God has appointed a day of final judgment in which Jesus Christ will judge all people. On that day: 1) All angels and humans who have ever lived will appear before Christ to be judged for their thoughts, words, and deeds. 2) The judgment will glorify God by manifesting his mercy in saving the elect and his justice in condemning the wicked. 3) The righteous will receive eternal life and joy, while the wicked will be cast into eternal torment and separation from God. 4) Though the timing is unknown, believers should be certain of final judgment and constantly watchful, since it will come suddenly and without warning. Believers can face judgment without fear but with

1. Theology of the
Westminster Confession
Adult Sunday School
2017

2. The Last Judgment
WCF
33
Diagrams copyright © 2005 Vern S. Poythress
The Last Things

3. Of the Last Judgment
God has appointed a day in which he will
judge the world in righteousness by Jesus
Christ, to whom all power and judgment has
been given by the Father. In that day not
only shall the apostate angels be judged, but
also shall all people who have ever lived on
earth appear before the judgment seat of
Christ in order to give an account of their
thoughts, words, and deeds, and to receive
judgment according to what they have done
in the body, whether good or evil. [WCF
MESV 33.1]
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

4. The judge
• This last section of the WCF is an extended reflection
on Paul's promise to the people of Athens long ago,
that God, "has fixed a day on which he will judge the
world in righteousness by a man whom he has
appointed" (Acts 17:31)
• The "day of judgment" emphasizes
• The certainty of the coming event
• The 'world' (its scope)
• The righteousness, the true goodness, and justice of the
judge himself
Do not be deceived: God will judge the world
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

5. General resurrection & judgment
closely coupled together
• This section teaches
• God has appointed a day of general judgment
• Christ will be the judge
• All angels and men will appear before him
• They will be judged for every thought, word, and deed
• Larger Catechism 87-88
• "We are to believe, that at the last day there shall be a
general resurrection of the dead, both the just and the
unjust" and that "immediately after the resurrection shall
follow the general and find judgment of angels and men“
• The teaching of the Westminster Standards is that
there is to be no delay between a general
resurrection of all men, and then a general judgment
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

6. Christ the judge
• Jesus made it clear when speaking about himself, he has
been given "authority to execute judgment, because he is
the Son of Man" (Jn 5:22,27)
• Van Dixhoorn states that "The choice of biblical texts
offered here by the Westminster Assembly is very
significant. The self-reference of Jesus in the Gospel of
John as the promised Son of Man brings us back to the first
man. That first man intended to rule the world failed.
Subsequently in the Old Testament the book of Daniel
spoke of a coming ruler, the Son of Man, who would bring
in a kingdom and rule the world" (Dan 7:13-14).
• Here and elsewhere Jesus identified himself as that man,
as the perfect governor the world looks for and groans for
Jesus Christ is God’s appointed judge
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

7. Angels
• In the New Testament the final judgment of
angels is announced, twice as a warning and
once as an encouragement
• "And the angels who did not stay within their own
position of authority, but left their proper
dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under
gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great
day" (Jude 6)
• “If God did not spare angels when they sinned, but
cast them into hell and committed them to chains
under gloomy darkness to be kept until the
judgment, then he knows both how to punish the
unrighteous and to rescue the godly" (2 Pet 2:4, 9)
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

8. The final jury
• In the New Testament the final judgment of
angels is also mentioned in the context of our
judgments of one another
• "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?“ (1
Cor 6:3)
• According to Van Dixhoorn, "If Christ is the
final judge, Christians compose a kind of final
jury“
Christians will “judge” with Christ like jurors
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

9. Human beings
• The final judgment not only includes fallen
angels (Jude 6) but also human beings
• The Scriptures emphasize the certainty and
breath of the judgment
• "We all stand before the judgment seat of God";
"each of us will give an account of himself to God"
(Rom 14:10,12)
• Sometimes the Scriptures also stress the depth
of that judgment
• "God judges the secrets of men by Jesus Christ"
(Rom 14:10; 2:16)
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

10. God’s judgment will be
comprehensive
• The judgment of God will be comprehensive and all
persons will give an account of nothing less than our
thoughts, words and deeds
• "For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every
secret thing, whether good or evil“ (Eccl 12:14)
• “On the day of judgment people will give account for every
careless word they speak, for by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Mt
12:36-37)
• "The thoroughness of this judgment inevitably reflects
biblical teaching on sin and righteousness"
• For those who are apart from Christ this is a damning
verdict, for God hates any and all sin
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

