Death and the afterlife

Question 1

Heaven as a place vs metaphor

(Mark 1)

Answer 1

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” (Mark 1)

Place:
-The kingdom of God comes “near” – physical

Metaphor
-Us changing our behaviour here; us transforming this world into the kingdom of God

Spiritual:
-If it comes to us is it a real spiritual power or is it an idea if being more just/ loving etc.

Question 2

Heaven as a place vs metaphor

(Mark 9)

Answer 2

“There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom is God has come with power” (Mark 9)

Metaphor:
-Death is a way of living (greedy; lustful) you have killed life and what it means to be a human being – metaphors

Place:
-Makes no sense if not literal – real spiritual power – both are at war with each other and you won’t experience death unless you have experienced the power of God. Kingdom and death are both genuinely powerful not just an idea

Question 3

Heaven as a place vs metaphor

(Luke 11)

Answer 3

“But if it is by the finger of god that I cast out demons then the kingdom of God has come to you” (Luke 11)

Metaphor:
-When you live a good life and cast out bad (lust; greed) then you can live in the kingdom of God and “cast out demons”

Place:
-Literal – Jesus casting out the demons – genuine power as you can’t just cast out other people’s ideas must have genuine power

Question 4

Heaven as a place vs metaphor

(Luke 11)

Answer 4

“Then I saw a new Heaven and a new earth; for the first Heaven and first Earth had passed away, and the sea was no more and I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of Heaven from goo” (Revelation 21)

Vision could be symbolic spiritual change / literal physical change Link New Heaven and New Earth – is it the remaking and physical changes of the world

Question 5

Heaven as a metaphor

(Jesus)

Answer 5

In many of Jesus’ teachings he presents the Kingdom of God as having already started (Inaugurated eschatology)

Metaphor:
Jesus’ parables and moral example frequently emphasize the ‘nowness’ of the Kingdom as a time to overcome racial prejudice, discrimination against the poor and marginalized, and the failings of established religious practices

but if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come to you - Luke 11:20

Question 6

Heaven as a place

(Jesus)

Answer 6

Jesus’ eschatology also preaches that the future kingdom is a future redeemed state where the righteous live in harmony with God in a redeemed world

St Paul argues that Jesus’ resurrection is the first sign that the fallen world is restored and that humans can at last ‘see’ and ‘know’ god face to face, 1 Corinthians 13:12

john the Divine, the author of the book of revelation, says that Jesus’ sacrificial death has washed away sin so that the righteous may live in the New Jerusalem and experience the joy of God’s presence (revelation 21:1-4)

Jesus said “ My kingdom is not from this world. If my Kingdom were from this world my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But, as it is, my kingdom is not from here” (John:18)
-Spiritual kingdom as there is no soldiers fighting for him ; it is a real spiritual power as if it doesn’t originate from this world then it doesn’t feel as if it is just an idea

Question 7

Criticisms of Heaven as a place

Answer 7

Second coming of Christ has not happened which emphasises nowness of the kingdom as already having happened

Question 8

Heaven/ Hell must be physical place

(Justice)

Answer 8

1) The Kingdom of God requires good to be rewarded and evil to be punished

2) Parable of the sheep and the goats
Poor as rich and weak as strong

3) Link the kingdom of God to the beatitudes (Mathew 5:3-12) – people are being blessed with qualities that are not typically associated with power

4) All the things that Jesus says are good are not rewarded in this world so must be rewarded in another (Rich man and Lazarus)

Question 9

Both metaphor and a place yet to come

Answer 9

The kingdom is both spiritual and actual. Starts as a spiritual power with Jesus and then climaxes to an actual place

Both inaugurated and yet to come:
“Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith; hope and love.” (1 Corinthians)
-We do and understand Gods kingdom peacekeeping etc. but we see it in the same way that we see ourselves in a blurry mirror but eventually in the future we will be able to see it fully

Question 10

Hell as a spiritual place - Origen

Answer 10

Spiritual

Origen argued that hell was a personal “interior anguish” from being apart from God – its like you are separated from who you are / separated from your soul
-Mental physical experience
-Just logical explanation from being separated from God

Question 11

Hell as a spiritual place - Jesus

Answer 11

Spiritual resurrection suggested in Jesus’ resurrection when reappeared from the dead could disappear and reappear at will
-Indicates a non-physical form and makes sense as was not immediately recognised
-Suggests our resurrection will be spiritual too
-St Paul called future resurrected bodies ‘spiritual’

Question 12

Hell as a spiritual place - eternal fire

Answer 12

Scripture “eternal fire” (Mathew 25:41) “torment” (Luke 16)
-Suggests that Hell is more physical then a spiritual separation

Question 13

Heaven as an actual place - where one can experience eternal happiness

Answer 13

Aquinas - Beatific vision states that we live in happiness/harmony eternally outside of time in a state of perfect bliss with God seeing God perfectly and clearly – (Catholic) “we see now in a glass darkly, but then face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
final reward for those saints elects by God to partake in and “enjoy the same happiness where with God is happy, seeing him in the way which he sees himself” in the next life

Question 14

Heaven as an actual place - Strengths

Answer 14

Logical that God can live both inside and outside of time as if creator of everything including time. Then logical that God can live in and outside of something that he created.

Time is imperfect as everything is in a constant flux of change, which means that nothing would ever be able to gain pure actuality and perfectness. Beatific vision needs to be outside of time as would be prone to change and would be an imperfect state.

