Eschatology Lecture Note - 093527

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CFFL 306: ESCHATOLOGY

LECTURER: REV. FR. WEHTI WENDOCK

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Basically, the course focuses on the four last things, the concept of after-life as well as the hope of
resurrection at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. These include the topics: Death, after-
life, intermediate existence, judgment, Heaven, Purgatory, Hell, Limbo, the second coming and
Resurrection into eternity. References would be made from the writings of the Old Testament, the
New Testament, Church documents as well as other Church scholars. This note contains extracts
from the lecture note of Fr. I.P. Musa.

INTRODUCTION

Etymologically, the term Eschatology has its origin from the Greek “eschatos” meaning “last” and
“logos” which also refers to “study” or “word”. Literally it means the study of the last things. We
can simply establish that eschatology is that branch of systematic theology which studies God's
final kingdom as expressed by its Old Testament preparation with great emphasis placed on the
messianic hopes, then eventually the preaching of Jesus and the teaching of the new Testament
Church". In other words it is the systematic reflection on the content of our Christian hope. This
content makes up the Eschatological concepts that aligned out in Christian faith which are Death,
Judgment, Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, the second coming, resurrection and Beatific Vision.

In a traditional sense of the word, Eschatology deals with the Last Thing/Person (God Himself); or
the various movements/stages leading to the manifestation of the last Thing. Hence, the last
things leading to the Last Thing (eschaton—the Kingdom and reign of God).

To do/study eschatology is to do what is central to theology (aiming at the salvation of souls). If


Theology is Faith seeking understanding, then Eschatology is now Hope seeking Understanding.
We can simply establish that eschatology is that branch of systematic theology which studies
God's final kingdom as expressed by it Old Testament preparation with great emphasis placed on
the messianic hopes, the preaching of Jesus, and the teaching of the new Testament Church". In
other words it is the systematic reflection on the content of our Christian hope. This content
makes up the Eschatological concepts that aligned out Christian faith which are Death, Judgment,
Hell, Purgatory, Heaven, resurrection and Beatific Vision.

Sometimes eschatology has been a divisive force within Christian circles as believers quarreled
over minor points. In some denominations, in where there were agreements on major
eschatological doctrines they have split over minor points, Such as the tribulation views. Another
danger to be avoided is date setting. While we are to be alert to the signs of the times, we must
remember that God has not revealed the exact time of our Lord's return to human being or even

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to the angels (Matthew 24:36). Some who have believed they could determine the exact time of
the Lord's return have had their faith Jeopardized when their calculation proven incorrect.

OLD TESTAMENT ESCHATOLOGY


The OT did not clearly present the concepts of eschatology; reason being that partial revelation
was given to the OT generation. Therefore, the situations and concepts that bother down on
eschatology are vaguely presented, especially in the Historical Books. Few concepts of eschatology
are lucidly presented in the wisdom Literatures: e.g. Books of Job and the Psalms. The prophets
also did well on this theme. We shall now have a general observations/analysis of the OT to
indicate few areas that dealt with the theme of our discussion (OT Eschatology).
The term “eschatology” does not exist in the Old Testament. Since antiquity, the Jewish
community had conceived of the best situation in which they would want to be. Jewish
eschatology deals primarily with the hope and destiny of Israel and the world, and secondarily
with the future of the individual. Its contents concern Israel as Yahweh’s people, the victory of His
truth and justice on earth, and the expectation of the greater things to come.

Eschatology points to the future, when newness is expected and divine intervention into human
affairs is no longer necessary. It can refer to the imminent restoration from exile or to the
establishment of the perfect kingdom in the distant future (Is 2:4-5 a futuristic kingdom). It
provides continuity to the story of Yahweh and His people; sometimes, a biblical myth (story
retold for many generations) may be used. It also exhibits discontinuity because it endeavours to
stop a present crisis situation.

Prophets refer to traditions (creation, Abrahamic covenant, election, Sinai covenant, David, Zion,
etc.) to assess the contemporary events, aiming for Israel’s transformation and ultimate salvation.
In doing so, they help Israel under foreign rule regain her relationship with Yahweh and live
responsibly as His elect. Some scholars divide eschatology into two sub-categories: prophetic
eschatology and apocalyptic eschatology. The former is believed to have arisen from within Israel
and transitioned into the latter. However, a minor group of scholars support the idea that
eschatology received foreign influence, while others treat only apocalyptic eschatology as a
foreign import.

Eschatology is formulated to respond to historical realities. The expectation of the Messiah, as a


type of eschatology, signifies Israel’s desire for an end to the exile (Is 11). The idea of the kingdom
of God can be found in prophetic eschatology and the psalms.

Eschatology can use battle language to describe divine judgment of enemies, who may be internal
(the wicked in Israel) or external (the nations; Zech 14).

Before the belief in resurrection developed in the 2nd century BCE (Dan 12:2), the belief was that
all the dead led a shadowy existence in the underworld ( sheol.. Is 14). However, this belief
changed when the concept of individual retribution after death developed in Judaism, that the

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wicked will be tormented in Sheol’s lower levels, but the good will have joy in the eschatological
Garden of Eden or Paradise. Thus eschatology acquired an individual level in addition to the older
national level.

