Wrapping up our baptismal preparation class at Zion Lutheran Church (SELK) in Hamburg last Thursday, we met in the children’s Sunday school room, which is well-stocked with Legos, building blocks, and other toys. We discussed the ending of the Second Article of the Creed in the Small Catechism (Farsi translation): “From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.” One of the catechumens asked: “In Christianity, is there a Judgment Day like in Islam, where everyone will be held accountable for what they did in their lives?” “Yes,” I replied. “In that respect, both religions are similar. But regarding what *happens* on that day, Islam and Christianity are quite different. In Islam, everyone will be judged according to whether they did enough good things in their life to have earned Allah’s favor and be allowed into Paradise. “Yes,” one of them added, “Muslims believe that after you die, you enter ‘barzakh—a kind of limbo, in which everyone will have to wait in line, nervous about how Judgment Day will turn out for them.” [Yet another similarity between Islam and Roman Catholicism—with barzakh being comparable to the latter’s teaching of purgatory]. “But Christianity is quite different…”, I explained, rummaging through one of the shelves and collecting about a dozen wooden pins. I set them up on the table and arranged them in two groups. “At the Last Day, Jesus will raise everyone from the dead—and will also assemble those still living. He will separate them into two groups–those who believed in Him on earth and those who rejected Him (Matthew 25:32-34). For those who were baptized and believed in Jesus, their future is certain: He covers all their sins because He had already redeemed them on earth. No barzakh, no nervous waiting in line…” After a moment of reflection, one of the students exclaimed, “What would we do without Jesus…?”
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