Theological Foundations new file

181 The Eschatological Direction place right after his death, and then, for the second time, at the Last Judgment. It will be conducted by Christ at the end of the world as it was announced by the psalmist: “... He judges the world with righteousness, He judges the peoples with equity” (Ps 9, 9 ). All people will be gath- ered there, from the first man, Adam, to the one who was the last man to die. The saints from heaven, the purified from Purgatory and the con- demned from hell will be there to give exact accounts of their thoughts, words and deeds. 29 The Venerable Servant of God recalls the words of Christ about the signs which will precede the Last Judgment: “There will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in per- plexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves” (Lk 21, 25). “Whenever we see in our times some turmoil or bloody wars, epidemics, hunger or the world stirred up with various disturbances, we usually say that the day of judgment has come or we express it in similarly extreme terms. What will you say, then, when you see things unseen before, when you hear of matters you have never heard before, when the most merciful God forgets His mercy altogether, when the angels tremble in fear, when the righteous are horrified to death?” 30 In those final days, nations, kingdoms and states will wage terrible wars against one another; there will be revolts, riots and rebellions. Added to this will be the “sisters of war”: people will be tormented by plagues and calamities to such a degree that whoever is not destroyed by force, violence and iron, will be obliterated by hunger and epidemics. Human suffering will be intensified by sea tides and unusual floods; many islands, seashore towns and localities will be washed away and devoured by the waves along with their inhabitants. Various cosmic cat- astrophes will also take place. Changes will occur in the configuration of the celestial bodies, collisions and pollution will take place. The sounds of terrible thunder will be heard, terrifying lightning will be seen, people will be dying everywhere and houses will be burning. The earth will shake violently, the powers of the heavens will be shaken, stars will fall from heaven, the moon will not give its light. Everything above and