This clearly exposes that these words: death, judgment, hell, and heaven were not only familiar
concepts but were essential used in the later part of the OT.

INDIVIDUAL ESCHATOLOGY
 Physical Death
 The particular judgment
 Heaven, or eternal happiness
 Purgatory
 Hell, or eternal punishment

i) Death:
The theology of death can generally be seen in three dimensions: Physical, Spiritual and
Eternal/Universal deaths. Physical death consists in the separation of soul and body. This event
decides one’s eternal destiny (Luke12:4; 16:19; Mt 10:28; 2 Cor 5:10; etc.).
Spiritual death is the consequence and penalty of Adam's sin (Gen. 2:17; Rom 5:12 etc.)
While Eternal death is universal and more particular in general eschatology.
However, in individual Eschatology the Physical death is experienced as the first stage leading to
particular judgment, Heaven or Hell. The view of natural death also underlines the language of
Peter in 1Peter 3:14-18. In other passages, it is described as the termination of the animal life, or
the loss of this life (Matt. 2:20; Mark 3:4) etc. it is also represented as a separation of the body and
the soul (Ecc. 12:7. James 2:26).
According to scripture, physical death is termination of physical life by the separation of body and
soul. It is never an annihilation; God does not annihilate anything in His creation. Death is not a
cessation of existence, but a severance (separation/partition) of the natural relations of life. Life
and death are opposites only in different modes of existence.
The Connection of Sin and Death: the outstanding classical teaching of the Catholic Church on
death is that "in the present order of salvation, death is a punishment for sin". The Council of
Trent teaches in the Decree on Original Sin that Adam became subject to sin by the transgression
of the divine Commandment that God had previously threaten him with death and that he
transmitted death to the whole of mankind",

On a contrary view, Pelagian and Socinians teach that man was created mortal, not merely in the
sense that he could fall a pray to death, but in the sense that he was, in virtue of this creation,
under the law of death, and in course of time was bound to die. This means that Adam was not
only susceptible to death, but was actually subject to it before he fell. The advocates of this view
were prompted primarily by the desire to evade the proof for original sin derived from the
suffering and death of infants. Besides, present day science seems to support this position by

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stressing the fact that death is the law of organized matter, since it carries within it the seed of
decay and dissolution some of the early church fathers and some theologians, such as Warburton
and Laidlaw, take the position that Adam was indeed created mortal, that is, subject to the law of
dissolution, but that the law was effective in his case only because he sinned. IT he had proved
himself to be obedient, he would have been exalted to a state of immortality.

In summary concerning Death;


 Man was created in the image of God and this, in view of perfect condition in which the image
of God existed originally, would seem to exclude the possibility of his carrying within him the
seeds of dissolution and mortality.
 Physical Death is not represented in scripture as the natural result of the continuation of the
original path of obedience but as the result of his spiritual death. Rom. 5:23: 5:2
 Scriptural expressions certainly point to death as something introduced into the world of
humanity by sin and a positive punishment for sin. Gen. 2:17, 3:19: Rom 5:12, 17 etc
 Death is not represented as something natural in the life of man, a mere falling short of an
ideal, but very decidedly as something foreign and hostile to human life: it is an expression of
divine anger. Ps 90:7: 11, a Judgment, Rom. 1:32. A condemnation, Rom. 5:16, and a curse,
Gal. 3:13, and fills the hearts of men/women with dread and fear, just because it is felt to be
something unnatural.

Finally. St. Augustine defends the clear teaching of Revelation against the Pelagian. who denied
the gift of original state, and. therefore, regarded death as arising exclusively from the natural
decomposition of human being. In case of those justified by grace, death loses its penal character
and becomes a mere consequence of sin, like those who have been redeemed through the
precious Blood of Jesus Christ by Baptism. Rom. 6:3-11 neither by the punishment for sin, nor a
mere consequence of sin. In view of the constitution of human nature, death for them was
natural.

The significance of the death of Believers: The Bible speaks of physical death as a punishment, as
the wages of sin'" since believers are justified, however, and are no more under obligation to
render any penal satisfaction, the question naturally arises, Why must they die? It is quite evident
that for them that penal element is removed from death. They are no more under the law, either
as a requirement of the covenant of works or as a condemning power, since they have obtained a
complete pardon tor all their sins. Christ became a curse for them, and this removed the penalty
of sin. The Holy Roman Catholic Church teaches that; 'with death the possibility of merit or
demerit or conversion cases. But if this is so, why does God still deem it necessary to lead
Believers through the harrowing experience of death. Why does he not simply transfer them to
heaven at once? It cannot be said that the destruction of the body is absolutely essential to a
perfect sanctification, since that is contradicted by the example of Enoch and Elijah. It is quite
evident that the death of believers must be regarded as the culmination of the chastisement
which God has ordained for the sanctification of his people. The very thought of death,
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bereavements through death, the telling that sickness and sufferings are harbingers of death, and
the seriousness of the approach at death, all have a very beneficial effect on the people of God.
They serve to humble the proud, to mortify carnality, to check worldliness and to foster spiritual
mindedness. In the mystical union with their Lord, believers are made to share the experiences of
Christ. Just as He entered upon His glory by the pathway of sufferings and death, they too can
enter upon their eternal reward only through sanctification. Death complete the sanctification of
the souls of believers so that they become at once "the spirits of just men/women made perfect"
Heb. 12:23. Death is not an end for believers, but the beginning of a perfect life. They enter death
with the assurance that it sting has been removed (1Cor. 15:55) and death is for them a gate way
of heaven.

