Questions
Copy these questions into an email, provide brief answers, and send to Fr Charles who will comment on them. After you have received you comments, then you can go onto the next lesson.
PDF of Sides
Questions for Lesson 14: Death and Final Judgment
This chapter invites us to face life’s ultimate realities—death, judgment, and eternity—not with despair, but with spiritual awakening and hope. Orthodox Christianity teaches that death is the separation of soul and body, followed by judgment based on our relationship with God. The fear of God is not terror, but a reverent awareness that leads us to repentance, humility, and deeper communion with Christ. Through watchfulness, remembrance of death, and life in the Church, we are prepared for eternal life, learning to transform fear into love and to live each day with eternity in view.
I. Awakening and the Fear of God
1. What is meant by “awakening grace,” and how does the fear of God help awaken us to our spiritual condition and our need for salvation?
2. Why is the fear of God not terror of punishment, but reverent awareness of our separation from God and our longing for union with Him?
II. Death and the Spiritual World
3. How does Orthodoxy understand death, and why is it described as the separation of soul and body rather than the end of existence?
4. What happens to the soul after death, and what is meant by the Particular Judgment?
III. Judgment and Eternal Destiny
5. What do Scripture and the Church teach about the Final Judgment and the universal resurrection of the dead?
6. How do the parables of Lazarus and the Rich Man and the Talents show that our relationship with God must be established before we die?
IV. Paradise, Hell, and Life in the Church
7. How does Orthodoxy understand Paradise and hell in relation to our communion—or lack of communion—with God?
8. Why do the Fathers teach that the Church and Divine Liturgy are “Paradise on earth,” and how does life in the Church prepare us for eternal life?
V. Repentance and Preparation
9. Why are remembrance of death, watchfulness, and humility essential for spiritual growth?
10. How does repentance (metanoia) prepare us for death and judgment, and why is it described as a lifelong journey rather than a one-time act?
VI. Living with Eternity in View
11. How should awareness of death and judgment reshape our priorities, relationships, and daily spiritual life?
12. What practical steps can you take now to deepen your relationship with Christ and live with readiness for eternity?
Integrative Reflection Question
13. How does keeping death, judgment, repentance, and God’s mercy before us help transform fear into love and motivate a deeper commitment to living in communion with Christ?