Is purgatory really Scriptural?

[Messenger]

First of all, let's see what the catholic belief about purgatroy is:

www.newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm


Look at what I have underlined:

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.

This is absolutly ridiculous!

If the sin has been forgiven, WHY does God see the need for furthur punishment?

Isn't God powerful enough to forgive the WHOLE SIN???

Especially, when we see this truth from Scripture:

Psalm 103:12 (New International Version)

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.


God's forgivness isn't partial-it is TOTAL!

When we confess our sins, it's as if we never committed them! To say that they weren't totally forgiven, demeans the very sacrifice of Jesus, especially when He said "it is finished!"

God's forgivness is TOTAL!

Then we have this quote:

All sins are not equal before God, nor dare anyone assert that the daily faults of human frailty will be punished with the same severity that is meted out to serious violation of God's law.

Excuse me?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

According to Scripture they are!


Revelation 21:8 (New International Version)

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."

Cowardess, is just as bad as unbelief, which is just as bad as murder, which is just as bad as sexual imorality, which is just as bad as magic, which is just as bad as idolatry, which is just as bad as lying............

How can ANYONE so blantently say things like this, when Scripture CLEARLY CONTRADICTS THEM?

But HERE is the botom lime here, (RIGHT FROM SCRIPTURE!!!!!!!)

Hebrews 9:27 (King James Version)

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Here it is people-JUDGEMENT!!!!!!!!!!

HEAVEN OR HELL! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY!

Do I need to say more?

Bill

[catholicdefender]

Heb. 12:29 - God is a consuming fire (of love in heaven, of purgation in purgatory, or of suffering and d**nation in hell).

1 Cor. 3:10-15 - works are judged after death and tested by fire. Some works are lost, but the person is still saved. Paul is referring to the state of purgation called purgatory. The venial sins (bad works) that were committed are burned up after death, but the person is still brought to salvation. This state after death cannot be heaven (no one with venial sins is present) or hell (there is no forgiveness and salvation).

1 Cor. 3:15 – “if any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” The phrase for "suffer loss" in the Greek is "zemiothesetai." The root word is "zemioo" which also refers to punishment. The construction “zemiothesetai” is used in Ex. 21:22 and Prov. 19:19 which refers to punishment (from the Hebrew “anash” meaning “punish” or “penalty”). Hence, this verse proves that there is an expiation of temporal punishment after our death, but the person is still saved. This cannot mean heaven (there is no punishment in heaven) and this cannot mean hell (the possibility of expiation no longer exists and the person is not saved).

1 Cor. 3:15 – further, Paul writes “he himself will be saved, "but only" (or “yet so”) as through fire.” “He will be saved” in the Greek is “sothesetai” (which means eternal salvation). The phrase "but only" (or “yet so”) in the Greek is "houtos" which means "in the same manner." This means that man is both eternally rewarded and eternally saved in the same manner by fire.

1 Cor. 3:13 - when Paul writes about God revealing the quality of each man's work by fire and purifying him, this purification relates to his sins (not just his good works). Protestants, in attempting to disprove the reality of purgatory, argue that Paul was only writing about rewarding good works, and not punishing sins (because punishing and purifying a man from sins would be admitting that there is a purgatory).

1 Cor. 3:17 - but this verse proves that the purgation after death deals with punishing sin. That is, destroying God's temple is a bad work, which is a mortal sin, which leads to death. 1 Cor. 3:14,15,17 - purgatory thus reveals the state of righteousness (v.14), state of venial sin (v.15) and the state of mortal sin (v.17), all of which are judged after death.

1 Peter 1:6-7 - Peter refers to this purgatorial fire to test the fruits of our faith.

Jude 1:23 - the people who are saved are being snatched out of the fire. People are already saved if they are in heaven, and there is no possibility of salvation if they are in hell. These people are being led to heaven from purgatory.

Rev. 3:18-19 - Jesus refers to this fire as what refines into gold those He loves if they repent of their sins. This is in the context of after death because Jesus, speaking from heaven, awards the white garment of salvation after the purgation of fire (both after death).

Dan 12:10 - Daniel refers to this refining by saying many shall purify themselves, make themselves white and be refined.

Wis. 3:5-6 - the dead are disciplined and tested by fire to receive their heavenly reward. This is the fire of purgatory.

Sirach 2:5 - for gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.

Zech. 13:8-9 - God says 2/3 shall perish, and 1/3 shall be left alive, put into the fire, and refined like silver and tested like gold. The ones that perish go to hell, and there is no need for refinement in heaven, so those being refined are in purgatory.

Mal. 3:2-3 - also refers to God's purification of the righteous at their death.