Good News for Catholics about Purgatory

The good news is you ain’t going there because Purgatory doesn’t exist! Purgatory is an invention of man. It’s a word not found anywhere in the Bible. Neither Jesus nor His Apostles spoke about it.

The following quotes are from chapter 11 of “All Roads Lead to Rome?” by Michael de Semlyen, a British author.

‘The love of money is the root of all evil.’ (1 Timothy 6:10); and the love of money is the corrupted root of Christianity of the Roman kind. Candles, holy water, relics, indulgences, Masses for the living and the dead, intercessory prayers by Mary and the Saints, all are enormous sources of revenue for the Vatican. The income generated for the Church of Rome by the fear of ‘the pains of purgatory’, by itself, is simply awesome.

Purgatory, first adopted in the 6th-century pontificate of Gregory the Great, and defined in the modern Catholic Catechism as that state of temporary suffering for those who die guilty of ‘venial sins’, or who haven’t fully satisfied for the punishment due to their ‘forgiven sins’, flies in the face of all the Scriptures. Christians have complete assurance from the Bible that those who have put their faith in Christ and have accepted Him as Saviour and Lord, have been entirely and forever purged and cleansed of all sin and guilt, by Him only Him. The blood of Jesus, His son, cleanseth us from all our sin (1 John 1:7) … and when he had by himself purged our sins… (Hebrews 1:3) … and this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God. (Hebrews 10:12). Jesus’ saying, it is finished. John 19:30), before He died, meant that He had accomplished all; no sin remained which was not purged.

Thus, purgatory, as a concept is entirely unbiblical, but it has been extraordinarily profitable. It became the official dogma of the Church of Rome at the Council of Florence in 1439, and since then has extended the Mother Church’s power over the souls of men and over their giving. No single idea in the whole of history has ever raised so much money.

In other words, the doctrine of purgatory is nothing but a scam by the Church of Rome to get your money! How much money did my poor mother pay the church for my father to cut down his time in purgatory?

Most Catholics do not expect to go to heaven immediately when they die because they know they come far short of what it takes to be a saint according to the ideals of the Catholic Church. How do I know that? I was raised a Catholic and can testify under oath in a court of law that’s what I was taught. The Catholic idea of striving for sainthood is to deny oneself of all pleasure. Many Catholics even think to inflict pain on themselves as a way to obtain holiness by which they think they will earn merit in the eyes of God. Some Catholics such as members of Opus Dei flagellate themselves! I heard of one Catholic nun whose fear of purgatory was so great, she thought to shorten it by putting broken glass in her shoes! Her reasoning was if she suffers more on earth, she’ll suffer less in purgatory. Such accounts are absolutely heartbreaking! The Bible clearly says Jesus took ALL our punishment for sins! Nowhere in the Bible does it say we must take some of that punishment upon ourselves.

Now for some REALLY good news: You don’t have to worry about going to hell either! The Holy Bible is as clear as crystal that Jesus’ death on the cross and our belief in Him as our savior and redeemer is all we need to know we have eternal life with Him in Heaven!

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

Romans 10:9-10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. {10} For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

1 John 5:10-13 “He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son. {11} And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. {12} He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. {13} These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.”

Do you have the Son of God in your heart? You do if you confess to Jesus that you’re a sinner and you need Him and His forgiveness. Jesus promised He will come into the heart of all who call on Him!

Revelation 3:20 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

Just pray to Jesus and ask Him to take over your life! I did that in January of 1971 and have lived an exciting life since in several countries, Japan, Korea, China, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Poland, UK, and now the Philippines. Jesus promised me an abundant life and gave me one!

John 10:10 “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”