Hello:

I was just wondering, what is our churches teachings on Life after Death. Meaning, if someone died yesterday, do they go directly to heaven or hell that same day or do we all leave upon the lord's second coming?

If anyone is Knowledgeable in this subject, please advise.

-- Joel Delphine (joel_delphine@yahoo.com), September 07, 2003

Answers

the dead person would do one of three things...

1)they would be judged at the gates, they would be deemed sinful and evil, and they would be sent to hell.

2)They would be judged at the gates, they would be deemed a sinner, but pure at the heart with a strong devotion to God and great attempts at the avoidance of sin. this person would go to purgatory for awhile to repent their sins and be forgiven, at which point they could enter heaven

3)They would be judged at the gates, found to be in a state of extreme and rare grace, and would be invited directly into heaven as a saint.

the idea that we all wait until the Lords second coming is a bit of a posh left over by the rapture theory that the Lord is coming back to sweep ALL of His faithful up in the sky in one trip, and leave all the others to suffer the tribulation. popular theory, but wrong. The Lords second coming will involve a host of the faithful returning to destroy the evil in the world and banish satan and his own forever.

-- paul (dontSendMeMail@notAnAddress.com), September 07, 2003.

I disagree somewhat with answer 1.) Rejection of God's love to point of willful "mortal" sin is our choice. We reject eternal unity with God by completely choosing ourselves over God's will and grace and love and mercy. We decide that its better to "reign in hell than to serve in heaven" In choosing so, at our judgement WE CHOOSE hell over heaven; God doesn't ever send anyone there. We willfully send ourselves.

-- Dave Fiore (dccaf@pacbell.net), October 02, 2003.