The Law of Faith – He comes in his glory to judge the living and the dead
1. Christ the Judge and His Second Coming
His Holiness explains that the phrase “He shall come again in His glory to judge the living and the dead” means that Christ will return in glory at the end of time, not to reign on earth but to judge the world.
The living are those alive at His coming, and the dead are those who previously slept. They shall rise, as stated in (1 Thessalonians 4), when the archangel’s trumpet sounds. The righteous will rise first, then all will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
The wicked, as in the parable of the wheat and tares (Matthew 13), will be gathered and cast into the fiery furnace. Thus, the Second Coming, Resurrection, Judgment, and the end of this age happen together — and the eternal age begins, for the Kingdom of Christ has no end (Luke 1:33, Daniel 7:14).
2. Against the Millennial Doctrine
The Pope refutes the doctrine of a literal 1,000-year reign, whether the Protestant view (Christ reigns on earth) or the Adventist view (Christ reigns in heaven).
He affirms that Christ’s Kingdom is eternal and heavenly, not earthly or temporary, and that this world will pass away.
3. Faith in the Holy Spirit
After explaining the Son, His Holiness discusses the Creed’s phrase: “We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Father.”
He distinguishes between Procession (eternal within the Trinity) and Sending (temporal at Pentecost).
He refutes the Catholic addition “and the Son,” affirming Scripture’s wording “who proceeds from the Father” (John 15:26).
The Holy Spirit is fully divine, worthy of the same worship and glory as the Father and the Son, and is the One who spoke through the prophets, as in 2 Peter 1:21.
4. The One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church
The word “Church” may mean:
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The community of believers,
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The clergy and shepherds,
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The church building itself.
The Church is the Body and Bride of Christ (Ephesians 5), one because it has one Head, one Faith, and one Baptism (Ephesians 4:5).
It is holy through the blood of Christ and the sacraments, catholic (universal) as it includes all believers everywhere, and apostolic because it is built on the foundation and teaching of the Apostles, maintaining apostolic succession in priesthood and doctrine.
5. Baptism
The Creed says: “We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.”
Baptism is the entrance into the Church and the birth into divine life. It occurs only once, being a new birth and a death and resurrection with Christ (Romans 6).
Acts 2:38 confirms: “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins.”
6. The Resurrection and Eternal Life
The Creed concludes: “We look for the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come. Amen.”
This is the believer’s hope — the general resurrection where the righteous rise to eternal life, as written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man…” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Believers live in this hope, walking in righteousness to inherit eternal glory with God.
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