The Seventh Article

"from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead"

COMPENDIUM

This article teaches us that, at the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come in all His glory and majesty from heaven to judge all men, good and evil, and to give to each one the reward or the punishment he deserves.

We shall all have to be judged at the General Judgment, for several reasons:

1. For the glory of God;
2. For the glory of Jesus Christ;
3. For the glory of the Saints;
4. For the confusion of the wicked;
5. That the body as well as the soul may have its sentence of reward or punishment.

God's glory will be manifested in the General Judgment, because all will acknowledge with what justice He rules the world, although, now, the good are often seen in trouble and the wicked in prosperity. Jesus Christ's glory will shine forth, because, though He was condemned unjustly by men, He will then appear before all the world as himself, the Supreme Judge. The glory of the Saints will be seen, in that many of them who died, despised by the wicked, will then be glorified in the presence of everybody. And the confusion of the wicked will be very great, especially for those who oppressed the just, and for those who did their best in this life, because the sins they have committed, even their most secret sins, will then be revealed to everyone.

CATECHISM

125. What are we taught in the Seventh Article: From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead?

The Seventh Article of the Creed teaches us that, at the end of the world, Jesus Christ, in all His glory and majesty, will come from heaven to judge all men, both good and bad, and to give to each of them the reward or the punishment he shall have merited.

126. If every one has to be judged by Jesus Christ in Particular Judgment immediately after death, why must all be judged in the General Judgment?

We must all be judged in the General Judgment for several reasons: 1. that God may be glorified; 2. that Jesus Christ may be glorified; 3. that the Saints may be glorified; 4. that the wicked may be confounded; 5. that along with the soul the body may receive its sentence of reward or punishment.

127. How will God's glory be manifested in the General Judgment?

God's glory will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that all shall then know how justly God governs the world, even though here on earth the good are often afflicted and the wicked are often in prosperity.

128. How will the glory of Jesus Christ be manifested in the General Judgment?

The glory of Jesus Christ will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that He who was unjustly condemned by men shall then come before the whole world as the Supreme Judge of all.

129. How will the glory of the Saints be manifested in the General Judgment?

The glory of the Saints will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that many of them who died despised by the wicked, shall be glorified before the whole world.

130. How great will be the confusion of the wicked in the General Judgment?

In the General Judgment, great indeed shall be the confusion of the wicked, especially of those who have oppressed the just and those who have tried in this life to be esteemed as men of virtue and goodness; for they shall then see even their most hidden sins laid bare before the whole world.