Immortality of the Soul: We have established that death is the separation of the body and soul
and marks the end of our present physical existence. It necessarily involves and results in the
decomposition of the body. It marks the end of our present life and the end of the natural body.
But now the question arises, What becomes of the soul? Does physical death bring its life to a
close or does it continue to exist and live on after death? It has always been the firm conviction of
the Church of Jesus Christ that the soul continues to live even alter its separation from the body.
This is referring to as the doctrine of immortality, of which we shall briefly consider. Different
connotations of the Term "Immortality", We have four different usages of the term immortality as
follows:

a) Immortality is ascribed to God absolutely: (1Tim. 6:15-16) this does not mean that none of His
creatures are immortal in any sense of the word. It means God is the only being who alone
possesses immortality "as an original, eternal, and necessary endowment." His immortality has
neither beginning nor end. The immortality ascribed to the creatures of God is just conferred
on them; they have a beginning. But God is originally without temporal limitations.
b) Immortality ascribed to all spirits: All spirits and even the human soul have a continuous or
endless existence. This conception was developed from the doctrine of natural religion or
philosophy that when the body is dissolved; the soul does not share in the dissolution of the
body at the physical death but retains its identity as an individual being.
c) Immortality designated to that state of man in which he/she is entirely free from the seeds of
decay and death. This is purely theological language. In this sense man was immortal before
the fall.
d) Immortality in eschatological sense as that state of man/woman in which he/she is impervious
to death and cannot possibly become its prey. Man was not immortal in the highest sense of
the word in virtue of his creation, even though he was created in the image of God. This
immortality would have revealed if Adam had complied with the condition of the covenant of
works.

ii) Particular Judgment


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The Catholic Church teaches that immediately after death the particular judgment takes place.
However, there are many oppositions to this teaching.
 From Apoc. 20:1 ff
 From OT prophecies about the coming empire of the messiah; a thousand years for Christ and
the just on earth before the general resurrection as asserted that on then, will final
beatification take place. St. Justin, St. Irenaeus, Tertulian and others supported this view.
 From the stance of some sects which hold that the soul after death remains in an unconscious
or semi-conscious condition

The Doctrine of the Church on particular judgment: The Church does not define its position on
particular judgment, but is presupposed by the dogma that the departed soul go forth with that is,
immediately after death into Heaven or into Hell or into purgatory (Lk. 16:19-31). The Council of
Lyon and Florence declared that the souls of the just, free from all sin and punishment, are
immediately assumed into heaven and the souls of those who die in sin descend immediately into
Hell. Pope Benedict XIl in the dogmatic constitution "Beneditus Dei" in 1336, teaches that the
completely pure souls of the just immediately after death, or after their purification enter heaven,
become immediate partakers in the vision of the Divine essence. While the souls of those in
mortal sin immediately enter Hell and are subjected to torment of Hell. Scripture: the scripture
indirectly implies the existence of particular judgment by teaching that the departed souls
immediately after death receives their reward or punishment (Heb 9:27, Sir. 1:13, 11:28, Lk.
16:22ff, Lk 23:43, 1Cor. 13:12).

iii) Heaven
Heaven is the abode of the blessed, where the Saints enjoy, in the company of Christ and
the angels, the beatific vision of God face to face, being supernaturally elevated by the light of
glory so as to be capable of such a vision. There are infinite degrees of glory corresponding to
degrees of merit, but all are unspeakably happy in the eternal possession of God. Only the
perfectly pure and holy can enter heaven; but for those who have attained that state, either at
death or after a course of purification in purgatory, entry into heaven is not deferred, as has
sometimes been erroneously held, till after the General Judgment. (Ps. 115:16, 19:, Mt. 5:l6 Rev.
2:17).
Doctrine of the Church: The Church declared in Benedictus Deus 1336 by Benedict XII that "By
virtue, of our apostolic authority, we define the following: according to the general disposition of
God, the after receiving Christ's Holy baptism (provided they were not in need of purification
when they died... or if they then did need or will need some purification, when then have been
purified after death..) already before they take up their bodies again before the general judgment
and this since the Ascension of our Lord Saviour Jesus Christ into heaven- have been, are and will
be in heaven, in the heavenly kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ joined to the company of
the Holy angels. Since the passion and Death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and
do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of
any creature. Therefore by the death and Resurrection, Jesus Christ Opened" heaven to us. The
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life of the Blessed consists in the full and perfect possession of the fruits of the redemption
accomplished by Christ. He makes partners in his heavenly glorification those who have believed
in him and remained faithful to his will. Heaven is the blessed community of all who are perfectly
incorporated into Christ.

