Dying, Death and the Dead
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(see also the page on Purgatory )
The last things are death, judgment, heaven and hell. Christian exposition of these topics is known as "eschatology."Death is the separation of man's mortal body and immortal soul. It comes to all as a result of original sin. It is a temporary state, for at the end of the world, all shall rise again to be judged by Christ. Thus the whole person, body and soul, will be rewarded for the good or evil done in this life, body and soul.
At the moment of death, every human person is judged by God based on their conduct in this life, and goes immediately to reward or punishment. And at the end of the world, time and human history--the consummation of the age, Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. Then God's whole plan for the world shall be revealed, and his mercy and justice demonstrated.
Catholics believe as do most Christians that Heaven is the eternal state of perfect happiness resulting from unspeakable joy of the face to face vision of God, which is the reward of those who have strived to serve Him in this life and who have had ample repentance from sin.Hell is the eternal state of torment and despair which awaits those who, in this life, have freely rejected God and remained obstinate in his offer of mercy.
Before the end of the world, there is an intermediate state called purgatory. There, those who are bound for heaven, but whose love for God is still marred by some imperfection, undergo a temporary period of purifying suffering. When this purification is complete, they are fit to enter God's presence and are admitted to the joys of heaven. Engaging both the New Testament and the apocryphal/deutero-canonical books, this state is both biblical and was supported by the writings of the early Church Fathers and Sacred Tradition (infallible beliefs carried forward not necessarily in writing).
NOTE: Purgatory as a topic is treated elsewhere (see menu--pending). -
I was told the Bible says the dead don’t know what happens on earth.
Is that true?
by Steve O'Keefe, CAA Staff Apologist
This is a reference to the book of Ecclesiastes, which says, “For the living know they will die, but the dead no longer know anything” [Ecc 9:5]. Some groups seize upon that statement to propose that the dead go into a state of suspended consciousness called “soul sleep.” In this state they would cease to have any conscious experience or awareness until the resurrection of the dead. What they fail to take into account is the type of literature one is reading in the
book of Ecclesiastes. Right from the start, the author says his task is to record the wisdom of the world [Ecc 1:12]. What follows is a cynical, pessimistic description of the world from an outlook that is devoid of God. So you get gems like, “wine gives cheer to life while money is the answer to everything” [Ecc 10:19] and statements saying life is horrible and not worth living [Ecc 4:3]. It is in that perspective that the author says, “the dead know nothing.”
On the other hand, in Luke 15 we find The Parable of the Lost Sheep, which Jesus concludes by saying, “There will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” That shows the denizens of heaven will be aware of such an event. In Hebrews 12, the sacred author describes all the dead heroes of the Old Testament as a “cloud of witnesses.” Further, we see Moses and Elijah being aware of earthly events during the Transfiguration. Lastly, in Revelation 8:3 the martyrs in Heaven are shown crying out to God for justice to be done on the earth. Taken together, these showthat our beloved dead do retain awareness of earthly matters.