A huge concern for most people, Christ-follower or not, is the question of what happens in the end? What happens when humans die? It is a question that many people do not want to discuss because it brings up fear. Regardless of what people believe, all humankind will be judged in the end. Judgement Day, or the Judgement, is something that will happen in end times where God has selected a day to judge the world in righteousness. All people who have lived upon the earth, including fallen angels, will stand before Christ and give an account for his or her actions, thoughts, and words. The Judgment will be discussed in order to describe how it has been interpreted and studied as well as why it is important in life today.
In order for one to believe that there will be a final judgement, one must have a specific worldview. One must believe that there is a God. This does not necessarily mean they are Christian as a person can believe in a God without actually following Him. One must believe in the Bible and that it is the inerrant word of God. One must also believe in Heaven and Hell and a basic belief in Eschatology. Eschatology comes from a Greek word “eschados” which means “last” and “logia” which means “the study of”. It is the study of what happens in end times. One must believe that when they die, he or she’s soul will leave their body and go to Heaven. From there, they will then be reunited with their body at the resurrection, and then await final judgement.
Second coming- People believe that Christ will return one day and everyone will be able to see him. When he comes, he will judge everyone including the dead people. No one knows when he will come but they all will be waiting for him.
Salvation describes the deliverance by God for those who believe in him. It is the saving of the soul from sin (and its consequences) through Gods will and grace. Though it takes different forms in every religion, the principle is still the same, often emphasising the necessity of both good works, repentance, and asceticism, as well as divine intervention (in this case the action being the grace of God). If assuming that Christ is the full truth, then the only way to gain access to God after death is through the salvation given by the Christian God. Jesus himself has indicated that a person must hear the word, believe it, repent of past sins, and be willing to confess faith before others, be baptized into Christ for the remission of sins, and then continue to live a faithful life throughout this physical life if we are to go to heaven.
When will the end come? It is human nature for humans to ask questions. Many of these questions are without answers and there is no possible way to come up with one. A common question that plagues the human race is “When will the world end?” For thousands of years, astrologers and psychics have been trying to come up with clues to when it all will end. There is a source, the Bible, which aids humans, specifically Christians, in trying to come up with some answers. Many places in the Bible such as Revelations, Ezekiel, Matthew, Daniel, and I Corinthians all give some clues to how and when the end of the world will come. Two articles that give some insight on this subject are “Visions or Heaven, Dreams of the End” by
John, the proclaimed author of the Book of Revelation, writes intricately about the events that will transpire when the end of the world has come. John expresses messages to seven churches, heaven’s activities, and the Lamb opening seven seals. He depicts the consequences following the sounding of seven trumpets and the pouring of seven bowls. John mentions numerous times that humans will be judged at the throne for their actions. He stresses the penalties of humans who will not proceed to heaven, but will instead die a second death. He describes heaven’s wondrous beauty, and how Jesus himself, promising he will return to Earth soon, verifies that these words are true.
The question of Destiny, “Is there life after Death?”, “What happens to me when I die?” We as Christians believe that there are two outcomes to this question. One is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Heaven) (Revelation 21:1-7) while the other is eternal separation from God (Hell). This is totally dependent on our acceptance of Christ as our Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9).
Death is viewed as a gate to meet God and live an eternal life with him. Whatever happens at death is always a mystery. In much religious death once everyone dies they will face judgment by God (Noebel,2006). Death is not the end of life; it is the beginning of eternal existence. Postmodernism has no moral absolutes but rather places responsibility into the hands of the
Those who believe in the finality of death (i.e., that there is no after-life), are the ones
These ideals are very different from modern-day beliefs about death. Christian views about the afterlife include the two options for our souls after death: heaven- the happy, safe, and comfortable place where the good people go, and hell-the fiery, and dangerous place some go to if they made bad choices on Earth. Others believe in reincarnation, where a person’s soul lives on and takes the form of something else. Many people, no matter their religious stance, want to believe that there is something else after death, because it makes it easier when the time comes. It certainly eases some of the grief and anxiety that people face over death, and is far more comforting than the beliefs that ancient Mesopotamians held about death.
likely to go to hell for a period. In my opinion it would be unfair.
A big part of the end of the world in the Christian faith is something called the rapture. The rapture is when Jesus returns to take all those who believe in Him up to heaven and away from the earth. Those left on the earth are the people that rejected God and/or are part of different religions. When the rapture occurs, the Holy Spirit, God’s believed spirit that resides on the earth, will leave the earth and there will be nothing holding back evil. The time at which the rapture will occur is a subject of conflict among the Christian churches. The first and most popular theory is the “Pre-Tribulation” theory; the people in this group believe the rapture to occur right before the Tribulation. In this theory the rapture itself is sort of the “starting pistol” for the Tribulation. Next is the “Mid-Tribulation” theory, these people believe that Christians will have to suffer three-and-a-half years or halfway through the Tribulation. They believe that Christians are exempt from the wrath of God but are not exempt from the sufferings of the Tribulation. Similar is the “Post-Tribulation” theory; in this belief Christians are not raptured until the end of the Tribulation for much the same reasons as the “Mid-Trib” theory. Some also believe that even though Christians’ sins have been atoned for they still have to be punished with suffering in the Tribulation. The last and least commonly heard of theory is the “Pre-Wrath” theory. This group
What happens to a person at death is a belief we acquire from our religion and culture. In Christianity we believe heaven is our reward for living a meaningful life. On the other hand as Christians we were taught to preserve life and avoid intentional death to selves or others.
Everything that exists today such as life on earth is known to eventually come to an end. Most religions believe in the day of judgment and it is generally defined to be the day that God judges the moral worth of the individual humans or the whole human race. Judaism, Islam, and Christianity are three of the worlds largest religions that have created controversy between many countries over how they view some aspects of religion such as the day of judgement.
At the time of death, one’s spirit will separate from their body and either ascend to heaven or be bound to Hell according to their deeds performed on Earth. That’s because it is believed that humans have the ability (free will) to choose between good and evil. Muslims and Christians believe that angels exist as well as Satan and his evil spirits who follow him: the enemies of humanity. Also, it is said by Muslims, that on the day Jesus returns, the Last Day, the dead will be resurrected and both the dead and alive will be judged. They will either be rewarded by going to heaven, or punished by going to hell. Likewise, Christians believe that on the last day, referred to as judgment day, God will bring forth his judgement upon all those: dead or alive. He will reward or punish them by sending them to either heaven or Hell.
Eschatology is defined as a branch of theology that outlines the final events of the world and of mankind. It is also the study of the ultimate purpose of the world and God’s intentions. In Christianity, eschatology is often viewed as a forbidden subject in the study of theology. On the other hand, some regard eschatology as the most influential part of their religious life because they it determines the way in which they live their lives. These people live by a set of rules and ethics set by the Bible because they want to have the favorable experience after death that was outlined in the Christian Eschatology.
People who don’t accept Christ as their Savior will go to Hell. Revelation 20:15 affirms that fact that if anyone’s name isn’t written in the book of life, they will go to the fiery pit (BibleGateway). Salvation is the complete opposite of death (Kyrtatas). Matthew 13:42 explains what Hell will be like by saying, “and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (BibleGateway).” The apostle Paul said it best when he said that Hell is the separation of the presence of God. Revelation 21:8 describes Hell as a second death and proclaims who the inhabitants of Hell will be. It says, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death