Purgatory and the General Judgment

[mjshonnard]

I have read that Purgatory will cease to exist after the General Judgment. What happens to those souls who are in the state of grace but still needing purification who are alive at the Second Coming? Do they go to hell? Is there another way they are purified?

 

[Shin]

I heard a priest say once in a sermon that one of the reasons the end of the world is going to be so full of suffering is that people will have to do their purgatory on earth, so to speak.

 

[GEddie]

Good answer Shin.

I’d say no one who needs Purgatory will bypass it.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Joe_Kelley]

I heard a priest say once in a sermon that one of the reasons the end of the world is going to be so full of suffering is that people will have to do their purgatory on earth, so to speak.

I have heard that also. It seems a reasonable answer.

 

[whatsthetruth]

What kinds of sin need to be cleansed in purgatory if one is in a state of grace?

 

[TimothyH]

What kinds of sin need to be cleansed in purgatory if one is in a state of grace?

It’s not a matter of having sin so much as of having self love, pride, the tendancy to sin. That has to be purged.

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

-Tim-

 

[Fidelis]

Thomas Aquinas was of the opinion that those Christians still alive at the the Second Coming who had persevered under the final tribulation would simultaneously die, be purified, and have their Particular Judgement (this is what is being described by St. Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). They would then go on to the General Judgment along with everyone else.

What kinds of sin need to be cleansed in purgatory if one is in a state of grace?

Even those who are in a state of grace (i.e., free of mortal sin) can still have venial sins and attachment to sinful habits. This is what purgatory is for: to cleanse the temporal punishment due to sins we have committed and not made amends for, and those sinful habits and attitudes that we may still cling to at the time of our death.

 

[Shin]

What kinds of sin need to be cleansed in purgatory if one is in a state of grace?

This is about the penance, the punishment for justice’s sake due for sin. Every sin is a crime before God which is due a debt of penance, either fulfilled in this world or the next.

It is a debt of painful punishment which is the criminal sentence for sin. A certain number of strokes, for each crime.

A person in a state of grace, except after baptism, generally owes a significant amount of penance for sins confessed but not done sufficient penance for.

That is what Purgatory is for.

For the penance we did not complete in this life.

 

[PJM]

=mjshonnard;8342077]I have read that Purgatory will cease to exist after the General Judgment. What happens to those souls who are in the state of grace but still needing purification who are alive at the Second Coming? Do they go to hell? Is there another way they are purified?

I’ve never given it much thought

But your right there is no need for it beyond the GJ… so my guess is that God perfects them; forgives them and into heaven they go.

GREAT question,

Pat

 

[puzzleannie]

I have read that Purgatory will cease to exist after the General Judgment. What happens to those souls who are in the state of grace but still needing purification who are alive at the Second Coming? Do they go to hell? Is there another way they are purified?

from the discussions and predictions of the tribulation it seems those alive at that time will undergo enough suffering during these events that itself is purification.

 

[yy1267]

I have read that Purgatory will cease to exist after the General Judgment. What happens to those souls who are in the state of grace but still needing purification who are alive at the Second Coming? Do they go to hell? Is there another way they are purified?

good point

 

[InDefense]

There’s only two places mentioned in scripture: heaven and hell. Make sure you get into heaven, because if you don’t, you will end up in hell.

Acts 2:38
Repent, be baptised in water, and receive the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues.

The purification process starts here on earth. You need to be right with God here on earth when Jesus returns !

 

[PJM]

Originally Posted by mjshonnard
I have read that Purgatory will cease to exist after the General Judgment. What happens to those souls who are in the state of grace but still needing purification who are alive at the Second Coming? Do they go to hell? Is there another way they are purified?

good point

Remember what Christ said to the repentant sinner on the cross next to him? 'This day you shall be with me in paradise."

God’s rules so God CAN change them

God Bless,
Pat

 

[Nelka]

I heard a priest say once in a sermon that one of the reasons the end of the world is going to be so full of suffering is that people will have to do their purgatory on earth, so to speak.

Think how scary the world would be for that.

