I know you proboly will jump out your seat to say that the Catholic Church invented Purgatory and that it has no basis in the Bible. But it is biblical. Jesus spoke of it in Luke 12:58,59 when he said," When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite." And when you say well that is only with judges as the scripture says, your right but, what you fail to realize it that God is a Judge, which is why we speak of the last judgement. But, Jesus said, “Thou shalt not depart thence,” and we know that there is no departing from hell so the only place we can go where we pay for our sins is Purgatory.
In Matthew 12:32 “and whosoever against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever wpeaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” Jesus was saying that one could attain attonment for ones sins (except blasphymy against the holy spirit) either in this world or the world to come. This really come to sense when one hears St. Augustines The City of God “Temporay punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment”.
Paul even testfies of this in 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” Now this cannot refer to just ordinary work because howmany businesses can you name that get burned down on a daily basis. I can’t think of any. “He shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved;” cannont refer to hell because if anyone is “saved” they don’t go to hell, the only logical conclusion is purgatory.
2 Maccabees 12:46 (whos inspiration I shall discuss a little later but, save for now it must be admitted as a feflection of the religious views of the Jews before the New Testament)“It is a Holy and wholesome though to pray for the dead, that they might be loosed from their sins”. As it has already been stated nothing can help in those in hell and those in heaven don’t need it only those in Purgatory could use it (it is also another verse that supports indulgences by the way they sacrifice for the spiritual benifiet of others).
I know your probobly yelling at this paper and turning red with Christs suffering takes care of that and once forgiven one would automaticly go to heaven but, Rev. 21:27 says that nothing Unclean shall enter heaven. And though Christs crucifiction may cover ones sins it is still there and must be cleansed “as by fire” before it can enter into heaven.
