Judgment Day

"Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:11-15

The concept of a future day when the whole of humanity will stand before God in order to be judged for their actions upon Earth is pervasive in Western literature, mostly owing to its roots in the Judeo-Christian worldview, but such a religious concept is not limited to the Judeo-Christian religious tradition. In fact, it seems to be much more deeply seated in the human psyche because it appears in many disparate religious traditions. That said, the reasons for the pervasive nature of such a concept are not difficult to unravel.

Human cultures across the world have a sense of fair play, and while they might have slightly different takes on what constitutes fair play, there is certainly a universal underlying conception of it. In addition to this, there is a distinct impression of a cosmic imbalance in terms of right and wrong; the sense of injustice inherent in human life is one of the most basic observations that poets and philosophers have made throughout human history, and such themes are interwoven throughout world literature, both ancient and modern. Obviously, there are occasions where good people who adhere to the rules of fair play seem to be unjustly punished, while bad people, who flagrantly disregard the same rules, often seem to be rewarded by such bad behavior.

Naturally, this cries out for some resolution, and one common solution among the faiths is the idea that injustice in the present world will be righted in the world to come. The idea of Judgment Day restores balance to what might otherwise be conceived of as a cosmic imbalance, so while moral choices in this life might not have their full consequences realized, a just God has the opportunity to mete out appropriate rewards and punishments for moral behavior in the life to come.

Religious believers see this concept as divine revelation regarding the events that will take place at the end of time, but non-believers view it primarily as a psychological coping strategy to deal with an innate sense of justice. Karl Marx articulated this view in his Communist Manifesto, asserting that religion in general (he did not distinguish between individual religions) seeks to comfort those suffering in the present life by means of persuading them of a joy to be found in the afterlife.

Judgment Day: The Historical and Religious Evolution of the Concept of Last Judgment comprehensively looks at the origins of the concept, and how people's beliefs have evolved over time across different religions. Along with pictures, you will learn about the idea of Judgment Day like never before, in no time at all.