Persons to be Present at the Last Judgment

Christ our Lord will come to judge all men. Scripture says(John 5:22): “The Father hath given all judgment to the Son.” Yet there will be holy men associated with our Lord, and these are said to judge, but the active and effectualjudgment will be that of Christ alone. The apostles, for instance,are thus to sit in judgment with our Lord, for scripture says(Matt. 19:28): “You [apostles] also shall sit on twelve seats judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Those saints who will be privileged to sit with Christ the judge, and thus to judge with him, will all be saints notable for the virtue of voluntary poverty. For this virtue makes a man free from all creatural influence, and therefore disposes him well for the office of a judge.

The angels, who have not man’s nature, will not be judges of men. But they will minister to the Judge by gathering allmen before his judgment seat (Matt. 13:41).

The fallen angels will carry out upon the damned, the sentence of the Judge; for sinners, by their sin, subject themselves voluntarily to the devil and his minions, and it is fitting that they should be punished by the same evil spirits.

All human beings without exception, will be present atthe general judgment. For we read in scripture (Apoc. 1:7):“Behold, he cometh with the clouds, and every eye shall see him.”

The good who love God perfectly will be submitted to no judgment beyond being assigned to their reward. The good who are imperfect will be judged as to their imperfections, but will be saved.

The evil will be judged and sentenced to eternal punishment of a degree and intensity determined by the degree oftheir guilt.

The angels will not be judged at the general judgment of mankind. For the judgment of angels has already occurred. Scripture says (John 16:11): “The prince of this world [thatis, the devil, a fallen angel] is already judged.”