By Nicholas Damascus | FāVS News
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Will I be reunited with family that pasted away earlier in heaven and will they remember me?
Eastern Orthodox Christians understand and perceive their faith and afterlife in a different light than our Protestant brothers. Many Protestants believe the purpose of their existence is just about obtaining a pass to enter Heaven.
Orthodox Christians believe they are on earth to become more like Christ, who embodies love and holiness. This self-transformation process, known as theosis, involves becoming more Christlike through divine grace and mercy.
In Eastern Orthodox theology, when a person departs this life, their soul enters an intermediate state of existence in either paradise or hades, as determined by the condition of their soul. The final destination of heaven or hell takes place on Judgement Day, which occurs at the end of time.
Here is how it breaks down:
According to Orthodox Christianity, the journey after death unfolds in distinct stages. Immediately after death, the soul separates from the physical body and enters a temporary state of existence in either paradise or hades. This transition is followed by what Orthodox tradition calls a “particular judgment,” where the soul experiences either paradise (a foretaste of Heaven) for those deemed righteous, or hades (a foretaste of Hell) for those who remain unrepentant or estranged from God. These are not necessarily literal places but spiritual conditions reflecting one’s relationship with God.
The Final Judgment occurs at the Second Coming of Christ, when the body is resurrected and reunited with the soul. The Fathers of the Church hold that heaven and hell are the same reality—the presence and love of God for His creation. As Psalm 139:8 states, “If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.”
God is everywhere present and fills all things; there is no divine absence anywhere in creation. For those who love God, his presence becomes heaven (full communion and deification with God), while for those who reject him, the same presence becomes Hell (experiencing the love of God as torment).
In summary, right after death, the soul enters either Paradise or Hades, but this is not its final destination. The soul remains in this intermediate state until the Final Judgment. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not teach immediate entrance into Heaven or Hell in the final sense.
Protestants cease to have any communication or connection with those who have departed from this earthly life even though, as Christians, we all are alive and eternally united in Christ (John 17:21).
Prayers for the departed and intercessory prayers have always been a practice of the Judaic faith and the Orthodox Church established by Christ and the apostles.
In the Orthodox faith, the bond of love between those who are present and those who departed exists and is upheld through mutual prayer for one another. Should a man who has prayed for his wife for 50 years stop praying for her after she has departed? Prayers for the departed help them; however, we don’t know how.
For the bereaved, weep, but do not despair; whatever you were previously to each other, you still are now. It is important to understand that those who have passed have merely entered another room. They will always be nearby, a prayer away, and forever close to all of you.
For the time being, the door is closed. But in God’s time that door will open again and you will greet your future meeting with unimaginable joy. Nothing will take that joy from you ever again.
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