What is purgatory? Who goes to purgatory? How long will I have to be in purgatory? Can you calculate or determine your time in purgatory? Can I do anything to shorten or lengthen my time there?
The word purgatory comes from the Latin word “purgare” meaning to make clean or purify. In Roman Catholic teaching, purgatory is a place of temporal punishment to purify the Catholic faithful of their sins after they die so they can be in God’s presence. But before we discuss purgatory any further, let’s look at the situation of humanity & what Jesus Christ came to do for us (hover over the Bible verse reference to read the passage):
- God is absolutely holy, perfect & pure in every sense (Isa 6.3, Rev 4.8, Ps 47.8).
- Whenever we do anything in thought, word or deed that is contrary to God’s holy character, it is called sin – violation of God’s moral law (1 Jn 3.4).
- We do this because of our sin nature. While all people are created in God’s image possessing special value & beauty, all of humanity has rebelled & fallen from God’s grace (Rom 3.23). Consequently every human being has a sinful nature to contend with throughout their earthly life (Rom 5.12). This is why we, as did even Saint Paul, continue to struggle with sin while we’re in the flesh (Rom 7.14-25).
- Our sin cuts us off from God (Isa 59.2) & is hostile towards Him (Rom 8.7, Col 1.21). In the depravity of our sinfulness, our responses may be complete indifference to God or to the seriousness of our sin, a failure to detect or acknowledge our sin (Ps 36.1-4), to carry the burden of the guilt & shame of our sin, or to attempt to overcome our guilt through religion or our own goodness.
- Nonetheless, we are all guilty sinners. And in His absolute justice, God must judge & punish our sin. It takes just 1 sin to eternally separate us from God & incur His holy wrath (Jas 2.10).
NOW, here is what Christ came to do!
- When Jesus Christ died on the cross, He was being punished for OUR sin, not His own – He is sinless & perfect in every way. He offered up His life for us – the innocent for the guilty.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
– 2 Cor 5.21 (NLT)
– 2 Cor 5.21 (NLT)
- The Bible tells us that if anyone trusts that Jesus died in their place, taking their punishment for their sins & confessing Jesus as Lord of their life, they will know God & have eternal life (Jn 3.16-18, 17.3, Rom 10.9-10). This is the Gospel (meaning good news). This is possible because of so much more that Jesus affords those who trust in Him! Consider that…
- Eternal life is God’s free gift to you, but it cost the Lord Jesus His life (Rom 6.23, Eph 2.8-9).
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Rom 6.23
- The only way that you can pay for your sin against Eternal God on your own is by eternal separation from Him (spiritual death) & punishment for your sins in eternal hell.
…those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might – 2 Thes 1.8-9
- We are completely powerless to make up for our sin or purify ourselves any other way (Rom 5.6-8, Eph 2.1) – that’s why Jesus came. The infinite Jesus took the full punishment for your sin when He died on the cross & cried out “It is finished!” (Jn 19.30, Rom 4.24-25).
For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly… But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. – Rom 5.6,8-9
- Because Christ’s infinite sacrifice is totally sufficient to pay the penalty for all your sin & because He died before any sin you ever committed or ever will commit, God completely forgives you! (Rom 4.4-8, Heb 10.17-18)
But now, once for all time, He (Jesus) has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by His own death as a sacrifice. And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for Him.
– Heb 9.26-28 (NLT)
– Heb 9.26-28 (NLT)
- Therefore, you never ever have to fear God’s wrath against your sin after you die - ever. Jesus died so that our fear of punishment could be replaced by God’s love (1 Jn 4.9-10, 17-18, Rom 8.14-15).
By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. – 1 Jn 4.17-18
- Even right now in this very moment, there is absolutely no punishment, condemnation or wrath for those who are in Christ Jesus! (Rom 5.9-10, 1 Thes 1.10, 5.9)
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. – Rom 8.1-2
- You don’t have to fear punishment because Christ’s blood totally purifies you (Tit 2.11-14, Heb 9.11-14, 1 Pt 1.18-23). Jesus completely & perfectly sanctifies you for ALL TIME! (1 Thes 5.23-24)
We have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God…For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
– Heb 10.10, 12, 14
– Heb 10.10, 12, 14
- Jesus not only took the punishment for your sin, but He also gives you His perfect & righteous moral standing (Rom 5.17, 2 Cor 5.21, Col 1.11-14). Though no one is actually perfect except Jesus, when you trust in His credentials He fully qualifies you to stand before God – you are justified solely because of Jesus’s perfect life. Not only is there no way we can add to that, we don’t need to! Justification is freely given based on your faith in Christ’s work! (Rom 5.1-2, 15-17)
May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. – Col 1.11-14
- In fact, we know that Jesus purifies us to be in God’s presence because the Holy Spirit of God comes to dwell inside those who have trusted in the forgiveness & justification offered by Christ (Jn 14.16-17, Eph 1.13-14).
