Everybody’s heard about Judgment Day, but what actually happens that day?

Well, I went Catholic school for 12 years, and I sure wish my religion teacher had gotten up to this part. Because I probably would have done things a little differently.

On Judgment Day, the entire world will have full and instant knowledge of everything I’ve done in my life….every sin….every good and evil deed….every word, nasty or kind… every piece of gossip said behind someone’s back…every fib……you get the idea. And not just the things I’ve done. There will be a complete public review of your entire life as well!

The Bible tells us, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." (Matthew 12:32-36)

Yikes.

Not only will we have to give an account of all the above, we’ll also learn the extent to which each and every sin of ours caused hurt and damage throughout the world. And the extent to which good in the world was done by our prayer, our fasting, our charity, our love.

The Bible says: “For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: nor hidden that shall not be known. For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers shall be preached on the housetops.” [Luke 12:2-3]

The final spiritual condition of each and every person will be visible to all. Once in heaven, it will be evident to all who were the Mother Teresa’s while on Earth, and who were the ones who just slipped in by the seat of their pants. The holiest saints, the ones who showed the most love, the ones who sacrificed themselves the greatest for the least of Christ’s brothers, will receive the greatest rewards.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare.⁶²⁶ The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life.”

Christians are of course exhorted to live every day as if it were our last, because today could easily be the last for any one of us. If today is our last day, then the holiness of our soul right now determines our condition forever. Hmmm….almost like the way we looked the day of our high school yearbook determined how we are pictured in the yearbook eternally.

The Last Judgment will occur on the Last Day of the world, the day of the Second Coming. On that day, Christ returns to Earth to judge the living and the dead. All will rise, with the dead in Christ going first.

Interestingly enough, all those who are still alive and milling around on Earth the day of the Second Coming will be brought up into the sky to meet the Lord in the air. Unlike us, they won’t have to have their souls separated from their bodies first (in that way, they will be like Mary, Elijah, Enoch, etc.).

The rest of us souls will finally be reunited with our bodies, which will rise up from our graves. We’ll have our bodies forever

"The dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thes 4:16-17). This is what some call "The Rapture".

Christ will then separate the masses, as a shepherd would separate the sheep from the goats, with the sheep going to his Right hand and the goats going to eternal damnation.

This is what Christ will say to us, according to the Bible.

Matthew 25:31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."

For those of us going to heaven, our bodies will be glorified and will be forever incorruptible. This is all made possible by Christ who died and rose before us, thus clearing the way. Otherwise, we’d all be going to hell.

OK, let’s recap what we’ve been talking about. If any of you, and this is important, if any of you offers up one snicker or sneer about my little web site, well then, I will definitely be hearing all about that on the Last Day. And, well, I just wouldn’t want you to feel embarrassed like that. J

-claire

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FROM THE CATECHISM

II. TO JUDGE THE LIVING AND THE DEAD

678 Following in the steps of the prophets and John the Baptist, Jesus announced the judgment of the Last Day in his preaching.⁵⁸² Then will the conduct of each one and the secrets of hearts be brought to light.⁵⁸³ Then will the culpable unbelief that counted the offer of God's grace as nothing be condemned.⁵⁸⁴ Our attitude to our neighbor will disclose acceptance or refusal of grace and divine love.⁵⁸⁵ On the Last Day Jesus will say: "Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."⁵⁸⁶

679 Christ is Lord of eternal life. Full right to pass definitive judgment on the works and hearts of men belongs to him as redeemer of the world. He "acquired" this right by his cross. The Father has given "all judgment to the Son".⁵⁸⁷ Yet the Son did not come to judge, but to save and to give the life he has in himself.⁵⁸⁸ By rejecting grace in this life, one already judges oneself, receives according to one's works, and can even condemn oneself for all eternity by rejecting the Spirit of love.⁵⁸⁹

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a11.htm#991 (The Catechism on the Resurrection of the Body)

1524 In addition to the Anointing of the Sick, the Church offers those who are about to leave this life the Eucharist as viaticum. Communion in the body and blood of Christ, received at this moment of "passing over" to the Father, has a particular significance and importance. It is the seed of eternal life and the power of resurrection, according to the words of the Lord: "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day."¹⁴¹ The sacrament of Christ once dead and now risen, the Eucharist is here the sacrament of passing over from death to life, from this world to the Father.¹⁴²

