Wait....Are We Judged Twice?

One of the basic truths we learn as Christians is that when we die, we personally go before God for judgment.  But then you read the New Testament and notice something odd… the Bible presents the judgment as a massive public event at the end of time.

So which is it?

Well, your eyes do not deceive you – there are two judgment events.  The first occurs upon your death.  The second comes at the end of time.  But why?

That’s what I wanted to go over today.


Getting Particular:

Again, the first judgment occurs on an individual basis as soon as you die.  This judgment decides your eternal destiny.  From here your soul will proceed to either Heaven or Hell.

The Church refers to this judgment upon our death as the “Particular Judgment”.  It is mentioned in the Bible in a myriad of different ways.  For instance, the letter to the Hebrews states:

“It is appointed for a man to die once, then comes the judgment” - Hebrews 9:27

This is the event mentioned by Jesus when he promises that we will have to “give an account for every idle word.” [Matthew 12:36]

We see the effect of this judgment throughout the book of Revelation.  Remember, the book of Revelation consist of Saint John receiving a vision of Heaven.  It concludes with the big, public, final judgment in chapter 20.  And yet,  throughout the book John witnesses a multitude of Saints experiencing eternal life with God prior to the end of the world.

Why are they there?  Because they have already died and been judged individually.

Generally Speaking:

The other judgment occurs when Christ returns at the end of history.  We mention it in the Nicene Creed when we say:

“He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”  

The Church calls this the “General Judgment” or the “Final Judgment”.  In non-Catholic circles it is called the “Great White Throne Judgment."

This is an event in which every human being who has ever lived is assembled together. John depicts this event at the conclusion of Revelation, when he writes:

“Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” - Revelation 20:11-15  

It is also described in Jesus’ prophecy of the Sheep and the Goats:

 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” - Matthew 25:31-32

The Big Picture:

Back to the question at hand;  Why two judgments?

Imagine all of human history as a great musical concert.  The whole orchestral arrangement spans eons and involves billions of interlocking melodies.  At the beginning of our life we are handed an instrument, given a part to play, and off we go.

The Particular Judgment is a private affair.  You are judged based upon how well you played your part.  Even if you failed to play the tune of a heroic saint… did you at least manage to play melody of the repentant sinner?   Or did you renounce the composer and work against him?  Thus we are all sorted out.

The General Judgment has a whole different purpose.  Beforehand an individual may have only the dimmest knowledge of a sliver of the concert.  Now the entire masterwork is shown to everyone.  And with this revelation we will see the entirety of human history, understand the purposes behind all of the good and bad, and know how God worked all to the good for those who love him.

At this moment God’s justice and mercy will be evident to all.  And as it says in the letter to the Philippians:

“At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess  that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:10-11