What do the Church Fathers say about the troubles on the Day of Judgment that will befall the wicked who refuse to return to God?

St. Augustine says:

“The Judge here shall be the Son of Man; here shall That Form judge which was judged. Hear and understand: the Prophet had said this already, ‘They shall look on Him whom they pierced’ (Zech. 12:10; John 19:37). That Very Form shall they see which they smote with a spear. He shall sit as Judge, Who stood at the judge’s seat. He shall condemn the real criminals, Who was made a criminal falsely. He shall come Himself, That Form shall come … For they who were to be judged were both good and bad. ‘But blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matt. 5:8). It remained that in the Judgment the Form of the servant should be manifested both to good and bad, the Form of God be reserved for the good alone.”¹²⁷¹

“When is He to manifest Himself to them that love Him? After the resurrection of the body, when ‘the ungodly shall be taken away that he see not the Glory of God.’ For then ‘when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is’ (1 John 3:2). This is life eternal.”¹²⁷²

“… and that it is not permitted to the wicked to see God — for ‘blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God’ (Matt. 5:8).”¹²⁷³

“Then there will be an open separation; a distinguishing of life just as of the character, a separation as there is in wisdom, so also will there be in bodies. They that have done well will go to live with the angels of God; they that have done evil, to be tormented with the devil and his angels … Then He will manifest Himself, as He has promised to manifest Himself to them that love Him. For ‘he that loves me,’ says He, ‘keeps my commandments; and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him’ (John 14:21).”¹²⁷⁴

And St. Cyril of Alexandria says, “and Him Whom these wretched beings ridiculed, as they saw Him hang on the precious cross, they shall behold crowned with godlike glory, and in just retribution of their wickedness towards Him, shall fall into the pit of destruction.”¹²⁷⁵

1271 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament Sermon 77.10 (NPNF I/6:489–490).

1272 St. Augustine of Hippo, Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament Sermon 77.13 (NPNF I/6:490).

1273 St. Augustine of Hippo, Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John Tractate 19.16 (NPNF I/7:129).

1274 St. Augustine of Hippo, Lectures or Tractates on the Gospel According to St. John Tractate 19.18 (NPNF I/7:130–131) amended.

1275 St. Cyril of Alexandria, A Commentary upon the Gospel According to St. Luke: Part II , trans. R. Payne Smith (Oxford University Press, 1859) 145: p. 681.