What happens when we die? What happens in the end times? Questions like these have been asked countless times by the Christian community and, like many other things in the Christian faith, there has not always been a clear answer. Will things play out as described in the book of Revelation? What does the promise of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ offer to us in the “end times”? I had the opportunity to consider some of these questions while sitting at the wake for one of my great aunts who had passed away suddenly from a severe stroke. Those present were certainly in a stage of mourning her loss, but there was also a strong feeling of joy and hope. This seemed to come from everyone observing all of the many young (even newborn) children who ran about the space pladying with one another, each oblivious to the reality of the room’s purpose and present state. When reading William J. La Due’s The Trinity Guide to Eschatology, I found myself drawn to the section on Jürgen Moltmann’s eschatology of hope. I believe that, like Moltmann, in the end God will save everyone, all creation and all humanity, as a fulfillment of God’s promise through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
La Due describes Moltmann’s eschatology in that God wants to save everyone, is able to save everyone, and in fact, will save everyone. And it is through Jesus Christ’s death and ressurection, including suffering through the torrments of hell, that in the end nothing will be lost. One of the most compelling arguments that La Due discusses of Moltmann’s work is “Moltman advises us, ‘If the double outcome of justice is proclaimed, the question is then: why did God create human beings if he is going to damn most of th...
... middle of paper ...
...nity. I think it is more than fair to say that humanity has a poor track record in acting as judge and jury, and that the final judgment should be left in the hands of the one who made salvation possible, God and Jesus Christ. I find myself with Moltmann, believing in and end time of hope and in the everlasting and unwavering love of God for all creation, no exceptions.
Works Cited
Clawson, Julie. "Imagination, Hope, and Reconciliation in Ricoeur and Moltmann." Anglican Theological Review 95, no. 2 (2013): 293-309.
Keller, Catherine. "The Last Laugh : A Counter-Apocalyptic Meditation on Moltmann's Coming of God." Theology Today 54, no. 3 (1997): 381-391.
La Due, William J. The Trinity Guide to Eschatology. New York: Continuum, 2004.
Wright, Nigel G. "Universalism in the Theology of Jürgen Moltmann." Evangelical Quarterly 84, no. 1 (2012): 33-39.
Hanser, Matthew. “Killing,Letting Die And Preventing People From Being Saved.” Utilitas 11.3 (1999): 277. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 April 2014
Martyn, J. Louis. "The Apocalyptic Gospel in Galatians." Interpretation 54.3 (2000). 09 Jun. 2002 http://www.infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb/tel_a/mmcwml.
14. J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., A Systemic Theology of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids:The Zondervan Corporation, 1962), 1:144-5.
In the 16th century English morality play “Everyman” who’s author is unknown. Everyman has an encounter with death who reminds him who his maker is and that it is time to make a reckoning of his good and bad deeds. He realizes that salvation lies in his hands, and that it is a personal decision that only he can make. One senses the desperation in the heart of Everyman, having realized that his life was blackened with sin; he strives to change the black he has accumulated in the “book of counts” and change it to a book of white. Everyman feels like he must make atonement for his sin, in order to escape death, for salvation is in the hands of the sinner.
McManners, John. "The Oxford History of Christianity." The Oxford History of Christianity. New York: New York Oxford Press, 2002. 28.
Brown, Raymond. A Crucified Christ in Holy Week: Essays on the Four Gospel Passion Narratives. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1986.
Paley, William. “Natural Theology,” in Introduction to Philosophy. 6th edition. Perry, Bratman, and Fischer. Oxford University Press. 2013, pp. 47-51.
...s distributed in Theology 101 at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.
Frame, John M. Apologetics to the Glory of God: An Introduction. Phillipsburg, New Jersey: P &
" Christianity & Literature 58.1 (2008): 81-92. Academic Search Complete. Web. 29 Mar. 2014. Fienberg, Lorne. "
I read Ecclesiastes, Luke, and Revelation knowing most of what entailed in each, but now I think I have a better concept of what life should be about in the long run. If someone considered so smart and powerful came to the realization that money and power isn’t everything, but honoring God is what everyone should do, I would have to be foolish not to believe. It is an excellent point made that everyone will die the same death. I have always tried to do what is best for myself and others, but now I truly realize that others interests should be put before
1) Oxford Readings in Philosophy. The Concept of God. New York: Oxford University press 1987
Eschatology(end time) is that the doctrine of the last thing. It appears in the final section of faith and organized theologies. It has a big role on how we should live our lives and what are to expect to occur in the future. Soteriology(salvation) is that the doctrine of salvation,this christian theology which treats of christ for the world. Christianity believe that to get soteriology you must salvate by grace alone. These two theologies relate one to each other because at the end of our lifetime we must have and earn salvation to live the immortal (heavenly) life after death.
What is going to happen to us when we will die? Some people never considered what it could happen to them after life. For many people, death is a redoubtable event because they do not know what to expect after their death. However, other persons, such as religious people are conscious of what to expect after their death because of their beliefs. Each religion has different ideas and different ways of looking life. Death, therefore, is viewed by different religions in many ways. Although, different religions have a distinct conception of death, they all have something in common: they all give hope to people. Among all different religions in the world, four of the most common ones - Catholic, Jewish, Islamic, and Hindu- view death in different ways.
Karkkainen Matti Veli. 2004. The Doctrine of God: A Global Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.