Last week we spoke on the sixth article of the Apostle’s Creed, “Then He (Christ) ascended into heaven, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”  This article describes what Christ did after His resurrection and identifies Him as having received all authority from God.  The seventh article, “From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead,” describes the future coming of Christ and the purpose of His second coming.   This is our topic today.

Recall: forty days after His resurrection, Christ traveled with his disciples as far as Bethany, a village 1.5 miles East of Jerusalem and home of His dear friends, Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha.  Near this place, He gave His apostles a final blessing then was taken up into heaven. Grieved and astonished, the apostles stood motionless, gazing into the clouds.  Wishing to comfort them, the kind Savior sends them two angels with a message, “This Jesus Who is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come as you have seen Him going into heaven.” (Acts 1:4)

As we speak, Christ as man, our Savior and King, sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  As a man, Christ will not return to earth until the end of time when the world will be destroyed by fire.  At the end of the world, the Savior will come - “as lightning strikes in the east and appears even in the west” - to publicly manifest His glory in judgement.  At that time, the dead shall be restored in flesh and publicly judged as worthy of heaven or hell; next the living shall render an account of their life.  Every moral act good or bad will be known to all.  Nothing will be hidden.  In this way, the general judgement of the world will manifest the mercy and justice of God.

When we say, “From thence He will come to judge”...
We believe that the ascended Christ will come again, at the end of time, to this earth.  We believe in three comings of Christ: when He assumed human flesh in the womb of Mary; every time He appears under the appearance of Holy Eucharist; and when He shall come at the end of the world, to judge mankind.  The term “Second Coming” refers to Christ’s return to earth as man.

We believe that Christ is the judge of all mankind. “We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he has done, whether it be good or evil.” (2 Cor 5:10)

We believe that there are two distinct periods at which everyone must appear in the presence of God, to render an account of all his thoughts, words, deeds, and receive sentence accordingly from the mouth of this Judge.  The first judgement (particular judgement) takes place immediately after death; the soul separates from the body and appears before judgment seat where all she has ever done or spoken or thought during her life shall be scrutinized. The second judgment (general judgment) takes place at the end of the world when altogether, in the same place, at the same time, all mankind shall stand before the judgment seat of Christ that in the presence of all each may know the sentence of the other. 

The Catechism of the Council of Trent lists 4 reasons for the general judgment.  First, as the good and bad examples that men leave behind them cannot be properly tallied until their effects end, so only at the end of the world will a most correct judgment occur regarding the good or bad actions of all.  (Consider the conversions wrought by Bishop Fulton Sheen tapes or reprints of The Imitation of Christ; many souls damaged, maybe damned, by influence of bad movies, bad books, bad music, etc.)
 Second, as the wicked commonly are exalted and the good persecuted in this life, so it is fitting that in the presence of all mankind the good be publicly recognized for their goodness which went unnoticed in their life. (Consider the sacrifices of cloister nuns; hidden acts of charity; burdens carried in silence for love of Christ crucified.)

Third, as the good and bad perform good or bad actions in their bodies, so it is fitting that the body should participate with the soul in the eternal rewards of virtue or the everlasting punishments of  vice.

Four, as it is often difficult to perceive how an all-wise and all-loving God can allow prosperity to some and adversity to others, so it is fitting and necessary that rewards and punishments should not ONLY await mankind in the next life but that they be decreed in a public and general  judgement thereby making the Providence of God evident simultaneously to all.

We believe that Christ shall judge all mankind not merely as God but also in His human nature i.e., as a man.  As Christ came into this world a man so he shall judge it likewise a man.  This is fitting.  For then all men shall see the Savior with their own eyes, they will hear Him with there own ears, and thereby learn of their final doom or boon through the medium of their own senses.

When we say, “the living and the dead”...
We believe that Christ shall judge all men, those who have lived, those now living, those to live until He comes again.  And He will render two types of judgements: one, to those who loved Him to the despising of self; and another, to those who loved self to the despising of God.
 
We may also take “living and dead” another way: First, we believe that Christ will judge the good (those living in God) with all manner of kindness... “Come ye blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world.” (Mt 25:34)  These kind words will stir us with all manner of affection and gladness; they are the words of a friend, a source of comfort and joy.  Then shall this valley of tears be forgotten and a happy rest obtained; all our practices of self-denial and works done in charity shall receive the reward of eternal happiness.

Second, we believe that Christ will judge the wicked (those dead to God) with severity... “Depart from Me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Mt 25:41) These words will cause sorrow and fear.  Sorrow because God is lost, “Depart from Me” (pain of loss); fear because of forthcoming punishment, “into everlasting fire” (pain of sense). 

These are a few doctrines related to the seventh article of the Apostle’s Creed.

The Catechism of Trent says that the pastor should “very frequently” impress upon the faithful the considerations found in this article of the creed.  These truths, we are told, most effectively bridle the perverse inclinations of the heart and withdraw men from sin.  Indeed, no matter how strong the chains of sin may be around a man, he will break those bonds, crawl out of his pit of despair, and begin to pursue virtue IF, with a good heart, he makes sincere efforts to frequently consider  that a day will come when he shall have to render an account, not only of all his words and actions, but even his most secret thoughts, and that these shall receive reward or punishment accordingly. 

Holy Scripture sums up this same idea in that brief verse, “Remember thy last end and thou shall not sin.” (Ec.7:40)