Within the world of professing Christianity, there is
disagreement as to what happens to people after death. The vast
majority believes that “the good” go to some form of paradise,
called heaven, and that “the wicked” go to a place of never-
ending torture, called hell.
Some churches (and many non-Christian religions) teach that,
after death, there is a third category of people, somewhere in-
between good and evil, who go to another place: Purgatory.
Those of this status are to go to heaven eventually, but they
must first suffer intense punishment.
This reasoning comes from the belief that for sins and evils
committed, a sinner must experience a certain degree of
suffering as punishment, in this life or the next. The process of
intense suffering is said to cleanse one of corruption, making
him worthy of being in God’s presence.
However, since many fail to suffer enough in this lifetime
(through acts of self-inflicted punishment—penance), after they
die, they are allowed to finish their torment in Purgatory. In this
place, the souls of repentant sinners are supposedly purged by
literally burning them in fire. The fire tortures the person as
punishment for his sins, without killing him. In this manner,
those who have “accepted Christ,” and are at least marginally
“good,” are still able to go to heaven.
Those who have not suffered sufficiently, through penance, are
considered to have a lesser status than the more “faithful” who
regularly do so. Therefore, those in this third category must pay
their “suffering debt” by being sentenced to Purgatory.
The intent behind this teaching is to unify two ideas: the belief
that, by Christ’s sacrifice, a person is “saved” and able to go to
heaven; and the doctrine that a person must “do penance” in
order to be free from sin and be worthy to see God.
In a sense, Purgatory is a temporary hell.
How Long?
The time necessary in this “place of purifying” can vary widely,
based upon “how clean the soul is,” and how many people pray
that one’s soul should spend less time there. A person who has
just a few sins for which he forgot to do penance—or who was
not zealous enough in his self-punishing—will spend only a few
years writhing in agony. However, those who have “more guilty
souls,” or are members not in good standing within the church,
are likely to spend at least a few centuries being tortured by fire.
And then there are the souls who just barely qualify for
Purgatory; they are to reside there “until the end of time,” when
God supposedly plans to destroy Purgatory. According to this
belief, God, in the final judgment, will determine whether they
have suffered enough. If they “pass,” and God decides to send
them to heaven, they are first thrown into a much more intense
“final” purification of whatever sins they have left, so that He
can immediately destroy Purgatory without waiting around for
all those souls to finish suffering.
Of course, some souls, if they are so popular that people
regularly pray for them, need not spend all this time suffering
for their sins. Faithful church members may offer “prayers for
the dead” for those stuck in Purgatory. Although these souls are
not permitted to pray for themselves, prayers from faithful
members can significantly shorten their allotted suffering time.
In addition, if “pious” members utter the correct prayers on
specific days in November, indulgences are granted. These
indulgences allow souls to escape from Purgatory. For example,
if a faithful member visits a cemetery and utters a prayer for a
soul on each of the first eight days of that month, the soul will
be released from Purgatory. Alternatively, if one “Our Father”
and “the Creed” are recited for the soul at either a church or
public oratory on November 2nd, the soul is freed.
In case a church member forgets to release his friends on the
correct dates, or he is unable to visit a cemetery during all eight
days, the person in purgatory can still get a partial indulgence
(which shortens the time in Purgatory) by other means. At any
time, a member may recite the “Eternal Rest” prayer. Or, a
member may “fast” (abstain from certain meats) for the soul.
Either method of obtaining a partial indulgence is supposedly
more effective in November.
Such utter confusion!
Wages of Sin
The primary reason for the doctrine of Purgatory is the belief
that the wages—what one earns—for sin is suffering.
However, notice what the Bible states regarding the wages of
sin: “the wages of sin is DEATH” ( Rom. 6:23). Simply put, the
actual penalty for sinning is death, not suffering permanently in
hell or even temporarily in Purgatory. The reason Jesus Christ
had to die was to pay the penalty—death in our stead—for our
sins. Purgatory actually denies Christ’s role as Savior, in that
human beings can atone for their own sins!
Keep in mind that sin does result in
suffering in this life. For every
EFFECT, there is a CAUSE. When the
law of gravity is ignored, the effects
can be painful, even deadly.
Likewise, when one sins—violates
God’s Law ( I John 3:4)—it
automatically results in pain, misery
and suffering in this temporary,
physical existence. Though one may
repent of sin, be forgiven and be
freed from the death penalty, certain
consequences may remain. For
example, when King David repented
of committing adultery and murder,
God forgave his sins; however, the
life of his illegitimate son was still
taken ( II Sam. 12:7-14, 18).
While sin brings untold suffering to
millions of lives now, its true wages—
its ultimate penalty—is much more
costly: eternal death!
The second idea that leads many to
think a place of purifying is
necessary is the doctrine that a soul is
immortal. This concept also
contradicts the Bible. Man does not
have a soul—he is a soul: “And the
LORD God formed man of the dust of
the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living soul” (Gen. 2:7).
God’s Word plainly shows that souls
are mortal—that they can die: “The
soul that sins, it shall die” (Eze. 18:4;
18:20) Thus, a soul does not go
anywhere after death—it ceases to
exist. (Our booklet The Truth About
Hell explains this in more detail.)
The belief that pain and suffering is
necessary to cleanse one of sin is a
common misunderstanding. God does
correct human beings ( Heb. 12:6) and
allows suffering for His purposes. He
uses these as tools to teach humanity
how to obtain a life full of joy, peace
and prosperity. However, once one’s
physical life ends, so does his
suffering. (To learn more, read our
article “Why Does God Allow
Suffering?”)
Would a God who “is full of
compassion…and of great
mercy” ( Psa. 145: torment and
afflict men in a supposed place of
purifying?
Of course not! Instead, all who have
not known God’s truth will be given
an opportunity to enjoy wonderful,
joyous, eternal life in the soon-
coming kingdom of God!

Irritating. ..
You can't even copy and paste well.

Op is there anything like purgatory in the bible?











NO!

mcheeeeeeeeeeeeewwwwww.