Beliefs & Teachings about eschatology and life after death (AQA GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

Eschatology and the resurrection

• Eschatology is the study of what will happen at the end of time

• It includes topics such as death, judgement, heaven and hell

• Jesus’s resurrection has shaped Christian views on eschatology

  • Jesus is the only person who has personal experience of what happens in the afterlife

  • Jesus was God incarnate, soeverything he taught must be true, including everything about eternal life

• The Bible teaches that the end of time would be announced by signs of disaster, such as the stars falling from heaven

• Early Christians thought that the end times would come very soon after the resurrection

• As time went on and these events did not happen, Christian understanding of the end of time and the afterlife changed

  • They realised that they would have to live their lives in the light of the resurrection while still on earth

  • They would have to follow Jesus’s teachings and resist sin

  • They started to live their lives in preparation for judgement after death

Saint Paul’s teachings on resurrection

• Saint Paul wrote to the Corinthians about the nature of resurrection

  • He compared the relationship between the earthly body and the resurrected body to the relationship between a seed and the plant that grows from that seed

  • He said that although they are the same thing in some ways, they are also very different from one another

• This supports the account in John’s gospel of Jesus’s appearances to the apostles after his resurrection

  • The apostles were able to see and touch Jesus; he was fully present in body, not just spirit

  • Jesus said to Thomas, who had doubted that he was truly risen from the dead:

The four last things

• Christians believe in the four last things that all people face at the end of their life: death, judgement, heaven and hell

Death

• Death is not the end, just the end of the earthly body

• According to Catholic teaching, a person is made up of body and soul. While the body may die, the soul lives on and will be judged by God and sent to heaven or hell

• At the final judgement, body and soul will be united in perfect form

• Death is not to be feared because it is the transition to a new phase of life

Judgement

• Christians believe that after they die, God will consider their deeds in this life and will judge them

• Everyone will be responsible for their actions

• Because Jesus died a sacrificial death for all people, Christians believe that God will be merciful in his judgement

• Catholics believe there are two types of judgement: particular judgement and final judgement

• Particular judgement: 

  • Happens immediately after death

  • Is where God holds an individual to account for their actions while on earth

  • Results in the person going to heaven, hell or purgatory

• Final judgement:

  • Happens at the end of time

  • Will happen when Christ comes in glory to judge all of creation

  • Will herald a “new creation”, the reign of God when everything will be perfect, and those in God’s favour will be with him forever in glory

Heaven

• Heaven is a state of eternal happiness in the presence of God

• If people are judged favourably, they may enter heaven

• Heaven is the reward for those who have lived by God’s guidance 

• God wants all people to join him in heaven. However, people have free will, so he cannot force them to live their lives in a certain way. They must choose to accept him

Hell

• Hell is a state of eternal separation from God

• If people are judged unfavourably, they may enter hell

• Hell is the state that people enter because they freely choose to reject God’s will

• Those in hell will be aware of what they have missed out on by rejecting God and will spend eternity in frustration and anger at their own choices

  • The traditional image of hell is of a fiery pit of endless burning, symbolising endless frustration and anger

Catholic beliefs about purgatory

• In addition to the four last things, Catholics also believe in a state called purgatory

• According to Catholic teaching, purification from sins is necessary to achieve the state needed to meet God in heaven

  • This is because the Bible says that “nothing impure will enter heaven” (Revelation 21:27)

• The Church teaches that only those who completely reject God will go to hell

• However, some people die with less serious sins that have not been forgiven, which is why purgatory exists

• Purgatory is a process of purification or cleansing of sin before entering heaven

• Purgatory is not eternal; it is a temporary place or state for those on their way to heaven

• People can pray for those in purgatory to hasten their way to heaven

• Saint Paul describes purgatory as a “cleansing fire” that removes impurities before a person enters heaven

Different Christian beliefs about life after death

• All Christians believe in the existence of the resurrection, life after death and heaven

• However, there are differences in how they interpret the Bible’s teachings about the nature of judgement and the fate of people who have sinned

• Many Christians do not accept the idea of purgatory

  • They believe that a person either accepts God and goes to heaven or rejects God and goes to hell

• Many Christians do not believe in a particular judgement straight after death

  • They believe that all who die wait for the second coming of Christ. At the last or final judgement, they will be judged and then sent to heaven or hell

• Some liberal Christians struggle to accept the existence of hell because they believe a loving God would not allow anyone to be eternally damned

  • They would focus on God’s love and mercy at the final judgement

  • Some Fundamentalist Christians are stricter about the existence of hell

  • A few even believe in the idea that some people are predestined to be damned

• Some Christians think about heaven and hell as physical places

  • Others accept them as spiritual states

• Some Christians believe that faith in God is the most important factor in the final judgement

  • Others see life on earth and how they behave as more important