Question 15

Heaven as an actual place - AGAINST

Answer 15

Williams - Difficult to see how we would be the ‘same ‘ person as the one we were on Earth – many of our characteristics involve relationship with linear time i.e. thinking things out in sequences
-Bernard Williams – everything about humans is temporal so if lived outside of time would we even be human anymore

Swinburne – how can a God that lives with creation outside of time interact with creation inside of time. In the Bible God takes part in the battles with the Israelites which suggests that God lives

Question 16

Hell as an actual place

Answer 16

Hell is depicted as an eternity in the absence of God Revelation “burning lake of fiery sulphur” – traditional Christian artwork mimics’ this depicting a place of agony.

Question 17

Hell as an actual place - HUME

Answer 17

However, Hume states that the concept of Hell is flawed and physically incoherent ‘surely a finite sin cannot be deserving of infinite punishment with no chance of parole or escape?’ – seems to go against Jesus’ teachings of forgiveness and does not seem just. Especially as why would God sentence an everlasting punishment in what God himself calls a life so quick that it’s like vapour and mist” (James 4)

Question 18

Hell as an actual place - SIN IS A SERIOUS OFFENCE

Answer 18

Sin is a serious offence, An insurrection against an infinitely worthy creator is an infinitely heinous offense.
-Know something of this intuitively as in human sentences of justice we sentence one man to punishment when threatens to kill his co-worker and another man to a more serious punishment when threatens to kill the nations president.

Question 19

Hell as an actual place - Revelation

Answer 19

“they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10)

• Could be metaphorical

Question 20

Hell as an actual place - Mathew 12

Answer 20

Matthew 12 “Everybody either in this age or the age to come we will be forgiven”.
-Idea of Hell seems to go against ideas of God’s omnibenevolence and understanding that humans are flawed and prone to sin. (Augustine’s OS)

Question 21

Limited election

Answer 21

View held by Calvin and Augustine that some are pre-destined to be saved whereas others are not

Question 22

Limited election Strengths

Answer 22

1) Parable of the sheep and the Goats

2) Gods omnibenevolent as he still decided to save some people and did not make us all suffer in our sin

3) Should not be focussed ourselves but on spreading the gospel knowing that anyone of them could be one of Christs sheep

4) Paul God is sovereign over His creation. He is free to choose those whom He will choose, and He is free to pass by those whom He will pass by. The creature has no right to accuse the Creator of being unjust.

Question 23

Limited election weaknesses

Answer 23

Questions ideas of free will as if God has already decided who to save and who not to save then our actions to be moral have no point.
-Questions Gods omnibenevolence
-Pelagius: humans have a moral requirement to be good

Question 24

Universal Election

Answer 24

Is the idea that all people, past and present, will eventually go to heaven due to the love and mercy of God. The soul making process will continue after death so that we can continue to develop into the image of God
-Bridging the gap between human and divine

Question 25

Universal Election - Strengths

Answer 25

Matthew 12 “Everybody either in this age or the age to come we will be forgiven”.
-Idea of Hell seems to go against ideas of God’s omnibenevolence and understanding that humans are flawed and prone to sin. (Augustine’s OS)

Ward “Diversity in religion is natural and good” because of all the different cultures it makes sense that religion is diverse.
-Helps enrichen and strengthen society

Question 26

Universal Election - Weaknesses

Answer 26

1) Purgatory is not explicitly mentioned in the Bible

2) Purgatory denies the sufficiency of Christs sacrifice as when we die we still have “sin” that has not yet been forgiven and needs to be “purged”

3) no point attempting to develop into God’s likeness as it will happen after death anyway

Question 27

Unlimited election

Answer 27

Barth: Jesus was the one elect, who was elected to be rejected so that we might all be saved. Belief in Christ and recognition – saved
Since Barth was not a Universalist, this syllogism indicates that there may be individuals who are included in Jesus’ election that are ultimately condemned in the Final Judgment

Question 28

Unlimited election - Strengths

Answer 28

1) John 3:16
“whoever believes in him shall not perish but have an eternal life”

2) Consistent with ideas of free will as we chose Christ and God and in Christ we are saved

3) Consistent with preaching ideas of the Gospel
Piper: We must live a good moral life –People who realise Christ as the saviour and enlighten others to believe are the elect and the saved. Purpose is to get others to realise the truth. Jesus is “the Saviour of all, especially of those who believe.” (Timothy 4)
“the world might be saved through him” (John 3)

Question 29

Unlimited election - Weaknesses

Answer 29

1) though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad Romans 9

2) not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace Timothy 19

3) And those whom he predestined he also called Romans

Question 30

Purgatory - KEY TERM

Answer 30

Not in the Bible but a state to which people can go after death to be cleansed of their sins and receive punishment before final judgment. Catechism defines it as a “purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven,”

Question 31

Purgatory - actual place FOR

Answer 31

The biblical basis of purgatory. The word ‘Purgatory’ is not in the Bible. There is some biblical support for it though: “it is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from their sins.” 2 Maccabees 12:46. It makes no sense to pray for those in heaven or hell since one can never leave them. This seems to indicate that there is an aspect of the afterlife where prayer can make a difference, therefore.

Question 32

Purgatory - actual place AGAINST

Answer 32

Parable of the sheep and the Goats

2 Timothy 4:1 says “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom”. This suggests that judgement occurs at the end of time. This means purgatory makes no sense as a person cannot have a debt for their sins before being judged by God.