The National Herald published its quarterly Religion & Spirituality insert in its June 20-26 edition. We asked our contributors to tell us if they believe heaven and hell exist and, if so, what are they? The following article was included in the insert. Below, Raphael Masterjohn, lay preacher for over half a century, talks about the final judgment, when the dead will be resurrected and divided like sheep and goats regarding their final destination.
By Raphael Masterjohn
God is the only immortal One and is not the creator of death. Death or mortality is a penalty and the result of violation of the law against the sin of disobedience, which results in death. God is the Source and Creator of all life, and of all that exists, but his highest and greatest creation is man destined to become His image and likeness and live forever. Anyone on earth who is seeking immortality will find it only in Jesus Christ and His holy Body, the Church He built upon a rock.
MORTALITY
If they lack belief in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, even millions of scientists will never solve the problem of immortality. For they fail to recognize that Jesus Christ, is the only Immortal One, the source of immortality, and the source of all knowledge and immortality. Only from Him can scientists begin to understand the problem of immortality and a second life and mortality or death, for this is a spiritual subject. The certainty that they cannot possibly succeed in solving this problem is that they are unaware that the Source of life Jesus Christ came into the world for this very reason, to solve the same problem for which they are seeking a solution. More than this, the Godman has
already permanently solved the problem of mortality, because He alone is the immortal Source of all life.
By His sacrifice of death on the Cross, Christ destroyed mortality’s power and trampled down death putting death to death, granting life to those in the tombs. Scientists who are seeking the end of death ought to stop searching, lest they look foolish searching for what is already found, and available to the entire human race. Christ and His Body, the Orthodox Church, is the source of immortality, the same treasure they are seeking. The immortal Christ is Orthodoxy’s Head and the immortal Holy Spirit is its Guide.
THE GREAT INVITATION
Expressing these facts will not cause the masses to rush to Christ to acquire the immortality He offers, because it requires on their part, sincere, faithful repentance, and the decision to confess their sins and stop sinning, because sin is the deadly poisonous cause of mortality as the Lord legislated saying to Adam: “On the day you eat (sin) you shall surely die.” The word sin in the Biblical Greek is amartia, which means “to miss the mark,” our proper destination. To come to Christ requires repentance, confession, and faith in the true God who created all. Christ offers everyone this blessed invitation. “Come unto me you that are heavily laden and you will find rest for your souls…Whoever comes to me I will not cast out.”
HEAVENLY JOY
Christ’s offer brings genuine joy to the believer, for everything He teaches is for our ultimate benefit. He teaches, for example, that meekness is better than anger, humility is better than pride, holiness is better than vileness, faith is greater than unbelief, hope is much better than despair, love beats envy, and joy is preferable to sorrow. This is what humanity hungers for and needs, in order to be genuinely happy and to stop killing each other.
THE LAST JUDGMENT
Whether man believes or not does not alter the fact that Christ warned us about the fearful day of judgment when the dead shall be resurrected and be divided like sheep and goats for judgment.
The judgment and its results is permanent, and there is no turning back, for it does not exist in time but in eternity where time ceases. He also warned that few would find the narrow way that leads to eternal life. The following is a description of the last judgment, and resurrection as seen in a vision of Saint Nephon the Ascetic: “The archangel was holding the trumpet to sound it loudly…with the first blast all the bodies of the dead were raised. With the second sound the spirit of the Lord again restored the souls in the
dead bodies. Awe and horror seized the universe. The celestial and the terrestrial trembled. And then the third and most terrifying trumpet call resounded, which shook all the world. What a fearful sight! They surpassed the sand of the sea in number. At the same time, like dense rain, the angelic armies descending from Heaven toward the Throne of preparation shouting: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Powers, the whole earth is full of fear and trembling.’”
THE “ENDARKENMENT”
For thousands of years the world in general believed in God. While a few worshiped him properly, others worshiped false gods. Public discussions were common regarding death and life after death.
The populace was not atheistic because they reasoned rightly and believed in God, as Creator of everything that exists. During the historical period (1650-1800) better named “endarkenment,” misnamed by historians as “the enlightenment,” man elevated himself above God bringing on the folly of humanism, elevating man above God. Many of the “enlightened” decided that there was no God, no judgment, no life after death, and that man could do anything, even study the universe and figure out the material source of everything including life and the universe. They attempted to accomplish this by ridding themselves of God. How sad that many of their distorted ideas have perverted the minds of millions and darkened the hearts of men in our modern materialistic world, who recognize only matter that perishes, rather than spirit, which never perishes.
