Death and Afterlife Heaven or Hell A parable is a story that makes use of symbolic elements or elements that stand

for things other than themselves. Take the case of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 3 !3. There is mention of seed which symboli"es the #ord of $od% the act of sowing can be taken to mean any act of evangeli"ing% and the different types of soil can be viewed as symboli"ing the different ways of receiving the #ord of $od. $oing back to &uke 1' !!. Here(s my analysis of the verses using the above definition of a parable and us other bible verses to interpret it. 1)or 13 1! Now as in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Heaven is where we see $od face to face *ohn 1 1+ No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. The ,on makes the -ather known because he sees $od. the ,on being in the -ather(s bosom. An infant who is in her mother(s bosom sees the mother face to face. The ,on sees the -ather face to face. Matthew / 3 Blessed are the oor in s irit, for theirs is the kin!dom of heaven The poor in spirit possesses the kingdom of heaven &uke 1' !! "he oor man died and was carried by the an!els to #braham$s bosom. "he rich man also died and was buried The poor man &a"arus symboli"es the poor in spirit 0in Matt / 31. Abraham(s bosom symboli"es the -ather2s bosom or the kingdom of heaven 0referred to in *ohn1 1+ and 1)or 13 1!1. The rich man. being the opposite of the poor man. symboli"es being not poor in spirit. The fire symboli"es hell. the state of being destroyed or broken. ,een in this light. it is possible to interpret &uke 1' !! thus 3 the poor in spirit goes to the -ather in heaven when he dies. whereas. the rich in spirit goes to hell. The following verses discuss body 0earthly tent1. death 0destruction of the earthly tend1 and heaven 0eternal house not made with hands. an eternal building from $od1 like there is no intervening period such as what the Hell4-ire e4book is trying to argue for. !)or / 1415 1 For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. ! Here indeed we groan, and long to put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 so that by putting it on we may not be found naked. 6 For while we are still in this tent, we sigh with anxiety; not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. / He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. ' So we are always of good courage; we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the ord, 7 for we walk by faith, not by sight. + !e are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the &ord. 8 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 15 For we must all appear before the "udgment seat of #hrist, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body $n the following verses, St. %aul expresses his sentiment with regards being alive &life in the flesh' which he e(uates with fruitful labor and death &to depart' which he e(uates with being with #hrist &being in heaven because that is where #hrist is'.

%hilippians )*+),+!1 !! !3 !6 For to me to live is #hrist, and to die is gain. $f it is to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. .et which $ shall choose $ cannot tell. $ am hard pressed between the two. /y desire is to depart and be with #hrist, for that is far better. 0ut to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account.

$n both verses there are no references to hell as if hell does not exist. !e should not fall into the erroneous conclusion that there is no hell because St. %aul didn1t mention it, keeping in mind that St. %aul is of the firm conviction that hell does not apply to him and therefore, has no place in the discussion.