Purgatory in the Bible

Many will think that this very scripture is just a mere saying or an illustration. But it is not even what you think for it is more than our human thought.

Matthew 12:32 went further to say “anyone who says something against the son of man can be forgiven; but whoever says something against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven- now or ever.”

At this gospel, it also means that sins can be forgiven at the later hour i.e. after death. But mind you, in HEAVEN, there is no Purification from sin because everyone is Holy in Heaven, in HELL there is purification nor even forgiveness for all in the Hell Fire are damned for eternity. Then I ask you, where is this place where sins can be forgiven?

Purgatory is also known as “suffering” “Purification” “Judgement” “Hell” not “Hell Fire”.

St Peter said something that we should take note of; He said in 1 Peter 3:19-21 “and in his Spiritual existence, he went and preached to the imprisoned Spirits. These were the spirits of those who had not obeyed God when he waited patiently during the days that Noah was building his boat. The few people in the boat, eight in all-were saved by the water, which was a symbol pointing to baptism which now saves you”

Oh brethens take a picture of what Peter just said in your minds. How can Jesus go to Hell “Hell Fire” what will he be doing there, even if he went as God, how will He set free those souls in Hell Fire when He said “Hell Fire” is for eternity. That will be contradiction to His words and we won’t believe the gospel because it is saying not the truth.

Jesus went to preach to the imprisoned souls in Hell “Purgatory” because, there is hope for the resurrection from the dead. For by his death on the cross he has purified them through “suffering”. For they share his suffering on the cross to be fit “wholly pure for heaven”.

The scripture tells us in Romans 5:13 that “there was sin in the world before the law was given; but where there is no law, no account is kept of sins.”

From our reasoning of the scripture here we will conclude that those souls 1 peter 3:19-21 talked about were those during the time of Noah up to the time of Abraham and the rest. For it is during the time of Moses that the law of God was given. So Romans 5:13 goes a long way to let us know that there was no sin in those that had died before the law of God came to Mankind. For there was no Sin recorded for those that died in the past yet God still kept them in Suffering “Purification” for the Scripture said “nothing unclean will enter into the kingdom of God”.

This was the very reason Jesus had to go and preach to them in Purgatory “the suffering state” and then he rose with them after purification for Three days.

Come to think of it, Christians of this time also judge Sodom and Gomorrah for eternal fire but I tell you I do not believe them to be in Hell for Romans made it clear that no account of sin is recorded for them.

Another instance comes from the cross of Jesus. Remember, two thieves were crucified with Jesus. And Jesus said to the good thief that “Today you will be with me in Paradise”.

Can Jesus be referring to Purgatory? I can’t judge but come to think of it. Do you think the thief went to heaven without Purification from his sins? Of course no. Jesus didn’t go to Heaven that very day for the Scripture testify about that in John 20:17 “do not hold on to me, Jesus to her, ‘because I have not yet gone back to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God”.

Jesus cannot be lying to us that he hasn’t gone to Heaven when he had gone, so therefore, the thief also must have been among those Jesus preached for. And he has undergone his own purification from his stains of sins. The Scripture said “nothing unclean shall enter the kingdom of God”.

Another illustration comes from the Gospel of Jesus, when He told his disciples this very parable from Matthew about the RICH MAN AND LAZARUS.

The Scripture says that both the Rich man and Lazarus died and Lazarus went to the bosom of Abraham and the Rich man went to the dark, where there is smashing and grinding of teeth.

Before I continue, let me drop these very questions to you. Is there any form of connection between those in Heaven and those in Hell?, Can anyone in Hell love?, can those in Hell even have feelings for others?

If your answer is NO; then whey will the Rich man ask Father Abraham to tell Lazarus to deep his finger in water and touch his tongue when he knows, it is never possible. Why will there ever be at first any form of conversation between those in Heaven and those in Hell.

Yes you will agree with me that after death comes judgement. The Scripture clarified this with 2 Corinthians 5:10 “for all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life”.

I want you to look deep into 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 for it testifies the existence of Purgatory “suffering” “purification” before attaining Holiness. You who say you will enter heaven as soon as you die, that your judgement is sure, that you believe you are holy.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15 “for God has already placed Jesus Christ as the one and only foundation and no other foundation can be laid. Some will use gold or silver or precious stones in building on the foundation, others will use wood or grass or straw. And the quality of each person’s work will be seen when the Day of Christ exposes it. For on that Day fire will reveal everyone’s work; the fire will test it and show its real quality. If what was built on the foundation survives the fire, the builder will receive a reward. But if anyone’s work is burnt up, then he will lose if, but he himself will be saved, as if he had escaped through the fire”.

