In secundum domini adventum

On the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and on the Saying, "We shall all stand before the tribunal of Christ, and each will give an account of himself to God." 1. I thought I had said to you yesterday some great and extraordinary things; for indeed they were great by nature, and surpassing all reason. But nevertheless, what has been said today has such an excess over those things as those things had over our own. And yet I did not think they had any excess; but nevertheless, what was read today, when it came, appeared much more brilliant than those. And what are the things read today? That we shall all stand before the tribunal of Christ; for it is written, "I live, says the Lord, that every knee will bend to me, and every tongue will confess to God." Therefore each of us will give an account of himself to God. See, he did not simply say, "Each will worship," but also "Each will confess," that is, will give an accounting of his deeds. Therefore, O man, be always anxious, seeing the common Master sitting on the tribunal, and do not split and divide the Church, breaking away from grace; for Christ will demand an account from you and from the whole human nature. And lest it seem that we say these things purposely to frighten you, from the present sequence he again holds to the same subject, saying: "Let us no longer judge one another, but rather judge this: that one not place any obstacle or scandal before his brother." And this is no more for that one's sake than for this one's.

Therefore it can be fitting for both: for the perfect man who is scandalized by the observance of foods, and for the imperfect man who stumbles at the severe rebuke. But consider, beloved, how great a punishment we shall pay who simply cause scandal. For if, where the action was unlawful, because of untimely rebuke, he prevented this from happening, so that the brother might not be scandalized and stumble, when we, even while correcting, scandalize someone, what are we worthy of? For if not saving is a charge (as the one who buried the talent shows), what does scandalizing not produce? What then, if someone, he says, is scandalized from within, being weak? For this very reason it would be just to endure everything. For if he were strong, he would not need so much care; but now, since he is more imperfect, for this reason he requires great diligence. Let us therefore provide him with this, and support him from all sides. For we shall give account not only for our own evils, but also for those whom we scandalize. And if those accounts are severe in themselves, when scandals are added, when shall we be saved? For let us not think that if we find partners in sin, we shall have a defense; this will become an addition to our punishment; since the serpent was punished more than the woman; just as the woman was punished more than the man, and Jezebel paid a more severe penalty than Ahab who seized the vineyard.

And you, therefore, when you become the cause of destruction to others, will suffer more grievously than those who have been tripped up by you. For sinning is not so ruinous as also leading others into it; therefore he says, "They not only do it themselves, but also consent to those who do it." So when we see some sinning, let us not only not push them, but also draw them up from the pit of wickedness, lest we ourselves undergo the penalty for the destruction of others. But let us return to the subject at hand. "For all," he says, "shall stand before the tribunal of Christ and give account to God." What then shall we do, who willingly betray ourselves in sins? What comfort shall we have? What consolation? How shall we propitiate the fearful judge? With how much shame shall we be filled, seeing before our eyes our own impieties? Yet if we now wish to rouse ourselves to what is pleasing to God, we shall be able both to wash away all that has been sinned and to escape those fearful judgments. This will be so if we continually remember the departure of our body from here; for he says, "Remember your last things, and you will not sin for eternity." Then let us call to mind the fearful tribunal of Christ, in which all things are naked and exposed to his eyes—things in word, things in deed, things in thought; then the river of fire, the unbreakable bond, the lightless darkness, the gnashing of teeth, the venomous worm, that day—painful for sinners, but bright and pleasant for those who have accomplished works of righteousness.

But there are some people so filled with folly that they consider the divinely inspired Scriptures false and allegorize the justice of God. For I have heard certain lovers of sin, held fast by great pleasure, saying such things as this: "God," they say, "threatened these things to frighten men; for it could never be that He, being merciful, would punish anyone, especially those who have come to know Him." So listen, you who have lost your hearts, you who are persuaded by the suggestion of the hater of good, who rejoices in your destruction. For in order that we might not, through fear, change ourselves to a virtuous life and flee the torments of punishment, he has led us into this fearlessness, so that, having been careless here, we cast ourselves into the very depths of Hades. Tell me, then, you who declare God a liar, who consider the holy Scriptures mere empty words and not truth, what do you think, O foolish ones? Is not that rich man punished, who overlooked Lazarus? Are not the foolish virgins cast out of the bridal chamber? Do not those who did not nourish Christ go into the fire prepared for the devil and his angels? Is not the one clothed in filthy garments, bound hand and foot, cast into the fire? Is not the one who demanded the hundred denarii handed over to the torturers? Is what is said about adulterers not true, that "their worm will not die, and their fire will not be quenched"? Or are these only threats? Yes, they say. And from where, tell me, wretches, do you dare to declare such a thing, bringing from yourselves this unjust verdict?

