| HIGHLIGHTS OF DAWN | January 1997 |
The Doctrine of Purgatory
FOR MANY CENTURIES Catholic Christians have been taught that after death all good Catholics go to Purgatory, which in their catechism (1994) defines Purgatory as the “final purification of the elect [before they enter God’s presence], which is entirely different from the punishment of the damned.”
Yet, the word purgatory does not appear in English translations of the Bible, and there is absolutely no hint of the traditional Purgatory teaching anywhere in the Word of God. How did this teaching arise? Why is it being questioned today? An interesting article appeared in the news media, released by the Associated Press with the title Purgatory, and a commentary that said: “Some Protestants now believe it exists; some Catholics seem to be in doubt.” The article went on to say, “Purgatory, unlike its famous cousins, Heaven and Hell, seems to be suffering public relations problems.
“While some Catholic scholars concede that Purgatory isn’t specifically mentioned in the Bible, they do cite several intriguing passages of the Bible in its support.
“In the Book of Matthew, for example, Jesus says that anyone who blasphemes the holy Spirit will not be forgiven ‘either in this age or in the age to come’. The passage appears to imply that excluding blasphemy some sins can be forgiven after death.”
We do not understand this quotation from Matthew 12:31,32 to imply a place where forgiveness will be granted, but that there will be a time when this will be possible. The King James Translation uses the word “world” in this text, and says, “it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. “(vs. 32) It is interesting that the writer of this article uses the Revised Standard Version, in which the correct word, ‘age’, is used denoting time, not place. The article continues:
“For half a millennium, followers of Jesus have debated the concept of an intermediate state between Heaven and Hell. But since the Second Vatican Council 30 years ago, the subject rarely gets mentioned in books or sermons. And a Survey by ‘U.S. Catholic’ magazine, a liberal publication, found that nearly one in four readers rejected its existence.
“Once a fixture of church subculture—school children and adults prayed frequently for the souls there—the place has lost its prominence. The lowered profile could be attributed to the Second Vatican Council, which refocused Catholic devotional life onto Christ and the sacraments.
“Besides being less visible, Purgatory is not infrequently misunderstood. Even a few Catholics mistakenly believe that Purgatory offers unsaved souls a ‘second chance’ to qualify for Heaven. Actually, everyone there has been deemed worthy of Paradise, says Peter Kreeft, a Boston College philosophy professor who writes about the afterlife.
“In Kreeft’s view, Purgatory is merely a heavenly stopover for incoming saints, where life reviews take place and the last vestiges of self-love and other imperfections are removed. Prayers from the living are said to aid the process. While the subject may be in decline among Roman Catholics, Purgatory seems to be of increasing interest to Protestants.
“One of the first Protestants to broach the subject in modern times, was British author C.S. Lewis. ‘Our souls demand Purgatory, don’t they?’ he wrote. ‘Even if God doesn’t mind people entering Heaven dripping with mud and slime … should we not reply … “I’d rather be cleansed first,” (even if) it may hurt’. Support for the idea of Purgatory has emerged from the unlikeliest of sources—conservative evangelical college professors—traditionally among the fiercest opponents of Catholicism.
THE ORIGIN OF PURGATORY
“Evangelicals have warmed to Kreeft’s speculations on the next world. Kreeft, a one-time Protestant who converted to Catholicism, places Purgatory inside Heaven and says, echoing St. Catherine of Genoa, that any pain felt there is ‘incomparably more desirable than the most ecstatic pleasures on earth’. That portrait isn’t much different from what some leading evangelical scholars call the ‘intermediate state’ between death and Paradise, says Gary R. Habermas, a philosophy professor at Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University. The origin of Purgatory isn’t easy to pin down. The starting point, says historian Alan Bernstein of the University of Arizona, was the practice of praying for the dead. The Apostle Paul, for instance, in a letter to Timothy, prayed for divine mercy for his apparently deceased friend Onesiphorus.”
It is interesting to note that the basis for this concept comes from interpreting the scripture in II Timothy 1:16: “The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me. “ It has been assumed by some analysts that Onesiphorus had died because Paul mentions ‘the house of Onesiphorus’, instead of the individual only. There is no basis for the concept that Paul was praying for the dead. The use of the expression ‘house’ occurs in Paul’s writings frequently when an entire family were consecrated Christians. This was true of Stephanas, and Paul speaks of “the house of Stephanas” in I Corinthians 16:15, when in verse 17 it is quite evident that Stephanas was very much alive. See also Acts 16:15, and Acts 18:8, where entire families were immersed. From their fallacious assumption, the article continues with an explanation of the origin of Purgatory.
