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It is of faith that Christ will judge the living and the dead, coming
corporeally.[2418]
1) Judiciary power befits Christ for three reasons: (1) because
of the hypostatic union; (2) because of His fullness of grace and
dignity of headship; (3) because of His infinite
merits.[2419] Thus the Scripture says: "It is He who was
appointed by God to be judge of the living and of the
dead."[2420] It was most fitting that He who fought for
God's justice and conquered, having been unjustly condemned, should
be, even as man, judge of all in accordance with God's
justice.[2421]
2) Judiciary power befits Christ as regards all human affairs,
according to both natures.[2422] Thus the Evangelist says:
"The Father hath given all judgment to the Son."[2423] And
St. Paul says: "For this end Christ died and rose again, that
He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.... For we
shall all stand before the judgment seat of God."[2424]
3) Christ's judgment is twofold, that is, particular at death for
every individual, namely, for each particular person; and it is also
universal, inasmuch as each individual is a part of the universe, and
this will be at the end of the world. Thus St. Paul says: "It is
appointed unto men once to die, and after this the
judgment,"[2425] that is, the particular judgment. And the
Evangelist says: "The word that I have spoken, the same shall
judge him in the last day."[2426] The sentence delivered on the
Judgment Day means the separation of all the good from the bad. It
is more probable that the sentence and all that pertains to the general
judgment is done mentally and not vocally.[2427]
There will be in the last days a world-wide persecution by the wicked
against the good; therefore the wicked will feel secure, and the good
will fear.[2428] But on the day of the Last Judgment the just
will deride the condemned for three things, namely, their pride,
their trust in themselves, and the passing glory of this
world.[2429]
4) Christ according to His human nature exerts judiciary power over
all the angels, as regards the dispensation of graces granted through
them and their accidental rewards; but He gives essential reward only
in accordance with His divine nature. On this point St. Thomas
says: "As to the essential reward of the good angels, which is
everlasting bliss, and as to the essential punishment of the wicked
angels, which is everlasting damnation, this was done by Christ from
the beginning of the world, inasmuch as He is the Word of
God."[2430]
Nevertheless, as St. Thomas says: "The angels are subjects of
Christ's judiciary power even as regards His human nature: (1)
from the closeness of His assumed nature to God, namely, by reason
of the hypostatic union; (2) because by the lowliness of His
passion, the human nature in Christ merited to be exalted above the
angels, so that as is said: ‘In the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the
earth.'[2431] And therefore Christ has judiciary power also
over all the angels both good and bad. In testimony of this the
Scripture says: ‘All the angels stood round about the
throne.’"[2432]
5) Will Christ come to judge the whole world in His human
nature?[2433] The answer is in the affirmative. The
Evangelist says: "The Father hath given Him power to do judgment,
because He is the Son of man."[2434] Christ truly judges
inasmuch as He is Lord, and Lord not only as Creator, but as
Redeemer, which means according to His human nature. Hence St.
Paul says: "For to this end Christ died and rose again, that He
might be Lord both of the dead and of the living."[2435]
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