Book excerpt: We often think of death as the end, but it's really just the beginning of eternal life. Death, judgment, heaven, and hell — often called the Four Last Things — are both awe-inspiring and fear-inducing, yet countless saints testify to the profound spiritual benefit of contemplating the awesome mysteries that await us in the afterlife. Few saints have thought more deeply about the Four Last Things than St. Thomas Aquinas — history's greatest theologian. In these pages, Dr. Kevin Vost has made readable and accessible St. Thomas's core teachings and insights on the Four Last Things and the wondrous experiences God has in store for us. With St. Thomas as his guide, Dr. Vost explores the destination of our souls after death and uncovers the mysteries surrounding limbo and purgatory. He unveils what our bodies will look like at the resurrection and identifies the four special gifts that will perfect