Purgatory? The Protestant Reformers denied the idea of a final purgation before seeing the face of God.?

Question

Purgatory is simply the place where already saved souls are cleansed of the temporal effects of sin before they are allowed to see the holy face of Almighty God.

Revelation 21:27 tells us that "...nothing unclean will enter [Heaven]."

That there are temporal effects of sin is obvious when one considers that even those who have been baptized, who have a deep and intimate relationshp with Jesus, who are the "elect" or "the saved/being saved," or what have you, are subject to pain, work, death and sickness.

Purgatory is His way of ensuring that Revelation 21:27 is true and that nothing unclean will see Heaven. It is only through Christ's sacrifice that we are shown this mercy! It is Christ and Christ alone Who allows us access to the Father.

It's isn't in the Bible, but neither are the words "Trinity," "abortion," "lesbianism," and "cloning" (or "Rapture," for that matter), and it doesn't matter whether you call the process of purgation "purgatory" or the "Final Theosis": the concept of a "final cleansing" or "purgation" for those who require it is very evident in the Bible, in the writings of the early Church Fathers, and in the Old Testament religion whence Christianity sprang.


Daniel 12:2, Matthew 12:32, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 2 Timothy 1:16-18, Hebrews 12:14, Hebrews 12:22-23, 1 Peter 4:6 and Revelation 21:10, 27 all speak of Purgatory in their telling of the need for purification, prayers for the dead, Christ's preaching to the dead, or how nothing unclean will see God.

Archaeology also indicates the antiquity of the Christian belief in Purgatory/the Final Theosis: the tombs of the ancient Christians were inscribed with words of petition for peace and for rest, and at the anniversaries of deaths, the faithful gathered at the graves of the departed to make intercession for those who'd gone before.

Orthodox Jewish practices, which branched off from the Old Testament religion, to this day reflect belief in this "place" of final purification which they call Gehenom: when an Orthodox Jewish person dies, a ritual called the taharah is performed by the "Chevra kaddisha -- gmilat khessed shel emet," the "Holy Society" or "Burial Society" of Jews knowledgeable in these traditional duties. They cleanse and prepare the physical body and recite the required prayers (Chevra Kadisha) which ask God for forgiveness for any sins the departed may have committed, and beg Him to guard and grant eternal peace to the departed. For eleven months after the death of a loved one certain members of the family pray a prayer called the Mourner's Qaddish (or Kaddish) for their loved one's purification.

Even the The Talmud1 speaks of Purgatory:

Sabbath 33b:
"The judgment of the wicked in purgatory is twelve months."
Rosh HaShanah 16b-17a:
"It has been taught that the school of Shammai says: "There will be three groups on Judgment Day (yom haDin):
(1) one that is completely righteous,
(2) one that is completely wicked,
(3) and one that is in between."

The completely righteous will be recorded and sealed at once for eternal life. The completely wicked will be recorded and doomed at once to Gehinnom, as it says: "And many who sleep in the dust of the earth shall rise up, some to eternal life and some to shame and eternal rejection" [Daniel 12:2]. Those in between will go down to Gehinnom and cry out and rise up, as it says: "And I will bring the third part through the fire and refine them as silver is refined and test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name and I will answer them" [Zechariah 13:9]

Jews, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox have always proclaimed the reality of the final purification for those who need it. It was not until the Protestant Reformers came in the 1500s that any Christians denied the idea of a final purgation before seeing the face of God.

Answer 1

Purgatory is real, thanks be to God. It is God's intensive care unit, where desperately weak Christians who die in a state of grace can be nursed into holiness.

Here's what Jesus taught:

Matt. 5:26,18:34; Luke 12:58-59. Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) refers to Satan (the same word is used for Satan in 1 Pet. 5:8), and God is the judge. If we have not fully rejected sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state after death (a "prison"), and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God--until the last penny is paid.

Matt. 5:48. Jesus says, "Be perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect." We are only made perfect through purification, and this purification, if not completed on earth, is continued in a transitional state Catholics call purgatory.

Matt. 12:32. Jesus says, “And anyone who says a word against the Son of man will be forgiven; but no one who speaks against the Holy Spirit will be forgiven either in this world or in the next.” Jesus thus clearly teaches that there is forgiveness after death. The phrase “in the next” (from the Greek “en to mellonti”) refers to the afterlife (see Mark 10.30; Luke 18.30; 20.34-35; and Eph. 1.21 for similar language). Forgiveness is not necessary in heaven, and there is no forgiveness in hell. This proves that there is another state after death, and the Church for 2,000 years has called this state purgatory.

