If the righteous go strait to heaven after they die, then what is judgement day for?

Question

....I have to ask this twice to clarify:

What do the 'unrighteous' need to be judged for if they were already judged?

What is there an elaborate 'judgement day' for when the righteous have already been 'judged' to be good, therefore were chosen for heaven,

why not just be thrown in hell? What exactly is the entire idea of 'judgement day"?

If it is to be judged twice, what for, when you were already obviously judged once, after you died????

Answer 1

I don't know what it is for. If you believe in Jesus you get in no questions asked.

If you don't belive you don't get in, no answers given.

Answer 2

This kind of thing appears to be where religions generally fall flat on their tushes. The things that different people believe are sooooo contradictory, which, in itself, raises the question whether any of it at all is worth the brain activity it takes to think it. Some folks think you get automatically whisked to one or other of the two available places at the moment of death. Others insist that you just lie amouldering in your grave (I guess that means that your soul has to stay right there with the rotting body) until some unknown time when a trumpet sounds and all the bones jump out of the ground, and the flesh forms back around them, and everybody marches off and waits in line at the Celestial Courthouse. This raises a very complicated question of where alllllll these ressurected dead bodies are going to find room on the surface of the planet.
Yet another group of people believe in something called the "Rapture" which, evidently, when it happens, causes all the righteous folks to get "Schlooooped" up into the clouds from wherever they are and whatever they are doing at the time. I guess that might be very awkward for some. I'm not exactly sure what happens then. I think the ones who got Schlooooped get whisked away to wherever heaven is, and the non-schloooped remain on earth where something really horrible happens to them.
There are so many other "religions" whose followers believe so many different things, that nobody on the planet could possibly be expected to figure out what, if any of them, are even remotely accurate, or, as I personally am convinced, none of them at all LOL.

Answer 3

I understand the Bible to show that the souls (or spirits, more likely) of the dead are not "clothed" with a heavenly body after physical death. In Revelation 6:9-11 it speaks of "the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, 'How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?' Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." Then comes "the great day of [God and the Lamb's] wrath... and who can stand?"

On the awesome Day of Judgment, the dead will rise from the earth and the sea and those taken up to heaven will be re-clothed in glorified bodies. There is a vast amount of "unfinished business" to be cleared up - when everything hidden will be exposed and the 'sheep' will be separated from the 'goats'. The record will be set straight. No excuses will be accepted. God will be vindicated. Only those who have had their sins forgiven by God will be able to stand.

Hebrews 9:27 says, "Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him." I hope that helps you.

Answer 4

If I'm reading what you are asking correctly, judgement day as you are speaking of it is after Christ's return (end of the world kind of stuff) and would be a judgement of those who haven't died yet. The people who die before that are already in place and have stood before the thrown already.

Answer 5

I love this question! It was the first one to make me think, maybe this book isn't as clear as I was led to believe.
I did hear once that everyone goes to heaven or hell when they die but the judgement day is, basically, a second chance so those who already died could sample hell and realize what a great place heaven is if only we would believe. (eye-roll)
I guess it's the time when some of the non-believers go senile.

Answer 6

The righteous don't go straight to Heaven when they die. If that were the case, what would be the purpose of the Rapture? The Scripture plainly states that "....the DEAD in CHRIST shall RISE FIRST. Then those who are ALIVE and REMAIN will be caught up (raptured) to meet Him in the midway air." The judgment of the righteous will be for the distribution of the various awards they garnered in their lives. Some will achieve mroe than others, but it doesn't lessen the impact of those who don't garner as much.

Answer 7

Jesus will come at the end of time to judge all human beings. This is called the parousia, His second coming. It was foretold by the angels as He ascended: "This Jesus who is taken up from you to heaven, will come in the way in which you saw Him going into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

However, those who die before the parousia will be judged immediately at their deaths. This is known as the particular judgment. The Epistle to the Hebrews says (9:27): " It is appointed to men to die once, and after that comes the judgment". Then, "Each one will receive his pay, according to his works" (1 Cor 3:8).

There are three possible outcomes to the particular judgment. Those whose love for God has been perfected in this life are taken straight to heaven, where they enjoy endless happiness in the face to face vision of God. Those who die in God's love but still love Him imperfectly must be purifed in the intermediate state of purgatory. Those, however, who reject God's love by mortal sin and die without repenting are condemned to the everlasting torments of hell. The general judgment at the end of time simply solemnly confirms the particular judgments of each one, with the difference that then the body as well as the soul will receive what is due it. And all God's judgments will be revealed as most just

Answer 8

honey read Revelations, and stop asking people and read what the Word says. The judgment day is the judging of works and so forth. That's why it's not right to tell a person that she or he is going to hell, we all have to give an account of everything we have done...good or bad. That's what that day is for. So for the righteous, you'll be tested on if your work was for yourself or was it for the glory of God. You know how we have fabulous singer s and they are really anointed but if their motive wasn't to usher in the presence of God and let God get the glory out of their lives, then they have their reward, which are the people acknowledgment. But when God rewards us on that day we'll receive crowns. Eternal crowns. The unrighteous will be judge on their deeds, did you have an opportunity to receive God and turned it down. See all of this stuff will go on then. The Day of the Lord. Read Revelations so you can know what God is saying for yourself and not what man has summarized up for you.

Answer 9

I'm trying to remember how this very thing was stated in the pre-service class at church last Sunday.

The teacher said all are judged, and that those who believe in the Lord will go to Heaven right after they die.

So I guess that would mean that the righteous are still judged, but during judgement are found to be pure due to being washed by Jesus' blood, which was shed for all sinners so that any and all who would believe can be saved.

Answer 10

Your judgment does not happen when you die. Those people that die before the Millennium, their spirit goes to the spirit world, but are not with God in Heaven, while their bodies remain in the grave awaiting their resurrection.

There the spirits will remain until their resurrection. Those that have the truth are in 'paradise' because they know they lived their life as best as they could. Those that are in 'prison' don't know what's going to happen. Those that know the truth have the responsibility of teaching those that don't, to give them the chance to accept it before their resurrection.

After everyone has been resurrected (body and spirit reunited in a perfect body for eternity), you will be judged according to what you have been taught and how you lived your life according to those teachings. God will place you in the degree of glory that best matches your mindset and where you will be most happy. Those that have lived righteous lives will attain the highest degree of glory and live there with our Heavenly Father (this is what most Christian sects consider Heaven).

Btw, I'm Mormon. We don't believe in a literal Hell. We believe hell to be a state of mind, when you are loathing yourself and your decisions in life that you now see as wrong.

Answer 11

Only a select few go directly to heaven at the moment of death: martyrs and those that die in a state of grace.

God is just. He will the judge the hearts of people. No one is perfect. "To whom much is given, much will be expected."

Your questions lend support to the Catholic notion of purgatory, where the stains of our sin are washed. Sometimes we are sorry for our sins, but yet there are consequences to our sin which harm the disposition of our eternal soul. That is why there is judgment. God will show us the consequence of our sin. Those who are damned, will know why they are damned. Those who go to purgatory will know why it is necessary before they enter heaven.