“The implication quickly sank in: If prayers aren’t needed by souls in Heaven and can’t help anyone in Hell, there must be a third destination. But what?
“Barely 100 years after the last book of the New Testament was written, an answer started coming into focus. Theologian Clement of Alexandria theorized that Christians would undergo a purifying fire that ‘sanctifies … [and] penetrates the soul.’ That idea, which was echoed by other writers of the era, might owe some inspiration to the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, who believed that ‘curably wicked’ souls would endure temporary ‘therapeutic punishment’ in the afterlife. Bernstein says, ‘The poet Dante portrayed Purgatory as a mountain, overseen by a guard named Cato and lit up by a constellation of four flaming stars. Souls struggled up the mountain carrying weights and battling fire, until they reached Paradise’.
“Some Catholic scholars now speculate that the actual process of dying is Purgatory. Others suggest that Purgatory is a spiritual state, not a place.”
The article then continues to show that Purgatory still is an essential teaching of the Catholic Church, and quotes several prominent Catholic theologians to show that this is so. But what does the Bible say of Purgatory? The Bible sets forth the thought of a purgation for the human race as part of God’s plan of salvation from sin, dying, and death. All will agree that the people of the world need cleansing, that all are imperfect, sinners, coming far short of the perfect standard of righteousness required by God of all whom he will deem worthy of living forever in a state of peace and happiness.
But the Purgatory of the Dark Ages is unscriptural both in its nature and also with respect to its time relationship to the plan of God. This erroneous theory is that those not good enough to go to heaven when they die, go immediately to a Purgatory of suffering, and, after being purified, go to heaven. But the Bible teaches that both saints and sinners become unconscious when they die, and remain thus asleep in death until the resurrection. In the resurrection, according to the Bible, those who have died as saintly Christians will receive a heavenly reward, be united with Jesus, and, together with him, be the spiritual rulers over this earth for a period of a thousand years.
During this period of a thousand years, those who were not of that faithful body of Christ who live and reign with him as heavenly beings, will be awakened from the sleep of death to dwell on the earth again as human beings. During this reign of Christ these will have an opportunity to be purged, or cleansed of their sins, and thereby prepared to live on the earth forever as perfect, absolutely holy human beings. The thousand years of Christ’s reign over the peoples of the earth will therefore be the purgatorial period for the cleansing of mankind from the defilements of sin and death.
JESUS’ SACRIFICE NECESSARY
The human race needs more than to be cleansed from sin! As we have seen, there was a penalty attached to sin. That penalty was death. It was not merely the process of dying, but death itself. For this reason the sinful race would have remained dead forever had not the love of God made a provision whereby the penalty of death could be paid by another. That provision was through his own beloved son, Christ Jesus. That is why Jesus is called the Redeemer. He it is who ransoms the world “from the power of the grave.”—Hos. 13:14
The Prophet Isaiah says concerning Jesus, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” (Isa. 53:5) The Apostle Paul declares concerning Jesus, that he “gave himself a ransom for all.” (I Tim. 2:6) Jesus said to his disciples, “The bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) All of these inspired statements of the Word of God indicate that the first requisite to salvation and peace with God for any of the fallen human race is this provision the Creator has made through the sacrificial work of the Redeemer. The Apostle Peter declares that “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”—Acts 4:12, RSV
But the sacrificial work of Christ alone does not provide escape from death. In addition to this, it is necessary that the individual repent of sin and accept the gift—that is, exercise faith in the atoning blood of Christ. Beyond this, it is also essential to strive against inherited sin and so far as possible to be cleansed from its defiling influence. It is in this latter respect that the purgatorial teachings of the Scriptures form a part of the plan of God for human redemption and salvation.
PURGATORY BEFORE DEATH
As we have seen, the term ‘purgatory’ means a place, or condition of cleansing, of purging. There is much said in the Bible about Christian cleansing, or purging from sin. But unlike the traditional view of purgatory, which claims that believers pass through purgatory after death and finally enter into heavenly bliss and glory, the Bible shows that the Christian’s purgation or cleansing takes place before death.
“Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,” writes the apostle. (II Cor. 7:1) The Christian is expected to do this before he dies, not afterward. Jesus likened himself to a vine and his followers to branches of that vine. (John 15:1-8) Then he said that his Heavenly Father purged, or pruned the branches in order that they might bring forth more fruit. Here again is described a work of purging which takes place in the Christian before death, not afterward.
