THEOSISGregory the Great
Suddenly, they perish, and the people shall bow down at midnight, and they vanish away (Job 34:20). Yet, a considerable amount of time may elapse before the unrighteous leave this world, but their departure occurs abruptly, in a moment, as they fail to anticipate their end and prepare for it through contemplation. That moment arrives unexpectedly for anyone who hasn’t contemplated it in advance. The wealthy man is seized unexpectedly, leaving behind the luxurious mansions he had built for himself, only to find himself in a place of torment that he had never sought. He invested his soul in one pursuit, only to lose it in another through judgment. His attention was fixed on one goal during his life, yet he received an entirely different outcome at death.
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He abandoned those temporary concerns he had long cherished and inherited eternal realities that he had not desired. Consequently, because of this profound ignorance, Divine judgment rightly declared, “Thy soul shall be taken from thee this night” (Luke 12:20). That soul, snatched away in the darkness of night, was lost in the blindness of its own heart. The individual was taken unaware in the night who neglected to embrace the illumination of contemplation to foresee potential suffering. The Apostle Paul aptly instructs his disciples who contemplate future matters: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that this day should overtake you as a thief. For ye are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-5). Death seizes in the night when the souls of the foolish are dismissed, who do not consider what lies ahead. Therefore, it is also proclaimed here: "And men shall bow down at midnight, and they fade away.” They bow down at midnight and depart, those who are humbled and overtaken by the darkness of their negligence. Then they will finally bow before the judgment of the Judge, to whom they currently refuse to submit with a contrite heart. Conversely, the chosen bow willingly in humility to avoid being compelled against their will by death. Hence, it is affirmed regarding the Holy Church concerning the transformation of her persecutors’ children: "The sons of them that afflicted thee shall bow down before thee” (Isaiah 60:14).
It is accurately stated of those who perish that they “shall vanish,” rather than “pass away,” for while we live, we continually come to an end and traverse through this life, leaving an imprint along the way. Each day we live brings us one step closer to the appointed destination, and each passing year diminishes the remaining time of our lives, rendering it smaller and smaller until it disappears entirely. The first man was created to remain unshaken as time passed, for he did not journey with it. As moments slipped away, he remained unchanged and, hence, did not reach the end of his life simply by the passing of days. His firmness increased the more he held fast to the One who is eternally the same. However, after he disobeyed and ate from the forbidden tree, contravening the command of his Creator, he began to move forward with time. The loss of his immutability in an immortal state led him to be engulfed in the flow of mortality. It was only by advancing from youth toward death that he recognized what he had been when he stood still. Because we are his descendants, we inherit this sorrow from our origins. As his offspring, we share in the journey of his life. From the moment of our birth, each passing moment diminishes us, shortening our existence, as the span of our lives contracts with every day, even as we might perceive that our lives are lengthening with each passing day. From our very beginnings, we gradually move towards the threshold of death with the progression of our days. Therefore, it is aptly said of those who die, that they do not merely pass away, but truly disappear. They are present only in life, but they vanish in death.
This is illustrated further: “And they shall be taken away without hand” (Job 34:20). This suggests they shall be removed by Divine judgment. Those who have acted with cruelty by their own choices shall be taken away without hand, as they will be silently and violently snatched away by sudden death, even while they may have intended malice towards others in life. They may have experienced the people they harmed, but they remain oblivious to death's approach. The cruel are removed without a hand since they do not see who takes them, but they are nonetheless propelled onward. The harsher the punishment, the longer they have lived steeped in sin, as God’s retribution for the sinner tends to intensify with the accumulation of unrepentant acts. Meanwhile, as Divine mercy lingers over sinners, they often sink even deeper into spiritual blindness. Thus it is written: “Knowest thou not that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” (Romans 2:4-5). Observe how a violent man may mock the defenseless, oppress the weak, and indulge all his sinful cravings without immediate consequence because punishment is deferred until the very end, leading him to believe that his vile actions go unnoticed by God.