DEALING WITH "LAST THINGS" (2)

THE RAPTURE, SECOND COMING, AND MILLENNIUM 

PURGATORY - Final Purification. 

 
The word "purgatory" is not in the Bible.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church one would read these words: "All who die in God's grace and friendship, but still imperfectly purified, are indeed sure 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.  

For  other  Christians,  the  word "catechism" comes from a Greek word which is used in the New Testament to refer to teaching someone in an orderly and systematic way, by word of mouth, in the form of dialogue--question and answer. Luke, in the opening of the gospel according to Luke, refers to this. He speaks of "those things wherein thou has been instructed, (or catechized)" Luke 1:4.

His purpose, under the Spirit of Christ, in writing his gospel is that those who have been so instructed, or catechized in the doctrine of Christ, might know,..."the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed," Luke 1:4. That is, his gospel must serve to ground the catechism instruction of believers.

This form of systematic instruction included memorized statements of doctrine and confession. The early New Testament church developed the Apostles’ Creed for this very purpose. It is this type of instruction Luke has in view in Luke 1:4. While the form of it may vary, the goal of it is orderly instruction in the word and doctrine.

Some believe that purgatory may be hinted at in such Scripture texts as 2 Maccabees 12:4546 and 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. In the Maccabees verse, people are urged to pray for the dead. Prayers for the dead only make sense if our prayers can benefit the dead in some way. If the dead have already reached their final destination (i.e., heaven or hell), then praying for them would be futile. Praying for the dead makes sense only if we believe that they are in some state of existence where they need our prayers. 

Some say that the Catholics believe that such a state of existence does exist, and that they call it purgatory because the name refers to the purification that occurs to the soul during this period of its journey toward heaven. Also, the Catholic Church's meditation on 1 Corinthians 3:11-15 leads to belief that the "purifying fire" mentioned by Paul may be a reference to purgatory.

In Christ,
Playwright Janet Irene Thomas
Founder/CEO
Bible Stories Theatre of
Fine & Performing Arts
www.biblestoriestheatre.org
info@biblestoriestheatre.org