Peter, whose word is accepted with so much authority in the Catholic Church, wrote to Christians, saying, “Think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings.” (I Pet. 4:12,13) Here is the unmistakable mention of fire in connection with Christian experience, but it has no reference to literal fire which it is alleged will torment people after death, but to the purging experiences which come to the Christian in this life.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” (Heb. 12:6) There is nothing in this text to indicate that the scourging mentioned is to take place after death. Rather, the apostle is telling Christians what to expect in this life. If we love the Lord, and he loves us and is dealing with us, we must expect to be scourged or disciplined, in order that we might learn his will more perfectly and be trained to do it more faithfully.
Some of the purging experiences of the Christian are at the instance of the Lord, for by his kind providence his people are properly trained. But the Christian is also expected to take himself in hand and do some of the purging on a voluntary basis. Paul wrote, “I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.”—I Cor. 9:27
All of these passages from God’s Holy Word indicate beyond doubt that purging work must go on in the life of every follower of the Master. The Scriptures also reveal that the great objective of this purging work is that Christians may be developed into the character likeness of their Lord. Paul writes that it is God’s will that all who are called of him should be made copies of his dear Son. (Rom. 8:28,29) And there are many promises in the Bible to indicate that those who now repent of their sins, accept Jesus as their Redeemer, and then follow faithfully in his steps of sacrifice, striving to be made like him, will, when resurrected from the dead, share his heavenly home and reign with him for a thousand years for the blessing of the remainder of the world of mankind.
A THOUSAND YEARS OF CLEANSING
The purgatorial cleansings which we have just described involve but a very small minority of the human race. Jesus referred to this minority as a “little flock,” but he said of these, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”—Luke 12:32
We have already mentioned the thousand-year reign of Christ. Now we learn from Jesus that his true followers during the present age, in passing through their period of cleansing, are being prepared, not merely to enjoy a heavenly home with him, but also to work with him to rehabilitate the remainder of the human race, restoring them to live on the earth in a worldwide paradise; for this is the work to be accomplished by the kingdom of Christ. This gigantic undertaking, the Scriptures reveal, will require an entire thousand years for completion.
And it will be during this thousand years that mankind in general will be going through their purgatorial experiences—their purging, or cleansing, from the imperfection due to the Adamic fall. This thousand-year period, during which Jesus and his church will be reigning over the earth, is also described in the Bible as a judgment day—this particular day being a thousand years long.—II Pet. 3:8; Acts 17:31; Rev. 5:10
The judgment work of that day will involve disciplinary training, or, as the prophet puts it, the Lord will “rebuke strong nations afar off.” (Mic. 4:3) The Prophet Isaiah declares that when God’s “judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9) Jesus will be the great Judge of that day, and concerning him the prophet declares, “With righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.”—Isa. 11:4
From this latter text we learn that during the world’s trial, or purgation period, those who do not learn righteousness, but who continue to oppose the will of the Lord, will finally be destroyed. This agrees with what the Apostle Peter states, as recorded in Acts 3:19-23. In this passage Peter reveals the purpose of Christ’s Second Coming to earth, that it is to usher in “times of restitution of all things,” that is, the restoration of the human race to life upon the earth. And then he adds concerning the divine method of dealing with mankind during that period, that those who do not obey the laws of the kingdom will be destroyed. Jesus is referred to by Peter as “that Prophet” whom Moses foretold would come, and he states that “every soul, which will not hear [obey] that Prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) It is well to notice, in passing, that Peter refers to the disobedient ‘soul’ as that which is to be destroyed.
SLEEPING ONES AWAKENED
The purgatorial blessings of the kingdom age will be available for those who have died as well as for those who are alive when the reign of Christ begins; for those who are asleep in death are to be awakened from their long sleep in order that they may share in those blessings. Concerning these the Prophet Daniel wrote, “Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake.” (Dan. 12:2) The reference to those who ‘sleep in the dust of the earth’ takes our minds back to the Garden of Eden, to the time when God said to our first parents, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”—Gen. 3:19
Through Jesus, the Creator provided redemption from this original penalty; hence those who have returned to the dust are to be awakened from the dust; that is, they are to be restored to life upon the earth, which was created to be man’s everlasting home. (Isa. 45:18) Jesus said that the time is coming when all who are in their graves shall hear the voice of the Son of man and shall come forth. And then the master adds, “Those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment.”—John 5:28,29, RSV
Those who have ‘done good’ are, primarily, those who have followed in the footsteps of Jesus—those who have been purged or cleansed from sin in this life. The ‘life resurrection’ of these will consist of their being raised immediately to heavenly glory in order that they may live and reign with Christ. But those who have not ‘done good’, but evil, are also to hear the Master’s voice and come forth from their graves. These, Jesus said, will come forth to a resurrection of judgment.
