Lesson video

Hi, my name is Miss Minton and welcome to this "Christianity Beliefs and Teachings" lesson on the afterlife judgement.

Now, by the end of this lesson, you'll be able to explain Christian beliefs about judgement , including the influence and importance of these beliefs for Christians today.

Now, lots of our learning today might be new to you, but please don't worry, because I'll be here to help you through each step of our lesson.

And I'm confident that by the end, you will achieve this outcome.

So let's get started and take a look at our keywords for today.

We have afterlife, day of judgement and judgement.

Now, the afterlife refers to what follows this physical life on Earth.

So life after death.

The day of judgement is at the end of time when each person will be judged by God and either rewarded or punished.

And judgement refers to the belief that God will decide whether each person will receive eternal life or eternal punishment, and this decision will be based upon their earthly life.

Now, our lesson today will have two parts.

We'll start by looking at Christian beliefs about judgement and we'll then move on to look at the importance and influence of belief in judgement.

So let's get started and take a look at Christian beliefs about judgement.

So I'd like us to get started by considering what we already know about Christian belief in life after death.

So pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself about what Christians believe about life after death.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that many Christians believe that living in the presence of God for eternity is possible in the afterlife, and that this belief is often referred to as heaven or maybe you considered that self-exclusion from God is possible and that this belief is often referred to as hell.

Or perhaps you considered that some Christians believe that heaven and hell are physical places, whereas other Christians believe that heaven and hell are spiritual states or dimensions.

Now, for most Christians, death is not seen as the end and that's because many Christians believe that when humans die, there is hope of eternal life with God.

And this belief that there is something after the physical life is known as the afterlife and for most Christians, the afterlife consists of heaven and hell.

Now, heaven is believed to be either a place or a state for those who have believed in God and lived a good life and hell is believed to be a place or state for those who have sinned and rejected God.

And most Christians agree that God decides who enters heaven and who goes to hell.

And this belief that God decides is known as judgement.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following refers to the belief that God decides whether a person goes to heaven or hell? Is it A, decision, B, judgement , C, verdict or D, ruling? Well done, the correct answer is B, judgement.

Now, within Christianity there are differing beliefs and teachings about how and when judgement occurs.

One belief is that judgement occurs immediately after a person dies, and this belief is known as individual or particular judgement.

Another belief is that judgement will happen at the end of time on what's known as the day of judgement , and sometimes this is referred to as final judgement.

Now, Christian beliefs about judgement come from the Bible and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is a teaching that's used by many Christians to demonstrate the belief in individual judgement.

So this idea that a person is judged immediately after death.

In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the rich man has everything that he could want and need, whereas Lazarus doesn't have anything.

He doesn't even have food to eat.

So he has to beg outside of the rich man's gate to try and get leftover food.

Now, the parable describes what happens when both the rich man and Lazarus die.

And it says this, "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side.

The rich man also died and was buried.

In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side." Now, this passage says that Lazarus went to Abraham's side, which many Christians interpret as being heaven, whereas the rich man went to Hades, which is another name for hell.

I'd like you to pause the video now and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

How does this passage suggest immediate and individual judgement after death? Off you go.

So this passage suggests immediate and individual judgement , because it suggests that Lazarus and the rich man were sent immediately to the afterlife.

The passage also suggests that Lazarus's afterlife was a reward, whereas the rich man's afterlife was a punishment of torment.

So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following parables suggests that judgement takes place immediately after death? A, the parable of the sheep and the goats, B, the parable of the lost son, C, the parable of the rich man and Lazarus or D, the parable of the mustard seed? Fantastic, the correct answer is C.

It's the parable of the rich man and Lazarus that suggests that judgement takes place immediately after death.

Well done.

Now, the parable of the sheep and the goats is another parable that can be used by Christians to support judgement , but the parable of the sheep and the goats is often used to support the belief in final judgement and the day of judgement.

And the parable of the sheep and the goats goes like this.

When the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

All 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.

Then the king will say to those on his right, "Come, you are blessed by my father.

Take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat.

I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.

I was a stranger and you invited me in.

I needed clothes and you clothed me and I was sick and you looked after me.

I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then the righteous will answer him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The king will reply, "Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." Then he will say to those on his left, "Depart from me, you who are cursed into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat.

I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink and I was a stranger and you did not invite me in.

I needed clothes and you did not clothe me.

I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me." They will also answer, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison and didn't help you?" He will reply, 'Truly, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me." Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.

So as we've seen, the parable of the sheep and the goats begins by implying that judgement will take place when Jesus returns.

And many Christians believe that this will happen at the end of time.

And for this reason, many Christians believe that the parable of the sheep and the goats is describing what will happen on the day of judgement.

