Pentecostals represent a large group of the US population and an even larger group of Christians. About 4 million Pentecostals live in the United States, and about 500 million are members of various denominations worldwide (Casanova, 2021). The Pentecostal faith is very different from the Protestant or Catholic doctrine. Pentecostals tend to understand the Bible literally; they believe in the baptism of the Holy Spirit, spiritual gifts, healing, the actual existence of hell and heaven, and the apocalypse. This paper aims to discuss the Pentecostal church approach to death, after-life, and end of life.
In the context of medical interactions with patients, faith in healing is particularly important. According to this view, every believer has the right to be healed, and healing is a sign of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the main spiritual goal of Pentecostals. Not all Pentecostals reject medical treatment; about 68% accept medical care (Casanova, 2021). Therefore, those believers who choose to seek medical care are likely to get it adequately. However, some disagreements with other family members may occur.
Pentecostals tend to pray emotionally and recognize ecstatic conditions such as speaking in tongues, which symbolizes the baptism of the Holy Spirit. They can also sing and dance while praying, shout, clap, and say prayers loudly if this helps them connect with the Holy Spirit. It is also important to understand that Pentecostals interpret the Bible literally, which is their main difference from other Christians. The Pentecostals took their name in connection with an event recorded in the Bible, where Christians gathered in a house on the fiftieth day after Jesus’ death and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as predicted by Christ.
Pentecostals believe in the apocalypse and that Jesus will resurrect them by accepting believers into paradise. They think these people will be saved from the disasters on earth – hurricanes, fires, floods, earthquakes, and violence. They also believe that after the apocalypse, the 1000-year era of Jesus’ reign will begin, after which Satan and Jesus will have a final battle, and Satan will be defeated forever (“Afterlife and salvation,” 2021). Pentecostals tend to look for indications of the identity of the Antichrist and the exact time of the beginning of the apocalypse.
Reference
Afterlife and salvation. (2021). Web.
Casanova, A. (2021). 10 things Christians should know about the Pentecostal church. Web.