"Purgatory is a spiritual realm where souls go when they have not been
condemned to hell, yet are still not cleansed of sin enough to enter
heaven — a realm in which spirits “endure severe punishment and in the
process become cleansed of sin and its ill effects,” according to Patheos.
But Fr. Dwight Longenecker, a Catholic priest, recently wrote that, despite the hardships endured by
the faithful as they climb their way
through purgatory toward heaven, it is actually a joyful place.
After all, the souls sent there know that they have escaped the pain and suffering of hell, as purgatory isn’t a place where human beings spend eternity. In fact, anyone who passes through will at some point end up in heaven. That said, the journey isn’t an easy one, according to Catholic doctrine.
“The pains in hell are punitive, but purgatory is purgative,” Longenecker wrote. “In other words, the pain is for gain; the struggle is for sanctity. The fire is a purifier.”
He added that All Souls’ Day — which was celebrated this past Sunday — is the time during which Catholic faithful pray for the souls of loved ones who are currently in purgatory.
Of course, it’s impossible to know exactly what’s inside purgatory and what souls go through as they pass along, though the general idea is that they are being spiritually cleansed and prepared for heaven.
Protestants generally shun purgatory as unbiblical, sweepingly rejecting it during the Reformation 497 years ago and continuing to do so today,.." TheBlaze
But Fr. Dwight Longenecker, a Catholic priest, recently wrote that, despite the hardships endured by
After all, the souls sent there know that they have escaped the pain and suffering of hell, as purgatory isn’t a place where human beings spend eternity. In fact, anyone who passes through will at some point end up in heaven. That said, the journey isn’t an easy one, according to Catholic doctrine.
“The pains in hell are punitive, but purgatory is purgative,” Longenecker wrote. “In other words, the pain is for gain; the struggle is for sanctity. The fire is a purifier.”
He added that All Souls’ Day — which was celebrated this past Sunday — is the time during which Catholic faithful pray for the souls of loved ones who are currently in purgatory.
Of course, it’s impossible to know exactly what’s inside purgatory and what souls go through as they pass along, though the general idea is that they are being spiritually cleansed and prepared for heaven.
Protestants generally shun purgatory as unbiblical, sweepingly rejecting it during the Reformation 497 years ago and continuing to do so today,.." TheBlaze
Why Purgatory is UNBIBLICAL
1) The dead are dead until the resurrection:
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
1 Thessalonians 4:16
2) We are cleansed by the blood of the Lamb of God (Christ) not by some fire purifier:
....and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:14
