In an attempt to understand why the Catholics believe in a place called purgatory and due to the recent claim of the pope that tweeting him will allow you to spend less time there, I looked online to see their explanation. I found this site and would like to take the time to give my feedback on what was said. It is long but worth reading if you would like insight into this subject. The green and black texts are directly from the article. All of the red texts below are KJV scriptures. The purple texts are my personal opinion. If you are having trouble understanding the KJV versions of the Scriptures, the ASV and NASB are great resources to better understand in today’s language. In the search field at the top of this page, you can put the name of the book and the main chapter number of the book and either NASB or ASV behind it and it will pull that version up for you http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%206&version=KJV
This is the link for the page where I found this information that I have pasted below to make the comments on: www.aboutcatholics.com/beliefs/where-is-purgatory-in-the-bible/
THIS IS THE PAGE AND COMMENTS:
Where is Purgatory in the Bible?
By Jon Jakoblich //
The Bible does not mention the exact word “purgatory,” but instead it makes reference to a place which can be understood as what is referred to as purgatory. To claim that purgatory does not exist because the exact word does not appear in Scripture is a failure to understand Scripture.
I feel it is more a refusal to understand Scripture the way that a fallible man (THE POPE) interprets and better the will to search the Scriptures yourself with a heart bent on knowing your Savior, guided by the Holy Spirit that lives inside anyone that believes that Christ is their savior.
What exactly is Purgatory?
The Bible contains references to many Christian doctrines, but fails to call them out by name. One might as well even deny that there is something called the Bible because no such name is found in the Bible. Furthermore, one might as well deny the Trinity, Incarnation, and so forth because these exact words are not found in the Bible.
The name does not make the place; the place must exist first, then we give it a name. We call this place “purgatory” because it means “a cleansing place.” Therein souls are purged from the small stains of sin, which prevent their immediate entrance into Heaven.
What this author states is true regarding the fact that a place exists before it is named however, there is no such place described in Scripture that neither, I nor many others are able to find. The examples below that are given to support this belief are not valid examples of the place defined by the Catholic Church as, “purgatory “existing.
In the Old Testament
The first mention of Purgatory in the Bible is in : “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.
INCORRECT: Martin Luther did not remove books out of his 1532 or 1534 or any of his German translations of the Bible (Luther Bible). He translated from original Hebrew and Greek texts rather than the Latin Vulgate). There were books that he would have liked to have removed, due to his Protestant beliefs and he placed those books last in his translation for this reason. The books of the apocrypha (hidden books), were also placed in a separate section by Luther in his translation, as there was question of their canonicity based off revelations from St. Jerome, who is best known for his first translation of the Bible into Latin (the Vulgate) version that the Catholics of that day used. After publishing this translation, Jerome later lived in Bethlehem and studied under a certain Jew, to write a new translation from Hebrew Text instead of the Greek Septuagint (used to make the Vulgate). He called this translation the Veritas Hebraica. It is interesting that St. Jerome felt the need to change the Latin translation after having spent time a Jew. It was his insight that helped Martin Luther along with his translation. The King James Version (based off the Bishops Bible) was printed in 1611 and still had the apocrypha and all other books in it. It was not until 1885 that this section of books was removed from the King James Version of the Bible and that was long after Luther had passed in 1546. The King James English version of the Bible is not solely based off Luther’s translation but it was inspired by it. What upsets the Catholic Church is that he did not base his translation off the Latin Vulgate. Question: If you based your translations from the original text rather than translation of those texts, what reason would someone have to be upset? Control?
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.
ex·pi·ate\'ek-spē-"āt\ vb, -at·ed -at·ing [L expiatus,pp. of expiare to atone for, fr. ex- + piare to atone for, appease, fr. pius faithful, pious]
vt(ca. 1500)
1 obs: to put an end to
2 a : to extinguish the guilt incurred by b :to make amends for ‹permission to ~ their offences by their assiduous labours —Francis Bacon›
vi: to make expiation
— ex·pi·a·ble \'ek-spē-ə-bəl\ adj
— ex·pi·a·tor \-spē-"ā-tər\ n
MAT 522 -26But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
LUKE 12:57 -59Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?58 When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison.59 I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.