11. No hope without Christ’s
righteousness
• The thought of our every dark reflection and loveless
action being replayed before God's throne should
make any sane person tremble with a heightened
awareness of the solemnity of judgment
• "And yet Christian believers must take courage in
their special standing with Jesus Christ"
• "But thankfully, for those found in Christ, our
unworthy efforts will be accepted in Christ along with
our unworthy persons, and our evil deeds will be
covered over by Christ's spotless righteous"
Only in the righteousness of Christ will anyone stand
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

12. Raised for judgment of our good
and evil
• Van Dixhoorn declares that the final phrase of this
section is a paraphrase of 2 Cor 5:10
• "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ,
so that each one may receive what is due for what he has
done in the body, whether good or evil."
• Whether judged for what we have done in the body or
judged bodily it is clear from other portions of
Scripture what we shall be raised bodily and judged
bodily for all our deeds, whether good or bad, and
whether done in thought, word, or deed
Every person who ever lived will be raised from the
dead and judged on the last day
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

13. Implications of the final
judgment
• "There are wide implications to the day of judgment.
Clearly as in Scripture connected to ethical
imperatives
• We will give an account for every idle word
• We should not make a brother stumble because by our words
we shall be justified or condemned
• Clearly as Scripture consistently teaches and as this
confession ably summarizes that teaching, we will
only stand in the judgment by the righteousness of
Christ
• Implications of the current judgment to ponder our
present way of life?
WCF
33.1
The Last Things

14. Of the Last Judgment
God's purpose in appointing this day is to manifest
the glory of his mercy in the eternal salvation of the
elect, and the glory of his justice in the damnation
of the reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient.
On that day the righteous shall go into everlasting
life and receive that fullness of joy and refreshing
which shall come from the presence of the Lord; but
the wicked, who do not know God and who do not
obey the gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast into
eternal torments and be punished with everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord and from
the glory of his power. [WCF MESV 33.2]
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

15. The purposes of God’s judgment
• This section of the confession teaches
• God's purpose in appointing this day is the manifestation of
his glorious justice and grace
• The righteous and wicked will then enter upon their eternal
reward
• Jesus picture of judgment day using sheep and goats,
(Mt 25:31-46)
• The sheep are blessed by the Father and ushered into their
eternal inheritance
• The goats are cursed, commanded to depart from God and to
enter the eternal fire first prepared for the devil and his
angels
• "The most surprising aspect to Jesus' account of the
day is that both groups contest what they deserve"
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

16. Loving God’s people  Loving God
• Believers are told that they satisfied their
Lord's hunger, slaked his thirst, welcomed
him, clothed him, identified with him even in
suffering. In other words, they loved him.
• When they deny that they were so good, they
are assured that in loving the Lord's people,
that they loved him
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

17. Neglecting God’s people 
Neglecting God
• With the unbelievers the story is a complete reversal
• Jesus judges they ignored his hunger and thirst;
refused to welcome, clothe or minister to him in
prison. In other words they did not care for him.
• Naturally they protest; they are better than he thinks. But
the Lords confirms his judgment, for in despising his people,
they despised him too.
• Both reactions are striking in their own way. It is plain that
God's people are finally on judgment day at their wisest.
They see no good in themselves. Faced with the awesome
holiness of God, the imagined holiness which we parade
during this life completely disappears.
Both believers and unbelievers will be surprised at
God’s judgment of themselves
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

18. A day of glory and groaning
• For Christians, this last day is a display of God's grace, a
"manifestation of the glory of his mercy" in their "eternal
salvation"
• They will be saved because they are objects of electing love,
and for no other reason
• On the other hand it is painfully evident that on the same
day God's enemies are at their most foolish
• They are more brazen in their declarations of worthiness
than ever before; they lived their lives in their own
sufficiency and they stick to their lines to the bitter end
• They will not understand it, but for them, this day is a
display of "his justice", resulting in the "damnation of the
reprobate, who are wicked and disobedient"
• They will be judged both because they are reprobate, and
because they are "wicked and disobedient"
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

19. God, not man
• The first focus on the final day will be on God and not
on man
• On the day of judgment the world will know for sure
who are God's elect, and who are the reprobate
• The chief event will be the presentation of God's
character, as his glory is seen in his unfailing mercy
and his true justice. This is the "end" or the purpose
in "God's appointing this day". It is to manifest
something glorious about his mercy, about his justice,
ultimately about himself.
Judgment Day will glorify God’s mercy, justice, and
therefore himself
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

