The Mystery Of Death

In The Mystery of Death, Lester Sumrall draws on 66 years of ministry experience in helping us sort out this transition of life. From the jungles of Africa to the modern hospitals of the United States, Dr. Sumrall has observed death--the pain, peace, resistance, and acceptance. His unique storytelling paints a picture of death that is not hopeless. Book jacket.

The purpose of this little book is to answer certain questions that many people have about the nature of death. Most people feel that there is something wrong about death. We all want to live a happy life and we do not want to die. Life is experienced as something very good and we want to preserve it. But the reality is that man is by nature mortal, which means that he is destined to die sooner or later. The fact is that we begin to die the moment we are conceived in our mother's womb. Man is unlike all other animals, because he has a soul endowed with intelligence and free will. Because man's soul is spiritual, it is immortal. Death is the separation of that soul from the body; the body decays and returns to the dust from which it was taken, but the soul continues to live and is in the hands of God. But what happens to the soul after death? There are two possibilities--heaven or hell. We know from divine revelation and from the infallible teaching of the Church that the soul after death goes immediately to heaven (perhaps first for a time to purgatory to be totally cleansed and sanctified), or immediately to hell, a state or place of eternal misery. The next life is a life without time--it is a perpetual now, with no before and after. It has a beginning but not end. It is also unchangeable, that is, souls in heaven are there forever and they cannot lose it; souls in hell are there forever and they can never be freed from it. This is a very serious and certain reality for each one of us. The most important thing we will ever do is to die, and to die in the state of God's grace so that we are his friends and will be admitted to his presence, which is what is meant by heaven. Therefore we must prepare ourselves to die in the grace of God, which is our ticket to heaven. We do that by doing God's will for us, which means to keep his commandments, especially to love God above all things and practice love of neighbor. This short book will help people think about their death and how important it is for their permanent happiness. It will help them to arrange their life in such a way that they will live it as God wants them to live it and so ultimately obtain eternal life with God because: "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor. 2:9).

Professor Benjamin Bradshaw sets out to clear his name after becoming the only suspect in the murder of an unpopular colleague, whom he discovered electrocuted in a Faraday cage on campus.

Is death the end of human existence and consciousness, or do we continue in some other place or state of being? Do we go to a place of everlasting reward or eternal torment? Are we destined to be reincarnated, coming to life again in a different body in a seemingly endless cycle of living and dying? Will we ever see deceased loved ones again? Is there somewhere you can go to find the answers to these questions? The Bible tells us exactly what happens after death. It tells us what happens to those who have done right (will they go to heaven?) and wrong (or be tormented in an ever-burning hell?) and reveals the fate of the billions of people who have never known God and His way of life. Most churches claim to teach what the Bible says—but what does it really reveal? You need to discover the answers yourself inside this Bible Study aid, What Happens After Death?. You'll be shocked when you find out what the Bible really teaches! Chapters in this ebook: -- What Happens After Death? -- The Wondrous Gift of Life -- The Mystery of Death -- Do Some Bible Verses Teach That We Have an Immortal Soul? -- The History of the Immortal-Soul Teaching -- What About Reported Life-After-Death Experiences? -- God's Plan of Redemption -- The Promise of Life After Death -- Ancient Pagan Belief in Heaven -- Words of Encouragement -- Are There Saved Human Beings in Heaven -- Did Paul Expect to Be Conscious in Heaven Right After Dying? -- How Eternal Life Will Ultimately Be Offered to All -- The Biblical View of 'Hell' -- Will the Torment of the Wicked Last Forever? -- Are the Wicked Punished in an Ever-Burning Hell? -- Are Some Tortured Forever in a Lake of Fire? -- Lazarus and the Rich Man: Proof of Heaven and Hell? -- Steps in Dealing With Grief -- How Can We Help Those Who Are Grieving? -- Everlasting Life Conquers Death Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "...those who have died are unconscious, as if they are sleeping a dreamless sleep, awaiting their time to be called out of the grave and resurrected to a new life." "Many people, however, believe in a perpetual, ever-burning hellfire or a condition of spiritual torment in which evil people are tortured throughout eternity. But the Bible’s simple teaching conveys nothing like this." "Understanding the meaning of life, death and what follows this physical life can give priceless comfort and hope in the face of death. It should also have a great impact on the kind of person you are, motivating you to live carefully and make wise choices."

This book deals with the universal experience of suffering and death, considering the specific viewpoint of the Roman Catholic Church. Each chapter explores interesting life-and-death topics, as well as excerpts from the Bible, various Church documents, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Basic to this book are the Christian beliefs that suffering can be redemptive and that death is the beginning of new life with the resurrected Christ.