Fathers of the Church: the fathers of the Church appealed to the words of Jesus concerning the
many mansion in the Father's House John 14:2 Tertulian remarks; "why are there many mansions
in the Father's house, if not on account of difference of the merits" St. Augustine sees in the one
penny which all the workers in the vineyard uniformly receive for varying durations of work Mt.
20:16, and indication of eternal life, which is for all similarly of eternal duration: in the many
mansions in the House of the Father. John 14:2 he sees a symbol of various grade of remuneration
in the one eternal life.

To the objection that inequality gives rise to envy, he answers; "there will be no envy on account
of the unequal glory, since the unity of love will reign in all.

iv) Purgatory
Purgatory is the intermediate state of unknown duration in which those who die imperfect, but
not in un-repented mortal sin, undergo a course of penal purification, to qualify for admission into
heaven. They share in the communion of saints and are benefited by our prayers and good works
From the Catholic Dogma: the souls of the Just which in the moment of death are burdened with
venial sins or temporal punishment due to sins, enter purgatory" the cleansing fire in Latin
purgatorium is a place and a state of temporal penal purification.
The reality of purgatory was denied by the Catheri, the Waldenses, the Reformers and by the
Schismatic Greeks on Luther's teaching.
Against the Schismatic Greeks, the union Council of Lyons and of Florence up hold the purifying
fire and the expiatory character of the penal sufferings: The souls of those who depart this life
with true repentance and in the love of God, before they have rendered satisfaction for their
trespasses and negligence by the worthy fruits of penance, are purified after death with the
punishment of purification. Against the reformers, who asserted that the doctrine of the cleansing
fire is contrary to Holy Scripture and also rejected it from the stand point of their doctrine of
justification, the council of Trent laid down the reality of the cleansing fire and value of the
suffrages performed for the poor souls.
From Scripture: It teaches the existence of the cleansing fire by admitting the possibility of a
purification in the other world (2Macc. 12:42-46). Mt. 12:32 gives the possibility that sins are
forgiven not only in this world, but in the world to come. St. Gregory the Great commented that
many sins can be remitted in this world and also in the world to come. 1Cor. 3:12 St: Paul asserts,
the work of Christian teachers of faith who continue to build on the foundation which is Christ...
1Cor. 5:15 in this passages the apostle spoke of transient punishment of the day of the general
judgment, probably consisting of severe tribulations after which the final salvation will take place.
The Latin fathers take the passage to mean a transient purification punishment in the other world.

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From Church Tradition: the main proof for the existence of the cleansing fire lies in the testimony
of the Fathers. The Latin Fathers employ scriptural passages cited frequently as proofs for a
transient purification-punishment and a forgiveness of sins in the other world. St. Cyprian teaches
that penitents who die before reception of the reconciliation must perform the remainder of any
atonement demanded in the other world, while martyrdom counts as full atonement. St.
Augustine distinguishes between temporal punishment which must be expiated in this life, and
those which must be expiated after death. The doctrine of purgatory, as it came to be formulated
by the Councils, articulates the basic assumptions of an unbroken liturgical tradition in the
Christian community of intercessory prayer offered on behalf of "those who have gone before us."
This was evident in conciliar affirmations of the doctrine, notably at the Councils of Florence in
1439, Trent 1563, and Vatican II in 1965. Through prayer, the pilgrim Church on earth affirms its
solidarity with the Church on the threshold of glory

v) Hell
Hell, in Catholic teaching, designates the place or state of men (and angels) who, because of sin,
are excluded forever from the Beatific Vision. In this wide sense it applies to the state of those
who die with only original sin on their souls (Council of Florence no. 588). Hell is the state of those
who are punished eternally for un-repented personal mortal sin. The Church affirms the existence
of such a state, with varying degrees of punishment corresponding to degrees of guilt and its
eternal or unending duration. It is a terrible and mysterious truth, but it is clearly and emphatically
taught by Christ and the Apostles. Rationalists may deny the eternity of hell in spite of the
authority of Christ, and professing Christians, who are unwilling to admit it, may try to explain
away Christ's words; but it remains as the Divinely revealed solution of the problem of moral evil.
Rival solutions have been sought for in some form of the theory of restitution or, less commonly,
in the theory of annihilation or conditional immortality.
Scripture: the OT provides a clear assertion regarding the eternal punishment of the godless. Dan.
12:2, Judith 16:20ff. Isaiah 66:4 Jesus also threatens people with the punishment of Hell in the
New Testament. Mt. 5:29ff. Mk. 9:43:47, Mtt.25:4 1 ff etc. St. Paul attested to the following words,
"they who do not know God and do not obey the Gospel] shall suffer eternal punishment in
destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of His power" 2Thes 1:9. Cf Rom. 2:10
cf2Peter 2.6

Fathers of the Church:


St. Ignatius: says the person who corrupts the faith of God for which Jesus Christ was crucified by
evil teaching will go into unquenchable fire and so will the person who listens to him.
St. Justin: that Divine Justice demands that those who do evil should not escape the punishment of
Hell.

