Biblical sources The
doctrine and
iconographic depiction of the Last Judgment are drawn from many passages from the
apocalyptic sections of the Bible, but most notably from Jesus' teaching of the
narrow gate in the
Gospel of Matthew and in the
Gospel of Luke.
Salvation and damnation In Christianity, there are three main beliefs about who will be saved (go to heaven) and who will be damned (go to hell) on Judgment Day. All three beliefs are based on biblical interpretation and Christian tradition. Some Christians who believe in universal salvation say most people and angels will go to heaven on Judgment Day. Some Christians who believe in double predestination say most people and angels will go to hell on Judgment Day. Other Christians who disbelieve in universal salvation and double predestination say the number of the saved and of the damned on Judgment Day is unknown.
Catholicism '',
Sistine Chapel by
Michelangelo (1536–1541) , Czech RepublicCatholic doctrine distinguishes between the
particular judgment immediately following death and the general or Last Judgment at the end of human history. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, each soul appears before the "tribunal of Christ" to receive an immediate sentence based on their faith and works. This results in one of three states: immediate entrance into the
beatific vision of Heaven; a period of purification in
Purgatory for those who die in God’s grace but still bear temporal punishment for sin; or eternal damnation in
Hell for those who die in a state of unrepented mortal sin. The Last Judgment follows the
general resurrection, the belief that all the dead will rise with their bodies reunited to their souls (John 5:28–29). Catholic tradition teaches that Christ will return in glory to sit in judgment over all nations (Matthew 25:31–32). In this public manifestation, the "secrets of all hearts" are revealed, and the justice of divine providence is fully vindicated before the world. The separation of the "elect" from the "reprobate" is traditionally illustrated by the parable of the sheep and the goats: • The Righteous: Those who practiced faith informed by charity (specifically the corporal and spiritual works of mercy) are invited to "possess the kingdom." • The Damned: Those who rejected God’s grace through grave sin and a lack of charity are consigned to "everlasting fire" (Matthew 25:33–41). While the Church emphasizes the necessity of
supernatural faith, the Last Judgment focuses heavily on
acts of charity. Christ identifies himself with the "least of these," making service to the hungry, naked, and imprisoned the primary metric for the final verdict. Theologians such as Thomas Aquinas describe the resurrected bodies of the elect as possessing four qualities:
impassibility (freedom from suffering),
luminosity (radiance),
agility (freedom from physical restraint), and
subtlety (complete subjection of the body to the soul). Conversely, the damned suffer
eternal punishment of both soul and body without the possibility of annihilation. Following Matthew 24:36, the Church teaches that the exact timing of the Last Judgment remains a divine mystery known only to God the Father. This event is viewed as the consummation of the work of
creation and
redemption, where God's mercy and justice reach their ultimate fulfillment in the closing of human history.
Eastern Orthodoxy from Lipie. Historic Museum in
Sanok, Poland. The
Eastern Orthodox Church teaches that there are two judgments: the first, or particular judgment, is that experienced by each individual at the time of his or her death, at which time God will decide where one is to spend the time until the
Second Coming of Christ (see
Hades in Christianity). This judgment is generally believed to occur on the fortieth day after death. The second,
General or Final Judgment will occur after the Second Coming. Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that salvation is bestowed by God as a free gift of
divine grace, which cannot be earned, and by which forgiveness of sins is available to all. However, the deeds done by each person are believed to affect how he will be judged, following the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. How forgiveness is to be balanced against behavior is not well-defined in scripture, judgment in the matter being solely Christ's. Similarly, although Orthodoxy teaches that sole salvation is obtained only through Christ and his Church, the fate of those outside the Church at the Last Judgment is left to the
mercy of God and is not declared.
Lutheranism Lutherans do not believe in any sort of earthly millennial kingdom of Christ either before or after his second coming on the last day. On the last day, all the dead will be resurrected. Their souls will then be reunited with the same bodies they had before dying. The bodies will then be changed, those of the wicked to a state of everlasting shame and torment, those of the righteous to an everlasting state of celestial glory. After the resurrection of all the dead, and the change of those still living, all nations shall be gathered before Christ, and he will separate the righteous from the wicked. Christ will publicly judge all people by the testimony of their faith – the
good works of the righteous in evidence of their faith, and the
evil works of the wicked in evidence of their unbelief. He will judge in righteousness in the presence of all and men and angels, and his final judgment will be just
damnation to everlasting punishment for the wicked and a gracious gift of
life everlasting to the righteous.