HEAVEN
Does everyone go to Heaven when they die? According to the Godman Christ, who will judge all men, more will be condemned than saved, because they will not repent. Also, Heaven is conditional and not open to the unconcerned masses but to those who keep the Lord’s commandments. Christ says: “Narrow and restricted is the way that leads to life and few there be who find it…If you love me, keep my commandments.” These words coming from He who is the supreme authority, so how can a creature contradict or judge God the Creator? When Jesus says, I am the life, we need to listen; when He says, I am the Truth, we need to listen, for Christ alone is the only Life and Truth. If we look elsewhere we will remain in darkness. But how we approach Christ is critical for He laid down rules.
CHRIST’S RULES
When He began preaching, His first words were: “Repent for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Repentance means changing the way we reason about everything, and is a necessary condition for forgiveness of sins. Sinners men must sorrowfully repent, confess and rid themselves of sins. As soon as they do so they will receive everything from the kind and generous God! Not only that which their souls desire but much more, for everything is promised to those who struggle to acquire sinlessness.
Every sin violates the law of God and is harmful to man.
HEAVEN AND EARTH
In Heaven everything is pure and undefiled for it is the abode of the righteous angels and men and the throne of God. There are no similarities between earth and Heaven buy an infinite difference, The earth is a place where believers prepare, are sanctified and wage a battle against pernicious sin which plagues the human race. But the kingdom of Heaven is the glorious and victorious goal where crowns are awarded. “Each man will be judged for what he has done.” The delights and joys of Heaven are
expressed by St. Paul who ascended and came back telling us that what he saw was beyond description. It is not a place where we will meet our relatives or old friends or social acquaintances.
We do not know whether they or we will deserve the joys Heaven. Scripture says: “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” The fact is the pure in heart have become holy and sinless. To enter the kingdom Heaven requires truth and struggle, not possible without prayer, fasting and almsgiving. We cannot know if we or our relatives will be worthy, for it is Christ who will judge us.
Without truth and the proper path, the kingdom of Heaven is inaccessible. Christ also qualifies who will enter Heaven. Christ does not say that everyone will go to Heaven, but on the contrary He says: “Broad and wide is the way leading to destruction and many are they that go that way.”
HEAVEN AND GEHENNA
Concerning the idea of burning in Hell, a phrase Orthodox usually do not use, but some people imagine a fire and a torturing God, but God is not a torturer, for He is good, compassionate, and the only Lover of man. He is just and gives each person what they deserve. What is Hell? The word used in Scriptural Greek is Gehenna and refers to a permanent prison of misery and torment, the greatest misery being the awareness of God’s love but the inability of men to receive that love, which will torment them. Sin will also cause torment, though it may seem sweet for a season, and will cause separation from God. Torment is not derived from God’s anger but from man’s sin, and the sinful character he acquired while in the world, which in the next life will torment him.
GOD’S JUSTICE AND MERCY
God is just and His justice is perfect, and must give each what they deserve. God is merciful and His mercy extends to the repentant ones. All men are offered His mercy, available through no one but Christ. One thing is certain: Heaven is beyond our expectations with joy, exaltation, happiness and life that will never end, but Hell or Gehenna, a place of unending torment, of body and soul of the unrepentant sinner. No one can adequately describe the torment of Gehenna but the prudent will want to escape its severe punishment.
ONLY WAY TO ACCEPT CHRIST
Some say that they cannot accept Christ intellectually so how can they be blamed? The answer is that Christ does not send His message to intellectuals (like the Scribes and Pharisees) and the righteous, but to sinners who confess their sins. His message always is to repent, for this is the only way to reach Christ and receive His salvation and great mercy. Christ seeks the heart of man, out of His great love for man and approaches the whole man through his intellect and heart. We must open
our hearts to Christ, love and obey Him and keep what He says is the greatest commandment, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and all your soul, with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself. Christ loves us, and to gain eternal life we must return our love to Him. The love of this world is the biggest stumbling block to the kingdom of Heaven, so we must make a choice. Those who are unable to believe are hypocrites and those who love the world, and that is why the Apostle John says: “He who loves the world hates God.” By world, it does not refer to world God created, but the love of material things and the spirit of the world’s inhabitants, which includes, love of pleasure, barbarism, crime, idolatry, fornication, adultery, robbery, stealing, cheating, false witness, drunkenness, etc. It is the love of sinful creation instead of the Creator.
As no one can be saved without Jesus Christ whom God the Father sent into the world, so no one can be saved without His holy Orthodox Church which the His Son established in the world. This unique and only Church, is now almost two-thousand years old, and like its Head, is both divine and human and the treasury of immortal life.
Raphael Masterjohn was ordained a lay preacher by Archbishop Michael, and is editor and publisher of: Canons of the Church: the Rudder.
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