Explores how the Bible addresses questions regarding death and the afterlife. Smith searches the Scriptures for clues to the "last things." Biblical ideas on the afterlife took thousands of years to develop. "Like any thoughtful parent, God teaches basic lessons early, then expands and reinforces them as years pass and the ability to comprehend grows," writes Smith. The earliest biblical writings show little belief in the afterlife. In the New Testament, the Gospels and the writings of Paul offer Christians a fully developed theology of the afterlife. "We have all the afterlife theology we need but not all the understanding we want," writes Smith.