The Individual and Final Judgements

THE INDIVIDUAL AND FINAL JUDGMENTS

"Born twice, die once; born once, die twice."

This "saying" in the early Church referred to physical birth and to spiritual birth in Baptism, and to physical death and the consequence of mortal sin which leads to spiritual death-eternal separation from the Most Holy Trinity.

Throughout salvation history God has come to deliver justice and judgment to His people. In the Old Testament, Israel was judged and disciplined according to how she lived the law of the covenant. In addition to corporate judgment determined by covenant blessings and curses, each individual throughout salvation history, in the good or evil acts of their lives, receives God's guidance and judgment as they make their journey through this life to eternity. At the end of one's earthly journey there is also immediate judgment upon one's death. However, according to Sacred Scripture and the faith of the Church, man is destined to face two judgments before the judgment throne of God Almighty. The first judgment comes the moment the soul departs the body and is called the Particular or Individual Judgment. The second judgment, known as the General or Final or Last Judgment, takes place at the definitive moment in salvation history.

The Individual or Particular Judgment: "... human beings die only once, after which comes judgment..,Hebrews 9:27.

"For at the judgment seat of Christ we are all to be seen for what we are, so that each of us many receive what he has deserved in the body, matched to whatever he has done, good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:10
CCC# 1022: "Each man receives his eternal retribution in his immortal soul at the very moment of his death, in a particular judgment that refers to his life to Christ: either entrance into the blessedness of heaven, through a purification or immediately or immediate and everlasting damnation." [also see CCC# 1021; Matthew 16:26; 23:43; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10; Philippians 1:23]

The Return of Christ and the Day of the Last Judgment: "At the signal given by the voice of the Archangel and the trumpet of God, the Lord himself will come down from heaven; those who have died in Christ will be the first to rise, and only after shall we who remain alive be taken up in the clouds, together with them, to meet the Lord in the air. This is the way we shall be with the Lord forever." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17i

Jesus warned of the Last Judgment in His last homily to the crowds of Jerusalem before His Passion: "When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory. All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats." Matthew 25:31-32 [read the entire passage about the Last Judgment in 25:31-46]. For other Scripture references on the Day of Judgment see Matthew 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7; 1 John 4:17.
The Old Testament prophet Amos prophesized the eschatological "Day of Yahweh" when Jesus Christ returns in all His divine glory as a day of disaster for the unrepentant sinner: "Disaster for you who long for the Day of Yahweh! What will the Day of Yahweh mean for you? It will mean darkness, not light, as when someone runs away from a lion, only to meet a bear.." [Amos 5:18-19a] and in Matthew 25:46 Jesus warns the unrighteous, "And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life." Also see Matthew 16:27-28.
But St. Paul promised in 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 that this is a day the faithful Christian must not fear: "And so you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; he will continue to give you strength till the very end, so that you will be irreproachable on the Day of our Lord Jesus Christ. You can rely on God, who has called you to be partners with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." Also see Matthew 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36; 24:29-31; 25:33-36; Mark 13:24-27; Luke 21:25-27; Hebrews 9:28; 2 Peter 2:9; 3:7 1 John 4:17.
On that Day the dead, righteous and wicked, will arise from their graves: "What I am saying, brothers, is that mere human nature cannot inherit the kingdom of God: What is perishable cannot inherit what is imperishable. Now I am going to tell you a mystery: we are not all going to fall asleep, but we are all going to be changed, instantly, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet sounds. The trumpet is going to sound, and then the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed, because this perishable nature of ours must put on imperishability, this mortal nature must put on immortality." 1 Corinthians 15:50-53 [read the entire passage in 1 Corinthians 15:12-57].
St. John received a vision of the Last Judgment in Revelation 20:11-15: "Then I saw a great white throne and the One who was sitting on it. In his presence, earth and sky vanished, leaving no trace. I saw the dead, great and small alike, standing in front of his throne while the books lay open. And another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged from what was written in the books, as their deeds deserved." [Revelation 20:11-12].

For Catechism references see CCC# 681; 1021-22; 1038-41.