In various religious traditions, the concept of Judgment Day appears as the moment of final and all-encompassing Divine judgment, where every person receives from their deeds the reward or punishment they deserve.

The Final Reckoning: Christian Eschatology Explored

In various religious traditions, the concept of Judgment Day appears as the moment of final and all-encompassing Divine judgment, where every person receives from their deeds the reward or punishment they deserve. In the Christian tradition, it is closely linked with the idea of the Second Coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the separation of the righteous from sinners. For example, one source recounts:
"The Church paints before our mind's eye a stunning spectacle of the end of the world, the Second Coming of Christ, and the Final Judgment. It does so like a loving, caring mother, concerned for our salvation, in order to provide us with a powerful incentive toward sincere repentance..." (source: link txt).

This portrayal of Judgment Day lies at the very foundation of Christian eschatological doctrine, where the apostolic writings emphasize the personal responsibility of each individual for his deeds, as noted, for example:
"The Apostle Paul reminds: 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive what is due to us for what we have done, whether good or evil, while we were in the body'" (source: link txt).

At the same time, a distinction is made between two levels of judgment. According to traditional Orthodox teaching, after death a person undergoes a private judgment that evaluates his moral state, and then, on the final day, a universal final Judgment takes place in which each one is ultimately rewarded or punished:
"In the private judgment, only the person's soul receives its due without any participation of the body... But there will come a day, the last day for all mankind... that day is therefore called in Scripture the day of judgment..." (source: link txt).

It is worth noting that different traditions and interpretations may include nuances. For example, some movements, such as Jehovah’s Witnesses, interpret Judgment Day in their own way by suggesting that judgment takes place during a millennial kingdom, whereas canonical Christian doctrine insists on a singular, decisive event when the final order of the universe will be established on the basis of God's Word:
"This is contradicted by the dogma of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which asserts that during the millennial kingdom a sinner, wishing to fulfill his ungodly intentions, will be immediately punished by death..." (source: link txt).

Furthermore, the visual and symbolic images of Judgment Day have been reflected in iconography and ecclesiastical art, where the depiction of the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the separation of the righteous from sinners takes center stage. These traditional images, which arose in Byzantine art, emphasize not only the solemnity but also the inevitability of this event:
"The iconography of the Final Judgment took shape in Byzantine art during the 11th–12th centuries, although evidence of depictions on this subject dates back to a significantly earlier time... The traditional version of this composition includes a large number of different images that can be grouped into three main themes..." (source: link txt).

Thus, the concept of Judgment Day is a key element in the eschatology of the Christian tradition, underscoring both personal salvation through repentance and moral purification, as well as the final, universal judgment that distinguishes the fates of the righteous and the guilty. At the same time, specific ideas about the actual occurrence of this event can vary even within a single religious tradition, demonstrating the richness and complexity of religious thought concerning the end of the world.

Supporting citation(s):
"The Church paints before our mind's eye a stunning spectacle of the end of the world, the Second Coming of Christ, and the Final Judgment. It does so like a loving, caring mother, concerned for our salvation..." (source: link txt)

"The Apostle Paul reminds: 'For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, to receive what is due to us for what we have done, whether good or evil, while we were in the body'" (source: link txt)

"In the private judgment, only the person's soul receives its due without any participation of the body... But there will come a day, the last day for all mankind... that day is therefore called in Scripture the day of judgment..." (source: link txt)

"The iconography of the Final Judgment took shape in Byzantine art during the 11th–12th centuries..." (source: link txt)

"This is contradicted by the dogma of Jehovah’s Witnesses, which asserts that during the millennial kingdom a sinner, wishing to fulfill his ungodly intentions, will be immediately punished by death..." (source: link txt)