20. God’s mercy on display
• In this judgment God's mercy will be amply exhibited
• It will be seen in his endurance, "with much patience," of
those who were destined for destruction (Rom 9:22)
• It will be seen in the way in which he fashioned "vessels of
mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory" (Rom 9:23)
• It will be seen in his over-generous assessment of his "good
and faithful" servants who were "faithful over a little" but
now are set "over much" and "enter into the joy" of their
master (Mt 25:21)
• "In short, the righteous enter everlasting life, and
receive that fullness of joy and refreshing which
comes from the presence of the Lord"
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

21. God’s justice on display
• In this judgment, God's justice will also be on display,
a grim spectacle that all will see
• Those with a hard and impenitent heart will be judged, "each
one according to his works (Rom 2:5-6)
• These are the people who will be shown wrath; people
"prepared for destruction" (Rom 9:22)
• "They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away
from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his
might" (2 Thess 1:9)
• "The judgment day is primarily a declaration about
the Lord. But it is an event that should inject urgency
into Christian conversations with the unconverted.“
The urgency of Judgment Day is an effective
evangelistic tool
WCF
33.2
The Last Things

22. Of the Last Judgment
As Christ would have us to be absolutely
convinced that there will be a day of
judgment, both to deter all men from sin
and to give greater consolation to the godly
in their adversity, so will he have that day
unknown to men, that they may shake off all
carnal security, may always be watchful—
because they do not know at what hour the
Lord will come—and may always be prepared
to say, “Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.
Amen.” [WCF MESV 33.3]
WCF
33.3
The Last Things

23. Focus on the personal aspect of
final judgment
• "The focus of this chapter, to the end, is personal,
rather than cosmological"
• “The confession does not seek to answer (questions
pertaining to the end of the world as we know it)—to
which could be added theories of millennial rule and
the destiny of the Jews. Instead of speculation, the
final note in this confession of faith is one of
persuasion"
• For two different reasons "persuasion"
• The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to be "certainly persuaded
that there shall be a day of judgment." "We must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ" (2 Cor 5:10)
• “We also want to keep the return of the Lord in mind so that
we can find comfort in adversity."
WCF
33.3
The Last Things

24. A certain day
• We need to be persuaded of this fact (the
judgment day)
• “Knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade
others" (2 Cor 5:11)
• A reminder of the return of Christ is a call to
careful thinking and living!
• Regarding comfort in adversity we live in hope
• We who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan
inwardly as we wait for all the blessings that will
be ours in fullness, which are not ours in part. We
wait eagerly and we wait with patience (Rom 8:23-
25)
WCF
33.3
The Last Things

25. An unknown date
• While the day of judgment is certain no one knows—not
even the late Harold Camping
• It is precisely because the early Christians did not know
when Jesus would return that he urged them once and
again to (cf. Mt 24:42-44; Mk 13:35-37; Lk 12:35-36)
• Stay awake
• Be ready
• Be dressed for action
• Have their lamps burning to be waiting for the master
• It is also because the return of the king marks the end of
all opportunity to repent, that the Lord urges us to
consider his second coming
No one knows the day or hour of the last judgment, so
always be ready!
WCF
33.3
The Last Things

26. Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus!
• As understood by the Westminster assembly, the coming of the
Lord, the resurrection, and the judgment are all distinct but
closely related aspects of one great event; there is no "gap" in
"time" between them
• Christians want to welcome the Lord. There is a joyful and
blessed hope of the Scriptures. Christians are not braced for the
coming of the Lord, anxiously worrying about his arrival. We are
eager for his coming, hoping to be the generation that will hold
the door open for him (Luke 12:36).
• And since it is sure that he is coming momentarily, as God counts
his moments, we always want to be praying, "Come, Lord Jesus!
Come quickly." (Rev. 22:20)
Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, believers can look forward to
Judgment Day without fear and with certain hope of salvation
WCF
33.3
The Last Things