Now, this parable describes Jesus separating those who followed his teachings from those who didn't and those who followed his teachings, they get rewarded, but the people who didn't, they are punished.

Now, I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

According to this parable, what behaviour will be rewarded in the afterlife? Off you go.

So according to this parable, behaviour like feeding the hungry or being welcoming towards people that we might not know, caring for the sick and providing clothes or other essentials for people who are in need are the kinds of behaviours that will be rewarded by God in the afterlife.

Now, although these examples are quite specific, each of the examples given in the parable of the sheep and the goats are examples of serving others.

And this parable makes it really clear that when humans serve other people and help another person, they're also serving God.

And this parable teaches Christians that this behaviour is needed in order to be saved when the time of judgement comes.

So let's check your understanding.

The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches Christians that A, God is the creator and the sustainer, B, God will pass judgement on their behaviour and actions, C, God is an omnipotent creator or D, God will show mercy and forgiveness.

Fantastic, the correct answer is B.

The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches Christians that God will pass judgement on their behaviour and their actions, well done.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to respond to the question, what do parables teach Christians about judgement ? And to do so, I'd like you to complete the table to develop each point and refer to a parable as a source of wisdom and authority in at least one of your developments.

So the points are, parables each Christians that they'll be judged after death and parables teach Christians that God will decide their afterlife on the day of judgement.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to complete the table to develop each point and you were also ask to refer to a parable as a source of wisdom and authority in at least one of your developments.

And your response might be something like this.

For the point that parables teach Christians that they'll be judged after death, you may have said that the parable of the rich man and Lazarus teaches Christians that each individual will be judged after death and they will either be rewarded or punished based on their life on Earth.

And for the point that parables teach Christians that God will decide their afterlife on the day of judgement , you may have said that the parable of the sheep and the goats teaches Christians that there will be a day of judgement where humans will be judged based on how they've served others and God.

If they followed the teachings of Jesus and helped people in need, they'll be rewarded with heaven.

But if they've not followed the teachings of Jesus, they will be punished with hell.

Now, what you might notice from my response is that I have used a parable as a source of wisdom and authority in both of my developments, but you were only asked to use a parable in one of your developments.

So well done for making sure that you did this.

We're now moving on to the second part of our lesson, which is to look at the importance and influence of belief in judgement.

So to get started, I'd like you to consider why the belief in judgement might be important for Christians? So pause the video and either talk to a partner or have a think to yourself.

Off you go.

So as part of your thinking time or your discussion, you may have considered that the belief in judgement is important, because it confirms that God is just and this means that God will judge people fairly and according to their actions during their earthly life.

You may have also considered that this belief provides hope and comfort and that it ensures people are held accountable for their own actions.

Or maybe you considered that this belief provides moral guidance and it could actually influence Christians' thoughts, behaviours and their actions.

Now, Lucas and Jacob are discussing how the belief in judgement might influence a Christian's thoughts, beliefs or actions.

Lucas says, "I don't think beliefs about judgement would influence Christians' thoughts or actions in this life.

This is because judgement takes place after death, so Christians don't need to worry about it during this life." Jacob replies and he says, "I disagree with you.

The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches Christians that they'll be judged based on their actions in this life, which means Christians should ensure that they're following the teachings of Jesus in preparation of judgement ." Jacob then goes on to use an example to try and help Lucas understand his point.

Jacob says, "At school, we're given rules that we should follow and at the end of the year, our teachers will write a report to tell our guardians how well we followed those rules.

If we haven't followed them, there will be consequences for our actions.

And just because the end of the year might seem a long time away, it doesn't mean that we shouldn't care about the report and its consequences." Lucas responds, "Now I see that Christians might try and behave well and follow Jesus' teachings, because they want to be rewarded when they're judged." So Lucas now understands that the belief about judgement is still important for many Christians in this life even though it impacts the afterlife.

Now, just like Jacob highlighted, many Christians believe that their thoughts, beliefs and actions in this life will have an impact on their afterlife, but that doesn't mean that Christians only try to live a good life because of fear of the consequences.

And actually for many Christians, the desire to live a good life is actually rooted in their faith in God and Jesus as the saviour, rather than a fear of consequences.

However, teachings from the Bible on judgement do still make it clear that there are consequences in the afterlife if humans do not behave well during this life.

I'd now like us to think about how beliefs about judgement might influence a Christian's thoughts and actions? I'd like you to pause the video and either talk to a partner, talk to me or have a think to yourself.

Can you think of any practical examples of how belief in judgement might influence a Christian's life? Off you go.

So as part of your discussions or your thinking time, you might have considered that belief about judgement can influence Christians to follow the teachings of Jesus.

