Cyril
of Jerusalem
Lecture 15, Part C
“I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit, and then, I saw in a vision of the night, and behold one like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven….” — Daniel 7:9-14
Summary: St. Cyril completes his discussion of the future with observations about the last judgement: assurances of God’s mercy, the necessity of good works, God’s spotlight on Man and mankind, the separation of sheep and goats, the certainty of everlasting fire, and Christ’s endless kingdom. Guard this trust that you may inherit the [eternal] kingdom of heaven.
Preview: 23. “Be of good
courage, O man; the Judge is no respecter of persons; He will not judge according to a man's appearance, nor reprove
according to his speech. He honors not
the learned before the simple, nor the rich before the needy. Though thou be in the field, the Angels shall
take you; think not that He will take the landowners, and leave you the husbandman. Though thou be a slave, though thou be poor, be
not any whit distressed; He who took the
form of a servant[i]
despises not servants. Though thou be lying
sick in bed, yet it is written, Then
shall two be in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other left.[ii] Though thou be of compulsion put to grind, whether
thou be man or woman; though thou be in fetters, and sit beside the mill, yet He
who by His might brings out them that are
bound,[iii]
will not overlook you. He who brought forth Joseph out of slavery and prison to
a kingdom, shall redeem you also from your afflictions into the kingdom of heaven.
Only be of good cheer, only work, only strive earnestly; for nothing shall be lost.” Every deed, good or bad is recorded; “now after
having been baptized; for your former [evil] deeds are blotted out. 24. The
number of human beings that have ever lives is very large; this number is
minuscule compared to the number of Angels: yet, God poured out his love
through One and for one mankind. “Thousand
thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before
Him.”[iv] “So there will be present at the judgment
in that day, God, the Father of all, Jesus Christ being seated with Him, and the
Holy Ghost present with Them; and an angel's trumpet shall summon us all to bring
our deeds with us. Ought we not then from this time forth to be sore troubled? Think
it not a slight doom, O man, even apart from punishment, to be condemned in the
presence of so many. Shall we not choose rather to die many deaths, than be condemned
by friends?” 25. “Let us dread then, brethren, lest God condemn
us; who needs not examination or proofs, to condemn.” For: “your thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing, in the day when God shall
judge the secrets of men.”[v] “For neither does the Father judge any man,
but he has given all judgment unto the Son.”[vi] “And
before Him shall they gather all nations.”[vii] “He shall separate them one from another, as
the shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”[viii] “But God forbid that any here present should be
cast out from grace, or for evil deeds be found among the ranks of the sinners on
the left hand!” 26. “Terrible in good truth is the judgment, and terrible
the things announced. The kingdom of heaven
is set before us, and everlasting fire is prepared. How then, someone will say, are we to escape the
fire? And how to enter into the kingdom? I was
an hungered, He says, and you gave Me
meat. Learn hence the way; there is here
no need of allegory, but to fulfil what is said. I was an hungered, and you gave Me meat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me
drink; I was a stranger, and you took Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was
sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came unto Me.[ix] These things if you do, you shall reign together
with Him; but if you do them not, you shall be condemned. At once then begin to do these works, and abide
in the faith; lest, like the foolish virgins, tarrying to buy oil, thou be shut
out. Be not confident because thou merely
possessest the lamp, but constantly keep it burning. Let the light of your good works shine before
men[x],
and let not Christ be blasphemed on your account. Wear thou a garment of incorruption, resplendent
in good works; and whatever matter you receive from God to administer as a steward,
administer profitably.” “For to this end
Christ both died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and living.”[xi] 27. “And
should you ever hear any say that the kingdom of Christ shall have an end, abhor
the heresy; it is another head of the dragon, lately sprung up.” “For he has not listened to the Lord, saying,
The Son abides forever.”[xii] “He has not listened to Gabriel, saying, And He
shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no
end.”[xiii] “I saw in a vision of the night, and behold, one
like the Son of Man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days
... And to Him was given the honor, and the dominion, and the kingdom: and all peoples,
tribes, and languages shall serve Him; His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
which shall not pass away, and His kingdom shall not be destroyed.”[xiv] 28. “David
also says in one place, Your throne, O
God, is for ever and ever; and in another place, You, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth… they
shall perish, but You remain... but You are the same, and Your years shall
not fail: words which Paul has interpreted of the Son.”[xv] 29. “And
would you know how they who teach the contrary ran into such madness? They read wrongly that good word of the Apostle,
For He must reign, till He has put all
enemies under His feet.”[xvi] 30. “They
have also dared to say that the Scripture, When
all things shall be subjected unto Him, then shall the Son also Himself be
subjected unto Him that subjected all things unto Him — that this Scripture
shows that the Son also shall be absorbed into the Father.” 31. “What
is the meaning of “until” or “as long as”? For with the very phrase will I close with them,
and try to overthrow their error. Since they
have dared to say that the words, till He
has put His enemies under His feet, show that He Himself shall have an end,
and have presumed to set bounds to the eternal kingdom of Christ, and to bring to
an end, as far as words go, His never-ending sovereignty, come then, let us read
the like expressions in the Apostle: Nevertheless,
death reigned from Adam till Moses. Did
men then die up to that time, and did none die any more after Moses, or after the
Law has there been no more death among men?”
32. Take again another similar text. For
until this day ... when Moses is read, a veil lies upon their
heart.[xvii] Does until
this day mean only “until Paul”? Is it not until this day present, and even to the end?” “For it is written, His kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom.” 33. “And though I have many more testimonies out of
the divine Scriptures, concerning the kingdom of Christ which has no end forever,
I will be content at present with those above mentioned, because the day is far
spent. But you, O hearer, worship only Him
as your King, and flee all heretical error.”
“May the God of the whole world keep you all in safety … unsubdued by Antichrist
… the Deceiver … you have received the proofs of the true Christ…. Flee therefore … the False one; and look for the
other, the True. You have learned the way,
how in the judgment you may be found among those on the right hand; guard that which is committed to you[xviii]
concerning Christ, and be conspicuous in good works, that you may stand with a good
confidence before the Judge, and inherit the kingdom of heaven….”
