Christian eschatology: judgement
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian beliefs about judgement, including the influence and importance of these beliefs for Christians today.
Key learning points
- Most Christians agree that God decides who enters heaven and who goes to hell. This belief is known as judgement.
- Judgement is the belief that God decides whether a person is eternally rewarded with heaven, or punished with hell.
- There are two types of judgement: individual/particular; and final judgement (the Day of Judgement).
- Parables can be used to support Christian belief in both types of judgement.
- The belief in judgement is important for many Christians and may influence thoughts, behaviours and actions.
Keywords
Afterlife - what follows the physical life on earth; life after death
Day of Judgement - at the end of time, each person will be judged by God and rewarded or punished
Judgement - the final trial of all humanity, the living and the dead, at the end of the world
Common misconception
Christians only follow Jesus' teachings because of their belief in judgement.
Although the Bible makes it clear that there are consequences in the afterlife for actions in this life, for many Christians, the desire to live a good life is rooted in love for God and faith in Jesus as the saviour, not a fear of judgement.
Teacher tip
You could extend learning by comparing and contrasting Christian beliefs about the afterlife and their significance with one of either Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, or Sikhism.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the term with the correct description.
God’s unconditional love and mercy
being saved from sin and its consequences
a separation caused by actions against God’s will
Q2.What is the main purpose of Jesus’ death for Christians?
Q3.How do many Christians believe they can receive salvation?
Q4.What does the Holy Spirit help Christians with?
Q5.What is sin in Christianity?
Q6.Which of the following is considered a key aspect of salvation in Christianity?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Christians believe that God’s determines their afterlife.
Q2.A is a story used to teach moral or religious lessons.
Q3.Which parable teaches about individual judgement?
Q4.When does the final judgement happen in Christianity?
Q5.Why is the belief in judgement important for Christians?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christian eschatology: judgement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: Christian eschatology: judgement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 religious education lessons from the Christian beliefs unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.