Expert: J.M.J. West - 10/31/2008

Question
i know of old testament sheol, i know of heaven and hell. but the middle ground on which catholics preach and teach i am unaware of. please tell me where the word purgatory is found in the bible...if no where then why teach it? please take your time on these question's im in no hurry for a quick reply. id rather have quality then a quick uninformative answer. you've been great so far with my questions and have become my most valued educator. God bless

Answer
Connor,

Thanks for your questions!  There are a few possibilities for post-life placement within the Judeo-Christian schema.  I'll cover the whole gamut of post-death possibilites to be thorough.

Heaven: Eternal Blessedness and beatitude, and ultimately communion with God and resurrection of the Body .

Hell: Eternal Self-separation from God.  

Sheol: The Jewish People didn't have a clear revelation on what happened to the body and the soul after death, and so there were a number of theories, one of which was Sheol.  Sheol was the "netherworld" which was itself divided into two parts, the "good" side (aka Abraham's Bosom) and the "bad" side "sheol".  Sheol was essentially the place where souls "waited" (for what, the Jews had no clear answer).  "I shall go down to my son a mourner unto Sheol" (Genesis 37:35). Sheol may be personified: Sheol is never satiated (Proverbs 30:20); she "makes wide her throat" (Isaiah 5:14).

Before Christ opened the gates of heaven as he ascended, it seems that our souls sat in a kind of "prison" state, where they may have had some form of awareness outside of space and time.  (My best guess is that Lazarus in the parable/story was in Abraham's Bosom, and the Rich man in Sheol.)  Christ Himself entered Sheol and “preached to the spirits in prison there” (1 Peter 3:18-20) after his crucifixion - and this seems to connote that those in Sheol were not destined to hell (in fact, he preached to "those who were disobedient" in the days of Noah).

**Purgatory**: After the resurrection of Christ, it seems that the souls of the righteous are now more free to go to heaven (i.e. a dis-embodied, un-resurrected state of being with God in some way), but not all souls will go to heaven immediately.  St. John reveals to us that "nothing unclean may enter heaven", and while we may die forgiven, we none-the-less die attached to sin.  Some (probably most) need to undergo some form of cleansing.  NOTE: Purgatory would not be a "third place" or an ultimate destination (same with Sheol).  

In 1 Cor. 3:10-15 St. Paul wrote:

"According to the grace of God given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But each one must be careful how he builds upon it, for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there, namely, Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, the work of each will come to light, for the Day  will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire (itself) will test the quality of each one's work. If the work stands that someone built upon the foundation, that person will receive a wage.  But if someone's work is burned up, that one will suffer loss; THE PERSON WILL BE SAVED, BUT ONLY AS THROUGH FIRE."

He speaks of a fire which burns away the “dross” from our foundations, leaving only the good built on the foundation.  There is no loss in heaven, and no salvation from hell, and this is at the end of all things, so it MUST refer to a state of purification.

Likewise, in 2 Tim 1:16-18  St. Paul prays for his recently deceased friend Onesiphorus, precisely because he's assuming that he would benefit from such prayers.  You cannot benefit in hell, and you need no benefit in heaven, so he is clearly praying under the assumption that Onesiphorus is in purgatory.  (Judas Maccabeus also offers sacrifice for his fallen comrades in 2 Macc. 12:43–45, though some reformers probably took that out of the bible you read).

Moreover, in Luke 12:58-59 – Jesus teaches us, “Come to terms with your opponent or you will be handed over to the judge and thrown into prison. You will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” The word “opponent” (antidiko) is a reference to the devil (see the same word for devil in 1 Pet. 5:8) who is an accuser against man and God is the judge. If we have not adequately dealt with Satan and sin in this life, we will be held in a temporary state called a prison, and we won’t get out until we have satisfied our entire debt to God. This “prison” is purgatory where we will not get out until the last penny is paid.

Purgatory isn't punishment per se, however.  It is a purifying.  The necessity is made evident simply by this:

There is no sin, nor attachment to sin, in heaven.
We die in sin (even if forgiven) and attached to sin.
Before we are resurrected, SOME change will occur.

This change will be a "cleansing" or "purging" of the wickedness inherent in our fallen nature, and to this state of cleansing Catholics have given the name "Purgatory".  Though the name "purgatory" does not appear in scripture, the concept clearly does (just as the name "Trinity" does not appear in scripture, but the concept clearly does).

More Here:
http://www.catholic.com/library/Purgatory.asp
http://www.scripturecatholic.com/purgatory.html

Hope that helps!

Peace of Christ,

-J.M.J. West