Judgement
Many Christians believe that after death, they will be taken into the presence of God and they will be judged for the deeds they have done or failed to do during their lifetime. The Catholic Church teaches that humanity will face two judgements:
- individual judgement
- final judgement
Individual judgement
The belief is that individual judgement, which is also sometimes called particular judgement, happens at the moment of death. The moment of death is when each individual will be judged on how they have lived their life. The soul will then either go to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory.
Final judgement
The belief is that final judgement will come at the end of time. This is when all of humanity will be raised and each person's body and soul will be reunited. Here, everyone will be judged by Christ who will have returned in all his glory. The teaching on judgement is reflected in the Gospels.
All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Free will
The Catholic Church teaches that all of humanity has free will. This means that any decisions people make are completely their responsibility. The belief is that humans have the right and the choice to make their own decisions, so when it comes to judgement, no one else can be held responsible.
The Parable of the Net explains how at the end of time the good will be separated from the bad, just like the fish in the net.
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous.