Eschatology
EschatologyIdeas relating to beliefs in life after death, judgement and the final destiny of humankind. is a term used to describe religious ideas or beliefs about death, judgement and the afterlife. While most Christians believe that there is some form of life after death, there are various Christian interpretations of this belief.
Christianity teaches that:
- Heaven is a perfect place where they will be united with God.
- Heaven is a place of eternalThe concept that something will last forever. life.
- Every person will be accountable to God for their deeds and actions in this life and that, although no person can live a perfectly righteous life, Jesus’ death and resurrection made it possible for people to be saved by God’s grace and to enter the Kingdom of Heaven in the afterlife..
Catholic beliefs about life after death
The Catholic Church teaches that after death, people who have been perfectly purified will go to Heaven. Catholics who have died with unforgiven sinAct of rebellion or disobedience against the known will of God in Judaism, Christianity or Islam. will go to PurgatoryA place where Catholics believe people's souls are purified of their sins before they go to Heaven.. Those whose sins remain unforgiven and who are not remorseful for their sinful acts will go to Hell. These are likely to be people who committed hideous crimes against humanity and humankind, and whose evil actions had a wide-reaching impact.
Most Catholics believe that all Christians will eventually go to Heaven and that the good followers of any religion are able to go to Heaven.
Protestant beliefs about life after death
ProtestantChristians who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church during the Reformation. They believe in the teachings of the Bible but reject the authority of the Pope. do not believe in Purgatory. Article 22 of the 39 Articles of the Church of England states that there is no such place. The justification for this is that Purgatory is not mentioned in the Bible. Some Protestants also believe there is no such place as Hell, only levels of Heaven, and that everyone will eventually reach Heaven.
Some Evangelical ChristiansAn English Protestant branch of Christianity, Evangelical Christians take the Bible seriously and believe in Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord Protestants believe in the resurrectionThe Christian belief that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day after the crucifixion. The rising from the dead of believers on the Last Day in a new, or risen, life. of the body and the idea that everyone will be raised on the Day of JudgementThe last day, when God judges all of humanity according to how they have lived. to be judged by God.
liberalThese are believers who are willing to make changes to religious beliefs and practices to keep in line with changes in the world. Protestants believe that the soul lives on eternally after death in a spirit world. They believe that a person’s afterlife will depend on how the person lived their life on Earth.
Biblical teachings
Corinthians 5:1–10 is a key passage in understanding Christian beliefs about the afterlife. It states that Christians will have a non-physical home in Heaven, and it also states that because Christians should be aiming for Heaven, they should do all they can to please God on Earth. They will be judged by God on the good and bad deeds they have done on Earth.
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.