Oh what a Scripture of Hope for all Christians of the Kingdom of God. If you did read that with me, why not read it again once more to understand its full revelation.

Everyone will be judged “purified” through fire both the righteous an unrighteous and if anyone survives he will attain salvation into glory, but if his work did not survive it, then it will be burnt up but he himself will be saved but through fire.

It all means that no one of us Christians and all who live in this world that God has made his friends and has sent his son Jesus to die for our sins will enter the fires of Hell.

I want to ask this very question to you Protestants. Why do you despise the message of Hope? What is wrong in a person being purified before attaining eternal salvation?

As for me I believe that there is Hope for me if you don’t believe. I cannot wait to undergo PURIFICATION of all my bodily sins by the God of Purifying Fire.

The Judgement Day is like an Account keeping when your wrongs and rights, your good and bad, your holiness and guilt are been quantified with the God of Purification.

So if you still doubt in your mind about the truth. I doubt not the Scripture for I believe in the words of God and His message of eternal salvation through Purification from sins.

 And also mind you, what you don’t know you should not condemn.

Thank you brethren. 

 

1. What is Purgatory?

    A place and state of temporary punishment in the next world.  Hell, on the other hand, is a place of eternal or everlasting punishment.
2. What does the word "Purgatory" mean?

    It means "cleansing" (or "purging").  Purgatory is a place where the soul is cleansed of unforgiven venial sin and/or the "debt" of sins already forgiven but not yet made up for.

"If any one abide not in Me, he shall be cast forth as a branch, and shall wither, and they shall gather him up, and cast him into the fire, and he burneth."    (John 15:6)

3. How do you know there is a Purgatory?

    The constant teaching and practice of the Catholic Church, based on the Bible and tradition, and even common sense, prove the existence of Purgatory.
4. How does common sense indicate the existence of Purgatory?

    Only people with mortal sin go to Hell, and on the other hand, no one can enter Heaven with even the smallest sin.  Therefore, there must be a place in the next world where lesser sins can be taken off the soul.
5. Who will go to Purgatory?

    People who die with Sanctifying Grace in their souls, but --
1. who die with venial sin on their souls, or
2. who have not completed (satisfied for) the punishment still due to their already forgiven sins.
6. What is meant by the "punishment still due to sin"?

   This means that, even though God forgives your sins, He still requires that you be punished for them (i.e. "pay" for them), either in this life or in the next.

For example:  A boy playing ball in his yard breaks his neighbor's window.  He goes and tells the lady he is sorry, and she forgives him but she tells him he will still have to pay for the window.

7. Do you suffer in Purgatory?

   Yes.  Besides not being allowed to see God face to face, the souls in Purgatory suffer a great deal.

"The fire of Purgatory", says St. Augustine, "is more terrible than man can suffer in this life."

8. How long will you have suffer in Purgatory?

   That depends on the number and seriousness of the sins to be atoned for.

"My soul hath thirsted after the strong living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God."    (Psalm 41:3)

9. Where do you go when you leave Purgatory?

   To Heaven to see God and enjoy Him forever.

"Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not come out from thence till thou repay the last farthing."    (Matthew 5:26)

10. Will Purgatory ever end?

   Yes, at the Last Judgment.  After that all souls will be in either Heaven or Hell forever.
11. Can you help the souls in Purgatory?

   You can shorten their stay by having Masses said for them, by praying for them and by doing good works for them.

"Have pity on me, have pity on me, at least you my friends, because the hand of the Lord hath touched me."    (Job 19:21)

12. Does the Bible say anything about praying for the dead?

   Yes.  We read that Judas Machabeus, "sent twelve thousand drachmas of silver to Jerusalem for sacrifices to be offered for the sins of the dead."  (2 Machabees 12:43)
13. How can you avoid Purgatory?

Avoid even the smallest faults, do penance for sins already forgiven, gain indulgences and receive Extreme Unction (See Lesson 26.)

1. All Souls' Day is the day set aside by the Church for special prayers and Masses for all the souls suffering in Purgatory.  It is celebrated every year on November 2.
2. The souls in Purgatory cannot help themselves.  We should help them by our prayers and sacrifices.  They, in turn, can and do pray for us.
3. The souls in Purgatory are known as the Poor Souls.
4. Litany for the Poor Souls

It beats my imagination on how one could understand the revelations God has given us without the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Catholics believes there is a place called “Purgatory” though our departed brethrens finds it very difficult to believe and they are eschewing it profusely. They only believe there is “Hell” and “Heaven”. There is no doubt about the existence of “Hell” and “Heaven” but, there is also no doubt about the existence of “Purgatory”.

