Explorations Class #8 Discussion

Purgatory, Limbo, and the State of the Dead

As we study the various RCC dogmas, certain common strains come through repeatedly. In the Economy of Grace, we found that the RCC teaches salvation by works. In the Mass, we again found salvation by works, and a denial of the sufficiency of the Cross. Both times, the dogmas exist only by denying the clear teaching of the scriptures and substituting the tradition of the RCC. This denial of sola scriptura will be seen in every distinctive RCC dogma. In fact, the RCC is able to exist only by denying sola scriptura.

Purgatory is defined as a place of purging, or purification from the final effects of sin. The penances for sin which have not been completed during life are dealt with by fire. The torture of flames is said to be severe. The sinner in Purgatory is being severely punished because "God's righteousness is good". Without pursuing the issue further, we can see a dramatic dichotomy between the penances in life ("Hail Marys", "Our Fathers", "Rosaries", etc.) with the penance of fire. If you are able to deal with your punishment in life, you are able to cheaply buy relief from great torment. Something is obviously wrong with this picture.

The second aspect of this scene is that the good works of the living can shorten the time a person spends in Purgatory. In fact, it is possible to purchase indulgences to be applied for the benefit of sinners in Purgatory. This is again salvation by works, this time by vicarious works. The Pope is also able to dispense indulgences from the "treasure of the Church . . . for the canceling out of this punishment." As we saw in the Economy of Grace, no such treasury exists, "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." (Is 64:6)

We must revisit the nature of justification (Q2). This is the marvelous gift of God wherein the sinner is declared righteous through the application of the blood of the cross. There is no possible way for works to enter into justification. We are declared righteous (justified) purely by grace (Rom 11:5-6). The works of the law have no place whatever in justification. Paul goes even further to say that we are justified by faith "APART from the works of the law" (Rom 3:28). This means that at the moment of justification, we are clean. Sin has been removed from us, and will be remembered no more (Heb 8:12, c.f. Is 43:25). This cleansing removes the penalty for sin since it is the propitiation (Rom 3:25, Heb 2:17, 1 John 2:2; 4:10). With no payment to be made, there is no need for a place of payment. Justified sinners are already legally cleansed, and need no place of cleansing (Purgatory).

The RCC dogma of Purgatory requires a prolonged "sterilization". Paul explicitly denies such a concept (Q3). He tells us that the change from sinful in nature to sinless in fact will happen "in an instant" (1 Cor 15:50-54).

The RCC is not content to leave Purgatory as a traditional dogma. They search for scriptural justification. Matt 12:31-32 (Q4) is one such text. In this passage, Jesus tells us that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven "in this age or in the age to come". The "age to come" is seized upon as a description of Purgatory. Unfortunately for the RCC, there is no context to support this idea, and much to condemn it. First, Purgatory is a place of cleansing from penalties, not forgiveness of sins. Sins are not forgiven there. So a place where sin could be forgiven must be in view. Second, Purgatory is concurrent with the present, so it is not the age to come. The only option is in the Millennium (Rev 20) or the new earth, both of which are after the second coming. We have to always be careful. A reading of the text which does not examine all of what it says could easily allow the RCC position. But when we look at all that is said, the RCC position evaporates.

Lacking good scriptural ammunition to support Purgatory, the RCC found itself in a severe bind when the Protestant Reformers challenged the concept of Purgatory. Its solution was ingenious. If the Bible didn't say what they wanted, they would add books until it did (Q5)! And so the RCC added the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonical books) to the Bible. The text they wanted was 2 Maccabees 12:46, where Judas Maccabeus "made atonement for the dead, that they might be delivered from their sin". This gave them the "biblical" support they needed.

Unfortunately, the Apocrypha are just that: apocryphal. They are of doubtful authenticity, and fail the test of inspiration. They contain obvious historical errors, simple contradictions, and fail to show the glory of God. But they DO contain that most important single verse. Since they contradict the rest of the Bible on the issue we are discussion, it is clear that they have no place in the canon.

Purgatorial fire is alleged to be necessary to complete the temporal punishments for sin (Q6). As noted before, this is utter nonsense, since the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin (1 John 1:7). When sin is forgiven, it is GONE (Heb 8:8-12). Unless a sin is remembered, there is no way for a punishment to remain. We should note that this passage in Hebrews is a quote of Jer 31:31-34, again showing us that there are no new doctrines in the NT. The writer of Hebrews is offering a commentary on Jeremiah 31, and is not introducing any new ideas or doctrines.

