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Eternal Life

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16BY: ROBBIE DE LA VEGA

AS 90819 V.1

The Four Last ThingsThe Four Last things are the two Inevitable and

two Possible realities that we face at the end of

our earthy lives. The Four Last Things are:�Death

� Judgement�Hell

�Heaven

DeathWhat do Catholics Think?

Death is the cessation of our present earthly lives, themoment of separation of our souls and bodies. When

We are dead, we cease to choose between good and evil. Death came to us because of sin, not God’s will.

God has removed its terror for us and made it the path

to eternal life.

JudgementWhat do Catholics think?

First, there is a particular and unchangeable

judgement which follows immediately upon our deaths. Second, as the Creed affirms, there is a final

and universal reckoning at the end of time when Christ “will come again”. In the presence of Christ, who is

truth itself, the truth of each man’s relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgement will reveal

to its furthest consequences the good each person has

done or failed to do during their earthly life. Heaven

What do Catholics Think?Heaven is our Eternal home. Once there, God

gives us the vision of his face and shares his

divine life with us. Those who die in God’s grace either go to heaven or first enter purgatory, a place of

purification of sins and for reparation. People who diein God’s Grace and friendship and are perfectly

purified live for ever in with Christ. They are like Godfor ever for they “see him as he is, face to face”

HellWhat do Catholics Think?

Hell is the eternal loss of the vision of God, and theplace of punishment of the damned souls. The devil

and his angels. It is the choice of evil and lack of

repentance before the end of our earthly lives thatleads to our damnation. We ask God to save us from

the “fires of hell” (Mt 18:9; Rev 20:14) as he himself desires. We also need to warn others, just as Jesus

warned us, Of the reality of hell and the need to repent and follow him in our lives. Hell is separation from God.

Eternal Life

What do Catholics Believe?

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In the beginning, God made the world and everything in it. Adam and Eve

were the very first humans to walk the earth. God gave a command to Adam and Eve to not eat the fruit that grows of the Tree of Knowledge of

Good and Evil. (Gen 2:17) A serpent (the devil) told them “You will not die.

For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:15). Adam and Eve ate of the fruit from

that particular tree and because of this, Original Sin is now a part of us ever since we were. Because of the Original Sin Adam and Eve chose to cut themselves

off from Life itself, God. In choosing to sin, they chose death as well because death is the consequence of sin. Jesus Christ came to free us from death by

dying on the Cross and Rising to New Life on the 3rd day. By Jesus

Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection he has broken the chains of sin and Death and has opened up New Life and an Eternal Life for us in Heaven. As

Catholics, we believe in Eternal life and the only way to get to Heaven and that Eternal Life Continued

gift of forever being with God in “Eternal Life” is to live our lives just like Christ.

Everyone is entitled to Eternal life. All we have to do is claim it through our actions here on earth. Eternal life is a here-and-now thing because in order to receive it, we

have to live our lives like Christ, To follow the Commandments and to try to have a perfect a perfect relationship with Christ. St Francis talks about

Eternal life in his prayer: “For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that weare pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.” The last few lines of

the prayer tell us that When we give our lives to the Lord we Receive eternal life. When

we Forgive others, Our Sins are forgiven and when we die, We are rewarded and bornnew into Eternal Life and we live in the Fullness of God and Jesus Christ. Eternal life

Is God’s desire for us. We should ask him to prepare us for heaven even if we face Sufferings on the way. It is good to make the saints our companions through prayer

And to pray for the holy souls in purgatory

Importance of Eternal Life

Eternal Life is Important to us as Catholics because: � Eternal life is the kind of life that results from a close, loving relationship with our heavenly

Father and His only Son. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3).

� Eternal life is a life that is full and free and forever. It is peace, joy and assurance. It is comfort,

strength and hope. It's never-ending life with God life in heaven after we die, but it's also abundant life here and now.

� It's the kind of life all of us really want. It's the kind of life we can never achieve. It's the kind of life God gives us for free when we finally admit how much we need His help.

Bibliography

� http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p123a12.htm� http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=33601

�Google Drive RE Shared with me Files Eternal Life folder � http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0YxIujSsP8

�

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