WHAT REALLY IS PURGATORY

Purgatory is derived from a Greek word “Purgarae” which means “purification”, Purgatory is a place where souls are being purified before they can enter into Heaven. It is a place where souls are meant to suffer but still have the hope of entering into Heaven. It is a place where souls can suffer for some time and be purified before eternity.

PURGATORY IN THE BIBLE

Isaiah 1:24-25

Isaiah 6:5-7

I said, “ there is no hope for me! I am doomed because every word that passes my lips is sinful, and I live among a people whose every word is sinful. And yet, with my own eyes, I have seen the king, the LORD Almighty!”. Then one of the creatures flew down to me, carrying a burning coal that he had taken from the alter with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with the burning coal and said, “this has touched your lips, and now your guilt is gone, and your sins are forgiven”.

Micah 7:8-9

Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the LORD will give us light. We have sinned against the LORD, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end He will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will like to see him save us.

These should clear our doubt about the existence of “Purgatory, “we have fallen but we will rise again”, this is a message of hope and continuity, “we are in darkness now, but the LORD will give us light” this shows temporality in a place, we have sinned against the LORD, so we must endure His anger for a while, so that means we are sure we will someday get out of His anger. “But in the end He will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light”. There is still room for purification, so my brethrens, be encouraged by this words of relaxation from the LORD Almighty.

If there where to be no “Purgatory” then every soul that dies will go straight to Hell, because it is also said in the scriptures that “Nothing pure will enter into the kingdom of God” so what do you understand by this. Since we have all sinned then we are not pure so if you say there is no “Purgatory” that means the souls that have died are all in Hell then. But I stand as a messager of the LORD Almighty to address this issue, THERE IS PURGATORY!!!. While not open your heart and accept this fact.

Hell is meant for the Devil and his agents, the evil ones. Why not pray for God to let you not go to hell but to put you in the right path.

Psalm 66:12 Thou didst let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet thou hast brought us forth to a spacious place.

Malachi 3:2-4 But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? For he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap; he will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi, and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord. Then the offering of Judah and Jerusalem will be pleasing to the Lord as in the days of old and as in former years.

2 Maccabees 12:39-42,44-45 . . . Judas and his men went to take up the bodies of the fallen . . . Then under the tunic of every one of the dead they found sacred tokens of the idols of Jamnia, which the law forbids the Jews to wear . . . So they all . . . turned to prayer, beseeching that the sin which had been committed might be wholly blotted out . . . For if he were not expecting that those who had fallen would rise again, it would have been superfluous and foolish to pray for the dead. But if he was looking to the splendid reward that is laid up for those who fall asleep in godliness, it was a holy and pious thought. Therefore he made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin.

Luke 16:19-31 There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table; . . . the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. And he called out, "Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame." But Abraham said, "Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us." And he said, "Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment." But Abraham said, "They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them." And he said, "No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent." He said to him, "If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead."

Ephesians 4:8-10 . . . "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men." (In saying, "he ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is he who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)

1 Peter 3:19-20 . . . he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly did not obey, when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

Abraham's bosom -- The place of rest, where the souls of the saints resided, till Christ had opened heaven by his death . . . The bosom of Abraham (the common Father of all the faithful) was the place where the souls of the saints, and departed patriarchs, waited the arrival of their Deliverer. It was thither that Jesus went after his death; as it is said in the Creed, he descended into hell, to deliver those who were detained there, and who might at Christ's ascension enter into heaven (see 1 Peter 3:19, Matthew 8:11) . . .

[on 1 Peter 3:19-20]: These spirits in prison, to whom Christ went to preach after his death, were not in heaven, nor yet in the hell of the damned; because heaven is no prison, and Christ did not go to preach to the damned . . . In this prison souls would not be detained unless they were indebted to divine justice, nor would salvation be preached to them unless they were in a state that was capable of receiving salvation.

At the very least, these passages prove that there can and does exist a third (and intermediate) state after death besides heaven and hell. Thus, purgatory is not a priori unthinkable from a biblical perspective (as many Protestants casually assume)

Our Saviour, as we suppose, did not go to the abyss assigned to the fallen Angels, but to those mysterious mansions where the souls of all men await the judgment. That He went to the abode of blessed spirits is evident, from His words addressed to the robber on the cross, when He also called it Paradise; that He went to some other place besides Paradise may be conjectured from St. Peter's saying, He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who had once been disobedient (1 Peter 3:19-20). The circumstances then that these two abodes of disembodied good and bad, are called by one name, Hades, . . . seems clearly to show that Paradise is not the same as Heaven, but a resting-place at the foot of it. Let it be further remarked, that Samuel, when brought from the dead, in the witch's cavern, said Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? (1 Samuel 28:15), words which would seem quite inconsistent with his being then already in Heaven.