I, however, will attempt to prove the opposite, both from what Christ said and from what he did. For if we do not believe concerning the future punishments, let us at least believe from those that have already happened; for the things that have happened and come to pass are not merely threats and words. Who then flooded the entire inhabited world in the time of Noah, and wrought that terrible shipwreck, and caused the total destruction of our entire race? Who again after that let loose those thunderbolts and those fiery bolts upon the land of Sodom? Who submerged all of Egypt? Who laid low the six hundred thousand in the desert? Who consumed the congregation of Abiron? Who commanded the earth to open its mouth and swallow up those around Kore and Dathan? Who struck down the seventy thousand in a single moment in the time of David? Who put to death the one hundred eighty-five thousand in a single night in the time of the prophecy of Isaiah? Shall I also mention those punished individually: Cain, handed over to perpetual punishment; Charmes, stoned together with his entire race; the one who suffered the same for gathering wood on the Sabbath; the forty-two children in the time of Elisha who were devoured by wild beasts, receiving no mercy even because of their age? And if you wish to see such things also after the grace, consider how much the Jews suffered, how their own children devoured

their wives, some roasting, others consuming in other ways; how they were handed over to incurable famine, and to diverse and grievous wars, so as to surpass all previous tragedies by the excess of their own calamities. For that Christ wrought these things upon them, hear him foretelling these things, both through parables and clearly and openly: through parables, as when he says, "But those who do not wish me to rule over them, bring and slaughter them," and through the vineyard, and through the marriage; and clearly and explicitly, as when he says threateningly, that "They will fall by the mouth of the sword, and there will be a constriction upon the earth of nations, in the distress of a roaring sea and surge, men fainting from fear," and "There will be such affliction as has never happened before, nor ever will." And Ananias and Sapphira, for the theft of a few silver coins, what punishment they paid, you all know. Do you not see the daily calamities, how many we suffer while sinning? Or have these not happened? Do you not see even now those wasting away from famine, those seized by elephantiasis and bodily mutilation, those living in perpetual poverty, those suffering countless incurable and grievous things? How then could it be reasonable that some are punished and others are not? For if God is not unjust—as indeed he is not unjust—then surely you too will pay the penalty when you sin; but if, because God is benevolent, he does not punish, then neither should these have been punished. But now, because of your cold words, God punishes many even here, so that when you do not believe the words of the threat, you may at least believe the deeds of the punishment.

And since ancient things do not frighten us as much, what happens in each generation corrects those who are negligent at the time. 3. And why does he not punish everyone here, one might say? So that he may give others a deadline for repentance. Why then does he not punish everyone there? So that many may not disbelieve in his providence. How many robbers have been caught, while others have gone away without paying the penalty? Where then is the philanthropy of God and his just judgment? It is for me to ask you this. For if no one at all were punished, I would have recourse to this argument; but when some pay the penalty and others do not, even though they commit worse sins, how could it be reasonable that the same crimes do not have the same punishments? And how would those who have been punished not seem to be wronged? Why then, he says, are not all punished here? Listen to him defending himself to you about these matters. For when some died from the collapse of a tower, he said to those perplexed about this: Do you think that these alone are sinners beyond all others? No, I tell you; but if you also do not repent, you will all perish like them; thus he exhorts and teaches us not to be confident when others have paid the penalty, while we, having committed many offenses, have not paid; for if we do not repent, we will certainly pay. And how, he says, are we punished eternally, having sinned here for a short time? Just as here a man who commits a single murder in a brief moment of time is condemned to the perpetual misery of the mines. But God does not act this way, he says. How then did he keep the paralytic in such punishment for thirty-eight years?