In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory. – Eph 1.13-14
- If you have this faith in what Christ has done for you, the very instant after you die you will be in the glorious presence of God! (Lk 23.43, 2 Cor 5.8, Php 1.23) Jesus died to atone for your sin, reconcile your relationship with God (Rom 5.10-11, 2 Cor 5.18) & bring you to Him! (1 Pt 3.18) Nothing can ever separate you from God ever again! Not even unconfessed or unrepented sin or anything you’ve left undone – your sin has been taken care of forever.
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Rom 8.37-39
This, my friends, is the Good News! This is astounding, tremendous & wonderful! And because of this, Jesus never said anything about purgatory – it would go against His very purpose for coming! If you have put your faith in Christ to save you, then you will never spend time in purgatory or be separated from God!
However, we have a very clever enemy, Satan, whom Jesus called the “father of lies” (Jn 8.44) & who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11.13-15). He hates us & comes up with all kinds of schemes to keep people from understanding the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ that can save us. The devil wants to hide the fact that you can be completely saved, forgiven & purified by trusting in what Christ has already done for you. Instead, he wants you to trust in any & everything else – especially things that look Christian – all the while making Christ’s work seem like not enough & distracting you from putting your complete trust in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t care how close you get to the glorious Gospel of Christ, just as long as you miss it. He wants you to think you can make up for your sin later & not only miss being free now, but being free forever.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. – 2 Cor 4.3-4
If you are putting your faith & trust in religious activities, or your own goodness, or anything else, or nothing at all, then Satan will deceive you all the way to a place that might seem at first like some descriptions of purgatory – a place of punishment for transgressions, separated from God. And you will wait & wait, wondering how much longer will it be? Then finally, there is the ultimate judgment before the Great White Throne of God. What seemed like purgatory was actually hades, except there is no rescue, acquittal or mercy – all occupants of hades ultimately get emptied into the lake of fire (hell).
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Rev 20.11-15
At God’s judgment, only one thing will matter – if your name is written in the book of life. All who have trusted only in Christ’s completed work – nothing more, nothing less – have their names written there. Everyone else will be judged by God’s just & holy law, coming up dreadfully short. Do not fall victim to Satan’s deception & find yourself in the eternal lake of fire. Put your entire trust in Christ alone for salvation today & live forever with Him starting right now!
However, we have a very clever enemy, Satan, whom Jesus called the “father of lies” (Jn 8.44) & who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11.13-15). He hates us & comes up with all kinds of schemes to keep people from understanding the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ that can save us. The devil wants to hide the fact that you can be completely saved, forgiven & purified by trusting in what Christ has already done for you. Instead, he wants you to trust in any & everything else – especially things that look Christian – all the while making Christ’s work seem like not enough & distracting you from putting your complete trust in Christ Jesus. He doesn’t care how close you get to the glorious Gospel of Christ, just as long as you miss it. He wants you to think you can make up for your sin later & not only miss being free now, but being free forever.
And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. – 2 Cor 4.3-4
If you are putting your faith & trust in religious activities, or your own goodness, or anything else, or nothing at all, then Satan will deceive you all the way to a place that might seem at first like some descriptions of purgatory – a place of punishment for transgressions, separated from God. And you will wait & wait, wondering how much longer will it be? Then finally, there is the ultimate judgment before the Great White Throne of God. What seemed like purgatory was actually hades, except there is no rescue, acquittal or mercy – all occupants of hades ultimately get emptied into the lake of fire (hell).
Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. – Rev 20.11-15
At God’s judgment, only one thing will matter – if your name is written in the book of life. All who have trusted only in Christ’s completed work – nothing more, nothing less – have their names written there. Everyone else will be judged by God’s just & holy law, coming up dreadfully short. Do not fall victim to Satan’s deception & find yourself in the eternal lake of fire. Put your entire trust in Christ alone for salvation today & live forever with Him starting right now!
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” – Jesus in Mt 7.21-23
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. – Rom 3.21-25 (NLT)
But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. – Rom 3.21-25 (NLT)