Divine judgment and the nature of time

Abstract

Many Christians believe that persons who, at the moment of death, are in rebellion from God, are damned, while those in right relationship with God are saved. This is what, for instance, the Catholic teaching regarding the fate of those who die in mortal sin amounts to. In this paper, I argue that this "last moment view" is incompatible with a popular theory of time known as eternalism, according to which all times are equally real. If that's right, then those who accept the last moment view are committed to an alternative theory of time known as presentism.