That he punished him because of his sins, hear what he says: "Behold, you have become healthy; sin no more, lest something worse happen to you." But still, he received release, one says. But the things there are not like that. That those things will never have release, hear him saying, "Their worm will not die, and their fire will not be extinguished," and, "These will go into eternal life, and these into eternal punishment." If then the life is eternal, the punishment is also eternal. Do you not see how many things he threatened the Jews with? Did the threatened things then come to pass, or were the words spoken in vain? And again, "Not a stone will remain upon a stone." Did it remain? And what of when he said, "There will be a tribulation such as has never happened before"? Did it not happen then? Read the history of Josephus, and you will not even be able to breathe when you hear what they suffered in those events. For he says that those terrors surpassed every tragedy, and that no war ever overtook a nation like that. I say these things not to grieve you, but to secure you, and so that, having charmed you excessively, I might not prepare you to endure more severe things. For why, tell me, do you think it right to be punished when you sin? Did he not foretell everything to you? Did he not threaten? Did he not frighten? Did he not do countless things for your salvation? Did he not bestow the bath of regeneration and remit all former things? Did he not, after this remission and the bath, and the help from repentance, give again to you when you sin? Did he not make the path easy for you even after this, of the remission of sins?

Listen, then, to what he commanded. "If you forgive your neighbor, I forgive you," he says. What difficulty does this involve? Judge the orphan, and do justice to the widow, and come, and let us converse, he says, and if your sins are like scarlet, I will whiten them like snow. What labor does this involve? "You speak first," he says, "of your sins, so that you may be justified." What difficulty does this involve? Redeem your sins through almsgiving. What sweat is this? The publican said, "Be merciful to me, the sinner," and he went down justified. What toil is it to imitate the publican? But do you not wish to be persuaded, even after so many proofs, that there is punishment and retribution? Then you would not say that the devil is punished. For "you go," he says, "into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." For if there is no Gehenna, then he is not punished; clearly we who perform his works will not be punished; for we too have disobeyed, even if not in the same things. But how do you not fear, O man, speaking boldly, when you say, "God is philanthropic, and does not punish"? And if he punishes, according to you is he found no longer philanthropic? Do you see into what words the devil leads you? What then? Will the monks who have occupied the mountains and displayed countless asceticism in mountains and caves and the holes of the earth depart uncrowned? For if the wicked are not punished, and there is no recompense for anything, another will perhaps say that neither are the good crowned. "No," he says, "but this is fitting for God, that there be only a kingdom with him, and no Gehenna.

Therefore, will the fornicator and the adulterer and the one who has done countless evils enjoy the same as the one who has shown temperance, holiness, self-control, and every angelic way of life? If there is no Gehenna, but there will certainly be a resurrection, then the wicked will obtain the same goods as the righteous. And who would say this, even among those who are utterly deranged? Or rather, what demon would say this? But even the demons themselves confess that Gehenna exists; for this reason they cried out, saying, "Have you come here before the time to torture us?" How then do you not fear and tremble, O man, when the demons confess, but you deny it? How do you not see the teacher of these wicked doctrines? For the one who deceived man from the beginning, and by the promise of greater hopes cast him out of the goods at hand, is the same one who now suggests these things to be said and thought; and for this reason he persuades some to suspect that Gehenna does not exist, so that he may cast them into Gehenna. For God, on the contrary, threatens Gehenna, and has prepared Gehenna, so that we, learning this, may live piously, so as not to fall into Gehenna. Yet, if Gehenna exists, and the devil persuades you of these things, how would it be, if it did not exist, that the demons confessed it, for whom it is a matter of great concern that we suspect nothing of the sort, so that, becoming more careless through impunity, we may fall with them into that fire? And how, he says, did the demons confess then? They could not bear the necessity imposed upon them. Therefore, considering all these things, let those who say these things cease deceiving both themselves and others. For God, it is said, will come manifestly, our God, and he will not be silent.

