Christian Eschatology

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Eschatology is an area of Christian teaching which is all about life after death. All living things eventually die, but Christians believe that there is another life beyond this physical life.

Christians think of life after death in divergent ways:

The most common view is that everyone has an immortal soul that leaves our physical body when we die and goes to God in heaven, or otherwise goes to hell. This view holds that followers of Jesus who die will go to heaven and those who are not followers of Jesus will go to hell. Christians differ on what they think heaven and hell will be like.

Some Christians believe that Jesus died to forgive all sins, and so everyone (not just Christians) will live forever in heaven. This is called universalism.

Many Catholics believe in purgatory, where the dead are purified of their sins before going to heaven.

Christians also vary on whether the above happens as soon as people die, or at the end of time, on what Christians call the Day of Judgement.

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Heaven is the place where Christians believe they will spend the afterlife. It is not described in detail in the Bible, so Christians have different views about what it will be like. Some believe that it is a physical place, whilst others believe it is a state of being spiritually united with God. The Bible teaches that heaven is a place of everlasting peace and joy for those who believe in Jesus.

Many Christians believe in hell, a place of punishment and separation from God. Some Christians do not believe in hell, and instead believe that those who are not followers of Jesus will simply cease to exist when they die. Like heaven, the descriptions of hell in the Bible are not detailed.

Purgatory, from the Latin word purgare meaning 'make clean', is a concept mainly associated with the Catholic Church. It is a place (or state of mind) where the souls of those who have died go to be purified until they are made clean from their sins and can then go to heaven.

Christians believe that God is just, fair and merciful. They believe in the Day of Judgement, when God will judge all the people according to how they lived their lives on earth and to give them the afterlife they deserve. Christians also believe in the Second Coming, when Jesus will return to earth. This will be the time for judgement and the establishment of God's kingdom.

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For Christians, the resurrection of Jesus has made sure that there will be an afterlife for all who believe in him. In 1 Corinthians 15:12, St Paul wrote, 'But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?' Paul argues that if Christians believe that Jesus rose from the dead, then they must believe they can look forward to an afterlife.

Therefore, many Christians believe that, at the end of time, God will raise their bodies to life again, as he did with Jesus' body. The appearances of Jesus after his resurrection are usually thought by Christians to be the strongest evidence that this will happen. According to the Bible, when Jesus appeared to his disciples after death to explain they were able to touch him.

Why is life after death important for Christians today?

Jesus said that those who believe in him would have life after death

Life after death is a reward for faithful people

Life after death offers hope for the future

Life after death allows Christians to be with God forever