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Life after Death Christianity - Coggle Diagram
Life after Death Christianity
Jesus taught about the afterlife throughout his ministry. Jesus' three parables of the Pearl, the Net and the Mustard Seed all teach about the Kingdom of God. He also taught that his followers would have eternal life.
Quote: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live..."
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
Judgement: Christians believe that after death, they will be taken into the presence of God and they will be judged for the deeds they have done or failed to do during their lifetime.
Final judgement will come at the end of time. This is when all of humanity will be raised and people's body and soul will be reunited. Here, everyone will be judged by Christ who will have returned in all his glory. The teaching on judgement is reflected in the gospels.
Quote: All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left.
The Parable of the Net explains how at the end of time the good will be separated from the bad, just like the fish in the net.
Quote: So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous.
Free will
Many Christians believe that all of humanity has free will. This means that any decisions they make are completely their responsibility, rather than having their life predetermined for them. Humans have the right and the choice to make their own decisions, so when it comes to judgement, no one else can be held responsible.
As a result of this free will, humans are able to choose right from wrong, and can therefore sin if they choose to do so. The idea of free will is found in Genesis where Adam and Eve are given the Garden of Eden to live in. God asks one requirement of them, and that is not to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. Eve disobeys this commandment and God punishes the couple accordingly. Christians believe that this is where sin entered the world.
Responsibility
Christians believe that it is the responsibility of humans to behave in the correct, moral way expected of them in the Bible. This includes:
following the rules of the Bible, eg the Ten Commandments
practising the teachings of the Bible, eg forgiveness and kindness
It is believed that it is these types of behaviours which will be judged, and these behaviours will determine what happens to people in the afterlife.
Christian beliefs about life after death are based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus’ death and resurrection are part of God’s divine plan for humankind. Through his death on the cross, Jesus pays the penalty for mankind's sin and mankind's relationship with God is restored. This is called atonement. Christians believe that three days after the crucifixion, God raised Jesus from the dead and he once again appeared to his disciples. This is taken to mean that Jesus’ sacrifice was a victory over sin and death. Although physical death still happens, those who believe in Christ and follow his example will be given eternal life in Heaven.
Resurrection
Quote: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
quote: Jesus said to her “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me shall live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die."
The Parable of the sheep's and goats
The Parable of the Sheep and Goats is found in Matthew 25:31-46. In the parable, Jesus uses the example of a shepherd who separates his sheep from his goats in order to help his followers understand what judgement will be like. He explains that people will be separated as follows:
those who have followed Christ's example and believe in God will be put on one side and have a place in Heaven
those who have rejected the belief in God and sinned in their lives will be placed on the other side and will go to Hell
Heaven and Hell
Christians believe that the death of the physical body is not the end. After their time on Earth they believe that humans will have eternal life in the afterlife.
Christians believe that all humans have a soul. They believe the soul to be a non-physical part of humans that lives on after the death of the physical body. Many believe that it is the soul that will live on in the afterlife.
People's time on Earth will be judged by God and this will determine what happens to the soul in the afterlife. Most Christians believe that they will either go to Heaven or to Hell.
Heaven is described as eternity in the presence of God, as Heaven is a state of being rather than a physical place. Heaven is the ultimate aim for all Christians, for their soul to be reunited with God and united with Christ.
In the gospels, Christ often describes and teaches about Heaven using parables, such as the Mustard Seed and the Pearl.
Quote: Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.