Nature of the punishment: scholars have divided the nature of the punishment into two, namely:

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 The pain of Loss: exclusion from Beatific Vision (that is the inability to see the face of God Mt.
25:4ff) where it reads "Depart from me you cursed. Mt. 25:12 "I know you not”. Lk. 13:27, 24;
etc.
 The loss of Sense: suffering which is cause by outside material thing. The Holy Scriptures
speaks often of the fire of Hell, to which the damned are consigned; they describe hell as a
place where there is wailing and gnashing of teeth- a picture of sorrow and despair.

The fire of hell was conceived by individual Fathers of the church such as Origen and St. Gregory of
Nyssa and by later theologians like Ambrosius Catherimus, J.A Mohler and Hans Klee, in a
metaphorical sense as the symbol for purely spiritual pains, especially for the torments of the
gnawing of conscience. This opinion has not been formally condemned by the church. Some
scholars and modern theologians believe it to be physical fire by however distinguished it from
ordinary fire.

St. Thomas Aquinas, following the position of St. Augustine and St. Gregory the Great explains the
effect of physical fire on a purely spiritual essence as a binding of the spirits to material fire, which
acts as an instrument of the Divine penal justice. Through It the spirits are made subject to matter
and hindered in their free movement.

Properties of Hell
i) Eternity: the Catholic Church teaches that "the punishment of Hell lasts for all eternity" (Forth
Lateran Council in 1215 AD]. Origen denied the eternity of Hell. The Holy Scripture frequently
emphases the eternal duration of Hell- Daniel 12:2, Wisdom 8:19, Everlasting punishment Mt.
33:12. Etc. The Fathers before Origen unanimously affirm the eternal duration of the
punishment of Hell. But St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Didymous of Alexandria and Vagrius Pontieus
later became Origen's disciples on this stance.
ii) Inequality of Punishment: the Catholic Church teaches that the punishment of the damned is
proportioned to each one's guilt". The union Councils of Lyons and of Florence declared that
the souls of the damned are punished with unequal punishment. Jesus threatens the
inhabitants of Chorazin and Bethsaida, on account of their slowness to repent, with a stricter
judgment than the dwellers in Tyre and Sidon Mt. 11:22. St. Augustine teaches: “In their
wretchedness the lot of some of the damned will be more tolerable than of others”. Justice
demands that the punishment be commeasurable with the guilt.

UNIVERSAL/COSMIC ESCHATOLOGY

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 The approach of the end of the world/the second coming
 The resurrection of the body
 The general judgment
 The final consummation of all things.

i) The approach of the end of the world/the second coming of Christ: it was a common belief
among early Christians that the end of the world was near; though Christ never specifically told
us the exact time (Mark 13: 32; Acts, 1:6-7). This seemed to have some support in certain
sayings of Christ in reference to the destruction of Jerusalem, which are set down in the
Gospels side by side with prophecies relating to the end (Matt 24; Luke 21), and in certain
passages of the Apostolic writings, which might, not unnaturally, have been so understood. On
the other hand, Christ had clearly stated that the Gospel was to be preached to all nations
before the end (Matt. 24:14), and St. Paul looked forward to the ultimate conversion of the
Jewish people as a remote event to be preceded by the conversion of the Gentiles (Roms
11:25ff). Various others are spoken of as preceding or ushering in the end, as a great apostasy
(II Thess. 2:3ff), or falling away from faith or charity (Luke,18:8; 17:26; Matt. 24:12), the reign
of Antichrist, and great social calamities and terrifying physical convulsions. Yet the end will
come unexpectedly and take the living by surprise.

The Catholic Church teaches that "at the end of the world Christ will come again in glory to
pronounce judgment.” The Apostles' Creed confesses "from thence He shall come to judge the
living and the dead." Jesus repeatedly told His second coming (parousia) at the end of the world.
Matt. 8:38; Lk. 9:26 “The son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in Heaven. And then shall all tribes of the earth mourn:
and they shall see the son of Man coming in the cloud of heaven with much majesty". Besides
most of the Epistles of the Apostles contain occasional indication of the Second Coming of the
Lord, and they associate with it the manifestation of His majesty and his conferring of reward in
judgment. St. Paul writes to the community in Thessalonica, which held the parousia to be
immediately immanent, and which was exercised about the lot of those previously deceased; "for
this we say unto you in the Word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who remain unto the coming
of the Lord, shall not prevent them who have slept." (I Thes. 4:15-17).