Luke 12:47-48. When the Master comes (at the end of time), some will receive light or heavy beatings but will live. This state is not heaven or hell, because in heaven there are no beatings, and in hell we will no longer live with the Master.

Jesus taught the reality of purgatory, the Church gave it a name, and I thank God for his heavenly ICU.

Cheers,
Bruce

Answer 2

All Christians agree that we won’t be sinning in heaven. Sin and final glorification are utterly incompatible. Therefore, between the sinfulness of this life and the glories of heaven, we must be made pure. Between death and glory there is a purification.

Thus, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "All who die in God’s grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed assured of their eternal salvation; but after death they undergo purification, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of heaven. The Church gives the name purgatory to this final purification of the elect, which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned" (CCC 1030–1).

The concept of an after-death purification from sin and the consequences of sin is also stated in the New Testament in passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:11–15 and Matthew 5:25–26, 12:31–32.

The doctrine of purgatory, or the final purification, has been part of the true faith since before the time of Christ. The Jews already believed it before the coming of the Messiah, as revealed in the Old Testament (2 Macc. 12:41–45) as well as in other pre-Christian Jewish works, such as one which records that Adam will be in mourning "until the day of dispensing punishment in the last years, when I will turn his sorrow into joy" (The Life of Adam and Eve 46–7). Orthodox Jews to this day believe in the final purification, and for eleven months after the death of a loved one, they pray a prayer called the Mourner’s Kaddish for their loved one’s purification.

Jews, Catholics, and the Eastern Orthodox have always historically proclaimed the reality of the final purification. It was not until the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century that anyone denied this doctrine. As the quotes below from the early Church Fathers show, purgatory has been part of the Christian faith from the very beginning.

Some imagine that the Catholic Church has an elaborate doctrine of purgatory worked out, but there are only three essential components of the doctrine: (1) that a purification after death exists, (2) that it involves some kind of pain, and (3) that the purification can be assisted by the prayers and offerings by the living to God. Other ideas, such that purgatory is a particular "place" in the afterlife or that it takes time to accomplish, are speculations rather than doctrines.

Answer 3

Here's another way of looking at Purgatory. An analogy which may help you deal with what we mean by Purgatory is the realization that the "fire" of Purgatory is actually the Love of God. Indeed, properly understood, the "fire" of Purgatory, the "fire" of Hell, and the "fire" of Heaven (for the OT speaks of Heaven as a "fiery" place quite often) is all, in truth, the SAME fire, which is the burning and unquenchable Love of Almighty God. And, depending on the disposition of a soul at the time of death, when everything else except God is stripped away from them, the soul will either be tormented by this "Fire" (i.e., Hell because the soul wants nothing to do with God), or he will be purged of lingering sin by this "Fire" (Purgatory), or he will be able to unite with the "Fire" itself (Heaven), since both the soul and the Fire share a common Nature (2 Peter 1:4)--that is, the soul has already been transformed into an image of Christ (a saint) prior to death. So, all depends on the soul's disposition. Or, look at it this way: If someone is asleep in a dark room, and someone suddenly throws open the curtains to reveal a bright, sunny day, and if the person has had a good night's sleep, and is ready to wake up, he will be able to open his eyes and greet the morning sun with no problem (i.e., Heaven). However, if the person is suffering from a horrible hang-over and has had little or no sleep at all, he will hide his face under the blankets and want nothing to do with the sun (i.e., Hell). However, if he is only a little hung-over, or still a little sleepy, he will be able to open his eyes somewhat—to tentatively look at the sunlight, as he struggles to acclimate to the morning sun (i.e., Purgatory). In essence, this is all Catholicism is saying about the Afterlife, when a Christian finally sees the ultimate Reality, which is God. If they think about it, a Protestant doesn't believe differently at all. God Bless Robin

Answer 4

Of all the misunderstood Catholic teachings — and there are a few of them — purgatory is often seen as the most embarrassing. Thousands of Catholics leave the Church every year. Their faith is questioned and their religious education doesn’t rise to the challenge. You’ve probably heard these questions yourself: “Where in the Bible does it say you have to confess your sins to a priest?” “Where does it say that the pope is infallible?” “That Mary was conceived without original sin?” And, “Where in the world did you Catholics get the teaching on purgatory?”

As an illustration of this, the section on purgatory in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is only three paragraphs long (CCC 1030-1032). In essence, there are only three points on the matter which the Catholic Church insists: (1) that there is a purification after death, (2) that this purification involves some kind of pain or discomfort, and (3) that God assists those in this purification in response to the actions of the living. Among the things the Church does not insist on are the ideas that purgatory is a place or that it takes time, as we shall see below.

