Last Judgment

====Eastern Orthodoxy====
[[File:MHS Sad Ostateczny XVII w Lipie p.jpg|thumb|''The Last Judgment'', 17th century [[icon]] from Lipie. Historic Museum in [[Sanok]], [[Poland]].]]
[[File:Voronet last judgment.jpg|thumb|''The Last Judgment'', mural from [[Voroneț Monastery]], [[Romania]]]]
The [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] teaches that there are two judgments: the first, or particular judgment, is that experienced by each individual at the time of his or her death, at which time God will decide where<ref>The Orthodox do not have an understanding of "Purgatory." Rather, they believe that the souls of the departed will await the Final Judgment either in heaven or hell – but that there are different levels of heaven and different levels of hell –  and they believe that the prayers of the Church can help to ease the sufferings of the souls, but do not dogmatize as to how exactly this is accomplished.</ref> one is to spend the time until the [[Second Coming]] of Christ (see [[Hades in Christianity]]). This judgment is generally believed to occur on the fortieth day after death. The second, [[General judgment|General]] or Final Judgment will occur after the Second Coming.

Although in modern times some have attempted to introduce the concept of [[soul sleep]] into Orthodox thought about life after death, it has never been a part of traditional Orthodox teaching, and it contradicts the Orthodox understanding of the [[Intercession of saints|intercession of the Saints]].{{Citation needed|reason=By whom?|date=November 2021}}

Eastern Orthodoxy teaches that salvation is bestowed by God as a free gift of [[divine grace]], which cannot be earned, and by which forgiveness of sins is available to all. However, the deeds done by each person are believed to affect how he will be judged, following the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. How forgiveness is to be balanced against behavior is not well-defined in scripture, judgment in the matter being solely Christ's.

Similarly, although Orthodoxy teaches that sole salvation is obtained only through Christ and his Church, the fate of those outside the Church at the Last Judgment is left to the [[mercy of God]] and is not declared.

=====Icons=====
[[Image:Vasnetsov Last Judgment.jpg|thumb|[[Viktor Vasnetsov]]'s ''The Last Judgment'', 1904]]
The theme of the Last Judgment is important in Orthodoxy. Traditionally, an Orthodox church will have a [[fresco]] or [[mosaic]] of the Last Judgment on the back (western) wall so that the faithful, as they leave the services, are reminded that they will be judged by what they do during earthly life.

The [[icon]] of the Last Judgment traditionally depicts [[Christ Pantokrator]], enthroned in glory on a white throne, surrounded by the [[Theotokos]] (Virgin Mary), [[John the Baptist]], the [[Apostles in the New Testament|Apostles]], [[saint]]s and [[angel]]s. Beneath the throne the scene is divided in half with the "mansions of the righteous" ({{bibleverse||John|14:2|KJV}}), i.e., those who have been [[salvation|saved]], to Jesus' right (the viewer's left), and the torments of those who have been [[damnation|damned]] to his left. Separating the two is the [[Lake of fire|river of fire]] which proceeds from Jesus' left foot. For more detail, see below.

=====Hymnography=====
[[File:Poulakis Theodoros - The Hymn to the Virgin, "Eπί Σοί Xαίρει" ("In Thee Rejoiceth...") - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|200 px|right|[[Theodore Poulakis]] ''[[In Thee Rejoiceth (Poulakis)|The Hymn to the Virgin with Last Judgment]]'', 1622]]
The theme of the Last Judgment is found in the [[funeral]] and [[Pannikhida|memorial hymnody]] of the Church, and is a major theme in the services during [[Great Lent]]. The second Sunday before the beginning of Great Lent is dedicated to the Last Judgment. It is also found in the hymns of the [[Octoechos (liturgy)|Octoechos]] used on Saturdays throughout the year.