The Sixth Article of the Creed

1 Q. What are we taught in the Sixth Article: He ascended into heaven, sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty?

A. The Sixth Article of the Creed teaches us that Jesus Christ, forty days after His resurrection, ascended of Himself into heaven in the sight of His Apostles; and that while as God He was equal to His Father in glory, as man He has been raised above all the Angels and Saints, and constituted Lord of all things.

2 Q. Why did Jesus Christ remain forty days on earth after His resurrection before ascending into heaven?

A. After His resurrection Jesus Christ remained forty days on earth before ascending into heaven, to prove by several apparitions that He was truly risen, to instruct the Apostles still further, and to confirm them in the truths of faith.

3 Q. Why did Jesus Christ ascend into heaven?

A. Jesus Christ ascended into heaven: (1) To take possession of the Kingdom He had merited by His death; (2) To prepare the place of our glory, and to be our Mediator and Advocate with the Father, (3) To send the Holy Ghost upon His Apostles.

4 Q. Why is it said of Jesus Christ that He ascended, and of His Most Holy Mother that she was assumed, into heaven?

A. It is said of Jesus Christ that He ascended into heaven, and of His Most Holy Mother that she was assumed, because, Jesus Christ, being Man-God, ascended into heaven by His own power; but His Mother, being a creature, even though the greatest of all creatures, was taken up into heaven by the power of God.

5 Q. Explain the words: Sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty.

A. The word sitteth signifies the peaceful possession which Jesus Christ has of His glory; and the words: At the right hand of God, the Father Almighty, denote that He has a place of honour above all creatures.

The Seventh Article of the Creed

1 Q. What are we taught in the Seventh Article: From thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead?

A. The Seventh Article of the Creed teaches us that at the end of the world Jesus Christ, in all His glory and majesty, will come from heaven to judge all men, both good and bad, and to give to each of them the reward or the punishment he shall have merited.

2 Q. If every one has to be judged by Jesus Christ in particular judgment immediately after death, why must all be judged in the general judgment?

A. We must all be judged in the general judgment for several reasons: (1) That God may be glorified; (2) That Jesus Christ may be glorified; (3) That the Saints may be glorified; (4) That the wicked may be confounded; (5) That along with the soul the body may receive its sentence of reward or punishment.

3 Q. How will God's glory be manifested in the General Judgment?

A. God's glory will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that all shall then know how justly God governs the world, even though here on earth the good are often afflicted and the wicked are often in prosperity.

4 Q. How will the glory of Jesus Christ be manifested in the General Judgment?

A. The glory of Jesus Christ will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that He who was unjustly condemned by men, shall then come before the whole world as the Supreme Judge of all.

5 Q. How will the glory of the Saints be manifested in the General Judgment?

A. The glory of the Saints will be manifested in the General Judgment in this way, that many of them who died despised by the wicked, shall be glorified before the whole world.

6 Q. How great will be the confusion of the wicked in the General Judgment?

A. In the General Judgment great indeed shall be the confusion of the wicked, especially of those who have oppressed the just and who have tried in this life to be esteemed as men of virtue and goodness; for they shall then see even their most hidden sins laid bare before the whole world.