Signs of the second Coming:


 The Preaching of the Gospel to the whole world: Jesus asserts; this Gospel of the Kingdom
shall be preached in the whole world, for a testimony to all nations; and then shall
consummation come (Matt. 24:14 C.Ứ Mark 13:10. The words do not assert that the end will
come immediately the Gospel has been preached in the whole world.
 The conversion of the Jews: In Romans 11:25-32, St. Paul reveals the my stery when the
fullness which is the number ordained by God. of the Gentile has entered the Kingdom of God
all Israel will be converted and saved. Conversion of the Jewish people is frequently brought
into a causal connection with the coming again of Elijah, but without sufficient
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foundation……………… the passage of Malachi 4:5 referring to the second coming of Elijah, but
this was seen as a precursor of the Messiah John 1:12 Matt. 16:14 Jesus confirm the coming of
Elijah but refers it to the appearance of John the Baptist Lk.
 Appearance of Antichrist: the falling away from the faith stands in a causal connection with
the appearance of antichrist. This is clearly stated in 2Thess. 2:3 unless there be a revolt first,
and the man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition. Who opposed and is lifted up above all
that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits in the temple of God, showing himself as
if he were God; He appears in the power of Satan, works apparent miracles, in order to lead
men astray into the falling of Satan, works apparent, in order to lead men astray into the
falling away from the truths and into unrighteousness, and to cast them into destruction
2Thess. 2:9-11. the Lord Jesus will, on his arrival. kill him with the spirit of his mouth, that is
destroy him with a power proceeding from Him. According to SS Paul and John, Antichrist is to
appear as a definite human personality who is the instrument of satan. The Didache speaks of
a seducer of the word.
 Severe Tribulations: Jews foretells wars, famines, earthquakes and bitter persecutions for His
disciples: Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted and shall put you to death and you shall
be hated by all nations for my name's sake Matt. 24:9. Tremendous catastrophes of nature are
accompanying the coming again of the Lord Matt, 24:29; c.f Isaiah 13:10; 34:4.

ii) The Resurrection of the Body: The second coming (parousia) of Christ in power and glory will
be the signal for the rising of the dead. It is Catholic teaching that all the dead who are to be
judged will rise, the wicked as well as the Just, and that they will rise with the bodies they had
in this life. But nothing is defined as to what is required to constitute this identity of the risen
and transformed with the present body. Though not formally defined, it is sufficiently certain
that there is to be only one general resurrection, simultaneous for the good and the bad.
Regarding the qualities of the risen bodies in the case of the just we have St. Paul's description
in 1Cor. 15 (cf. Matt. 13:43; Phil.3:21).

iii) The General Judgment:


Regarding the general judgment at the parousia, Christ Himself is to be the Judge (Matt.
25).

iv) The Consummation of All Things: There is mention also of the physical universe sharing in
the general consummation (Rev 21:1ff). The present heaven and earth will be destroyed,
and a new heaven and earth take their place. But what, precisely, this process will involve,
or what purpose the renovated world will serve is not revealed. It may possibly be part of
the glorious Kingdom of Christ of which "there shall be no end". Christ's militant reign is to
cease with the accomplishment of His office as Judge (I Cor 15:24ff), but as King of the elect
whom He has saved He will reign with them in glory forever.

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THE THEOLOGY OF LIMBO
The term Limbo is originally from the Latin limbus literally meaning border/edge/boundary/hem
(of a garment). In theological usage the name is applied to:

(a) The temporary place or state of the souls of the just who, although purified from sin, were
excluded from the beatific vision until Christ's triumphant ascension into Heaven (the "limbus
patrum").

(b) The permanent place or state of those un-baptized children and others who, dying without
grievous personal sin, are excluded from the beatific vision on account of original sin alone (the
"limbus infantium" or "puerorum").

In literary usage the name is sometimes applied in a wider and more general sense to any place or
state of restraint, confinement, or exclusion, and is practically equivalent to "prison"

Limbus Patrum: This is a temporary place or state of the righteous souls who were excluded from
the beatific vision until Christ came, died, descended into hell, rose from the dead the third day
and eventually ascended into Heaven. Whatever name may be used in apocryphal Jewish
literature to designate this abode of the departed just, the implication generally is:

 that their condition was one of happiness


 that it was temporary
 that it was to be replaced by a condition of final and permanent bliss when the Messianic
Kingdom is established.

In the New Testament, Christ refers by various names and figures to the place or state which
Catholic tradition has agreed to call the limbus patrum. In Matt. 8:11, it is spoken of under the
figure of a banquet "with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of Heaven" (cf. Luke 8:29;
14:15), and in Matt. 25:10 under the figure of a marriage feast to which the prudent virgins are
admitted, while in the parable of Lazarus and Dives it is called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22)
and in Christ's words to the penitent thief on Calvary the name paradise is used (Luke 23:43). St.
Paul teaches (Eph. 4:9) that before ascending into Heaven Christ "also descended first into the
lower parts of the earth," and St. Peter still more explicitly teaches that "being put to death
indeed, in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit," Christ went and "preached to those souls that
were in prison, which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience
of God in the days of Noah" (I Pet 3:18-20).

