Q. 35. Why will Christ come again to judge the living and the dead?

Christ will return in glory to reward the righteous, punish the wicked, and establish his unending kingdom of peace and justice on the earth.

God’s glory will dwell with us in a restored creation, free of sin, death, mourning, crying, and pain.

Isaiah 9:6–7; Matthew 24:30; 25:31–32, 41, 46; John 5:21–25; Acts 17:31; 10:42; Romans 8:21; 2 Corinthians 5:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:7–9; 2 Timothy 4:8; Hebrews 9:27–28; Revelation 1:7; 7:17; 11:15; 20:12–15; 21:1–8; 22:3–5, 12.

  • AOR 4
  • Belgic Confession 37

Return. No one knows the day or hour of Christ’s return, but Jesus warned that it would come like a thief in the night and surprise many (Matthew 24:36–44). 

In glory. Christ came the first time as a suffering servant; he will appear the second time as a conquering king. “Our Lord Jesus Christ will come from heaven, bodily and visibly, as he ascended, with great glory and majesty, to declare himself the judge of the living and the dead” (Belgic Confession 37). “His eternal and divine glory which once was manifested to three of his disciples on a mountain, will be seen by all the saints” (Bede, Commentary on Acts 1.11).

Reward the righteous. Christ will gather together his faithful servants, usher them into God’s eternal presence, and reward them for every faithful deed done in his name. “We look forward to that great day with longing in order to enjoy fully the promises of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord” (Belgic Confession 37).

Punish the wicked. Christ came the first time to seek and to save the lost; he will come the second time to judge and condemn those who persist in unrepentance. “The secrets and hypocrisies of all people will be publicly uncovered in the sight of all” (Belgic Confession 37).

Unending kingdom. God’s covenant with David will ultimately be fulfilled in the coming age, when Christ, the Son of David, rules forever over the new creation.

On the earth … restored creation. The gospel of the kingdom is that God’s heavenly reign comes to earth (Q. 28). In the end, Christ brings heaven down so that heaven and earth become one place. God’s plan is to cleanse and restore—not destroy or leave behind—the earth which he created in the beginning. “Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5).

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