HEAVEN AND HELL

HEAVEN AND HELL

The River of Fire is "an all-consuming fire and an illuminating light"

Upon Christ's Second Coming, everyone who has ever lived will see Him in His uncreated light, forever. For "those who worked good deeds in their lifetime will go towards the resurrection of life, while those who worked evil in their lifetime will go towards the resurrection of judgment (John.5:29)". All will be separated at the moment of the final judgement, with the good experiencing paradise as exceedingly good, and radiant, while those who have rejected His love, and whose lives ended without repentance, will look upon Christ as hell, the "all-consuming fire" spoken of in Hebrews 12:29.

It is from Christ's Second Coming that the river of fire will flow forth. For the saints this river of fire will be a golden light, encompassing them as an eternal joy. Whereas, for the demons and the unrepentant, it will be as a burning hell fire. For this is the very reason we read in Luke 2:34, that Christ is "as the fall and the resurrection of many".

For those who reject the healing that has been offered, Christ will be their hell, their separation from the eternal bliss.  For the saints, Christ will be their resurrection into eternal life. This is why Saint John of the Ladder wrote that the uncreated light of Christ is "an all-consuming fire and an illuminating light". This is why we say heaven and hell are not about location, but about our relationship with God. Heaven and Hell are within the same realm, which is in the presence of God.

With love in Christ,

Abbot Tryphon

Photo: Left to right: Monk Nicodemus, Hieromonk Paul, Abbot Tryphon, Monk Martin, and Monk Peter.