I’m willing to agree with the possibility of purgatory but so what. Since no one can achieve sinless perfection in this life then we are all going so why torment people with the thought of their loved one suffering immediately after death when they need to be consoled. Jesus never spoke of it and St. Paul said to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.
JL: Everyone does not go to purgatory, only those in need of purification. I do not doubt St Paul went directly to heaven, after judgment. 2Cr 5:9 …whether we are at home or away we make it our aim to please him 10 …we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ so that each one may receive good or evil according to what he has done in the body. Absence from the body does not mean our presence with the Lord in heaven is immediate or automatic as judgment is the first thing to come after death and those who have some dead works will go to purgatory, those who have no good works at all will go to hell, their faith is dead.
The soul of the departed goes immediately for personal judgment, Hb 9:27 And just as it is appointed for men to die once and after that comes judgment. I have no doubt when Paul died or any person, who has in life continued to grow and be purified of faults and attained holiness of life, enters into God’s rest immediately, after their personal judgment. Baptism forgives all sin and debt due and renders a soul ready to enter into eternal rest immediately after personal judgment. Most people do not maintain that purity, through careless words or other faults, such as being impatience or uncharitable.
Those who have some works judged imperfect, hay or straw, though they are saved, will pass through God’s judgment of fire. HEB 12:29 For our God is a consuming fire. 1Cor 3:13 Every man’s work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it…it shall be revealed by fire 15 If any man’s work shall be burned he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire. Spiritually painful, they will suffer loss, pay back ever penny, as our Lord tells us. That would be for sins forgiven after baptism, where restitution has not been fully done, or for careless words and faults Mt 12:36 I tell you on the day of judgment men will render account **for every careless word they **utter 37 for by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned. Jms 3:2 For **WE ALL MAKE MANY MISTAKES
and if any one makes NO MISTAKES **in what he says **HE IS A PERFECT MAN **able to bridle the whole body also. 8 but no human being can tame the tongue a restless evil full of deadly poison 9 With it we bless the Lord and Father and with it we curse men who are made in the likeness of God MT 5:22 But I say… whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment and whoever shall insult his brother shall be in danger of the council but whoever shall say you fool shall be in danger of hell fire… 24…first be reconciled to your brother… 25 Agree with your adversary quickly **while you are in the way **with him lest at any time the adversary deliver you to the judge… and you are **cast into PRISON **26 …I say to you
You shall by no means come out…
till you have paid the last penny. God judges what debt is due. MT 18:23 Therefore is
the kingdom of heaven likened to a certain king which would take account of his servants…32 Then his lord after he called him said to him you wicked servant I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me 33
Should you not also have had compassion on your fellowservant as I had pity on you? 34
his lord was wroth and delivered him to the tormentors till he pay all that was due him 35 **SO LIKEWISE shall my heavenly Father do also to you **if you **FROM YOUR HEARTS *
forgive not his brother their trespasses. * Not forgiving all from the heart as Christ forgave all. Likewise our Father will do to you, till you pay all due. Where will he send them? not heaven as heaven is not a prison and no one wants to leave heaven, to hell? no because no one ever gets out of hell. So there must be another temporary place, we call it purgatory, the scripture calls it prison.
LK 12:37 Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes …40 Be ready…45 But if that servant say in his heart My lord delays his coming and begin to beat the servants to eat and drink to be drunk 46 The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looks not for him and cut him in sunder and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers 47 And that servant which knew his lord’s will did not prepare himself nor did according to his will shall be beaten with many stripes 48 But he that knew not and did commit things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes For to whom much is given much is required. * First the servant who stays awake goes to heaven, second servant beats the others and goes to hell, third servant who knew better, but was spiritually lazy, receives more stripes in purgatory than the fourth . The fourth servant will receive less stripes as he did not have full knowledge or understanding of his actions*
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