Eschatology Flashcards
Name two beliefs about life after death which influences how a Christian lives their life:
-A belief is that we get judged twice after we die, one of them being the particular judgment where God judges our lives individually (leading to heaven or hell) and the final judgement at the end of time judging the whole of humanity, which encourages Christians to spread the kingdom of God amongst each other, helping others to be faithful to God in preparation to be judged.
-Another belief about life after death is that we will eventually resurrect as did Jesus if we had led good lives. In Corinthians 15 it says ‘ it is sown a physical body, raised as a spiritual body’ which influences Christians to constantly follow in Jesus’s teachings and societal laws in order to access this eternal life at the end of time.
Explain how two beliefs about judgement influences Christians today:
-One belief about judgement is that we will face 2, a particular judgement right after we die and a final judgement that judges the whole of humankind. This influences Christians to go to church continuously as we don’t know when we are to die, therefore we should prepare for the judgement of God to be sent to heaven or hell or to be welcomed into his eternal life at the end of time by fulfilling his teachings and spreading his kingdom to others.
-Another belief about judgement is that we may be sent to Purgatory (a state where we are cleansed before being sent to heaven) as we commit less serious sins yet still need to be purified before going to heaven. This influences Christians to continuously go to confession to admit and confess our sins, which helps us stay as short as possible in purgatory to be untied with God.
Explain two beliefs about heaven and hell which are taught in the parable of the Rich man and Lazarus:
-One belief is that hell is a state of total separation from God which torments the tempted and ignorant as said by the Rich man in Luke ,’ I am in agony in this fire’. This is shows that the Rich man’s actions (being unsympathetic to our neighbours) means that we reject God, who was represented as Lazarus resulting in us suffering in hell.
-We see that the belief that wealth can blind a person from helping the needy is taught in this fable through the Rich man, which serves as a warning to wealthy people to contribute their money for the good, not to hoard for themselves on materialistic desires.
Explain two beliefs of the world lacking harmony:
-One belief is that God’s creation was perfect before man was made (Adam) and committed the first sin. This is because we were created with free will, which God then opened up the possibility of hell, showing how we have an innate desire to disobey and give in to temptations.
-Another belief is that Jesus is our pathway for humanity to return to god after our sins (redemption). This is because man made Satan and therefore are the ones to overcome it, which Jesus did by his existence and death as said by Paul ‘ God reconciled everything through the blood of the cross’.