It is principally on the strength of these Scriptural texts, harmonized with the general doctrine of
the Fall and Redemption of mankind, that Catholic tradition has defended the existence of the
limbus patrum as a temporary state or place of happiness distinct from Purgatory. As a result of
the fall, Heaven was closed against men. Actual possession of the beatific vision was postponed,

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even for those already purified from sin, until the Redemption should have been historically
completed by Christ's visible ascendancy into Heaven. Consequently, the just who had lived under
the Old Dispensation, and who, either at death or after a course of purgatorial discipline, had
attained the perfect holiness required for entrance into glory, were obliged to await the coming of
the Incarnate Son of God and the full accomplishment of His visible earthly mission. Meanwhile
they were "in prison," as St. Peter says; but, as Christ's own words to the penitent thief and in the
parable of Lazarus clearly imply, their condition was one of happiness, notwithstanding the
postponement of the higher bliss to which they looked forward. And this, substantially, is all that
Catholic tradition teaches regarding the limbus patrum.

Limbus Infantium: The New Testament contains no definite statement of a positive kind regarding
the lot of those who die in original sin without being burdened with grievous personal guilt. But,
by insisting on the absolute necessity of being "born again of water and the Holy Ghost" (John 3:5)
for entry into the kingdom of Heaven, Christ clearly enough implies that men are born into this
world in a state of sin, and St. Paul's teaching to the same effect is quite explicit (Rom. 5:12ff). On
the other hand, it is clear from Scripture and Catholic tradition that the means of regeneration
provided for this life do not remain available after death, so that those dying unregenerate are
eternally excluded from the supernatural happiness of the beatific vision (John 9:4, Luke 12:40,
16:19ff, II Cor. 5:10). The question therefore arises as to what, in the absence of a clear positive
revelation on the subject, we ought in conformity with Catholic principles to believe regarding the
eternal lot of such persons. Now it may confidently be said that, as the result of centuries of
speculation on the subject, we ought to believe that these souls enjoy and will eternally enjoy a
state of perfect natural happiness; and this is what Catholics usually mean when they speak of the
limbus infantium, the "children's limbo."

 On this issue, St. Gregory of Nazianzus writes:


It will happen, I believe... that those last mentioned [infants dying without baptism]
will neither be admitted by the just judge to the glory of Heaven nor condemned to
suffer punishment, since, though unsealed [by baptism], they are not wicked. . . . For
from the fact that one does not merit punishment it does not follow that one is
worthy of being honored, any more than it follows that one who is not worthy of a
certain honor deserves on that account to be punished.

Thus, according to Gregory, for children dying without baptism, and excluded for want of the
"seal" from the "honor" or gratuitous favor of seeing God face to face, an intermediate or neutral
state is admissible, which, unlike that of the personally wicked, is free from positive punishment.
Although Tertullian opposes infant baptism on the ground that infants are innocent, while St.
Ambrose explains that original sin is rather an inclination to evil than guilt in the strict sense, and
that it need occasion no fear at the day of judgment; and the Ambrosiater teaches that the
"second death," which means condemnation to the hell of torment of the damned, is not incurred

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by Adam's sin, but by our own. This was undoubtedly the general tradition before St. Augustine's
time.

 St. Augustine believed that un-baptized infants share in the common positive misery of the
damned, and the very most that he concedes is that their punishment is the mildest of all.

AFRICAN INDIGENOUS WORLDVIEW ON LIFE-AFTER-DEATH


First, Africa is characterized by a tremendous ethnic and cultural diversity. There are about three
thousand African ethnic groups, each boasting a distinctive common history, culture, language,
and recognizable belief system. Thus, while for instance the Yorubas have their notions concerning
the afterlife, the Igbos, Gbagyi, Bajju, Adara, Kanuri, Berom, Ham, Atyap, Nupe or Koro and others
also have theirs and can be compared to note this distinctions and similarities.
There is a general belief among most African tribes that the dead are not gone; this makes the
preparation for the journey (burial) even more serious. Commenting on the need to follow correct
funeral procedures, John Mbiti says that: It is the general feeling that if the dead are not properly
buried they may take revenge upon the living or remain un-peaceful in the land of the departed.
Indeed, the treatment of the corpse for the African people is a very important and integral
component of eschatology. Consequently, it is meticulously carried out, because it has a bearing
on whether or not the deceased reaches his or her proper destination, namely the land of the
departed.