What does this mean? The Greek word translated judgment in this wonderful promise made by Jesus is krisis. It has essentially the same meaning as our English word ‘crisis’, namely, a testing or trial time. We say, for example, that the crisis of a disease is reached on a certain day. This means that on this particular day it can be determined whether or not the patient will live. If the crisis is passed successfully, the patient takes a turn for the better and usually recovers his health. Otherwise, he dies.
So it will be with the world of mankind during the purgatorial period of the Messianic kingdom. Those who have done evil in this life—which includes practically the whole world of mankind, born as members of a sinful and dying race—will be awakened from death and put on trial for everlasting life. That will be their krisis time when they will be enlightened concerning the loving provision made for them through the death of Jesus and be given an opportunity to believe on him and to obey the laws of his kingdom. If they accept and obey it, it will mean that they have turned from sin toward God and righteousness, that thus far they have passed the krisis successfully and are on their way to righteousness and life.
But the way will not be easy. The degree to which each one has opposed righteousness in this life will have a bearing upon the severity of the purgatorial experiences through which he will need to pass in order to attain eternal life during that future period of trial. Jesus explained the principle involved in this matter, saying that those who know not the will of God and do it not, shall be beaten with few stripes, while those who know God’s will and do it not, shall be beaten with many stripes. (Luke 12:47,48) This is simply another way of stating that the measure of disciplinary punishment to be experienced by any member of the human race—either now or in the resurrection—will depend upon the measure of willfulness with which he sinned.
Jesus explained that those who have not done righteously in this life shall, when awakened from the sleep of death, be given a resurrection of judgment, or krisis. This indicates that a mere awakening from the sleep of death will not constitute a full resurrection. And the reason for this becomes apparent when we recall the glorious perfection from which the human race fell, the perfection that was represented in father Adam before he transgressed the divine law.
The awakening from death will be but the first step on the return road to this original perfection. The other steps will be taken on the basis of passing the tests of obedience which will be placed upon all individuals at that time. Their resurrection, or raising up to perfection, will be by judgment, or krisis; all of their cleansing and disciplinary experiences serving as tests will, as those tests are passed, result in their being raised a little nearer to the ultimate perfection for which they will be striving.
THE WAY TO HOLINESS
The progress toward holiness which will take place during the world’s purgatorial period is likened by the Prophet Isaiah to one who travels over a highway, or public roadway. He calls it the “way of holiness.” (Isa. 35:8) It is to be a ‘highway’, the prophet explains. “The unclean shall not pass over it,” he declares, although “it shall be for those,” that is, for the unclean. The meaning is clear; namely, that while no one will be able to pass all the way over this highway and remain unclean, it is for their benefit; for it is a way over which the unclean can progress toward holiness—a way that leads to righteousness and perfection.
The prophet explains further concerning this highway, that “no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon.” (Isa. 35:9) Thank God for this assurance! Today the Devil goes about as “a roaring lion … seeking whom he may devour.” (I Pet. 5:8) But at the very beginning of the world’s Judgment Day, or purgatorial day, the Devil is to be bound; so it will not be possible for him to deceive the people during that time. (Rev. 20:1-3) Today millions are menaced by the ravenous beasts of temptation so strong that they seem unable to cope with them. But all of this will change!
And who will travel over this road that leads to holiness, to perfection of human nature? The prophet answers, saying, “The ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa. 35:10) Yes, this future highway is to be the return road from death, and over it the ransomed of the Lord will make their way back to health and joy and everlasting life.
Who are the ransomed of the Lord? Paul answers by saying that Jesus gave himself “a ransom for all.” (I Tim. 2:4-6) All mankind, then, are included in the statement, ‘ransomed of the Lord’; for the Lord Christ Jesus has ransomed the entire human race from sin and death, having made provision for this by his own death on Calvary’s cross.
What a glorious prospect! Surely God’s ways are higher than man’s ways, and his thoughts than a man’s thoughts, even as the prophet has declared.—Isa. 55:8,9
THROUGH CLEANSING TO PARADISE
The ultimate destiny of the millions of mankind who will be perfected by the manner in which Christ will deal with them during the thousand years of his reign will be to live in an earthly paradise forever. The Bible is clear and definite in its teaching that the earth was created to be man’s home forever, and that man was created to live on the earth, not in heaven. The fact that the church of the present age is called to a special heavenly reward with Jesus does not change God’s original plan for the human race in general.