Fire will burn before him, and a fierce whirlwind will surround him. Fire will go before him, and it will flame around his enemies. And who are the enemies of God, if not the fornicators, the adulterers, the men who lie with men, the effeminate, the idolaters, the covetous, the drunkards, the perjurers, the murmurers, the wrathful, the resentful, the proud, the boastful, those disobedient to their parents, the merciless? To all these, on the fearful day of the common resurrection, the judge commands, saying, "Go from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." 4. But if we will pay the penalty for these things that have been said, much more will those who mock the fearful and dreadful commandments of Christ give account at that terrible tribunal, and who relax the tension of many who wish to be zealous, and who do not even imitate the barbarian Ninevites. For they, although inexperienced in all these things, when they heard that the city would be destroyed, not only did they not disbelieve, but they groaned, and put on sackcloth, and were confounded; and they did not desist from doing everything until they had appeased the wrath and indignation of God. But you, the Christian, who have received such experience of deeds and words, do you despise the things said by Christ? Therefore, the opposite will befall you.

Just as the Ninevites, frightened by the words, did not endure the experience of the deeds, so also you, despising the threat from words, will undergo the punishment from deeds. Do you not see what Christ did here? How, taking two thieves, he did not deem them worthy of the same, but led one into a kingdom and sent the other to Gehenna? And what do I say, a thief and a murderer? He did not even spare his own disciple, when he became a traitor, but even seeing him rushing toward the noose, and being strangled and burst in the middle (for he burst in the middle, and all his entrails were poured out); yet he allowed him to suffer all these things, persuading you from present events also concerning all things there. Do not, therefore, deceive yourselves, men, being persuaded by the devil; for these thoughts are his. For if judges and masters and teachers, both gentle and barbarous, honor the good and punish the evil, how could it be reasonable that with God the opposite should happen, and that the good and the evil should be deemed worthy of the same? And when will the evil ever cease from their wickedness? For when they now expect punishment, and in the meantime have such fear from judges and laws, and yet do not desist from wickedness; when they go there and lay aside this fear, and not only do not fall into Gehenna, but also obtain a kingdom, when will they, being wicked, stop? Is this, then, tell me, an act of philanthropy—to increase wickedness? to set a prize for evil?

to deem the self-controlled and the licentious, the faithful and the impious, the merciful and the inhuman worthy of the same? For if God cares nothing, neither when we sin nor when we do right, then perhaps there is some reason to say that there is no punishment. But if God takes such care that we do not sin, and contrives so much that we fulfill the commandments, it is evident that He punishes those who sin and crowns those who do right. Now consider with me the inconsistency of the many. Here they accuse God because He often shows forbearance and overlooks many who are polluted, licentious, greedy, and not paying the penalty. There again, if He threatens to punish them, they are vehement and severe in their accusations. Yet if this grieves them, they ought to accept and admire that. But oh, the folly! Oh, the irrational and shameless opinion! Oh, the sin-loving and pleasure-loving soul inclined toward evil! For all these doctrines are born from great love of pleasure. For if those who say such things were willing to take hold of virtue, they would quickly be persuaded about Gehenna and would not dispute it. And where, they say, and in what place will this Gehenna be? For what

Do you care about this? For the matter under investigation is to show that it exists; but where it is stored, and in what place, do not seek. For some, mythologizing, say that Gehenna is in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which was said concerning some past war. For in the Valley of Jehoshaphat, with a just judgment, punishing his enemies, he utterly destroyed them, whose weapons sufficed for burning for seven years for those dwelling in Jerusalem. And now they drag this to Gehenna; but Scripture does not say this. And in what place, it says, will it be? Somewhere outside, as I think, of this whole world. For just as the prisons and mines of kings are set far apart, so also outside this inhabited world somewhere is Gehenna. Therefore let us not seek where it is, but how we may flee it; nor, because God does not punish everyone here, should we for this reason disbelieve in the things to come; for He is benevolent, and is patient; and for this reason He threatens for the time being, and does not punish immediately. For He says, I do not desire the death of the sinner, so much as that he should turn and live. But if there is no death of the sinner, what is said is superfluous.

