And a little further: For this perishable must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. But when this perishable thing shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality, then shall be fulfilled the word which is written: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your sting? hell! Where is your victory? (53-55). Then the power of death will be completely destroyed, will disappear, and henceforth people will have immortality and eternal incorruption. There will undoubtedly be a resurrection of the dead, and we infallibly believe this. We also know that there will be punishments and rewards for earthly life on the day of the terrible coming of Christ, on which the flaming heavens will be destroyed and the elements will melt away. However, according to His promise, we look for a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:12-13).

As for the fact that there will be a reward or punishment for the deeds of this world, and that not only good or bad deeds will be taken into account, but also retribution for both word and thoughts, the Lord says: "And whosoever shall give one of these little ones to drink only a cup of cold water, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, shall not lose his reward" (Matt. 10:42). And in another place: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory; and all nations shall be gathered before him; and separate one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; And He shall set the sheep on His right hand, and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those who are on His right hand, Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink, I was a stranger, and you received me, I was naked, and you clothed me; was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to Me (Matt. 25:31-36). By this He expressed that by doing good deeds to the poor, we do Him good. Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father which is in heaven (Matt. 10:32).

With all these and many other words, the Savior expressed how strong and true are the rewards for good works. But, at the same time, the Lord foretold through His miracles and parables, which were spoken very wisely by the Source of wisdom, that there would be punishment for evil deeds.

For example, He said this in the parable of the rich man and the poor: "A certain man was rich, clothed in purple and fine linen, and every day he feasted magnificently. There was also a certain beggar, Lazarus by name, who was lying at his gate in scabs, and wanted to eat the crumbs that fell from the rich man's table; and the dogs, coming, licked his scabs. The beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and he was buried. And in hell, being in torments, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out, and said, Father Abraham! have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue, for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, "Child! remember that thou hast already received thy good things in thy life, and Lazarus evil; but now he is comforted here, and you suffer (Luke 16:19-25).

In another place, depicting the kingdom of heaven, He said: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king man, who made a wedding feast for his son" (Matt. 22:2). Speaking thus about future joy and light, Christ spoke to insignificant people, immersed in earthly cares, so in His parables He adapted Himself to objects that were close and understandable to them. Of course, in the kingdom of heaven there are neither marriages nor feasts, but the Lord condescended to their gross ignorance and, wishing to clarify the future life, used these names:

And he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, and they would not come. Again he sent other servants, saying, Say to those who are invited, Behold, I have prepared my supper, my calves, and what is fattened is slaughtered, and all is ready. Come to the wedding feast. But they, despising it, went away, some to their field, and some to their trade. And the rest, seizing his servants, insulted and killed them. When the king heard of this, he was angry, and sent his armies, and destroyed their murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, "The wedding tier is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy." Therefore, go to the highways, and invite all whom you find to the wedding feast. And those servants went out into the roads, and gathered together all that they could find, both the evil and the good, and the wedding feast was filled with those who sat at table. And the king went in to see those who were at table, and saw there a man not clothed in a wedding garment, and he said to him, "Friend, how did you come here not in a wedding garment?" He was silent. Then the king said to his servants, "Bind his hands and feet, and take him, and cast him into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 22:3-13).

Those who were called, but did not obey, are those who did not believe in Christ and either remained in idolatry or in some other faith. But he who did not have a wedding garment is one who believes, but has stained his spiritual garment with evil deeds; he was justly expelled from the wedding feast.

Christ also told another parable, similar to this, where He put forth ten virgins, who, taking their lamps, went out to meet the bridegroom. Of these, five were wise and five were foolish. The foolish took their lamps, and did not take oil with them. And the wise, together with their lamps, took the oil in their vessels, (here He understood under the oil the creation of good works). And when the bridegroom tarried, they all dozed off and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry: here comes the bridegroom, come out to meet him, (the arrival of the bridegroom means the uncertainty of the time of the Last Judgment). Then all the virgins arose, and straightened their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, Give us your oil, for our lamps are going out. And the wise answered, "In order that there may be no shortage both among us and among you, it is better to go to those who sell and buy for yourselves." And when they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the doors were shut. After that, the other virgins come and say: Lord! God! open to us. And he answered and said to them, "Verily, I say to you, I do not know you" (Matt. 25:1-12).

