Death is an inevitable destiny. However, after death, there is a new life waiting for us in a new realm. Second, it is in our current life that we prepare for this life to come. Our current life is where we prepare for the new life to come.
At the moment of our death our soul separates from our physical body. This separation involves a struggle as our soul and body were created together as one, resulting in resistance during separation. Once separated the soul crosses over to an unknown realm, and it needs to know where to go and who to follow. The soul wonders, “Who will guide me?”
This new journey initially involves an ordeal. The soul carries with it any passions that were not tamed while united with the body, and it now faces opposing forces. On the one side are the demons who have tempted us in our earthly life, and on the other are the angels who want to lead us towards heaven. Since the soul still has a free will, it must chose who to follow. Will the temptations of the demons look more appealing than the uncreated light of Christ and heaven? The Divine Liturgy is a taste of Heaven, so reflect on how you view your love of the Divine Liturgy compared to the activities of daily life. If the Divine Liturgy is not your preference, then you may not prefer to follow the angels who want to lead you to the heavenly kingdom. If you don’t eagerly seek to participate in the Divine liturgy, then you will most likely not like heaven.
This ordeal is referred to as the particular judgment, which many claim is a self-imposed judgment based on the purity of our soul and its inclinations. At this time, everything that is part of the nature of our soul will be revealed, including our sinfulness. Nothing will be hidden. Most importantly, will we know God? Will our soul have a virtuous nature from our love of Him? Will we know our guardian angel or seek the protection of the Theotokos? Or will we be tempted to follow the demons who have nurtured our earthly passions? These forces will pull us back and forth. The ordeal will end as we wait for the Final Judgment by Christ based on our willful choice, either to enter a state of blessedness anticipating to enter His kingdom, or a state separated from God, tormented by our passions that cannot now be fulfilled. This is the judgment Paul refers to when he says, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb 9:27).
If we do not know God now, how will we know him after our death? How will He know us? If we know Hm and have developed a personal loving relationship with Him, we will not have any fears knowing that He is all-merciful and that the Theotokos will protect us. We will willingly follow the direction of our guardian angel. The Church was established by Christ and His Apostles, so we could develop this necessary relationship with God. This is the aim of the Orthodox way of life and all its sacraments and ascetic practices. If we have not engaged in this synergistic effort with God, we will be left in what the saints call darkness as we enter this new realm. We will not know the way nor who to follow. We may even fear the divine light and try to avoid it.
Next will come the moment of the Final Judgment by Christ Himself. This occurs with the His second coming. This will be a sudden event where Christ appears in all His glory for the universal resurrection. Scripture tells us it will be universal and simultaneous; solemn and open; strict and terrible, final and definitive; determining for all eternity our fate (Matt 25:31-46). This is also when we will be united with our bodies. But what will they be like?
According to 1 Corinthians 15:53, our new bodies will be transfigured. They will be "Spiritual, heavenly, without bodily needs, like angels" as mentioned in Luke 20:36. The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:37-38 uses the analogy of a seed to explain this mystery saying, “What you sow is not the body which is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or other grain. But God gives it a body as He has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body." Our new bodies body will be different in that they will be immortal but will still be recognizable as affirmed by St. John Chrysostom who writes, “There is an identity shared between the body that died and the body that will be resurrected." St. Cyril of Jerusalem describes it this way, “The body after putting on incorruption is “changed” as iron, which comes into contact with fire “becomes fire.” ...The body is changed “as the Lord who resurrects it knows."
In 1 Cor 15:44 Paul further explains that our bodies will be transformed from spiritual to spiritual and we will become like angels while retaining or personhood. however, if our knowledge of God is limited to mental conceptions only, we will not truly know Him. To know God, we must have a personal experience with Him and cultivate a loving personal relationship. If you we not feel you have this relationship with Him, then we must recognize our poor condition, seek help and take action to establish this relationship.
Remember, not everyone will be accepted into heaven. Jesus tells usin Matthew 7:21-23, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied thy name... cast out demons... done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
Saint Porphyios advises, “We must not approach Christ out of fear of how we will die and of what will become of us. Rather, we must open out hearts to Him, as when we tug at a window curtain and the sun immediately shines in. In this way Christ will come to us, that we might truly love Him. This is the best way.”
To prepare for what is to come, we must act on the imperatives of an Orthodox way of life. We should pray daily and fast, go to church regularly, read the Bible daily, engage in discussions with other pious people, simplify our lives, be generous with alms, and repent. These practices will help us to grow in our faith and develop a deeper relationship with God.
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