Pope John Paul II said the Church cannot omit, without serious mutilation of her essential message, a constant catechesis on man’s Four Last Things: death, judgment, hell, and heaven. Knowing what comes after this earthly life can guide us in it.
Beyond the mysterious gates of death and eternity, we will arrive at either joy and communion with God or separation from Him. Only by understanding these Last Things can one realize the nature of sin and move toward penance and reconciliation.
Death
Why do we die? God gave man freedom to eat from any tree in the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He said, “in the day that you eat of it you shall die” (Gn 2:17). So, death came from listening to lies and turning away from God. It came from the influence of the devil, who said they would become like God if they ate the fruit.
But the fruit was only forbidden because it was harmful. It gave them knowledge of good and evil before they could handle it. Suffering came into the world and spread:
Since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct. They were filled with all manner of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malignity, they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them. (Rom 1:28-32)
The lie told in the Garden is being told again today: You shall be like God. Create yourself, choose your own identity, declare your independence from Him.
Meanwhile, the Church wants people to be saved, forgiven, and transformed. That means believing God’s Word and turning away from sin.
The Antidote to Death
Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. (Heb 2:14-15)
Jesus is the antidote to death. He paid a price for our sins. He perfectly obeyed and loved the Father as we never could. By dying and rising again, He established freedom, immortality, and eternal life. And He gives it freely to whoever wants it.
Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (Jn 11:25). He is saying something amazing: Take hold of Me, believe in Me, and obey Me—embrace the cross—and you shall have eternal life.
Jesus told the woman at the well, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water” (Jn 4:10). If we recognize who Jesus is, we’d ask Him every day for living water.
We can’t face the pressures and responsibilities of daily life without the Lord’s help. That’s why Paul said, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Eph 6:10). That’s why we say in the Lord’s Prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Mt 6:11)—not just the food that we need to live, but spiritual food for energy, strength, and hope, which comes from communion with the Lord.
Judgment
Just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Heb 9:27-28)
Jesus will return in the fullness of his glory to judge the living and the dead. This will repeat what happened in Noah’s time:
In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. (Mt 24:37-39)
Don’t be asleep; be awake. Each day, pray, meditate on Scripture, and ask God to help keep your head clear and your heart at peace as you follow Him.
Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope fully upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Pt 1:13)
We scarcely hear about God’s severity, holiness, justice, and judgment. There should be a constant catechesis on these things. Christianity isn’t a game; everybody doesn’t get a trophy. Being a disciple is hard:
He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. (Mt 10:37-38)
There will be two very different resurrections: One for Jesus’ friends, who have accepted his offer and held on to Him. And another for those who kept saying “no” until they died in hatred, unbelief, unforgiveness, and bondage to sin.
The Catechism explains,
There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who deliberately refuses to accept his mercy by repenting, rejects the forgiveness of his sins and the salvation offered by the Holy Spirit. Such hardness of heart can lead to final impenitence and eternal loss. (1864)
We must “strive to enter by the narrow door; for many . . . will seek to enter and will not be able” (Lk 13:23-25).
Hell
Those who won’t be welcomed into God’s kingdom face what Scripture calls “the second death”:
As for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Rv 21:8)
It’s eternal separation from God. It’s being given what we’ve chosen—awful isolation, rebellion, anger, hatred, lust, and greed.
When that happens, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Lk 13:28). There will be people who listened to Jesus’ teachings and ate with Him on the streets, and He will say to them, “I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!” (Lk 13:27)
What does this mean? You can be familiar with Jesus and go to church on Sunday but not be in relationship with Him—not trust Him, commit yourself to Him, and become his disciple.
It’s not enough to belong to the Church (Lumen Gentium 14). We must believe and obey the Word of God, or we will not be saved. In fact, we will be more severely judged (Lk 12:48).
This is not a game; this is life and death. The Son of God wants to save us, but we need to pay attention to what He is saying.
If you don’t understand, ask for understanding. If you don’t have the necessary strength, ask for strength. Jesus says if your right foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. If your right hand causes your sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter life missing a hand than to go to hell with an intact body.
Do whatever you need to do to get free of serious sin, because it will kill you. Serious sin will send you to hell unless you repent.
Heaven
Those whose names are written in the Book of Life, however, can expect this:
I heard a great voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.” (Rv 21:3-4)
God revealed a vision of heaven to St. Catherine of Siena:
The goodness of these souls is beyond what your mind’s eye can see or your ear hear or your tongue describe or your heart imagine. What joy they have in seeing me who am all good! What joy they will yet have when their bodies are glorified!
Relationships on earth that are in the Lord are even better in heaven, because relationships on earth aren’t perfect. In heaven, there is perfect love and union.
Heaven is no more tears, dying, or crying. No more poverty or illness. This is why Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Mt 10:28). For those who are part of his body, Jesus has transformed biological death into an entrance to paradise.
This article originally appeared in Renewal Ministries March 2025 newsletter. Subscribe here!
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