The Righteous on the Day of Judgment: Our Full Communion with Christ in Glory

The previous question of the catechism considered the fearful destination of the wicked on the day of judgment. It reminded us of the justice of God, the seriousness of sin, and the eternal misery of being found outside of Christ. But now the catechism turns our eyes to the hope of those who belong to Christ. Westminster Larger Catechism 90 question asks, “What will be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?”

It answers: “At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, will be set on his right hand, and having been openly acknowledged and acquitted, they will join with him in judging reprobate angels and people. They will be received into heaven, where they will be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery, filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and presence of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. This is the perfect and full communion that the members of the invisible church will enjoy with Christ in glory at the resurrection and day of judgment.”

This is our great hope. On the day of judgment, we will not stand before Christ in terror, but in grace. We will be gathered to him, acknowledged by him, acquitted through him, and received into everlasting communion with him.

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Begins with Christ

Paul writes, “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” (1 Thess. 4:17). The day of judgment is not first presented to believers as a day of abandonment, but as a day of gathering. Christ will not forget his people. He will not lose one of those given to him by the Father. Those who have died in Christ, and those who are alive at his coming, will be brought together to meet the Lord.

That is why Paul says, “Therefore encourage one another with these words” (1 Thess. 4:18). Scripture does not answer every question we may have about the last day. Instead, it gives us something better: we will be with the Lord. Our hope on the day of judgment is not that we will be strong enough to stand on our own. Our hope is that Christ will gather us to himself.

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Is Christ’s Public Welcome

Jesus describes the final judgment in Matthew 25 as a shepherd separating sheep from goats. “And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left” (Matt. 25:33). The right hand is the place of favor, acceptance, and blessing. We will not be placed there because we were righteous in ourselves. We will be there because we are united to Christ by faith, clothed in his righteousness, and kept by his grace.

That means this hope should never make us proud. It should make us worship. If we are accepted on the day of judgment, it is because Christ was condemned in our place. If we are welcomed at his right hand, it is because he bore the wrath we deserved. The day of judgment will openly declare what is already true for every believer: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:1).

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Includes Open Acquittal

Jesus said, “Everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32). That promise will be fully displayed on the day of judgment. Christ will openly acknowledge us as his own. That matters because many Christians live unnoticed lives. Some suffer quietly. Some are misunderstood. Some labor faithfully with little earthly recognition. But on that day, Christ will not overlook his people. He will confess us before the Father.

The catechism says we will be “openly acknowledged and acquitted.” To be acquitted is to be declared not guilty. Our sins are real, but they will not condemn us, because Christ has paid for them in full. This is not a fragile hope. It does not rest on our ability to explain ourselves well enough before God. It rests on the finished work of Christ. The Judge before whom we stand is also the Savior who died and rose for us.

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Leads to Glory

The catechism also says we will join Christ “in judging reprobate angels and people.” Paul writes, “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” and then adds, “Do you not know that we are to judge angels?” (1 Cor. 6:2–3). This does not mean we become judges apart from Christ. Christ alone is the final Judge. But because we are united to him, we share in his victory and reign. The world may mock Christ and despise his church now, but the final judgment will show that Christ was right, his Word was true, and his people were not fools for following him.

Then Christ will say, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 25:34). We will be received into heaven, not as strangers, but as heirs. There, we will be “fully and forever freed from all sin and misery.” Every trace of corruption will be gone. Every grief will end. Every temptation will be silenced. Every wound will be healed. Christ will present his church to himself “in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Eph. 5:27).

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Is Full Communion with God

The greatest blessing of heaven is not merely that sin, sorrow, and death are gone. The greatest blessing of heaven is God himself. David says, “In your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11). John writes, “We shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). Paul says that now “we see in a mirror dimly,” but then we shall see “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12).

This is the “perfect and full communion” described by the catechism. We will dwell in the immediate presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We will be made perfectly holy and happy in body and soul. We will be gathered with “innumerable angels” and with “the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven” (Heb. 12:22–23). Every joy we know now is mixed with weakness. Every earthly fellowship has limits. Every good day still comes to an end. But the joy of heaven will be unmixed, unbroken, and unending.

Our Hope on the Day of Judgment Should Encourage Us Now

The doctrine of the day of judgment is not meant to terrify those who are in Christ. It is meant to steady us. We will be gathered to Christ, set at his right hand, acknowledged and acquitted, received into heaven, and brought into full communion with God forever. This hope strengthens us in suffering. It gives courage for obedience. It loosens our grip on this present world. And it helps us wait for Christ with confidence rather than dread.

For those who belong to Christ, the final word is not condemnation. The final word is welcome: “Come, you who are blessed by my Father.” So we wait with hope. On the day of judgment, we will be with Christ, like Christ, and satisfied in Christ forever.

Soli Deo Gloria