 

[beehumble]

There’s only two places mentioned in scripture: heaven and hell. Make sure you get into heaven, because if you don’t, you will end up in hell.

Acts 2:38
Repent, be baptised in water, and receive the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues.

The purification process starts here on earth. You need to be right with God here on earth when Jesus returns !

Actually Purgatory is covered in the Catholic Scriptures, which includes Maccabbees. Luther removed that book because it contradicted him, showing his ideas are wrong.

God bless you.

 

[beehumble]

Remember what Christ said to the repentant sinner on the cross next to him? 'This day you shall be with me in paradise."

God’s rules so God CAN change them

God Bless,
Pat

He didn’t change them - for one the thief suffered a purgatory on his cross, and two, we don’t know if he first suffered purgatory before entering heaven, all on the same ‘day’.

God bless you.

 

[InDefense]

There’s only two places mentioned in scripture: heaven and hell. Make sure you get into heaven, because if you don’t, you will end up in hell.

Acts 2:38
Repent, be baptised in water, and receive the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues.

The purification process starts here on earth. You need to be right with God here on earth when Jesus returns !

I would like to qualify what I stated. Heaven and hell (the lake of fire) are the only two places we need be concerned about.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

He didn’t change them - for one the thief suffered a purgatory on his cross, and two, we don’t know if he first suffered purgatory before entering heaven, all on the same ‘day’.

God bless you.

I think Purgatory is outside of earthly time. Therefore, any duration of Purgatory could be encompassed in a moment of earthly time.

 

[kowsky]

Purgatory can be mentioned in many books … but , has it been mentioned in the Bible??, atleast once?? when a man can pay for his own sins in the so called purgatoy, why did Jesus gave himself as a sacrifice for the sins of entire mankind? When the Blood of Christ can wash away all our sins once we believe and follow Him , there is no need for us to clean ourself in the non-existing purgatory…

 

[Pitcharan]

What kinds of sin need to be cleansed in purgatory if one is in a state of grace?

What needs cleansing through purgation is ‘sinfulness’; ‘sins’ are washed by the blood of our Lord.

The Mosaic Law had largely been misused as a stick to beat people with and the emphasis was on imposing severe penalties for sin while doing nothing about its cause. Our Lord was the first to exhort people to deal with the cause rather than punish the effect. This can be easily inferred from the below quoted verses:
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. (Matt 5:21-22a)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery. ’But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart". (Matt 5: 27-28)

‘The wage of sin is death’ and we rightly deserve hell for our sins; our redemption from eternal damnation is made possible only because our Lord’s suffering and death. To become a beneficiary of our Lord’s supreme sacrifice we must: (i) believe in Him and (ii) keep His love command and forgive our offenders.

True, that forgiveness cancels our eternal punishment; but what about our sinful nature? Even if we were to be forgiven 70 times 7, can we be sure that we will stop sinning? Meditatively read what our Lord said in this regard:* “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. ‘For everyone will be salted with fire’.”* (Mk 9:43, 49)

To enter life is to enter heaven. To get there our carnal nature must die; this is achieved through suffering. “Through much suffering we must enter into the kingdom of God”. (Acts 14:22b)

There are two distinct dimensions to our struggle for salvation – escaping Hell through forgiveness of sins and gaining Heaven through freedom from slavery to sin.

Escaping Hell: God sacrificed His only Son to suffer and die on the cross as expiation for our sins. By forgiving our offenders we receive absolution for all our sins which constitute the main hurdle.
Gaining heaven: To stop sinning is humanly impossible and yet our helplessness is not futility for our God is ‘the help of the helpless’ Whose power is made perfect in our weakness. The battle is truly His and we only have to show our love by refusing to remain slaves and struggling.** Freedom is achieved through complete purging of our sinful nature by our own sufferings which can only increase manifold if avoided now and kept for purgation after death.** When we suffer we come to our senses and our spiritual vision is restored and we know the truth. Truth sets us free from the bondage to sin and we stop sinning as Satan cannot deceive us anymore. *“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” *(John 8:32)