101 Questions and Answers on the Four Last Things

by Kelley, Joseph T.

• ISBN13: 9780809143757
• ISBN10: 0809143755
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-01
• Publisher: Paulist Pr

Summary

Joseph Kelley has written a short, accessible, thorough introduction to, and overview of, Christian teaching on death, judgment, hell and heaven, called in theology the "four last things." Presented in the popular 101 Questions format, this book shows how these four topics, also referred to as "Christian eschatology," have their ancient roots in the sacred books of the Hebrew Scriptures, especially in the later writings known as apocalyptic literature. The New Testament receives and builds upon Jewish thought and piety, finding in Jesus Christ a new revelation about the meaning of death, the nature of judgment, and God's desire that all be saved and united through Christ in heaven. Kelley clearly presents the major theological ideas about the four last things that have emerged in Christian history, as well as the sacramental and pastoral practices surrounding death. This one-step guide to Catholic teaching on death, judgment, heaven, and hell is a one-of-a-kind book and will make informative, fascinating reading.

Table of Contents

AKNOWLEDGMENTS	xiii
A NOTE ON SCRIPTURAL CITATIONS	xiv
INTRODUCTION	1	(8)
THE 101 QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Why four last things?
ONE: DEATH	9	(22)
Death in Scripture and Theology
2. How is death understood in the Hebrew scriptures?	11	(1)
3. How is death understood in the Christian New Testament?	12	(1)
4. How does the New Testament interpret Jesus' death?	12	(2)
5. Did Jesus really die?
6. What has the church taught about death over the centuries?	14	(2)
7. What about near-death experiences? I f
8. At what point does the soul leave the body?	16	(1)
9. What about ghosts?	16
Resurrection from the Dead
10. Is resurrection mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures?	17	(1)
11. What are apocalyptic writings?	17	(1)
12. Besides apocalyptic literature, are there other books among the Hebrew scriptures that affirm a life after death?	18	(1)
13. What does the New Testament mean by Jesus' resurrection from the dead?	18	(1)
14. How did the apostles know that Jesus rose from the dead?	19	(1)
15. Wasn't the empty tomb proof of Jesus' resurrection?	20	(1)
16. What does resurrection from the dead mean for the rest of us?	21	(1)
17. Is that why the funeral mass is now called "the mass of the resurrection"?	21	(1)
18. Are there other prayers or rituals for the deceased?	22	(1)
19. What about cremation?	22	(1)
20. What is the final resurrection from the dead?	23	(1)
21. Where will my soul be after I die and before the final resurrection from the dead?	24	(1)
Survival of the Person
22. Will I still be me after I die?	25	(1)
23. Will I still have my memories?	26	(1)
24. Can we believe in reincarnation?	27	(1)
25. Will I meet my loved ones and friends who have died before me?	27	(1)
26. Will I be able somehow to watch over and protect the loved ones who survive me?	28	(1)
27. Will we learn new things after death?	29	(1)
28. Will all my questions be answered?	30	(1)
TWO: JUDGMENT	31	(26)
Judgment in the Bible
29. Is judgment mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures?	33	(1)
30. How is judgment understood in the New Testament?	34	(1)
Particular Judgment
31. Does the New Testament mention that we are judged by God as soon as we die?	35	(1)
32. If the particular judgment of individuals is not a clear teaching in the New Testament, then where did it come from?	36	(1)
33. Will my judgment after death be like a trial?	36	(2)
34. What will I be judged on?	38	(1)
35. There are lots of jokes about Saint Peter meeting us at the pearly gates. Will he be involved in my judgment?	38	(1)
36. Will a last-minute act of contrition really be an advantage at my judgment?	39	(1)
Purgatory
37. What is purgatory?	40	(1)
38. Is purgatory a place,	40	(1)
39. So purgatory involves suffering?	41	(1)
40. Is purgatory mentioned in scripture?	41	(1)
41. Can we help the soul in purgatory by our prayers?	42	(1)
42. What are indulgences?	42	(1)
43. Do all Christian churches teach about purgatory?	43	(1)
44. Will some people go straight to heaven without having to suffer a time of purgation?	44	(1)
45. What happens to someone who commits suicide?	44	(1)
46. What happens to someone who dies in despair, without any hope of an afterlife, even though they were a very good living person?	44	(1)