Jesus is speaking, (in both of these verses), of paying for this in an Earthly prison, by the hands of another human person; He is clearly not speaking of a supernatural prison in the afterlife. I feel that one cannot read the entire context of this verse and not realize this.
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.
**The verse is STATING, (not implying), that if you speak a word against the Holy Spirit, that you will not be forgiven in this world or the afterlife. If you are not forgiven, then it means you will not be forgiven period. It did not say however; you can pay or work for a pass, that will allow you to sit in this place of purification long enough to be eventually set free. Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is the only unforgivable sin mentioned in the Bible. Knowing this implicates that all other sins are forgivable, through belief in Jesus Christ.
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).
You should always examine all text of the Bible for the context purpose. I do not see anything in the verses before or after it that support a place defined by the Catholic Church as purgatory. It is true that nothing unclean can enter into Heaven. That is why Jesus died on the Cross for us. He made the way and died for us on the Cross while we were still sinners because He knew there was NO OTHER WAY. God paved the path for us however we have to make the choice to walk His Path. The path is belief in His Son.
John 3:16-18 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
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.
This statement is a half-truth. There will be a place for rewards in Heaven and it seems there will be judgement of some sort, but we know that we are found innocent and pure because of the Blood of Christ. There is no place mentioned in the Bible as an intermediate state of purification and one is not needed. Christ died to make us pure through our belief his ability to make us pure by His death. God does not play favorites when it comes to His children. If the sinner next to Him on the Cross who had no time to change anything besides believing that Jesus is says He is, then we will follow suit.
Luke 23: 42And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
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.
Please note that the author of this article states, we are justified by the Lord. If by the Lord then it is no longer of us. Out of Mercy and Love, GOD SENT JESUS (JOHN 3:16)! There are not different levels of sins mentioned in the Bible. This is another tradition of the Catholic Church. They state that the situation above with the man angry with his neighbor:It’s not of the same moral weight as theft or murder, but it’s still a sin.
1 JOHN 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
MAT 5:22 But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 1 JOHN 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.
After reading these verses and many other verses in the Bible, how can one come to the conclusion that the situation defined above is a small sin? SIN IS SIN except blasphemy of the Holy Spirit!!
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?
Jesus came to purify us! There is no need for an intermediate state of purification. This is why one does not exist. If you do not believe this, you do not believe Him and that is what your salvation depends on. Once you are justified, you are not later considered guilty. It is no different in our court system today. You are justified by your belief in Jesus. It’s truly that simple.
Romans 5:6-11
King James Version (KJV)6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
ISA 1:18 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
I encourage you to read all of Hebrews however here is a part of it.
HEB 9:11 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.13 For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?15 And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament (10 COMMANDMENTS), they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.16 For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.17 For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.18 Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.19 For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people,20 Saying, This is the blood of the testament which God hath enjoined unto you.21 Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry.22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.23 It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.24 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:25 Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
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.
This teaching is anything but of consolation or Truth. How could we ever rest knowing that our sinful nature cannot stand in His presence and that we have to continually work for our salvation? The message of purgatory is contradictory to the message of resting in Him for your salvation. Grace is unmerited favor. It is something that a person does not deserve. This gift is given not of obligation, but of love. It is the love that God has for each one of us that enables us to live within the bounds of that love with others. It is His love that transforms us and compels us to change. It is His love that saves us John 3:16.
ROMANS 13:8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
Luke 12:48:
Much will be required
of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the
person entrusted with more.
If we accept Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, confess him as Lord, yet commit bad actions, God judges accordingly.
Once you accept/receive/believe in salvation through Jesus Cross on the Cross, you are sealed with the Holy Spirit. Just as a King of this world would not revoke a promise once he sealed it with his signet ring, so too our heavenly Father will not revoke His promise of salvation for those who truly BELIEVE HIS PROMISE.
EPH1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
However because of our carnal nature, there will be times that we will sin and we must stand firm in His promise that we are forgiven and are still saved. See Romans 8 and 9 for Paul’s take on his ongoing sinful deeds.. Receiving the Love that God has for us and Loving God with all of our hearts will surely lead us to love others freely and not out of obligation which will fulfill the law of the Ten Commandments.
Matthew 12:37:
By your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.
If you read all of Matthew 12, you will see that he is talking to the Pharisees that did not believe in Him and continually tried to steer people away from Him with their traditions.
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