Scripture is clear on this issue, The Council of Trent is blowing hot air with its declaration that sin's penalty is not fully paid when we are justified. The RCC clearly has the same authority with regard to the dogma of Purgatory as it has in changing Sabbath observance to Sunday: NONE. Many ancient peoples had a belief in a place analogous to Purgatory (Q7). The RCC belief can be traced to a syncretistic blending of paganism with Christianity. This gives it no authority. It in fact demonstrates its fallacy. A place of purging simply does not exist. Our penalty is gone, nailed to the cross (Col 2:14). We will be changed into the sinless image of God in the twinkling of an eye at the second coming. We have no part in this marvelous change. It is solely the marvelous gift of God (Rom 6:23). The substitution of works of man for the gift of God may have seemed reasonable to some, but its true purpose was to be a fund raising tool, since the sale of indulgences fattened the treasury of Rome.

Please pardon my cynicism, but the only truthful statement that can be made about Purgatory is that it is a ski resort in Colorado.

Limbo is a concept which springs from a false understanding of the state of the dead. It was said to be a "holding tank" for those who, finally purified in Purgatory, could not go to heaven because Jesus had not yet died on the cross. At the cross, those saints ascended to heaven. The need for Limbo having been extinguished, the limbus patrum ceased to exist.

A second part of Limbo is the limbus infantum. This is the place where children who died before reaching the age of reason are kept. Their ultimate fate is uncertain. There have been "centuries of speculation" on the subject, and now the RCC confidently states that "these souls enjoy and will eternally enjoy a state of perfect natural happiness."

It is interesting to note the RCC admission that this dogma is the result of speculation. While numerous other RCC beliefs are also the result of speculation, they are not so brazen in their admissions regarding them. Here the RCC admits this totally reckless method of exegesis since there is no biblical material as a starting place. This allows them freedom to invent whatever dogma they wish, without fear of contradiction (they think). We will not explore the limbus infantum since we have no scriptural material as a starting place. Any decision we might reach would likely be as useless as any other speculation.

John 3:5 indicates that anyone not born of water and the Spirit cannot enter the kingdom of God. So the RCC insists that failure to be baptized is an absolute bar to the kingdom, and relegates those who do not deserve hell but cannot earn heaven (Q8) to Limbo. This is a classic case of ignoring context, both social and scriptural. In the social context, they ignore Jewish forms of speech, where there are no shades of gray, only stark black and white. The scriptural context shows that Jesus is not referring to an absolute requirement for water baptism, but rather for "baptism by the Spirit" (see Mark 1:8, Acts 1:5; 11:16, 1 Cor 12:13). An absolute requirement for water baptism would be nonsense, since baptism was not the ordinary sign of the covenant until John the Baptist. Paul refers to the Israelites being baptized without being immersed (1 Cor 10:2) in contrast to the Egyptians who were immersed without being baptized. The true baptism of the spirit does not even require the knowledge of Christ, since God is evident in nature (Psalm 19:1-4, Rom 1:16-20). This leaves the RCC dogma without foundation.

Not content to accept the verdict of scripture, the RCC declares that certain passages actually describe Limbo (Q9). Some of these are parables such as the ten virgins and the rich man and Lazarus. Others make reference to reclining at the table with Abraham. It is difficult to figure out how any of these can be construed as referring to Limbo. Obviously RCC tradition has tools no reasonable exegete can do without.

All sarcasm aside, there is no fundamental exegesis which makes any potential reference to Limbo until we get to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:43). There the translators have Jesus saying "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." As we approach this text, there are certain facts we must be careful of. First, the translators all believed in the immediate assumption of the saved into heaven after death. Second, the Greek manuscript was written without punctuation. Therefore, the comma after "you" does not exist in the original. The punctuation is supplied. If we move the comma one word later in the sentence, the meaning changes totally. "Truly I say to you today, you shall be with Me in Paradise."

In the first form, the thief is being told that he would be with Jesus in paradise on that day. Since Jesus rested in the grave on the Sabbath day, it would be impossible for the thief to be in paradise on Friday (the day of the crucifixion). He would have needed to wait until Sunday at the earliest. The RCC twists this event around to say that the thief went to Limbo, which it calls "Paradise" for the purposes of this discussion. But Jesus would never have gone to Limbo, since He was perfect, and had no need to stop there. Also, since the Cross, the limbus patrum was closed, with all its membership taken to heaven. Something is wrong here. It's not possible to make the first form of the text fit with the events we know to be true. And, by the way, assuming that the thief was forgiven of his sins on the cross, he still had all those penances to pay off in Purgatory. That certainly couldn't be completed in the few hours remaining in that one day.

On the other hand, if the comma is placed after "today", then Jesus is emphasizing the fact that the promise is being made "today", and the thief will eventually be in paradise. As we will see later, this fits perfectly with the rest of scripture, even though it denies Limbo. This is perfectly consistent with the rules of Greek, so the RCC cannot claim that we are violating the language. What we have is one of many places where even careful translators have interposed their own biases into the text. They didn't violate any rules here, either. They simply chose a form which agreed with their biases.