47. What happens to those who die without the benefit of a Catholic funeral and burial?	44	(1)
Limbo
48. What is limbo?	45	(1)
49. Does the Catholic Church still believe in limbo?	46	(1)
50. What happens to fetuses or infants who die so young? Do they remain at that stage of development?	46	(1)
51. What happens to those who are not Christians?	47	(1)
The End of the World and the Last Judgment
52. Can we know when the end of the world will be?	47	(1)
53. Doesn't Jesus himself speak about the end of time and his second coming?	48	(1)
54. Did the early Christians expect Jesus to return soon?	48	(2)
55. Does the Book of Revelation give us a description of the end of the world?	50	(1)
56. So does Revelation have anything to do with the end of the world and the last judgment?	50	(1)
57. Who or what are the "antichrist" and "the beast"?	51	(1)
58. What is Armageddon and what does it have to do with the end of the world?	52	(1)
59. God seems very angry throughout the Book of Revelation. Why?	53	(1)
60. I know that some Christians talk about a "thousand-year reign of Christ" before his second coming and the end of the world. What is that about?	53	(1)
61. Some Christians believe in predestination. Does that mean that God already knows who will be saved and who won't?	54	(1)
62. What will a final or last judgment at the end of time add to the particular judgment we undergo at death?	55	(2)
THREE: HELL	57	(18)
Hell in the Bible
63. Is hell mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures?	59	(1)
64. Is hell mentioned in the Christian New Testament?	60	(1)
65. How could Jesus have "descended into hell" before he rose again on the third day as it says in the creed?	61	(1)
Catholic Teaching about Hell
66. What does the Catholic Church teach about hell?	61	(1)
67. Is hell a physical place?	62	(1)
68. What about all those ancient and medieval paintings or descriptions of hell?	62	(1)
69. After the resurrection of the dead and the final judgment, will hell be different?	63	(1)
70. Are Catholics required to believe in hell?	64	(1)
The Devil and the Fallen Angels
71. Are devils mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures?	64	(1)
72. Doesn't Satan figure prominently in the New Testament?	65	(1)
73. Doesn't Satan appear in the Book of Revelation?	66	(1)
74. What about Beelzebub?	67	(1)
75. What does the church teach about the devil?	67	(1)
76. Are Catholics required to believe in the devil?
The Fate of the Damned
77. What is the unforgivable sin that the Bible talks about?	68	(2)
78. Can we be certain that someone who lived a decidedly evil life, like Hitler, is in heir!'
79. Is hell really going to last forever, eternally?	70	(1)
80. Will people in bell know each other?	70	(5)
FOUR: HEAVEN
Heaven in the Bible
81. Is heaven mentioned in the Hebrew scriptures?	75	(1)
82. Is heaven mentioned in the Christian New Testament?	76	(1)
83. Is there a difference between heaven and the kingdom of God?	77	(1)
Catholic Teaching about Heaven
84. What does the church teach about heaven?	78	(1)
85. Isn't heaven a physical place like the scenes depicted in religious art?	79	(1)
86. Will I go to heaven right after I die?	80	(1)
87. Will all people who have lived good lives go to heaven?	80	(1)
The Risen Body
88. What will my risen body be like?	81	(1)
89. But will my body be the same physical matter that it is now?	82	(1)
90. If Jesus and Mary already have risen bodies in heaven, how are they different from everyone else in heaven before the final resurrection?	83	(1)
91. What age will I be in heaven?	83	(1)
92. Will people who have suffered from mental illness, physical disabilities, or mental retardation enjoy full mental health and capacity in heaven?	84	(1)
93. Will infants, children, even fetuses be full human beings once they reach heaven?	84	(1)
The Communion of Saints
94. Will there be a sense of community and shared life in heaven?	85	(1)
95. Will all persons of every faith or of no faith be together in heaven?	86	(1)
96. Will my family, my spouse, or my children be more important to me than other people in heaven?	86	(1)
97. Will there be some people in heaven who are more important, like priests or popes?	87	(2)
98. Will there really be angels in heaven like you see in religious pictures?
99. Will we be able to relate to angels in heaven?	89	(1)
100. What does "beatific vision" mean?	90	(2)
EPILOGUE	92	(2)
101. So what might these questions and answers mean for how I live my life?	92	(2)
GLOSSARY OF TERMS	94	(6)
FOR FURTHER READING	100	(2)
SCRIPTURE INDEX	102	(6)
GENERAL INDEX	108