Return of Christ and final judgement
- F13.1 Christ will return visibly to judge the living and the dead: consensus from Era I (high)
- F13.2 The hour is unknown; the church must be ready: consensus from Era I (high)
- F13.3 Christ will judge all people, living and dead, according to their deeds under the gospel: consensus from Era I (high)
Two separate measures, shown side by side; neither is combined with the other (confidence-weighted, out of 4; counts show how many of this doctrine's 3 questions each rests on; ⚠ marks coverage more than 10 points below the median, a less certain rank). This doctrine is first-order (tier weight 3). How scoring works · Scripture and tradition · Glossary · Every score with its citation
Closeness to Scripture
Closeness to the fathers
Charts: closeness to the fathers by question, and timeline
- c. 100 Didache F13.1
- c. 100 Didache F13.2
- c. 115 Polycarp F13.1
- c. 115 Polycarp F13.3
- c. 155 Justin Martyr F13.3
- c. 180 Irenaeus F13.1
- c. 415 Augustine F13.3
- 1646 Westminster Confession Presbyterian
F13 · Return of Christ and final judgement
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Tier: First-order (scoring weight 3). How the tiers were set: theological triage. Method: conventions. Traditions’ sources: confessional sources.
In short
Jesus will come again, visibly, to judge the living and the dead according to their deeds and the gospel (Acts 1:11; Matthew 25; 2 Cor 5:10). The earliest Christian writings, like the Didache and Polycarp, expect exactly this. All nine traditions hold it; they differ on details such as the millennium (T01) and the nature of final punishment (T10).
Plan
Question: F13.1: will Christ return visibly to judge the living and the dead? Millennium and timing are T01 and T02. Scripture: Matt 24:30; 25:31–46; Acts 1:11; 17:31; 2 Cor 5:10; 1 Thess 4:16; 2 Tim 4:1. Fathers: Didache 16; Polycarp, Philippians 2; Irenaeus, Against Heresies I.10.1. F13.2: is the hour unknown (Matt 24:36; Didache 16.1)? F13.3: will he judge all people according to their deeds / the gospel (Matt 25:31–46; John 5:28–29; Rom 2:6–16; 2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:11–15; Polycarp 6; Justin 1 Apology 12; Augustine City of God XX.14)? Annihilation vs eternal conscious torment stays in T10.
Questions
- F13.1 Return of Christ and final judgement
- F13.2 Is the time of the return unknown, calling for readiness?
- F13.3 Will Christ judge all people according to their deeds / the gospel?
Verdicts and trace
Weighed under the source-proximity principle: Scripture first, then the father eras I–IV.
F13.1 · Return of Christ and final judgement
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F13.1 | Christ will return visibly to judge the living and the dead: consensus from Era I | High | F13.1.1 · F13.1.3 weighing | didache-f13-s1 · polycarp-f13-s1 · irenaeus-f13-s1 | F13.1.4: high |
F13.2 · Is the time of the return unknown, calling for readiness?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F13.2 | The hour is unknown; the church must be ready: consensus from Era I | High | F13.2.1 · F13.2.3 weighing | didache-f13-s2 | F13.2.4: high |
F13.3 · Will Christ judge all people according to their deeds / the gospel?
| Question | Verdict | Confidence | Reasoning | Key sources | Scripture (benchmark) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| F13.3 | Christ will judge all people, living and dead, according to their deeds under the gospel: consensus from Era I | High | F13.3.1 · F13.3.3 weighing | polycarp-f13-s2 · justin-martyr-f13-s1 · augustine-f13-s1 | F13.3.4: high |
Post-750 development
Which of this doctrine’s questions each tradition stays closest to, or departs from. Each row links to the tradition’s notes; exact scores and bases are in the reasoning.
| Tradition | Closest to the fathers on | Departs or sharpens on |
|---|---|---|
| Catholic | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Orthodox | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Oriental Orthodox | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Lutheran | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Anglican | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Presbyterian | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Reformed Baptist | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| General Baptist | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
| Anabaptist | F13.1, F13.2, F13.3 | — |
Overall verdict
All nine confess Christ’s return and final judgement. All nine hold the hour unknown (F13.2). All nine hold that he judges all according to deeds under the gospel (F13.3); the nature of final punishment is T10, and the millennium is T01.
Verification status
AC XVII, WCF XXXIII, 1689 32 and Dordrecht IV/XVIII verified; Orthodox Creed arts. 38 and 50 verified against the 1679 printing (EEBO scan).