If purgatory isn't real please explain Luke 16:19-31?

Question

I do not believe in purgatory, I'm not a Catholic. But when I read the passages Luke 16 19-31 it seems like that is exactly what they are talking about. I read this passage from the "American Bible" on line. Your opinions would be appreciated, thanks!

Answer 1

Catholics do not use Luke 16:19-31 to explain purgatory. This passage of Luke describes the chasm between heaven and hell rather than purgatory. Purgatory is a place (or process) of hope and healing.

However the concept of purgation is hinted at in the Bible. Here are a couple of places:

"But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; the person will be saved, but only as through fire." 1 Cor 3:15

"So that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ." 1 Pet 1:7

Are you perfect now? Most people would say no.

Will you be perfect in heaven? Most people believe yes.

Purgatory (or purgation) is the process of God's love changing our imperfect selves on earth into perfect beings in heaven. Depending on the amount of change needed by different people, this can be an easy or slightly harder process.

Everyone in purgatory is on his or her way to heaven. I do not think Mother Teresa of Calcutta had a very hard time of it.

+ With love in Christ.

Answer 2

Everything that is divine is always hard to explain. As a Catholic I see this to be very true, purgatory is the waiting room to enter heaven, to enter the eternal celebration and for this we need to be cleansed and therefore the need for purgatory. Just like here on earth, hopefully everyone showers and gets dressed up before entering the party, right?


Temporal Punishment

That temporal punishment is due to sin, even after the sin itself has been pardoned by God, is clearly the teaching of Scripture. God indeed brought man out of his first disobedience and gave him power to govern all things (Wisdom 10:2), but still condemned him "to eat his bread in the sweat of his brow" until he returned unto dust. God forgave the incredulity of Moses and Aaron, but in punishment kept them from the "land of promise" (Numbers 20:12). The Lord took away the sin of David, but the life of the child was forfeited because David had made God's enemies blaspheme His Holy Name (2 Samuel 12:13-14). In the New Testament as well as in the Old, almsgiving and fasting, and in general penitential acts are the real fruits of repentance (Matthew 3:8; Luke 17:3; 3:3). The whole penitential system of the Church testifies that the voluntary assumption of penitential works has always been part of true repentance and the Council of Trent (Sess. XIV, can. xi) reminds the faithful that God does not always remit the whole punishment due to sin together with the guilt. God requires satisfaction, and will punish sin, and this doctrine involves as its necessary consequence a belief that the sinner failing to do penance in this life may be punished in another world, and so not be cast off eternally from God.

Answer 3

You must pick the word Hades (the realm of the dead ). It's not purgatory.. here's some explanations about Hades, Gehenna and Sheol.
Gehenna (greek) the place of punishment (Matt. 5:22,29,10:28 and James 3:6)
Hades (greek) The abode of the dead (Matt. 11 :23, 16:18, Luke 16:23, Acts 2:27)
Sheol (hebrew) The grave (Psalm 9:17, 16:10)
There are those who accept that hell is a place of punishment, but believe that punishment to be annihilated-to cease conscious existance. They can't conceive that the punishment of the wicked will be conscious and eternal. If they were correct, then man like Adolph Hittler, who was responsible for death of millions, is being 'punished' merrely with eternal sleep. His fate was simply to return to the non-existance state he was before he was born, where he doesn't even know that he is being punished.
However the scripture paints a different story, the rich man who found himself in hell was conscious. (Luke 16:19-31) He was able to feel pain, thirst, and experience torment. He wasn't asleep in the grave, he was in the place of 'torment'.
If hell is a place of knowing nothing or reference to the grave into which we go at death, then Jesus' statement about hell wouldn't be make sense. He said that if your hand, foot or eyes causes you to sin, it would be better to remove it than to go into hell, into the fire that never quenched, where their worm dies not.. (MArk 9:43-48)
Revelation 14:10-11 tells us the final, eternal destiny of the sinner, "He shall tormented with fire and birmstone.. the smoke of their torment ascended up for ever and ever, and they have no rest day or night."

Answer 4

I assume that you are refering to the refence in Verse 23 about the rich man's soul going to the the place of the dead (New Living Translation), translated as hell in the New International Verston. I think the intention in the parable is to refer to Hell, as the rich man is not allowed out and condemned to spend the rest of his days there.

The support for your theory that the parable refers to purgatory is probably down to the way the American Bible has translated the original Greek manuscript.

The word which is being translated here is the Greek word Hades. Hades was the Greek name for the underworld and is often used in the New Testament to refer to Hell. In the bible Hell is the land of the spiritually dead who do not have new life through Christ.

