Final judgment is the time, according to some religious doctrines, of God's last and final judgment on all beings on Earth. Judgment Day, as it is also known, is often compared to Apocalypse, especially among Christians.
The concept of the Final Judgment diverges from the point of view of different religions or philosophical currents. The world's most famous model, however, is the account presented in the Christian Bible.
For Christians, it would be during the Last Judgment that people would pay for their sins or be “rewarded” for the good deeds they did during life on earth.
Hell is described as the destination for sinners, who would remain all eternity in constant torture and suffering. On the other hand, those who followed God's commandments would be destined for Paradise, where they would have an eternal life of happiness.
Learn more about the meaning of Apocalypse.
The final judgement, by Michelangelo
This is one of the most famous works by the Italian Renaissance artist Michelangelo, located on the altar wall of the iconic Sistine Chapel, in Vatican City.
This canonical fresco (Il Giudizio Universale, in Italian) took four years to be completed by the artist (1536 – 1541). The work, as the name suggests, portrays the supposed coming of Jesus Christ on Judgment Day, as described in the Catholic version of the Bible.
This work by Michelangelo aroused great controversy at the time it was completed, mainly due to portraying several nude figures, as the Italian artist was a great admirer of aesthetics Greco-Roman.
The Council of Trent (one of the main ones in the Catholic Church) had decided to prohibit any type of nudity involving sacred art. Therefore, after Michelangelo's death, several of the images were censored and redrawn, in order to hide the private parts of some characters in the work.
See also: the meaning of Judgment.
