How is the second coming related to the future judgment?
Holy Scripture and Tradition speak of the “dread judgment seat of Christ,” which is to be distinguished from the particular judgment, the soul’s understanding and anticipation of its eternal destiny immediately after death, as illustrated by the rich man and Lazarus (Luk 16:19–31; see Q441, Q527). Having undergone this particular judgment, the spirits of those who have fallen asleep abide either in a luminous state of blessed hope, or in a state of anguish and dread, awaiting the universal manifestation of all thoughts and deeds.
Regarding the universal or final judgment, the Lord himself says: “The hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment” (Joh 5:28–29; see Q235, Q366). He gives the great parable of this judgment, read at the Divine Liturgy on the Sunday of the Last Judgment, before Great Lent:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, he will sit on the throne of his glory, and all the nations will be gathered before him; and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats… Then the King will say to those on his right hand: “Come, you blessed of my Father! Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world! For I was hungry and you gave me food; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; sick, and you visited me; in prison, and you came to me… Amen, I tell you: as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.”… And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. (Mat 25:31–46)
Our actions thus reveal what kind of persons we are, and whether the Holy Spirit has truly illumined us. The vision of Revelation confirms the Lord’s teaching:
Then I saw a great white throne, and the One seated on it… And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne. Books were opened, and another book was opened: the book of life. The dead were judged according to what was written in the books, according to their works. (Rev 20:11–13).
Moreover, the Scriptures show that not only works, but even words and thoughts, shall be revealed for what they are on the Day of Judgment: “words flow out of what fills the heart… I tell you that for every idle word that people speak, they will give an account on the day of judgment; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Mat 12:34–37; see Q390). St Paul, who insisted that “by grace you have been saved through faith” (Eph 2:8; see Q484), also writes of “according to my proclamation of the gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all” (Rom 2:16), and warns: “He will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; while for those who are self-seeking and obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury” (Rom 2:5–10). Grace, faith, and works are never opposed in the one mystery of salvation.
