Last Judgment
The Last Judgment is a significant concept present in various world religions, representing the moment at the end of time when God judges all humanity, both the living and the deceased. While the specifics can vary widely among different faiths, a common thread is the theme of evaluating human lives to determine eternal destinies—rewarding the virtuous with a heavenly paradise and condemning those who have committed evil deeds to a place of punishment. The origins of this idea can be traced back to ancient Zoroastrianism, where the soul undergoes a judgment shortly after death before facing a final reckoning at the world's end.
Judaism contributes its interpretations, such as the notion of individual judgment on Rosh Hashanah or a future resurrection and categorization of souls into the righteous, the wicked, and those in between. In Islam, a two-part judgment process involves questioning by angels and a subsequent divine judgment following a period of turmoil, culminating in the separation of souls based on their deeds. Christianity also reflects these themes, particularly through the teachings of Jesus, who is expected to return for a final judgment where individuals are assessed based on their faith and actions, ultimately determining their eternal fate. Each tradition emphasizes the moral choices made in life and their consequences in the afterlife, highlighting the profound spiritual significance of the Last Judgment across cultures.
On this Page
Last Judgment
The Last Judgment is a concept found in many of the world's religions. It is the time at the end of the world when God judges humans, both living and dead. Specifics of the Last Judgment differ by faith, but each scenario features a common theme of judgment and eternal reward or punishment. Souls found to have lived a virtuous life are welcomed into a heavenly paradise; those judged to have committed evil deeds are banished to a realm of punishment. The imagery associated with the Last Judgment likely originated with the ancient Persian religion Zoroastrianism and was later adopted by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Background
One of the earliest recorded accounts of a Last Judgment comes from Zoroastrianism, a highly influential religion that flourished in ancient Persia in the first century BCE. The religion borrowed the concepts of individual judgment and the afterlife from ancient Egypt and India. According to Zoroastrian beliefs, a person's soul remained on Earth for three days after death. At sunrise on the fourth day, the soul traveled to the Chinvat Bridge, or the Bridge of the Requiter.
Once there, the good deeds and bad deeds of the soul were weighed and judged. If the good deeds outweighed the bad, even slightly, the person was allowed to enter one of seven heavenly gardens. The term paradise is derived from the Persian word pairi-daeza, "enclosed space," which is a reference to this concept of heaven. If the soul committed more bad deeds than good, the bridge narrowed until it became too small to cross, sending the soul plummeting into a dark, cold hell.
According to Zoroastrianism, a second, final judgment was to occur at the end of the world. It was believed that the evil deity Ahriman would battle the supreme god Ahura Mazda for control of Earth. Ahura Mazda would emerge triumphant, and the souls of the dead would be resurrected to face judgment. At this time, the mountains of the world would turn to molten metal and flow upon the earth. The souls of the good would survive the ordeal without feeling pain. The wicked would be burned alive and consumed in the river.
Overview
Jewish authors of the Old Testament adopted many of the elements of Zoroastrianism concerning the end of time and the Last Judgment. One of the most notable is the Book of Daniel, believed to have been written about 165 BCE. In the book, Daniel sees visions of several mystical creatures led by an evil beast that consumes the world. After a period of great turmoil, Daniel foretells the return of a messianic figure as the "son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven." God will judge the beast, take away his power, and punish those who oppressed the Jewish people.
While the Last Judgment appears in Daniel and other works in the Hebrew bible, modern Jewish religious leaders disagree on the exact meaning of the concept. Some believe that individual souls are judged on the Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah. Others believe in a Last Judgment when the dead will rise and be separated into three categories. The righteous will be immediately admitted into heaven, the evil will be punished with eternal torment in a place called Gehenna, and those who fall in between will wait for a time before they are judged. In this version of the Last Judgment, only the evil souls condemned to Gehenna will be denied entrance to heaven.
In Islamic teachings, a pair of angels questions each soul upon death. If the responses are correct, the soul is allowed a glimpse of paradise; if the answers are incorrect, the soul is made to suffer until it awaits a final judgment. Similar to other religious traditions, Islam predicts a period of warfare and unrest before the end of the world. A figure known as al-Dajjal, or "deceiver," will arise and attempt to conquer the world. He will be defeated by the return of Jesus, who is referred to as Isa in Arabic. Jesus and another figure called the Mahdi will then convert the world to Islam. In Muslim teachings, Jesus is mortal and will live on Earth for a time before dying of old age.
After the death of Jesus, God will return to commence the Last Judgment. Every living creature, including the angels, will perish. God will then resurrect all of creation with a final trumpet blast that will destroy the mountains of the Earth. The resurrected dead, angels, and demons will be judged according to their good deeds and separated into two groups. Both groups will be forced to cross a razor-thin bridge called the Sirat. The souls of the righteous will be able to cross the bridge, while nonbelievers and sinners will fall into hell.
The Christian concept of the Last Judgment was heavily influenced by accounts from the Book of Daniel and other Jewish religious literature. Descriptions of the Last Judgment are also found in the gospel of Matthew, specifically in chapter 25. Christians believe that Jesus was the messiah who came to Earth to die for the sins of humankind. He rose from the dead after three days and promised to return near the end of days at a time of final judgment. The second coming of Jesus will follow a period of chaos upon Earth, when an evil figure known as the antichrist will attempt to destroy the Christian church and control the world.
The forces of good will eventually defeat the antichrist, opening the way for Jesus to return in glory surrounded by his angels. He will usher in a thousand-year era of peace, after which the dead will be resurrected to face judgment. Christians believe that Jesus will take on the role of final judge and will decide each soul's fate from a great white throne. As the dead gather before the throne, the Book of Life will be opened. The righteous, whose names are written in the book, will be separated from the others and admitted into heaven. Those who are not found in the book will be banished to the "lake of fire" for eternity. In some accounts of the Christian Last Judgment, the archangel Michael is depicted weighing the souls of the dead on the scales of justice before their ultimate fate is decided.
Bibliography
Amanat, Abbas, and Magnus Bernhardsson, editors. Imagining the End: Visions of Apocalypse from the Ancient Middle East to Modern America. I.B. Tauris, 2002.
Barratt, Father Anthony. "Matthew's Gospel and the Final Judgment." The Evangelist, 21 Nov. 2023, evangelist.org/news/2023/nov/21/matthews-gospel-and-the-final-judgment/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
"The Future Judgment of the Believer." Bible.org, bible.org/seriespage/6-future-judgment-believer. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
"General Judgment." New Advent, www.newadvent.org/cathen/08552a.htm. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Hays, Jeffrey. "Zoroastrianism." Facts and Details, Jan. 2012, factsanddetails.com/world/cat55/sub350/item1921.html. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Himmelfarb, Martha. The Apocalypse: A Brief History. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010.
Jacobs, Louis. "Jewish Resurrection of the Dead." My Jewish Learning, www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-resurrection-of-the-dead/. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.
Mühling, Markus. "The Last Judgment." St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology, 2023, www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/TheLastJudgment. Accessed 23 Jan. 2025.