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Q10) is the source of more fallacious ideas on the state of the dead than any other passage in scripture. In it, a rich man dies, and, in torment by fire in Hades, asks Abraham to send Lazarus from paradise with water to cool his lips. The obvious conclusion, for those who wish to take this story literally, is that there is a literal afterlife with paradise or torment which commences immediately after death. Taken this way, it seems to be an obvious description of Limbo for Lazarus and Purgatory for the rich man. RCC apologists seize upon the fact that this is the only recorded illustrative story told by Jesus in which a character is given a name. This, they say, means that it is not a parable, but a literal truth.

Our first step is to look at the form of the story. Jesus has seized on a commonly held false idea about the afterlife to illustrate his point (In this respect, He is doing the same thing as Paul in 1 Cor 15:29). He reverses the expected outcome, placing the rich man, who according to the Jews, was rich as a reward for goodness, ends up in torment. Lazarus, a beggar, goes to his reward in "Abraham's bosom". He then develops the point that 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.' This is typical of parables, which use fictional stories to illustrate moral points. The tapestry of the tale is not there to be taken literally, but to add to the overall effect of the story. Therefore, the fact that Lazarus is named is irrelevant. This story is a parable.

We are able to confirm the parabolic nature of the story by looking at details which must be taken literally if the RCC conclusion is to be supported (Q11). The first is that Abraham's bosom must be enormous, since Lazarus is in it (v 23), and so, presumably, are many others. Next, even though there is a "great gulf" (v 26) between the two areas, the rich man is able to talk directly to Abraham (v 24). The rich man obviously sees that it is possible for Lazarus to reach into Hades to touch the rich man's lips with a wet finger (v24), even though there is this "great gulf". How could Lazarus be comforted (v 25) while watching his fellow men being tormented in flames (v 24)? Of course, as spirits, neither the rich man nor Lazarus would have bodies with fingers and lips. There are simply too many impossible things which must be accepted if the story is to be taken literally as the RCC position requires. On the other hand, if we accept the fact that the story is a parable, then the impossibilities exist to illustrate the punch line we see in verse 31. Purgatory and Limbo do not appear. Jesus is simply acting as any good teacher does by taking the common stories of His audience and molding them to illustrate eternal truths.

The final RCC claim we will explore is the idea that the saints resurrected at the time of Jesus' death on the cross (Q12, Matt 27:50-53) were a fulfillment of the prophecy of John 5:28-29, and a confirmation of Limbo, in that these saints were "held" from going to heaven until the cross. As before, we must carefully examine the texts in question. Only if we are casual in our study will the RCC position stand.

28 "Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice,
29 and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. John 5:28-29

We note that Jesus is speaking of a time when ALL dead shall be resurrected. This resurrection is not limited to saints, but the wicked are also included. Now we should look at Matt 27 to see if it matches.

52 and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Matt 27:52-53

The RCC position would require that ALL those who had died would have been resurrected at the cross. But Matthew records that many of the saints were raised. Some saints were left in the grave. And all of the wicked were left in the grave, and there was no judgment. There is no possibility for the resurrection of the cross to be the fulfillment of John 5. John 5 is talking of the resurrections at the second coming and the end of the millennium. As before, the careful student will easily see the error in the RCC's "infallible" teaching, but someone who does not take time to examine the issue will be fooled.

The State of the Dead, if properly understood, will lay to rest all of the RCC dogmas we have studied here as well as all of the Marian dogmas to come. Our first step (Q13) is to examine the OT terminology of death. Numerous OT writers make reference to death, and it is universally referred to as a "sleep". Daniel even says that "many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake" (Dan 12:2) at the second coming. The virtual absence of any other terminology speaks volumes.

This language continues in the NT (Q14). Jesus, in the stories of the dead daughter of the synagogue official and Lazarus, calls death a sleep. Other NT writers (Q15) repeatedly use the same term. Stephen "fell asleep" (Acts 7:60). Paul does not wish us to be uninformed about "those who are asleep" (1 Thess 4:13-17). If there were any other understanding of the state of the dead, we would see evidence of it.

Explicit statements about death are found in the OT (Q16). At death, all thoughts "perish" (Psalm 146:4). The dead "do not know anything" (Eccl 9:5). Solomon continues that there is no knowledge or activity of any kind in Sheol (Eccl 9:10). We must note that Sheol is "the place of the dead", not "Hell" in our modern context. Sheol and its NT equivalent "Hades" are essentially the "holding area" where the dead go prior to resurrection either to glory or judgment. Hell, on the other hand, is equivalent to the lake of fire mentioned in Revelation where the wicked are destroyed. Once the dead go to Sheol (Q17), there is nothing that the living can do for them, since the dead "have no share" in anything the living do (Eccl 9:6).

