Most people dread death. Yet to a minority, death is regarded as the start of a journey to heaven where they expect to meet the Almighty God, the saints, the angels, their kins and kiths who passed on before them.
Different religions offer the adherents their respective salvific paths to heaven - sometimes, also known as paradise, vineyard of the Lord, Kingdom of God, the new Jerusalem etc. where the privileged will shed tears no more, enjoy peace and harmony, devote their time to worshipping God and share with Jesus in the reign of His KIngdom.
In His infinite mercy, God sent his only begotten Son to the world that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life. (John 3:16).
Christians are promised this hope for eternity by believing in Jesus as the Son of God, His commandments and His teaching, Besides, they are obliged to love their neighbours as well as their enemies and love God with all their heart, mind and soul if they wish to be eligible for entry into God's kingdom when their lives come to an end on earth.
When righteous men die, their bodies come to a standstill. The souls depart therefrom and they either proceed to heaven or hell depending on how well they lived out their lives while alive on earth.
However, the Catholics believe that when humans die, most of their souls will undergo purification in Purgatory where all their sins will be cleansed before entering and joining our Lord Jesus. The gate to heaven is narrow and the path to damnation is wide and most souls in the first instance will destine to hell, where the souls will be excluded from the proximity of God for ever and ever.
The souls in heaven and hell will be raised during parousia, that is the second coming and returning of our Lord Jesus in glory to judge the living and the dead. All souls will be judged according to merits and demerits of what they did and lived out their lives while alive on earth.
The sheeps will be separated from the goats. The sheeps will inherit the Kingdom while the goats Hell where they shall face punishment in perpetuity.
According to the Book of Revelation, the righeous souls will be resurrected in glorified bodies to reign alongside the the triune God eternally.
Those souls in Hell will also be raised and be given a chance whether they would repent or not otherwise they would be cast into the lake of fire ad infinitum. According the Holy BIble, the souls of the 'goats' will be ushered into Hell perpetually.
May the Almight God continue to bless His people on earth. Let His salvific revelation be made known and spread to convict people throughout the four corners the world.
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