acts 17:33] He has prepared His throne for judgement. [Ps. 9:7 LXX]  For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. [2 Cor 5:10] God has hidden from us when that judgement will take place, so that we may always be ready and expect it every day. It is near, the day of the Lord is at hand. [Rev. 1:3, 22:10, Isa. 13:6, Joel 1:15, James 5:8-9] The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. [2 Pet. 3:10] For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them. [1 Thess. 5:3] But as the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so also shall the coming of the Son of man be. [Matt. 24:27-39]

    So if people prepare so much for the human judgement, as you can see, then how much should we prepare, who are expecting at any hour to appear before the judgement of God, and we know neither the day nor the hour when that Judge will come and call us to judgement. If shame that will take place before a few people embarrasses a man so, then how much will that shame embarrass us, which will take place before the entire world, before all angels and men! If the fear of temporal punishment shakes the hearts of men so, then how much more should the fear of eternal torment shake them! For every temporal punishment, however great and lengthy it may be, shall pass. The eternal punishment has no end, and having once begun, it never ends.

    You see how cunningly people prepare themselves for the human judgment. It is not so with God’s judgement. The human judge does not know what goes on with all people, and judges by what he sees and hears. He often passes judgement while respecting persons, and gifts can achieve much with some judges. God is not that sort of Judge. He knows not only our external deeds and words, but also the thoughts of our hearts. Therefore, He has no need of witnesses or accusers of human sins, but He Himself will accuse the sinner: I will reprove thee, and set thine offences before thee. [Ps. 50:21 LXX] He does not respect any persons, neither rich nor poor, neither master nor servant, judges all according to their deeds, not according to their person.

    Therefore the preparation for His judgement should not be the same as the one for human judgment. How should it be? Ahead of time and before He calls us, we must humble ourselves, admit our sins and guilt before Him, and indicate ourselves from the heart as deserving of every punishment. We must promise to serve Him henceforth in faith and righteousness, stand steadfast in this, and so await His mercy without doubt. It is for this reason, that the most merciful God declared His righteous judgement that is to come: so that we may repent, and having repented, would escape condemnation. That righteous Judge will condemn not those who have sinned, but those who have sinned and have not repented.

    This occasion and meditation exhort you, O Christian, to cease from sins, to begin a new God-pleasing life, to be steadfast in it with God’s help, so that you may be made worthy to stand at his right hand with His chosen sheep at His glorious advent. Do not look at today’s world, which is living in foolish fearlessness and destructive carelessness, so that you may not perish with it.