The common conception is that the dead go to be with Jesus (Q18). However, Psalm 115:17 states that the dead do not praise the Lord. This would be very strange if they were in the presence of God, since Rev 14:1-3 and Rev 19:1 say that the redeemed will be singing songs of praise to God. The only real possibility is that at death, the spirit (Hebrew ruach, Greek pneuma) goes back to God. All people suffer the same fate as the animals, and cease to exist.

Note: We must not allow the common misconception regarding the spirit to hold here. If we understand "spirit" to be the spiritual part of a person, then we have made the person alive after death, and in the presence of God, a status we have just shown to be false. On the other hand, if we use the term in its context, then "spirit" refers to the energizing spark of life. God gives us life, and He takes it back when we die. Nothing whatever is said about the person's fate.

To carry this further (Q20), we can look at the description of Adam's creation (Gen 2:7). God is shown forming Adam of the ground, then blowing into his nostrils the breath of life, and Adam "became a living soul". This description is of a united whole. The body with life equals a soul. The soul is not a separate entity. Likewise, the soul is not immortal. Jesus warned us to fear one who could "destroy both body and soul in hell" (Matt 10:28). An immortal soul would not be subject to destruction. As Ezekiel says, "The soul who sins will die" (Ezek 18:20).

If a person does not go to the presence of God at death (Q21), where does he go? As we mentioned in Q17, at death, the person goes to Sheol (Heb) or Hades (Gr). This is not heaven or hell, but a literary description of the nothingness of death. Only after the resurrection does a person go to his final reward. However, since a person in Sheol has no awareness, just as in sleep there is no awareness, there will appear to be no time lapse between death and resurrection. In this sense, it will seem to be an immediate transition between death and the final reward. Jesus (Q22) spent the time of His death in Sheol/Hades, and did not go to heaven (Q23) until after the resurrection.

At the second coming (Q24), the dead in Christ (note Paul's use of "sleep") will be raised to become immortal and incorruptible in "the twinkling of an eye". This first resurrection of the saved will be accompanied by the resurrection of a few of the wicked, for Rev 1:7 points out that "those who pierced Him" will see Jesus coming in the clouds of glory. Prior to this time, no one will have seen God (1 Tim 6:15-16) in all His glory. After the second resurrection (Q27) everyone will see God. At this time, there is a great contrast shown between the saved and the wicked. We see reference to those whose names are written in the Book of Life. They are not judged. On the other hand, the wicked are judged from the record books of their lives. Their works are examined before they are finally thrown into the lake of fire (Q28) which is the second death, the one which utterly destroys the soul.

We should dwell on this point briefly. All of our works of righteousness are as "filthy rags" (Is 64:6), and would fail to demonstrate any merit for salvation if examined in the judgment. But the saved do not have to undergo this examination. By faith, Christ's works are imputed to us (Rom 3:21-22, Heb 11), and His perfect righteousness stands in our place. Our names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and we are not judged. By contrast, the wicked have attempted to live according to their works, including those who have attempted to be saved by their works. God accepts the verdict of the individual. Those who have lived according to their own works will be judged by their own works. Since all have sinned (Rom 3:23), all have failed to perfectly keep the perfect law and are found wanting. They are judged by their own choice and thrown in the lake of fire. Those who have lived by faith have declared their own merits worthless, and rely totally on the one sinless One. That reliance is accepted, and the faithful are welcomed into the city. What greater condemnation of righteousness by works can be found? Unlike the RCC dogmas, we are to rely ONLY on Christ.

Our final question (Q29) deals with Paul's statement that he would rather be absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Cor 5:6-8). Many have taken this to mean that he would like to die, since he would then be taken from his body and transported to heaven. As we have already seen, this is false, but the key to this statement is found in his other epistle to Corinth. There (1 Cor 15:42-44) Paul points out that at the second coming, we will all give up our natural bodies and receive spiritual bodies. Then we can be with the Lord. So Paul's actual desire is not to die, but rather to speed the passage of time so that Christ can come back.

Conclusion:

The concepts of Purgatory and Limbo arise from false concepts of salvation by works the state of the dead. Since the dead are sleeping in the grave, there is no place for either dogma. The evil of these ideas proceeds beyond simple error, because salvation by works destroys the chance to accept the grace of Christ and be numbered among the redeemed.

Our approach to those who believe falsely cannot be to argue that they are wrong, even though they are. A head-on attack creates an enemy, not a convert. We need to emphasize the goodness of Christ, and the sufficiency of His sacrifice.

As a final note, we need to consider the topic of "near-death experiences". These uniformly result in a person saying that they approached a light, a warm, friendly place, and were pulled back. The result is that they do not fear death, but feel ready to "cross over". Never is there a conviction of the need to rely on Christ, to repent of sin, or otherwise to convert. Their lives are unaffected, as if there will never be any adverse ultimate consequences. Such a result is a deception by the father of lies, and must be condemned. We must sound the clarion call of repentance, not be seduced by the siren song of Satan.