V. THE LAST JUDGMENT

1038 The resurrection of all the dead, "of both the just and the unjust,"⁶²³ will precede the Last Judgment. This will be "the hour when all who are in the tombs will hear [the Son of man's] voice and come forth, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."⁶²⁴ Then Christ will come "in his glory, and all the angels with him. . . . Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. . . . And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."⁶²⁵

1039 In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare.⁶²⁶ The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life:

All that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When "our God comes, he does not keep silence.". . . he will turn towards those at his left hand: . . . "I placed my poor little ones on earth for you. I as their head was seated in heaven at the right hand of my Father - but on earth my members were suffering, my members on earth were in need. If you gave anything to my members, what you gave would reach their Head. Would that you had known that my little ones were in need when I placed them on earth for you and appointed them your stewards to bring your good works into my treasury. But you have placed nothing in their hands; therefore you have found nothing in my presence."⁶²⁷

1040 The Last Judgment will come when Christ returns in glory. Only the Father knows the day and the hour; only he determines the moment of its coming. Then through his Son Jesus Christ he will pronounce the final word on all history. We shall know the ultimate meaning of the whole work of creation and of the entire economy of salvation and understand the marvelous ways by which his Providence led everything towards its final end. The Last Judgment will reveal that God's justice triumphs over all the injustices committed by his creatures and that God's love is stronger than death.⁶²⁸

1041 The message of the Last Judgment calls men to conversion while God is still giving them "the acceptable time, . . . the day of salvation."⁶²⁹ It inspires a holy fear of God and commits them to the justice of the Kingdom of God. It proclaims the "blessed hope" of the Lord's return, when he will come "to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed."⁶³⁰

BESIDES OUR FAITH, WHAT ELSE WILL WE BE JUDGED FOR???

HERE’S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS:

Rev 20:13 All the dead were judged according their deeds

Rom 2:6 who will repay everyone according to his works

Psalm 62:13 . . . And you render to each of us according to our deeds

Mt 16:27 For the Son of Man. . . . will repay everyone according to his conduct

1 Peter 1:17 Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one's works

James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only

Gal 6:9 "Let us not grow tired of doing good, for in due time we shall reap our harvest,"

Rev 2:2 I know your works, your labor, and your endurance

1 Pet 2:12 Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Prov 24:12 He who guards your life knows it, and he will repay each one according to his deeds.

Mt 5:16 . . . . . that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father

Mt 16:27 For the Son of Man. . . . will repay everyone according to his conduct

Mt 25:31-36 . . . . Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

1 Cor 15:58 . . . . . "always fully devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain."

Heb 6:10 "God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love you have demonstrated for his name . ."

Prov 24:12 He who guards your life knows it, and he will repay each one according to his deeds

Psalm 62:13 . . . And you render to each of us according to our deeds

2 Cor 5:10 – “For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil recompense according to what did in body “

2 Cor 11:15 –“…whose end shall be according to their works.”

Col 3:24-25 – “Knowing that you shall receive of the Lord the reward of inheritance. Serve ye the Lord Christ. For he that doth wrong shall receive for that which he hath done wrongfully. And there is no respect of persons with God”

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http://www.catholic.com/library/Resurrection_of_the_Body.asp (Church Fathers on the Resurrection of the Body)

http://www.catholic.com/library/Reward_and_Merit.asp (Church Fathers on Reward and Merit)

http://www.catholic.com/library/Salvation_Outside_the_Church.asp (Church Fathers on Salvation Outside the Church)

http://www.catholic.com/library/Necessity_of_Baptism.asp (Church Fathers on the Necessity of Baptism for Salvation)

Catholic books on the Rapture include:

Trial, Tribulation and Triumph by Desmond A. Birch

The Rapture Trap Study Guide by Paul Thigpen

Will Catholics Be "Left Behind"? by Carl Olson

The Rapture Trap: A Catholic Response to the End Times Fever by Paul Thigpen with foreword by Marcus Grodi

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