Thursday. [II Thess. 2:13-3:5; Luke 13:1-9]

   Pilate mingled the blood of Galileans with their sacrifices—the Lord said: except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish; the tower of Siloam fell and killed 18 people—the Lord again said: except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. This gives an understanding that when some misfortune befalls others, we must not reason about why it happened, but rather look at ourselves and examine whether there are any sins on us deserving temporary punishment for the instruction of others, and hasten to wipe them out with repentance. Repentance cleanses sin and removes the cause which attracts a catastrophe. While a person is in sin, an axe is laid to the root of the tree of his life, ready to cut it down. It does not cut because it waits for repentance. Repent and the axe will be taken away, and your life will flow to its end in the natural order of things; if you do not repent—expect to be cut down. What man can know whether he will live to the next year? The parable about the fruitless fig tree shows that the Saviour prays that Divine justice spare each sinner in the hopes that he will repent and bring forth good fruits. But it sometimes happens that Divine justice no longer hears the intercessions, and perhaps He will only agree to allow somebody one more year to remain alive. How do you know, sinner, that you are not living your last year, your last month, day and hour?

Friday. [II Thess. 3:6-18; Luke 13:31-35]

   Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, the Lord said about Jerusalem. This means that there is a measure to God’s longsuffering. God’s mercy is ready to be eternally patient, awaiting good; but what should He do when we reach such disorder that helping us is pointless? This is why we are abandoned. So it will be in eternity as well. Everyone says, “God’s mercy will not allow people to be eternally outcast.” It does not want this; but what can one do with those who are filled with evil and do not want to correct themselves? They put themselves beyond the limits of God’s mercy, and are left there because they do not want to leave. Spiritualists have invented a great number of reincarnations as a means for cleansing sinners. But one who is defiled by sins in one incarnation may be the same in ten others, and then without end. As there is progress in good, so is there progress in evil. On the earth we see people embittered in evil—they could remain this way beyond the earth, and then forever. When the end to everything comes, and it will inevitably come, where is one to put those who are embittered in evil? Of course somewhere outside of the bright region determined for those who worked on themselves, for the cleansing of their impurities. This is hell! Would those who did not improve under the best of circumstances really improve under the worst? And if not, this is eternal hell! It is not God who is guilty of hell and the eternal torments in it, but sinners themselves. If there were no unrepentant sinners, there would be no hell. The Lord very much desires for there to be no sinners; it is for this that He came to the earth. If He desires sinlessness, this means, that He desires that nobody fall into eternal torments. Everything depends upon us. Let us agree and destroy hell with sinlessness. The Lord will be glad of this; He revealed hell so that everyone would be careful not to end up there.