From all this it is clearly seen that retribution will be not only for deeds contrary to God, but also for words and thoughts. The Saviour said: "But I say unto you, that for every idle word that men speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment" (Matt. 12:36). And in another place: "And even the hairs of your head are numbered" (Matt. 10:30). With these words, He expressed that even our innermost thoughts and desires will be revealed.

Blessed Paul also says in agreement with this: "For the word of God is alive and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword: it pierces to the division of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from Him, but all things are naked and open in His eyes: to Him we will give an account (Hebrews 4:12-13). The same thing was proclaimed many years before him by the prophets, enlightened by the Holy Spirit: "For I know their deeds and their thoughts; and behold, I will come to gather together all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory. For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall always be before me, saith the Lord, so shall all flesh come before me to worship. And they shall go out, and see the carcasses of men who have departed from me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abomination to all flesh (Isaiah 66:18; 22-24). In another place this Prophet speaks of the Day of the Last Judgment: "And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll of a book, and all their hosts shall fall, as a leaf falls from a vine, and as a withered leaf from a fig tree" (Isaiah 34:4). Behold, the fierce day of the Lord comes, with wrath and burning fury, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it. The stars of heaven and the luminaries will not give light from themselves; the sun is darkened at its rising, and the moon does not shine with its light. And I will put an end to the arrogance of the proud, and I will destroy haughtiness (Isaiah 13:9). And again: Woe to those who draw iniquities upon themselves with the cords of vanity and sin, as with chariot straps. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who esteem darkness light and light darkness, who esteem bitter sweet, and sweet bitter! Woe to those who are brave in drinking wine and strong in preparing strong drink; who for gifts acquit the guilty and deprive the righteous of the lawful! (Isaiah 5:18-23). Woe to those who make unjust laws, and write cruel decisions, to remove the poor from justice, and to rob the rights of the weak of my people, to make widows their prey, and to rob the fatherless. And what will you do on the day of your visit, when destruction comes from afar? Who will you turn to for help? And where will you leave your riches? (Isaiah 10:13). For as the fire eateth up the stubble, and the flame destroyeth the hay, so shall their root decay, and their flower shall be scattered like dust, because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts, and have despised the word of the Holy One of Israel (Isaiah 5:24).

In accordance with this, another prophet says: The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and it is very hastening; the voice of the day of the Lord is already heard; then the bravest will cry out bitterly! The day of wrath is this day, a day of mourning and distress, a day of desolation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and mist, a day of trumpet and shouting against fortified cities and high towers. And I will afflict the people, and they will walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord, and their blood will be scattered like dust, and their flesh like dung. Neither their silver nor their gold can save them in the day of the Lord's wrath, and the whole earth shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for He will destroy all the inhabitants of the earth (Zeph. 1:14-18). The king and prophet David exclaims: Our God is coming, and not in silence: before Him is a consuming fire, and around Him is a mighty storm; He calls heaven and earth from above, He judges His people (Psalm 49:3-4). And further: Arise, O God, judge the earth. And the wrath of men shall be turned to Thy glory, for Thou shalt reward each one according to his deeds (Psalm 81:8; 75:11; 61:13).

Many other similar things were said by the Psalmist David and all the prophets, through whom the Holy Spirit spoke of the future Judgment and recompense according to works; the Saviour also confirmed their words without fail, teaching us to believe in the resurrection of the dead, and in the recompense for earthly life, and in the future immortal, eternal life."

Joasaph, hearing what was said, was all in tears. Then he said to the elder: "You have made everything clear to me, and I have understood your terrible and amazing words. If this is before us, then what must we do to escape the punishments prepared for sinners, and to be worthy of the joy of the righteous?"

Barlaam answered him: "It is said in the Scriptures that when once the Apostle Peter was teaching the people, many were broken in their hearts, just as you are today. When they asked Him what we should do, Peter said: "Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Spirit. For the promise belongs to you, both to your children, and to all that are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call (Acts 2:38-39).