The idea that purgatory is a late invention is similarly false. In fact, it has been part of the true religion since before the time of Christ. It is witnessed to not only in such as 2 Maccabees, which itself witnesses to the belief (see below), but in other pre-Christian Jewish books as well, such as The Life of Adam and Eve, which speaks of Adam being freed from purgatory on the Last Day.

It was also part of the true religion in Jesus' day, as the writings of the New Testament show. And it has been part of the true religion ever since Christ's day, as the writings of the Church Fathers show (see the Catholic Answers pamphlet: "The Fathers Know Best: Purgatory").

Not only Catholics believe in this final purification, but the Eastern Orthodox do as well (though they often do not use the term "purgatory" for it), as do Orthodox Jews. In fact, to this day, when a Jewish person's loved one dies, he prays a prayer known as the Mourner's Qaddish for eleven months after the death for the loved one's purification.

Because the doctrine of purgatory was held by pre-Christian Jews, post-Christian Jews, Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox, nobody thought of denying it until the Protestant Reformation, and thus only Protestants deny it today.

Answer 5

When we die, we undergo our individual judgment. Scripture says that "it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes judgment" (Heb. 9:27). We are judged instantly and receive our reward, for good or ill, Heaven or Hell. There is no second chance after that.

Now, Purgatory is ONLY FOR THE SAVED. It is NOT a second chance, and it is NOT a third place. If I were to make an analogy; Imagine two houses across the street from each other. One house is Heaven, and one house is Hell. Now, imagine that on the front porch of the Heaven house there is a shower, because nothing unclean can enter the Heaven house. Well that porch and that shower is Purgatory. As the Bible says, "nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]" (Rev. 21:27).

The great 4th century Christian St. Augustine said in "City of God", that "temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment" (21:13). It is between the particular and general judgments, then, that the soul is purified of the remaining consequences of sin: "I tell you, you will never get out till you have paid the very last copper" (Luke 12:59).

Paul says that we grow in sanctification throughout our lives. But, in this life, we are still sinners, even unto death. So, somewhere between death and heaven must be a final sanctification - a "purgation", if you will. This is called Purgatory.


I invite people to read these links for more info:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Purgatory.asp
http://www.fisheaters.com/purgatory.html
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm

Answer 6

Well, that's not actually a question but I figured I'd throw in my support with those who believe in Purgatory...

Answer 7

When did Jesus speak of purgatory. we are cleansed through the blood of Jesus as our savior. We do not work off our sins. See Eph 2:8-9 about works. See also Jude verse 24 where Christ presents us without fault. If you look at Luke 16:19 you will see that a chasm exist between the rich man (in hell/hades and Lazarus (in Abraham's bosom/Heaven). It says that the chasm can not be crossed. There is no mention of purgatory. no amount of prayer or other acts will get the rich man out of hell. Hebrews 9:27 says a man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment. No second chance of "cleaning establishment" is mentioned. Philippians 3:20 says our citizenship is in HEAVEN. (Not purgatory. If purgatory was so important, why didn't Jesus, Peter, or St. Paul ever mention it by name? Why do we have passages that mention heaven and hell but never purgatory. WHAT DID JESUS DO FOR YOU ON THE CROSS??? Didn't he get the whole job done? The Roman Catholic has said he didn't due to venial sins, but scripture say Jesus has done it all for us and we who are in Christ go to heaven. I wish you knew that joy and assurance. Traditions of men are not a "Thus saith the Lord". Scripture even warns against it. see 1 Tim. 4, or Col. 2:8 or Mark 7:8 which says"You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." I'll stick with the Bible.
Some people fail to understand all was done by Jesus for us INCLUDING THE CLEANSING WHEN WE STAND BEFORE GOD.

Answer 8

but you don't understand.... everything the CAtholics studied, shared, taught, etc has been wrong all this time - since the 300's. no one knew what was right until Martin Luther decided.

sadly enough people can understand that the word rapture, while not in the bible is the title given to their concept. just as with purgatory - however since it's something that the Catholics have tried over and over to explain - they will do nothing but refuse to listen.

i just don't understand why "their interpurtation" should superceed mine (Rcc). mines been arounf for hundres & hundreds of years.

Answer 9

Purgatory is not an Orthodox teaching....

Answer 10

With a little verbal tapdancing you can make anything sound almost intelligent. Purgatory was created by Dante in 1294. The church figured out they could make a mint from selling indulgences to get people out of "purgatory" and has been doing it ever since. All of your quotes are just a lot of garbage.