27. Appendix: millennial positions
• “Millennium” = thousand years (cf. Rev 20:1-3)
• There are some who associate the return of Christ with the idea
of an extended period (millennium) of unparalleled prosperity
and blessedness during which Christianity will virtually reign
supreme
• Those who hold that Christ will return before this period are called
"pre-millennialists"
• Others believe that a period of unparalleled prosperity and
blessedness (the millennium) will precede the return of Christ are
called "post-millennialists"
• Those who do not believe that the Bible warrants the expectation
of any extended period of triumph of Christianity prior to the end
of the age (no millennium) are called "a-millennialists“
• The WCF is compatible with the basic millennial positions
(except the dispensational version of pre-millennialism)
WCF
A-33
The Last Things

28. “Classic” pre-millennialism
• A view held in the ancient era. Its main outline:
1. World history is to extend 6,000 years, a thousand years
for each of the days of creation
2. Toward the end of this period (the sixth day) suffering
and persecution of believers will increase until climax in
the rise of Antichrist
3. At the height of Antichrist's power Christ will appear in
heavenly glory to triumph over all his enemies
resurrecting the saints and establishing his Kingdom
which will last a thousand years (the seventh day,
Sabbath). During this period Jerusalem will be rebuilt,
the earth will prosper, and there will be universal peace.
4. At the end of this period the wicked will be raised for
the final judgment
5. Finally the new creation will appear
WCF
A-33a
The Last Things

29. Classic pre-millennialism *
WCF
A-33a
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Isa. 65:17:
Second Coming
and beginning
of prosperity
Isa. 65:20-25:
Age of
prosperity
Isa. 66:24:
Final end
of all evil
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

30. Support for
Classic pre-millennialism *
WCF
A-33a
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Zech. 14:1-5:
Second Coming
Zech. 14:8-9:
renewal of earth
Zech. 14:16-19:
some evil left
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

31. “Dispensational” pre-millennialism
• Relatively recent innovation as a product of the
dispensational system. Its seven dispensations:
1. Innocency (creation to the fall)
2. Conscience (the fall to the flood)
3. Human Government (the flood to the tower of Babel)
4. Promise (from patriarchs to Moses)
5. Law (Moses to Christ)
6. Grace (Christ to Millennium)
7. Kingdom (the millennial period)
• The nation (or kingdom) of Israel occupies a special place
in the divine economy
• The Church is regarded as a mere parenthesis in the
history of the kingdom
• Christ's return is imminent
WCF
A-33b
The Last Things

32. A two-stage second coming
• Christ's second coming will be marked by two separate
events (comings) with seven intervening years between
• The first coming (the “rapture”) will be for his saints. The
second coming will follow the seven year period in which:
• The gospel of the kingdom will be preached
• Widespread conversion effected
• Israel reconstituted
• In the latter part of this period Antichrist revealed and
God's wrath poured out upon the human race. After this
period Christ will come with his saints. The living nations
will then be judged, the saints that died during the great
tribulation raised up, the Antichrist destroyed and Satan
bound.
WCF
A-33b
The Last Things

33. Dispensational millennial
kingdom
• The Millennial Kingdom will be established at Christ’s
second “coming” (the second event)
• It will be an earthly, visible kingdom in which the Jews only will be
natural citizens
• The Gentiles will only be adopted citizens
• Christ will sit on the throne in Jerusalem
• The temple will be rebuilt and sacrifices made once more
• Universal peace and prosperity will prevail
• At the end of the Millennium, Satan will be loosed for a
little season. Satan will be cast into the pit and the dead
that have not yet been raised (the wicked) will be raised
to appear before the judgment seat of God.
• Then will follow the eternal kingdom of heaven
WCF
A-33b
The Last Things

34. Dispensational pre-millennialism *
WCF
A-33b
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Tribu-
lation
7 years
(Church age)
Jewish
Jewish
1 Thess. 4:15-17 1 Thess. 5:3 2 Thess. 1:7-9
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

35. Two schools of pre-millennialism *
WCF
A-33b
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Classic premillennialism
Dispensational premillennialism
Today GoldSilver
Tribu-
lation
7 years
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

36. Post-millennialism
• The Holy Spirit will gradually bring about a period of
virtual triumph of true Christianity before Christ
returns
• Some believe that a great apostasy will precede the
"golden age" while others believe that the great
apostasy will follow the "golden age"
• Christ will return after the world is evangelized, the
Jews concerted and the Church established in great
purity and unity
WCF
A-33c
The Last Things

37. Post-millennialism: main points
• The resurrection will be general (all men at
the same time)
• The general judgment will follow
• Then the eternal kingdom will begin
• Main points
• The Kingdom of God is a present reality
• It is spiritual in character
• The Church is the divine institution which effects
this coming of Christ in his kingdom power
WCF
A-33c
The Last Things

