The afterlife: 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 belief that God will decide whether each person should receive eternal life or eternal punishment based on their earthly life
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 may wish to print Luke 16:19-31 (The Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus) and read the full story with students.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Some Christians believe that is not a physical place, but a state where people experience eternal joy with God.
Q2.What is a traditional Christian belief about hell?
Q3.How might belief in heaven and hell influence a Christian’s behaviour?
Q4.Which of the following best describes an inclusivist view of heaven?
Q5.Which of the following is a contemporary belief about hell?
Q6.What is one way Christian funeral practices reflect beliefs about the afterlife?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats is often used to support belief in the Day of ...
Q2.Which belief do most Christians hold about judgement?
Q3.Which parable is often used to support belief in individual judgement?
Q4.Which of the following best describes Christian beliefs about why people follow Jesus’ teachings?
Q5.Why do Christians believe that God’s judgement is important?
Q6.Which of the following best describes the influence of belief in judgement on Christians?
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The afterlife: judgement, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 religious education lesson on: The afterlife: 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 Christianity: Beliefs and teachings unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.