The majority of religions of Christendom more or less agree with the Roman Catholic teaching that God’s judgments come in two stages. First, there is the “particular judgment.” When a person dies, his supposed immortal soul is immediately judged and consigned to an eternity either in hell or in heaven.a Then comes the last, or general, judgment at the end of time when the bodies of the dead are resurrected and reunited with their immortal souls.

On this judgment day, souls in heaven remain there and are reunited with bodies that have been made incorruptible. Those suffering in hell remain there too, and their souls are also united with resurrected, incorruptible bodies. According to some, this causes their sufferings to become more intense. Those still alive as humans do not die. They are judged while still alive and go, “body and soul” as it were, straight to heaven or hell.

The possibility of enduring unspeakable torments in hellfire has made the whole subject of the final judgment at the hands of Jesus Christ something fearful to think about.