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.
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.
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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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