I would like to tie this into the teachings of Ecc 12, Eze 44, Luke 16 and Rev 20
Upon death, our soul returns to God (Ecc 12:7) either on the good or the bad side of the chasm which cannot be crossed (Luke 16).
Upon the return of Christ, *the elect *will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev 20). At that time I understand that *the elect * will be able to cross the chasm to save certain close relatives (Eze 44:25).
Although Ecclesiastes is part of sacred Scripture and inspired, it is more of a lament on the poor estate of man than a prophecy. Its author speaks rather indifferently of death:
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward; but the memory of them is lost. (Eccl 9:5) Ecclesiastes speaks of what is known “under the sun”; only at its conclusion does the author admit that even this own work of his is a vanity (it’s all been heard before), and that at the end of the day, all that matters is for us to fear God and obey Him:
The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Eccl 12:13-14)
I have never heard Ezekiel 44 exegeted to speak of the souls of the dead and the resurrection; it seems like you’re taking Ezek 44:25 out of context. It’s talking about the Levitical priests (the sons of Zadok) who shall be the ministering priests. It sets forth some rules for them (what they shall wear, how they are to groom themselves, etc.), one of which is that they cannot approach any dead person (because they will be defiled), but they
can approach a close relative who has died. I don’t think the verse can be extrapolated to include a “crossing of the chasm to save a relative” after death.
As for Luke 16 (the parable of Lazarus and the rich man), that was in line with the Jewish conceptions of the day. See the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on
The Bosom of Abraham. In short, Sheol or Hades was the name for the generic abode of the souls of the dead; the Bosom of Abraham was a “compartment” of that abode separated from the rest for the souls of those who died in favor with God (people such as Moses, Joshua, Elisha, David, etc.).
Catholic exegesis of Rev 20 (regarding the “first resurrection” and the thousand-year reign) understoods these events and terms symbolically:
The Church has wholly cast aside the doctrine of a millennium previous to the resurrection. St. Augustine has perhaps more than any one else helped to free the Church from all crude fancies as regards its pleasures. He explained the millennium allegorically and applied it to the Church of Christ on earth. With the foundation of the Church the millennium began. The first resurrection is the spiritual resurrection of the soul from sin (De Civ. Dei Lib. XX). Thus the number 1,000 is to be taken indefinitely. (
Apocalypse, Catholic Encyclopedia)
where and what is this string of events is the Catholic notion of Purgatory?
Catholic doctrine teaches that, upon death, the soul goes to one of three places: Hell (whence it will not return, save perhaps for the moment of the resurrection when it is reunited with the flesh), Heaven (in the case of those who have died free from the stains and trappings of sin), or Purgatory (in the case of those who have died in the grace of God, but are imperfect in their sanctification). Purgatory is not defined as a “place” proper, but as a state of the soul, a period (although that word is not to be taken temporally) of purification (purgation). The soul in Purgatory is cleansed, as if through fire, of the effects and imprints of sin, and then passes to Heaven. Purgatory is not a “second chance”; all souls in Purgatory enter Heaven.
Consider the beach. If you are on the beach and have a towel and flip-flops, then when you are ready to leave, you can walk across the beach without getting sand all over yourself, and you can certainly get into your car without dirtying the whole place up. If, however, you’re a bit sloppy on the way back to the car, you have this sand on you that needs washing off, so you stop at one of the little shower units to be cleansed before entering your car. That’s
one way of looking at the role (and necessity) of Purgatory. (This is my own little analogy made up on the spot, so take it with a grain of sand – or salt.)
re: the state(s) of our being during the time between particular and final judgement. Please can you explain while distinguishing the terms of “soul”, “spiritual body”, “glorified body”, “ressurected body”, and “inseparable body-soul composite”.
