Last Judgment

The Last Judgment is presented in scriptural and doctrinal materials as the culmination of history appointed by God. In Nicene Christian accounts it is tied to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, who returns to judge all humanity (living and resurrected dead); Catholic teaching distinguishes between the particular judgment immediately after death and the general or Last Judgment at history's end, while Eastern Orthodox theology commonly distinguishes a particular judgment and a subsequent final tribunal after the resurrection. Islamic doctrine frames an analogous event (Yawm al-Qiyamah) in which bodily resurrection and account-taking occur, with deeds weighed on a divine scale (Mizan). Wikidata and comparative summaries classify the concept as an eschatological judgment present across Abrahamic-related systems, indicating shared concern with a final accounting rather than a single mythic origin (sources: Wikipedia Last Judgment; Wikidata Day of Judgment; doctrinal summaries).

Scriptural imagery commonly associated with the Last Judgment includes Christ seated upon a "great white throne" (Revelation 20:11), the standing of the dead before the throne, the opening of books containing deeds, and the visible separation of righteous and wicked. Artistic traditions (e.g., Michelangelo's Il Giudizio Universale, medieval cathedral tympana, Bosch triptychs) have elaborated and popularized these motifs—showing resurrected bodies, angels and demons, books, and scenes of reward and punishment—yet such artistic depictions are interpretations of the canonical motifs rather than additional doctrinal claims (sources: Wikipedia Last Judgment; Michelangelo The Last Judgment; art-historical references).

As an event the Last Judgment effects juridical and cosmological consequences: it brings about the general bodily resurrection, publicly reveals the secrets of hearts, and renders the definitive verdict assigning eternal destinies. Christian formulations depict the righteous receiving eternal life in God's presence and the wicked receiving eternal punishment; Catholic teaching adds the doctrinal framework of particular judgment, the possibility of Purgatory for purification, and a final resurrection and judgment. Islamic summaries emphasize that deeds will be weighed on the Mizan and determine entry into Paradise (Jannah) or punishment (Jahannam). The event is thus revelatory, adjudicative, and transformational for creation as a whole (sources: Wikipedia Last Judgment; doctrinal summaries; Wikidata).