Christian Eschatology and the Afterlife
What happens after death? Order the Christian last things, weigh judgement, heaven and hell, and see where Christians agree and differ.
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What happens after death? 🌅
One of the oldest human questions is what happens when we die. Christianity answers it through **eschatology**: beliefs about the **last things**, meaning death, judgement and life after death. These beliefs give Christians **hope** and shape how they live now.
The resurrection changes everything ✝️
Christian hope turns on one event: the **resurrection of Jesus**. Because Christians believe Jesus rose from the dead, they trust that death is **not the end** for believers either. St Paul argues in **1 Corinthians 15** that if Christ has been raised, believers will be raised too.
The last things
An interactive activity.
The key word
What does the term eschatology mean?
- Beliefs about death, judgement and life after death
- The study of the lives of saints
- The rules for church music
- The Christian festival calendar
Facing judgement ⚖️
Christians believe that each person faces **God's judgement** after death. In the **Parable of the Sheep and the Goats** (Matthew 25), Jesus teaches that people are separated by how they treated others in need: "whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me."
The parable
Select the TWO things the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats teaches.
- People are judged on how they treated others
- Caring for those in need is like caring for Christ
- Only the wealthy are welcomed by God
- Actions towards others do not matter
Heaven and hell 🕊️
Christians believe in **heaven**, eternal life in God's presence, and **hell**, eternal separation from God. Some Christians understand these as **literal places**; others understand them as **metaphors** for being close to, or far from, God.
Match each term to its meaning
- Eschatology
- Resurrection
- Heaven
- Hell
- Beliefs about the last things
- Being raised from death to new life
- Eternal life in God's presence
- Eternal separation from God
Where Christians differ 🔀
Christians do not all hold the same view of the afterlife: - **Roman Catholics** also believe in **purgatory**, a state of purification before heaven. - Most **Protestants** do not accept purgatory. - Christians differ on whether heaven and hell are **literal** or **metaphorical**.
Match each view to its belief
- Roman Catholic view
- Most Protestant views
- Literal view
- Metaphorical view
- Purgatory purifies a soul before heaven
- There is no purgatory before heaven
- Heaven and hell are real places
- Heaven and hell are states of being
Whose belief?
Belief in purgatory, a state of purification before heaven, is mainly held by...
- Roman Catholics
- Most Protestants
- All Christians equally
- No Christians at all
Belief in action
An interactive activity.
Eschatology frame
Eschatology covers the last things: death, _____ and life after death. Christian hope rests on the resurrection of _____. In the Parable of the Sheep and the _____, people are judged on how they treated others. Roman Catholics also believe in _____, a state of purification before heaven.
The big picture
Why is the resurrection of Jesus so important to Christian beliefs about the afterlife?
- It is the foundation of their hope in life after death
- It made the early church wealthy
- It set out a list of worship rules
- It explains how churches are built