The land of the departed


There is no doubt or ambiguity about the afterlife and the world of mortals as the two spheres of
existence. This view expresses the general concept of the hereafter among African peoples. They
in fact believe in heaven, even though their viewpoints are sometimes different with regard to the
nature of this heaven. When a person is properly buried, it is assumed that he or she goes to the
land of the departed, which is believed to be the place where the dead are gathered. It is
interesting to note that many African tribes hold different views regarding its location. Mbiti’s
analysis presents a picture of these tribes such as the Abaluyia and the Banyarwanda, among
others, hold that the land of the departed is under the earth. The Abaluyia call it “the country of
the dead”, while the Banyarwanda call it the land “ruled by the one with whom one is forgotten”.
For them, burial is regarded as an entrance into the land of the departed – hence, the grave serves
as the doorway. The view that the land of the departed is in the woods, the bush, the forest or the
wilderness is held by other tribes, such as the Akamba and the Chagga. The Bamilike , the Bemba,
the Shona and the Ndebele believe that the land of the departed is anywhere but not far. Instead,
“it is around the home of the human beings”. They believe that the departed move around the
homes of the living human beings without being noticed. For this reason, the departed are
believed to be part of their living families. They dwell here because they are also still interested in

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the welfare of their living members. They show these characteristics by protecting their living from
evil forces. They can offer this protection because they are believed to be “clothed with
supernatural power”. On the contrary, if they were not properly buried, they could cause
discomfort and/or punish their living for their mistake. We consider this to be an authentic view is
that this must be closely related to the Ngambai view of the tangible world. In their beliefs, there
was also the vague notion that when they left this present existence, their spirits rejoined the life
force, but like their forefathers who lived on in a place called Njabao, they would retain their
spiritual identity. The difficulty seems to arise in the consideration that African peoples believe
that there is no place without spirits. Spirits could be heard or seen in the mountains and rivers
and among trees at any time of day or night. They could appear in the form of different animals or
other objects. However, this example refers to the idea that African peoples believe in the
existence of heaven, which represents a place of blessedness. In addition, there is no doubt that
Africans believe in the visible world as a creation of the Supreme Being. This world is the place
where people and things deal with life. Wherever the land of the departed is located, the belief is
that the inhabitants are spiritual.
It is in this light that Mbiti observes the following:
 Information about the African societies seems to show that even where the dead are
buried with some of their possessions, the goods of this life are not transferable into the
next. Without clear explanation, however, many societies believe that if a person is rich in
his human life he will continue to be rich in the next life, just as the poor, or thief, or kind-
hearted person etc. continues to be as he was. On the Christian aspect of this concept;
riches could be viewed in the aspect of spiritual graces gained from good works. Rich in
faith and storing up treasures for ourselves in Heaven. Unlike material wealth, when one is
rich in faith and good works while alive on earth, he/she stands to gain a better life/reward
in Heaven.
There are two things to remember about the African concept of the land of the departed. Firstly, it
is linked to the present world. Secondly, funerary rites play a major role in the maintenance of this
link. At this point, we will look at the nature of the land of the departed. The areas of similarity
and difference are clearly determined when considering the views of individual tribes in Africa.

According to the Bachwa, in the next life, people do not suffer hardships such as hunger, thirst,
sickness or death. The Banyarwanda see life in the hereafter as being similar to this life, and
people retain their names, but do not eat, drink or mate, and class distinctions are dissolved.
According to Ngambai beliefs, those who dwell in that place do not suffer, but from their vantage
point, they may inflict suffering on those who are still in the land of the living. Furthermore, they
believe that their departed dead live on, just beyond the veil that hides them from the eyes of the
living, and in this environment, they can influence those in the nether world who have occult
powers and a line of contact with the one or ones who have control of the elements and forces of
life. In view of these observations, the land of the departed is clearly believed to be an established
place that is characterized by peace and happiness.

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Death and Final Destination
The traditional African belief system is also referred to (by some cultures) as ancestor-worship and
is based on an understanding that the life course is cyclical and not linear. Based on this system of
belief, those who are dead are alive in a different world and can reincarnate (and return to this
world) in new births (though the Church does not believe in reincarnation). Death is considered a
rite of passage for those who die at an acceptable (old) age. When death occurs in Africa,
divination as to the cause of death is sought from dead ancestors, with death causes usually
attributed to spiritual elements (witchcraft, offending one's ancestors, or gods) rather than
medical or physical reasons. Furthermore, it is an African cultural belief that to be in the world of
the dead confers supernatural powers over those in the world of the living, such as the ability to
bless or to curse, and to give life or to take life among others.
After death, an individual lives in a spirit world, receiving a new body which is identical to the
earthly body, but with the capacity to move about as an ancestor. Becoming an ancestor after
death is thus a desirable goal of every individual and it is believed that this cannot be achieved if
an individual did not live a meaningful life, or had his or her life cut short say through an accident
or by an unnatural death. It is believed that those who lived an unworthy/unpleasant/wicked/evil
lifestyle while alive without repentance, end up after death becoming wandering spirits, marine
spirits, unrest spirits, spirits living in caves, trees, forest, mountains or any undignified place.

As such African individual would, therefore, prefer a slow and lingering death that comes
naturally, as they would not only be able to tidy up many issues such as making peace and saying
farewell to relatives, but also they would also be admitted in the spirit world. Death in any group
apart from the very old is considered unnatural and premature.

With the belief that the goal of life is to become an ancestor after death, a person is given a
proper burial after death as failure to do this may result in the individual becoming a wandering
ghost, unable to live properly after death, and constituting a danger to those who are still alive.

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