AFTER DEATH,
WHAT HAPPENS?
\Whether there is life after death, whether there is a judgment of innocence or guilt, and who will be the Judge of all men, these things have in our days, even among nominal Christians, been reduced to simply a sharing of opinions which disagree with one another. Many teach that death is the end of everything asserting that each of us merely go out of existence, saying: When your’e dead your’e dead; others teach that death enables their particular group of believers to enter Paradise The Papacy teaches that most Roman Catholics will go to purgatory to be purified of their remaining sins.
Many simply deny the existence of a Creator and Judge. These people have no infallible guide acceptable to all of them that could lead them truth and escape falsehood. Think of this! It is the most important subject in our entire lives, for if there is eternal life after death it is well worth, and even necessary to learn about it now.
It is good to start at the beginning: “In the beginning God made heaven and earth,” begins the account of the Old Testament in the book of Genesis. “In the beginning was the Logos and the Logos was with God and the Logos was God.” begins the Gospel of John in the New Testament. God calls us first through our conscience then through Holy Scripture.
It is impossible that the material universe is also its Creator, thus confusing the Creator with creation. It is no different than saying, that this car is a man, when we know the car is not man but was made by man. The sun did not establish itself did not set itself in the heavens, nor was it set in place by a fictional mother nature, but by the Lord God who placed it in a precisely perfect position to sustain life and provide heat and light for creatures. Grass did not just appear out of nowhere, and then multiply itself, but was formed by the Creator, who established the means of propagation of all plants, animals and men. Man did not create himself for he is a creature formed by the hand of God, from whom He received life, intellect and ability to feel pain and pleasure, love and hate.
God being the Creator, does everything with a particular purpose. Man also planes everything with a purpose, planting, manufacturing, sewing. Acknowledging this, how much more did the Creator of all have a wonderful plan not one that leads to death and annihilation, but to life eternal and peace in the kingdom of heaven? For God is good and the Lover of man.
Heretics and all those outside the Church cannot possibly speak of these things for they do not have such truths in their possession. They only have a greatly distorted view of things as they are apart from the Church and its great wealth of knowledge and purpose. All truths are the possession of the Church who, when possible, shares them with those in the world.
God’s Son our Lord Jesus Christ laid out everything before our eyes, and it is a delight to give attention and listen to his divine words which are filled with life and love and compassion. After His third day Resurrection: “Then Jesus came to them and said: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:18-20).
1. Make them disciples; 2. baptize them; 3. teach them my commandments.
These three things contain what is necessary for eternal life, but their source is not the book called the Bible, nor is it the Bishop of Rome or Constantinople, or some other human source. The source and fountainhead of Christian life flows out of the Church, the Body of Christ who is with us to the end of the age. The above things are mentioned in the Bible, and that the Church is the author of the Bible is easily apparent by these facts. The Bible proclaims that a man needs Baptism, but the Church performs the baptism blessing the water; and the Priest of the Church baptizes the person. The Bible tells you about eating the flesh and blood of Christ, but the Church blesses the bread and wine and water communes you. The Bible tells about those who die or fall asleep, but it is the Church which will pray over your body and bury you and will continue to pray for you and preserve your memory.
There absolutely is life after death, for Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and as Christ is risen from the dead He will never die again; death has no dominion over Him, and He has put death to death. Millions of martyrs and saints bear witness to Christ arising from the dead being the author of eternal life prepared for all believers.
A few things are certain, everyone will see that this facts are true after death, when it will be too late for those who die in their sins. For they will be filled with fear and terrible regret, while for others they will be delighted, jumping with great joy and with great hope and anticipation. There is no choice of changing after death for the moment of death ends the contest and is the finish line.
There is no cleansing or purging of sins which must be accomplished in this present world where we have the ability and strength to repent, for if we do not desire to repent in this world neither will we desire to repent in the next world. It is impossible to receive forgiveness without repentance. Our contribution is repentance and confession while the Lord's is forgiveness and new life. Today is the day for action and this hour is the time for preparing for inevitable death and life in the age to come!
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