Last week, I got this email, and I was given permission to publish it:
What does “judge the living and the dead” really mean? We face particular judgement and that is final (correct?).
So what happens to the already dead at the second coming? Especially those in hell?
Or, as Tom puts it, Why are You coming to judge the already judged?
I feel as though I should know this at my age but alas…drawing a blank.
Thank you!!!
Here was my response:
Yes, so Jesus will judge you at your death as worthy of heaven or hell. But at the end of time, He also comes to judge the living and the dead. Let’s look at “the living” first. At the end of time, Jesus will judge those on earth at his Second Coming and each of them will go to heaven or hell. You probably know that part.
But then why does Jesus have to judge the dead again? Of course, Christ will not change His mind on a single one of those people in heaven or hell. But the General Judgment confirms each one’s particular judgment.
Ok, but then that leaves the question still, why even a need for a confirmation in judgment? One of a few reasons is because we will get our bodies back. Another reason is because everyone already saved will get an increase in glory at the Second Judgment for everyone they got to heaven between their particular judgment and the General Judgment. How can a dead person get more people to heaven?
Two reasons:
1) Their intercession from heaven (and/or from purgatory, as those in purgatory can offer their prayers and even sufferings for those of us on earth before they get to heaven) will be meritorious.
and
2) Because of the butterfly effect: Our actions will continue to affect people long after we die! This means the elect will get an increase in glory at the General Judgment as everyone they brought to Christ on earth will continue to spiritually (or biologically) reproduce hopefully until the glorious coming of Christ. And God wants to give us merit and eternal glory even for all the ripple effects our poor lives somehow produced even after we are buried and gone from planet earth.
At the General Judgment, the souls of those in hell will have an increase in punishment because of two reasons:
1) Their souls will then be joined to their bodies for punishment in both body and soul in hell (See John 5:29)
and
2) Their punishment will increase in proportion to demerit based on the ripple effects of their evil on earth for all the people they also changed until the end of time by the negative side of “the butterfly effect.”
Again, no one’s particular judgment changes from death unto the General Judgment, but each person is confirmed in glory or punishment when Christ returns in glory, based on the continued effects of their good or evil actions long after they died. So, amazingly, we’ll gain merit (or demerit) based on the butterfly effect even after we enter cardiac arrest. It really shows how every day really counts towards eternity far beyond what we can imagine even matters in our lives on earth.
Featured Image at the top is the Jesuit Church in Rome called Il Gesú, p/c One Peter Five.
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