For example, love your neighbour as yourself.

It might also influence Christians to help people who are in need and they might do this by doing things like giving to charity.

It can also influence Christians to be compassionate and considerate towards others.

So showing care for those who are in need.

And it may also influence Christians to have faith in God and follow the laws that God has given.

So let's check your understanding.

True or false? Christians believe that they should do whatever they want in this life and not worry about judgement or the afterlife.

Fantastic, that statement is false, but how do we know that this statement is false? Well, it's because most Christians believe that they should try to follow God's laws and the teachings of Jesus and that this behaviour will be rewarded during God's judgement.

Having said this though, it is important that we remember that this is not the only reason a Christian would try to live a good life.

Many Christians try to live good lives, because they have faith in God and Jesus as the saviour.

Grace and Danielle are both Roman Catholic Christians and they discuss how beliefs about judgement influence them.

Grace says, "My belief that God will judge me influences me to follow the teachings and examples of Jesus.

Stories from Jesus' life teach me what sort of behaviour will be rewarded, so I try to follow these examples wherever possible.

I don't do this just so I can be rewarded, but because the Bible teaches that God will reward this kind of behaviour, I know it's a positive example to follow and a good way to behave." Now, Danielle responds and she says, "My beliefs about judgement also influence me to follow the examples of behaviour from the Bible.

However, my belief about judgement also influences my attitude towards forgiveness.

For example, I know that God will judge each person based on their behaviour, because in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it says that each person will receive their eternal retribution.

So when someone wrongs me, I always show forgiveness, rather than passing judgement , because I believe that this is for God to do." So what we've seen here is an example of two Christians who belong to the same denomination, but each of them is influenced by their belief in a slightly different way.

Now, as well as influencing behaviour, the belief in judgement can also influence a Christian's belief and faith in God.

Now Fiona, who is an Anglican Christian, says this, "The 39 Articles of Religion teach me that judgement will take place on the last day when Jesus returns and that both faith and good works are necessary for God to reward a person when they're judged.

Article 12 teaches me that good works are the fruit of faith.

So I must first have faith in God and this will lead to me doing good things." So let's check your understanding.

Which of the following is not an example of how beliefs about judgement can influence Christians? A, holding grudges, B, letting God pass judgement , C, following Jesus' examples and teachings or D, helping those who are in need? Fantastic, the correct answer is A.

Holding grudges is not an example of how beliefs about judgement can influence Christians.

Well done.

It's now time for you to have a go at a task.

I would like you to write one paragraph explaining why the belief in judgement is important for Christians.

And in your paragraph, you should include a source of wisdom and authority and accurately apply this to the point that you make.

Now, some guidance that you might use when responding to this task includes offering a point about why judgement is important for Christians and then backing this point up with a source of wisdom and authority.

This might be from the Bible, it might be something that Jesus said or it might be an example of a parable.

And then finally, develop your source to explain how this supports the point about judgement that you've given.

Now, there are also some sentence starters for each part of your answer to support you if you need them.

So pause the video and have a go.

Well done for your work during that task.

So you were asked to write one paragraph explaining why the belief in judgement is important for Christians and you were also asked to include a source of wisdom and authority and accurately apply this to the point that you make.

And your answer might be similar to this.

The belief in judgement may be important for Christians, because it confirms that God is fair and influences moral behaviour because of this.

The parable of the sheep and the goats teaches that humans will be judged based on their actions in this life.

This is important, because it shows that God will make decisions based on a person's behaviour and will not send anyone to hell undeservingly.

This then impacts Christians to ensure that they behave well and follow the teachings and examples set by Jesus.

Now, what you can see from my response is that I have used the parable of the sheep and the goats as my source of wisdom and authority.

You may have used a different source of wisdom and authority that better supports the point that you've given, and that is absolutely fine.

So well done again for your work during that task.

We've now reached the end of our lesson on the afterlife and judgement , but before we finish, let's take a look at some of the key things that we've learned today.

So we've learned that most Christians agree that there is life after death and that this is referred to as the afterlife.

We've seen that judgement refers to the belief that God decides whether each person will be eternally rewarded with heaven or punished with hell.

And for most Christians, God's judgement is based on how each person has behaved during their physical and earthly life.

We've also learned that there are two types of judgement , individual or particular judgement and final judgement , which is often referred to as the day of judgement.

We've seen that parables can support Christian belief in both types of judgement and that the belief in judgement is important for Christians, because it confirms that God is just, provides comfort and influences many Christians to follow the teachings and examples of Jesus and have faith in God's judgement.

So a huge well done for all of your work this lesson.

It's been wonderful learning with you today.