Matthew 12:32 And whoever says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.

If sins can be pardoned in the "age to come" (the afterlife), again, in the nature of things, this must be in purgatory. We would laugh at a man who said that he would not marry in this world or the next (as if he could in the next -- see Mark 12:25). If this sin cannot be forgiven after death, it follows that there are others which can be.

What if purgatory really doesn’t exist?

Ponder the following example. Imagine a Christian man, justified by the Lord, loses his temper and yells at his next door neighbors for letting their dog dig a hole in his yard. We can see that the man treated his neighbors rudely, albeit the neighbor’s behavior was also reprehensible. His actions would be considered a light sin (called venial sins by the Catholic Church). It’s not of the same moral weight as theft or murder, but it’s still a sin.
After shouting at the neighbors, with all the anger and stress in his body the man walks into his house, has a heart attack, and dies having just committed a small sin in the final moments of his life. Remember, this man is Christian and justified by the Lord, yet has committed a sin. Does he go to heaven or does he go to hell? Are all sins created equal? No, all sins are not equal and even justified men of the Lord can make mistakes and sin.
If purgatory didn’t exist, the man would go to hell for his small sin. God’s mercy is so great and our God is a just God that it seems unfathomable that he would condemn a justified man to hell for a small, yet unrepented sin. The man’s soul is dirty. His actions have defiled his soul, but not the point where he has cut himself off from God. Only mortal sins cut off a person from God’s grace. So, the man, having been justified by the Lord, is destined for heaven, yet his soul is defiled by his sin (Matthew 12:36, 15:18). His soul is in need of cleansing because nothing defiled can enter heaven. This is the purpose of purgatory. Out of mercy and love God sends the man through purgatory on his way to heaven so that his soul can be purified to be able to join God in heaven.
Remember, purgatory is not a second chance for conversion; the man is already justified. If there is no place of intermediate state of purification, the man would be damned to hell! Who would be saved? Those who teach against purgatory teach an unreasonable doctrine. Will Catholics go to heaven?
So, why do non-Catholics reject a teaching so full of consolation? My guess is that they want to believe that the merits of Christ applied to the sinner who trusts in Him, will remove all sin past, present, and future abdicating all responsibility for sin after justification. Yet this is also unreasonable. Only Jesus’ death on the cross makes us worthy before God the Father. We cannot stand before him on our own merits. We need Jesus Christ. Yet we also have personal responsibility in our justification before the Lord.

In the Old Testament

The first mention of Purgatory in the Bible is in 2 Maccabees 12:46: “Thus he made atonement for the dead that they might be freed from sin.”
Some people do not accept Maccabees as book of the Bible. This is unfortunate since it is that their Bibles have been edited and are missing books. (Find out Why Catholic Bibles Are Different) Even if a person does not accept the book of Maccabees, it at least has historical value for we can learn what the pre-Christian community believed.
In Chapter 12 of Second Maccabees we read Scriptural proof for Purgatory and evidence that the Jews had sacrifices offered for those of their brothers who had lost their lives in battle. That the Jews prayed for the dead shows that they believed in a place where they could be helped (which we now call purgatory) and that the prayers of their living brothers and sisters could help them in that place. This is closely related to the Catholic doctrine of the communion of saints.
During the Reformation in the 15th century, when Martin Luther was deciding to remove books from the Bible, these words in the book of Maccabees had so clearly favored Catholic teaching, that the whole book was removed from the Protestant Bible. Unfortunately for Protestants, even if they feel that the book was not inspired, it still tells us of the practice of God’s chosen people.

In the New Testament

In Matthew 5:26 and Luke 12:59 Christ is condemning sin and speaks of liberation only after expiation. “Amen, I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.” Now we know that no last penny needs to be paid in Heaven and from Hell there is no liberation at all; hence the reference must apply to a third place.
Matthew 12:32 says, “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” Here Jesus speaks of sin against the Holy Spirit. The implication is that some sins can be forgiven in the world to come. We know that in Hell there is no liberation and in Heaven nothing imperfect can enter it as we see in the next part. Sin is not forgiven when a soul reaches its final destination because in heaven there is no need for forgiveness of sin and in hell the choice to go there is already made.
Revelation 21:27: “…but nothing unclean will enter it, nor anyone who does abominable things or tells lies.” The place that is to be entered (the place to which this passage refers) is heaven (read the text around it for context).
The Bible clearly implies a place for an intermediate state of purification after we die in the many passages which tell that God will reward or punish according to a person’s life.

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