Answer 5

From how IA understand it,t his is Hades. Hades is the place were the souls of the dead go. There are two sides to Hades, one for those who are not saved and going to be judged after Jesus' return to earth. The other is were those who belong to Jesus go. (I admit this is a little confusing as to whether those who are saved souls go directly to Heaven or to Hades - it could also be that this is example by Luke is of what was before Jesus came to the cross for us) At Hades, there is the torment to one side and there is Heavenly bliss to the other side. All await final Judgment. This differs from the idea of Purgatory, as Purgatory is a place, according to the Catholic faith (I use to be Catholic) were a sole go to sort of work off of be punished for a time before being allowed into Heaven. Where people can intercede for you with prayer. That idea, I believe, could not be as the only way to Heaven is through Jesus and his GIFT of Salvation. You can not good deed your way into Heaven nor can anyone ask Jesus in your life, you must do this for yourself.

Answer 6

that scripture uses the word hell for the place that Lazarus went to - Catholics, which I am not, distiguish hell from purgatory - people in purgatory must suffer a little while before entering Heaven but they are all bound for Heaven - Lazarus in this passage has no chance at Heaven
the reason purgatory is not Biblical, Catholics would disagree, is b/c Jesus did all the suffering for us if we still need to pay for our sins then what was the point of Jesus's death on the cross, to pay for half our sins? No - he paid for all of our sins - past, present and future, if you believe

Answer 7

A parable is a similitude . an define that Jesus supplies to let us know what happens whilst this flesh dies to the souls anticipating the surprising Judgment Day. The Bible tells us that as quickly as this flesh dies that the flesh is going into the grave,..back to the dirt wherein it got here and the spirit returns to the daddy God. those that die in this flesh understanding The LORD bypass to the element of the gulf with Abraham whilst the others anticipate Judgment Day on the different element of that gulf. the wealthy guy in this tale ought to determine what replaced into on the different section and it grieved his soul/self. His tongue is dry , meaning he needs to have the residing water it relatively is Jesus and His truths. the wealthy guy besides the shown fact that nevertheless spiritually alive is spiritually lifeless to Gods truths; that's why it says the lifeless know no longer something. The word hell interior the Bible refers back to the grave the place this flesh is going whilst it dies. The Bible tells us absent from this flesh physique, recent with The LORD. Judgment Day isn't the day of ones flesh loss of life, yet there's a sorting or separation between those that died in this flesh understanding The LORD and people who did no longer. (it relatively is the torment) previously that super White Throne of Judgment whilst the genuine Christ returns, there will be not extra flesh and all souls would know the LORD. that's called the only thousand years or milinnieum. God is all loving and all honest and he will determine that each and one and all those like that wealthy guy could have each probability to know Him and His love . God needs none of His souls to peris interior the lake of hearth . This time isn't a 2d probability, yet a time for all to know God. As for the different Lazarus dozing; the word dozing refers to being lifeless interior the flesh. Jesus gave Lazarus life back in this flesh to coach that Lazarus, his spirit had in no way died.

Answer 8

that was not "purgatory" That was paradise. When Jesus left the mortal body on The Cross He went to Paradise and took out all of the faithful who had died befor His time a who were waiting there for Him toe come. Jesus took them to Heaven and then returned to be with His folowers for 40 more days before assending to Heaven again..... Para dise is no longer in business... Those who are of The Church, when they end this mortal stay, sleep untill the time Jesus will call them up at the Rapture.

Answer 9

The place Jesus speaks of, referred to as "torments" is not a temporary place where a person can move up to Heaven. Notice Jesus states at verse 26 in this parable that those in torments CANNOT get out? This is proof that torments isn't the same as purgatory.

Peace.

EDIT: The parable takes place in Hades, which has three parts: "Abraham's Bosom" (which is NOT Heaven nor is it Paradise); "torments;" and the "great gulf" (which is reserved for Satan.) After Jesus died, He descended to Hades, freed the "captives" from Abraham's Bosom, and went up to Heaven with their souls.

Answer 10

Purgatory is real you damn idiot. Just kidding. If I ever call you a damn idiot, even if you are one, I'm just kidding.
Purgatory is real, lest you sigh a sinner's sigh, it is real. Don't ever question the existence of purgatory. It may not be as bad as hell, but it's bad enough. In the Bible it speaks of Purgatory as that place where "The worm dyeth not." meaning that everyone in purgatory will have worms. God gets those worms from swine, and demons bring them down there by the truckload.