5. And I know that nothing is less pleasant to you than these words; but to me, nothing is sweeter than them. For I wish we were always and continually speaking about Gehenna—while eating breakfast, while dining, while bathing! For then we would not be pained by the terrible things here, nor would we take pleasure in the good things. For what terrible thing can you name to me? Poverty, disease, captivity, blindness of the body? But all these are laughter compared to the punishment there. Even if you speak of those tormented by hunger throughout their lives, even if you speak of those maimed from earliest youth and begging, these are luxury compared to those evils. Therefore, beloved, let us constantly turn these words over in our mind and on our tongue; for remembering Gehenna does not allow one to fall into Gehenna. Do you not hear Paul saying, "Who will pay eternal penalty from the face of the Lord"? Do you not hear what Nero became, whom Paul also calls a mystery of the Antichrist? For "the mystery," he says, "of lawlessness is already at work." What then? Will Nero, who punished Peter and Paul, suffer nothing? Will the Antichrist suffer nothing? Will the devil suffer nothing? Then the Antichrist and the devil will never cease from evil, not being punished. Yes, someone says, but that there is punishment and Gehenna is clear to everyone; only the unbelievers will fall into it. Why, tell me? Because, he says, the faithful have recognized their own Lord. And what of that? For when life is impure, they will pay a greater penalty than the unbelievers because of this. For "as many as have sinned lawlessly," it says, "will also be destroyed lawlessly.

and those who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law; and, "The servant who knows the will of his master and does not do it will be beaten many times." But if there is no life in which to pay the penalty, but these things are said simply, then even the devil will not be punished. For he knows God, and much more than men; and all the demons also know him, and tremble, and acknowledge him as judge. If, then, there is no life in which to render account, nor of evil deeds, these too will escape. These things are not so, they are not so; do not deceive yourselves, beloved. For if there is no Gehenna, how do the apostles judge the twelve tribes of Israel? How does Paul say, "Do you not know that we judge angels?"—let alone worldly matters? And how again did Christ say, "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment and condemn this generation"? and, "The land of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more tolerable on the day of judgment"? Why, then, do you play with things that are not to be played with? Why do you deceive yourself and mislead your soul, O man? And why do you oppose the philanthropy of God? For it is for this reason that he has prepared Gehenna and threatened, so that we might not fall into it, becoming better through fear. Therefore, he who abolishes the discourse concerning these things does nothing else, without realizing it, than thrust himself into Gehenna and cast himself in through this deception. Do not, then, loosen the hands of those who strive for virtue.

of those who labor, nor increase the idleness of those who sleep. For if the many were persuaded that there is no Gehenna, when will they desist from evil? And where will justice appear? I do not speak of sinners and the righteous, but of sinners and sinners. For this reason one was punished here, while another who committed the same sins, or even much graver ones, was not punished. For if there is no Gehenna, you will be able to offer no defense for these things to those who accuse. Therefore I exhort all of you, having ceased from this satanic laughter, to silence those who argue with you about these matters. For there will be an exact examination even of the smallest things in sins and in good deeds. For we will pay the penalty for licentious eyes, for an idle word, for disorderly laughter, for simple abuse, and for an evil thought; and we will undergo punishment for drunkenness; just as, on the other hand, in good things we will receive reward for a cup of cold water, for a good word, and for a mere sigh. For it says, "Place the sign on the face of those who sigh and grieve." How then do you dare to say that God, who examines our affairs with such precision, has threatened Gehenna simply and in vain? Do not, I implore you, do not, I beseech you, destroy yourselves and those who are persuaded by you with these empty hopes. For if you disbelieve our words, examine the Jews, the Greeks, all the heretics, and all will answer as with one voice that there will be judgment and retribution. But are not men sufficient? Ask even the demons themselves, and you will hear them say, "Why have you come here before the time to torment us?

And having gathered all these things together, persuade yourselves not to speak in vain; so that you may not learn of Gehenna through experience, but, being disciplined here, you may be able to escape those torments and attain the future goods, by the grace and love for humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and power, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever. Amen.