The Mystery of Death: A Temporary State of Anticipation

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.

+

THE MYSTERY OF DEATH: A TEMPORARY STATE OF ANTICIPATION

+++

The condition in which the soul enters and lives directly after its separation from the body is called the Middle State by the God-bearing Fathers; this will continue until the Final and General Judgment of mankind to be enacted by the Savior Christ. It is so called because the soul does not receive its full and complete recompense, neither of virtue nor of evil. The soul exists there in a temporary state of anticipation, awaiting the great, glorious, fearful and terrible Second Coming of the Lord. There, in its temporary state, the soul experiences a foretaste of the blessedness of Paradise or of the punishment of Gehenna. The full and definite recompense will be given to it on the day of the General Judgment.

In the familiar Parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus, the Lord shows the rich man beseeching Abraham to send Lazarus to the home of his father. I have five brothers, says the rich man; send Lazarus to confirm for them as an eye witness all that is happening here after death, so that they may not come here to this place of torment and punishment that I am in (St. Luke 16:28). From these comments it is clear that "the judgment of the rich man took place immediately at his death", while his brothers were still living. This is "a proof that the Lord accepts a temporary judgment immediately after the death of each person, which is distinguished from the Final and Universal Judgment." (Π. Ν. ΤΡΕΜΠΕΛΑ, Υπόμνημα εις το κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον, (Commentary on the Gospel of Luke), ed. "Sotir", Athens, p. 487).

 Saint Athanasios teaches that the righteous after death experience "a partial enjoyment", while the sinners experience "a partial punishment". Sometimes a king invites friends to dine with him and other times orders that convicted persons be punished. While the friends await with joy before the palace for the time of the dinner, the convicted, locked up in the prison, "are in sorrow" until the judge arrives to punish them. This analogy helps us to understand how the souls of the righteous and of the sinners who have departed from this world before us actually live. [SAINT ATHANASIOS THE GREAT, To Antiochos the Ruler, Question 20, ΒΕΠΕΣ 35. 105(24-35).

Eugenios Voulgaris, interpreting in Genesis (Genesis 40) the dream which the chief butler and the chief baker of the Pharaoh had in prison and which Joseph explained to them, writes:

"Many seek to find out and they ask us things about the dead. Before the end of the world comes, what will be the condition of the souls of those who lived righteously and of those who lived sinfully? As our Orthodox Church teaches the former are not yet introduced into the perfect blessedness, nor are the latter relegated to the fearful and horrible Gehenna of hell. And I suggest that the condition of the chief butler and chief baker, whose dreams Joseph interpreted in prison, is an image which symbolizes satisfactorily the condition in which the souls exist, both of the righteous and of the sinners, before the final day of judgment comes! Let us suppose that both of these prisoners believed unhesitatingly and without the least doubt that exactly what Joseph foretold will indeed take place. How do you suppose that they passed those three days until the day to celebrate the king's birthday came? What was their spiritual disposition? It is natural that the one, the chief butler, should believe that he is already in the palace, even though he was still in prison. But the other, however, the chief baker, saw prison as the place of his condemnation and of his future execution. The resolute and certain hope of a future enjoyment and expected good things is a blessedness in itself. While the undoubted expectation of most bitter sufferings and fearful punishments, which await us, is a real hell" (ΕΥΓΕΝΙΟΥ ΒΟΥΛΓΑΡΗ. ΄Αδολεσχία Φιλόθεος (4), Απόδ. Θεοδο. Σπεράντζα (Adoleshia Philotheos (4) by Theod. Sperantzas), έκδ. Περιοδ. "ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ", Athens 1962, p. 176).

Saint John Chrysostom writes that in the Middle State the pious soul awaits "uncrowned", because it will be crowned by the Judge together with the body, when it will be resurrected from the dead at the General Resurrection. Referring to the word of Saint Paul, "All these...", that is, the righteous of the Old Testament, who did not enjoy the promise of a heavenly inheritance, "that apart from us they should not be made perfect" (Hebrews 11:39-40), Saint John Chrysostom observes:

"Those righteous men, even though they received a laudatory witness for their faith, have not yet enjoyed the blessings of eternal life; they are waiting for us. And he adds: Can you understand, my brothers, what an important thing it is for Abraham and for Saint Paul to be awaiting also for you, when you will be perfected, so that all may be crowned together? Are you worried and impatient because you have not yet received the reward from God? But then what must the righteous Abel do who was victorious in the struggle for virtue first among men and who still awaits without having been crowned? What about the righteous Noah? And what about all the others in the time of the Old Testament who await for you and for all those who will come after you? We Christians have an advantage over them, since the time of anticipation of the 

heavenly prizes will be for us a shorter one" (JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, On 1 Corinthians, Homily 39,3 PG 61, 335-336. On Hebrews, Homily 28, 1 PG 63,192).

Saint Cyril of Alexandria observes that according to the Sacred Scripture the definitive judgment will take place "after the resurrection of the dead". Since Christ has not descended yet from heaven for the Second Coming, "neither has the resurrection occurred, nor has the recompense for deeds follow either".

The souls, therefore, in this Middle condition who have departed from here unrepentant, as they consider their deeds on earth, are censured and condemned bitterly by their conscience. The temporary pleasure of sin which they experienced here is long lost. There only the bitterness remains, the repugnance and shame of impiety. At the same time, in this lamentable condition they receive also the threats of the dark and malevolent demons who find pleasure in the misfortunes of people. On the contrary, the souls that have departed in repentance are gladdened with the good hopes of an endless blessedness and the inexpressible delight of eternal Paradise. (Source: The Mystery of Death by Nikolaos P. Vassiliadis)

(To be continued)

+++

____________________

"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!'--Saint John Chrysostom

+++

With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George