How many people will be present on the Judgment Day?
As of 2012, there’s now an estimated 7 billion people living in the world, and many thousands more are being added daily. It’s as a huge number, difficult to grasp. Seven billion is more than have been alive at any single point in earth’s history. A number of this magnitude conjures up images of overpopulation, crowded cities, slums, wars, diseases and famine. And to think that, according to some calculations, the population of the whole earth at the time of Christ was a mere 200 million. Being part of such a huge number makes us feel like we are living at a unique point of history, almost as if G-d has to do something big right now. However, what may be surprising to many is that the dead far, far outnumber those who are alive right now. We, it turns out, are but a small fraction of the total.
Which brings me to the original question – how many people will be resurrected and present on the Judgment Day? According to the Population Reference Bureau estimates the total number of people who have ever lived on our planet is 107 billion. That’s right – at least ONE HUNDRED BILLION people have already lived out their short lives, died and long slipped into eternity and only an infinitesimally tiny number of them is still remembered by the living.
Can you imagine gazing at the crowd of 107 billion people, all lined up before the Throne of G-d? Can you imagine yourself being part of that enormous ocean of humanity, standing and trembling in awe before the awesome Maker of the Universe, waiting for your turn? Still feeling important? Humbling, is it not? The Judgement Day just may be a one very long day.
If there are five questions and an accelerated movie about the life of each person (like it is supposed to be when we die)… yes it could be a very looong day… But what is time? And how many judgments will we have exactly? One after death, one every year after death, one at the judgment day, one after the Yovel?! I don’t think that G.od would judge the same things over and over… so I guess that every judgment will be looking at a different aspect of our acts. More moments to judge = faster to judge? But again, what is time?:)
There is a story about the judgment of idolatrous (it’s in Talmud, Avodah Zara 2a). Maybe that “judgment day” is for the nations, and not for every single person? If it’s like that, then it can be really short too!
Thanks for the reflexion! Ooh… It’s nice… and freaking at the same time.
Shabbat shalom!
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands…” -Revelation 7:9 (ESV)
Yiska… true, we may not be able to relate to the time or lack of it in the World to Come. May be the Judgement Day will feel like eternity? It does say that “the dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.” (Revelation 20:12) So, seems like it will be a pretty thorough investigation.
“Maybe that “judgment day” is for the nations, and not for every single person?”
I think it may be both, since even Israel herself is judged both as a nation and as individuals.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages”
James, does this mean that even after death we retain our distinctness?
Could be.
Revelation 7 verses 4 through 8 describe the 12,000 of each tribe. I don’t know if that’s literally the 12 tribes of Israel, but when you compare it to verse 9 which seems to present everyone else among the nations, You could make an argument for it.
Revelation 21:24 states, “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it.” This suggests that by the end of all things, nations will still be recognized as nations.
Of course, this could all be a collection of verbal conventions since John (or whoever wrote the book of Revelation) may not have been able to conceive of a world of human beings who were absolutely uniform. Jesus said in Matthew 22:30, “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven,” so who knows what “human nature” will be like then.
At best, I’d have to say that it’s unclear.
I was at an art festival in Dayton years ago. I remember seeing a huge cartoon illustration on the wall entitled “The Day of Judgment”(it looked like the same artist that inked Ziggy), and there was this giant winding staircase that climbed up to the sky. A turbid swarm of millions were huddled and climbing up it. At the top, the stairs broke off and ended. Everyone had to jump, and some flew, and others fell and piled up at the bottom.
Regardless of time, I cannot discard its simplicity.