The Prophet Isaiah declares that God created the earth, not in vain, but formed it to be inhabited. (Isa. 45:18) This agrees with the original account of Creation, where we read that when God created man he commanded him to multiply and fill the earth and subdue it. (Gen. 1:27,28) Had man remained obedient to God, and had this divine mandate been carried out as directed, the entire earth would have become one vast and gorgeous paradise, filled with a perfect and happy human family, knowing nothing of sin, sickness, pain, war, and all the other evils which now plague us, including death.
But this original plan of God has not failed. True, man violated the law of God and brought upon himself the penalty of death, yet, through Jesus, redemption has been provided from the results of sin. This means that the original plan is still to be! Man did multiply, and the earth has been filled, although with a dying race. But the dying and dead race is to be restored to life. This is the purpose of the thousand years of judgment, or trial, which soon will come to the people. And at the end of that period of judgment and cleansing—the true purgatory of the Scriptures—those who pass their trial successfully will have the privilege of living on the earth as perfect human beings throughout the endless ages of eternity.
FIRES OF CLEANSING
Through a misunderstanding of Scriptural symbolism, many have been led to believe that the planet. Earth is to be destroyed at the Second Coming of Christ; but this is not true. The Scriptures declare that “the earth abideth forever.” (Eccles. 1:4) The symbolisms which have been misunderstood are those in which fire is used to depict the destruction of the evil elements of society—political and religious—just prior to the establishment of the kingdom of Christ.
There are many prophecies which speak of the symbolic fire that will destroy the evil works of man and thereby cleanse the world in preparation for God’s new order. “The elements shall melt with fervent heat,” declares Peter. (II Pet. 3:10) This does not refer to the melting of the sun, moon, and stars, but to the evil elements of human society, all of which must be burned, or purged away, in preparation for the establishment of Christ’s kingdom.
The Apostle Peter, after describing the passing away of man’s selfish and sinful world, reminds us of’ God’s plan for a new world order, which he describes as a ‘new heavens’ and a ‘new earth’. He says, “We, according to his [God’s] promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (II Pet. 3:13) God’s promise concerning this is recorded in Isaiah 65:17 -25. Describing the blessed and happy conditions which will prevail on the earth at that time, the prophet declares that the people shall “build houses, and inhabit them, … plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them … [and] long enjoy the work of their hands.”
Yes, paradise will be restored, and it will continue forever! And in this earthly paradise will dwell in peace and joy and endless life those teeming millions of humanity who at heart were God-fearing and noble, but were blinded by ignorance and superstition of various kinds. They were enslaved by the taskmaster of sin, and thereby prevented from accepting Christ and being true servants of God in this life. It had never entered the mind of God that these should be tortured forever.
On the contrary, unknown to these millions, God continued to work out his plan for their eternal happiness in an earthly paradise. He sent Jesus into the world to be their Redeemer. He has been selecting from this world, by his Word and providences, a few who are able to exercise faith and walk the way of sacrifice, inviting them to a heavenly home to be associated with Jesus in the future kingdom of restoration and blessing.
Nor are we to understand that God has been trying to prepare as many as possible for a heavenly reward and to have the privilege of reigning with Christ. Rather, the restoration of the human race to live on the earth forever is the great objective of the whole plan of God, and the selecting from among mankind of a little flock to live and reign with Christ is but a part of the divine arrangement whereby the great purpose of human restoration is to be accomplished.
When we discern this important truth of the divine plan, we realize that God’s purpose in the earth has not failed. Countless millions have died without an opportunity to know Christ and the loving provision of his redeeming blood, but this is not because they have been overlooked in the divine plan or because God’s purpose toward them has miscarried. It simply means that his time for their blessing has not come—that they were permitted to fall asleep in death until all the arrangements for their blessing were complete. Then, as we have seen, they will be awakened from death, enlightened, and given an opportunity to live on the earth forever. This was the Creator’s original plan for them.
There is every indication now that the time for the blessing of mankind—the living and the dead—is near. The prophecies of the Bible pertaining to the end of Satan’s misrule are being fulfilled. This, of necessity, is causing a great time of trouble throughout the earth, but soon the governing power of the kingdom of Christ will manifest itself, and the blessings of peace and joy and life will begin to flow to the people.
It is this glorious consummation of the divine plan of salvation that is expressed by those well-known words of the Lord’s prayer: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10) Let us, then, continue to offer this inspired prayer, in faith, believing that the answer to it is near.