38. Post-millennialism *
WCF
A-33c
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Isa. 65:17:
Gradual beginning
of prosperity
Isa. 65:20-25:
Age of
prosperity
Second
Coming
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

39. Support for post-millennialism *
WCF
A-33c
The Last Things
GoldSilverToday
Mark 4:31:
Small
start
Mark 4:32:
Gradual
growth
Mark 4:32:
Full
endpoint
Mark 4:29:
Second
Coming
as harvest
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

40. A-millennialism
• Scripture does not predict
• A golden age in world history prior to Christ's
return
• A golden age in history after Christ's return before
the final judgment
• Instead, there will be a progressive maturation
of the forces of good and evil
WCF
A-33d
The Last Things

41. A-millennialism: varieties
• Some believe that there will be a tribulation and much
apostasy throughout this era while others believe that the
apostasy will come as an event concentrated in the time
immediately prior to Christ's return
• Some believe that there will be no sign of Christ's return,
while others believe that there will be
1. The great apostasy
2. Conversion of the Jews
3. A state of affairs in which it can be said that the gospel has
been preached to all nations
• Christ will return and will resurrect all men at the same
time
• The new heaven and new earth will appear to abide
forever
WCF
A-33d
The Last Things

42. A-millennialism *
WCF
A-33d
The Last Things
Today Gold
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

43. Two-stage fulfillment *
WCF
A-33d
The Last Things
Today’s
Age
GOLDEN
Age
Isa 65:17-25
Isa. 65:17, “new heaven and new earth,”
already points to the golden age.
Preliminary
Final
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

44. Support for a-millennialism *
WCF
A-33d
The Last Things
Today’s
Age
GOLDEN
Age
2 Pet. 3:3:
continued
scoffing
2 Pet. 3:4:
Second
Coming
2 Pet. 3:10-13:
new heaven
and earth
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

45. Millennial positions compared *
WCF
A-33
The Last Things
Today GoldSilver
Today Gold
GoldSilver
Premil
Amil
Today
Postmil
* Vern. Poythress. Course Materials on Revelation. “Millennium.” http://campus.wts.edu/~vpoythress/nt311/presentn/3C7Mille.odp.
Accessed 21 February 2018.

46. Summary of key points
WCF
33
• Do not be deceived: God will judge the world
• Jesus Christ is God’s appointed judge
• Christians will “judge” with Christ like jurors
• Only in the righteousness of Christ will anyone stand
• Every person who ever lived will be raised from the dead and judged on
the last day
• Both believers and unbelievers will be surprised at God’s judgment of
themselves
• Judgment Day will glorify God’s mercy, justice, and therefore himself
• The urgency of Judgment Day is an effective evangelistic tool
• No one knows the day or hour of the last judgment, so always be ready!
• Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, believers can look forward to Judgment
Day without fear and with certain hope of salvation
The Last Things

47. Consider and discuss
1. If you were to stand before the Judgment
Seat of Christ right now, how would you
plead?
2. “On that day the righteous shall go into
everlasting life and receive that fullness of
joy and refreshing which shall come from
the presence of the Lord” (WCF 33.2).
What is the difference between the
“righteous” and the “wicked”? Which are
you? By what standard do you judge
yourself?
WCF
33
3. “The doctrine of a last judgment according to a person’s
works flatly contracts the gospel of free grace.” Discuss.
4. What millennial position do you think best accounts for the
biblical evidence? Summarize your reasons.
The Last Things

48. Memorize
For the Lord himself will descend from
heaven with a cry of command, with
the voice of an archangel, and with
the sound of the trumpet of God. And
the dead in Christ will rise first. Then
we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and
so we will always be with the Lord.
Therefore encourage one another with
these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18
WCF
33
The Last Things

49. Going deeper
Books
• Storms, Sam. The Restoration of All Things. (Beginner)
• Hoekema, Anthony. The Bible and the Future.
(Intermediate)
• Hamilton, James. God’s Glory in Salvation Through
Judgment. (Advanced)
Articles
• Spurgeon, Charles. Coming Judgment of the Secrets of
Men.
• Storms, Sam. Individual Eschatology: Death, The
Intermediate State, Resurrection, and Judgment.
• Articles on Judgment and Millennial Views at
Monergism.com.
WCF
33
The Last Things