Anglicanism and Methodism Article IV – Of the Resurrection of Christ in Anglicanism's
Articles of Religion and
Article III – Of the Resurrection of Christ of Methodism's
Articles of Religion state that:
Anglican and
Methodist theology holds that "there is an
intermediate state between death and the
resurrection of the dead, in which the soul does not sleep in unconsciousness, but exists in happiness or misery till the resurrection, when it shall be reunited to the body and receive its final reward." This space, termed
Hades, is divided into
Paradise (the
Bosom of Abraham) and
Gehenna "but with an impassable gulf between the two".
Souls remain in Hades until the Last Judgment and "Christians may also improve in holiness after death during the middle state before the final judgment". Anglican and Methodist theology holds that at the time of the
Last Day, "Jesus
will return and that He will 'judge both the quick [the living] and the dead'," and "all [will] be bodily resurrected and stand before Christ as our Judge. After the Judgment, the Righteous will go to their eternal reward in
heaven, and the Accursed will depart to
hell (see )." The "issue of this judgment shall be a permanent separation of the evil and the good, the righteous and the wicked" (see
The Sheep and the Goats). Moreover, in "the final judgment every one of our thoughts, words, and deeds will be known and judged," and individuals will be
justified on the basis of their
faith in Jesus. However, "
our works will not escape God's examination." In Western Christianity, it is often the subject depicted in medieval cathedrals and churches, either outside on the central
tympanum of the entrance or inside on the (rear) west wall, so that the congregation attending church saw the image on either entering or leaving. In the 15th century it also appeared as the central section of a
triptych on
altarpieces, with the side panels showing heaven and hell, as in the
Beaune Altarpiece or a
triptych by Hans Memling. The usual composition has Christ seated high in the centre, flanked by angels, the
Virgin Mary, and
John the Evangelist who are supplicating on behalf of those being judged (in what is called a
Deesis group in Orthodoxy).
Saint Michael is often shown, either weighing the deceased on scales or directing matters, and there might be a large crowd of saints, angels, and the saved around the central group. '' by
Georgios Klontzas late 1500s At the bottom of the composition a crowd of the deceased are shown, often with some rising from their graves. These are being sorted and directed by angels into the saved and the damned. Almost always the saved are on the viewer's left (so on the right hand of Christ), and the damned on the right. The saved are led up to
heaven, often shown as a
fortified gateway, while the damned are handed over to devils who herd them down into
hell on the right; the composition therefore has a circular pattern of movement. Often the damned disappear into a
Hellmouth, the mouth of a huge monster, an image of
Anglo-Saxon origin. The damned often include figures of high rank, wearing crowns, mitres, and often the
Papal tiara during the lengthy periods when there were
antipopes, or in Protestant depictions. There may be detailed depictions of the torments of the damned. The most famous Renaissance depiction is
Michelangelo Buonarroti's
The Last Judgment in the
Sistine Chapel. Included in this fresco is his self-portrait, as
St. Bartholomew's
flayed skin. The image in
Eastern Orthodox icons has a similar composition, but usually less space is devoted to hell, and there are often a larger number of scenes; the Orthodox readiness to label figures with inscriptions often allows more complex compositions. There is more often a large group of saints around Christ (which may include animals), and the
hetoimasia or "empty throne", containing a cross, is usually shown below Christ, often guarded by archangels; figures representing
Adam and Eve may kneel below it or below Christ. A distinctive feature of the Orthodox composition, especially in Russian icons, is a large band leading like a chute from the feet of Christ down to hell; this may resemble a striped snake or be a "river of Fire" coloured flame red. If it is shown as a snake, it attempts to bite Adam on the heel but, as he is protected by Christ, is unsuccessful. == In Non-Nicene Christian denominations ==