thumb|upright=1.3|The Last Judgment of sinners by [[Jesus Christ; carving on the central portal of Amiens Cathedral, France.]]

The Last Judgment, or Judgment Day, is a central Christian eschatological event marking the return of Jesus Christ to evaluate all of humanity, both the living and the resurrected dead (Jn 5:28–29). According to biblical apocalyptic literature, Christ will sit upon a "great white throne" (Rev 20:11) to render a definitive verdict based on an individual's faith, words, and deeds (Mt 12:36; Rm 2:6). This divine audit results in a final separation in which the righteous are granted eternal life in the presence of God, while the wicked face eternal punishment (Mt 25:31–46). Ultimately, this event serves as the supreme manifestation of God’s justice and His definitive triumph over evil and death (1 Cor 15:24–26).

In Islam, the Day of Judgment (Yawm al-Qiyamah) is a fundamental article of faith involving the bodily resurrection of all humanity. According to the Quran, every individual will be held accountable before Allah, with their deeds weighed on a divine scale (Mizan). In both traditions, this "divine audit" results in a final separation: the righteous enter eternal paradise (Jannah), while the wicked face eternal punishment (Jahannam).

Diverse concepts exist within Jewish tradition, Yarsanism, and Zoroastrianism.

The Last Judgment has inspired numerous artistic depictions, including painting, sculpture and evangelical work.

In Nicene Christianity

thumb|upright=1.3|Print of the Last Judgment, made by Johannes Wierix in the 16th century

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

thumb|upright=1.5|[[The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)|The Last Judgment, Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo (1536–1541)]]

thumb|upright=1.7|The Last Judgment mosaic (14th century), south facade of Saint Vitus Cathedral, [[Prague, Czech Republic]]Catholic 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

thumb|The Last Judgment, 17th century [[icon 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: